bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of HIV and HCV among injecting drug users in three selected WHO-EMRO countries: a meta-analysis
Authors: Shayan Shah Jahan , Nazari Rajab , Kiwanuka Frank
Published: May 2021

Background

HIV and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infections are responsible for a significant burden of mortality and morbidity, particularly in developing countries. This study sought to determine the prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis C among injecting drug users in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.

Methods

This review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Guidelines for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science/Knowledge, SID.ir, and MAGIRAN were searched. Studies that were published from 2003 up to 2018 were considered for analysis. Studies were screened for inclusion in duplicate, and also, that data were narratively synthesized.

Results

We report on data from 79 articles. The total number of participants in studies that assessed the prevalence of HIV among injecting drug users included 68,926 participants, while those from studies that assessed HCV prevalence were 23,016 participants. Overall HIV and HCV prevalence among injecting drug users in the three selected countries were 9.1% (95% CI 6.9–12.0%) and 48.3% (95% CI 43.9–52.7%), respectively. Iran had the highest HIV prevalence of 11.0% among injectable drug users (95% CI 8.4–14.2%), while Afghanistan had the lowest HIV prevalence of 3.1% (95% CI 1.5–6.3%) among three selected countries. In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV was 8.6% (95% CI 4.8–15.0%). Regarding HCV prevalence, Pakistan had the highest while Afghanistan had the lowest, 54.4% (95% CI 33.5–73.9%) and 37.3% (95% CI 35.2–39.4%), respectively. HCV prevalence in Iran was 47.7% (95% CI 43.4–52.0%).

Conclusion

Injecting drug users form a special cohort of persons at risk of HIV and Hepatitis C infections. The prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis noted from our findings is significantly high. Awareness of the grave risk of spreading HIV and Hepatitis C associated with sharing needles is recommended among this sub-group of drug users.
MicroRNA-449a delays lung cancer development through inhibiting KDM3A/HIF-1α axis
Authors: Hu Shan , Cao Peng , Kong Kangle , Han Peng , Deng Yu , Li Fan , Zhao Bo
Published: May 2021

Background

It has been established that microRNA (miR)-449a is anti-tumorigenic in cancers, including lung cancer. Therefore, this study further explored miR-449a-mediated mechanism in lung cancer, mainly focusing on lysine demethylase 3A/hypoxia-induced factor-1α (KDM3A/HIF-1α) axis.

Methods

miR-449a, KDM3A and HIF-1α levels in lung cancer tissues and cell lines (A549, H1299 and H460) were measured. Loss- and gain-of-function assays were performed and then cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, invasion and migration were traced. The relationship between KDM3A, miR-449a and HIF-1α was verified. Tumor growth in vivo was also monitored.

Results

Both lung cancer tissues and cells exhibited reduced miR-449a and raised KDM3A and HIF-1α levels. miR-449a interacted with KDM3A; HIF-1α could bind with KDM3A. Up-regulating miR-449a hindered while suppressing miR-449a induced lung cancer development via mediating HIF-1α. Elevating KDM3A promoted cellular aggression while down-regulating KDM3A had the opposite effects. Up-regulating KDM3A or HIF-1α negated up-regulated miR-449a-induced effects on cellular growth in lung cancer. Restoring miR-449a impaired tumorigenesis in vivo in lung cancer.

Conclusion

It is eventually concluded that miR-449a delays lung cancer development through suppressing KDM3A/HIF-1α axis.
Cellular proliferation dynamics during regeneration in Syllis malaquini (Syllidae, Annelida)
Authors: Ribeiro Rannyele Passos , Egger Bernhard , Ponz-Segrelles Guillermo , Aguado M. Teresa
Published: May 2021

Background

In syllids (Annelida, Syllidae), the regenerative blastema was subject of many studies in the mid and late XXth century. This work on syllid regeneration showed that the blastema is developed by a process of dedifferentiation of cells near the wound, followed by their proliferation and redifferentiation (cells differentiate to the original cell type) or, in some specific cases, transdifferentiation (cells differentiate to a cell type different from the original). Up to date, participation of stem cells or pre-existing proliferative cells in the blastema development has never been observed in syllids. This study provides the first comprehensive description of Syllis malaquini’s regenerative capacity, including data on the cellular proliferation dynamics by using an EdU/BrdU labelling approach, in order to trace proliferative cells (S-phase cells) present before and after operation.

Results

Syllis malaquini can restore the anterior and posterior body from different cutting levels under experimental conditions, even from midbody fragments. Our results on cellular proliferation showed that S-phase cells present in the body before bisection do not significantly contribute to blastema development. However, in some specimens cut at the level of the proventricle, cells in S-phase located in the digestive tube before bisection participated in regeneration. Also, our results showed that nucleus shape allows to distinguish different types of blastemal cells as forming specific tissues. Additionally, simultaneous and sequential addition of segments seem to occur in anterior regeneration, while only sequential addition was observed in posterior regeneration. Remarkably, in contrast with previous studies in syllids, sexual reproduction was not induced during anterior regeneration of amputees lacking the proventricle, a foregut organ widely known to be involved in the stolonization control.

Conclusions

Our findings led us to consider that although dedifferentiation and redifferentiation might be more common, proliferative cells present before injury can be involved in regenerative processes in syllids, at least in some cases. Also, we provide data for comparative studies on resegmentation as a process that differs between anterior and posterior regeneration; and on the controversial role of the proventricle in the reproduction of different syllid lineages.
Radical treatment of severe open fractures of extremities by orthoplastic surgery: a 10-year retrospective study
Authors: Yang Zhao , Xu Chao , Zhu Yong-Gang , Li Jun , Wu Zi-Xiang , Zou Ji-Wei , Xue Bao-Bao , Miao Dan-Min , Shang Lei , Zhao Guang-Yue
Published: May 2021

Objective

This study aimed to retrospectively analyze clinical data of a series of patients with severe open fractures of extremities (Gustilo IIIb or IIIc), who achieved a satisfactory outcome through radical orthoplastic surgery, so as to provide a reference for determining the treatment of severe open fractures of extremities.

Methods

The clinical data of 41 consecutive patients with severe open fracture (Gustilo IIIb or IIIc) of the limb, who underwent successful surgical debridement, fixation, and soft tissue reconstruction in one stage between January 2008 and January 2019, were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative indicators, including infection rate and union time, were acquired by a regular follow-up and analyzed.

Results

The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 38 ± 16 years. A total of 90 open fractures and severe soft tissue damages were analyzed. The soft tissue cover was achieved within 72 h. The overall rate of infection was 14.6% (6/41). Sex and the Mangled Extremity Severity Score were associated with infection. The median union time of 40 patients (one amputation) was 32 weeks.

Conclusion

The overall rate of infection exhibited a lower tendency in this study compared with previous studies on high-grade open fractures following a two-stage orthopedic approach. The consequence of infection rate and union time was similar to that in previous studies. These results indicated that the single-stage radical orthoplastic treatment was an effective and reliable option for reconstructing severe open fractures.
Integrated transcriptomics explored the cancer-promoting genes CDKN3 in esophageal squamous cell cancer
Authors: Wang Wanpeng , Liao Kai , Guo Hao Chun , Zhou Suqin , Yu Ran , Liu Yanyan , Pan Yan , Pu Juan
Published: May 2021

Background and objectives

Each individual studies is limited to multi-factors and potentially lead to a significant difference of results among them. The present study aim to explore the critical genes related to the development of Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by integrated transcriptomics and to investigate the clinical significance by experimental validation.

Methods

Datasets of protein-coding genes expression which involved in ESCC were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The “Robustrankaggreg” package in language was used for data integration, and the different expression genes (DEGs) were identified based the cut-off criteria as follows: adjust p-value < 0.05, |fold change (FC)| ≥ 1.5; The protein expression of seed gene in 184 cases of primary ESCC tissues and 50 tumor adjacent normal tissues (at least 5 cm away from the tumor, and defind as the controls) were detected by immunohistochemistry; The relationship between the expression level of seed genes and clinical parameter were analyze. Enumeration data were represented by frequency or percentage (%) and were tested by x2 test. The P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 244 DEGs were identified by comparing gene expression patterns between ESCC patients and the controls based on integrating dataset of GSE77861, GSE77861, GSE100942, GSE26886, GSE17351, GSE38129, GSE33426, GSE20347 and GSE23400; The Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3) were identified the top 1 seed gene of top cluster by use of protein-protein Interaction network and plug-in Molecular Complex Detection; The level of CDKN3 mRNA was significantly increased in ESCC patients compared to controls; The positive expression rate of CDKN3 protein in ESCC tissue samples was 32 and 61.4% in control, respectively. The correlations between the expression level of CDKN3 and lymph node metastasis or clinical staging of ESCC patients are statistically significant.

Conclusion

Integrated transcriptomics is an efficient approach to system biology. By this procedure, our study improved the understanding of the transcriptome status of ESCC.
A case of thyroid storm caused by Graves’ disease misdiagnosed as panic attack due to panic disorder
Authors: Yasuda Manabu , Kumakura Jun , Oka Kiyonori , Fukuda Kazuhito
Published: May 2021

Background

Graves’ disease is characterized by hyperthyroidism and its symptoms often overlap with those of panic disorder, which may make it difficult to distinguish between the two conditions. In this report, we describe how proper diagnosis of thyroid disease in patients with mental illness can lead to appropriate treatment.

Case presentation

We encountered a 34-year-old woman in whom thyroid crisis from Graves’ disease was misdiagnosed as panic attack. The patient was being managed as a case of panic disorder and bipolar disorder in a psychiatric outpatient setting. About 6 months before presentation she had lost about 16 kg in weight, and a month before presentation she developed several unpleasant symptoms as her condition worsened. Several weeks before she had had severe palpitations, tachycardia, and discomfort in her throat. She became unable to eat solids, ate only yogurt and gelatin, and felt it difficult to take psychiatric drugs.

She visited our emergency outpatient department on a Sunday morning, presenting with nausea, severe tachycardia, fever, and restlessness with anxiety. We treated her as panic disorder with fever, but noted proptosis and considered the possibility of Graves’ disease. Thyroid function tests were performed even though data from her clinic was not available because it was a weekend.

Because there was no improvement in her condition after her first visit, she returned to our hospital early the next morning. We had misdiagnosed her as having severe panic attacks due to panic disorder, and after a diazepam injection had allowed her to go home.

Later that day, the thyroid function test results became available, and her symptoms and the results strongly indicated a thyroid storm. The endocrinology department was consulted immediately, and she was referred for hospitalization the next day. During hospitalization, she was treated with steroid and radioactive iodine therapy and was discharged from hospital in 3 weeks.

Conclusion

Psychiatrists and doctors engaged in psychosomatic medicine need to consider the possibility of severe hyperthyroidism as a differential diagnosis of panic disorder.
Is postoperative non-weight-bearing necessary? INWN Study protocol for a pragmatic randomised multicentre trial of operatively treated ankle fracture
Authors: Khojaly Ramy , Mac Niocaill Ruairí , Shahab Muhammad , Nagle Matthew , Taylor Colm , Rowan Fiachra E. , Cleary May
Published: May 2021

Background

Postoperative management regimes vary following open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of unstable ankle fractures. There is an evolving understanding that extended periods of immobilisation and weight-bearing limitation may lead to poorer clinical outcomes. Traditional non-weight-bearing cast immobilisation may prevent loss of fixation, and this practice continues in many centres. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the safety and efficacy of immediate weight-bearing (IWB) and range of motion (ROM) exercise regimes following ORIF of unstable ankle fractures with a particular focus on functional outcomes and complication rates.

Methods

A pragmatic randomised controlled multicentre trial, comparing IWB in a walking boot and ROM within 24 h versus non-weight-bearing (NWB) and immobilisation in a cast for 6 weeks, following ORIF of all types of unstable adult ankle fractures (lateral malleolar, bimalleolar, trimalleolar with or without syndesmotic injury) is proposed. All patients presenting to three trauma units will be included. The exclusion criteria will be skeletal immaturity and tibial plafond fractures. The three institutional review boards have granted ethical approval. The primary outcome measure will be the functional Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS). Secondary outcomes include wound infection (deep and superficial), displacement of osteosynthesis, the full arc of ankle motion (plantar flexion and dorsal flection), RAND-36 Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) scoring, time to return to work and postoperative hospital length of stay. The trial will be reported in accordance with the CONSORT statement for reporting a pragmatic trial, and this protocol will follow the SPIRIT guidance.

Discussion

Traditional management of operatively treated ankle fractures includes an extended period of non-weight-bearing. There is emerging evidence that earlier weight-bearing may have equivocal outcomes and favourable patient satisfaction but higher wound-related complications. These studies often preclude more complicated fracture patterns or patient-related factors. To our knowledge, immediate weight-bearing (IWB) following ORIF of all types of unstable ankle fractures has not been investigated in a controlled prospective manner in recent decades. This pragmatic randomised-controlled multicentre trial will investigate immediate weight-bearing following ORIF of all ankle fracture patterns in the usual care condition. It is hoped that these results will contribute to the modern management of ankle fractures.

Trial registration

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN76410775. Retrospectively registered on 30 June 2019.
Spatio-temporal modelling of Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) populations on Reunion Island (Indian Ocean)
Authors: Grimaud Yannick , Tran Annelise , Benkimoun Samuel , Boucher Floriane , Esnault Olivier , Cêtre-Sossah Catherine , Cardinale Eric , Garros Claire , Guis Hélène
Published: May 2021

Background

Reunion Island regularly faces outbreaks of bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic diseases, two insect-borne orbiviral diseases of ruminants. Hematophagous midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the vectors of bluetongue (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHDV) viruses. In a previous study, statistical models based on environmental and meteorological data were developed for the five Culicoides species present in the island to provide a better understanding of their ecology and predict their presence and abundance. The purpose of this study was to couple these statistical models with a Geographic Information System (GIS) to produce dynamic maps of the distribution of Culicoides throughout the island.

Methods

Based on meteorological data from ground weather stations and satellite-derived environmental data, the abundance of each of the five Culicoides species was estimated for the 2214 husbandry locations on the island for the period ranging from February 2016 to June 2018. A large-scale Culicoides sampling campaign including 100 farms was carried out in March 2018 to validate the model.

Results

According to the model predictions, no husbandry location was free of Culicoides throughout the study period. The five Culicoides species were present on average in 57.0% of the husbandry locations for C. bolitinos Meiswinkel, 40.7% for C. enderleini Cornet & Brunhes, 26.5% for C. grahamii Austen, 87.1% for C. imicola Kieffer and 91.8% for C. kibatiensis Goetghebuer. The models also showed high seasonal variations in their distribution. During the validation process, predictions were acceptable for C. bolitinos, C. enderleini and C. kibatiensis, with normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE) of 15.4%, 13.6% and 16.5%, respectively. The NRMSE was 27.4% for C. grahamii. For C. imicola, the NRMSE was acceptable (11.9%) considering all husbandry locations except in two specific areas, the Cirque de Salazie—an inner mountainous part of the island—and the sea edge, where the model overestimated its abundance.

Conclusions

Our model provides, for the first time to our knowledge, an operational tool to better understand and predict the distribution of Culicoides in Reunion Island. As it predicts a wide spatial distribution of the five Culicoides species throughout the year and taking into consideration their vector competence, our results suggest that BTV and EHDV can circulate continuously on the island. As further actions, our model could be coupled with an epidemiological model of BTV and EHDV transmission to improve risk assessment of Culicoides-borne diseases on the island.

Graphical Abstract
Gender plasticity uncovers multiple sexual morphs in natural populations of Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don
Authors: Khanduri Vinod Prasad , Sukumaran Arun , Sharma Chandra Mohan
Published: May 2021

Background

The expression of gender in gymnosperms is challenging because the extent of variability in gender segregations in tree crowns and selection pressure of nature can modify the gender through time.

Methods

An in-depth investigation on spatial segregation of genders in tree crowns and sex expression of a total of 500 trees in five different natural populations of Cedrus deodara was carried out and verified the occurrence of subdioecious (co-existence of male, female, and monoecious) genders in C. deodara.

Results

Five different sexual morphs were apparent among the 500 selected individuals as (1) pure male (M): bearing only male strobili in the whole crown with 22.2%; (2) pure female (F): bearing only female strobili in the whole crown with 12.4%; (3) mixed-monoecious (MM): bearing both male and female strobili with 13.6%; (4) predominantly female (PF) with 25.6%; and (5) predominantly male (PM) with 26.2%. The occurrence of multiple sexual morphs resulted from the complex selection pressure, which increased the stability of the populations. The segregation of genders in crown layers deemed to increase the fitness that may be a mechanism for accelerating outcrossing. The results of the study suggest that the subdioecious gender expression in C. deodara is evolved through the monoecy–paradioecy pathway. The production of male strobili revealed non-significant effect of tree sizes whereas a significant effect was observed for the production of female strobili. Our study established that the total pollen and seed outputs in C. deodara changed frequently according to gender expression.

Conclusions

The size of the tree, resource availability, sex allocation, plant architecture, gender segregation in crowns, and habitat conditions are the prominent causes for gender plasticity.
Psychometric properties of the Inventory of Life Quality in children and adolescents in Norwegian Sign Language
Authors: Aanondsen Chris Margaret , Jozefiak Thomas , Heiling Kerstin , Lydersen Stian , Rimehaug Tormod
Published: May 2021

Background

Several studies have assessed the Quality of Life (QoL) in Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and adolescents. The findings from these studies, however, vary from DHH children reporting lower QoL than their typically hearing (TH) peers to similar QoL and even higher QoL. These differences have been attributed to contextual and individual factors such as degree of access to communication, the participants’ age as well as measurement error. Using written instead of sign language measures has been shown to underestimate mental health symptoms in DHH children and adolescents. It is expected that translating generic QoL measures into sign language will help gain more accurate reports from DHH children and adolescents, thus eliminating one of the sources for the observed differences in research conclusions. Hence, the aim of the current study is to translate the Inventory of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents into Norwegian Sign Language (ILC-NSL) and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the self-report of the ILC-NSL and the written Norwegian version (ILC-NOR) for DHH children and adolescents. The parent report was included for comparison. Associations between child self-report and parent-report are also provided.

Methods

Fifty-six DHH children completed the ILC-NSL and ILC-NOR in randomized order while their parents completed the parent-report of the ILC-NOR and a questionnaire on hearing- and language-related information. Internal consistency was examined using Dillon-Goldstein’s rho and Cronbach’s alpha, ILC-NSL and ILC-NOR were compared using intraclass correlation coefficients. Construct validity was examined by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Results

Regarding reliability, the internal consistency was established as acceptable to good, whereas the comparison of the ILC-NSL with the ILC-NOR demonstrated closer correspondence for the adolescent version of the ILC than for the child version. The construct validity, as evaluated by PLS-SEM, resulted in an acceptable fit for the proposed one-factor model for both language versions for adolescents as well as the complete sample.

Conclusion

The reliability and validity of the ILC-NSL seem promising, especially for the adolescent version, even though the validation was based on a small sample of DHH children and adolescents.
Publisher Correction to: C11orf95-RELA fusion drives aberrant gene expression through the unique epigenetic regulation for ependymoma formation
Authors: Ozawa Tatsuya , Kaneko Syuzo , Szulzewsky Frank , Qiao Zhiwei , Takadera Mutsumi , Narita Yoshitaka , Kondo Tadashi , Holland Eric C. , Hamamoto Ryuji , Ichimura Koichi
Published: May 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Nonlinear modeling and study of rigid-flexible piezoelectric energy harvester with additional frame
Authors: Chen Lihua , Hou Chaoran , Cui Shoujie , Sun Yue
Published: May 2021

Based on a rigid-flexible piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) composed of antisymmetric double plates with a rigid frame, which has three operating bandwidths in a low-frequency range, nonlinearity is used to further broaden the operating bandwidth. Firstly, finite-element simulation is used to study the influence of structural parameters, such as the width of the frame and the distance between two plates, on the natural frequencies. Bending deformation of cantilever plates and rigid motion of frame are considered comprehensively to obtain the theoretical mode functions of the structure. The nonlinear electromechanical coupling model is established via von Karman nonlinear geometric assumptions and the Hamilton principle. In order to study the broadening of output bandwidth caused by nonlinearity, the average equations with 1:1.5:2 internal resonance ratio are derived by the multi-scale method. On the basis of the calculated optimal resistance, the voltage response and dimensionless amplitude response curves induced by the first three order modes are numerically calculated. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed PEH not only obtains three peaks of voltage output in a low-frequency range, but also utilizes hard spring effect and internal resonance to widen the output bandwidth of each resonance interval.
Mouthpiece Noninvasive Ventilation in a Patient With Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report
Authors: Ker Shanice , Leow Leong Chai , Lee Yi Lin
Published: May 2021

The use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been associated with improved patient satisfaction and comfort compared to tracheostomy in patients who are ventilator dependent. We present a case of a young man who fell off a platform and sustained a traumatic third and fourth cervical vertebrae (C3/4) fracture dislocation with bilateral facet dislocation, in whom a trial of mouthpiece NIV was attempted. We discuss the issues surrounding this method of ventilation in ventilator-dependent patients.
Transient Neurological Dysfunction and Intracranial Hypertension After Tourniquet Deflation in a Patient With a Head Injury: A Case Report
Authors: Khandelwal Ankur , Srivastava Aarti , Nayak Sudhansu Sekhar , Prabhakar Sameer , Sinha Shweta
Published: May 2021

A tourniquet is used during surgery to produce a bloodless surgical field and decrease intraoperative blood loss. Although useful, tourniquets are associated with various physiological alterations both during inflation and deflation phases which may be poorly tolerated in compromised patients. We report a case of transient neurological dysfunction and intracranial hypertension after tourniquet deflation in a 15-year-old patient with a head injury. Intracranial hypertension under general anesthesia was diagnosed based on bradyarrhythmia and elevated ultrasonographic optic nerve sheath diameter as compared to preoperative values.
Discrete Choice under Risk with Limited Consideration
Authors: Barseghyan Levon , Molinari Francesca , Thirkettle Matthew
Published: May 2021

This paper is concerned with learning decision-makers’ preferences using data on observed choices from a finite set of risky alternatives. We propose a discrete choice model with unobserved heterogeneity in consideration sets and in standard risk aversion. We obtain sufficient conditions for the model’s semi-nonparametric point identification, including in cases where consideration depends on preferences and on some of the exogenous variables. Our method yields an estimator that is easy to compute and is applicable in markets with large choice sets. We illustrate its properties using a dataset on property insurance purchases. (JEL D81, D83, D91, G22, G52)
Types of Contact: A Field Experiment on Collaborative and Adversarial Caste Integration
Authors: Lowe Matt
Published: May 2021

I estimate the effects of collaborative and adversarial intergroup contact. I randomly assigned Indian men from different castes to participate in cricket leagues or to serve as a control group. League players faced variation in collaborative contact, through random assignment to homogeneous-caste or mixed-caste teams, and adversarial contact, through random assignment of opponents. Collaborative contact increases cross-caste friendships and efficiency in trade, and reduces own-caste favoritism. In contrast, adversarial contact generally reduces cross-caste interaction and efficiency. League participation reduces intergroup differences, suggesting that the positive aspects of intergroup contact more than offset the negative aspects in this setting. (JEL C93, D83, D91, J15, O15, Z13, Z21)
Η αντιοξειδωτική προετοιμασία πριν από μείζονες ηπατεκτομές
Authors: Παραδέλλης Δουκάκης
Published: May 2021

Σκοπός: Σκοπός του πειράματος είναι να εκτιμηθεί κατά πόσον η αντιοξειδωτική προετοιμασία με δεφεροξαμίνη μπορεί να ελαττώσει τον τραυματισμό της ισχαιμίας/επαναιμάτωσης του ήπατος που σχετίζεται με εκτεταμένη ηπατεκτομή σε χοίρους.Μέθοδοι: Δεκαοκτώ χοίροι χωρίστηκαν τυχαία σε ομάδες: Δεφεροξαμίνης (DFO) και Χειρουργείου μόνο (SO). Οι χοίροι υποβλήθηκαν σε λαπαροτομία, προσωρινό αποκλεισμό των δεξιών και μέσων ηπατικών αγγείων και ηπατικού πόρου και ακολούθως σε αριστερή ηπατεκτομή. Η ομάδα DFO έλαβε IV δεφεροξαμίνη πριν από την πρόκληση ισχαιμίας του ήπατος. Η παρακολούθηση πραγματοποιήθηκε για 6 ώρες και τα δείγματα (Protein carbonyls (PC), Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), Ιστολογία, ALT, AST, Lactic acid και WBC) συλλέχθηκαν στα 0, 60 και 360 λεπτά.Αποτελέσματα: Οι αντιοξειδωτικοί δείκτες PC και TBARS είχαν σημαντικά χαμηλότερη συγκέντρωση και υψηλότερα ποσοστά μείωσης στον ορό και τον ηπατικό ιστό της ομάδας DFO. Η ιστολογική εξέταση του ήπατος έδειξε λιγότερη φλεγμονή και νέκρωση στην ομάδα DFO. Τα ηπατικά ένζυμα και οι μετρήσεις γαλακτικού οξέος έδειξαν υψηλότερο ρυθμό μείωσης στην ομάδα DFO στο τέλος του πειράματος.Συμπεράσματα: Αυτή η πειραματική μελέτη τεκμηριώνει ένα πρώιμο προστατευτικό αποτέλεσμα της χορήγησης δεφεροξαμίνης σε μείζονες ηπατεκτομές έναντι της βλάβης ισχαιμίας/επαναιμάτωσης στο ήπαρ.
eLabFTW as an Open Science tool to improve the quality and translation of preclinical research
Authors: Hewera Michael , Hänggi Daniel , Gerlach Björn , Kahlert Ulf Dietrich
Published: May 2021

Reports of non-replicable research demand new methods of research data management. Electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs) are suggested as tools to improve the documentation of research data and make them universally accessible. In a self-guided approach, we introduced the open-source ELN eLabFTW into our life-science lab group and, after using it for a while, think it is a useful tool to overcome hurdles in ELN introduction by providing a combination of properties making it suitable for small life-sceience labs, like ours. We set up our instance of eLabFTW, without any further programming needed. Our efforts to embrace open data approach by introducing an ELN fits well with other institutional organized ELN initiatives in academic research and our goals towards data quality management.
STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMICC
Authors: Oktaria Annafi Annanda , Rahmayadevi Laksmita
Published: May 2021

Technology has impacted most of the sectors, including the education field.  Nowadays, many schools have incorporated technology through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into learning. This research investigates students' perception of Google Classroom as a learning tool during the covid-19 pandemic. The method used in this research is quantitative descriptive through an online questionnaire and online deep interview sessions with students from SMP Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. Twenty-eight students have been joining Google Classroom in English learning for at least one term during the covid-19 pandemic. Five students also interviewed to seek more information about their experiences using Google Classroom. Findings showed that several factors influence the students' online learning process in a covid-19 pandemic, namely, usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction. In general, Google Classroom is very useful in improving students' skills, abilities, discipline, and independent learning through teaching materials.
COMMUNITY KNOWLEDGE OF ARJOSARI VILLAGE, KALIPARE DISTRICT, MALANG DISTRICT, EAST JAVA ABOUT SAVING OF RAINWATER
Authors: Lufira Rahmah Dara , Zuhriyah Lilik , Muktiningsih Satwika Desantina , Rahayu Aldila Putri , Nastiti Ken Diah Mangar
Published: May 2021

Arjosari Village, Kalipare Subdistrict, Malang Regency, experiences drought every year; this makes the villagers buy water when the dry season comes. This research aims to find out how much knowledge of the people of Arjosari Village, Kalipare District, Malang Regency in saving rainwater used as an alternative to fulfil water needs in the dry season. The research method used was a descriptive survey method with a sample of 82 people. Survey studies are "a observe that takes samples from a single population and uses questionnaires as a primary records series tool". The results showed that the community's knowledge of the concept of saving rainwater was "high".Meanwhile, for the public's knowledge of methods of saving rainwater, there were 26 people in the "Low" category, 40 people in the "Medium" category, and 16 in the "High" category. Methods that can save rainwater are the construction of rainwater infiltration wells, bio pure infiltration holes, rainwater harvesting, and appropriate vegetation selection. This education can give the benefits that increase the public knowledge and awareness to conduct groundwater conservation to anticipate the lack of clean water in this area.
FLIPPED CLASSROOM AND KAHOOT IN PHYSICS LEARNING: IMPROVING STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION LEARNING
Authors: Astuti Irnin Agustina Dwi , Bhakti Yoga Budi , Sumarni Ria Asep , Sulisworo Dwi , Toifur Moh
Published: May 2021

Ideal condition in physics learning should combine concepts with technology. Traditional physics learning causes students to be not interested in learning physics. There must be innovations in physics learning to be more interactive learning. One of them flipped classroom learning. Flipped classroom learning combined with Kahoot online games will make students more active. The purpose of this research is to increase students' learning motivation with Kahoot-based flipped classroom learning. The method used in this research is the quasi-experimental method with the research design of The Randomized Post-Test Only Control Group Design. The research finding can describe as follows: First, the flipped classroom is learning the model that combines face-to-face with e-learning to improve students' motivation in physics learning. Second, Kahoot in a flipped classroom supported as an evaluation model. Third, three main steps in applying the flipped classroom are preparing,  implementing, and evaluating the design.
Performance analysis of free-space quantum key distribution using multiple spatial modes
Authors: He Wenhua , Guha Saikat , Shapiro Jeffrey H. , Bash Boulat A.
Published: May 2021

In the diffraction-limited near-field propagation regime, free-space optical quantum key distribution (QKD) systems can employ multiple spatial modes to improve their key rate. This improvement can be effected by means of high-dimensional QKD or by spatial-mode multiplexing of independent QKD channels, with the latter, in general, offering higher key rates. Here, we theoretically analyze spatial-mode-multiplexed, decoy-state BB84 whose transmitter mode set is either a collection of phase-tilted, flat-top focused beams (FBs) or the Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) modes. Although for vacuum propagation the FBs suffer a QKD rate penalty relative to the LG modes, their potential ease of implementation make them an attractive alternative. Moreover, in the presence of turbulence, the FB modes may outperform the LG modes.
Picosecond pulse formation in the presence of atmospheric absorption
Authors: Majewski Matthew R. , Pawliszewska Maria , Jackson Stuart D.
Published: May 2021

Mode-locked mid-infrared (MIR) fiber laser research has been dominated by the generation of pulses in the picosecond regime using saturable absorbers (SAs) and more recently frequency shifted feedback (FSF). Despite the significant emphasis placed on the development of materials to serve as the SAs for the MIR, published pulse durations have been substantially longer than what has been reported in the near-infrared (NIR). In this report we present experimental data supporting the view that the majority of demonstrations involving SAs and FSF have been limited by the presence of molecular gas absorption in the free-space sections of their cavities. We show that the pulse duration is directly linked to the width of an absorption-free region of the gaseous absorption profile and that the resulting optical spectrum is nearly always bounded by strong absorption features.
Bar code reader for the THz region
Authors: Amarasinghe Yasith , Guerboukha Hichem , Shiri Yaseman , Mittleman Daniel M.
Published: May 2021

We demonstrate a bar code sensing system for the THz region using leaky parallel plate waveguide and an off-axis parabolic mirror. The bars of the bar code are made from metal with air as gaps between them. We use up to 6 bars in the barcode system which can store up to 64 bits. Because the system employs coherent detection, we can further increase the bit density by adding Teflon strips to the barcode, encoding information in both amplitude and phase delay. These bar codes can be manufactured easily and inexpensively, offering a versatile alternative to RFID tags.
Antibody Watch: Text mining antibody specificity from the literature
Authors: Hsu Chun-Nan , Chang Chia-Hui , Poopradubsil Thamolwan , Lo Amanda , William Karen A. , Lin Ko-Wei , Bandrowski Anita , Ozyurt Ibrahim Burak , Grethe Jeffrey S. , Martone Maryann E.
Published: May 2021

Antibodies are widely used reagents to test for expression of proteins and other antigens. However, they might not always reliably produce results when they do not specifically bind to the target proteins that their providers designed them for, leading to unreliable research results. While many proposals have been developed to deal with the problem of antibody specificity, it is still challenging to cover the millions of antibodies that are available to researchers. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of automatically generating alerts to users of problematic antibodies by extracting statements about antibody specificity reported in the literature. The extracted alerts can be used to construct an “Antibody Watch” knowledge base containing supporting statements of problematic antibodies. We developed a deep neural network system and tested its performance with a corpus of more than two thousand articles that reported uses of antibodies. We divided the problem into two tasks. Given an input article, the first task is to identify snippets about antibody specificity and classify if the snippets report that any antibody exhibits non-specificity, and thus is problematic. The second task is to link each of these snippets to one or more antibodies mentioned in the snippet. The experimental evaluation shows that our system can accurately perform the classification task with 0.925 weighted F1-score, linking with 0.962 accuracy, and 0.914 weighted F1 when combined to complete the joint task. We leveraged Research Resource Identifiers (RRID) to precisely identify antibodies linked to the extracted specificity snippets. The result shows that it is feasible to construct a reliable knowledge base about problematic antibodies by text mining.
Association between toothbrushing and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Kim Ji-Youn , Park Yong-Moon , Lee Gyu-Na , Song Hyun Chul , Ahn Yu-Bae , Han Kyungdo , Ko Seung-Hyun
Published: May 2021

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Periodontitis, as chronic inflammatory destructive disease, is associated metabolic syndromes bidirectionally. Toothbrushing is an essential and important way to manage periodontitis through mechanical removal of biofilm at periodontal tissue. We aimed to assess the association between toothbrushing frequency and the prevalent NAFLD in nationally representative Korean adults. Among adults aged 19 years and older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2010, a total of 6,352 subjects were analyzed. NAFLD was defined as fatty liver index ≥60. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). An inverse association between toothbrushing frequency and NAFLD was found. The adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of NALFD was 0.56 (0.35–0.91) in the group who performed toothbrushing ≥ 3 per day compared to the group that performed toothbrushing ≤ 1 per day. For those with toothbrushing frequency ≤1 per day, the adjusted OR (95% CIs) of NAFLD was 2.26 (1.22–4.19) in smokers and 4.52 (1.97–10.38) in subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM), compared to those without the disease and with toothbrushing frequency ≥2 per day, respectively. Our results indicate that higher frequency of toothbrushing is inversely associated with NAFLD. As a modifiable oral habit, regular toothbrushing may be recommended to lower risk of NAFLD, especially in high risk groups such as smokers and diabetic patients.
The Abbott PanBio WHO emergency use listed, rapid, antigen-detecting point-of-care diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2—Evaluation of the accuracy and ease-of-use
Authors: Krüger Lisa J. , Gaeddert Mary , Tobian Frank , Lainati Federica , Gottschalk Claudius , Klein Julian A. F. , Schnitzler Paul , Kräusslich Hans-Georg , Nikolai Olga , Lindner Andreas K. , Mockenhaupt Frank P. , Seybold Joachim , Corman Victor M. , Drosten Christian , Pollock Nira R. , Knorr Britta , Welker Andreas , de Vos Margaretha , Sacks Jilian A. , Denkinger Claudia M. ,   for the study team
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Diagnostics are essential for controlling the pandemic. Identifying a reliable and fast diagnostic device is needed for effective testing. We assessed performance and ease-of-use of the Abbott PanBio antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT).

Methods

This prospective, multi-centre diagnostic accuracy study enrolled at two sites in Germany. Following routine testing with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a second study-exclusive swab was performed for Ag-RDT testing. Routine swabs were nasopharyngeal (NP) or combined NP/oropharyngeal (OP) whereas the study-exclusive swabs were NP. To evaluate performance, sensitivity and specificity were assessed overall and in predefined sub-analyses accordingly to cycle-threshold values, days after symptom onset, disease severity and study site. Additionally, an ease-of-use assessment (EoU) and System Usability Scale (SUS) were performed.

Results

1108 participants were enrolled between Sept 28 and Oct 30, 2020. Of these, 106 (9.6%) were PCR-positive. The Abbott PanBio detected 92/106 PCR-positive participants with a sensitivity of 86.8% (95% CI: 79.0% - 92.0%) and a specificity of 99.9% (95% CI: 99.4%-100%). The sub-analyses indicated that sensitivity was 95.8% in Ct-values <25 and within the first seven days from symptom onset. The test was characterized as easy to use (SUS: 86/100) and considered suitable for point-of-care settings.

Conclusion

The Abbott PanBio Ag-RDT performs well forSARS-CoV-2testing in this large manufacturer independent study, confirming its WHO recommendation for Emergency Use in settings with limited resources.
Soybean meal and poultry offal meal effects on digestibility of adult dogs diets: Systematic review
Authors: Vanelli Karoline , de Oliveira Angela Cristina Fonseca , Sotomaior Cristina Santos , Weber Saulo Henrique , Costa Leandro Batista
Published: May 2021

Soybean meal and poultry offal meal are protein ingredients commonly used in the formulation of commercial diets for dogs. However, there remains great variability in the data on the digestibility of each protein source. This systematic review study aimed to examine the intake, apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients and fecal output of protein sources (soybean meal and poultry offal meal) in adult dog food as reported in published studies. The article search was conducted in August 2018 in the PUBMED, SciELO, Science Direct and AGRIS indexing databases. The literature search was performed using "digestibility", "source protein" and "dog" as the main key terms combined with sub-terms to broaden the scope of the search. Criteria were defined for readability, exclusion and inclusion of articles. Results were organized in groups according to the search in the indexing databases, totaling 1,414 articles. After the works were selected following the inclusion criteria, 17 articles were evaluated in this review. According to most studies, plant-based ingredients have a less variable nutritional composition than animal-derived ingredients and poultry offal meal increases the digestibility coefficients of nutrients and energy and reduces fecal dry matter production. Factors inherent to raw-material origin, ingredient and food processing, as well as the high heterogeneity of the methodologies evaluated in the studies are directly related to the obtained results. To ensure a more accurate evaluation of the quality and of effects on the digestibility of protein sources, we recommended that articles include ingredient processing data and that the variables be evaluated under standardized study conditions.
The transcriptomic response to heat stress of a jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) cultivar is featured with changed expression of long noncoding RNAs
Authors: Hao Qing , Yang Lei , Fan Dingyu , Zeng Bin , Jin Juan
Published: May 2021

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) of plant species undergoes dynamic regulation and acts in developmental and stress regulation. Presently, there is little information regarding the identification of lncRNAs in jujube (Ziziphus jujubaMill.), and it is uncertain whether the lncRNAs could respond to heat stress (HS) or not. In our previous study, a cultivar (Hqing1-HR) ofZ.jujuba were treated by HS (45°C) for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 days, and it was found that HS globally changed the gene expression by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments and informatics analyses. In the current study, 8260 lncRNAs were identified successfully from the previous RNA-seq data, and it indicated that lncRNAs expression was also altered globally, suggesting that the lncRNAs might play vital roles in response to HS. Furthermore, bioinformatics analyses of potential target mRNAs of lncRNAs with cis-acting mechanism were performed, and it showed that multiple differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs co-located with DElncRNAs were highly enriched in pathways associated with response to stress and regulation of metabolic process. Taken together, these findings not only provide a comprehensive identification of lncRNAs but also useful clues for molecular mechanism response to HS in jujube.
Discrimination of 2D wall textures by passive echolocation for different reflected-to-direct level difference configurations
Authors: Kritly Léopold , Sluyts Yannick , Pelegrín-García David , Glorieux Christ , Rychtáriková Monika
Published: May 2021

In this work, we study people’s ability to discriminate between different 2D textures of walls by passive listening to a pre-recorded tongue click in an auralized echolocation scenario. In addition, the impact of artificially enhancing the early reflection magnitude by 6dB and of removing the direct component while equalizing the loudness was investigated. Listening test results for different textures, ranging from a flat wall to a staircase, were assessed using a 2 Alternative-Forced-Choice (2AFC) method, in which 14 sighted, untrained participants were indicating 2 equally perceived stimuli out of 3 presented stimuli. The average performance of the listening subjects to discriminate between different textures was found to be significantly higher for walls at 5m distance, without overlap between the reflected and direct sound, compared to the same walls at 0.8m distance. Enhancing the reflections as well as removing the direct sound were found to be beneficial to differentiate textures. This finding highlights the importance of forward masking in the discrimination process. The overall texture discriminability was found to be larger for the walls reflecting with a higher spectral coloration.