bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective coverage of diabetes and hypertension: an analysis of Thailand’s national insurance database 2016–2019
Authors: Rajatanavin Nattadhanai , Witthayapipopsakul Woranan , Vongmongkol Vuthiphan , Saengruang Nithiwat , Wanwong Yaowaluk , Marshall Aniqa Islam , Patcharanarumol Walaiporn , Tangcharoensathien Viroj
Published: December 2022

Objectives

This study assesses effective coverage of diabetes and hypertension in Thailand during 2016–2019.

Design

Mixed method, analysis of National health insurance database 2016–2019 and in-depth interviews.

Setting

Beneficiaries of Universal Coverage Scheme residing outside Bangkok.

Participants

Quantitative analysis was performed by acquiring individual patient data of diabetes and hypertension cases in the Universal Coverage Scheme residing outside bangkok in 2016-2019. Qualitative analysis was conducted by in-depth interview of 85 multi-stakeholder key informants to identify challenges.

Outcomes

Estimate three indicators: detected need (diagnosed/total estimated cases), crude coverage (received health services/total estimated cases) and effective coverage (controlled/total estimated cases) were compared. Controlled diabetes was defined as haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) below 7% and controlled hypertension as blood pressure below 140/90 mm Hg.

Results

Estimated cases were 3.1–3.2 million for diabetes and 8.7–9.2 million for hypertension. For diabetes, all indicators have shown slow improvement between 2016 and 2019 (67.4%, 69.9%, 71.9% and 74.7% for detected need; 38.7%, 43.1%, 45.1% and 49.8% for crude coverage and 8.1%, 10.5%, 11.8% and 11.7% for effective coverage). For hypertension, the performance was poorer for detection (48.9%, 50.3%, 51.8% and 53.3%) and crude coverage (22.3%, 24.7%, 26.5% and 29.2%) but was better for effective coverage (11.3%, 13.2%, 15.1% and 15.7%) than diabetes. Results were better for the women and older age groups in both diseases. Complex interplays between supply and demand side were a key challenge. Database challenges also hamper regular assessment of effective coverage. Sensitivity analysis when using at least three annual visits shows slight improvement of effective coverage.

Conclusion

Effective coverage was low for both diseases, though improving in 2016–2019, especially among men and ัyounger populations. The increasing rate of effective coverage was significantly smaller than crude coverage. Health information systems limitation is a major barrier to comprehensive measurement. To maximise effective coverage, long-term actions should address primary prevention of non-communicable disease risk factors, while short-term actions focus on improving Chronic Care Model.
SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses post-vaccination in UK healthcare workers with pre-existing medical conditions: a cohort study
Authors: Ward Victoria , Wei Jia , Gordon William , Barnes Eleanor , Dunachie Susie , Jeffery Katie , Eyre David , O’Donnell Anne-Marie
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To examine antibody responses after the second vaccination in healthcare workers (HCWs) with underlying health conditions.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

Oxford University Hospitals in the United Kingdom.

Participants

Healthcare workers who had SARS-CoV-2 serological data available and received two SARS-CoV- 2 vaccinations.

Primary outcome

Peak SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG responses after the second vaccination and associations with underlying health conditions and the estimated risk of severe COVID-19 using an occupational health risk assessment tool.

Methods

We used univariable and multivariable linear regression models to investigate associations between antibody levels and demographics (age, sex, ethnicity), healthcare role, body mass index, underlying health conditions, vaccination status, prior infection and the Association of Local Authority Medical Advisors COVID-age risk score.

Results

1635 HCWs had anti-spike IgG measurements 14–84 days after second vaccination and data on any underlying health conditions. Only five HCWs (0.3%), all on immunosuppressive treatment, (including four organ transplant recipients), did not seroconvert after second vaccination. Antibody levels were independently lower with older age, diabetes, immunosuppression, respiratory disorders other than asthma and markedly so in organ transplant recipients. Levels were independently lower in ChAdOx1 versus BNT162b2 recipients and higher following previous infection. HCWs with ‘very high’ COVID-age risk scores had lower median antibody levels than those with ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’ risk scores; 4379 AU/mL, compared with 12 337 AU/mL, 9430 AU/mL and 10 524 AU/mL, respectively.

Conclusions

Two vaccine doses are effective in generating antibody responses among HCWs, including those with a high occupational risk. However, HCWs with underlying health conditions, especially diabetes, immunosuppression and organ transplant, had lower antibody levels, and vaccine response monitoring may be needed.
Improving cancer care for underserved populations in an academic and community practice setting: protocol for a community health worker pilot navigation programme
Authors: Suen Jonathan J , Parrillo Elaina , Hassoon Ahmed , Peairs Kimberly , Stanford Olivia , Wenzel Jennifer , Zabora James Robert , Dobs Adrian S
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Delaying cancer treatment following diagnosis impacts health outcomes, including increasing patient distress and odds of mortality. Interventions to promote timely healthcare engagement may decrease patient-reported stress and improve quality of life. Community health workers (CHWs) represent an enabling resource for reducing delays in attending initial oncology treatment visits. As part of an ongoing programme evaluation coordinated by the Merck Foundation, we will implement a pilot navigation programme comprising CHW-conducted needs assessments for supporting patients and their caregivers. We aim to investigate (1) the programme’s influence on patients’ healthcare utilisation within the period between their first diagnosis and initial treatment visit and (2) the logistic feasibility and acceptability of programme implementation.

Methods and analysis

We will employ a hybrid implementation design to introduce the CHW navigation programme at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. CHW team members will use a consecutive sampling approach. Participants will complete the Problem-Checklist, Chronic Illness Distress Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Domains instruments. CHWs will provide tailored guidance by sharing information available on the Johns Hopkins Electronic Resource databases. The investigators will evaluate patients’ time to initial oncology treatment and healthcare utilisation by reviewing electronic medical records at 3 and 6 months postintervention. Bivariate analyses will be completed to evaluate the relationships between receiving the programme and all outcome measures.

Ethics and dissemination

This study’s protocol was approved by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s institutional review board (IRB00160610). Informed consent will be obtained by phone by the CHW navigator. Dissemination planning is ongoing through regular meetings between members of the investigator team and public members of two community advisory groups. Study plans include collaborating with other experts from the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity for ideating dissemination strategies.
Effects of feeding graded levels of camelina expeller meal up to 10% of dietary dry matter on production and milk fatty acid profiles in dairy cows
Authors: Mutsvangwa Timothy , Abeysekara Saman , Thompson Sean
Published: December 2022

Eight Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design study to determine the effects of partially replacing canola meal (CM) with 5%, 7.5%, and 10% camelina expeller meal (CEM) on production and milk fatty acid profiles. Replacing CM with CEM did not affect feed intake and milk yield, but milk contents of fat and protein decreased linearly. Feeding increasing amounts of CEM linearly increased milk contents of C18:2n6, C18:3n3, cis-9, trans-11 CLA, trans-10, cis-12 CLA, and total CLA. CEM can be fed up to 10% of dietary DM without negatively affecting production and can increase milk contents of omega-3 fatty acids.
COVID-19 pandemic: the impact on Canada’s intensive care units
Authors: Gibney R.T. Noel , Blackman Cynthia , Gauthier Melanie , Fan Eddy , Fowler Robert , Johnston Curtis , Jeremy Katulka R. , Marcushamer Samuel , Menon Kusum , Miller Tracey , Paunovic Bojan , Tanguay Teddie
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the precarious demand-capacity balance in Canadian hospitals, including critical care where there is an urgent need for trained health care professionals to dramatically increase ICU capacity.

The impact of the pandemic on ICUs varied significantly across the country with provinces that implemented public health measures later and relaxed them sooner being impacted more severely. Pediatric ICUs routinely admitted adult patients. Non-ICU areas were converted to ICUs and staff were redeployed from other essential service areas. Faced with a lack of critical care capacity, triage plans for ICU admission were developed and nearly implemented in some provinces.

Twenty eight percent of patients in Canadian ICUs who required mechanical ventilation died. Surviving patients have required prolonged ICU admission, hospitalization and extensive ongoing rehabilitation. Family members of patients were not permitted to visit, resulting in additional psychological stresses to patients, families, and healthcare teams. ICU professionals also experienced extreme psychological stresses from caring for such large numbers of critically ill patients, often in sub-standard conditions. This resulted in large numbers of health workers leaving their professions.

This pandemic is not yet over, and it is likely that new pandemics will follow. A review and recommendations for the future are provided.
The reinforcement learning model with heterogeneous learning rate in activity-driven networks
Authors: Han Dun , He Youxin
Published: December 2022

Agent’s learning behavior usually presents biased judgments influenced by many internal and external reasons, we incorporate an improved [Formula: see text]-learning algorithm in the reinforcement learning which is examined with the prisoner’s dilemma game in an activity-driven networks. The heterogeneous learning rate and [Formula: see text]-greedy exploration mechanism are taken into account while modeling decision-making of agents. Simulation results show the proposed reinforcement learning mechanism is conducive to the emergence of defective behavior, i.e. it could maximize one’s expected payoff regardless of its neighbors’ strategy. In addition, we find the temptation gain, vision level and the number of connected edges of activated agents are proportional to the density of defectors. Interestingly, when the inherent learning rate is small, the increase of exploration rate can demote the appearance of defectors, and the decrease of defectors is insignificant by increasing of exploration rate conversely.
Molecular dynamics simulations on the thermal effect of interfacial friction during the asperity shearing
Authors: Yuan Zhaoxun , Zhao Junxian , Huang Shiping
Published: December 2022

A solid–solid contact model of a rough surface with a single peak was established to explore the thermal effect of interfacial friction. From the perspective of friction force, temperature and energy, the law of the thermal effect was revealed. The results showed that the temperature of the asperities gradually increased during the shearing process, and a stress concentration formed in the shearing zone. After contact, the asperities had undergone unrecoverable plastic deformation. At each indentation depth, as the rotation angle of the crystal increased, the friction force, average temperature, and the sum of the changes in thermal kinetic and thermal potential energy first increased and then decreased; the trends of the three parameters changing with the rotation angle of the crystal were consistent. The average decreases in the friction force, average temperature, and the sum of the changes in thermal kinetic and thermal potential energy were 52.47%, 30.91% and 56.75%, respectively, for a crystal structure with a rotation angle of 45∘ compared to a crystal structure with a rotation angle of 0∘. The methods used in this study provide a reference for the design of frictional pairs and the reduction of the thermal effect of interfacial friction.
Conserved asymptotic charges for any massless particle
Authors: Nguyen Kevin , West Peter
Published: December 2022

We compute the conserved charges associated with the asymptotic symmetries of massless particles by examining their free theory in Minkowski space–time. We give a procedure to systematically deduce the fall off of the massless fields at spatial infinity and show that it has a universal behavior when expressed in tangent space. We do this for generic massless particles. We do not impose gauge fixing conditions, which will allow us to uncover new nonzero charges for the graviton beyond the well-known supertranslation charges. We also compute conserved charges in the dual formulations of certain low-spin particles and argue that this leads to an infinite number of new conserved charges.
Classical n-body system in volume variables II: Four-body case
Authors: Escobar-Ruiz A. M. , Turbiner Alexander V.
Published: December 2022

It is evident that the positions of four bodies in [Formula: see text]-dimensional space can be identified with vertices of a tetrahedron. Square of volume of the tetrahedron, weighted sum of squared areas of four facets and weighted sum of squared edges are called the volume variables. A family of translation-invariant potentials which depend on volume variables alone had been considered as well as solutions of the Newton equations which solely depend on volume variables. For the case of zero angular momentum [Formula: see text], the corresponding Hamiltonian, which describes these solutions, is derived. Three examples are studied in detail: (I) the (super)integrable four-body closed chain of harmonic oscillators for [Formula: see text] (the harmonic molecule); (II) a generic, two volume variable-dependent potential whose trajectories possess a constant moment of inertia ([Formula: see text]) and (III) the four-body anharmonic oscillator for [Formula: see text]. This work is the second of the sequel: the first one [A. M. Escobar-Ruiz, R. Linares, A. V. Turbiner and W. Miller Jr., Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 36, 2150140 (2021)] was dedicated to study the three-body classical problem in volume variables.
Perturbative study of large N principal chiral model with twisted reduction
Authors: González-Arroyo Antonio , Ishikawa Ken-Ichi , Ji Yingbo , Okawa Masanori
Published: December 2022

We compute the first four perturbative coefficients of the internal energy for the twisted reduced principal chiral model (TRPCM) using numerical stochastic perturbation theory (NSPT). This matrix model has the same large [Formula: see text] limit as the ordinary principal chiral model (PCM) at infinite volume. Indeed, we verify that the first three coefficients match the analytic result for the PCM coefficients at large [Formula: see text] with a precision of three to four significant digits. The fourth coefficient also matches our own NSPT calculation of the corresponding PCM coefficient at large [Formula: see text]. The finite-[Formula: see text] corrections to all coefficients beyond the leading order are smaller for TRPCM than for PCM. We analyze the variance to determine the feasibility of extending the calculations to higher orders.
A WEIGHTED NEURAL MATRIX FACTORIZATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION ALGORITHM INTEGSCORING DEEP LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
Authors: GAN BAIQIANG , CHEN YUQIANG , GUO JIANLAN , DONG QIUPING
Published: December 2022

With the rapid development of Internet medical information technology, a large amount of medical data appeared on the Internet, however, how to extract effective information from the massive and complex medical data to provide professional medical services and suggestions to users has become a hot spot for this research. The recommendation system can effectively solve the problem of accurate matching of complex medical data resources; however, the cold start, data sparsity and user interest migration of the system in the complex data environment have a large impact on the recommendation effect; therefore, this paper proposes a weighted neural matrix decomposition improved health management recommendation scheme incorporating deep learning techniques. The scheme first uses an implicit feedback method to improve the prediction scores and improve the linear model performance of the matrix decomposition algorithm to form a weighted neural matrix decomposition health management recommendation algorithm. Second, the improved method and deep neural network are fused to improve the performance of the nonlinear model part of the algorithm by using the structural properties of the neural network. Finally, this paper’s method is compared with the mainstream six recommendation algorithms on four publicly available real datasets. The experimental results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of the WENMF algorithm is smaller than that of the comparison algorithm on all four datasets, and the convergence speed is faster. The hit rate (HR) and normalized discounted cumulative gain (NDCG) of the WENMF algorithm are higher than those of the comparison algorithm on all four datasets, and the maximum difference is 0.04. Therefore, the recommendation accuracy and ranking quality of the WENMF algorithm in the recommendation system are verified, and the cold start and data sparsity problems of the recommendation system are effectively alleviated.
Could New Drug Delivery Systems Affect the Pharmaceutical Effect of Calendula?
Authors: Masoomzadeh Salar , Asnaashari Solmaz , Masoomzadeh Samyar , Khosroshahi Ahmad Yari , Lam E. Matthew , Nokhodchi Ali , Javadzadeh Yousef
Published: December 2022

Calendula genus is a group of herbs used in the treatment of some human diseases and disorders, such as wounds, inflammations, and cancers. Calendula was used as medicine from humans’ earliest ages to the present days; from using the plant itself as herbal tea in the renaissance to using the calendulas as tablets and other drug formations. However, these herbal treatments have some disadvantages, including unwanted side effects in some organs of the body, toxicities, and fast-ending therapeutic effects. Therefore, researchers have made special attention to overcome these disadvantages via drug delivery formulations and using recent drug delivery systems such as nanotubes, liposomes, carrier polymers, lipid-based nanoparticles (NPs) (e.g., nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) or solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)), fullerenes and so forth. These carriers and delivery systems could help improve the marigold extract (ME) and oil efficacy, leading to a decrease in toxicity and other side effects. Carriers loaded with ME can be an effective formulation design in the treatment of many diseases in humans such as cancer especially if a suitable carrier is chosen in the formulation step like NLCs or metal nanocarriers. The aim of this paper is to provide an extensive review of various drug delivery technologies on Calendula and show how effective it is in improving therapeutic effect by reviewing some of the newest and best research articles and presenting their data in summary form.
Approximation algorithm for minimum q-dominator partization problem
Authors: Das Sayani , Mishra Sounaka
Published: December 2022

A dominator coloring of a graph [Formula: see text] is a proper vertex coloring with a domination property that each vertex dominates a color class. The minimum number of colors used in a dominator coloring of [Formula: see text] is called dominator chromatic number of [Formula: see text] and is denoted as [Formula: see text]. Graphs with [Formula: see text] have characterizations and such graphs can be recognized in polynomial time. However, for [Formula: see text], deciding whether [Formula: see text] is NP-hard. In this paper, we investigate the computational complexity of minimum [Formula: see text]-dominator partization problem (Min-[Formula: see text]-D-Partz). In Min-[Formula: see text]-D-Partz, given a graph [Formula: see text], the objective is to find a vertex set [Formula: see text] of minimum size such that [Formula: see text]. We prove that Min-[Formula: see text]-D-Partz is APX-complete and has a two-factor approximation algorithm. We also prove that Min-[Formula: see text]-D-Partz cannot be approximated within any constant factor and can be approximated within a factor of [Formula: see text].
Chapter 11. North Sea Basin Jurassic lithostratigraphy
Authors: Copestake Philip , Partington Mark A.
Published: December 2022

The most important North Sea Jurassic–lowermost Cretaceous lithostratigraphic units, as developed in the UK, Norway and Danish sectors, are summarized in this chapter (55 units from the UK, 25 from Norway and 10 from Denmark). Some significant issues remain with the use and application of lithostratigraphic terminology in the Jurassic of the North Sea Basin. In particular, there are inconsistencies in unit definition and nomenclature changes across country sector boundaries that obscure the recognition of regional stratigraphic patterns that exist across the region. To aid clarity and to overcome some issues of definition, some revisions are made to the existing lithostratigraphic schemes. Several informal lithostratigraphic units are described, a number of unit definitions are revised and various formerly informal units are formalized (Buzzard Sandstone Member, Ettrick Sandstone Member and Galley Sandstone Member). It is recommended that use of the Heno Formation in offshore Denmark is discontinued. In addition, four new lithostratigraphic member terms are introduced (Home Sandstone Member, North Ettrick Sandstone Member, Gyda Sandstone Member and Tambar Sandstone Member). All described units are placed into a sequence stratigraphic context. All significant lithostratigraphic boundaries conform with key sequence stratigraphic surfaces.
Chapter 12. Well sequence stratigraphy interpretation methodology
Authors: Copestake Philip
Published: December 2022

This chapter describes the methodology employed to recognize depositional sequences in well data, involving the integration of wireline logs, biostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy (and lithological interpretations), seismic and sedimentology (particularly facies analysis), with an emphasis on a pragmatic approach to sequence recognition in North Sea Jurassic–lowermost Cretaceous well successions. Wireline log profiles characterizing individual depositional sequences or parts of sequences are illustrated by reference to key North Sea well sections.
Changing palaeobiogeography during the Ordovician Period
Authors: Servais Thomas , Harper David A. T. , Kröger Björn , Scotese Christopher , Stigall Alycia L. , Zhen Yong-Yi
Published: December 2022

Owing to the increasing availability of data for many fossil groups and a generally accepted palaeogeographical configuration, palaeontologists have been able to develop progressively more robust palaeobiogeographical scenarios for the spatial distributions of Ordovician marine faunas. However, most research in Early Paleozoic palaeobiogeography centres on data derived from extensively studied localities in North America and Europe. Thus, clear patterns are emerging of regional biogeography for these areas. However, the fragmentary nature of data from other regions hinders the development of a detailed understanding of palaeogeographical schemes of many clades at the global level. Provincial patterns are now available for several fossil groups, but the global coverage remains generally fragmentary. Palaeobiogeographical investigations were traditionally focused on better understanding of palaeogeographical scenarios and often employed quantitative analyses of faunal similarity. More recently palaeobiogeographical analyses have expanded to investigate questions such as the location and pace of speciation and macroevolution together with macroecological change. For example, studies on the evolution of speciation levels in the frame of the taxonomic radiation of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification are now available. Future investigations, including modelling, will provide more integrative, global patterns of provincialism, including the location of Ordovician biodiversity hotspots and the recognition of latitudinal diversity gradients.
Blockchain for Genomics: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Alghazwi Mohammed , Turkmen Fatih , Van Der Velde Joeri , Karastoyanova Dimka
Published: December 2022

Human genomic data carry unique information about an individual and offer unprecedented opportunities for healthcare. The clinical interpretations derived from large genomic datasets can greatly improve healthcare and pave the way for personalized medicine. Sharing genomic datasets, however, poses major challenges, as genomic data is different from traditional medical data, indirectly revealing information about descendants and relatives of the data owner and carrying valid information even after the owner passes away. Therefore, stringent data ownership and control measures are required when dealing with genomic data. In order to provide a secure and accountable infrastructure, blockchain technologies offer a promising alternative to traditional distributed systems. Indeed, the research on blockchain-based infrastructures tailored to genomics is on the rise. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive literature review that summarizes the current state-of-the-art methods in the applications of blockchain in genomics. In this article, we systematically look at the existing work both commercial and academic, and discuss the major opportunities and challenges. Our study is driven by five research questions that we aim to answer in our review. We also present our projections of future research directions which we hope the researchers interested in the area can benefit from.
Historical Political Economy: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Charnysh Volha , Finkel Eugene , Gehlbach Scott
Published: December 2022

A recent wave of research in political science examines the past using statistical methods for causal inference and formal theory—a field widely known as historical political economy (HPE). We examine the development of this field. Our survey reveals three common uses of history in HPE: understanding the past for its own sake, using history as a way to understand the present, and using history as a setting to explore theoretical conjectures. We present important work in each area and discuss trade-offs of each approach. We further identify key practical and analytical challenges for scholars of HPE, including the accessibility of data that do exist and obstacles to inference when they do not. Looking to the future, we see improved training for scholars entering the field, a heightened focus on the accumulation of knowledge, and greater attention to underexplored topics such as race, gender, ethnicity, and climate change.
Citizenship Studies: Policy Causes and Consequences
Authors: Goodman Sara Wallace
Published: December 2022

This article reviews the field of citizenship studies, with attention to the causes and consequences of policy. It summarizes key findings and points of consensus across three research domains: the determinants of citizenship policy, the consequences of citizenship policy, and the consequences of citizenship, i.e., the utility of obtaining citizenship for immigrant integration. After identifying strengths and weaknesses of each, I propose new directions in research that widen the field in terms of cases and generalizable theory while also deepening the field through serious attention to approaches that center the immigrant experience.
The Effect of Plasma on Bacteria and Normal Cells in Infected Wound
Authors: Li Yiqian , Nie Lanlan , Jin Shaohui , Sun Chen , Lu Xinpei
Published: December 2022

Infected wound is one of the most common and serious problem in wound management. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is considered to have a good effect in wound healing as a new type medicine. However, there is a key issue that has not been addressed in the treatment of infected wounds by plasma. Bacteria are always found in the deep region of the wound. When plasma is used to treat wounds, it also acts on normal tissue cells while decontaminating. What is the difference between the same dose of plasma acting on bacteria and normal cells? In this study, the most common bacteria (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli) in infected wound and two kinds of normal skin cells (human keratinocyte and human skin fibroblasts (HSF)) were selected to study the difference of the effects of the same dose of plasma on bacteria and cells. The results reveal that three kinds of 106 CFU mL bacteria could be effectively inactivated by 5 order after plasma treatment 3 min, and P. aeruginosa was more sensitive to plasma (could be inactivated 5 order after 2 min treatment). The 104 mL keratinocyte and HSF were treated with the same dose of plasma; keratinocyte can maintain over 90% of the activity and HSF cells can maintain over 70% of the activity. Moreover, the level of collagen I secreted by HSF increased. Therefore, cells can remain a high activity when a plasma dose capable of inactivating bacteria is applied to them.
Prevalence and Characterization of Psychological Trauma in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Gardoki-Souto Itxaso , Redolar-Ripoll Diego , Fontana Marta , Hogg Bridget , Castro María José , Blanch Josep M. , Ojeda Fabiola , Solanes Aleix , Radua Joaquim , Valiente-Gómez Alicia , Cirici Roser , Pérez Víctor , Amann Benedikt L. , Moreno-Alcázar Ana
Published: December 2022

Background. Preliminary evidence suggests that psychological trauma, especially childhood trauma, is a risk factor for the onset of fibromyalgia (FM). Objective. The main objective of this study consisted of evaluating the prevalence and detailed characteristics of psychological trauma in a sample of patients with FM, the chronology of trauma across the lifespan, and its clinical symptoms. We also calculated whether childhood trauma could predict the relationship with different clinical variables. Method. Eighty-eight females underwent an interview to assess sociodemographic data, psychiatric comorbidities, level of pain, FM impact, clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, quality of life, and psychological trauma. Results. The majority of participants (71.5%) met the diagnostic criteria for current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants reported having suffered traumatic events throughout their lifespan, especially in childhood and early adolescence, in the form of emotional abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. Traumatic events predict both poor quality of life and a level of pain in adulthood. All patients showed clinically relevant levels of anxiety, depression, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, and pain, as well as somatic comorbidities and poor quality of life. Pain levels predicted anxiety, depression, dissociation, and insomnia symptoms. 84% of the sample suffered one or more traumatic events prior to the onset of pain. Conclusions. Our data highlight the clinical complexity of patients with FM and the role of childhood trauma in the onset and maintenance of FM, as well as the high comorbidity between anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and FM. Our data also supports FM patients experiencing further retraumatization as they age, with an extremely high prevalence of current PTSD in our sample. These findings underscore the need for multidisciplinary programs for FM patients to address their physical pain and their psychiatric and somatic conditions, pay special attention to the assessment of psychological trauma, and provide trauma-focused interventions. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04476316. Registered on July 20th, 2020.
Identification of VASH1 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker of Lower-Grade Glioma by Quantitative Proteomics and Experimental Verification
Authors: Aili Yirizhati , Maimaitiming Nuersimanguli , Maimaiti Aierpati , Liu Wen , Qin Hu , Ji Wenyu , Mahemuti Yusufu , Wang Yongxin , Wang Zengliang
Published: December 2022

Background. VASH1 is a novel angiogenic regulatory factor, that participates in the process of carcinogenesis and the development of diverse tumors. Our study aimed to investigate the expression and prognostic value of the VASH1 in Lower-Grade Glioma (LGG), to explore its functional network in LGG and its effects on biological behaviors. Methods. LGG transcriptome data, somatic mutation profiles and clinical features analyzed in the present study were obtained from the TCGA, GTEx, CCLE, CGGA, UALCAN, and GEPIA2 databases, as well as clinical data and tissue sections of 83 LGG patients in our hospital. The expression characteristics of VASH1 in LGG were investigated by univariate, multivariate, immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and western-blot. Subsequently, we analyzed the prognostic significance of VASH1 in LGG patients by survival analysis, subject operation characteristic curve, correlation analysis, external validation, independent prognostic significance analysis, and clinical stratification, and confirmed its biological effect on glioma cell lines in vitro. Finally, we performed GO, KEGG, and GSEA to clarify biological functions and related pathways. CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms were used to calculate the proportion of immune cells and immune microenvironment fraction in LGG. Result. We found that VASH1 is highly expressed in LGG tissues and is associated with poor prognosis, WHO grade, IDH1 wild-type, and progressive disease (

P
<
0.05

). Multivariate and the Nomogram model showed that high VASH1 expression was an independent risk factor for glioma prognosis and had better prognostic prediction efficacy in different LGG Patient cohorts (HR = 4.753 and

P
=
0.002

). In vitro experiments showed that knockdown of VASH1 expression in glioma cell lines caused increased glioma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration capacity. The mechanism may be related to VASH1 promoting microtubule formation and remodeling of immune microenvironment. Conclusion. Our study firstly found that high VASH1 expression was associated with poor prognosis. In addition, We identified the possible mechanism by which VASH1 functioned in LGG. VASH1 inhibits the invasion and migration of tumor cells by affecting microtubule formation and immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. May be an important endogenous anti-tumor factor for LGG and provide a potential biomarker for individualized treatment of LGG.
High Occurrence of Emerged Lophomonas Infection among Patients Suspected of Having Pulmonary Tuberculosis: In-House PCR-Based Evidence
Authors: Kalani Hamed , Pangh Ayeneh , Nakhaei Maryam , Hezarjaribi Hajar Ziaei , Fakhar Mahdi , Sharifpour Ali , Banimostafavi Elham Sadat , Tabaripour Rabeeh
Published: December 2022

Objectives. Lophomonas infection is a respiratory disease in humans that is associated with symptoms of cough, sputum, dyspnea, and sometimes hemoptysis, which shows the importance of differentiating this disease from tuberculosis and asthma. Methods. This study was performed on 216 participants suspected of having tuberculosis who had symptoms of fever, chronic cough, or sputum and were referred to tuberculosis laboratories in three cities in Golestan Province, northeastern Iran, during 2019-2020. A sputum sample was taken from the suspected patients. DNA was extracted from the frozen samples, and an in-house polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect the Lophomonas DNA. Results. Out of 216 subjects, 47 (21.75%) were infected with Lophomonas spp. Moreover, 9 patients (4.2%) were infected with tuberculosis. Also, 2 patients had a comorbidity of tuberculosis and Lophomonas infection

P
=
0.63

. There was no significant difference in the comparison of symptoms and the rate of Lophomonas infection

P
=
0.84

, but in the comparison of the set of symptoms of cough, sputum, and fever with those of cough and sputum, cough with fever, sputum with fever, and the rate of Lophomonas infection, there was a significant difference

P
=
0.012

. Conclusions. Lophomonas infection was relatively high in patients suspected of having tuberculosis and due to the similar clinical symptoms of Lophomonas infection and tuberculosis; it is recommended that the sputum samples of subjects suspected of having tuberculosis be examined for this parasite in order to make a correct diagnosis and the patients receive timely treatment and the appropriate medication.
The Impact of Kidney Function on the Slow-Flow/No-Reflow Phenomenon in Patients Treated with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Registry Analysis
Authors: Savic Lidija , Mrdovic Igor , Asanin Milika , Stankovic Sanja , Lasica Ratko , Krljanac Gordana , Rajic Dubravka , Simic Damjan
Published: December 2022

Objective. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of declining kidney function on the occurrence of the slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary PCI (pPCI), as well as the analysis of the prognostic impact of the slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon on short- and long-term mortality in these patients. Methods. We analyzed 3,115 consecutive patients. A value of the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of admission of eGFR <90 ml/min/m2 was considered a low baseline eGFR. The follow-up period was 8 years. Results. The slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon through the IRA was registered in 146 (4.7%) patients. Estimated GFR of <90 ml/min/m2 was an independent predictor for the occurrence of the slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.25–3.95,

p

 < 0.001), and the risk for the occurrence of the slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon increased with the decline of the kidney function: eGFR 60–89 ml/min/m2: OR 1.94 (95% CI 1.22–3.07,

p

 = 0.005), eGFR 45–59 ml/min/m2: OR 2.55 (95% CI 1.55–4.94,

p

 < 0.001), eGFR 30–44 ml/min/m2: OR 2.77 (95% CI 1.43–5.25,

p

 < 0.001), eGFR 15–29 ml/min/m2: OR 5.84 (95% CI 2.84–8.01,

p

 < 0.001). The slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon was a strong independent predictor of short- and long-term all-cause mortality: 30-day mortality (HR 2.62, 95% CI 1.78–3.57,

p

 < 0.001) and 8-year mortality (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.49–2.09,

p

 < 0.001). Conclusion. Reduced baseline kidney function was an independent predictor for the occurrence of the slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon, and its prognostic impact started with the mildest decrease in eGFR (below 90 ml/min/m2) and increased with its further decline. The slow-flow/no-reflow phenomenon was a strong independent predictor of mortality in the short- and long-term follow-up of the analyzed patients.
Analysis of Shielding Effectiveness of the Cavity Built with Single-Layer Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Sun Xiangang , Wei Bing , Li Yuebo , Yang Jie , Huang Liuhong , Xiong Jiuliang
Published: December 2022

In view of the existing literature mainly studying the situation of infinite reinforced concrete structure, the shielding effectiveness of three-dimensional single-layer reinforced concrete cavity is studied by considering the structural parameters of steel and the electromagnetic parameters of the concrete. The influence of structure parameters of steel mesh size, the steel diameter, and electromagnetic parameters of concrete dielectric coefficient, conductivity and moisture content on shielding effectiveness of reinforced concrete are analyzed. The research shows that the shielding effectiveness of the reinforced concrete cavity structure has resonance characteristics, and the increase of concrete conductivity and moisture content weaken the resonance characteristics of it so that the shielding effectiveness of the reinforced structure is improved. The results of this paper have a reference value for the analysis of shielding effectiveness of the single-layer reinforced concrete cavity in different practical situations.
Volute Optimization Based on Self-Adaption Kriging Surrogate Model
Authors: Meng Fannian , Zhang Ziqi , Wang Liangwen
Published: December 2022

Optimizing the volute performance can effectively improve the efficiency of a centrifugal fan by changing the volute geometric parameter, so the self-adaption Kriging surrogate model is used to optimize the volute geometric parameter. Firstly, volute radius Rd, the radius of tongue r, and outlet angle of the volute θ are selected as the optimization parameters of the volute, and latin hypercube sampling is used to configure the initial sample points, the corresponding three-dimensional aerodynamic model under each sample point configuration is constructed. CFD software is used to simulate the aerodynamic efficiency and total pressure of the centrifugal fan under each initial sample point configuration. Secondly, the Kriging surrogate model of initial sample point configuration parameters, aerodynamic efficiency, and total pressure of volute is constructed, and sample points are added by expectation improvement (EI) method to improve the fitting accuracy of Kriging surrogate model. Finally, the high-precision Kriging surrogate model is used as the fitness function of NSGA-II algorithm to find the Pareto optimal solution under multiobjective optimization, and the optimization target are aero dynamical efficiency and total pressure. The rationality of the above method is verified by optimizing the 9–19.4A type centrifugal fan volute. The efficiency of the optimized fan under working conditions is increased by 1%, and the total pressure under working conditions is not reduced. The optimized volute can effectively improve the overall performance of the centrifugal fan. This study is helpful to promote the application of numerical optimization design method in the volute of centrifugal fan. It provides reference for the optimization design of high-performance centrifugal fan.
The Effect of Pre-Veraison Smoke Exposure of Grapes on Phenolic Compounds and Smoky Flavour in Wine
Authors: Jiang W. W. , Bilogrevic E. , Parker M. , Francis I. L. , Leske P. , Hayasaka Y. , Barter S. , Herderich M.
Published: December 2022

Background and Aims. Smoke exposure occurred in the Adelaide Hills region in December 2019 due to a wildfire, when wine grapes were peppercorn-size green berries. Previously, pre-veraison smoke exposure had been identified through model experiments as unlikely to affect grape composition, whereas smoke exposure after veraison can have a major effect on wine flavour. Hence the effects of pre-veraison smoke on grape and wine composition, and smoky sensory properties of wine were investigated. Methods and Results. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz were investigated and eight blocks with varied smoke exposure were selected for each cultivar. Berries were sampled initially four weeks after the fire and at harvest, and mature grapes were made into unoaked wines. Established smoke exposure markers, phenolic glycosides, were found in berries at pre-veraison and at harvest from the high smoke exposure sites, with concentrations well above those found in non-smoke exposed fruit. Volatile phenols were also elevated in grapes at harvest. The resulting red wines from some exposure vineyards were high in volatile phenols, glycosides and smoky flavours. However, most of the Chardonnay wines expressed much less smoky flavours, despite similar levels of smoke exposure of grapes. Conclusions. Pre-veraison smoke exposure can result in elevated concentrations of volatile phenols and their glycosidic metabolites in grape berries and wine and cause strong smoky flavour in wine. Significance. The wine sector and land management agencies responsible for controlled burns need to consider the effect of smoke from fires near vineyards even very early in the growing season.
Visual Explainable Convolutional Neural Network for Aerodynamic Coefficient Prediction
Authors: Zhao Yanxuan , Zhong Chengwen , Wang Fang , Wang Yueqing
Published: December 2022

Recently, aerodynamic performance analysis has been widely studied due to its importance in aircraft design. Most works adopted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to compute the aerodynamic forces, which is time consuming. To reduce the simulation time, several works proposed to use deep learning model as the surrogate model of CFD simulation. However, the explainability of deep learning models is poor and has been widely criticized, which limits the further development of deep learning in aerodynamic performance analysis. In this paper, a novel neural network is proposed to predict the aerodynamic forces of airfoils. To improve the explainability, the circular padding is proposed to replace traditional zero padding in the convolutional layers. Moreover, the saliency map of the predicted aerodynamic force on the input airfoil is shown in a more intuitive way. In this manner, the influence of different parts of airfoil on the final aerodynamic force can be easily analyzed. Extensive experiments on different data sets show that our work is efficient and effective. Most importantly, these results explain the potential relationship between the airfoil and the aerodynamic force.
CHIP Happens: Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential and Its Relationship to Solid Tumors
Authors: Reed Sarah C. , Croessmann Sarah , Park Ben Ho
Published: December 2022

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is characterized by the expansion of hematopoietic cells harboring leukemia-associated somatic mutations in otherwise healthy people and occurs in at least 10% of adults over 70. It is well established that people with CHIP have increased rates of hematologic malignancy, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and worse all-cause mortality compared with those without CHIP. Despite recent advancements in understanding CHIP as it relates to these known outcomes, much remains to be learned about the development and role of CHIP in other disease states. Emerging research has identified high rates of CHIP in patients with solid tumors, driven in part by oncologic therapy, and revealed associations between CHIP and differential outcomes in both solid tumors and other diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that CHIP can contribute to dysregulated inflammatory signaling in multiple contexts, underscoring the importance of interrogating how CHIP might alter tumor immunology. Here, we review the role of CHIP mutations in clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells, explore the relationship between CHIP and solid tumors, and discuss the potential roles of CHIP in inflammation and solid tumor biology.