bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Inner Traction Facilitated Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection using Rubber Band and Clips for Colorectal Neoplasms: A Propensity Score-matched Study
Authors: Liu Guanyi , Guo Xinyue , Cai Yunlong , Rong Long , Nian Weidong , Zhang Jixin
Published: August 2021

Background Colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a technically demanding but effective treatment for superficial neoplasms. We conducted a study to compare the effectiveness and safety of inner traction facilitated ESD using rubber band and clip (RAC-ESD) with conventional ESD.Methods We retrospectively evaluated 622 consecutive patients underwent colorectal ESD between January 2016 and December 2019. To overcome selection bias, we used propensity score matching (1:4) between RAC-ESD and conventional ESD. The frequency of en bloc resections, R0 resections, curative resections, procedure speed and complications were evaluated.Results After propensity score matching, 35 patients were included in RAC-ESD group and 140 were included in conventional ESD group. RAC-ESD resulted in a significant increase in resection speed (0.14 vs. 0.09 cm2/min; P=0.003). There were no significant differences in en bloc, R0 and curative resection rates between two groups. In subgroup analysis, the resection speed of RAC-ESD was significantly higher than conventional ESD when the lesions were equal to or larger than 2cm, macroscopically presenting as lateral spreading tumor, and located in transverse colon to ascending colon.Conclusions RAC-ESD is safe and effective in treating colorectal neoplasms, especially in lesions presenting particular difficulty.
Identification of lysine acetylome of oral squamous cell carcinoma by label-free quantitative proteomics
Authors: Dong Jingjing , He Jingquan , Zhang Zeyu , Zhang Wei , Li Yixi , Xie Hongliang , Zuo Wenxin , Tang Jianming , Zeng Zhipeng , Cai Wanxia , Lai Liusheng , Yun Manhua , Shen Lingjun , Yin Lianghong , Tang Donge , Dai Yong
Published: August 2021

Background
Lysine acetylation (Kac) favors gene transcription and activates various genes involved in the regulation of oncogenesis, whereas the acetylation profiling of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown. We performed lysine acetylation analyses to achieve a comprehensive profile and revealed the specific pathogenesis in patients with OSCC.
Methods
Liquid chromatography − tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was utilized to investigate lysine acetylation features of tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues from 9 patients with OCSS.
Results
Among the upregulated different acetylation proteins (DAPs), the biological process of GO analysis was closely related to cellular response to regulation of apoptotic process, and regulation of programmed cell death. KEGG enrichment analysis was associated with HIF-1 signaling pathway, ferroptosis, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In PPI network, seven differently Kac proteins (SRSF1, HNPNPM, PRPF8, DHX9, DHX15, RBMX, SNRPG) in MCODE1 and the top 30 hub gene involved in mRNA splicing process and spliceosome pathway. Six differently Kac modified proteins of RPS15A, RPL11, RPS11, RPS3, RPL24, RPL19 in MCODE1 was enriched in ribosome pathway, particular lower expression of RPS3, RPL24 and RPL19 were related to the overall survival of OSCC.
Conclusion
This study contributes a foundation for understanding the functions of Kac modification in OSCC and investigates lysine acetylation on proteins involved in ribosome pathway, particularly the ones that acted as hub genes and related to the OSCC survival, which may be a potential therapeutic direction of OSCC in the future.
Partitioning of Benzene in Soil Environment: The Critical Factor of Exposure
Authors: Zhang Ruihuan , Wang Shijie , Jiang Lin , Zhang Wenyu , Fu Quankai , Ma Lin , Zhong Maosheng
Published: August 2021

Background: From the perspective of contaminated sites risk assessment, vapor-solid interface adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soil is thought to play a pivotal role because this greatly affects the release of VOCs into soil gas thus affecting the concentrations of intrusion and human exposure. Understanding the significance requires quantifying different forms of VOCs that occur in soil, but no relevant models have included the vapor-solid interface adsorption yet. Methods: This paper proposes the multiphase partitioning equilibrium (MPE) model that integrates vapor-solid adsorption phase for the first time. The MPE model establishes the quantitative relationship between the total VOC mass in soil and the mass in various partitioning phases. An equilibrium partitioning experiment was designed to verify the validity of the MPE model.Results: The error of the MPE model was basically within an order of magnitude. It also revealed that that the vapor-solid interface adsorption dominates benzene uptake in dry soil, but as reducing adsorption of soil minerals (vapor-solid interface adsorption) by increasing humidity, uptake by partitioning into the soil organic matter (OM) gradually dominates. Soil moisture was demonstrated the controlling factor that affects the partitioning. It was distinct that exposure concentration of benzene in indoor air rises from 0.0013 mg/m3 to 0.0070 mg/m3 when the sandy soil relative saturation increases an order of magnitude from 0.01.Conclusion: This study confirms the significance of VOCs partitioning in soil environment for human health exposure, in addition to frequently-mentioned exposure parameters and building parameters. The MPE model gives accurate mass/concentration prediction of VOCs phases in the soil system, and the relationship between exposure and soil moisture was proved.
Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines Among Physicians in Mid Delta Region of Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Shehata Walaa Mohamed , Elshora Ahmed , Abu-elenin Mira Maged
Published: August 2021

Background Safe and effective vaccines became an important preventive tool to protect people against novel Corona Virus Disease infection. Since physicians are at higher risk for contagion of COVID-19 infection, they were prioritized for early vaccination. Also, they are role models who can improve adherence of people to vaccination. Aim of the study: to determine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among physicians in the Gharbia governorate, Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited working physicians through snowballing random sampling technique. Data was collected by using a self-administered electronic questionnaire which measured the self-perceived risk to COVID-19 infection, the attitudes and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. Results: The study enrolled 1268 physicians, 22% of them were vaccinated .Only 24% expressed their acceptance towards COVID-19 vaccines, while 36.7% didn't agree to get vaccinated. Vaccination unacceptance was significantly associated with increasing age, female gender, higher educational attainments, limited income, no direct patients' contact, diagnostic subspecialty, and working in a rural health facility (p= 0.004, 0.02, <0.0001, <0.0001, 0.01, 0.01, 0.002 respectively).Conclusions: Though physicians are at higher risk of infection, they had poor acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines which may, induce reluctance of people to get vaccinated. Special actions should be tailored to address the significant mediators associated with vaccine unacceptability.
Molecular Structure, Interactions and Antimicrobial Properties of Curcumin-PLGA Complexes – A DFT Study
Authors: Ganesan Mahendiraprabu , Paranthaman Selvarengan
Published: August 2021

Density functional calculations are performed to study the molecular structure, interactions, and antimicrobial activity of curcumin-poly Lacto glycolic acid (Cur-PLGA) complexes. The calculations are performed on curcumin, Glycolic acid (SSC and AAT conformers), Lactic acid (LA), Cur-SSC, Cur-AAT, Cur-LA, and Cur-PLGA complexes using dispersion corrected M06-2X functional with 6–31 + G* basis set. The condensed Fukui functions of curcumin are calculated to identify the favorable reactive sites. Inter- and intramolecular H–bond interactions are analyzed in detail through natural bond orbital, Atoms in Molecule, and Reduced density gradient analyses. The interaction energy values indicate that the interaction between curcumin and AAT is stronger than the other studied complexes. Further, our calculations show that the PLGA interacted with curcumin is having lower LUMO energy and density values. This indicates that the antimicrobial activity is high in this complex.
Community and Psychological Barriers to Tsunami Preparation
Authors: Lamjiry Zahra Asgarizadeh , Gifford Robert
Published: August 2021

Tsunami risk was investigated as a platform for helping to understand the impact of community and psychological factors in natural disaster preparedness. Residents who lived within four meters of sea level in high and moderate tsunami risk areas of Vancouver Island were queried about possible influences on their preparation. Both community-level and psychological factors played significant roles. More community participation and fewer justifications used for not preparing (the dragons of inaction) directly predicted their reported preparation. The relation between sense of community and preparation was mediated by level of community participation, and the relation between the psychological factor, positive outcome expectancy, and preparation was mediated by the dragons of inaction. Together, these influences accounted for 21 percent of the variance in reported tsunami preparation. Policy implications are discussed.
High-mobility semiconducting polymers with different spin ground states
Authors: Chen Xiao-Xiang , Li Jia-Tong , Fang Yu-Hui , Wang Xue-Qing , Liu Guangchao , Wang Yunfei , Deng Xin-Yu , Gu Xiaodan , Jiang Shang-Da , Lei Ting
Published: August 2021

Organic semiconductors with high-spin ground states are fascinating because they could enable fundamental understanding on spin-related phenomenon in light element and provide opportunities for organic magnetic and quantum materials. Although high-spin ground states have been observed in some quinoidal type small molecules or doped organic semiconductors, semiconducting polymers with high-spin at its neutral ground state are rarely reported because of the less of clear design strategy. Here we propose a molecular design strategy to obtain high-mobility semiconducting polymers with different spin ground states. We show that polymer building blocks with small singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔES−T) could enable small ΔES−T gap and increase the diradical character in copolymers. We first demonstrate that the spin density and solid-state interchain interactions in the high-spin polymers are crucial for their ground states. Polymers with a triplet ground state (S = 1) could exhibit doublet (S = 1/2) behavior due to the solid-state interchain spin-spin interactions. Besides, these polymers showed outstanding charge transport properties with high hole/electron mobilities and can be both n- and p-doped with superior conductivities. Our results demonstrate a rational design approach to high-mobility semiconducting polymers with different spin ground states.
Human Resource Management in Ethiopian Public Hospitals
Authors: Gile Philipos Petros , De Klundert Joris Van , Samardzic Martina Buljac
Published: August 2021

Background

In Ethiopia, public hospitals deal with a persistent human resource crisis, even by SSA standards. Policy and hospital reforms, however, have so far resulted in limited progress towards addressing the resulting strategic human resource management (SHRM) challenges Ethiopia’s public hospital face.
Methods

To explore the contextual factors influencing these SHRM challenges of Ethiopian public hospitals, we conducted a qualitative study based on the SHRM framework of Paauwe. A total of 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of hospital CEOs and HR managers from 15 hospitals across Ethiopia. An additional 4 focus group discussions were held with professionals and their line managers.
Results

The study found that hospitals compete on the supply side for scarce resources among which the human resources of skilled professionals. There was little reporting on demand side competition on health services provided, service quality, and service innovation. Governmental regulations were the main institutional mechanism in place. These regulations also emphasized human resources and were perceived to tightly regulate employee numbers, salaries and arrangements at detailed levels. These regulations were perceived to restrict the SHRM autonomy of the hospitals. Regulation induced differences in allowances and external employment arrangements were among the concerns that decreased motivation and job satisfaction and caused employees to leave their jobs. The mismatch between regulation and workforce needs posed challenges for leadership and caused leaders to be perceived as incompetent and unable when not successfully addressing workforce needs.
Conclusions

Bottom-up involvement in SHRM may help resolve the aforementioned persistent problems. The Ethiopian government might better loosen regulations, providing more autonomy to hospitals for SHRM and implement mechanisms that emphasize the quality of health services demanded rather than the quantity of human resources supplied.
TLR4 Agonist and Hypoxia Synergistically Promote the Formation of TLR4/NF-κB/HIF-1α Loop in Human Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Guo Xiaoqin , Zhao Bin , Niu Xiulong , Huang Suhui , Yang Jing , Wei Yiyi , Wang Xiujuan , Wang Yue
Published: August 2021

Inflammation and hypoxia are involved in numerous cancer progressions. Reportedly, the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor κappaB (NF-κB) pathway and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) are activated and closely related to the chemoresistance and poor prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, the potential correlation between TLR4/NF-κB and HIF-1α remains largely unknown in EOC. In our study, the possible positive correlation among TLR4, NF-κB and HIF-1α proteins were investigated in the EOC tissues. Our in vitro results demonstrated that LPS can induce and active HIF-1α through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling in A2780 and SKOV3 cells. Moreover, hypoxia-induced TLR4 expression and the downstream transcriptional activity of NF-κB were HIF-1α dependent. The crosstalk between the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway and HIF-1α was also confirmed in nude mice xenograft model. Therefore, we first proposed the formation of a TLR4/NF-κB/HIF-1α loop in EOC. The positive feedback loop enhanced the susceptibility and responsiveness to inﬂammation and hypoxia, which synergistically promote the initiation and progression of EOC. The novel mechanism may act as a future therapeutic candidate for the treatment of EOC.
Exploring the Mechanism of Coagulation Dysfunction in a Sepsis Model though Gene Expression Profiles
Authors: Li Ding , Zhang Xianwei , Zhou Hongmin , Jiang Hao , Sun Yuanyuan , Lu Yilun , Ye Fanrong , Xu Shunyao , Chen Zhiqiang , Pan Jingye
Published: August 2021

Objective. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, and the mechanism of coagulation dysfunction in sepsis remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the mechanism of coagulation dysfunction in sepsis.Methods. Standard methods were used to establish the sepsis models and generate gene expression profiles. Bioinformatics analysis was carried out by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, construction of PPIs and screening of seed genes. Finally, seed genes were used to rebuild the disease-related pathways.Results. Our experiments revealed an inflammatory response and coagulation dysfunction in both animal and cell models. After determining the DEGs, GO and KEGG functional analysis showed that there is a significant correlation between the inflammatory response and DNA damage. PPI network analysis screened 9 seed genes related to cell mitosis and platelet-derived growth factor receptor signaling pathways. Some of the seed genes were relevant to COVID-19.Conclusions. This study explored the molecular mechanism of coagulation dysfunction in sepsis models by bioinformatics analysis. This may have guiding significance in reducing the risk of complications in patients with sepsis and improving the effectiveness of treatment.
Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes Related To Intrapartum Hydration Strategies in Low-Risk Deliveries: An Observational Study
Authors: Hernández-López Ana B. , Muriel-Miguel Cristina , Pérez-Medina Tirso , Morillo Aurora Fernández-Cañadas , López-Lapeyrere Carolina , Salcedo-Mariña Ángel , Fornet-Ruiz Inocencia , Rubio-González Esther , Royuela-Vicente Ana , Solís-Muñoz Montserrat
Published: August 2021

Background

Effective myometrial contractility is important for successful labor, although little attention has been paid to the effect of managing intrapartum fluid intake. Ineffective myometrial contractility leads to prolonged labor, thus increasing obstetric and neonatal adverse outcomes. The risk of prolonged labor can be reduced by increasing the total volume of fluids administered during labor.
Objective

To determine the hydration strategies applied in nulliparous women undergoing low risk labor and their association with obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted in a Universitary Hospital. The study population included nulliparous women who presented in active labor or induced labor. Sample size was 147. In order to stratify women based on the hydration received, we set as a cut-off point the mean total volume administered per hour (300 ml/h). This enabled to compare obstetric, clinical, and neonatal outcomes in women who had received ≥ 300 mL/h o < 300 mL/h. The primary outcome was total length of labor. Secondary outcomes included maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Results

The study population comprised 148 nulliparous women, mean (DS) age 32.2 (4.4) years, mean (DS) gestational age of 39.4 (1.41) weeks. At admission, median (IQR) dilation was 2 (1–3) cm. Labor was induced in 65.5% (n = 97). Obstetric and neonatal outcomes were more favorable in women who received a ≥ 300 mL/h volume, with statistically significant median differences in the duration total duration of labor (526 vs 735 min; p < 0.001). Clinically relevant differences were also observed with respect to cesarean delivery (14.3% vs 18.7%), fever (5.5% vs 7.7%), weight loss at 24 hours (–2.3% vs − 3%) and at 48 hours (–5.7% vs − 6.3 %), incidence of weight loss > 7% at 48 hours (28.6% vs 39.8%), breastfeeding (94.6% vs 82.4%).
Conclusions

Higher fluid volume administered to nulliparous women during low-risk labor is associated with improved obstetric and neonatal outcomes.
Overexpression of RAB34 Associates With Tumor Aggressiveness and Immune Infiltration in Glioma
Authors: Hou Peng , Wan Quan , Wang Qing , Wu Xuechao , Lu Xiaojie
Published: August 2021

Background: RAB34 is aberrantly expressed in various cancers and exhibits oncogenic properties. However, its function in glioma remains largely unclear. Herein, we investigated the clinical value and biological functions of RAB34 in glioma.Methods: In this study, we collected 697 RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and 325 RNA-seq data from Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) dataset. CCK-8 and EdU assays were employed to assess cell proliferation ability. The transwell assay was utilized to explore cell migration and invasion capacities. Western blot coupled with qRT-PCR were employed to determine the protein, as well as RNA contents. The statistical analyses along with the graphical work were mainly implemented in the R software.Results: RAB34 expression was positively related to the glioma tumor grade, and predicted poor outcomes for glioma patients. RAB34 expression was significantly upregulated in classical and mesenchymal subtypes, and IDH wild-type gliomas. Additionally, RAB34 expression was regulated by promoter DNA methylation. Moreover, RAB34 expression was remarkably correlated with inflammatory activities, immune infiltration, and immune checkpoints in glioma. In vitro experiments demonstrated that inhibition of RAB34 restrained the growth, migration, as well as invasion of glioma cells, and reversed the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Conclusion: Our findings established RAB34 as a novel progression-related biomarker and a possible immunotherapy target for glioma.
Spatial Evolution Path of Historical International Community from the Perspective of Actor Network: A Case Study of Gulangyu Island
Authors: Li Yuan , Guo Jing , Zhao Long , Chen Yiping , Wang Cheng , Wang Cheng , Li Jonathan
Published: August 2021

Gulangyu Island is a special case of social development and changes since modern China. In the past, Chinese and foreign people lived together and Chinese and Western cultures coexisted, resulting in an international community with outstanding cultural diversity and modern quality of life. As a functional carrier, space is of great reference significance to the research on the spatial evolution path of Gulangyu international community with the accelerating globalization and rapid expansion of urbanization. Based on the interpretation of historical maps and the integration of historical geographic information, this paper explores the evolution path of Gulangyu community space in modern times from the perspective of actor network theory. It is found that: (1) The change of key actors promotes the spatial evolution of Gulangyu international community. (2) In the stage of foreign culture dissemination (1840-1902), foreign nationals, as key actors, promoted the formation and development of actor networks through administrative recruitment and other means, and promoted Gulangyu Island to change from a traditional Minnan community to a modern community form, with the embryonic form of an international community beginning to emerge. (3) In the stage of multicultural integration (1903-1940), overseas Chinese returning home became key actors. The concept of combination of Western cultures was not only embodied in community management, but also acted on space practice to promote the multicultural integration of Gulangyu international community. This paper summarizes the effects of various factors on the evolution of community space, in order to provide reference for other coastal cities to rationally develop islands and promote the multicultural integration of local communities.
Land Use Suitability Analysis for Sustainability of Water Resources
Authors: Dönmez Nazlı Yıldız , Aktaş Nilüfer Kart
Published: August 2021

Cities are developing and spreading in an unplanned way with urbanization and rapid population growth. Natural resources such as forests and agricultural lands and water resources are the primary sources that are changed and consumed due to urbanization. This situation poses serious threats especially on drinking water basins. The aim of this study is to identify the threats of urbanization pressure on the basins, to analyze the changing landscapes and to determine suitable areas for settlement and agricultural areas for the sustainability of the basin. Sapanca Basin, chosen as the study area, is a crucial drinking water basin for Turkey. The reason for choosing this area is that the basin is under the pressure of construction as a result of the increasing population and secondary housing demand in recent years, and this situation shows a visible change in the landscapes of the basin. In this context, suitability analyzes were made for the determination of settlement and agricultural areas in order to ensure the ecological sustainability of the basin and to give a direction of the development of the basin. These analyzes have been made by considering McHarg's suitable land use method in ecological planning. For suitability analysis, ecological data have been synthesized and suitability maps have been formed by overlay method in GIS environment. Land use maps were produced for the basin and these maps were compared with the environmental plan. It has been determined that a large part of the basin is not suitable for settlement. As a result, it has been determined that the residential areas in the basin increased by 200% between the years 2000-2018. This increase was especially on forest areas and agricultural areas. As a result of these changes, the landscape is fragmented and its natural ecosystem is deteriorated. With the study, the current situation of settlement and agricultural areas in the basin was interpreted and suggestions were developed on how these areas should develop in the basin.
Rising Inequality and Spatial Social Segregation due to Urbanization and Increasing Housing Prices
Authors: Eisen Maximilian , Poddig Micha , Seebass Johann V. , Hackelberg Florian , Wacker Benjamin , Schlueter Jan
Published: August 2021

Globally, housing markets in urban areas have seen significant increase in prices over the past years. These developments are of relevance for the local population as well as social processes that underline the urban cohabitation. Increasing income inequality can impede social mobility, economic opportunities and lead to rising social segregation. While the effect of rising housing prices and social segregation are commonly subject of interest, the effect of capital income on inequality through the channel of housing prices is less investigated in current research. This paper provides empirical evidence from Sweden that urbanization through the channel of housing markets leads to segregation and inequality. Urbanization causes housing prices to rise disproportionately to income. Consequently, segregation of social strata takes place as well as an overall rise in capital income for those high-income urban residents. Therefore, increasing housing prices extend the inequality in wealth and capital income. The capital income distribution trend in turn leads to rising inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient. The presented analysis indicates that increasing housing prices may potentially have adverse effects on social equity, even in highly developed welfare state like Sweden.
Combined Goniothalamin And Sol-Gel Derived Bioactive Glass 45S5 Enhances Growth Inhibitory Activity Via Apoptosis Induction And Cell Cycle Arrest In Breast Cancer Cells MCF-7
Authors: Bakar Siti Aishah Abu , Ali Abdul Manaf , Noor Siti Noor Fazliah Mohd. , Hamid Shahrul Bariyah Sahul , Azhar Nur Asna , Mohamad Noor Muzamil , Ahmad Nor Hazwani
Published: August 2021

Background: Combination of natural product with chemically synthesised biomaterials as cancer therapy creates many interests lately. Hence, this study aims to investigate the combined effects of goniothalamin and bioactive glass 45S5 (GTN-BG) and evaluate their anticancer properties on human breast cancer cells MCF-7.Methods: The BG 45S5 was prepared using sol-gel process followed by characterisation using PSA, BET, SEM/EDS, XRD and FTIR. The effects of GTN-BG on the proliferation of MCF-7 were assessed by MTT, presto-blue and scratch wound assay. The cell cycle analysis, annexin-FITC assay and activation of caspase 3/7, 8 and 9 assays were determined to further explore its mechanism of action.Results: The synthesised BG 45S5 was classified as a fine powder, having rough surface, and contains mesopores of 12.6 nm. EDS analysis revealed that silica and calcium elements are the primary components of BG powders. Both crystalline and amorphous structures were detected with 73% and 27% similarity to that of Na2Ca2(Si2O7) and hydroxyapatite, respectively. The combination of GTN-BG was more potent than GTN in inhibiting the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. G0/G1 and G2/M phases of cell cycle were arrested by GTN and GTN-BG. The percentage of viable cells in GTN-BG treatment was significantly lower than GTN. In terms of activation of initiator caspases for both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways, caspase-8 and caspase-9 were found more effective in response to GTN-BG than GTN.Conclusion: The anticancer effects of GTN in MCF-7 cells was improved when combined with BG. The findings provide significant insight into the mechanism of GTN-BG against the MCF-7 cells, which can potentially be used as a novel anticancer therapeutic approach.
What Makes a Woman? Case Studies Documenting The Reasons for and Circumstances of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Indonesia, Ethiopia and Kenya
Authors: Kakal Tasneem , Hidayana Irwan , Abeje Berhanu , Gitau Tabither , Kok Maryse , Kwaak Anke van der
Published: August 2021

Background: Female genital cutting/mutilation is a harmful traditional practice that violates women’s rights and has adverse health consequences. This paper presents the reasons for and circumstances of female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C) in specific settings of three countries – Indonesia, Ethiopia and Kenya.Methods: Data were collected through a household survey with young people (15-24 years) and through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews with youth and community stakeholders in 2016 and 2017. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were conducted.Results: The study findings confirm some of the reasons for FGM/C documented by previous studies, noting that these reasons are strongly interconnected, and gender norms are the underlying driver. In all three settings, these reasons drive the alterations of female bodies to result in a ‘cultured’ body that is acceptable to the patriarchal status quo. This results in the ‘pure body’ in Indonesia, the ‘tame’ body in Ethiopia and the ‘adult body’ in Kenya. Health workers and parents play an important role in decision-making around FGM/C in all settings. In Kenya, in particular, young women negotiate their role in decision-making around FGM/C as they are older at the time of circumcision. The study reveals how the changing legal and social contexts in each setting bring about changes in the tradition of FGM/C resulting in medicalization of FGM/C in Indonesia, a lowered age of cutting for girls in Kenya and the increasingly underground practice of FGM/C in Ethiopia.Conclusions: The three cases demonstrate the huge variation in the practice of FGM/C and the social meaning attributed to it by young women and their communities. There is a need to further explore the role of parents in decision-making. Due to the links between the different drivers of FGM/C within each context, the study concludes that context-specific strategies need to be adopted by interventions to create long-lasting change.
Male Triple Negative Axillary Accessory Breast Cancer, a Case Report
Authors: li Chao , Qian Biao
Published: August 2021

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide. In men, cases of breast cancer are few and accounts for less than 1% of all cases of breast cancer. Majority of male breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive. The incidence of male axillary accessory breast cancer derived from axillary accessory breast is very low. Here we report a case of male triple negative axillary accessory breast cancer.Case presentation: We present a case of a male triple negative axillary accessory breast cancer in a 67-year-old man that progressively increased in size through a period of 1 year. We performed right accessory breast resection and right axillary lymph nodes dissection. Postoperative pathological analysis revealed right accessory breast invasive ductal carcinoma with apocrine metaplasia. The tumor size was 3.5 * 3.3cm. In addition, 5 metastatic lymph nodes were seen in 27 axillary lymph nodes. Immunohistochemistry showed ER (-), PR (-), Ki-67 30%, HER2 (2 +), GATA-3 (+), GCDFP-15(+), and AR (+). Fish test obtained a negative result. The patient was treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.Conclusion: Male triple negative axillary accessory breast cancer is rare. Treatment of male triple negative axillary accessory breast cancer is similar to that of women patients. Most patients undergo surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.
A five-year (2016-2020) trend analysis of malaria surveillance data in Oromia regional state, Ethiopia.
Authors: Olani Zalalem , Solomon Samrawit , Kaba Zalalem , Bikila Haile
Published: August 2021

Background:-Continues malaria surveillance data analysis plays a significant role in monitoring trends over time and evaluating the effectiveness of malaria prevention and control programs. Hence, this study was part of such an effort to achieve this goal. The main aim of this study was to analyses a five years (2016-2020) malaria surveillance data in Oromia region, Ethiopia.Methods:-a descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to analyse the five years (2016-2020) trends of malaria cases in Oromia regional state, Ethiopia.Results:-A total of 5,843,373malaria suspected cases were reported during the five-year period. Among the total reported cases 727,738 were a total of both clinical and parasitological confirmed cases. An average total malaria annual parasite incidence (API) was 4 per 1,000 person. The highest malaria cases were observed during spring and summer seasons.Conclusions and recommendation:-Trends of total clinical and confirmed malaria cases were decreased from year to year except for the recent one year with an exceptional variability in 2019.The highest or peak of malaria cases was observed during the spring season (September-November). Malaria indicator based performance plans and achievements should be regularly and strictly reviewed and evaluated at each level.
The Development and Validation of a Novel 71-Gene Signature for Risk Stratification and Prognosis in Lower Grade Glioma
Authors: He Jianxiong , Li Pinggen , Wang Xianggan , Chen Feijun , Wu Weijun , Wang Nanfei , Li Zhengyang , Hu Yuan , Zhang Xiaojun
Published: August 2021

Background: Lower-grade gliomas (LGG) are a diverse group of primary brain tumors with relatively poor overall survival in young adults. In this study, we aimed to establish novel method that are effectively predictive of prognosis of LGG patients. Methods: We detected and validated prognosis-associated genes using gene expression and c`Clinical data of LGG patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases. We then established a novel prognostic 71-gene score and 17-gene nomograms and analyzed their relationship with overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in LGG patients. We also performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis to investigate the altered signalling pathways associated with the 71-gene score phenotype and hierarchical clustering analysis of 71 genes to detect subgroups of LGG patients with distinct clinical characteristics. Results: We identified 1489 genes significantly correlated with patients’ prognosis in LGG. The 71-gene score was predictive of favourable OS and RFS in LGG patients independently of clinicopathological characteristics. The wnt signalling pathway, glutathione metabolism, primary immunodeficiency, galactose metabolism were the potential pathways involved in the prognostication of the 71-gene score. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the 71 genes revealed three subgroups of LGG patients in the TCGA dataset. The cluster2 LGG tumours were associated with higher grade, more frequent radiation therapy, poorer OS and RFS than cluster1 and cluster3 tumours. The 71-gene nomogram incorporating the survival‐related clinical factors showed good prediction accuracies for overall survival, 3-year and 5‐year survival (area under curve [AUC] = 0.79, 0.67 and 0.75 respectively). Conclusions: The 71-gene nomogram may turn out to be a useful and robust method to remarkably ameliorate the prognostic prediction in LGG.
Sustainable Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium Oxide-Clay Nanocomposite Toward Persistent Polychlorinated Biphenyl Degradation in Real Samples
Authors: Chanani Jasem , Buazar Foad , Nikpour Yadollah
Published: August 2021

This study presents the green synthesis of TiO2-clay nanocomposite using an eco-friendly method based on carbohydrates. Glucose and soluble starch function as the bioreductant and stabilizer agent during the reaction, respectively. The UV-vis analysis ascertained the formation of TiO2-clay nanocomposite presenting a distinctive absorption peak at 360 nm and an optical band gap of 4.3 eV. TEM and XRD results indicated the anatase phase of spherical TiO2-clay with a median crystallite size of 18.36 nm. EDX and XRF techniques revealed the presence of titanium, oxygen peaks, and TiO2 compound (58 wt%) along with the elemental composition of clay. The BET values of specific surface area, average pore diameter, and pore volumes are 47.48 m2g− 1, 17.39 nm, 0.19 cm3g− 1, respectively. The benign TiO2-clay nanocomposite demonstrated superior photocatalytic efficiency toward photodegradation of poly polychlorinated biphenyl pollutant in industrial wastewater with a removal rate of 98.32%, greater than untreated TiO2 NPs.
Investigation of robustness of hybrid artificial neural network with artificial bee colony and firefly algorithm in predicting COVID-19 new cases: case study of Iran
Authors: Shaibani Mohammad Javad , Emamgholipour Sara , Moazeni Samira Sadate
Published: August 2021

As an ongoing public health menace, the novel coronavirus pandemic has challenged the world. With several mutations and a high transmission rate, the virus is able to infect individuals in an exponential manner. At the same time, Iran is confronted with multiple wave peaks and the health care system is facing a major challenge. In consequence, developing a robust forecasting methodology can assist health authorities for effective planning. In that regard, with the help of Artificial Neural Network-Artificial Bee Colony (ANN-ABC) and Artificial Neural Network- Firefly Algorithm (ANN-FA) as two robust hybrid artificial intelligence-based models, the current study intends to select the optimal model with the maximum accuracy rate. To do so, first a sample of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Iran ranging from 19 February 2020 to 25 July 2021 is compiled. 75% (25%) of total observation is randomly allocated as training (testing) data. Afterwards, an ANN models is trained with Levenberg Marquardt algorithm. Accordingly, based on R-squared and root-mean-square error criteria, the optimal number of hidden neurons is computed as 17. The proposed ANN model is employed to develop ANN-ABC and ANN-FA models for achieving the maximum accuracy rate. According to ANN-ABC, the R- squared values of the optimal model are 0.9884 and 0.9885 at train and test stages, correspondingly. In respect to ANN-FA, for the selected model, the R-squared ranged from 0.9954 to 0.9940 at the train and test phases, respectively. The results indicated that both hybrid ANN-ABC and ANN-FA are the robust predictor of COVID-19 new cases in Iran. Additionally, with a slight difference, the ANN-FA model outperformed ANN-ABC algorithm.
Research on the profile modification of power skiving tool for internal gears
Authors: ZHENGYANG Han , CHUANG Jiang , Xiaozhong Deng
Published: August 2021

Power skiving provides an effective solution and considerable machining efficiency for the machining of internal gears. The tool profile design and the reusability after resharpening is critical in gear machining. In this paper, a tool profile correction method based on the error inverse complement of involute profile is proposed. The mathematical model of involute cutter with rake angle and relief angle is established, and the profile error relative to the target gear is calculated by using the tool of this mathematical model. The distribution of gear profile error is fitted by fifth-order multinomial, and the multinomial function of fitting was attached to the cutter profile. The theoretical error of the target gear profile is in 10e-7mm order of magnitude through the calculation of fewer iterations. The distribution of the coefficient of the error multinomial along the resharpening direction is obtained by linear programming. The result shows that the tool designed by this method has almost negligible error accuracy and good repeatability.
Identification of Risk and Prognostic Factors for Transverse Myelitis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Wang Minhui , Wang Ziqian , Zhang Li , Zhao Jiuliang , Wu Di , Li Jing , Wang Qian , Su Jinmei , Xu Dong , Zhang Shangzhu , Li Mengtao , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: August 2021

Purpose: Our aim in this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with transverse myelitis (TM) as a rare phenotype of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to identify the risk and prognostic factors for SLE-related TM.Methods: The analysis was based on 58 patients with SLE-related TM admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 1993 and May 2021.The control group included 101 patients, randomly selected from our SLE patient group, without TM, using propensity score matching for age at SLE diagnosis, sex, and SLE disease course. Conditional logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard regression were used to identify risk and prognostic factors for SLE-related TM. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that anti-SSA(p<0.001) and anti-RNP positivity (p=0.005) were independent risk factors for SLE-related TM. With regard to prognosis, an American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade of A or B at the early stage of TM (p<0.001) and hypoglycorrhachia (p=0.016) were independent risk factors for unfavourable neurological outcomes. In regard to neurological recovery at 3 months, an American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade of A, B, or C at the early stage of TM was the only prognostic factor for SLE-related TM (hazard ratio, 0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.91; p=0.035). Conclusions: Anti-SSA and anti-RNP positivity were independent risk factors for TM in patients with SLE. Initial severe myelitis and hypolycorrhachia are predictive of a poor prognosis. Glucocorticoid pulse therapy provided within 2 weeks of TM onset may improve TM prognosis. Understanding the risk and prognostic factors of TM is important as permanent neurological disability persists in a significant proportion of patients with SLE-related TM.
Health Resource Allocation in Western China from 2014 to 2018
Authors: Wang Zheng , He Haoyu , Liu Xi , Feng Qiming , Wei Bo
Published: August 2021

Background: Health equity has persistently been a global concern. As a basic material guarantee to ensure health equity, how to allocate the health resources in a fair and reasonable way has always been one of the research hotspots. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has also prompted a rethinking of the topic. Based on the previous research, western China is a relatively backward region, coupled with climate, geography, and other factors, which leading the inconvenient transportation and difficult resource allocation. However, the fairness of health resource allocation in western China has received relatively little attention. Methods: Lorentz curve, Gini coefficient and Theil index were used to analyse the health resources allocation in the western China. The indexes include number of beds, medical (assistant) practitioners, registered nurses from 2014 to 2018 through population and geography dimensions. Results: The total health resources shows an increasing trend from 2014 to 2018; The Lorentz curve in the population dimension had a smaller curvature than in the geography dimension. The Gini coefficients for health resources in the population dimension were ranged from 0.057 to 0.129, and in geography dimension the Gini coefficients ranged between 0.605 and 0.647. This shows that the distribution of Health resources is fair basing on population dimension. Furthermore, in two dimensions, the intra-group contribution rate of the Theil index was higher than in the inter-group, and the allocation of practicing (assistant) practitioners and registered nurses show a significant inequity in intra-group. This result indicated that the inequity of health resources allocation were mainly came from intra-group, namely the provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in western China.Conclusions: In recent years, China’s various measures have improved the total amount of health resources and its equity of health resources in western China. However, the fairness of the health resources allocation in western China were remind poor. Although the fairness of human resources allocation has been alleviated in population dimension, the inequity of human resources distribution in provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) are still obvious. In addition, the accessibility of health resources in western China must be further improved.
Maresin 1 Attenuates Ventilator-induced Lung Injury by Reducing Oxidative Stress through the Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB Pathways
Authors: Wang Fuquan , Pan Guangtao , Wang Jingxu , Xia Haifa , Yao Shanglong , Zhang Dingyu , Chen Ming
Published: August 2021

Mechanical ventilation could support the lives of patients with respiratory failure in a variety of ways, including maintaining airway patency and improving oxygenation, etc. However, mechanical ventilation itself could lead to lung damage, which is called mechanical ventilation-related lung injury (VILI). The incidence of VILI is high and the prognosis is poor, so clarifying the mechanism of VILI and seeking effective preventive and therapeutic measures are the urgent medical problem to be resolved. By constructing the VILI model, we studied the effect of Maresin1 on VILI and explored its possible mechanism at the animal level. We tested the related indicators of lung injury, the oxidative stress response, and the inflammatory response. The results indicated that Maresin1 could inhibit the oxidative stress response and excessive inflammation, thus ameliorating lung injury in VILI. We also detected the expression levels of the principal oxidative stress pathway Nrf2 / HO-1 and the key inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. We used the HO-1 inhibitor ZnPP to further confirm our conclusion. Our results suggested for the first time that Maresin1 could promote the activation of the Nrf2 / HO-1 pathway and significantly suppress the expression of NF-κB to exert a positive role in VILI.
Interstitial Lung Disease and Partial Resection Are Poor Prognostic Factors for pStage IA NSCLC: a Retrospective Study
Authors: Motono Nozomu , Ishikawa Masahito , Iwai Shun , Yamagata Aika , Iijima Yoshihito , Uramoto Hidetaka
Published: August 2021

Introduction: The prognostic factors in patients who underwent pulmonary resection with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not been elucidated.Materials and methods: Clinical data of 540 patients with pathological stage IA NSCLC were analyzed. Patient factors such as sex, age, comorbidities, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), smoking history, and operative aspects such as operative approach and operative procedures were collected and analyzed.Results: There were significant prognostic differences according to the interstitial lung disease (p<0.0001), CEA (p = 0.007), and partial resection (p = 0.002) in the relapse-free survival (RFS). There were significant prognostic differences according to the interstitial lung disease (p = 0.0015), CEA (p < 0.0001), and smoking history (p = 0.0003) in the overall survival (OS). Interstitial lung disease (hazard ratio [HR]: 7.725, p = 0.003), CEA (HR: 1.923, p = 0.045), and operative procedure (HR: 2.086, p = 0.025) were risk factors for RFS in a multivariate analysis. Smoking history (HR: 2.539, p = 0.002) and CEA (HR: 2.464, p = 0.002) were risk factors for OS in a multivariate analysis.Conclusion: Interstitial lung disease, CEA, and operative procedure were risk factors for RFS, while smoking history and CEA were risk factors for OS.