bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of network pharmacology and molecular docking-based strategy to determine potential pharmacological mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang pill against tinnitus
Authors: Wu Zhongbiao , Zhu Zhongyan , Cao Jian , Wu Weikun , Hu Shiping , Deng Chengcheng , Xie Qiang , Huang Xinmei , You Chengkun
Published: November 2022

Background:

Liuwei Dihuang Pill is widely used to treat tinnitus in China. However, the underlying mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pill in treating tinnitus still remains unclear.

Objective:

To explore the potential pharmacological mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pill in the treatment of tinnitus based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

Methods:

The active components of the Liuwei Dihuang Pill were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) database. Cytoscape software was used to draw the active component-target network diagram of Liuwei Dihuang Pill, and obtain the core components. Then the corresponding targets were also obtained from the TCMSP database. Targets related to tinnitus were obtained from the GeneCards, DisGeNET, TTD and DrugBank databases. The String database was used to construct protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of common targets of drugs and diseases, then the core targets were screened out. The Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database was used for gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of common targets. Finally, the molecular docking between the core component and the core target was carried out by AutoDock.

Results:

The core components of Liuwei Dihuang Pill in the treatment of tinnitus including quercetin, stigmasterol, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, tetrahydroalstonine, which may act on core targets such as STAT3, transcription factor AP-1 (JUN), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 and MAPK3. HIF-1 signaling pathway, Influenza A, P53 signaling pathway, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathway play a role in anti-inflammatory, improving microcirculation in the blood-labyrinth barrier, increasing cochlear blood flow, and preventing hair cell damage. The molecular docking results showed that the affinity between core components and core targets was good.

Conclusion:

The potential mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pill in the treatment of tinnitus was preliminarily discussed in this study, which may provide a theoretical basis and evidence for further experimental research.
Prognostic value of tumor size in thymic epithelial tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Shao Yifeng , Tang Mingbo , Fang Linan , Wei Shixiong , Gao Xinliang , Liu Wei
Published: November 2022

Background:

Whether the size of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) has an impact on prognosis has long been a controversial issue. Our study was designed to investigate the value of tumor size in the prognosis (overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival) of patients with TETs.

Methods:

We searched the databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and clinical trials registration system for articles illustrating the impact of tumor size on survival data in TETs patients. We did a meta-analysis for OS and relapse-free survival.

Results:

We recruited 9 studies in our meta-analysis. Our study illustrates that TETs patients with small tumor size had better relapse-free survival (hazard ratio = 1.66, 95% confidence interval 1.18–2.35, P = .004) and OS (hazard ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence interval 1.30–2.80, P = .001) in comparison to patients with large tumor size.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, the results of our meta-analysis showed that TET size was significantly associated with overall and relapse-free survival of patients, with relatively small tumors tending to have a better prognosis.
Knowledge, attitude and practice of physicians towards herbal remedies in Rasht, north of Iran
Authors: Soltanipour Soheil , Keihanian Faeze , Saeidinia Amin
Published: November 2022

The World Health Organization has recommended the integration of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with modern medicine, as part of the global “health for all” approach. Herbal treatments are the most common and known methods of CAM. Based on the critical role of physicians in true and safe application of these products, this research evaluated knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of physicians in Rasht towards herbal remedies. This was a cross sectional study, performed between April 2017 and May 2019 on all physicians, who worked in Rasht city, northern Iran. A researcher-made questionnaire with 2 main parts, including a demographics section and research questions was used. A total of 142 (38%) individuals responded to the questionnaires. Mean KAP scores were 6.47 ± 6.17, 27.80 ± 3.26, and 5.02 ± 5.54, respectively. In none of these fields, significant differences were seen in participants regarding demographic variables, experience, work place, academic relevance, and field of work (P > .05). Physicians of Rasht city, with different work environments and regardless of demographic characteristics, had a positive view towards herbal remedies, without enough knowledge to consult their patients.
A review and meta-analysis of the survival rate of adult with osteonecrosis of the femoral head treated with transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy
Authors: Xu Yong , Zeng Ping
Published: November 2022

Background:

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a progressive disease, and transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy (TRO) is a promising option to treat hip preservation. Compared with outcomes of non-Asian patients, those of Asian patients are different. Once ONFH has progressed to the stage of collapse, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an unavoidable surgical procedure. However, patients treated with TRO still have a certain rate of femoral head collapse. A meta-analysis was done to comprehensively understand the outcome of TRO surgery for ONFH, in which conversion to THA was used as an endpoint event or the survival rate of patients with ONFH after TRO surgery as an indicator.

Methods:

We retrieved electronic databases from the inception of the study until June 2022, using the survival rate after TRO surgery or that after conversion to the endpoint event of THA as the effect indicator. The Risk Difference Independent unmatched samples of counting information with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to calculate the outcome. Also, subgroup analysis was carried out for Asian and non-Asian patients. Heterogeneity and publication bias analyses were also done for the included studies

Results:

We pooled 19 studies, all of which were about applying TRO procedure for ONFH. There were 15 cohort studies, 4 case-control studies, and no randomized controlled studies. Based on the information extracted from the reported above (we extracted the relevant independent effect values separately for the case-control studies), this meta-analysis was performed based on a fixed-effect model, and META analysis was performed for an independent unpaired group of the samples. The total hip survival rate after TRO in ONFH was 0.58(95% CI = 0.45–0.72), The survival rate for Asians was: 0.68 (95% CI = 0.51–0.85) and for non-Asians was: 0.41 (95% CI = 0.17–0.64), respectively.

Conclusions:

The application of TRO surgery in ONFH can effectively relieve patients’ symptoms and they enjoy n a high survival rate, especially for Asian patients. This makes it a promising surgical technique.
Electroencephalographic correlates of word and non-word listening in children with specific language impairment: An observational study
Authors: Fatić Saška , Stanojević Nina , Stokić Miodrag , Nenadović Vanja , Jeličić Ljiljana , Bilibajkić Ružica , Gavrilović Aleksandar , Maksimović Slavica , Adamović Tatjana , Subotić Miško
Published: November 2022

Auditory processing in children diagnosed with speech and language impairment (SLI) is atypical and characterized by reduced brain activation compared to typically developing (TD) children. In typical speech and language development processes, frontal, temporal, and posterior regions are engaged during single-word listening, while for non-word listening, it is highly unlikely that perceiving or speaking them is not followed by frequent neurones’ activation enough to form stable network connections. This study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological cortical activity of alpha rhythm while listening words and non-words in children with SLI compared to TD children. The participants were 50 children with SLI, aged 4 to 6, and 50 age-related TD children. Groups were divided into 2 subgroups: first subgroup – children aged 4.0 to 5.0 years old (E = 25, C = 25) and second subgroup – children aged 5.0 to 6.0 years old (E = 25, C = 25). The younger children’s group did not show statistically significant differences in alpha spectral power in word or non-word listening. In contrast, in the older age group for word and non-word listening, differences were present in the prefrontal, temporal, and parieto-occipital regions bilaterally. Children with SLI showed a certain lack of alpha desynchronization in word and non-word listening compared with TD children. Non-word perception arouses more brain regions because of the unknown presence of the word stimuli. The lack of adequate alpha desynchronization is consistent with established difficulties in lexical and phonological processing at the behavioral level in children with SLI.
Evaluation of multiple biological indicators for combined diagnosis of gastric cancer: A retrospective analysis
Authors: Zhao Qinfu , Dong Luying , Liang Heye , Pang Kai , Wang Ping , Ge Ruiyin , Li Tian , Jiang Shuyi , Chu Yanliu
Published: November 2022

To assess carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), platelet distribution width (PDW), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for gastric cancer’s (GC) diagnostic efficiency, and the use of receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) combined with logistic regression to evaluate multi-index combination’s diagnostic value of GC. 773 GC patients’ clinical data were retrospectively collected in the Weihai Municipal Hospital, affiliated hospital of Shandong University from April 2018 to May 2021, and selected 2368 healthy physical examination patients during the same period as the control group. A total of 3141 samples was included in this study, including 773 cases in the GC group and 2368 cases in the healthy physical examination group. The results of the overall comparison between groups showed that apart from gender, the age differences, CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR, and PLR were statistically significant (P < .001). Spearman ranks correlation analysis’s results showed that CA19-9, CEA, PLR, and NLR were correlated with GC patients’ clinical-stage positively, and the correlation coefficients r was 0.249, 0.280, 0.252, 0.262 (all P < .001), and PDW was correlated with the clinical stage negatively (r = −0.186, P < .001). The ROC curve analysis results of CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR and PLR showed that CEA’s diagnostic cutoff value for GC was 3.175 (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.631, 95% CI: 0.606–0.655, P < .001), the CA19-9’s diagnostic cutoff value is 19.640 (AUC = 0.589, 95% CI: 0.563–0.615, P < .001), PDW’s diagnostic cutoff value is 15.750 (AUC = 0.799, 95% CI: 0.778–0.820, P < .001), NLR’s diagnostic cutoff value was 2.162 (AUC = 0.699, 95% CI: 0.675–0.721, P < .001), and PLR’s diagnostic cutoff value was 149.540 (AUC = 0.709, 95% CI: 0.688–0.732, P < .001). The area under the ROC curve for the combined diagnosis of GC with 5 indicators was 0.877 (95% CI: 0.860–0.894, P < .001), which was better than a single indicator (P < .05). The diagnostic efficiency of combined detection of CEA, CA19-9, PDW, NLR, and PLR is better than that of single index detection alone, which can reduce the misdiagnosis rate of GC effectively.
Depressive symptoms and physical function among the elderly in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic in China: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Gao Lunan , Yang Jinhong , Liu Jiang , Xin Tingting , Liu Yuxiu
Published: November 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed a heavy burden on global healthcare. Depressive symptoms and physical function impairment are 2 common health problems among the elderly, but the association between depressive symptoms and physical function in nursing homes have not been extensively investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of depressive symptoms and physical function and analyze the prevalence and related factors of depression among elderly people in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted. 381 elderly people were included in 4 nursing homes who were 60 to 100 years old with more than 3 months’ residential in Weifang City, Shandong Province using convenience cluster sampling. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was performed to evaluate geriatric depression, the Barthel Index (BI) was administered to assess the activities of daily living, and a self-designed demographic data questionnaire was used to collect the demographic data. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. 103 (27.0%) old residents reported depression according to PHQ-9. 279 (73.2%) old residents reported impaired self-care ability according to BI. The mean score of PHQ-9 and BI in the elderly was 3.56 ± 3.76 and 5.76 ± 7.05. The total PHQ-9 score of the elderly in nursing homes was positively correlated with the total activities of daily living score (R = 0.503, P < .01). Regression analysis showed that gender, self-care ability, more chronic diseases and medicines, especially Alzheimer’s disease and cataract were risk factors for depression among elderly people in nursing homes (P < .05). Our study showed 27.0% depression rate among old residents in nursing homes in China in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Depression is relatively prevalent among the elderly in China, and we should pay attention to those with poor self-care ability and more chronic diseases and medicines.
Impact of a multidisciplinary team meeting on patient-reported outcomes at 2 years after lumbar surgery: A prospective comparative exploratory study
Authors: Troussier Sébastien , Ferrero Emmanuelle , Lefèvre-Colau Marie-Martine , Feydy Antoine , Guigui Pierre , Rannou François , Nguyen Christelle
Published: November 2022

Failed back surgery syndrome is a challenge. We hypothesized that a multidisciplinary team meeting (MTM) may be useful to select patients who are the most likely to benefit from lumbar surgery. We conducted an observational, prospective, comparative, exploratory study. We aimed to compare core clinical patient-reported outcomes at 2 years after lumbar surgery between patients who attended a MTM and those who did not. Patients who underwent lumbar surgery for a degenerative disease, in a single academic orthopedic department, between January and September 2018, were consecutively screened. Eligible patients were surveyed between April and June 2020. Patient-reported outcomes included lumbar and radicular pain, spine-specific activity limitations and health-related quality of life assessed via self-administered questionnaires. Outcomes were compared between respondents who attended the MTM and those who did not. Overall, 211 patients underwent lumbar surgery, 108 were eligible and 44 included: 11 attended the MTM and 33 did not. Mean participants’ age was 57.4 (15.4) years, symptom duration was 14.8 (15.3) months, lumbar pain was 51.3 (18.2) and radicular pain was 53.4 (18.6). At 2 years, we found no evidence that lumbar and radicular pain, activity limitations and health-related quality of life differed between the 2 groups. The decrease was −26.8 (41.1) versus −20.8 (30.4) in lumbar pain and −25.5 (43.0) versus −19.5 (27.5) in radicular pain, in participants who attended the MTM versus those who did not, respectively. We found no evidence that core clinical patient-reported outcomes at 2 years after lumbar surgery differed between participants who attended the MTM and those who did not. However, the exploratory design of our study does not allow concluding that MTMs do not have an impact.
The Impact of Bedside Cardiac Point-of-Care Ultrasound on the Utilization of Cardiology Subspecialty Resources in a Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Singh Amar , Starr-Seal Rebecca L. , Caperell Kerry S. , Warkentine Fred H. , Neal Ashley E.
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study sought to determine the impact of cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS) in a pediatric emergency department (ED) on cardiology subspecialty utilization for subjects with chest pain or syncope. Diagnostic yield of cPOCUS and transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) for these subjects was also examined.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of subjects presenting to a tertiary pediatric ED with chest pain or syncope 1 year before (2015, pre-cPOCUS group) and 1 year after (2017, cPOCUS group) introduction of cPOCUS was conducted. Subjects aged 2 to 18 years evaluated for these symptoms were included. Those with known heart defects, prior abnormal TTE, or asthma exacerbation at presentation were excluded. In both groups, cardiology subspecialty utilization was assessed by determining whether cardiology referrals, cardiology consultations, or follow-up TTEs were completed. Results of TTEs were reviewed and classified as incidental (no follow-up needed), minor (follow-up needed, but intervention unlikely), moderate (nonurgent intervention needed), and severe (hospitalization/urgent intervention needed). Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound results were compared with any follow-up TTEs. Data were analyzed using χ2 or Student t test as appropriate.

Results

A total of 1230 subjects were analyzed: 595 pre-cPOCUS and 635 cPOCUS group. There was no significant difference in TTEs (42 vs 46), cardiology consultations (36 vs 37), or cardiology referrals (47 vs 37) between groups. Of 67 cPOCUS scans performed, 63 were normal, 3 showed small pericardial effusion, and 2 demonstrated left ventricular dysfunction. Of 88 TTEs in both groups (0.7% subjects), 76 were normal, 5 had incidental, 6 had minor, and 1 had a severe finding present on cPOCUS (0.08% subjects; 95% confidence interval, 0%–0.45%).

Conclusions

The introduction of cPOCUS did not increase cardiology subspecialty utilization in subjects presenting to the pediatric ED with chest pain or syncope. Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound may be useful in evaluating global biventricular systolic function and effusion in this population.
Point-of-Care Ultrasound and the Discovery of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in a Teenager
Authors: Assaf Raymen Rammy , Siembieda Joshua , Recto Michael R. , Doniger Stephanie J.
Published: November 2022

We present a case of a teenage patient with new-onset cardiac symptoms discovered to have primary pulmonary arterial hypertension. Point-of-care ultrasound used early in the patient's presentation identified significant right-sided heart dilatation and dysfunction despite the patient's relatively unrevealing physical examination. This article emphasizes the utility of performing focused cardiac ultrasound in pediatric patients early in their presentation. We briefly review focused cardiac ultrasound technique and highlight relevant literature.
Activation of bisulfite by LaFeO
3
loaded on red mud for degradation of organic dye
Authors: Li Yao , Meng Xiangyu , Pang Yin , Zhao Cong , Peng Daoping , Wei Yu , Xiang Bayongzhong
Published: November 2022

In this study, red mud (RM) was used as a support for LaFeO
3
to prepare LaFeO
3
-RM via the ultrasonic-assisted sol–gel method for the removal of methylene blue (MB) assisted with bisulfite (BS) in the aqueous solution. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method indicated that LaFeO
3
-RM exhibited a large surface area and porous structure with a higher pore volume (i.e. 10 times) compared with the bulk LaFeO
3
. The XRD, XPS and FTIR results revealed that the support of porous RM not only dispersed LaFeO
3
particles but also increased Fe oxidation capability, oxygen-containing functional groups and chemically adsorbed oxygen (from 44.3% to 90.3%) of LaFeO
3
-RM, which improved the catalytic performance in structure and chemical composition. MB was removed through the synergistic effect of adsorption and catalysis, with MB molecules first absorbed on the surface and then degraded. The removal efficiency was 88.19% in the LaFeO
3
-RM/BS system under neutral conditions but only 27.09% in the LaFeO
3
/BS system. The pseudo-first-order kinetic constant of LaFeO
3
-RM was six times higher than that of LaFeO
3
. Fe(III) in LaFeO
3
-RM played a key role in the activation of BS to produce

SO

4

⋅
−

by the redox cycle of Fe(III)/Fe(II). Dissolved oxygen was an essential factor for the generation of

SO

4

⋅
−

. This work provides both a new approach for using porous industrial waste to improve the catalytic performance of LaFeO
3
and guidance for resource utilization of RM in wastewater treatment.
Quantifying the ‘end of history’ through a Bayesian Markov-chain approach
Authors: Klimm Florian
Published: November 2022

Political regimes have been changing throughout human history. After the apparent triumph of liberal democracies at the end of the twentieth century, Francis Fukuyama and others have been arguing that humankind is approaching an ‘end of history’ (EoH) in the form of a universality of liberal democracies. This view has been challenged by recent developments that seem to indicate the rise of defective democracies across the globe. There has been no attempt to quantify the expected EoH with a statistical approach. In this study, we model the transition between political regimes as a Markov process and—using a Bayesian inference approach—we estimate the transition probabilities between political regimes from time-series data describing the evolution of political regimes from 1800 to 2018. We then compute the steady state for this Markov process which represents a mathematical abstraction of the EoH and predicts that approximately 46% of countries will be full democracies. Furthermore, we find that, under our model, the fraction of autocracies in the world is expected to increase for the next half-century before it declines. Using random-walk theory, we then estimate survival curves of different types of regimes and estimate characteristic lifetimes of democracies and autocracies of 244 years and 69 years, respectively. Quantifying the expected EoH allows us to challenge common beliefs about the nature of political equilibria. Specifically, we find no statistical evidence that the EoH constitutes a fixed, complete omnipresence of democratic regimes.
Developmental feedbacks and the emergence of individuality
Authors: Ehlman Sean M. , Scherer Ulrike , Wolf Max
Published: November 2022

Behavioural individuality is a hallmark of animal life, with major consequences for fitness, ecology, and evolution. One of the most widely invoked explanations for this variation is that feedback loops between an animal's behaviour and its state (e.g. physiology, informational state, social rank, etc.) trigger and shape the development of individuality. Despite their often-cited importance, however, little is known about the ultimate causes of such feedbacks. Expanding on a previously employed model of adaptive behavioural development under uncertainty, we find that (i) behaviour-state feedbacks emerge as a direct consequence of adaptive behavioural development in particular selective environments and (ii) that the sign of these feedbacks, and thus the consequences for the development of behavioural individuality, can be directly predicted by the shape of the fitness function, with increasing fitness benefits giving rise to positive feedbacks and trait divergence and decreasing fitness benefits leading to negative feedbacks and trait convergence. Our findings provide a testable explanatory framework for the emergence of developmental feedbacks driving individuality and suggest that such feedbacks and their associated patterns of behavioural diversity are a direct consequence of adaptive behavioural development in particular selective environments.
Dynamic model of respiratory infectious disease transmission by population mobility based on city network
Authors: Guo Zuiyuan , Li Jiangfan , Xiao Guangquan , Gong Lili , Wang Yayu
Published: November 2022

In modern societies, newly emerging infectious diseases spread rapidly between regions owing to frequent contact between people, causing considerable social and economic impacts. In this study, first, a scale-free city network was established, and then the shortest path between any two nodes was determined. Second, the movement path of tourists was designed based on the shortest path. Subsequently, every infected person's information, such as the city, infection time, onset and hospitalization, was confirmed based on their movement path. Third, the features of the transmission path and time distribution of the epidemic were characterized after summarizing the information. Finally, the reliability of the model was verified. The number of citizens and tourists in every city remained stable during this time. The results indicated that a larger basic reproduction number (
R
0
) and population outflow rate signify a faster growth rate of infected people in each city in the network. Compared with small and medium-sized cities, the epidemic spread faster in central cities. Population mobility was the decisive factor causing the spread of the epidemic to other areas. Therefore, the rapid spread of epidemics can be prevented by swiftly reducing the flow of people between cities.
Solitons on the rarefaction wave background via the Darboux transformation
Authors: Mucalica Ana , Pelinovsky Dmitry E.
Published: November 2022

Rarefaction waves and dispersive shock waves are generated from the step-like initial data in many nonlinear evolution equations including the classical example of the Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation. When a solitary wave is injected on the step-like initial data, it is either transmitted over or trapped inside the rarefaction wave background. We show that the transmitted soliton can be obtained by using the Darboux transformation for the KdV equation. On the other hand, we show with the help of numerical simulations that the trapped soliton disappears in the long-time dynamics of the rarefaction wave.
Effects of local versus global competition on reproductive skew and sex differences in social dominance behaviour
Authors: Leimar Olof , Bshary Redouan
Published: November 2022

Social hierarchies are often found in group-living animals. The hierarchy position can influence reproductive success (RS), with a skew towards high-ranking individuals. The amount of aggression in social dominance varies greatly, both between species and between males and females within species. Using game theory we study this variation by taking into account the degree to which reproductive competition in a social group is mainly local to the group, emphasizing within-group relative RS, or global to a larger population, emphasizing an individual’s absolute RS. Our model is similar to recent approaches in that reinforcement learning is used as a behavioural mechanism allowing social-hierarchy formation. We test two hypotheses. The first is that local competition should favour the evolution of mating or foraging interference, and thus of reproductive skew. Second, decreases in reproductive output caused by an individual’s accumulated fighting damage, such as reduced parenting ability, will favour less intense aggression but should have little influence on reproductive skew. From individual-based simulations of the evolution of social dominance and interference, we find support for both hypotheses. We discuss to what extent our results can explain observed sex differences in reproductive skew and social dominance behaviour.
Draft genome sequences for ten strains of Xanthomonas species that have phylogenomic importance
Authors: Harrison Jamie , Hussain Rana Muhammad Fraz , Greer Shannon , Ntoukakis Vardis , Aspin Andrew , Vicente Joana , Grant Murray , Studholme David John
Published: November 2022

Here we report draft-quality genome sequences for pathotype strains of eight plant-pathogenic bacterial pathovars: Xanthomonas campestris pv. asclepiadis, X. campestris pv. cannae, X. campestris pv. esculenti, X. campestris pv. nigromaculans,  X. campestris pv. parthenii, X. campestris pv. phormicola, and and X. campestris pv. zinniae. We also sequenced type strains of species X. melonis and X. dyei pv. eucalypti and unclassified Xanthomonas strain NCPPB 1067.  These data will be useful for phylogenomic and taxonomic studies, filling some important gaps in sequence coverage of the Xanthomonas phylogenetic diversity. We include representatives of previously un-sequenced pathovars and species-level clades. Furthermore, these genome sequences may be useful in elucidating the molecular basis for important phenotypes such as biosynthesis of coronatine-related toxins and degradation of fungal toxin cercosporin.
Lacticaseibacillus kribbianus sp. nov., isolated from pig farm faeces dump
Authors: Paek Jayoung , Bai Lu , Shin Yeseul , Kim Hongik , Kook Joong-Ki , Kim Si Hyun , Shin Jeong Hwan , Chang Young Hyo
Published: November 2022

A lactic acid bacteria isolated from pig faeces was characterized using a polyphasic approach. Cells of the strain were Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped and facultative anaerobic. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus

Lacticaseibacillus

; however, the similarity to other homologues within the genus was <98 %. Analysis of housekeeping gene sequences (pheS and recA) revealed that the strain formed a sub-cluster adjacent to

Lacticaseibacillus absianus

and

Lacticaseibacillus daqingensis

. The main fatty acids of the strain is the C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 62.8 mol %. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, aminophospholipids and phospholipids. The cell-wall peptidoglycan did not contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. Thus, YH-lac21T (=KCTC 21185=JCM 34953) represents a novel species. The name Lacticaseibacillus kribbianus sp. nov. is proposed.
A computational approach for measuring sentence information via surprisal: theoretical implications in nonfluent primary progressive aphasia
Authors: Rezaii Neguine , Michaelov James , Josephy-Hernandez Sylvia , Ren Boyu , Hochberg Daisy , Quimby Megan , Dickerson Bradford
Published: November 2022

Nonfluent aphasia is a language disorder characterized by simplified sentence structures as well as word-level abnormalities such as a reduced use of verbs and function words. According to the predominant account of the disorder, both structural and word-level features are caused by a core deficit in the processing of syntax. Under this account, however, it remains unclear why nonfluent patients choose semantically richer verbs and may have an intact comprehension of verbs and function words.

Here, we propose and test the hypothesis that the word-level features of nonfluency reflect a process that selects lexically richer words to increase the information content of sentences.

We use a computational linguistic method to measure the information content of sentences in the language of patients with nonfluent primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 133). We measure sentence information using surprisal, a metric calculated by the average probability of occurrence of words in a sentence given their preceding context.

We found that by packaging their structurally simple sentences with lower frequency words, nfvPPA patients produce sentences with similar surprisal as that of healthy speakers. Furthermore, we found that higher sentence surprisal in nfvPPA correlates with a lower function-to-all-word ratio, a lower verb-to-noun ratio, and a higher heavy-to-all-verb ratio.

Surprisal is an effective quantitative index of sentence information. Using surprisal allows for testing an account of nonfluent aphasia that regards word-level features of nonfluency as adaptive rather than defective symptoms, a finding that may entail revisions in therapeutic approaches to nonfluent speech.
Early, low-dose hydrocortisone and near-term brain connectivity in extremely preterm infants
Authors: Dubner Sarah E. , Rickerich Lucy , Bruckert Lisa , Poblaciones Rocío Velasco , Sproul Dawson , Scala Melissa , Feldman Heidi M. , Travis Katherine E.
Published: November 2022

Background

Postnatal steroids are used to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants but may have adverse effects on brain development. This study assessed variation in connectivity metrics of major white matter pathways in the cerebrum and cerebellum at near-term gestational age among infants who did or did not receive a standardized regimen of hydrocortisone during the first 10 days of life.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study. Participants: Infants born < 28 weeks, divided into 2 groups: Protocol group (n=33) received at least 50% of and not more than 150% of an intended standard dose of 0.5mg/kg hydrocortisone twice daily for 7 days, then 0.5 mg/kg per day for 3 days; versus Non-Protocol group (n=22), that did not receive protocol hydrocortisone or completed <50% of the protocol dose. We assessed group differences in near-term diffusion MRI mean fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) across the corticospinal tract, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, corpus callosum and superior cerebellar peduncle.

Results

Groups were comparable in terms of gestational age, post-menstrual age at scan, medical complications, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and necrotizing enterocolitis. No significant large-effect group differences were identified in mean FA or MD in any cerebral or cerebellar tract between the two groups.

Conclusion(s)

Low dose, early, postnatal hydrocortisone was not associated with significant differences in white matter tract microstructure at near term gestational age.

Impact

This study compared brain microstructural connectivity as a primary outcome among extremely preterm infants who did or did not receive early postnatal hydrocortisone.

Low dose hydrocortisone in the first 10 days of life was not associated with significant differences in white matter microstructure in major cerebral and cerebellar pathways

Hydrocortisone did not have a significant effect on early brain white matter circuits.
Range of motion at baseline predict patient reported outcome measures in frozen shoulder patients treated with injections and rehabilitation
Authors: brindisino fabrizio , silvestri elena , Gallo Chiara , Di Giacomo Giovanni
Published: November 2022

Frozen shoulder is a common shoulder concern with a prevalence of 2-5 per cent in the general population that affects the shoulder joint between the ages of 40 and 60, mostly in female subjects, manifesting in progressive loss of glenohumeral movements associated with intense pain.

The pathological process consists of a fibroproliferative tissue fibrosis and an inflammation of the synovial membrane. Although the pathophysiology of this condition has been deeply studied, the mechanisms underpinning remain poorly understood.

Frozen shoulder manifests clinically as shoulder pain with progressive restricted movement, both active and passive, in the absence of trauma, along with normal radiographic scans of the glenohumeral joint.

It classically progresses through 3 overlapping stages of pain (stage 1, lasting 2-9 months), stiffness (stage 2, lasting 4-12 months) and recovery (stage 3, lasting 5-24 months); however, up to day seems that pain-predominant and stiff-predominant phases could be more usefull in treatment modality choice and managing.

The medical management has not been defined with a wide spectrum of operative and nonoperative treatments available. The most widely used treatments are local steroid and/or anesthetic injections, stretching, active and passive mobilization, physiotherapy, hydrodistension, capsular release; hoverver, he goals of the treatment are pain management, shoulder function restoration and improvement in quality of life. Based on the best available evidence it appears that the use of corticosteroid injections plus physiotherapy has been associated with better outcomes above all in terms of early benefit in ER ROM with clinical significance as long as 6 weeks of treatments.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear which parameters influence the prognosis of the pathology.
Defining the causes of sporadic Parkinson’s disease in the global Parkinson’s genetics program (GP2)
Authors: Towns Clodagh , Richer Madeleine , Jasaityte Simona , Stafford Eleanor J. , Joubert Julie , Antar Tarek , Martinez-Carrasco Alejandro , Makarious Mary B. , Casey Bradford , Vitale Dan , Levine Kristin , Leonard Hampton , Pantazis Caroline B. , Screven Laurel A. , Hernandez Dena G. , Wegel Claire E. , Solle Justin , Nalls Mike A. , Blauwendraat Cornelis , Singleton Andrew B. , Tan Manuela M. X. , Iwaki Hirotaka , Morris Huw R. ,   the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2)
Published: November 2022

The Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) will genotype over 150,000 participants from around the world, and integrate genetic and clinical data for use in large-scale analyses to dramatically expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of PD. This report details the workflow for cohort integration into the complex arm of GP2, and together with our outline of the monogenic hub in a companion paper, provides a generalizable blueprint for establishing large scale collaborative research consortia.
Deep Learning in the prediction of Angiography-proven Severe Coronary Stenosis in Patients with Apparently Normal Electrocardiograms
Authors: Xue Zhengkai , Geng Shijia , Guo Shaohua , Mu Guanyu , Yu Bo , Wang Peng , Hu Sutao , Xu Weilun , Liu Yanhong , Yang Lei , Tao Huayue , Chen Kangyin , Hong Shenda
Published: November 2022

Abstract

Patients with severe coronary artery stenosis may have apparently normal electrocardiograms (ECGs), making it difficult to detect the adverse health conditions during screening or physical examinations, resulting in them missing the optimal window of treatment. The goal of this study was to develop an artificial intelligence-based ECG model which can distinguish severe coronary stenosis (≥ 90%) from no or mild coronary stenosis (< 50%) in patients with apparently normal ECGs. Deep learning (DL) models trained from scratch with pre-trained parameters (transfer learning) were tested on ECG alone as well as on ECG along with clinical information (age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and smoking status). We also compared the performance of logistic regression for clinical information only and found that DL models trained from scratch with ECG alone can achieve a specificity of 0.746; however, they have low sensitivity, which is comparable to the performance of logistic regression with clinical data. Although adding clinical information to the ECG DL model trained from scratch can improve the sensitivity, it can reduce the specificity. Combining clinical information with the ECG transfer learning model provides the best performance, with a 0.847 AUC, 0.848 sensitivity, and 0.704 specificity.
222 nm Far-UVC from filtered Krypton-Chloride excimer lamps does not cause eye irritation when deployed in a simulated office environment
Authors: Kousha Obaid , O’Mahoney Paul , Hammond Robert , Wood Kenneth , Eadie Ewan
Published: November 2022

Far-UVC, in the form of filtered Krypton-Chloride lamps, is a promising technology for reducing airborne transmission of disease. Whilst significant research has been undertaken to investigate skin safety of these lamps, less work has been undertaken on eye safety. In particular, there is very limited data on human eye safety or discomfort from the deployment of this germicidal technology. In this pilot study, immediate and delayed eye discomfort were assessed in a simulated office environment with deployment of Krypton-Chloride lamps. The discomfort was assessed immediately post-exposure to the Far-UVC and several days after exposure using the validated, standardized Standard Patient Evaluation Eye Dryness (SPEED) and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaires. Our results show that there was no significant eye discomfort or adverse effects from the deployment of Far-UVC in this simulated office environment, even when the lamps were operated continuously. In addition, through collection of bacteria and fungi on agar plates, with this non-optimised lamp arrangement a statistically significant reduction in pathogens of 52% was observed. Far-UVC in this simulated office environment did not cause any clinically significant eye discomfort and was effective at reducing pathogens in the room. These results contribute an important step to further investigation of the interaction of Far-UVC with the human eye.
Frontal tDCS reduces alcohol relapse rates by increasing connections from left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to addiction networks
Authors: Camchong Jazmin , Fiecas Mark , Gilmore Casey S. , Kushner Matt , Kummerfeld Erich , Mueller Bryon A. , Roediger Donovan , Lim Kelvin O.
Published: November 2022

Background

Brain-based interventions are needed to address persistent relapse in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Neuroimaging evidence suggests higher fronto-striatal connectivity as well as higher within-network connectivity of theoretically defined addiction networks is associated with reduced relapse rates and extended abstinence during follow-up periods.

Objective/Hypothesis

A longitudinal randomized double-blind sham-controlled clinical trial investigated whether a non-invasive neuromodulation intervention delivered during early abstinence can (i) modulate connectivity of addiction networks supporting abstinence and (ii) improve relapse rates. Hypotheses: Active transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will (i) increase connectivity of addiction networks known to support abstinence and (ii) reduce relapse rates.

Methods

Short-term abstinent AUD participants (n=60) were assigned to 5 days of either active tDCS or sham during cognitive training. Causal discovery analysis (CDA) examined the directional influence from left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC, stimulation site) to addiction networks that support abstinence.

Results

Active tDCS had an effect on the average strength of CDA-determined connectivity from LDLPFC to the incentive salience and negative emotionality addiction networks - increasing in the active tDCS group and decreasing in the sham group. Active tDCS had an effect on relapse rates 1-month following the intervention, with lower probability of relapse in the active tDCS vs. sham groups. Active tDCS showed an unexpected sex-dependent effect on relapse rates.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that LDLPFC stimulation delivered during early abstinence has an effect on addiction networks supporting abstinence and on relapse rates. The unexpected sex-dependent neuromodulation effects need to be further examined in larger clinical trials.
Input of Major Histocompatibility Complex class II immunostaining in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
Authors: Lessard Lola E. R. , Robert Marie , Fenouil Tanguy , Landel Véréna , Carlesimo Marie , Hot Arnaud , Chazaud Bénédicte , Laumonier Thomas , Streichenberger Nathalie , Gallay Laure
Published: November 2022

Background

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a group of rare acquired muscular diseases. In healthy muscle, myofibers do not express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II. It was established that MHC-I positive immunostaining, although non-specific, is a marker for IIM diagnosis, while the significance of MHC-II immunostaining remains unclear. The present study investigates the expression of MCH-II in myofibers and capillaries of IIM muscles, taking into account the current IIM classification.

Patients & Methods

A historical cohort was designed, including dermatomyositis (DM), inclusion body myositis (IBM), anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS), immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), or overlap myositis (OM). MHC-II immunostaining was performed on patient muscle sections and was analyzed in a standardized and blind manner.

Results

Muscle sections from biopsies of 72 IIM patients were included: 23 DM, 17 IBM, 12 IMNM, 9 ASyS, and 11 OM. Overall, abnormal MHC-II immunostaining was found in myofibers and/or capillaries in 67 (93%) patients. Myofiber MHC-II immunostaining patterns differed according to the IIM subgroup: the immunostaining was diffuse in IBM (100%), negative in IMNM (75%), perifascicular in ASyS (67%), and either diffuse heterogeneous, clustered, or perifascicular in OM (27%, 27%, and 18%, respectively). MHC-II expression was found in 50% of DM (n=11/22).

While all IIM subgroups presented quantitative and qualitative abnormalities of MHC-II immunostaining in capillaries, some subgroups displayed specificities. Most IBM and IMNM muscles presented frequent dilated capillaries (88% and 67%, respectively). DM, ASyS, and OM exhibited high frequencies of capillary lesions, including capillary dropout, leaky capillaries, and dilated capillaries.

Conclusion

While recent expert opinion (EURO-NMD pathology working group) recommended that MHC-II immunostaining of muscle biopsy remains optional, the present work demonstrates that the expression pattern of MHC-II allows to distinguish between several IIM subgroups. Our data argue for the inclusion of MHC-II immunostaining in the routine histological diagnosis for IIMs.