bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Four cases of completion lobectomy for locally relapsed lung cancer after segmentectomy
Authors: Suzuki Shigeki , Asakura Keisuke , Masai Kyohei , Kaseda Kaoru , Hishida Tomoyuki , Asamura Hisao
Published: February 2021

Background

Although completion lobectomy is the treatment of choice for local recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer after segmentectomy, few cases have been reported. We report four patients who underwent completion lobectomies for staple line recurrence after segmentectomy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Case presentation

Three women aged 65, 82, and 81 years underwent completion lower lobectomy after superior segmentectomy of the same lobe for local recurrence of stage I non-small cell lung cancer. A 67-year-old man, who had a tumor recurrence on the staple line after apical segmentectomy with superior mediastinal nodal dissection for stage I non-small cell lung cancer, underwent completion right upper lobectomy. These four patients underwent segmentectomy because of comorbidities or advanced age. Local recurrence was confirmed by computed tomography-guided needle biopsy. The interval between the two operations was 37, 39, 41, and 16 months, respectively. Although minimal hilar adhesion was seen for the three completion lower lobectomies, tight adhesions after apical segmentectomy made completion right upper lobectomy quite difficult to dissect, which led to injury of the superior pulmonary vein. No recurrence was recorded after completion lobectomies for 62, 70, 67, and 72 months, respectively.

Conclusions

Although completion lobectomy is one of the most difficult modes of resection, among several completion lobectomies, completion lower lobectomy after superior segmentectomy without superior mediastinal nodal dissection was relatively easy to perform because of fewer hilar adhesions.
Two decades of Iranian midwives' activities as a health care provider under supervision in a multidisciplinary team in reducing maternal mortality
Authors: Mirghafourvand Mojgan , Khosravi Shahla , Tabrizi Jafar Sadegh , Mohammadi Azam , Abedi Parvin
Published: February 2021

Iran is amongst the countries that have achieved the fifth goal of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in Iran has declined from 48 cases per 100,000 in 2000 to 16 cases per 100,000 in 2017, showing an annual decline rate of about 6.3%. In the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife (year 2020), this commentary highlights two decades of Iranian midwives' activities as a health care provider under supervision in a multidisciplinary team in reducing maternal mortality.
User training for machine learning controlled upper limb prostheses: a serious game approach
Authors: Kristoffersen Morten B. , Franzke Andreas W. , Bongers Raoul M. , Wand Michael , Murgia Alessio , van der Sluis Corry K.
Published: February 2021

Background

Upper limb prosthetics with multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs) are still mostly operated through the clinical standard Direct Control scheme. Machine learning control, on the other hand, allows controlling multiple DoFs although it requires separable and consistent electromyogram (EMG) patterns. Whereas user training can improve EMG pattern quality, conventional training methods might limit user potential. Training with serious games might lead to higher quality EMG patterns and better functional outcomes. In this explorative study we compare outcomes of serious game training with conventional training, and machine learning control with the users’ own one DoF prosthesis.

Methods

Participants with upper limb absence participated in 7 training sessions where they learned to control a 3 DoF prosthesis with two grips which was fitted. Participants received either game training or conventional training. Conventional training was based on coaching, as described in the literature. Game-based training was conducted using two games that trained EMG pattern separability and functional use. Both groups also trained functional use with the prosthesis donned. The prosthesis system was controlled using a neural network regressor. Outcome measures were EMG metrics, number of DoFs used, the spherical subset of the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure and the Clothespin Relocation Test.

Results

Eight participants were recruited and four completed the study. Training did not lead to consistent improvements in EMG pattern quality or functional use, but some participants improved in some metrics. No differences were observed between the groups. Participants achieved consistently better results using their own prosthesis than the machine-learning controlled prosthesis used in this study.

Conclusion

Our explorative study showed in a small group of participants that serious game training seems to achieve similar results as conventional training. No consistent improvements were found in either group in terms of EMG metrics or functional use, which might be due to insufficient training. This study highlights the need for more research in user training for machine learning controlled prosthetics. In addition, this study contributes with more data comparing machine learning controlled prosthetics with Direct Controlled prosthetics.
Effectiveness of attachment-based family therapy compared to treatment as usual for depressed adolescents in community mental health clinics
Authors: Waraan Luxsiya , Rognli Erling W. , Czajkowski Nikolai Olavi , Aalberg Marianne , Mehlum Lars
Published: February 2021

Background

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a disabling mood disorder, profoundly affecting a large number of adolescent’s quality of life. To date, no obvious treatment of choice for MDD in adolescents is available and progress in the treatment of depressed adolescents will have important public health implications. Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), as the only empirically supported family therapy model designed to treat adolescent depression, aims to repair interpersonal ruptures and rebuild an emotionally protective parent–child relationship.

Objective

To study the effectiveness of ABFT compared with treatment as usual (TAU) delivered within child- and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adolescents with MDD.

Method

Sixty adolescents (86.7% girls), aged 13–18 years (M = 14.9, SD = 1.35), with MDD referred to two CAMHS were randomized to 16 weeks of ABFT or TAU. ABFT consisted of weekly therapy sessions (family/individual or both) according to the treatment manual. TAU was not monitored. Primary outcomes were assessed by blinded evaluators at baseline and post-treatment with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Self-reported (Beck Depression Inventory-II, BDI-II) depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline, and after 4, 6, 8, 10,12, 14, and 16 weeks. Analyses were performed according to intent-to-treat principles.

Results

At post-treatment, clinician-rated remission rates on the HAMD (5% in ABFT and 3.33% in TAU,p = 1, OR = 1.54, Fisher’s exact test) and self-reported symptoms of depression on the BDI-II did not differ significantly between groups (X2[2,N = 60] = 0.06,p = 0.97). In both treatment groups participants reported significantly reduced depressive symptoms, but the majority (63.3%) of adolescents were still in the clinical range after 16 weeks of treatment.

Conclusion

ABFT was not superior to TAU. Remission and response rates were low in both groups, suggesting none of the treatments were effective in treating MDD in adolescents. Findings must be viewed in the context of the study’s small sample size, missing data, and implementation challenges. Continued efforts to improve treatment for MDD in outpatient clinics are warranted. Future research should examine moderators of and mechanisms for individual differences to treatment response, as well as the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing treatment models which may require extensive training and expertise to yield clinically meaningful improvements in non-research settings.

Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01830088https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01830088?term=Villab%C3%B8&draw=2&rank=1Date of registration: April 12, 2013
Low risk of OHSS with follitropin delta use in women with different polycystic ovary syndrome phenotypes: a retrospective case series
Authors: Yacoub Stephanie , Cadesky Kenneth , Casper Robert F.
Published: February 2021

Background

To explore the efficacy of follitropin delta in ovarian stimulation of patients with the Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM 2003 phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) using a retrospective case series with an electronic file search in a reproductive medicine clinic.

Case presentation

Seventy-four patients with PCOS undergoing ovarian stimulation according to the individualized dosing algorithm of follitropin delta for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI)/oocyte freezing were included. Follitropin delta resulted in a high number of pre-ovulatory follicles at the end of stimulation as expected in patients with PCOS. There was a large number of oocytes retrieved with an acceptable percentage of metaphase II (MII) oocytes. There were no cases of moderate or severe OHSS across all phenotypes.

Conclusion

Follitropin delta, using the individualized dosing algorithm, appears to be a safe method of ovarian stimulation with a low risk of OHSS in PCOS patients without sacrificing successful stimulation outcomes.
CT angiography and MRI of hand vascular lesions: technical considerations and spectrum of imaging findings
Authors: Blum Alain G. , Gillet Romain , Athlani Lionel , Prestat Alexandre , Zuily Stéphane , Wahl Denis , Dautel Gilles , Gondim Teixeira Pedro
Published: February 2021

Vascular lesions of the hand are common and are distinct from vascular lesions elsewhere because of the terminal vascular network in this region, the frequent hand exposure to trauma and microtrauma, and the superficial location of the lesions. Vascular lesions in the hand may be secondary to local pathology, a proximal source of emboli, or systemic diseases with vascular compromise. In most cases, ischaemic conditions are investigated with Doppler ultrasonography. However, computed tomography angiography (CTA) or dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is often necessary for treatment planning. MR imaging is frequently performed with MRA to distinguish between vascular malformations, vascular tumours, and perivascular tumours. Some vascular tumours preferentially affect the hand, such as pyogenic granulomas or spindle cell haemangiomas associated with Maffucci syndrome. Glomus tumours are the most frequent perivascular tumours of the hand. The purpose of this article is to describe the state-of-the-art acquisition protocols and illustrate the different patterns of vascular lesions and perivascular tumours of the hand.
Combined macromolecule biomaterials together with fluid shear stress promote the osteogenic differentiation capacity of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Elashry Mohamed I. , Baulig Nadine , Wagner Alena-Svenja , Klymiuk Michele C. , Kruppke Benjamin , Hanke Thomas , Wenisch Sabine , Arnhold Stefan
Published: February 2021

Background

Combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and biomaterials is a rapidly growing approach in regenerative medicine particularly for chronic degenerative disorders including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The present study examined the effect of biomaterial scaffolds on equine adipose-derived MSC morphology, viability, adherence, migration, and osteogenic differentiation.

Methods

MSCs were cultivated in conjunction with collagen CultiSpher-S Microcarrier (MC), nanocomposite xerogels B30 and combined B30 with strontium (B30Str) biomaterials in osteogenic differentiation medium either under static or mechanical fluid shear stress (FSS) culture conditions. The data were generated by histological means, live cell imaging, cell viability, adherence and migration assays, semi-quantification of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and quantification of the osteogenic markers runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression.

Results

The data revealed that combined mechanical FSS with MC but not B30 enhanced MSC viability and promoted their migration. Combined osteogenic medium with MC, B30, and B30Str increased ALP activity compared to cultivation in basal medium. Osteogenic induction with MC, B30, and B30Str resulted in diffused matrix mineralization. The combined osteogenic induction with biomaterials under mechanical FSS increased Runx2 protein expression either in comparison to those cells cultivated in BM or those cells induced under static culture. Runx2 and ALP expression was upregulated following combined osteogenic differentiation together with B30 and B30Str regardless of static or FSS culture.

Conclusions

Taken together, the data revealed that FSS in conjunction with biomaterials promoted osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. This combination may be considered as a marked improvement for clinical applications to cure bone defects.
JKAMP inhibits the osteogenic capacity of adipose-derived stem cells in diabetic osteoporosis by modulating the Wnt signaling pathway through intragenic DNA methylation
Authors: Peng Shuanglin , Shi Sirong , Tao Gang , Li Yanjing , Xiao Dexuan , Wang Lang , He Qing , Cai Xiaoxiao , Xiao Jingang
Published: February 2021

Background

Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) is a systemic metabolic bone disease caused by diabetes mellitus (DM). Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) play an important role in bone regeneration. Our previous study confirmed that ASCs from DOP mice (DOP-ASCs) have a lower osteogenesis potential compared with control ASCs (CON-ASCs). However, the cause of this poor osteogenesis has not been elucidated. Therefore, this study investigated the underlying mechanism of the decline in the osteogenic potential of DOP-ASCs from the perspective of epigenetics and explored methods to enhance their osteogenic capacity.

Methods

The expression level of JNK1-associated membrane protein (JKAMP) and degree of DNA methylation in CON-ASCs and DOP-ASCs were measured by mRNA expression profiling and MeDIP sequencing, respectively. JKAMP small interfering RNA (siRNA) and a Jkamp overexpression plasmid were used to assess the role of JKAMP in osteogenic differentiation of CON-ASCs and DOP-ASCs. Immunofluorescence, qPCR, and western blotting were used to measure changes in expression of Wnt signaling pathway-related genes and osteogenesis-related molecules after osteogenesis induction. Alizarin red and ALP staining was used to confirm the osteogenic potential of stem cells. Bisulfite-specific PCR (BSP) was used to detect JKAMP methylation degree.

Results

Expression of JKAMP and osteogenesis-related molecules (RUNX2 and OPN) in DOP-ASCs was decreased significantly in comparison with CON-ASCs. JKAMP silencing inhibited the Wnt signaling pathway and reduced the osteogenic ability of CON-ASCs. Overexpression of JKAMP in DOP-ASCs rescued the impaired osteogenic capacity caused by DOP. Moreover, JKAMP in DOP-ASCs contained intragenic DNA hypermethylated regions related to the downregulation of JKAMP expression.

Conclusions

Intragenic DNA methylation inhibits the osteogenic ability of DOP-ASCs by suppressing expression of JKAMP and the Wnt signaling pathway. This study shows an epigenetic explanation for the reduced osteogenic ability of DOP-ASCs and provides a potential therapeutic target to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
The impact of Zn-doped synthetic polymer materials on bone regeneration: a systematic review
Authors: Wang Siyi , Li Rong , Xia Dandan , Zhao Xiao , Zhu Yuan , Gu Ranli , Yoon Jungmin , Liu Yunsong
Published: February 2021

Introduction

To repair bone defects, a variety of bone substitution materials have been used, such as ceramics, metals, natural and synthetic polymers, and combinations thereof. In recent decades, a wide range of synthetic polymers have been used for bone regeneration. These polymers have the advantages of biocompatibility, biodegradability, good mechanical properties, low toxicity, and ease of processing. However, when used alone, they are unable to achieve ideal bone formation. Incorporating zinc (Zn) into synthetic polymers has been considered, as previous studies have shown that Zn2+promotes stem cell osteogenesis and mineral deposition. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the application and effectiveness of Zn in synthetic polymers for bone regeneration, whether used alone or in combination with other biomaterials. This study was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines.

Materials and methods

A search of the PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases for articles published up to June 2020 revealed 153 relevant studies. After screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts, 13 articles were included in the review; 9 of these were in vitro, 3 were in vivo, and 1 included both in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Results

At low concentrations, Zn2+promoted cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, while high-dose Zn2+resulted in cytotoxicity and inhibition of osteogenic differentiation. Additionally, one study showed that Zn2+reduced apatite formation in simulated body fluid. In all of the in vivo experiments, Zn-containing materials enhanced bone formation.

Conclusions

At appropriate concentrations, Zn-doped synthetic polymer materials are better able to promote bone regeneration than materials without Zn.
The kernel-weighted local polynomial regression (KwLPR) approach: an efficient, novel tool for development of QSAR/QSAAR toxicity extrapolation models
Authors: Gajewicz-Skretna Agnieszka , Kar Supratik , Piotrowska Magdalena , Leszczynski Jerzy
Published: February 2021

The ability of accurate predictions of biological response (biological activity/property/toxicity) of a given chemical makes the quantitative structure‐activity/property/toxicity relationship (QSAR/QSPR/QSTR) models unique among the in silico tools. In addition, experimental data of selected species can also be used as an independent variable along with other structural as well as physicochemical variables to predict the response for different species formulating quantitative activity–activity relationship (QAAR)/quantitative structure–activity–activity relationship (QSAAR) approach. Irrespective of the models' type, the developed model's quality, and reliability need to be checked through multiple classical stringent validation metrics. Among the validation metrics, error-based metrics are more significant as the basic idea of a good predictive model is to improve the predictions' quality by lowering the predicted residuals for new query compounds. Following the concept, we have checked the predictive quality of the QSAR and QSAAR models employing kernel-weighted local polynomial regression (KwLPR) approach over the traditional linear and non-linear regression-based approaches tools such as multiple linear regression (MLR) andknearest neighbors (kNN). Five datasets which were previously modeled using linear and non-linear regression method were considered to implement the KwPLR approach, followed by comparison of their validation metrics outcomes. For all five cases, the KwLPR based models reported better results over the traditional approaches. The present study's focus is not to develop a better or improved QSAR/QSAAR model over the previous ones, but to demonstrate the advantage, prediction power, and reliability of the KwLPR algorithm and establishing it as a novel, powerful cheminformatic tool. To facilitate the use of the KwLPR algorithm for QSAR/QSPR/QSTR/QSAAR modeling, the authors provide an in-house developedKwLPR.RMDscript under the open-sourceRprogramming language.
Steganography algorithm based on modified EMD-coded PU partition modes for HEVC videos
Authors: Zhang Zhenzhen , Li Zhaohong , Liu Jindou , Yan Huanma , Yu Lifang
Published: February 2021

As High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a worldwide popular video coding standard, the steganography of HEVC videos has gained more and more attention. Prediction unit (PU) is one of the most important innovative modules of HEVC; thus, PU partition mode-based steganography is becoming a novel branch of HEVC steganography. However, the embedding capacity of this kind of steganography is limited by the types of PU partition modes. To solve the problem, modified exploiting modification direction (EMD)-coded PU partition mode-based steganography is proposed in this paper, which can hide a secret digit in a (2n + x − 1)-ary notational system in a pair of PU partition modes and thus enlarging the capacity. Furthermore, two mapping patterns for PU partition modes are analyzed, and the one that performs the better is selected as the final mapping pattern. Firstly, 8 × 8- and 16 × 16-sized PU partition modes are recorded according to the optimal mapping pattern in the video encoding process. Then, PU partition modes are modified by using the proposed method to satisfy the requirement of secret information. Finally, the stego video can be obtained by re-encoding the video with the modified PU partition modes. Experimental results show that the embedding capacity can be significantly enlarged, and compared with the state-of-the-art work, the proposed method has much larger capacity while keeping high visual quality.
Pentixafor PET/CT for imaging of chemokine receptor 4 expression in esophageal cancer – a first clinical approach
Authors: Linde Philipp , Baues Christian , Wegen Simone , Trommer Maike , Quaas Alexander , Rosenbrock Johannes , Celik Eren , Marnitz Simone , Bruns Christiane J. , Fischer Thomas , Schomaecker Klaus , Wester Hans-Juergen , Drzezga Alexander , van Heek Lutz , Kobe Carsten
Published: February 2021

Background

Expression of CXCR4, a chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor that plays a central role in tumor growth and metastasis of circulating tumor cells, has been described in a variety of solid tumors. A high expression of CXCR4 has a prognostic significance with regard to overall and progression-free survival and offers a starting point for targeted therapies. In this context, [68]Ga-Pentixafor-Positron Emission Tomography/Computer Tomography (PET/CT) offers promising possibility of imaging the CXCR4 expression profile. We set out to compare a [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET/CT and a [68Ga]Pentixafor-PET/CT in (re-)staging and radiation planning of patients with localized esophageal cancer.

Materials and methods

In this retrospective analysis, ten patients, with adeno- or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (n = 3 and n = 7, respectively), which were scheduled for radio (chemo) therapy, were imaged using both Pentixafor and FDG PET/CT examinations. All lesions were visually rated as Pentixafor and FDG positive or negative. For both tracers, SUVmax was measured all lesions and compared to background. Additionally, immunohistochemistry of CXCR4 was obtained in patients undergoing surgery.

Results

FDG-positive tumor-suspicious lesions were detected in all patients and a total of 26 lesions were counted. The lesion-based analysis brought equal status in 14 lesions which were positive for both tracers while five lesions were FDG positive and Pentixafor negative and seven lesions were FDG negative, but Pentixafor positive. Histopathologic correlation was available in seven patients. The CXCR4 expression of four non-pretreated tumour lesion samples was confirmed immunohistochemically.

Conclusion

Our data shows that additional PET/CT imaging with Pentixafor for imaging the CXCR4 chemokine receptor is feasible but heterogeneous in both newly diagnosed and pretreated recurrent esophageal cancer. In addition, the Pentixafor PET/CT may serve as complementary tool for radiation field expansion in radiooncology.
“Stewards of the future: accompanying the rising tide of young voices by setting youth-inclusive research agendas in sustainability research”
Authors: Barraclough Alicia Donnellan , Sakiyama Melina , Schultz Lisen , Måren Inger Elisabeth
Published: February 2021

Background

From the worldwide youth-led climate strikes of 2018–2019 to the student-initiated austerity protests in Chile in 2019, it is undeniable that young people have been protagonists in pressuring for social change towards greater sustainability in recent years. This piece reflects on youth as agents of social-ecological change, and what researchers can learn from the rise in youth-led social movements demanding action in the face of global sustainability challenges.

The study of sustainability problems like climate change and biodiversity loss, intrinsically requires consideration of inter-generational equity. However, despite 50% of the global population being under 30 years old, youth are often not included explicitly as actors in environmental social sciences and sustainability-related research. Here we discuss why explicitly considering young people as distinct actors during the research process is important, as it allows researchers to engage in just and inclusive work whilst at the same time accounting for important agents of change in complex social-ecological systems.

Results

As a framework for our inquiry we present the themes which emerged during a series of international meetings and forums on sustainability challenges and youth in 2019, a year characterized by world-wide youth mobilization. Our briefing spans the United Nations Youth 2019 Climate Action Summit, the post-2020 meetings organized by the youth branch of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Youth forums and the results from the Global Shapers Survey of the World Economic Forum.

Conclusions

We argue that if researchers wish to facilitate youth-inclusive evidence-based decision making, research agendas must address knowledge gaps highlighted by institutional efforts to incorporate youth concerns within global sustainability policy, a recommendation that is even more relevant in the light of the COVID-19 crisis. We draw on the themes which emerged in our analysis of international youth meetings to provide recommendations for research agendas which account both for young actors as both passive and active components of social-ecological change and we propose a more inclusive and holistic study of coupled natural-human systems.
Psychotropic Drugs in Patients with Cushing’s Disease Before Diagnosis and at Long-Term Follow-Up: A Nationwide Study
Authors: Bengtsson Daniel , Ragnarsson Oskar , Berinder Katarina , Dahlqvist Per , Edén Engström Britt , Ekman Bertil , Höybye Charlotte , Burman Pia , Wahlberg Jeanette
Published: February 2021

Context

Psychiatric symptoms are common in Cushing’s disease (CD) and seem only partly reversible following treatment.

Objective

To investigate drug dispenses associated to psychiatric morbidity in CD patients before treatment and during long-term follow-up.

Design

Nationwide longitudinal register-based study.

Setting

University Hospitals in Sweden.

Subjects

CD patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2018 (N = 372) were identified in the Swedish Pituitary Register. Longitudinal data was collected from 5 years before, at diagnosis, and during follow-up. Four matched controls per patient were included. Cross-sectional subgroup analysis of 76 patients in sustained remission was also performed.

Main outcome measures

Data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the Patient Register.

Results

In the 5-year period before and at diagnosis, use of antidepressants (odds ratio [OR] 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3-3.7]) and 2.3 [1.6-3.5]), anxiolytics [2.9 (1.6-5.3) and 3.9 (2.3-6.6)], and sleeping pills [2.1 (1.2-3.7) and 3.8 (2.4-5.9)] was more common in CD than controls. ORs remained elevated at 5-year follow-up for antidepressants [2.4 (1.5-3.9)] and sleeping pills [3.1 (1.9-5.3)]. Proportions of CD patients using antidepressants (26%) and sleeping pills (22%) were unchanged at diagnosis and 5-year follow-up, whereas drugs for hypertension and diabetes decreased. Patients in sustained remission for median 9.3 years (interquartile range 8.1-10.4) had higher use of antidepressants [OR 2.0 (1.1-3.8)] and sleeping pills [2.4 (1.3-4.7)], but not of drugs for hypertension.

Conclusions

Increased use of psychotropic drugs in CD was observed before diagnosis and remained elevated regardless of remission status, suggesting persisting negative effects on mental health. The study highlights the importance of early diagnosis of CD, and the need for long-term monitoring of mental health.
Regulation of Cell Types Within Testicular Organoids
Authors: Lara Nathalia de Lima e Martins , Sakib Sadman , Dobrinski Ina
Published: February 2021

Organoids are 3-dimensional (3D) structures grown in vitro that emulate the cytoarchitecture and functions of true organs. Therefore, testicular organoids arise as an important model for research on male reproductive biology. These organoids can be generated from different sources of testicular cells, but most studies to date have used immature primary cells for this purpose. The complexity of the mammalian testicular cytoarchitecture and regulation poses a challenge for working with testicular organoids, because, ideally, these 3D models should mimic the organization observed in vivo. In this review, we explore the characteristics of the most important cell types present in the testicular organoid models reported to date and discuss how different factors influence the regulation of these cells inside the organoids and their outcomes. Factors such as the developmental or maturational stage of the Sertoli cells, for example, influence organoid generation and structure, which affect the use of these 3D models for research. Spermatogonial stem cells have been a focus recently, especially in regard to male fertility preservation. The regulation of the spermatogonial stem cell niche inside testicular organoids is discussed in the present review, as this research area may be positively affected by recent progress in organoid generation and tissue engineering. Therefore, the testicular organoid approach is a very promising model for male reproductive biology research, but more studies and improvements are necessary to achieve its full potential.
Total Thyroidectomy Versus Lobectomy for Thyroid Cancer: Single-Center Data and Literature Review
Authors: Colombo Carla , De Leo Simone , Di Stefano Marta , Trevisan Matteo , Moneta Claudia , Vicentini Leonardo , Fugazzola Laura
Published: February 2021

Background

Controversies remain about the ideal risk-based surgical approach for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).

Methods

At a single tertiary care institution, 370 consecutive patients with low- or intermediate-risk DTC were submitted to either lobectomy (LT) or total thyroidectomy (TT) and were followed up.

Results

Event-free survival by Kaplan–Meier curves was significantly higher after TT than after LT for the patients with either low-risk (P = 0.004) or intermediate-risk (P = 0.032) tumors. At the last follow-up visit, the prevalence of event-free patients was higher in the TT group than in the LT low-risk group (95% and 87.5%, respectively; P = 0.067) or intermediate-risk group (89% and 50%; P = 0.008). No differences in persistence prevalence were found among microcarcinomas treated by LT or TT (low risk, P = 0.938 vs. intermediate-risk, P = 0.553). Nevertheless, 15% of the low-risk and 50% of the intermediate-risk microcarcinomas treated by LT were submitted to additional treatments. On the other hand, macrocarcinomas were significantly more persistent if treated with LT than with TT (low-risk, P = 0.036 vs. intermediate-risk, P = 0.004). Permanent hypoparathyroidism was more frequent after TT (P = 0.01). After LT, thyroglobulin (Tg)/thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) had shown decreasing trend in 68% of the event-free patients and an increasing trend in the persistent cases.

Conclusions

Lobectomy can be proposed for low-risk microcarcinomas, although in a minority of cases, additional treatments are needed, and a longer follow-up period usually is required to confirm an event-free outcome compared with that for patients treated with TT. On the other hand, to achieve an excellent response, TT should be favored for intermediate-risk micro- and macro-DTCs despite the higher frequency of postsurgical complications.
Unifying Online and Offline Preference for Social Link Prediction
Authors: Zhou Fan , Zhang Kunpeng , Wu Bangying , Yang Yi , Wang Harry Jiannan
Published: February 2021

Recent advances in network representation learning have enabled significant improvement in the link prediction task, which is at the core of many downstream applications. As an increasing amount of mobility data become available because of the development of location-based technologies, we argue that this resourceful mobility data can be used to improve link prediction tasks. In this paper, we propose a novel link prediction framework that utilizes user offline check-in behavior combined with user online social relations. We model user offline location preference via a probabilistic factor model and represent user social relations using neural network representation learning. To capture the interrelationship of these two sources, we develop an anchor link method to align these two different user latent representations. Furthermore, we employ locality-sensitive hashing to project the aggregated user representation into a binary matrix, which not only preserves the data structure but also improves the efficiency of convolutional network learning. By comparing with several baseline methods that solely rely on social networks or mobility data, we show that our unified approach significantly improves the link prediction performance.

Summary of Contribution: This paper proposes a novel framework that utilizes both user offline and online behavior for social link prediction by developing several machine learning algorithms, such as probabilistic factor model, neural network embedding, anchor link model, and locality-sensitive hashing. The scope and mission has the following aspects: (1) We develop a data and knowledge modeling approach that demonstrates significant performance improvement. (2) Our method can efficiently manage large-scale data. (3) We conduct rigorous experiments on real-world data sets and empirically show the effectiveness and the efficiency of our proposed method. Overall, our paper can contribute to the advancement of social link prediction, which can spur many downstream applications in information systems and computer science.
Top Management Team Power in China: Measurement and Validation
Authors: Ke Bin , Mao Xinshu , Wang Bin , Zuo Luo
Published: February 2021

We propose and validate a comprehensive measure of power for the top management teams (TMTs) of publicly listed Chinese firms. We show that our measure is positively associated with the four power dimensions developed by prior research for U.S. firms as well as three Asia-relevant power dimensions, including political capital, seniority, and gender. We find that our TMT power measure is a valid proxy for TMT power for both state-controlled firms and non-state-controlled firms. We also compare our TMT power measure with one alternative TMT power proxy based on executive compensation and find no evidence that the alternative proxy is better than our measure in capturing TMT’s true power. Further, we provide evidence that the divergence between our power proxy and the power proxy based on executive compensation reflects nonmarket institutional forces in China and has important implications for corporate outcomes.

This paper was accepted by Brian Bushee, accounting.
Is Charitable Giving a Zero-Sum Game? The Effect of Competition Between Charities on Giving Behavior
Authors: Schmitz Jan
Published: February 2021

The competition for donations between charities is tough. Yet, little is known about how giving behavior is affected by competition between charities. Do people have a need to satisfy their demand for giving by contributing to a particular charity? Or can the demand for doing good be satisfied by giving to any organization? In a donation dictator game, I vary competition between charities by (i) altering the set of similar real charities to which subjects can donate and (ii) changing the relative price of giving to a randomly selected charity in the choice set by introducing a matching grant. I find weak substitution between charities when giving to more than one charity is possible, as the donated amounts to individual charities decrease with the size of the choice set. At the same time, aggregate giving to all charities increases when charities are in competition. Intensified competition through an increase in the charitable giving market seems to attract new giving and increases overall public good provision. Price competition, however, does not attract new donations when market size is constant and charities compete for donations. These findings carry important insights for managers of nonprofit organizations and provide information on how to improve existing fundraising strategies.

This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, decision analysis.
As Estrangeiras: Registros Sobre Deusas e Mulheres Subversivas em Excertos Bíblicos
Authors: Zdebskyi Janaina De Fátima
Published: February 2021

Em excertos da Torá e do Antigo Testamento da Bíblia de Jerusalém, fontes adotadas para a presente pesquisa, podemos perceber uma série de argumentos que colocam mulheres, principalmente estrangeiras, como culpadas pelos castigos enviados pelo deus Yahweh, ao responsabiliza-las por cultuarem deusas e deuses estrangeiros. Este artigo tem por objetivo identificar essas narrativas e compreender sua função social.
Formas de Representação das Candaces na Cultura Material em Kush (I aeC e I EC)
Authors: Chamarelli de Oliveira Fernanda
Published: February 2021

O presente artigo analisa formas de representação das candaces a partir da cultura material produzida em Kush, a fim de reconhecer o protagonismo da mulher no período do século I AEC ao I EC. Destacaremos a força feminina representada pelas figuras de Amanirenas e Amanitore, questionando as análises que visam demonstrar que seu poder ocorre em uma sociedade quando estas ocupam o lugar de governante central.
O que Aconteceu na História da Ciência: A contribuição de Cheikh Anta Diop.
Authors: Almeida de Jesus Jorge Henrique
Published: February 2021

A ciência foi considerada monopólio do mundo ocidental por muito tempo. A história da ciência consagrou a ciência clássica e a ciência moderna como os únicos tipos válidos de conhecimento científico. Entretanto, a partir do início do século XX uma série de fatores contribuiu para alterar as perspectivas sobre a origem e o desenvolvimento da ciência. Os historiadores das civilizações não ocidentais, a exemplo de Joseph Needham, especialista em história da China, e Cheikh Anta Diop, especialista em Egito Antigo, contribuíram para o desmonte da perspectiva eurocêntrica da ciência ao fornecerem evidências do conhecimento científico e filosófico fora do Ocidente e antes do Ocidente.
Molecular epidemiology and carbapenem resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients with burns
Authors: Khalili Younes , Memar Mohammad Yousef , Farajnia Safar , Adibkia Khosro , Kafil Hossein Samadi , Ghotaslou Reza
Published: February 2021

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology and carbapenem resistance mechanisms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients with burns in Azerbaijan, Iran.

Method:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from 38 patients with burns. Disk diffusion and agar dilution methods were used to determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns. The overproduction of AmpC β-lactamase and efflux pumps were detected by phenotypic methods. The presence of carbapenemase-encoding genes was detected by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Expression of the OprD gene and MexAB efflux pumps were also evaluated with real-time PCR. Random amplified polymorphic DNA typing (RAPD-PCR) was used for genotyping of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA).

Results:

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays demonstrated high levels of resistance to all classes of antibiotics except colistin and polymyxin B. The initial screening by carbapenem disks indicated 24 isolates (63.15%) as CRPA. Different mechanisms of carbapenem resistance were observed, including carbapenemase production (8.4%), overexpression of AmpC (25%) and decreased expression of OprD (75%). The overexpression of MexAB efflux pumps was detected in 19 (79.1%) isolates by phenotypic assay or real-time PCR. The resistance to carbapenem was multifactorial in most cases (58.3%). The RAPD genotyping revealed different patterns with nine clusters.

Conclusion:

According to our results, the prevalence of CRPA is at an alarming level. Our results did not demonstrate an epidemic clone. The most common mechanism of carbapenem resistance was decreased expression of OprD. Therefore, we suggest a reconsideration in the management of CRPA infections of patients in our burn care hospital in Azerbaijan, Iran.
Surviving entanglement in optic-microwave conversion by an electro-optomechanical system
Authors: Jo Yonggi , Lee Su-Yong , Ihn Yong Sup , Kim Dongkyu , Kim Zaeill , Kim Duk Y.
Published: February 2021

In recent development of quantum technologies, a frequency conversion of quantum signals has been studied widely. We investigate the optic-microwave entanglement that is generated by applying an electro-optomechanical frequency conversion scheme to one mode in an optical two-mode squeezed vacuum state. We quantify entanglement of the converted two-mode Gaussian state, where surviving entanglement of the state is analyzed with respect to the parameters of the electro-optomechanical system. Furthermore, we show that there exists an upper bound for the entanglement that survives after the conversion of highly entangled optical states. Our study provides a theoretical platform for a practical quantum illumination system.
Magnetic wire: transverse magnetism in a one-dimensional plasmonic system
Authors: Karmakar Subhajit , Kumar Deepak , Pal Bishnu P. , Varshney Ravendra K. , Roy Chowdhury Dibakar
Published: February 2021

We experimentally demonstrate magnetic wire in a coupled, cut-wire pair-based metasurface operating at the terahertz frequencies. A dominant transverse magnetic dipole (non-axial circulating conduction current) is excited in one of the plasmonic wires that constitute the coupled system, whereas the other wire remains electric. Despite having large asymmetry-induced strong radiation channels in such a metasurface, non-radiative current distributions are obtained as a direct consequence of interaction between the electric and magnetic wire(s). We demonstrate a versatile platform to transform an electric to a magnetic wire and vice-versa through asymmetry-induced polymorphic hybridization with potential applications in photonic/electrical integrated circuits.
Deriving fine-scale models of human mobility from aggregated origin-destination flow data
Authors: Ciavarella Constanze , Ferguson Neil M.
Published: February 2021

The spatial dynamics of epidemics are fundamentally affected by patterns of human mobility. Mobile phone call detail records (CDRs) are a rich source of mobility data, and allow semi-mechanistic models of movement to be parameterised even for resource-poor settings. While the gravity model typically reproduces human movement reasonably well at the administrative level spatial scale, past studies suggest that parameter estimates vary with the level of spatial discretisation at which models are fitted. Given that privacy concerns usually preclude public release of very fine-scale movement data, such variation would be problematic for individual-based simulations of epidemic spread parametrised at a fine spatial scale. We therefore present new methods to fit fine-scale mathematical mobility models (here we implement variants of the gravity and radiation models) to spatially aggregated movement data and investigate how model parameter estimates vary with spatial resolution. We use gridded population data at 1km resolution to derive population counts at different spatial scales (down to ∼ 5km grids) and implement mobility models at each scale. Parameters are estimated from administrative-level flow data between overnight locations in Kenya and Namibia derived from CDRs: where the model spatial resolution exceeds that of the mobility data, we compare the flow data between a particular origin and destination with the sum of all model flows between cells that lie within those particular origin and destination administrative units. Clear evidence of over-dispersion supports the use of negative binomial instead of Poisson likelihood for count data with high values. Radiation models use fewer parameters than the gravity model and better predict trips between overnight locations for both considered countries. Results show that estimates for some parameters change between countries and with spatial resolution and highlight how imperfect flow data and spatial population distribution can influence model fit.
The developmental genetic architecture of vocabulary skills during the first three years of life: Capturing emerging associations with later-life reading and cognition
Authors: Verhoef Ellen , Shapland Chin Yang , Fisher Simon E. , Dale Philip S. , St Pourcain Beate
Published: February 2021

Individual differences in early-life vocabulary measures are heritable and associated with subsequent reading and cognitive abilities, although the underlying mechanisms are little understood. Here, we (i) investigate the developmental genetic architecture of expressive and receptive vocabulary in early-life and (ii) assess timing of emerging genetic associations with mid-childhood verbal and non-verbal skills. We studied longitudinally assessed early-life vocabulary measures (15–38 months) and later-life verbal and non-verbal skills (7–8 years) in up to 6,524 unrelated children from the population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. We dissected the phenotypic variance of rank-transformed scores into genetic and residual components by fitting multivariate structural equation models to genome-wide genetic-relationship matrices. Our findings show that the genetic architecture of early-life vocabulary involves multiple distinct genetic factors. Two of these genetic factors are developmentally stable and also contribute to genetic variation in mid-childhood skills: One genetic factor emerging with expressive vocabulary at 24 months (path coefficient: 0.32(SE = 0.06)) was also related to later-life reading (path coefficient: 0.25(SE = 0.12)) and verbal intelligence (path coefficient: 0.42(SE = 0.13)), explaining up to 17.9% of the phenotypic variation. A second, independent genetic factor emerging with receptive vocabulary at 38 months (path coefficient: 0.15(SE = 0.07)), was more generally linked to verbal and non-verbal cognitive abilities in mid-childhood (reading path coefficient: 0.57(SE = 0.07); verbal intelligence path coefficient: 0.60(0.10); performance intelligence path coefficient: 0.50(SE = 0.08)), accounting for up to 36.1% of the phenotypic variation and the majority of genetic variance in these later-life traits (≥66.4%). Thus, the genetic foundations of mid-childhood reading and cognitive abilities are diverse. They involve at least two independent genetic factors that emerge at different developmental stages during early language development and may implicate differences in cognitive processes that are already detectable during toddlerhood.