bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photoredox C-H Functionalization Leads the Site-selective Phenylalanine Bioconjugation
Authors: Weng Yue , Su Chun-Jen , Jiang Haoyang , Chiang Chien-Wei
Published: August 2022

Site-selectively chemical bioconjugation of peptides and proteins can improve the therapeutic exploration of modified protein drugs. Only 3.8% natural abundance of phenylalanine in protein and nearly 90% of proteins contain at least one phenylalanine residue in their sequenced, showing the potential in biopharmaceutical utility of the phenylalanine bioconjugation. However, the covalent bioconjugation of native phenylalanine is one of the most challenging problems in protein modification. Herein, an approach to protein modification is described that relies on a photoredox method for the site-selective bioconjugation of phenylalanine. This methodology has been validated on peptides as well as protein insulin using a straightforward and mild condition. In addition, based on characterization by near-UV CD spectroscopy and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), this pyrazole labeling approach permitted the insulin hexamer to completely dissociate into the monomeric form, thus making it a potential candidate for use as rapid-acting insulin for the treatment of diabetes.
Generation of a bovine cell line for gene engineering using an HIV-1-based lentiviral vector
Authors: Morizako Nanami , Butlertanaka Erika P , Tanaka Yuri L , Shibata Honoka , Okabayashi Tamaki , Mekata Hirohisa , Saito Akatsuki
Published: August 2022

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-based lentiviral vectors are indispensable tools for gene engineering in mammalian cells. Conversely, lentiviral vector transduction is severely inhibited in bovine cells. Previous studies demonstrated that this inhibition is caused by the anti-lentiviral host factor tripartite motif containing 5 (TRIM5), which targets incoming HIV-1 virions by interacting with the viral capsid. In this study, we investigated several methods for overcoming the limited applicability of lentiviral vectors in bovine cells. First, we demonstrated that the SPRY domain of bovine TRIM5 is the major determinant of anti-viral activity. Second, we found that mutations that allow the capsid to evade rhesus macaque TRIM5α minimally rescued HIV-1 infectivity in bovine-derived MDBK cells. Third, we found that cyclosporine A, which relieves the inhibition of HIV-1 infection in monkey cells, significantly rescued the impaired HIV-1 infectivity in MDBK cells. Lastly, we successfully generated a bovine cell line lacking intact TRIM5 using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. This TRIM5 knockout cell line displayed significantly higher susceptibility to an HIV-1-based lentiviral vector. In conclusion, our findings provide a promising gene engineering strategy for bovine cells, thereby contributing to innovations in agriculture and improvements in animal health.
Designing, Developing, pilot implementation and evaluation of a mobile android based tool to improve health outcomes in adolescents and young adults living with HIV: An Agile model Human-Centered Design Science three-phase Methodology.
Authors: Rufu Annah , Chitindingu Kudakwashe , Chinofunga Shakemore , Dupwa Beatrice , Mugurungi Owen
Published: August 2022

Purpose: The objective of this study was to close the gap in healthcare providers’ skills, training and information sharing in HIV management by developing a mHealth artifact, with the aim of improving health management outcomes. Methods: This study used a three-phase Design Science human-centred methodology to develop the AnnMac android based communication application artifact. The design science methodology used consisted of problem identification, solution design and evaluation of the AnnMac application user experiences and impact. A descriptive cross-sectional case study used data collected from the literature review, and primary data from the participatory research approach. Secondly we used data collected from the AnnMac application user experiences and impact evaluation. Results: The AnnMac application was designed, developed, pilot implemented and registered on Google store and was ready for download by January 2020. Conclusions The evaluation of the AnnMac android mobile application showed a high rate (<85%) of adoption due to its simple-to-use features resulted in improved adherence to antiretroviral therapy and viral load suppression among patients and improved health care worker satisfaction and engagement in HIV care. Furthermore, the AnnMac m-health android based communication application helped health care providers communicate and engage with adolescents and young adults living with HIV using relevant guidelines and tailor made messages or information. In addition the AnnMac m-health android based communication application enabled health care providers manage adolescents and young adults living with HIV healthcare progress in improving their HIV management resulting in improved adherence to antiretroviral therapy and viral load suppression among patients.
Egyptian perception, awareness, and knowledge of nanotechnology: A study based on an Egyptian University approach
Authors: Ead Hamed , Elsherif Rabab , Hassan Hosam , salah ayatallah
Published: August 2022

Scientific literacy as a goal of a science education reform remains a critical discourse in the research literature. It is crucial to students’ understanding and acceptance of emergent technologies like nanotechnology (NT). Due to informational input from physicists, chemists, engineers, geologists, and biologists, NT is a vibrant field of science today. Despite the extensive use of nanomaterials (NMs) in daily life, little is known by the general public regarding the capabilities, advantages, and potential risks of NT. Like with any emerging technology, its public perception has direct implications on future policies and has to be taken into considerations by both academia and industry. An online survey of sociodemographic graduates was conducted as part of the interdisciplinary awareness initiative at Cairo University. The survey was prepared based on previous studies and introduced to the staff, graduates, and students sample of Cairo University (343 votes), selected from different faculties in different stages, were considered. The resulting data were analyzed using SPSS technical analysis method. The main goal was to evaluate the current levels of knowledge and the attitude toward NT among the general Egyptian public and to determine how the differing sociodemographic factors (e.g., in terms of age, sex, and educational background) may affect it. This paper summarizes the findings of a study of public attitudes toward NT, highlighting both concerns and aspirations for NT, and discusses the impacts of that data on public engagement programs. We found that while Egyptians display a generally optimistic view and a positive attitude toward NT, there are concerns about its safety and possible risks. Participants expressed a great desire for more information about its applications and clear labeling and transparency of products containing NMs. Notably, we found that participants with a university degree were generally more knowledgeable on this topic; surprisingly, there were no significant differences in the attitude toward NT among people from different educational backgrounds. This shows the difficulty in mitigating public aversion solely by providing more information on the subject; depending on who you talk to, the perception of what the public thinks about NT can vary.
Numerical investigations on the surface integrity of a mechanical part machined by the end milling process using different teeth of the milling cutter
Authors: Benattia Bloul , Benaoumeur Aour , Hélène Chanal , Nargess Chtioui , Riad Harhout
Published: August 2022

This study allows to analyze the influence of the teeth number of the milling cutter during end milling machining on the surface quality, mechanical characteristics, cutting forces, are valuable in terms of providing high precision and efficient machining in order to give a new approach to improve the surface quality of a mechanical part, reducing residual stresses, cutting forces by the material removal process. The Surface roughness is particularly sensitive to the runout errors of the insert, number of cutter teeth and the nose radius during this type of machining. This paper is a comparative study of the surface finish, stresses, and cutting forces when machining with a 2, 6 and 8 tooth cutter under the same cutting conditions. In addition to the investigations on the surface integrity and the comparative geometrical study, we have provided a calculation tool to simulate the influence of the residual stresses and the loads applied on the mechanical part. This approach examines the characteristics of the surface topography of aluminum parts, a stainless steel tool and the material strength of this part in general. The investigation is carried out by several simulated and realizable tests and performed on the HPC unit and the machine tool by exploiting the finite element method in the case of stable machining. The exploitation of the finite element method has led to promising results in terms of propagation of the machined surface state, residual stresses and cutting forces which have a considerable effect on the wear on the main edge of the cutter. The simulation shows that the roughness of the surface condition is inversely influenced by the teeth number of the end mill, the cutting forces as well as the residual stresses.
Bisimidazole ionic liquid functionalized ZIF-8 solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for analysis Rhodamine B in food samples
Authors: Zhu Xiashi , Wan Shuyu , Xu Ouwen , Song Hanyang , Yang Jing
Published: August 2022

An effective method based on the bisimidazole ionic liquid functionalized ZIF-8 solid-phase extractant (ZIF-8@MIM-MIM) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the separation/analysis of Rhodamine B was established. ZIF-8@MIM-MIM was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. Several important factors, such as pH, amount of extractant, extract time and types of eluents were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, linear range of the method was 0.02-40.00 µg mL− 1, the detection limit was 7.0 ng mL− 1, and the linear correlation was good (R2 = 0.9986). The detection of Rhodamine B in chili powder, red wine, plum juice and strawberry jam proved that the method was simple and effective, and could be used to separate and analyze Rhodamine B in real samples.
Highly selective epoxidation of styrene at ambient temperature under photo-assisted condition over bimetallic Eu and Ti-doped amino-functionalized mesoporous molecular sieve
Authors: wang guangjian , gao hongyu , cao qingxi
Published: August 2022

Mesoporous molecular sieves silica materials had been functionalized employing 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the surface decoration agent by a post-synthesis method and Eu and Ti with different loading ratio were synchronously anchored on amino-functionalized silica framework by incipient wetness impregnation method, respectively. The structures of the synthesized samples were evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectra, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and solid-state 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The results revealed that the highly ordered mesoporous two dimensional hexagonal structure and the mesoporous channel structure were well preserved and isolated tetrahedral surface Eu3+ and isolated [TiO4] or [HOTiO3] species were found to be grafted and highly dispersed in the amino-functionalized mesoporous framework. A significant enhancement in selectivity and conversion for the photocatalytic epoxidation of styrene has been achieved by synergistic effect based on surface ligand effect and electron density effect between Eu3+ and Ti4+ species on amino-functionalized mesoporous silica framework. The factors associated with the conversion of styrene and selectivity to styrene oxide such as the solvent, metal loading, the amount of NaOH, H2O2/Styrene, the amount of catalyst and reaction time were also investigated in details. The desired selectivity (84%) to styrene oxide and excellent conversion (32%) of styrene for the photocatalytic epoxidation of styrene with turnover frequency of 3.1×10-4s-1 were obtained using aqueous H2O2 as an oxidant in the presence of acetonitrile solvent under ambient temperature.
Clinical outcomes and treatment patterns of older adults with dementia-related psychosis by dementia type in the United States
Authors: Forns Joan , Danysh Heather E. , McQuay MBioinf Lisa J. , Turner Mary Ellen , Dempsey RN Colleen , Anthony Mary S. , Demos George , Layton J. Bradley
Published: August 2022

Background
Little is known about the incidence of clinical events and treatment patterns among older adults with dementia-related psychosis (DRP). Given that DRP is composed of various dementia types, this current study describes the similarities and differences across the dementia types in the incidence of clinical events and treatment patterns after patients with dementia are diagnosed with psychosis.
Methods
Adults aged ≥ 65 years and newly diagnosed with DRP were identified in US Medicare claims during 2013–2018. Baseline characteristics were evaluated at the time of the initial DRP diagnosis. After DRP diagnosis, for each dementia type (Alzheimer’s disease [AD], Parkinson’s disease dementia [PDD], dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB], frontotemporal dementia [FTD], vascular dementia [VD], and dementia, unspecified), incidence rates (IRs) of clinical events (e.g., falls/fractures, infections, healthcare utilization), mortality, and patterns of antipsychotic treatment were described. Daily mean cumulative counts were estimated to describe the potentially varying incidence of recurrent events over time. Mortality by time since DRP diagnosis was described using Kaplan-Meier survival curves.
Results
We identified 484,520 patients with DRP: mean age, 84 years; female, 66%. The most prevalent type of dementia at the index date was unspecified dementia (56%), followed by AD (31%), VD (12%), PDD (10%), DLB (3%), and FTD (< 1%). At the time of DRP diagnosis, most patients had scores on the Charlson Comorbidity Index (71%) and frailty index (62%) indicating severe illness. After DRP diagnosis, IRs (per 100 person-years) were high for emergency department visits, oral anti-infective use, and urinary tract infections for all dementia types. Overall, DLB was the dementia type with the highest incidence of clinical outcomes. After 1 year of follow-up, the cumulative probability of death was about 30% for all types of dementia. After 5 years of follow-up, the cumulative probability of death was about 80% among DRP patients with DLB, VD, AD, or PDD and about 60%-65% among patients with FTD or unspecified dementia
Conclusions
Patients with DRP had a high burden of comorbidities, frailty, emergency department visits, infections, and death. Specifically, after DRP diagnosis, patients with DLB and VD had the highest burden of clinical events of interest.
Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite properties improvement by incorporation of polydopamine sizing at fiber-matrix interface
Authors: Qin Wenzhen , Lei Kaixuan , Yan Meiling , Li Zhongkai , Yan Yi , Hu Yongwei , Wu Zhijun , He Jianwei , Chen Liang
Published: August 2022

To gain better interfacial and mechanical performances of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin (CF/EP) composites, the surface modification of CF was carried out via a simple mild method. The polydopamine (PDA) was applied to size the CF, as well as the influence of PDA sizing time on CF were elucidated. As the PDA deposited time increases, a growing number of PDA nanoparticles were adhered on CF surface, associating with appearance of PDA agglomerates. Through analyzing the results, the optimum PDA sized time was 24 h. The introduction of PDA increase the chemical reaction and mechanical interlocking between fiber and matrix. Compared with unsized CF, the tensile strength of PDA 24 h sized CF was improved by 27.0%, the interlaminar shear strength, flexural and impact strength of PDA 24 h sized CF/EP composites increased by 103.7%, 65.6% and 163.6%, respectively. Furthermore, the fracture topographies of CF/EP composite strikingly implied that the PDA has a positive impact on the mechanical performances of CF/EP composites.
In-situ Synthesis of Bos taurus indicus Urine Assisted Ag/rGO Nanocomposite for Nitroarenes Reduction and Biological Activity
Authors: Karvekar Omkar S. , Jadhav Sarita M. , Sarvalkar Prashant D. , Vadanagekar Apurva S. , Patil Sharadchandra S. , Rane Manali R. , Sharma Kiran Kumar K , Kurhe Deepti N. , Prasad Neeraj
Published: August 2022

In order to effectively purify drinking water or wastewater, harmful organic contaminants like nitroarenes must be removed from water systems. In this context, the present study developed a unique bio-mimetic, in-situ synthesis of Ag/rGO nanocomposite. We employed Bos taurus indicus urine to make Ag/rGO nanocomposite in an environmentally friendly, economical, and sustainable manner. Through the use of DLS, FE-SEM, FT-IR, Raman, TGA-DSC, XRD, and Zeta Potential analysis, the morphological, elemental, and structural characterization were completed. Investigations were conducted into the catalytic effectiveness of prepared nanomaterials for diverse nitroarenes reduction. Then, using NaBH4 at 25oC, the catalytic roles of Ag and Ag/rGO nanocatalyst were assessed towards the catalytic reduction of several environmental pollutants such as 2,3 & 4-nitroaniline and 4-nitrophenol. For their catalytic performance, bio-mimetically synthesized Ag NPs were thermally treated at 200°C and compared to Ag/rGO nanocomposite. The antibacterial and antioxidant properties of as-prepared nanomaterials were investigated in this study. The finding signifies the importance of such nanocomposites in medicinal chemistry and antibacterial creams for external use.
Hospital pharmacists’, doctors’ and nurses’ perceptions of intra- and inter- professional communication in the context of electronic prescribing and medication administration systems: a qualitative study
Authors: Mohsin-Shaikh Soomal , Blandford Ann , Franklin Bryony Dean
Published: August 2022

Background Effective, integrated and coordinated communication is essential in providing high quality patient care. There has been limited research detailing the impact of electronic prescribing and medication administration (ePMA) systems on healthcare professionals’ (HCPs’) communication. We aimed to explore hospital pharmacists’, doctors’ and nurses’ perceptions of how ePMA systems have affected, or are expected to affect, the way they communicate with each other in an inpatient setting.MethodsThis was a qualitative study in three English NHS hospitals: two used different inpatient ePMA systems, and one used paper-based prescribing. We conducted focus groups with pharmacists, and semi-structured individual interviews with doctors and nurses. Transcribed data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. ResultsNine focus groups, three at each hospital, were conducted with pharmacists with different levels of seniority (58 pharmacists in total). Fourteen doctors and twelve nurses took part in individual interviews. Four themes were identified: modes of communication, reduced pharmacist visibility, system limitations, and future aspirations for ePMA. Whether working with ePMA or paper-based systems, all participants preferred to communicate face-to-face to facilitate collaborative discussions regarding patient care. Participants perceived that ePMA reduced contact time with patients. Pharmacists perceived that both their physical ward presence and their written communication on medication charts had reduced since introduction of ePMA. Doctors felt they were now less likely to ask pharmacists questions due to pharmacists’ reduced physical presence on the ward. Hardware and software limitations were identified by all HCPs, with suggestions made for future developments to better support communication.Conclusion ePMA does not necessarily support communication among HCPs. Pharmacists and doctors were also concerned that ePMA reduces communication between themselves and their patients. Hospital managers should ensure sufficient hardware for HCPs, including pharmacists, to conduct their work in clinical areas, and work with ePMA system suppliers to develop ways of enhancing, rather than inhibiting, communication.
An efficient synthesis of isoxepac and 2-ethylanthraquinone via intramolecular acylation catalyzed by chloroaluminate ionic liquids with P2O5
Authors: Wang Qi , Zhang Bin , Zhang Xiaoxin , Wu Hujian , Zhan Haitao , Wang Tao
Published: August 2022

Acylation reaction directly using carboxylic acid as an acylation agent is the most ideal acylation method but demands rigorous reaction conditions. In this study, an efficient method was used in synthesizing isoxepac and 2-ethylanthraquinone from electron-poor substrates through intramolecular acylation catalyzed by chloroaluminate ionic liquids with P2O5. The condition optimization experiment was carried out, and the yield of isoxepac was improved to 82.7%. By studying the catalyzed intramolecular acylation of 2-(4-ethylbenzoyl) benzoic acid to obtain 2-ethylanthraquinone, the universality of chloroaluminate ionic liquids with P2O5 as catalysts for intramolecular acylation was confirmed. Compared with the original process, using ionic liquids catalysts in catalytic reactions can effectively reduce the amount of waste acid and water produced by post-treatment.
A multi-scale feature extraction fusion model for human activity recognition
Authors: Zhang Chuanlin , Cao Kai , Lu Limeng , Deng Tao
Published: August 2022

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is an important research area in human-computer interaction and pervasive computing. In recent years, many deep learning (DL) methods have been widely used for HAR, and due to their powerful automatic feature extraction capabilities, they achieve better recognition performance than traditional methods and are applicable to more general scenarios. However, the problem is that DL methods increase the computational cost of the system and take up more system resources while achieving higher recognition accuracy, which is more challenging for its operation in small memory terminal devices such as smartphones.So, we need to reduce the model size as much as possible while taking into account the recognition accuracy. To address this problem, we propose a multi-scale feature extraction fusion model combining Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The model uses different convolutional kernels sizes combined with GRU to accomplish the automatic extraction of different local features and long-term dependencies of the original data to obtain a richer feature representation. In addition, the proposed model uses separable convolution instead of classical convolution to meet the requirement of reducing model parameters while improving recognition accuracy. The accuracy of the proposed model are 97.18% and 96.71% on the WISDM and UCI-HAR datasets respectively. The experimental results show that the proposed model not only obtains higher recognition accuracy but also costs lower computational resource compared with other methods.
Indocyanine Green-enhanced Fluorescence to Assess Bowel Perfusion During Robotic-assisted Rectal Surgery
Authors: Alawfi Homoud Ghazi , Yang Seung Yoon , Alessa Mohammed Yousef , Helmi Hadeel , Sakr Ahmad , Kim Nam Kyu
Published: August 2022

Background: Anastomotic leakage following rectal surgery is a major complication, which may occur due to insufficient vascular supply. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of using indocyanine green fluorescence angiography for intraoperative assessment of vascular anastomotic perfusion in robotic low anterior resection.Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study that included consecutive patients undergoing robotic low anterior resection for rectal cancer between March 2017 and February 2019. Intra-operative use of indocyanine green fluorescence for assessment of bowel perfusion was performed in patients undergoing rectal surgery after April 2018. Those who underwent the surgery before that comprised the control group. The primary outcome was the occurrence of anastomotic leakage among the two groups.Results: Each group included 48 patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic data or tumor characteristics. The planned anastomotic site was revised in 1/48 patients who received indocyanine green fluorescence based on the surgeon’s subjective finding of a hypo-perfused distal segment. Postoperative anastomotic leakage was confirmed clinically and radiologically in one patient (2.8%) in the indocyanine green-group compared to two patients (4.16%) in the control group.Conclusion: Indocyanine green fluorescence may be considered a useful intraoperative tool for assessment of vascular perfusion of bowel during robotic rectal surgery. Change in the site of resection and/or anastomosis may be indicated, possibly affecting the incidence of anastomotic leakage.
Preoperative serum CA19-9 predicts postoperative pancreatic fistula in PDAC patients: retrospective analysis at a single institution.
Authors: Sugita Hiroki , Okabe Hirohisa , Ogawa Daisuke , Hirao Hiroki , Kuroda Daisuke , Taki Katsunobu , Tomiyasu Shinjiro , Hirota Masahiko
Published: August 2022

Background:
Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a critical complication of pancreatectomy in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Recent papers reported that serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)19 − 9 levels predicted long-term prognosis. We investigated whether preoperative serum CA19-9 levels were associated with POPF in PDAC patients.
Methods:
This cohort study was conducted at a single institution retrospectively. Clinicopathologic features were determined using medical records.
Results:
Among of 196 consecutive patients who underwent pancreatectomy against PDAC, 180 patients whose CA19-9 levels were above the measurement sensitivity, were registered in this study. The patients consisted of 122 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and 58 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy. Several clinicopathological factors, including CA 19 − 9 level, as well as surgical factors were determined retrospectively based on the medical records. Patients with high CA19-9 levels had a significantly higher incidence of POPF than those with low levels (43.9% vs. 13.0%, P < 0.0001). The receiver operating characteristic curves calculated that the cutoff CA19-9 value to predict POPF was 428 U/mL. CA19-9, BMI, curability, and histology were statistically significant risk factors for POPF by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that CA19-9 and BMI levels were statistically significant independent risk factors for POPF. CA19-9 levels were correlated with both histology and curability. Disease free survival and overall survival of patients with higher levels of CA19-9 were significantly shorter than that of patients with lower levels of preoperative serum CA19-9.
Conclusions:
In patients undergoing pancreatectomy for PDAC, higher preoperative CA19-9 levels are a significant predictor for POPF.
Tribological behavior of cathode plasma electrolytic deposited Al2Y4O9 coating on aluminum alloy
Authors: Liu Chenxu , Wen Xiangli , Bai Pengpeng , Meng Yonggang , Tian Yu
Published: August 2022

Ceramic coatings are widely used as protective barriers on the surfaces of various metals and alloys. Herein, a novel surface ceramic treatment, i.e., cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED), is proposed for the surface of an Aluminum (Al) alloy. The coating, prepared in an Y(NO3)3 aqueous solution on the surface of the Al alloy, consists of Al2Y4O9 as the major phase component, Y2O3 as a minor phase component, and amorphous Al2O3 in the grain boundaries. As the applied voltage and deposition time increased, the crystallization of the coatings was enhanced. When deposited at 130 V for 10 min, the contact angle of the ceramic coating reached 141.0 ± 2.6°, indicating an enhanced self-cleaning effect. The ceramic coating also exhibited excellent self-lubricating and anti-wear effects. The friction coefficient of the CPED-treated sample vs. ZrO2 ball or bearing steel ball decreased from 0.55–0.65 to 0.26–0.31 when the load was 3 N and the reciprocating velocity was 10 mm/s. Correspondingly, the wear rate of the CPED-treated sample vs. the ZrO2 ball or bearing steel ball was significantly reduced. Results indicated that CPED is effective for the formation of self-cleaning and anti-wear ceramic coatings on Al alloys.
Endoscopic-assisted descending aortic replacement through a small intercostal incision: a case report
Authors: Wada Takeshi , Sako Hidenori , Kizu Kenya , Tashima Takahiro , Takayama Tetsushi , Miyamoto Shinji
Published: August 2022

Background
Descending aortic replacement often involves making large incisions; thus, it results in massive invasions. We report the case of a patient with dilated descending aorta treated using endoscopic-assisted descending aortic replacement with essentially minimal invasions.
Case presentation:
We performed endoscopic-assisted descending aortic replacement with a single incision involving six wounds by trocar puncturing on a 59-year-old man who was diagnosed with dilated descending aorta by stent graft-induced new entry. Subsequently, the patient was discharged on postoperative day 11 without any complications.
Conclusions
Despite minor incisions, our approach can be indicated to almost the same group of patients in whom the conventional approach can be performed. Our procedure involved a single incision of only 8 cm and six wounds by trocar puncturing. Thus, endoscopic-assisted surgery can be a useful option in descending aortic surgery.
The effects of different conditioning contraction protocols of post-activation potentiation on variables of eccentric phases and concentric phase of vertical jumps (source from doctoral dissertation)
Authors: Živanović Vladimir
Published: August 2022

Purpose Investigation of the influence of different conditioning contraction protocols on the eccentric variables: depth of descent of body centre of mass (CMJ) and capacity of muscle force, power, and velocity (CMJ and DJ), i.e., velocity at time of rebound. Methods In a sample of 29-students (age: 19.6 ± 0.8), 1 RM was determined by estimating 10 RM, to be stratified in a six-week workout: static conditioning contractions-hold back squat at 120°, dynamic-back squat at 120° (x8), combined-2 back squat at 120° and 2 seconds endurance (x2) [for 12 seconds], and control group-6 to 8 hours of activity per week. After the pre-contractions, they continuously performed shock-plyometrics (50 cm box), triple jump and 5-meter sprint. Training load was 80 % 1 RM.Results A statistically significant increase (13.3, and 9.3 %) was found in (CMJ) spontaneous Hdd ES and ED unlike in EC and C (4.4, 5.5 %). In variables (CMJ) F, P, and V ecc significant performance ranges of experimental groups from 5.9 to 13.3 % were found, unlike in (DJ) variables for which there was no significance. Concentric variable (CMJ) V tr exhibits significance for ED and EC groups (3.4, 4.3 %), and variable (DJ) V tr for ES, ED and EC (2.0, 2.9, 4.1 %, respectively, p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion The most indicated increases (CMJ and DJ) V tr, by practicing contrast sessions i.e., conditioning contraction (CC) or post-activation potentiation, were observed after the application of dynamic (CC), referring to sublimated eccentric manifestations and concentric muscular-mechanical effects.
Optimization of Spin-Lock Times for T1ρ Mapping of Human Knee Cartilage with Bi- and Stretched-exponential Models
Authors: de Moura Hector Lise , Menon Rajiv G. , Zibetti Marcelo V. W. , Regatte Ravinder R.
Published: August 2022

Two optimization criteria based on Cramér-Rao Bounds are compared between each other and with non-optimized schedules for T1ρ mapping using synthetic data, model phantoms, and in-vivo knee cartilage. The curve fitting is done on complex-valued data using an iterative Nonlinear Least Squares (NLS) approach. The optimization criteria are compared based on the Mean Normalized Absolute Error (MNAE) and variance of the estimated parameters. The optimized spin-lock time (TSL) schedules provided improved results over the non-optimized schedules for all cases that were tested. The simulations showed that optimized schedules can reach the same precision and reduce acquisition times by 16.5 minutes (42%) for the bi-exponential model, and 6.6 minutes (22%) for the stretched-exponential model. In the model phantoms experiments, the bi-exponential MNAE was reduced from 0.47 to 0.36, while stretched-exponential from 0.28 to 0.20 with MCRLB. In-vivo knee cartilage experiments show a reduction in bi-exponential MNAE from 0.47 to 0.31, and stretched-exponential from 0.047 to 0.039. The optimized spin-lock times criteria reduced the error in all cases, being more significant in the synthetic data and model phantoms. The optimized TSL schedules can be either used to improve the quality of parameter maps or reduce scan time.
Cost and influencing factors of treatment for neoplasms in underdeveloped regions of China based on SHA2011 and Random Forest Model
Authors: Hu Xiaobin , Che Xinyao , Qi Lei , Dou Feng , Zhao Yini , Li Jianjian , Du Hongmei , Ma Zhibin , Yang Chao , Yang Yaya , Wang Lei
Published: August 2022

Background: Cancer poses a severe health hazard and a heavy economic burden to mankind. This study, applying the System of Health Accounts 2011 (SHA 2011), aimed to calculate the economic burden of neoplasm in Gansu of China, and to find out problems in the entire financial flow of neoplasm treatment service delivery (including financing scheme, services provider, disease and patients distribution), and to explore influencing factors of hospitalization expenditure with neoplasms.Methods: Macro data was obtained from official yearbook and sampling data were collected with multistage stratified sampling method. Top-down approach was performed to decompose the Current Curative Expenditure (CCE) of neoplasm and the formula to calculate CCE was introduced step-by-step. Multiple linear regression and random forest regression model were used to analyze influencing factors of hospitalization expenditure with neoplasms.Results: The CCE of neoplasm amounted to 4442.269 million CNY in Gansu 2017, more than half of which were directly burdened by patients and their family, and patients were over-reliant on inpatient service provided by hospitals while the service delivered by primary health care establishment were not fully utilized. The middle-aged adults (40-64) and elderly (over 65 years old) consumed majority of expenditure, and the age of female (45-54 years old) with peak of CCE of neoplasm was almost 15 years younger than male (60-64 years old). Additionally, for male, the top three neoplasms in terms of consuming CCE of neoplasm were stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer, whereas that were uterine leiomyoma, breast cancer as well as cervix uteri cancer for female. The random forest regression model showed that the top 5 influential factors in the ranking of importance were the length of stay, operation, proportion of drug, neoplasms and institution level.Conclusions: SHA 2011 is a powerful tool to describe financial flow and to link expenditure to treatment of disease, and in aspect of treatment of neoplasm in underdeveloped region of China, the unreasonable financing scheme, unbalanced allocation of medical resource to heath provider, as well as the distinct distribution characteristics of beneficiaries’ expenditure should attract wide attention to policy maker.
Identification of a Novel PPAR Signature for Predicting Prognosis and Immune Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Su Qiuming , Zhang Shengning , Ran Jianghua
Published: August 2022

Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver, which the 5-year survival rate has not substantially improved in the past few decades. We aimed to explore the potential role of peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) in HCC progression and diagnosis.
Methods
The clinical information and corresponding gene expression matrix of HCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and International Cancer Genome Consortium databases (ICGC). Consensus cluster analysis was used to identify novel molecular subgroups. ESTMATE, Microenvironment Cell Populations-counter and single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were used to determine the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and immune status of the identified molecular subtypes. Functional analyses were used to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, including Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis and Gene Set Variation Analysis. The prognostic risk model was constructed by LASSO analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis, and validated by ICGC datasets. A nomogram was constructed to predict the prognosis of HCC patients by integrating risk scores and clinical characteristics.
Results
Significant differences in survival for the identified two molecular subgroups. The subgroup with poorer prognosis was associated with higher immune score, higher abundance of immune cell infiltration and correspondingly higher immune status. DEGs between the two molecular subgroups were mainly enriched in the metabolic- and PPAR-pathways. The abnormal expression pattern of PPAR genes (PPARGs) may alter the metabolic activity, affecting the function of the immune system. Moreover, the risk model based on 4 PPARGs (TTC33, TMEM135, TALDO1, and TXNIP) exhibited excellent ability of predictive prognostic. Finally, A nomogram integrating risk scores and clinical features could accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients.
Conclusion
We constructed and validated a novel PPAR signature associated with the TIME, which exhibited extremely excellent performance in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.
Gamification to improve medication adherence: a mixed-method usability study for MedScrab
Authors: Li Yan , Phan Huong , Law Anandi V , Roosan Moom R , Karim Mazharul , Baskys Andrius , Roosan Don
Published: August 2022

MedScrab, a gamification-based mHealth app, is a first attempt to deliver crucial life-saving medication information to patients and increase their medication adherence. The paper presents the development of MedScrab and a two-phase mixed-method usability evaluation of MedScrab. Phase I qualitatively evaluated MedScrab using a think-aloud protocol for its usability. With 51 participants, qualitative data analysis of Phase I revealed two themes: positive functionality of the app and four areas of improvement. The improvement recommendations were incorporated into MedScrab’s design. Phase I also validated a widely used mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ). Quantitative data analysis of Phase I reduced the original 18-item MAUQ scale to a 15-item scale with two factors: ease of use (4 items) and usefulness and satisfaction (11 items). Phase II surveyed 83 participants from mTurk using a modified MAUQ. The modified MAUQ scale showed strong internal consistency and high loadings. Data analysis results showed that MedScrab was perceived as ease of use (6.24 out of 7) with high usefulness and satisfaction (5.72 out of 7). The results support the use of the modified MAUQ as a valid instrument for mHealth usability evaluation. However, the instrument should be used with adaptation based on the app's characteristics. This study can serve as a methodological guide for designing, evaluating, and improving mHealth apps.
Linear codes using simplicial complexes
Authors: Sagar Vidya , Sarma Ritumoni
Published: August 2022

Certain simplicial complexes are used to construct a subset D of Fm2n and D, in turn, defines the linear code CD over F2n that consists of (v · d) d∈D for v ∈ Fm2n . Here we deal with the case n = 3, that is, when CD is an octanary code. We establish a relation between CD and its binary subfield code C (2) D with the help of generator matrix. For a given length and dimension, a code is called distance optimal if it has the highest possible distance. With respect to the Griesmer bound, five infinite families of distance optimal codes are obtained, and sufficient conditions for certain linear codes to be minimal are established.
Experimental determination of the sorption isotherms of mint
Authors: Chouchane N. , Chouchane H.
Published: August 2022

The equilibrium water content of a product to be dried is essential during storage and solar drying operation by forced convection. These values are often taken from the so-called sorption isotherm graphs. The determination of these isotherms is an essential step to knowing the distribution and the intensity of the water bonds in the products in use. They allow determining the final water content to be reached to optimize the drying conditions of these products and give valuable information on the hygroscopic equilibrium. Therefore, the present work proposes to determine experimentally the desorption isotherms of a medicinal and aromatic agricultural product (mint), using the saturated saline solution method. The experiment is carried out for four different values of temperature: 20°C, 35°C, 45°C and 55°C to study the influence of temperature on the equilibrium graphs of the product and to describe the desorption isotherm of mint for each temperature using a polynomial regression of the experimental points found. Finally it was compared with the Henderson model.
The complete chloroplast genome of Acer fabri (Aceraceae)
Authors: Zhao Yu-Xue , Zhu Jia-Min , Yang Xia , Wu Liu-Yan
Published: August 2022

Acer fabri is endemic to the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Sichuan in China. This study sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of A. fabri. The cp genome was 156,918 bp in length, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 85,309 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,103 bp, and a pair of invert repeats (IR) regions of 26,753 bp. The analyses predicted 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the complete cp genome was 37.90%. Phylogenetic analysis further suggested that A. fabri was closely related to A. olivaceum, with high bootstrap values.
Quantification of muscle tone using shear-wave velocity during anaesthesia induction: a prospective observational study
Authors: Saito Hidehisa , Sugino Shigekazu , Moteki Shoichiro , Kanaya Akihiro , Yamauchi Masanori
Published: August 2022

Purpose
Shear-wave elastography is a non-invasive ultrasound method that provides quantitative information on the elasticity of soft tissues. However, a universal velocity scale for quantification has yet to be developed. This study aimed to determine the shear-wave velocities (SWVs) of the abdominal muscles during anaesthesia induction for future development of a universal scale.
Methods
We enrolled 75 adult patients who received elective surgery with an American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status of I–III from December 2018 to March 2021. We measured and calculated the SWVs before and after opioid administration (baseline at rest and opioid-induced rigidity condition) and after muscle relaxant administration (zero reference condition). The SWV value was adjusted for subcutaneous fat thickness using our proposed corrections. The SWVs after the adjustment were compared among the values at baseline, opioid-induced rigidity, and complete muscle relaxation using one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey–Kramer tests. Significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results
The SWVs in the baseline, opioid-induced rigidity, and complete muscle relaxation conditions after adjustment were 2.08 ± 0.48, 2.41 ± 0.60, and 1.79 ± 0.30 m/s, respectively (p < 0.001 for all comparisons).
Conclusion
The SWV as reference was 1.8 m/s, and the SWVs at rest and opioid-induced rigidity were ~ 10% and ~ 30% higher than the reference, respectively. SWV adjusted for subcutaneous fat thickness may be a scale point for the assessment of muscle tone.
Clinical trial registration:
UMIN Clinical Trials Registry identifier UMIN000034692, registered on October 30th, 2018
Microfluidic device for recapitulating PAH-afflicted pulmonary artery: design, fabrication, and on-chip cell culture
Authors: Ahsan Fakhrul
Published: August 2022

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare condition and a hyperproliferative vascular disorder, is characterized by vascular remodeling of the intrapulmonary arterial wall, resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular hypertrophy, and eventually right heart failure and death. Although animal models can reproduce the chief feature of the disease, i.e., elevated pulmonary arterial pressure, they do not accurately portray the biology of human PAH. Further, the FDA Modernization Act 2021 encourages using alternatives to animal models such as organ chip models in non-clinical studies because the latter models are not only humane but also expected to expedite drug development and discovery. As such, we recently established the feasibility of designing, developing, and deploying a PAH-on-a-chip for studying PAH pathophysiology and screening for anti-PAH drugs in our laboratory. This PAH-chip model mimics five layers of the pulmonary artery and allows the growing of adult PAH cells in separate channels, facilitating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Importantly, the device can reconstruct the major clinical features of PAH, including arterial muscularization and plexiform lesions. Here, we described a step-by-step detailed method of PAH-chip design and fabrication and cell seeding on the device so that any biologist can prepare the device and study PAH pathophysiology in a laboratory setting. Our protocol is different from other published methods of PDMS-based chips in terms of application of the device and the depth of the details. We envision that this method of chip fabrication can also be used to study other pulmonary vascular disorders.
Architectured Ceramics: Interlocking Design, Programmable Laser Manufacturing and Testing
Authors: Sarvestani Hamidreza Yazdani , Esmail I. , Katz Z. , Jain S. , Sa J.H. , Backman D. , Ashrafi B.
Published: August 2022

Tough and impact-resistant ceramic systems offer a wide range of remarkable opportunities beyond those offered by conventional brittle ceramics. However, despite their promise, the availability of traditional manufacturing techniques to fabricate such advanced ceramic structures in a highly controllable and scalable manner poses a significant manufacturing bottleneck. In this study, a precise and programmable laser manufacturing system was used to manufacture architectured ceramics inspired by biological materials such as bone, nacre and tooth enamel. This manufacturing strategy offers feasible mechanisms for precise material architecture and quantitative process control, particularly when scalability is considered. An optimized material removal method that approaches near-net shaping was employed to fabricate topologically interlocking ceramic systems (load-carrying assemblies of building blocks interacting by contact and friction) with different architectures (i.e., interlocking angle and building block size) subjected to low-velocity impact conditions. These impacts were evaluated using 3D digital image correlation (DIC). The optimal architectured ceramics exhibited a higher deformation (up to 310%) than the others. Their performance was tuned by controlling the interlocking angle and block size, adjusting the frictional sliding, and minimizing damage to the building blocks. The developed subtractive manufacturing technique leads to the fabrication of tough, impact-resistant, damagetolerant ceramic systems with excellent versatility and potential scalability.