bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
СУТНІСТЬ ТА КЛАСИФІКАЦІЯ МЕХАНІЗМІВ ПУБЛІЧНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ ПРОТИДІЄЮ РЕЙДЕРСТВУ
Authors: Кузьменко Тетяна
Published: March 2022

В Україні й надалі триває перерозподіл прав власності на засоби виробництва. Використовуються як цілком легальні (купівля-продаж, злиття-поглинання), так і протиправні способи, у тому числі рейдерство. Забезпечення захисту активів суб’єктів господарювання можливе за умови належного використання відповідних механізмів публічного управління протидією рейдерству. Проблематика публічного управління протидією рейдерству стала наріжним каменем ряду наукових публікацій і дисертаційних досліджень фахівців з державного управління, економіки, права тощо. Вихідною базою є дисертаційні дослідження й фахові публікації провідних науковців, які досліджували особливості методології публічного управління протидією рейдерства. Доповнення наявної методології галузі знань 28 «Публічне управління та адміністрування» передбачає: уточнення змістовних характеристик понять «протидія рейдерству» (процес, у межах якого уповноважені органи публічного управління здійснюють комплекс заходів, що спрямовані на захист інтересів власників і співробітників підприємств, й передбачають реагування на дії рейдерів задля попередження рейдерських атак, а у разі їх реалізації – на мінімізацію негативних наслідків) та «механізми публічного управління протидією рейдерству» (сукупність доступних методів і засобів управління, використовуючи які уповноважені органи публічного управління реагують на ймовірні та фактичні рейдерські атаки); вдосконалення класифікації таких механізмів залежно від рівня, суб’єкта, об’єкта, етапу, мети та способу впливу; конкретизовано перелік специфічних засобів (у межах традиційних методів) публічного управління протидією рейдерству. Подальші наукові розвідки мають бути присвячені розробці теоретичних положень і практичних рекомендацій, спрямованих на вдосконалення публічного управління протидією рейдерству.
Pengaruh Kemampuan Berpikir Ilmiah dalam Pembelajaran Inkuiri Terbimbing terhadap Hasil Belajar Siswa
Authors: Astutik Trining Puji
Published: March 2022

To understand microscopic representation, scientific reasoning skill (SRS) is required. Unfortunately, some research has reported that many senior high school students have not developed formal thinking ability which is necessary to support the development of SRS. Research results reported that guided inquiry is a mode of learning effective in developing students’ formal thinking ability. Therefore, guided inquiry is also expected effective in developing SRS.This study, thus, aimed to identifythe effect of students’ scientific reasoning skill on their achievement. Participants were selected from two classes of grade X Science and Math students at SMA Laboratorium UM. They were matched based on their scientific reasoning skill test score. Two similar groups were obtained where each group consisted of 6 students with concrete level, 6 students with low formal level, and 4 students with upper formal level. A group of students were taught using guided inquiry learning. Data collected was the students’ score on scientific reasoning skill (SRS). The reliability of Bahasa Indonesia version test measured was 0,74. The data was analyzed using ANOVA. The results of this study showed that the students who were at the upper formal level of SRS had better achievement than those who were at the low formal and concrete level of SRS.
PENAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF GENDER CONFIRMATION SURGERY. CONSIDERATIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF POLISH CRIMINAL LAW
Authors: Burdziak Konrad , Kowalewska-Łukuć Magdalena
Published: March 2022

Gender confirmation surgery may be perceived as a strictly medical matter. However, the issue of such surgeries also affects legal matters, mainly civil law and criminal law. The subject of this article is the criminal law aspects of gender confirmation surgery and their analysis from the perspective of the Polish criminal law. The findings presented in the study were reached by 1) analyzing the normative material relating to the subject of this study, mainly by analyzing the Act of 6 June 1997 of the Polish Criminal Code (Dziennik Ustaw [Journal of Laws] of 2019, item 1950, as amended, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Polish Criminal Code’), and 2) by analyzing the views presented in the legal literature and the judicial practice. Taking into account the considerations contained in this article, it is necessary to postulate that gender confirmation surgery procedures should be treated as medical activities (this is a concept already presented in the criminal law science) or as activities not covered by the scope of the normalization of the penal and legal sanctioned norm as expressed in the Article 156 section 1 item 1 of the Polish Criminal Code in connection with the Article 31 section 3 of the Polish Constitution.
Ecology typological assessment of forest vegetation of the North-Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine
Authors: Tymochko I.
Published: March 2022

Recently, significantly increases the need for a detailed study of various aspects of the modern natural, spontaneous and artificially generated phytodiversity as the main element of the formation and regeneration of natural ecotypes structural elements for building national ecological network. It is necessary to examine various aspects of the natural and spontaneous vegetation formed. Based on the ecological specifics of the North-Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, a detailed analysis of natural and artificially formed forests on the floodplain, pine terrace and plateau of the rivers of the Dnieper and Seversky Donets basins, as well as in ravine-beam systems is required. Peculiarities of forest vegetation conditions, distribution of tree species and ecological conditions of their growth are given. According to forest management data, the area of the North-Eastern Forest-Steppe covered with forest vegetation is 336110.3 ha. The distribution of forest areas by edatopes is as follows: trophotopes — oak wood (220640.2 ha, 65.64%), sugruds (54739.2 ha, 16.29%), subors (52174.5 ha, 15.52%) and pine forests (8556.4 ha, 2.55%); hygrotopes — fresh conditions (282960.3 ha, 84.19%), dry (35576.7 ha, 10.59%), damp (12179.5 ha, 3.62%), moist (4634.3 ha, 1.38%), wet (749.0 ha, 0.22%) and very dry conditions (10.5 ha, 0.003%). There are 38 types of forests areas covered with forest vegetation, which are dominated by fresh maple-linden forest (183442.0 ha, 54.58%), a slightly smaller area occupied by fresh oak-pine forest (47040.9 ha, 14.00%) and linden-oak-pine sugrud (33999.3 ha, 10.12%), as well as dry maple-linden forest (28697.7 ha, 8.54%). The composition of forest-forming species is quite diverse and is represented by 60 species of woody and shrubby plants. The main forest-forming species is Quercus robur (190153.9 ha, 56.58%). Pinus sylvestris (86212.1 ha, 25.65%) and Fraxinus excelsior (20318.5 ha, 6.05%) have slightly smaller areas, all other species occupy small areas. Research a variety of forest habitats will provide an opportunity to plan the conservation, reproduction and protection of phytodiversity, including species of sozophytes from different conservation lists, as well as to balance the provision of ecosystem services by tree and shrub plantations of the North-Eastern Forest-Steppe of Ukraine.
Clarification of methodological issues on determining the sowing qualities of milk thistle
Authors: Demyanyuk O. , Kutsenko N. , Kutsenko О.
Published: March 2022

Laboratory tests were conducted with milk thistle seeds of the Poltavka variety, which is listed in the State Register of plant varieties suitable for distribution in Ukraine. The types of substrates that are advisable to use for seed germination, as well as methods of its germination, are established. Optimal temperature conditions for analyzing the germination rate and germination energy of milk thistle seeds are determined: variable — +20–30°С, constant — +25°C. Based on laboratory studies, it was found that a variable temperature regime provides 2–3% higher indicators compared to a constant one. For freshly picked seeds, conditions for determining seed qualities are established. It is proved that during laboratory analysis of germination and germination energy, seed germination should be carried out in the dark, without the use of additional measures.
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF THE POTENTIAL OF WATERFALL TOURISM IN BENGKULU PROVINCE AFTER THE ENACTMENT OF THE NEW NORMAL COVID PANDEMIC 19
Authors: Nasution Suswati , Wagini  , Irwanto Tito
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this study was to determine public perceptions about the tourism potential of the Waterfall in Bengkulu Province. By taking six waterfall tourism objects in three regencies namely North Bengkulu Regency, Bengkulu Tengah Regency and Kepahing Regency, each regency has two waterfall ojek tourism objects studied. , where the assessment of perceptions concerns the accessibility to the waterfall, infrastructure supporting the accessibility of the waterfall, security of the location of the waterfall, promotion and marketing, the organization managing the object of the waterfall, the presence or absence of community economic activities, the presence or absence of the tourism industry, and environmental comfort including protocols health deter covid pandemic 19. This type of research is a survey research with quantitative and qualitative analytical descriptive methods,  where the questionnaire as the main tool for data collection, data analysis uses an average distribution with measurement of 5-point Likert scale and frequency distribution with the help of SPSS software .

The results showed that the public perception of the potential of the waterfalls studied at six locations of waterfalls that were examined were good. Based on the perception of the people studied, most respondents felt that the indicators were good, this certainly could be used as input for the local government in order to further improve the improvement indicators requested by the community. The results of this study can be used as a basis by decision makers in Bengkulu Province because most districts all have waterfall tourist destinations. This tourism potential cannot be ignored, especially in the New Normal Era, tourists prefer to be friends with nature.
Metabolic Profiling of Interspecies Interactions During Sessile Bacterial Cultivation Reveals Growth and Sporulation Induction in Paenibacillus amylolyticus in Response to Xanthomonas retroflexus
Authors: Herschend Jakob , Ernst Madeleine , Koren Klaus , Melnik Alexey V. , da Silva Ricardo R. , Røder Henriette L. , Damholt Zacharias B. V. , Hägglund Per , Svensson Birte , Sørensen Søren J. , Kühl Michael , Dorrestein Pieter C. , Burmølle Mette
Published: March 2022

The toolbox available for microbiologists to study interspecies interactions is rapidly growing, and with continuously more advanced instruments, we are able to expand our knowledge on establishment and function of microbial communities. However, unravelling molecular interspecies interactions in complex biological systems remains a challenge, and interactions are therefore often studied in simplified communities. Here we perform an in-depth characterization of an observed interspecies interaction between two co-isolated bacteria, Xanthomonas retroflexus and Paenibacillus amylolyticus. Using microsensor measurements for mapping the chemical environment, we show how X. retroflexus promoted an alkalization of its local environment through degradation of amino acids and release of ammonia. When the two species were grown in proximity, the modified local environment induced a morphological change and growth of P. amylolyticus followed by sporulation. 2D spatial metabolomics enabled visualization and mapping of the degradation of oligopeptide structures by X. retroflexus and morphological changes of P. amylolyticus through e.g. the release of membrane-associated metabolites. Proteome analysis and microscopy were used to validate the shift from vegetative growth towards sporulation. In summary, we demonstrate how environmental profiling by combined application of microsensor, microscopy, metabolomics and proteomics approaches can reveal growth and sporulation promoting effects resulting from interspecies interactions.
Gut Microbiota: The Potential Key Target of TCM’s Therapeutic Effect of Treating Different Diseases Using the Same Method—UC and T2DM as Examples
Authors: Zhang Boxun , Liu Ke , Yang Haoyu , Jin Zishan , Ding Qiyou , Zhao Linhua
Published: March 2022

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine often exerts the therapeutic effect of “treating different diseases with the same method” in clinical practice; in other words, it is a kind of herbal medicine that can often treat two or even multiple diseases; however, the biological mechanism underlying its multi-path and multi-target pharmacological effects remains unclear. Growing evidence has demonstrated that gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of several diseases, and that the root cause of herbal medicine plays a therapeutic role in different diseases, a phenomenon potentially related to the improvement of the gut microbiota. We used local intestinal diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, and systemic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, as examples; comprehensively searched databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure; and summarized the related studies. The results indicate that multiple individual Chinese herbal medicines, such as Rhizoma coptidis (Huang Lian), Curcuma longa L (Jiang Huang), and Radix Scutellariae (Huang Qin), and Chinese medicinal compounds, such as Gegen Qinlian Decoction, Banxia Xiexin Decoction, and Shenling Baizhu Powder, potentially treat these two diseases by enriching the diversity of the gut microbiota, increasing beneficial bacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria, reducing pathogenic bacteria, improving the intestinal mucosal barrier, and inhibiting intestinal and systemic inflammation. In conclusion, this study found that a variety of traditional Chinese herbal medicines can simultaneously treat ulcerative colitis and type 2 diabetes, and the gut microbiota may be a significant target for herbal medicine as it exerts its therapeutic effect of “treating different diseases with the same method”.
Small Prey Animal Foraging Behaviors in Landscapes of Fear: Effects of Predator Presence and Human Activity Along an Urban Disturbance Gradient
Authors: Fardell Loren L. , Nano Catherine E. M. , Pavey Chris R. , Dickman Christopher R.
Published: March 2022

Urban environments provide the only or best habitats that are left for wildlife in many areas, promoting increased interest in urban conservation and a need to understand how wildlife cope with urban stressors, such as altered predator activity and human disturbance. Here, we used filmed giving-up density experiments to investigate behavioral coping responses of foraging small prey animals at three sites (close, mid, and far) along an urban disturbance gradient. Our study design included “natural” and experimentally added stressor cues of predators and/or human disturbance. We observed small mammal foraging behaviors, particularly: the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus), brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), black rat (Rattus rattus), and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), and to a lesser degree several species of native birds. We found that at the close urban-edge environment, coping responses to human disturbances were most pronounced, and predator cues from the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were perceived as least risky. However, at the mid environment, red fox cues were perceived as most risky, especially when combined with human disturbance. At the far environment, domestic cat (Felis catus) cues were perceived as most risky, again when combined with human disturbance. Impacts from the combined stressors of predator and human disturbance cues appeared to be additive, with higher risk being perceived with increasing distance from urban build-up. Behavioral adjustments were observed to be the primary response to stressors by small prey animals in the close environment. In the mid environment, slight temporal shifts in activity across the night were more evident. In the far environment, habitat components were likely being used differently as the primary coping response to stressors. As mostly the same species were observed along the disturbance gradient, our results suggest a level of response plasticity that is calibrated to the level of exposure to a stressor and the stressor type. To maximize conservation outcomes in urban habitats, we therefore propose that management should be sensitive to the level and history of human disturbance, as this affects the coping responses of wildlife that remain.
DUF1005 Family Identification, Evolution Analysis in Plants, and Primary Root Elongation Regulation of CiDUF1005 From Caragana intermedia
Authors: Tian Xiaona , Niu Xiaocui , Chang Ziru , Zhang Xiujuan , Wang Ruigang , Yang Qi , Li Guojing
Published: March 2022

Proteins with a domain of unknown function (DUF) represent a number of gene families that encode functionally uncharacterized proteins in eukaryotes. In particular, members of the DUF1005 family in plants have a 411-amino-acid conserved domain, and this family has not been described previously. In this study, a total of 302 high-confidence DUF1005 family members were identified from 58 plant species, and none were found in the four algae that were selected. Thus, this result showed that DUF1005s might belong to a kind of plant-specific gene family, and this family has not been evolutionarily expanded. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the DUF1005 family genes could be classified into four subgroups in 58 plant species. The earliest group to emerge was Group I, including a total of 100 gene sequences, and this group was present in almost all selected species spanning from mosses to seed plants. Group II and Group III, with 69 and 74 members, respectively, belong to angiosperms. Finally, with 59 members, Group IV was the last batch of genes to emerge, and this group is unique to dicotyledons. Expression pattern analysis of the CiDUF1005, a member of the DUF1005 family from Caragana intermedia, showed that CiDUF1005 genes were differentially regulated under various treatments. Compared to the wild type, transgenic lines with heterologous CiDUF1005 expression in Arabidopsis thaliana had longer primary roots and more lateral roots. These results expanded our knowledge of the evolution of the DUF1005 family in plants and will contribute to elucidating biological functions of the DUF1005 family in the future.
MiR-372-3p Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Colon Cancer by Targeting MAP3K2
Authors: Li Yana , Li Fuqiang , Feng Chang , Wu Tingting , Chen Yuyang , Shah Junaid Ali , Wang Fei , Cai Yong , Wang Jianfeng , Jin Jingji
Published: March 2022

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as small non-coding RNA transcripts bind their complementary sequences in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to regulate their expression. It is known that miR-372 belongs to the miR-371–373 gene cluster and has been found to be abnormally expressed in a variety of cancers, but its precise mechanism in cancer remains to be discovered. In this study, miR-372-3p expression was assessed in 153 frozen tissue samples, including primary diagnosed colon cancer and matched normal and adjacent tissues, using real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). An analysis of qPCR data revealed a significant reduction in miR-372-3p expression (by >2-fold) in colon cancer tissues in 51.5% (34/66) of patients. Consistent with this, mimicking the increased miR-372-3p levels in SW480 colon cancer cells significantly suppressed cell growth and proliferation. Although no direct correlation was found between the low level of miR-372-3p and certain tumor-related factors, such as p53, HRE-2, PMS2, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, HDAC4, p21, and Wee1, in colon cancer tissues, an inverse relationship between miR-372-3p and Ki67 (a marker of proliferation) or miR-372-3p and MAP3K2(MEKK2), which plays a critical role in the MAPK signaling pathways, was confirmed using tissue samples. The target relationship between miR-372-3p and MAP3K2 was verified using luciferase assays in SW480 colon cancer cells. As expected, miR-372-3p mimics significantly suppressed the luciferase activity of pMIR-luc/MAP3K2 3′-UTR in cells, suggesting that miR-372-3p modulates the expression of MAP3K2 by directly targeting its 3′-UTR. Overall, the results obtained herein suggest that miR-372-3p may function as a tumor-suppressor miRNA in colon cancer by targeting MAP3K2.
Genome-Wide Marker Data-Based Comparative Population Analysis of Szeklers From Korond, Transylvania, and From Transylvania Living Non-Szekler Hungarians
Authors: Ádám Valerián , Bánfai Zsolt , Sümegi Katalin , Büki Gergely , Szabó András , Magyari Lili , Miseta Attila , Kásler Miklós , Melegh Béla
Published: March 2022

Genome-wide genotype data from 48 carefully selected population samples of Transylvania-living Szeklers and non-Szekler Hungarians were analyzed by comparative analysis. Our analyses involved contemporary Hungarians living in Hungary, other Europeans, and Eurasian samples counting 530 individuals altogether. The source of the Szekler samples was the commune of Korond, Transylvania. The analyzed non-Szekler Hungarian samples were collected from villages with a history dating back to the era of the Árpád Dynasty. Population structure by principal component analysis and ancestry analysis also revealed a great within-group similarity of the analyzed Szeklers and non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarians. These groups also showed similar genetic patterns with each other. Haplotype analyses using identity-by-descent segment discovering tools showed that average pairwise identity-by-descent sharing is similar in the investigated populations, but the Korond Szekler samples had higher average sharing with the Hungarians from Hungary than non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarians. Average sharing results showed that both groups are isolated compared to other Europeans, and pointed out that the non-Szekler Transylvanian Hungarian inhabitants of the investigated Árpád Age villages are more isolated than investigated Szeklers from Korond. This was confirmed by our autozygosity analysis as well. Identity-by-descent segment analyses and 4-population tests also confirmed that these Hungarian-speaking Transylvanian ethnic groups are strongly related to Hungarians living in Hungary.
m5Cpred-XS: A New Method for Predicting RNA m5C Sites Based on XGBoost and SHAP
Authors: Liu Yinbo , Shen Yingying , Wang Hong , Zhang Yong , Zhu Xiaolei
Published: March 2022

As one of the most important post-transcriptional modifications of RNA, 5-cytosine-methylation (m5C) is reported to closely relate to many chemical reactions and biological functions in cells. Recently, several computational methods have been proposed for identifying m5C sites. However, the accuracy and efficiency are still not satisfactory. In this study, we proposed a new method, m5Cpred-XS, for predicting m5C sites of H. sapiens, M. musculus, and A. thaliana. First, the powerful SHAP method was used to select the optimal feature subset from seven different kinds of sequence-based features. Second, different machine learning algorithms were used to train the models. The results of five-fold cross-validation indicate that the model based on XGBoost achieved the highest prediction accuracy. Finally, our model was compared with other state-of-the-art models, which indicates that m5Cpred-XS is superior to other methods. Moreover, we deployed the model on a web server that can be accessed through http://m5cpred-xs.zhulab.org.cn/, and m5Cpred-XS is expected to be a useful tool for studying m5C sites.
A Deep Learning–Based Framework for Supporting Clinical Diagnosis of Glioblastoma Subtypes
Authors: Munquad Sana , Si Tapas , Mallik Saurav , Das Asim Bikas , Zhao Zhongming
Published: March 2022

Understanding molecular features that facilitate aggressive phenotypes in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a major clinical challenge. Accurate diagnosis of GBM subtypes, namely classical, proneural, and mesenchymal, and identification of specific molecular features are crucial for clinicians for systematic treatment. We develop a biologically interpretable and highly efficient deep learning framework based on a convolutional neural network for subtype identification. The classifiers were generated from high-throughput data of different molecular levels, i.e., transcriptome and methylome. Furthermore, an integrated subsystem of transcriptome and methylome data was also used to build the biologically relevant model. Our results show that deep learning model outperforms the traditional machine learning algorithms. Furthermore, to evaluate the biological and clinical applicability of the classification, we performed weighted gene correlation network analysis, gene set enrichment, and survival analysis of the feature genes. We identified the genotype–phenotype relationship of GBM subtypes and the subtype-specific predictive biomarkers for potential diagnosis and treatment.
Outcomes of Systemic Treatment in Children and Adults With Netherton Syndrome: A Systematic Review
Authors: Nouwen Anouk E. M. , Schappin Renske , Nguyen N. Tan , Ragamin Aviël , Bygum Anette , Bodemer Christine , Dalm Virgil A. S. H. , Pasmans Suzanne G. M. A.
Published: March 2022

Background

Comèl-Netherton syndrome (NS) is a rare disease caused by pathogenic variants in the SPINK5 gene, leading to severe skin barrier impairment and proinflammatory upregulation. Given the severity of the disease, treatment of NS is challenging. Current treatment regimens are mainly topical and supportive. Although novel systemic treatment options for NS have been suggested in recent literature, little is known about their outcomes.

Objective

to provide an overview of systemic treatment options and their outcomes in adults and children with NS.

Methods

Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar were searched up to July 22, 2021. Empirical studies published in English language mentioning systemic treatment in NS were enrolled. Studies that did not define a treatment period or report at least one outcome were excluded. Methodological quality was evaluated by the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for case reports or case series. Overall quality of evidence of the primary outcome, skin, was assessed by the GRADE approach.

Results

36 case series and case reports were included. The effects of 15 systemic therapies were described in 48 patients, of which 27 were children. Therapies included retinoids, prednisolone, cyclosporine, immunoglobulins, and biologicals. In retinoids both worsening (4/15 cases) and improvement (6/15 cases) of the skin was observed. Use of prednisolone and cyclosporine was only reported in one patient. Immunoglobulins (13/15 cases) and biologicals (18/21 cases) showed improvement of the skin. Certainty of evidence was rated as very low.

Conclusion

NS is a rare disease, which is reflected in the scarce literature on systemic treatment outcomes in children and adults with NS. Studies showed large heterogeneity in outcome measures. Adverse events were scarcely reported. Long-term outcomes were reported in a minority of cases. Nonetheless, a general beneficial effect of systemic treatment was found. Immunoglobulins and biologicals showed the most promising results and should be further explored. Future research should focus on determining a core outcome set and measurement instruments for NS to improve quality of research.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=217933, PROSPERO (ID: 217933).
Effects of Tocilizumab on Adults With COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Chen Chi-Chung , Yang Yu-Pei , Tsai Hsien-Lung , Tung Tao-Hsin
Published: March 2022

Background

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a worldwide disaster, has already affected lots of people. Effective care and therapy are currently being evaluated in full swing.

Purpose

Our purpose was to investigate the effects of tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, on treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Data Sources, Study Selection, and Data Extraction

We conducted a meta-analysis and searched for relevant studies on Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library without restrictions on language from inception until February 1, 2021. Fifteen studies were included for this meta-analysis. Two authors independently selected and screened these studies, assessed the quality of included studies, and extracted related information.

Results

Fifteen studies were included in this meta-analysis. The main studies showed that tocilizumab was associated with lower mortality (risk ratio = 0.62, 95% confidence interval = 0.46–0.83; and hazard ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval = 0.51–0.72). Using tocilizumab might also affect biochemistry indicators (lowered C-reactive protein and ferritin, increased lymphocyte count).

Conclusion

These current bodies of evidence could indicate that early use of tocilizumab was associated with lower mortality in adult patients with COVID-19. Early use of tocilizumab could reduce the mortality rate of adult patients with COVID-19 without obvious fatal side effects, which may be a treatment option in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Systematic Review Registration

The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (ID:242811).
Perioperative Complications and Anesthesia Practices in Managing Patients With Quadriplegia Undergoing Surgery: A Systematic Review
Authors: Rizk Abanoub Aziz , Saad Marina , Singh Mandeep , Schaller Bernhard , Venkatraghavan Lashmi , Chowdhury Tumul
Published: March 2022

Quadriplegia is associated with a multitude of health complications affecting numerous organ systems. Complications during the perioperative periods are not uncommon in this patient population due to abnormal responses to surgical stressors. Such complications include autonomic dysreflexia, cardiac ischemia, and respiratory compromise. Currently, there is no clear consensus on the ideal technique for perioperative anesthesia management in this population. In addition, the relationship between the perioperative complications and anesthesia practices have not been explored in-depth. Therefore, we aimed to investigate perioperative complications in the context of anesthesia that are associated with patients with quadriplegia undergoing various surgical procedures. Our PRISMA compliant systematic review included 12 articles covering the literature from inception to January 12, 2021. The review showed complications being pulmonary, cerebral, but most importantly and commonly cardiac in nature, with many patients suffering hypertension, and many others hypotension. In addition, our review showed that autonomic dysreflexia is common and in majority of patients, it was managed successfully with good recovery. Based on our findings, the use of anesthesia, either general or spinal, can be considered. Future studies are needed to elucidate the exact mechanisms involved in perioperative complications and anesthetic management that are associated with patients with quadriplegia. This review will aid in developing general recommendations based on the information available in the literature to guide perioperative management of this vulnerable patient population.
Fast Detection of Snakes and Emotional Faces in the Macaque Amygdala
Authors: Dinh Ha Trong , Meng Yang , Matsumoto Jumpei , Setogawa Tsuyoshi , Nishimaru Hiroshi , Nishijo Hisao
Published: March 2022

Primate vision is reported to detect snakes and emotional faces faster than many other tested stimuli. Because the amygdala has been implicated in avoidance and emotional behaviors to biologically relevant stimuli and has neural connections with subcortical nuclei involved with vision, amygdalar neurons would be sensitive to snakes and emotional faces. In this study, neuronal activity in the amygdala was recorded from Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) during discrimination of eight categories of visual stimuli including snakes, monkey faces, human faces, carnivores, raptors, non-predators, monkey hands, and simple figures. Of 527 amygdalar neurons, 95 responded to one or more stimuli. Response characteristics of the amygdalar neurons indicated that they were more sensitive to the snakes and emotional faces than other stimuli. Response magnitudes and latencies of amygdalar neurons to snakes and monkey faces were stronger and faster than those to the other categories of stimuli, respectively. Furthermore, response magnitudes to the low pass-filtered snake images were larger than those to scrambled snake images. Finally, analyses of population activity of amygdalar neurons suggest that snakes and emotional faces were represented separately from the other stimuli during the 50–100 ms period from stimulus onset, and neutral faces during the 100–150 ms period. These response characteristics indicate that the amygdala processes fast and coarse visual information from emotional faces and snakes (but not other predators of primates) among the eight categories of the visual stimuli, and suggest that, like anthropoid primate visual systems, the amygdala has been shaped over evolutionary time to detect appearance of potentially threatening stimuli including both emotional faces and snakes, the first of the modern predators of primates.
Association Between Lateralized Periodic Discharge Amplitude and Seizure on Continuous EEG Monitoring in Patients With Structural Brain Abnormality in Critical Illness
Authors: Fatima Safoora , Sun Mengzhen , Gjini Klevest , Struck Aaron F.
Published: March 2022

Objective

To investigate the association between lateralized periodic discharge (LPD) amplitude and seizure risk on an individual level in patients with structural brain abnormality.

Methods

Retrospective case–control study of patients with structural brain abnormality undergoing continuous EEG monitoring was performed. We included 10 patients with LPDs and seizures as cases and 10 controls, patients with LPDs without seizure. Analysis was performed with a mixed-effects model with primary outcome measure of number of seizures per 8-h EEG epoch with fixed effects being variables of interest and random effect being subject ID.

Results

Epochs with seizures showed a higher absolute amplitude (corrected p = 0.04) and a higher relative amplitude (corrected p = 0.04) of LPDs. Additionally, the number of seizures was higher in epochs that had LPDs with plus features (uncorrected p = 0.002) and LPDs with higher relative amplitude (uncorrected p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Higher LPD amplitude is associated with increased risk of seizures on an individual patient level. A decreasing amplitude is suggestive of decreasing seizure risk, and may in fact be suggestive of decreasing ictal character of LPDs.
Bechterew's Phenomenon in Bilateral Sequential Vestibular Neuritis: A Report of Two Cases
Authors: Kim Yehree , Jin Siyeon , Kim Ji-Soo , Koo Ja-Won
Published: March 2022

The brain can compensate for the vestibular imbalance. When the unilateral labyrinthine function is lost, the asymmetry between the peripheral vestibular inputs is compensated centrally by readjusting the signal difference from both ears and regaining vestibular balance. If the other healthy labyrinth is destroyed, the vestibular nuclei become imbalanced again, creating spontaneous nystagmus even though there is no input to the vestibular nuclei from either labyrinth. This is called Bechterew's phenomenon; a rare and not widely recognized phenomenon that occurs in cases of bilateral sequential vestibular neuritis. This is of clinical importance because spontaneous nystagmus with bilaterally absent or diminished caloric responses may give a misleading impression of a central lesion rather than a second peripheral lesion superimposed upon the effects of central compensation for the first. Although well-documented in experimental animals, this phenomenon rarely occurs in human beings. The objective of this study is to highlight the characteristics and the progression of test results from two patients from our own experience. Along with careful history taking and physical examination, a complex interpretation of various vestibular function tests, including induced nystagmus, head impulse test, caloric test, and fundus photography, is needed to make an accurate diagnosis of bilateral sequential vestibular neuritis (BSVN).
A Neuroscientific and Cognitive Literary Approach to the Treatment of Time in Calderón’s Autos sacramentales
Authors: Rodríguez Villar Alejandra Juno
Published: March 2022

Time processing is a fundamental subject in cognitive sciences and neuroscience. Current research is deepening how our brains process time, revealing its essential role in human functionality and survival. In hisautos sacramentales, Early Modern Spanish playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca portrays the relationships between human inner workings and the Christian concept of time. These plays portray the experience of the present, the perception of the flow of time, the measure of time raging from seconds to eternity, and the mental travel necessary to inhabit the past and future with the help of memory and imagination. Calderón explores how the dramatic form can portray all these temporal phenomena and how that portrait of time can constrain the dramatic structure. The different parts of the brain in charge of executive decisions, projections, memories, computation, and calibration are the basis that leads these characters to make the choices that will take them to the future they have cast for themselves. This paper analyzes how the processes that Calderón ascribed to the soul of his characters in the 17th century relate to ongoing cognitive and neuroscientific findings.
Association of High Dietary Acid Load With the Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Keramati Majid , Kheirouri Sorayya , Musazadeh Vali , Alizadeh Mohammad
Published: March 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine the relationship between the high dietary acid load (DAL) and the risk of cancer.

Methods

Five databases of PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar was searched to elicit original studies on humans, up to June 2021. Quality of the articles, risk of bias, and heterogeneity were assessed. A random-effects meta-analysis model was applied to estimate pooled effect size with a 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity analysis was performed using a fixed-effects model. Subgroup analyses were carried out based on gender, age, type of cancer, and type of DAL assessment indicator.

Results

Seventeen effect sizes from 10 articles were included in the analysis. Overall, individuals with the highest DAL were associated with a 66% increased risk of cancer compared to those with the lowest DAL (p < 0.001]. The risk of cancer increased 41% (p < 0.001) and 53% (p = 0.03) by high PRAL and NEAP, respectively. High DAL was associated with 32% (p < 0.001) and 79% (p < 0.001) increased risk of breast and colorectal cancers, respectively. High DAL was associated with 32% (p = 0.001) and 76% (p = 0.007) increased risk of cancer incident in women and men, respectively. The risk of cancer incident increased 35% (p < 0.001) and 49% (p < 0.001) at age ≤ and > of 50, respectively.

Conclusion

High DAL may be associated with a higher risk of cancer incidence not only in the whole studied population but also across cancer types, both genders, both DAL assessment indicators, and also among both high- and low-risk age groups for cancer.
Global Trends in Death, Years of Life Lost, and Years Lived With Disability Caused by Breast Cancer Attributable to Secondhand Smoke From 1990 to 2019
Authors: Ou Zejin , Gao Yunxia , Jiang Diwei , Cui Jiaxin , Ren Yixian , Tang Shihao , Duan Danping , Yu Danfeng , Wang Zhi
Published: March 2022

Background

Secondhand smoke is an important risk factor to breast cancer patients’ survival. This article aimed to describe the epidemiological changes of health loss caused by female breast cancer attributable to secondhand smoke from 1990 to 2019.

Methods

Data on breast cancer was derived from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019. The epidemiological status and trends were estimated using the number, age-standardized rate (ASR), and estimated annual percentage change (EAPC).

Results

In 2019, secondhand smoke-related breast cancer caused 168.33×102 death, 5242.58×102 years of life lost (YLLs), and 334.03×102 years lived with disability (YLDs) globally. The overall ASR of death and YLLs caused by breast cancer attributable to secondhand smoke presented decreasing trends from 1990 to 2019, with the respective EAPCs of −0.78 and −0.87. Meanwhile, decreasing trends occurred in most geographic regions, particularly that of YLLs in high-income North America (EAPC = −3.35). At the national level, most countries/territories had decreasing trends of death and YLLs, particularly Denmark, in which the respective EAPCs were −4.26 and −4.64. However, the ASR of YLDs showed an increasing trend globally (EAPC = 0.32). Meanwhile, increasing trends were observed in most regions and countries, particularly the Solomon Islands and Lesotho, with the respective EAPCs being 6.18 and 4.33. The changing trends were closely associated with sociodemographic development.

Conclusions

Trends in secondhand smoke-related death and YLLs caused by breast cancer declined from 1990 to 2019. However, secondhand smoke remains a challenge to the patients’ longevity and quality of life. The findings informed strategies should be strengthened the control of secondhand smoking.
A Nomogram for Predicting Event-Free Survival in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Multicenter Retrospective Study
Authors: He Yun-yan , Wu Xiao-jing , Zhou Dun-hua , Yang Li-hua , Mai Hui-rong , Wan Wu-qing , Luo Xue-qun , Zheng Min-cui , Zhang Jun-lin , Ye Zhong-lv , Chen Hui-qin , Chen Qi-wen , Long Xing-jiang , Sun Xiao-fei , Liu Ri-yang , Li Qiao-ru , Wu Bei-yan , Wang Li-na , Kong Xian-ling , Chen Guo-hua , Tang Xian-yan , Fang Jian-pei , Liao Ning
Published: March 2022

Objective

Even though childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has an encouraging survival rate in recent years, some patients are still at risk of relapse or even death. Therefore, we aimed to construct a nomogram to predict event-free survival (EFS) in patients with ALL.

Method

Children with newly diagnosed ALL between October 2016 and July 2021 from 18 hospitals participating in the South China children’s leukemia Group (SCCLG) were recruited and randomly classified into two subsets in a 7:3 ratio (training set, n=1187; validation set, n=506). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis were adopted to screen independent prognostic factors. Then, a nomogram can be build based on these prognostic factors to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year EFS. Concordance index (C-index), area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the performance and clinical utility of nomogram.

Result

The parameters that predicted EFS were age at diagnosis, white blood cell at diagnosis, immunophenotype, ETV6-RUNX1/TEL-AML1 gene fusion, bone marrow remission at day 15, and minimal residual disease at day 15. The nomogram incorporated the six factors and provided C-index values of 0.811 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.792-0.830] and 0.797 (95% CI = 0.769-0.825) in the training and validation set, respectively. The calibration curve and AUC revealed that the nomogram had good ability to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year EFS. DCA also indicated that our nomogram had good clinical utility. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that EFS in the different risk groups stratified by the nomogram scores was significant differentiated.

Conclusion

The nomogram for predicting EFS of children with ALL has good performance and clinical utility. The model could help clinical decision-making.
Case Report: Aumolertinib as Neoadjuvant Therapy for Patients With Unresectable Stage III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Activated EGFR Mutation: Case Series
Authors: Feng Shao , Qiang Zhang , Wanwan Cheng , Zhaozhun Zeng , Yuewu Xie , Shencun Fang
Published: March 2022

Background

There is no standard treatment for stage III lung cancer due to its low surgical resection rate, and improving PFS and survival of patients with III NSCLC has become an urgent challenge in clinical treatment. For EGFR mutation-positive patients, targeted therapy has the remarkable feature of high efficiency and low toxicity compared with first-line standard chemotherapy, and targeted neoadjuvant therapy needs to be further explored.

Method

We report 3 diagnosed cases of locally advanced unresectable NSCLC with EGFR-sensitive mutations who first received 1–2 cycles of preoperative chemotherapy neoadjuvant therapy and were treated with 110 mg daily of 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI aumolertinib instead because of poor efficacy or safety intolerance.

Result

After 2 cycles of aumolertinib treatment, all 3 patients achieved symptomatic remission and significant tumor size reduction and achieved downstaging to allow surgical treatment. No additional operative difficulties were added during the surgery. They continued to receive adjuvant therapy with the original dose of aumolertinib after surgical treatment, and no evidence of tumor recurrence was found until the most recent imaging examination. In addition, the course of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy was free of serious adverse effects.

Conclusion

Perioperative treatment of these three cases of locally advanced unresectable NSCLC with EGFR-sensitive mutations with the third-generation EGFR-TKI aumolertinib showed significant efficacy and excellent safety and may be a new option for targeted therapy in the perioperative period.
Predictive Value of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure on the Prognosis of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in Children
Authors: Wang Shuo , Zou Runmei , Cai Hong , Wang Cheng
Published: March 2022

Background

To investigate the predictive value of heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) on the prognosis of postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in children.

Materials and Methods

53 cases of children aged 5 to 15 years who visited in the Pediatric Syncope Specialist Clinic of The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University for unexplained syncope or syncope precursor were diagnosed with POTS by head-up tilt test (HUTT) as the POTS group. 38 healthy children aged 5 to 16 years who underwent physical examination at the Child Health Care Clinic of the hospital in the same period were matched as controls (control group). The children with POTS were followed up after 3 months of treatment and were divided into good prognosis group (40 cases) and poor prognosis group (13 cases) according to the results of HUTT re-examination and whether the symptoms improved or not. HR and BP indicators were collected from each group at baseline and during HUTT.

Results

There were 91 research subjects, of which 45 are males, with a mean age of 11.52 ± 2.13 years. (1) HR at 5 and 10 min (HR 5 and HR 10, respectively), HR difference at 5 and 10 min (HRD 5 and HRD 10, respectively), and HR and BP product at 5 and 10 min (RPP 5 and RPP 10, respectively) were greater in the POTS group than in the control group (P < 0.01). (2) HR 5, HR 10, HRD 5, HRD 10, and RPP 10 in children with POTS were smaller in the good prognosis group than the poor prognosis group (P < 0.01). (3) The area under curve was 0.925 on the four combined indicators (HR 5, HR 10, HRD 5, and HRD 10), predicting a good prognosis of POTS, sensitivity of 99.99%, and specificity of 75.00%.

Conclusions

HR 5, HR 10, HRD 5, HRD 10, and RPP 10 and the four combined indicators (HR 5, HR 10, HRD 5, and HRD 10) had predictive value for the POTS prognosis in children. The predictive value of the four combined indicators for the POTS prognosis was better than that of the single HR 5, HRD 5, and RPP 10.