bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors Associated With Cervical Spine Lesions in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Role of Biological Agents
Authors: Uchino Yosuke , Kobayashi Naomi , Higashi Takayuki , Inoue Tetsuhiko , Mochida Yuichi , Inaba Yutaka
Published: January 2021

Purpose

To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of cervical lesions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) under current pharmacological treatments with biological agents.
Methods

One hundred and eighty-five consecutive patients with RA who underwent both cervical plain radiography and bone mineral density (BMD) scanning were enrolled. RA cervical lesions included atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS), vertical subluxation (VS), and subaxial subluxation (SAS). We assigned patients with AAS, VS, or SAS to the cervical-lesion group, and all other patients to the non-cervical-lesion group. Radiological findings, BMD, and clinical data on RA were collected. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the risk factors of cervical lesions in patients with RA.
Results

The cervical-lesion and non-cervical-lesion groups included 106 and 79 patients, respectively. There were 79 patients with AAS, 31 with VS, and 41 with SAS. The cervical-lesion group had younger age of onset, longer RA disease duration, and lower femoral neck BMD than those in the non-cervical-lesion group. Multivariate analyses showed that the risk factors of RA cervical lesions were RA disease duration, prednisolone usage, biological agents, and femoral neck BMD. Femoral neck BMD in patients with VS was lower than in those without VS.
Conclusions

Cervical lesions were confirmed in 57% of the patients. RA duration, prednisolone usage, biological agents, and femoral neck BMD were significant risk factors of cervical lesions in patients with RA. The general status of osteoporosis might contribute to the development of VS.
Construction of a hippocampal cognitive map depends upon spatial context
Authors: Jiang Wan-Chen , Xu Shengjin , Dudman Joshua
Published: January 2021

The hippocampus encodes both spatial and non-spatial features of an environment thought to be critical to guide navigational trajectories and associative learning, respectively. These seemingly dichotomous roles have been reconciled in a proposed cognitive map - a representation of environment structure abstracted away from specific behavioral demands. However, the extent to which a cognitive map is independent of behavioral demands remains unclear because direct comparisons across environments with common structure but different spatial/behavioral context is lacking. Here we compare behaviors in mice trained to navigate to a hidden target in a physical arena and manipulate a joystick to a virtual target to collect a delayed reward. Comparison of behaviors with an artificial agent revealed a common algorithmic basis for learned foraging trajectories in both contexts. Imaging CA1 neural activity revealed a similar map-like encoding of active foraging; however, detailed analysis of ensemble activity, optogenetic inactivation, and modeling revealed a context-specific functional dissociation. In a navigational context, CA1 was critical for retrospective evaluation of spatial trajectories, but dispensable for initiation. In a non-navigational context, CA1 activity was critical for initiation and planning foraging trajectories. This work highlights how construction of a cognitive map to facilitate idiosyncratic behavioral demands7 is critical for foraging in diverse spatial contexts.
Disgust Versus Fear: Comparing the Generalization Pattern of Disgust and Fear
Authors: Wang Jinxia , Sun Xiaoying , Lu Jiachen , Dou Haoran , Lei Yi
Published: January 2021

A major limitation of fear generalization research entails the confusing unconditional stimulus—it can often induce not only fear but also disgust. Differences between the two threat-related emotions during conditioning and generalization are currently unknown. To address this issue, 32 college students completed threat conditioning tasks including conditioned stimuli paired with fear or disgust images. A block design was used to divide fear and disgust into two randomly ordered blocks, enabling examination of differences between fear and disgust by recording subjective expectations and eye movement in the generalization process. The results revealed that participants reported larger subjective expectations of fear-related GS1 (generalized stimuli) and GS2 than disgust-related GS1 and GS2, and fear led to longer reaction times than disgust in both conditioning and generalization phases. The pupil size and fixation duration for fear stimuli were larger than for disgust stimuli, suggesting that fear generalization has a steeper gradient than disgust generalization. Participants paid more attention to fear and were more inclined to avoid disgust stimuli. These findings provide new, albeit preliminary, evidence of the differences between fear and disgust stimuli in generalization, and may offer insight into the treatment of clinical anxiety and other fear- or disgust-related disorders.
Context-Aware Feature Attention Model for Coreference Resolution on Biomedical Texts
Authors: Li Yufei , Zhou Xiangyu , Ma Jie , Ma Xiaoyong , Li Chen
Published: January 2021

Background: Bio-entity Coreference resolution is an important task to gain a complete understanding of biomedical texts automatically. Previous neural network-based studies on this topic are domain system based methods which rely on some domain-specific information integration. However, for the identical mentions, this may lead to misleading information, as the model tends to get similar or even identical representations, which further leads to wrongful predictions. Results: we propose a new context-aware Feature Attention model to distinguish identical mentions effectively to better resolve coreference. The new model can represent identical mentions based on different contexts by adaptively exploiting features effectively. The proposed model substantially outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines on the BioNLP dataset with a 64.0% F1 score and further demonstrates superior performance on the differential representation and coreferential link of identical mentions. Conclusion: The context-aware Feature Attention model adaptively exploit features and represent identical mentions according to different contexts, which significantly makes the system obtain semantic information effectively and make more accurate predictions. Considering that this approach is still limited when context information is insufficient, we expect to utilize such information more fine-grained with the help of the external knowledge base in coreference resolution.
Primal-Dual for Classification with Rejection (PD-CR): A Novel Method for Classification and Feature Selection. An Application in Metabolomics Studies.
Authors: Chardin David , Barlaud Michel , Humbert Olivier , Burel-vandenbos Fanny , Pourcher Thierry , Rigau Valerie
Published: January 2021

Background: Supervised classification methods have been used for many years for feature selection in metabolomics and other omics studies. We developed a novel primal-dual based classification method (PD-CR) that can perform classification with rejection and feature selection on high dimensional datasets. PD-CR projects data onto a low dimension space and performs classification by minimizing an appropriate quadratic cost. It simultaneously optimizes the selected features and the prediction accuracy with a new tailored, constrained primal-dual method. The primal-dual framework is general enough to encompass various robust losses and to allow for convergence analysis. Here, we compared PD-CR to two commonly used methods : Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) and Random Forests. We analyzed two metabolomics datasets: one urinary metabolomics dataset concerning lung cancer patients and healthy controls; and a metabolomics dataset obtained from frozen glial tumor samples with mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) or wild-type IDH. Results: PD-CR was more accurate than PLS-DA and Random Forests for classification using the 2 metabolomics datasets. It also selected biologically relevant metabolites. PD-CR has the advantage of providing a confidence score for each prediction, which can be used to perform classification with rejection. This substantially reduces the False Discovery Rate. Conclusion: The confidence score provided with PD-CR adds considerable value to the prediction as it includes a metric that is implicitly used by every physician when they make a medical decision: the probability to make the wrong choice. So far, one of the main obstacles to the use of machine learning in medicine resides in the fact that it is harder to trust the decision of a machine learning method than that of a physician when it comes to health issues. We believe that providing a confidence score associated to the decision would make these new tools more convincing if used in routine clinical practice.
Resolving cell state in iPSC-derived human neural samples with multiplexed fluorescence imaging
Authors: Tomov Martin , O'Neil Alison , Abbasi Hamdah , Cimini Beth , Carpenter Anne , Rubin Lee , Bathe Mark
Published: January 2021

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC) neural cultures offer clinically relevant models of human diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In situ characterization of the spatial-temporal evolution of cell state in 2D and 3D culture models and organoids based on protein expression levels and localizations is essential to understanding neural cell differentiation, disease state phenotypes, and sample-to-sample variability. Here we apply PRobe-based Imaging for Sequential Multiplexing (PRISM) to facilitate multiplexed imaging with facile, rapid exchange of imaging probes to analyze iPSC-derived cortical and motor neuron cultures that are relevant to psychiatric and neurodegenerative disease models, using over ten protein targets. Our approach permits analysis of cell differentiation, cell composition, and functional marker expression in both standard 2D cultures and 3D spheroid and organoid sections. Further, our approach is amenable to automation, offering in principle ability to scale-up to dozens of protein targets and samples.
A Rapid Prediction Model for Intestinal Necrosis in Acute Mesenteric Ischemia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Zhuang Xinsuo , Chen Fumei , Zhou Qian , Zhu Yuanrun , Yang Xiaofeng
Published: January 2021

Background：Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is a life-threatening condition. However, there is no accurate method to predict intestinal necrosis in AMI patients that may facilitate early surgical intervention. This study thus aimed to explore a simple and accurate model to predict intestinal necrosis in patients with AMI.Methods: A single-center retrospective study was performed on the data of 132 AMI patients treated between October 2011 and June 2020. The patients were divided into the intestinal necrosis and non-intestinal necrosis groups. The clinical characteristics and laboratory data were analyzed by univariate analysis, and the variables with statistical significance were further analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The independent predictors of intestinal necrosis were determined and a logistic prediction model was established. Finally, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the model in predicting intestinal necrosis were evaluated. Results: Univariate analysis showed that white blood cell (WBC) count, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level, neutrophil ratio, prothrombin time (PT), and LnD-dimer were associated with intestinal necrosis. According to logistic regression multivariate analysis, WBC count, BUN level and LnD-dimer were independent predictors of intestinal necrosis. These parameters were used to establish a clinical prediction model of intestinal necrosis (CPMIN) as follows: model score = 0.349×BUN (mmol/L) +0.109×WBC×109+0.394×LnD-Dimer-7.883. The area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of the model was 0.889 (95% confidence interval: 0.833–0.944). Model scores greater than -0.1992 predicted the onset of intestinal necrosis. The accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of the model were 82.6%, 78.2%, and 88.3%, respectively. The proportion of intestinal necrosis in the high-risk patient group (CPMIN score ≥ -0.1992) was much greater than that in the low-risk patient group (CPMIN score < -0.1992; 82.7% vs. 15.0%, p<0.001).Conclusion：The CPMIN can effectively predict intestinal necrosis and guide early surgical intervention to improve patient prognosis. Patients with AMI who are classified as high-risk should be promptly treated with surgery to avoid the potential complications caused by delayed operation. Patients classified as low-risk group can receive non-surgical treatment. This model may help to lower the morbidity and mortality from AMI.
Long non-coding RNAs to predict postoperative recurrence in muscle-invasive bladder cancer and to develop a new molecular classification system
Authors: Li Zhiyong , JIANG LIJUAN , ZHANG ZHILING , DENG MINHUA , WEI WENSU , TANG HUANCHENG , GUO SHENGJIE , YE YUNLIN , YAO KAI , LIU ZHUOWEI , ZHOU FANGJIAN
Published: January 2021

Background: Reliable molecular markers are much needed for early prediction of recurrence in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. We aimed to build an lncRNA signature to improve recurrence prediction and lncRNA-based molecular classification of MIBC. Methods: LncRNAs of 320 MIBC patients from TCGA database were analyzed, and a nomogram was established. A molecular classification system was created, and immunotherapy, chemotherapy response prediction, immune score analysis, immunoinfiltration analysis, and mutational data analysis were conducted. Results: An eight-lncRNA signature could classify the patients into high- and low-risk subgroups having significantly different DFS. Our samples validated that the 8 lncRNAs were related with DFS. The nomogram achieved a C-index of 0.719 (95% CI, 0.674–0.764). Time-dependent ROC analyses indicated the superior prognostic accuracy of nomograms for DFS prediction (0.76, 95% CI, 0.697–0.807). Further, four clusters with different DFS and molecular features were identified. The four clusters (median DFS = 11.8, 15.3, 17.9, and 18.9 months, respectively) showed a high frequency of TTN, fibroblast growth factor receptor-3, TP53, and TP53 mutations, respectively. They were enriched with macrophages M2, T cells CD8, macrophages M0, and macrophages M0, respectively. Clusters 2 and 3 demonstrated potential sensitivity to immunotherapy and insensitivity to chemotherapy, whereas cluster 4 showed potential insensitivity to immunotherapy and sensitivity to chemotherapy. Conclusion: Our lncRNA-based signature proved to be a reliable prognostic tool to determine postoperative recurrence in MIBC patients. We believe that the four molecular subtypes possess the potential to guide treatment.
Dodging COVID-19 Infection: Low Expression and Localization of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in Human Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Hernandez Jonathan J , Beaty Doyle E , Fruhwirth Logan L , Chaves Ana P Lopes , Riordan Neil H
Published: January 2021

BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells derived from human umbilical cord (hUC-MSCs) have immunomodulatory properties that are of interest to treat novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Leng et al. recently reported that hUC-MSCs derived from one donor negatively expressed Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), a key protein for viral infection along with Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2). MethodsExpression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 was analyzed in 24 lots of hUC-MSCs derived fromWharton's jelly via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western Blot, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry using 24 different donors. ResultshUC-MSCs had significantly lower ACE2 (p=0.002) and TMPRSS2 (p=0.008) expression compared with human lung tissue homogenates in Western blot analyses. Little to no expression of ACE2 was observed in hUC-MSC by qPCR, and they were not observable with immunofluorescence in hUC-MSCs cell membranes. A negative ACE2 and TMPRSS2 population percentage of 95.3% ±15.55 was obtained for hUC-MSCs via flow cytometry, with only 4.6% ACE2 and 29.5% TMPRSS2 observable positive populations. ConclusionsWe have demonstrated negative expression of ACE2 and low expression of TMPRSS2 in 24 lots of hUC-MSCs. This has crucial implications for the design of future therapeutic options for COVID-19, since hUC-MSCs would have the ability to “dodge” viral infection to exert their immunomodulatory effects.
Fidarestat sensitized Caco-2 cells to Doxorubicin via increasing cell cycle-dependent cytotoxicity
Authors: Hammadieh Mozna Ahmad , Monem Fawza
Published: January 2021

Objectives: Anthracycline drugs such as Doxorubicin are considered one of the most active, wide-spectrum, and cost-eﬀective drugs that have been used as a therapy for many cancers, but not for colorectal cancer. Recent reports indicate that inhibiting Aldose Reductase increases the sensitivity of human colorectal cancer cells to Doxorubicin. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of using an Aldose Reductase inhibitor (Fidarestat) as an adjuvant drug with Doxorubicin on colorectal cell line Caco-2, by studying cell viability, type of death, and cell cycle distribution in order to understand the pathways of this treatment. Results: Our results indicated that Fidarestat significantly increased the sensitivity of Caco-2 cells to Doxorubicin in a concentration-independent manner. In addition, Fidarestat increased Doxorubicin-induced G2/M phase arrest as well as induced cell cycle arrest in the S phase, thus potentiated Doxorubicin cytotoxicity. over all, our results demonstrated that a potent and clinically safe Aldose Reductase inhibitor, Fidarestat, sensitized Caco-2 cells to Doxorubicin via increasing Doxorubicin cell cycle-dependent cytotoxicity.
Clinical Signs Predictive of Severe Illness in Young Pakistani Infants
Authors: Shahid Shahira , Tikmani Shiyam Sunder , Nayani Kanwal , Munir Ayesha , Brown Nick , Zaidi Anita KM , Jehan Fyezah , Nisar Muhammad Imran
Published: January 2021

Objective:Early detection of specific signs and symptoms to predict severe illness is essential to prevent infant mortality. As a continuation of the results from the multicenter Young Infants Clinical Signs and Symptoms (YICSS) study, we present here the performance of the seven-sign algorithm in 3 age categories (0-6 days, 7-27 days and 28-59 days) in Pakistani infants aged 0-59 days.Results:From September 2003 to November 2004, 2950 infants were enrolled (age group 0-6 days=1633, 7-27 days=817, 28-59 days=500). The common reason for seeking care was umbilical redness or discharge (29.2%) in the 0-6 days group. Older age groups presented with cough (16.9%) in the 7-27 age group and (26.9%) infants in the 28-59 days group. Severe infection/sepsis was the most common primary diagnoses in infants requiring hospitalization across all age groups. The algorithm performed well in every age group, with a sensitivity of 85.9% and specificity of 71.6% in the 0-6 days age group and a sensitivity of 80.5% and specificity of 80.2% in the 28-59 days group; the sensitivity was slightly lower in the 7-27 age group (72.4%) but the specificity remained high (83.1%).
Anterior Reduction and C1-ring Osteosynthesis With Jefferson-fracture Reduction Plate (JeRP) via Transoral Approach for Unstable Atlas Fractures
Authors: Tu Qiang , Chen Hu , Li Zhan , Chen Yuyue , Xu Aihong , Zhu Changrong , Huang Xianhua , Ma Xiangyang , Wang Jianhua , Zhang Kai , Xu Jianzhong , Xia Hong
Published: January 2021

Objective:To introduce a novel transoral instrumentation in the treatment of unstable fractures of atlas.Methods: From January 2008 to May 2018, 22 patients with unstable C1 fractures were retrospective analyzed, who received Jefferson-fracture reduction plate (JeRP) via transoral approach. The case history and the radiographs before and after surgery were noted. The type of fracture, the reduction of the fracture and position of the internal fixation were assessed by preoperative and postoperative CT scans.RESULTS: All 22 patients successfully underwent anterior C1-ring osteosynthesis using JeRP system, with a follow-up of 26.84±9.23 months. Among them, 9 patients had transverse atlantal ligament (TAL) injury, including 3 in Dickman type I and 6 in type II. The preoperative lateral mass displacement (LMD) decreased from 7.13±7.08 mm to 1.02±0.65 mm after operation. Bone union was achieved in all patients without implant failure or loss of reduction. There were no surgery-related complications, such as wound infection, neurological deficit, or vertebral artery injury. However, 3 patients with Dickman type I TAL injury occured atlantoaxial dislocation 3 months postoperatively without any neurological symptoms or neck pain.CONCLUSIONS: Transoral C1-ring osteosynthesis with JeRP is an effective surgical strategy of unstable atlas fractures, achieving direct and satisfactory reduction safely. The primary indication for JeRP system is an unstable fracture (Gehweiler type I/III) or/ and TAL injury (Dickman type II).
Epidemiological and Molecular Profile of Blood Donors Infected With HTLV-1/2 in the State of Pará, Northern Brazil
Authors: Maneschy Carolina de Alcântara , Barile Katarine Antonia , Castro Jairo Augusto de , Palmeira Maurício , Castro Renata de , Amaral Carlos Eduardo
Published: January 2021

Background: The Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) is a retrovirus of the genus Deltaretrovirus, which belongs to the family Retroviridae, and has tropism for T lymphocytes. This virus has four types, of which the most important in terms of pathogenesis and epidemiology are HTLV-1 and HTLV -2. It is estimated that between five and 10 million individuals are infected with HTLV-1, worldwide, of which, approximately 2.5 million live in Brazil. Studies in the state of Pará indicate that it has the third highest prevalence of HTLV infections of any Brazilian state. The virus can betransmitted through sexual, vertical, and parenteral route. The present study describes the epidemiological, serological, and molecular profile of blood donors from the state of Pará, that were classified as unfit due to infection by HTLV-1 and 2. Results: A total of 632 samples were analyzed. The HTLV proviral DNA was detected primarily in females (69.1%), with a mean age of 40 years, with the highest frequencies of detection being recorded in single individuals (66.2%), first-time donors (74.3%), and individuals that had graduated high school (44.1%). The molecular confirmation of HTLV showed that threequarters (78%) of the serologically reactive individuals were negative for either types I or II, so the epidemiological profile of these individuals was significantly different from their detectable profile. Conclusions: The HTLV is a neglected etiological agent in Brazil, and although there have been many advances since its discovery, infection patterns are still relatively poorly understood by both healthcare professionals and the general population. There is thus a clear need for further research in the area of regional hemotherapy and hematology services, in order to contribute to the definition of regional infection profiles, that will be fundamental to the development of effective prophylactic practises for the prevention of the infection and the dissemination of knowledge on the dangers of HTLV in the community.
Lung Contractive Change in Severe Acute Respiratory Failure Requiring Invasive Ventilation; A Comparison of Features Between Interstitial Lung Disease and Severe Infection
Authors: Nagaoka Kentaro , Yamashita Yu , Oguma Akira , Kimura Hirokazu , Shimizu Kaoruko , Suzuki Masaru , Tsuneta Satonori , Oyama-Manabe Noriko , Takagi Ryo , Yokota Isao , Saito Hitoshi , Wada Takeshi , Kato Hiroki , Morimoto Yuji , Konno Satoshi
Published: January 2021

Background: Generally, the incidence of irreversible lung injury is considered to be higher in acute respiratory failure due to interstitial lung disease (ILD), compared to those due to severe infection. However, those sub-phenotypes, which follow irreversible lung injury, remain poorly characterized. We aimed to examine their clinical and radiological features, in patients who could not withdraw from ventilation after receiving any treatment (defined as“irreversible respiratory failure”). Methods: Retrospective study including all patients receiving CT evaluation at onset and invasive mechanical ventilation for severe infection or acute ILD, who admitted our institution from April 2013 to May 2019. Participants were divided into Infection group and ILD group according to the dominant cause, and predictors of irreversible respiratory failure were examined among those subjects. In addition, we quantitatively evaluated the changes in lung region volumes and dispersion of grand glass opacity, using automated methods. Results: 31 patients were subdivided to ILD group, whereas 139 patients were subdivided to Infection group. Significantly more subjects in ILD group developed irreversible respiratory failure (n=22; 70.9%), compared to those in Infection group (n=27; 19.4%; p<0.001). With validation of radiological features in those subjects, distinct CT findings, including lung contractive change and non-edematous lung injury (NE-LI), were found in both groups. Lung contractive change was observed with 23 subjects in ILD group (74.2%) and 7 subjects in Infection group (5.0%). Among those, >10% lung volume reduction was confirmed by CT analysis with 19 subjects in ILD group and 4 subjects in Infection group. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following factors were found to be strong predictors of irreversible respiratory failure; lung contractive change (odds ratio [OR]=32.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.1-150), NE-LI suspicious lesion (OR=13.3; 95% CI [2.9-59]), ILD-dominant respiratory failure (OR=18.4; 95% CI, 4.3-79), multidrug-resistant bacterial- or fungal-infection (OR=6.4; 95% CI, 1.3-31). Conclusions: We demonstrated the presence of sub-phenotypes in acute respiratory failure due to ILD and severe infection, which followed an irreversible course with distinctive radiological features including lung contractive changes.
Εlectrocardiographic and electrophysiological characteristics of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias with acute successful ablation at the anterior portion of the mitral annulus
Authors: Di Chengye , Letsas Konstantinos , Gao Peng , Wang Qun , Wu Yanxi , Lin Wenhua
Published: January 2021

Background: We sought to clarify the electrocardiographic and electrophysiological characteristics of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), including idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT) and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), with acute successful radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) at the anterior portion of the mitral annulus (AP-MA).Methods and Results: Among 437 consecutive patients who presented with VAs for RFCA, twenty-six patients with acute successful RFCA at the AP-MA were included in this study. The ratio of the amplitude of the first positive peak (if present) vs. the nadir in the unipolar electrogram (EGM) was 0.00 – 0.03 (0.00) at the acute successful RFCA site. The time interval between the QRS onset to the maximum descending slope (D-Max) in the unipolar EGM (QRS - Uni) were 18.8 ± 13.6 ms. With bipolar mapping, the V-QRS interval was 3.75 – 17.3 (11) ms, 6 (23.1%) patients showed earliest V-QRS interval of 0 ms, and the other 20 patients (76.9%) showed V-QRS interval of 10-54 ms. The RFCA start-to-effect time was 14.1 ± 7.2 seconds in 23 patients (88.5%). In the remaining 3 patients (11.5%), the mean duration of successful RFCA were not well determined due to infrequent nature of clinical VAs during RFCA. Early (within 3 days) and late (one-year) recurrence rates were 23.1% (6 patients) and 26.9% (7 patients), respectively. The VAs disappeared 3 days later due to delayed RFCA efficacy in 2 patients (7.7%). No complications occurred during RFCA or the one-year follow up.Conclusions: AP-MA VAs are a rare but distinct subgroup of VAs. Bipolar and unipolar EGM features can help to detect the optimal RFCA site, and the QRS - Uni interval may work as a marker for guiding RFCA.
Efficacy and Safety of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Cancer: Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Cao Bo , Hu Xiaobo , Chen Min , Shen Mingfeng , Xu Lan
Published: January 2021

BackgroundEvidence on the safety and effectiveness of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with cancer is rather limited, so we performed this meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of NOACs with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in real-world patients with AF and cancer. MethodsThe PubMed and Embase databases were searched up to June 2020 for eligible studies. Outputs were presented as risk ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. ResultsA total of five observational studies involving 232,234 cancer patients with AF were included. Compared with VKAs, use of NOACs was associated with decreased risks of stroke or systemic embolism (RR, 0.79; 95% CI 0.69-0.90), ischaemic stroke (RR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72-0.93), venous thromboembolism (VTE) (RR, 0.28; 95% CI 0.14-0.53), all-cause death (RR, 0.57; 95% CI 0.50-0.64), major bleeding (RR, 0.60; 95% CI 0.51-0.72) and intracranial or gastrointestinal bleeding (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.51-0.73). In subgroup analysis, all NOACs showed similar rates of stroke or systemic embolism, ischaemic stroke but reduced rates of all-cause death, major bleeding and intracranial or gastrointestinal bleeding compared to VKAs. ConclusionsIn this combined analysis of real-world observational studies, NOACs showed lower risks of stroke or systemic embolism, ischaemic stroke, VTE, all-cause death and reduced rates of major bleeding and intracranial or gastrointestinal bleeding compared to VKAs in patients with AF and cancer.
Profound Decrease of Liver Maximum Function Capacity Test of Isoflurane Sedated Patients: A Report of Three Cases
Authors: Schwier Elke , Kirchner Carmen , Eickmeyer Claas , Winde Günther , Henzler Dietrich , Köhler Thomas
Published: January 2021

Background: Recently, inhaled sedation and liver function capacity measurement using 13C-methacetin breath test (LiMAx) have become an integral part of intensive care. The aim of this report is to present the results of LiMAx-testing during isoflurane sedation, which were unexpectedly low. The findings are discussed in view of the available literature.Case presentation: We present a series of three patients in a university hospital surgical intensive care unit who had received inhaled isoflurane sedation by the Anaesthetic Conserving Device after trauma, sepsis or pulmonary hemorrhage. When isoflurane was administered, LiMAx values decreased profoundly (1 to 71 µg/kg/h), indicating significant liver damage. Before and after isoflurane administration, more plausible LiMAx values between 151 and 496 µg/kg/h were obtained, indicating only minor impairment of normal liver function. Neither the progression of the associated laboratory parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, international normalized ration, creatinine, bilirubin, lactate) nor the clinical condition (absence of ascites, hepatic coagulation disorders or icterus) were suggestive of temporary liver damage of this severity.Conclusion: Measurement of enzymatic liver function capacity is practicable in intensive care patients and may help to determine liver function in different conditions. Unexpectedly low LiMAx values in isoflurane sedated patients may be caused by reduced cytochrome P450(CYP)1A2 enzyme activity due to a severe disease pattern, or by interaction of isoflurane with CYP1A2 or with the breath test itself. We propose that, until the breath test on enzymatic liver function has been validated in the critical care setting, LiMAx-test results should be interpreted with caution in patients sedated with isoflurane.
A New Medium Access Control Mechanism for Energy Optimization in WSN: Traffic Control and Data Priority Scheme
Authors: Bouazzi imen , Zaidi Monji , Usman Mohammed , Shamim M.Z
Published: January 2021

Over the last few years, energy optimization in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has drawn the attention of both the research community and actual users. Sensor nodes are powered by attached batteries that are considered as a critical aspect of sensor nodes design. Besides, the constraint of the limited battery capacity is associated with the concern on how to reduce the energy consumption of nodes to extend the network lifetime. In this context, the purpose of this study is to implement an adaptive Medium Access Control (MAC) for energy saving and traffic control enhancement. This program was designed to arrange nodes into two priority groups according to their traffic rate and data transmission packet delay. This fuzzy algorithm depends on their queue length where it is implemented into the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA) algorithm. However, other types of nodes should send their data during the Contention Free Period (CFP) with a GTS reallocation scheme. Those nodes are classified as low priority access to the medium and their data transmission is scheduled using time division multiple access methods. Moreover, this proposed scheme dynamically adjusts the Contention Access Period (CAP) length to ensure that nodes can complete their data transmission during the same super-frame. Simulation results are done using the Network Simulator tool (NS-2) and it has improved efficiency regarding the IEEE-802.15.4 standard.
Statistical analysis of ionospheric total electron content (TEC): Long-term estimation of extreme TEC in Japan
Authors: Nishioka Michi , Saito Susumu , Tao Chihiro , Shiota Daikou , Tsugawa Takuya , Ishii Mamoru
Published: January 2021

Ionospheric total electron content (TEC) is one of the key parameters for users of radio-based systems, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System, high-frequency communication systems, and space-based remote sensing systems, since total ionospheric delay is proportional to TEC through the propagation path. It is important to know extreme TEC values in readiness for hazardous ionospheric conditions. The purpose of this study is to estimate extreme TEC values with occurrences of once per year, ten years, and hundred years in Japan. In order to estimate the extreme values of TEC, a cumulative distribution function of daily TEC is derived using 22 years of TEC data from 1997 to 2018. The extreme values corresponding to once per year and ten years are 90 and 110 TECU, respectively, in Tokyo, Japan. On the other hand, the 22-year data set is not sufficient to estimate the once-per-hundred-year value. Thus, we use the 62-year data set of manually scaled ionosonde data for the critical frequency of the F-layer (foF2) at Kokubunji in Tokyo. First, we study the relationship between TEC and foF2 for 22 years and investigate the slab thickness. Then the result is applied to the statistical distribution of foF2 data for 62 years. In this study, two methods are applied to estimate the extreme TEC value. In the first method, the distribution of slab thickness is artificially inflated to estimate extreme TEC values. In the second method, extreme slab thicknesses are applied to estimate extreme TEC values. The result shows that the once-per-hundred-year TEC is about 150-190 TECU at Tokyo. The value is also estimated to be 180-230 TECU in Kagoshima and 120-150 TECU in Hokkaido, in the southern and northern parts of Japan, respectively.
Lymphatic muscle cells contribute to dysfunction of the synovial lymphatic system in inflammatory arthritis in mice
Authors: Liang Qianqian , Zhang Li , Xu Hao , Li Jinlong , Chen Yan , Schwarz Edward M. , Shi Qi , Wang Yongjun , Xing Lianping
Published: January 2021

Background. Our previous studies reveal that impaired draining function of the synovial lymphatic vessel (LV) contributes to the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritis, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Objective. To investigate the involvement of lymphatic muscle cells (LMCs) in mediating impaired LV function in inflammatory arthritis. Methods. TNF transgenic (TNF-Tg) arthritic mice were used. Structure and function of the LVs that drained the hind limbs were examined by whole-mount immunofluorescence staining, electron microscopy, and near-infrared lymphatic imaging. Primary LMCs were treated with TNF, and the changes in proliferation, apoptosis, and functional gene expression were assessed. The roles of the herbal drug, Panax Notoginseng Saponins (PNS), in arthritis and LVs were studied.Results. TNF-Tg mice developed ankle arthritis with age, which was associated with abnormalities of LVs: 1) dilated capillary LVs with few branch points; 2) mature LVs with reduced LMC coverage and draining function; 3) degenerative and apoptotic appearance of LMCs. TNF caused LMC apoptosis, reduced expression of muscle functional genes, and promoted the production of nitric oxide (NO) by lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). PNS attenuated arthritis, restored LMC coverage and draining function of mature LVs, inhibited TNF-mediated NO expression, and reduced LMC apoptosis. Conclusion. The impaired draining function of LVs in TNF-Tg mice involves LMC apoptosis. TNF promotes LMC death directly and indirectly via NO production by LECs. PNS attenuates arthritis, improves LVs, and prevents TNF-induced LMC apoptosis by inhibiting NO production of LECs. LMCs contribute to the dysfunction of synovial LVs in inflammatory arthritis.
Plant Growth and Physiological Responses to Improved Irrigation and Fertilization Management for Young Peach Trees in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Casamali Bruno , van Iersel Marc W. , Chavez Dario J.
Published: January 2021

New peach orchards in the southeastern United States are often not irrigated until 3 or 4 years after planting. During those years, the only water comes from rainfall. Droughts in the region are becoming more common, making irrigation more important. At the same time, fertilization practices follow recommendations developed decades ago and may not be optimal for current production practices. This research aimed to investigate the effect of different irrigation and fertilization practices on young ‘Julyprince’ trees grafted onto ‘Guardian™’ rootstock. The treatments consisted of irrigated vs. nonirrigated trees, drip- vs. microsprinkler-irrigated trees, and four different fertilizer levels (25%, 50%, 100%, and 200%; with 100% = current fertilizer recommendations). Responses to the treatments varied by year. In 2016, below-average rainfall (severe drought as classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor) was recorded throughout the year. This severe drought reduced the growth of nonirrigated trees compared with irrigated trees (average reductions of 56% in canopy volume, 39% in trunk cross-sectional area, 39% in leaf and stem water potential, and 40% in leaf photosynthesis). The adverse effects on tree growth and physiological responses of the 2016 season carried over to 2017, which was characterized by a short period of below-average rainfall in early spring. Nonirrigated trees displayed advanced budbreak progression; reduced commercial yield (10.9 vs. 13.4 kg/tree for nonirrigated vs. irrigated trees); and smaller trunk cross-sectional area (54.0 vs. 70.1 cm2) and canopy volume (8.9 vs. 10.9 m3) compared with irrigated trees. In 2018, rainfall was like the historical average throughout the year. Major differences continued to be trunk cross-sectional area (103.4 vs. 126.7 cm2) and canopy volume (15.8 vs. 17.8 m3), with nonirrigated trees being smaller than irrigated trees. No major or consistent differences were found between drip vs. microsprinkler irrigation or among fertilizer levels during the 3 years of the experiment. During the first years of orchard establishments, irrigation resulted in increased plant growth, commercial yield, and superior water status (higher values of water potential) compared with no irrigation, especially when rainfall was below the historical average. Although no major differences were found between the irrigation systems, drip irrigation used 35% less water than microsprinkler irrigation. While different fertilizer levels did not induce major differences in young trees’ growth and yield, potential economic savings and long-term effects of reduced fertilizer applications are being monitored as trees mature.
Psychiatric morbidity in children and adolescents with dermatological disorders
Authors: Miniksar Dilşad Yıldız , Özcan Özlem Özel , Cenk Hülya , Kapıcıoğlu Yelda , Polat Ayşegül
Published: January 2021

Background:

Understanding the existence of a cycle, where psychological disturbances cause skin diseases and in turn, skin diseases cause psychological disorders, provides the basis for good dermatological practice.

Objective:

The aim of this case-control study is to examine the psychiatric morbidity of dermatological disorders in children and adolescents with no history of psychiatric disorders.

Method:

In this study, 502 participants (251 patients and 251 healthy individuals) were evaluated according to DSM-IV criteria. All participants were interviewed and evaluated using the Turkish version of the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia – Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-1 and STAI-2), the Childhood Depression Inventory (CDI), adolescent and parent forms of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-A and SDQ-P) and a questionnaire evaluating child’s level of school success.

Results:

Our results indicated that the rates of general psychiatric comorbidity, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and adjustment disorders were significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group. The CDI, STAI-1, STAI-2, and SDQ (and subscales) scores were significantly higher in the study group. Moreover, psychiatric comorbidity was higher in inflammatory and allergic dermatoses compared to other dermatological subgroups. Having a dermatological disease restricts physical activity thus increasing the risk of psychiatric comorbidity.

Conclusions:

Investigating the education, attitudes, and awareness of dermatologists about psychocutaneous disorders might contribute to the development of new educational strategies and elicit appropriate biopsychosocial approaches.
Peculiarities of free economic zones formatiob in countries with transition economies
Authors: Алексахина В.Г. , Игнатова О.В.
Published: January 2021

В статье рассматриваются аспекты эволюции свободных экономических зон, и выделяются критерии отнесения территории к СЭЗ. Анализируются причины популярности использования СЭЗ в качестве инструмента инвестиционной политики, а также особенности формирования СЭЗ в странах с переходной экономикой, включая Россию.

The article deals with aspects of free economic zones evolution, and highlights the criteria for classifying a territory as a free economic zone. The reasons for the popularity of free economic zones use as an instrument of investment policy are analyzed, as well as the features of free economic zones formation in countries with transition economies, including Russia.
On the issue of financial mechanism calculation of the pensioner 's living wage in the context of realizing the right to a decent old age
Authors: Серяева М.Г. , Шкуропатова Ю.А.
Published: January 2021

Прожиточный минимум пенсионера является важным социальным и экономическим показателем, используемым для расчета минимальной пенсии в России, для разработки мер социальной поддержки пенсионеров и социальных программ, оценки уровня пенсионного обеспечения в стране. Важной проблемой в настоящее время является недостаточная обоснованность факторов, принимаемых во внимание при расчете величины прожиточного минимума пенсионера. В статье изложены рекомендации о необходимости учета дополнительных расходов пенсионеров, продиктованные необходимостью обеспечить реализацию их права на достойную старость.

The pensioner's subsistence minimum is an important social and economic indicator used to calculate the minimum pension in Russia, to develop social support measures for pensioners and social programs, and to assess the level of pension provision in the country. An important problem at present is the lack of validity of factors taken into account when calculating the cost of living of a pensioner. The article provides recommendations on the need to take into account the additional expenses of pensioners, dictated by the need to ensure the realization of their right to a decent old age.
Regional Human Resources Replenishment Analysis: expectations, factors, reality
Authors: Бакушева Г.В.
Published: January 2021

В статье исследуется ожидаемое и фактическое пополнение человеческих ресурсов в субъектах Российской Федерации, выявляются регионы - центры притяжения человеческих ресурсов. Выполняется группировка регионов по основным факторам межрегиональной миграции с помощью иерархической процедуры кластерного анализа. Делается вывод о необходимости учета кластерных различий при формировании стратегии пространственного развития.

The article considers the expected and actual human resources replenishment in the subjects of the Russian Federation; regions that are the centers of human resources attraction are identified. The hierarchical clustering is used to group the regions by the main factors of interregional migration. It is concluded that the cluster differences must be taken into account when defining the spatial development strategy.
System of indicators of social threats to economic security of the state
Authors: Агапова Т.Н. , Рукавишникова Е.С.
Published: January 2021

Сформирована система показателей социальных угроз для оценки экономической безопасности личности и государства. Проведен анализ динамики данных показателей России за период с 2000 года по 2018 год и выявлен ряд критических значений. Сделан вывод о необходимости создания системы оценки и диагностики социальных показателей.

A system of indicators of social threats has been Formed to assess the economic security of individuals and the state. The analysis of the dynamics of these indicators in Russia for the period from 2000 to 2018 and identified a number of critical values. It is concluded that it is necessary to create a system for evaluating and diagnosing social indicators.
The evaluation of strategic advantages influence on the competitiveness of a company
Authors: Медведева Н.А. , Родионова Т.Г.
Published: January 2021

В исследовании рассматриваются методические аспекты выбора стратегии конкурентных преимуществ на примере компаний целлюлозно-бумажной отрасли. Разработанная система показателей позволяет определиться с выбором стратегии, обеспечивающей стабильное развитие компаний, а обоснованный алгоритм принятия решений о стратегических приоритетах позволяет учитывать мнения всех заинтересованных сторон.

In the study the methodical aspects of choosing the strategy of competitive advantages are considered through the example of the companies of the pulp and paper sector. The developed system of indexes allows deciding for a strategy which ensures the sustainable development of companies, and a proved decision-making algorithm of strategic priorities allows taking into account the opinions of all concerned parties.