bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pemberian Salad Buah Berpengaruh terhadap Penuruanan Tekanan Darah Pasien Stroke dengan Hipertensi
Authors: Fauzi Framsiliza , Ahriyasna Risya , Adfar Tika Dwita
Published: July 2022

Stroke merupakan salah satu penyakit degeneratif penyebab kecacatan nomor satu dan kematian nomor tiga di dunia setelah penyakit jantung dan kanker. Prevalensi Hipertensi juga mengalami kenaikan setiap tahunnya dan menjadi penyumbang 17,5 juta kasus stroke di dunia. Data Riskesdas menunjukkan prevalensi hipertensi di Indonesia tahun 2018 adalah 34,11%, dan di Provinsi Sumatera Barat sebesar 25,16%. Penderita hipertensi antara lain merokok, diet rendah serat, konsumsi garam berlebih, kurang aktifitas fisik, berat badan berlebih, konsumsi alkohol, dan dislipidemia. Konsumsi kalium memiliki efek terhadap tekanan darah. sumber kalium bisa didapatkan pada konsumsi sayur dan buah Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat pengaruh pemberian salad (pisang, alpukat, pepaya, yogurt) terhadap perubahan tekanan darah pasien stroke dengan hipertensi. Penelitian ini bersifat eksperimen semu (quasi eksperimen) dengan desain one group pretest posttest. Sampel penelitian adalah pasien di ruang rawat inap Rumah Sakit Otak DR. Drs. M. Hatta Bukittinggi. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan secara Purposive Sampling, jumlah responden didapatkan sebanyak 30 orang responden. Pengolahan data dilakukan dengan uji Wilcoxon. Data yang dikumpulkan adalah data tekanan darah responden sebelum dan sesudah intervensi dengan menggunakan alat ukur tensimeter. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sebagian besar responden berjenis kelamin laki-laki, umur 40-64 tahun dan IMT normal, tingkat pendidikan SMA. Sebagian besar responden perempuan bekerja sebagai ibu rumah tangga dan sebagian besar responden mendapatkan diet rendah garam I. Rata-rata tekanan darah responden sebelum intervensi adalah 165,67/95 mmHg. Rata-rata tekanan darah setelah intervensi adalah 131/80,33 mmHg. Ada perbedaan yang signifikan setelah pemberian salad buah (pisang, alpukat, pepaya, yogurt) terhadap perubahan tekanan darah responden p < 0,05
Kombinasi Ekstrak Lidah Buaya dengan Antibiotik Ciprofloxacin dapat Menghambat Pertumbuhan Bakteri Escherichia coli
Authors: Utami Putra Rahmadea , Indrayati Sri , Satya Wika
Published: July 2022

Diare salah satu penyakit disebabkan oleh infeksi mikroorganisme. Semua golongan umur dapat menderita penyakit diare mulai dari anak-anak sampai orang dewasa. kombinasi yang digunakan beserta bahan alam dengan antibiotik menjadi salah satu pengobatan terhadap infeksi yang disebabkan oleh bakteri. penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui daya hambat kombinasi fraksi etil asetat lidah buaya dengan antibiotik Ciprofloxacin terhadap bakteri dari infeksi pencernaan. Metode penelitian menggunakan Ekserimental laboratory dengan metode difusi Kirby Bauer untuk melihat zona hambat dan analisa data secara komputerisasi. Hasil penelitian kombinasi fraksi etil asetat lidah buaya dengan antibiotik Ciprofloxacin menunjukan terdapat perbedaan yang bermakna pada masing-masing konsentrasi 75, 150, 300 dan 600 mg/ml pada bakteri Escherichia coli menghasilkan zona hambat secara beturut-turut 12,0 mm, 13,0 mm, 13,7 mm, 15,7 mm. Kombinasi fraksi etil asetat lidah buaya dengan antibiotik Ciprofloxacin menghasilkan daya hambat hampir sama  dengan bahan tunggal. Hasil uji statistik dari masing-masing bakteri menunjukan (P < 0.05) berarti ada pengaruh kombinasi ekstrak lidah buaya dengan antibiotik Ciprofloxacin terhadap bakteri Escherichia coli. Dapat  disimpukan  kombinasi ekstrak lidah buaya dengan antibiotik Ciprofloxacin mampu menghambat petumbuhan pada bakteri.
Giant tortoises collected from Charles Island (Isla Floreana), Galápagos, during the voyage of USS Potomac, 1831–1834
Authors: Rothman Robert H.
Published: July 2022

In 1834 Commodore John Downes (1784–1854) donated two live tortoises, a male and a female, to the Boston Society of Natural History that he had collected on Charles Island (Isla Floreana), Galápagos, during the circumnavigation of the USS Potomac. Both died shortly after arriving in Boston and were dissected. Their remains currently reside in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. By the beginning of the twentieth century it had become clear that each island had its own unique tortoise species, but most of the species’ names were based on specimens of unknown provenance. The two Potomac tortoises were almost the only specimens whose island of origin was actually known. The male was considered to be the holotype of the Floreana tortoise, with the suggested name Testudo galapagoensis (the currently accepted name is Chelonoidis niger). Genetic analysis, however, has revealed that the male actually came from Duncan Island (Isla Pinzón). Although the Potomac apparently remained at Floreana during its stay in the Galápagos, records of the trip indicate that a boat was sent to collect tortoises from Indefatigable Island (Isla Santa Cruz) and, possibly, Pinzón. The disposition of the female was reported as unknown, but there is a specimen in the Harvard collection that documentation identifies as the female. However, the specimen is a male, and is not the tortoise that Commodore Downes had donated to the Boston Society of Natural History. Although genetic analysis determined that this tortoise did indeed come from Floreana, its provenance is unclear.
3rd and 4th degree perineal tears that occurs during vaginal delivery
Authors: SENTÜRK Mustafa , YAVUZ Yusuf
Published: July 2022

Objective: Perineal injuries are common in vaginal delivery. In this study, we aimed to investigate the factors affecting the degree of perineal injury and the effect of injury degree on incontinence.
Methods: Fifteen patients, underwent sphincter repair by the general surgery unit, who had perineal tear during normal vaginal delivery between January 2018 and March 2019 in our hospital and were retrospectively evaluated. Those with grade 3a and 3b perineal tears were divided into 2 groups as group-1, and those with grade 3c and grade 4 perineal tears as group-2. Episiotomy type, fetal characteristics [head circumference and birth weight], early postoperative continence findings were compared in between groups.
Results: The average age of the patients was 30 ± 8.7 years. When the groups were compared, there was no significant superiority of episiotomy in terms of perineal injury (p=0.07). 4 patients had 3a, 3 patients had 3b, 6 patients had 3c and 2 patients had fourth-degree perineal injuries. The average birth weight of the newborns was 3438 ± 492 g, and the head circumference was 34.33 ± 1.23 cm. There was no significant difference in incontinence between the groups (p=0.55).
Conclusıon: The treatment of anorectal injuries is surgery. The method of treatment varies according to the time elapsed between injury and intervention, fecal contamination, degree of injury, general condition of the patient, presence of accompanying injury, experience and preference of surgeon. We think that sphincter damage during delivery can be looked after successfully with early diagnosis and intervention before tissue edema develops.
AS INFLUÊNCIAS DAS DIFERENTES CORRENTES HISTORIOGRÁFICAS E DO LIVRO DIDÁTICO NAS PRÁTICAS DE ENSINO DE HISTÓRIA – UMA AMOSTRAGEM DA HISTÓRIA ENSINADA NO COTIDIANO ESCOLAR
Authors: Reis Ailton Marcos dos , Oliveira Ueber José de
Published: July 2022

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo evidenciar a produção de saber histórico escolar, analisando como os docentes trazem para a sua prática as diferentes correntes historiográficas. Realizamos uma investigação no cotidiano do trabalho dos docentes de História em três unidades de ensino, e, a partir da análise dessas amostragens, concluímos que os professores utilizam de determinadas astúcias e táticas individuais para apropriação apenas parcial de teorias curriculares e historiográficas. Se não há uma completa recusa de tais teorias, a pesquisa demonstra, entretanto, ocorre a apropriação somente daquilo que lhes interessa na realização de sua prática educativa.
A Novel Technique Identifies Valve-Like Pathways Entering and Exiting Schlemm’s Canal in Macaca nemestrina Primates With Similarities to Human Pathways
Authors: Martin Elizabeth A. , Johnstone Murray A.
Published: July 2022

Purpose: The aim of the study was 1) to describe a novel combination of techniques that permit immunohistochemistry imaging of Schlemm’s canal inlet (SIV) and outlet (SOV) valve-like structures, 2) to identify tissue-level SIV adhesive relationships linking the trabecular meshwork (TM) to hinged collagen leaflets at the Schlemm’s canal (SC) external wall, and 3) to determine whether the SIV lumen wall’s adhesive vascular markers are similar to those of the SC inner wall endothelium.

Materials and Methods: Anterior segments of 16 M. nemestrina primates underwent immunohistochemistry (IHC) labeling. We perfused fluorescent microspheres into 12 of the eyes. Limbal tissues were divided into quadrants, viscoelastic introduced into SC, tissues fixed, immunohistochemistry performed, radial segments cut, tissues clarified, and confocal microscopy performed. Finally, we generated ImageJ 3D projections encompassing the TM, SC, and distal pathways.

Results: IHC imaging identified 3D relationships between SIV, collector channel ostia, collector channels (CC), SOV, and intrascleral channels. Imaging depth increased 176.9%, following clarification (p < 0.0001). Imaging demonstrated CD31, collagen type 1 and 4 in the walls of the SIV lumen and more distal pathways. In eight eyes, 384 segments were examined, 447 SIV identified, and 15.4% contained microspheres.

Conclusion: Our technique’s imaging depth permitted the identification of SIV linkage between the TM and SOV. We found comparable cell–cell adhesion molecules (CD31) and basement membrane components in the SC inner wall and SIV lumen walls. Recent OCT studies have suggested that SIV tensional relationships may control CC entrance dimensions that regulate distal resistance. Cellular adhesive properties sustain SIV tensional relationships. These SIV cell–cell and cell-basement membrane properties warrant further study because abnormalities could be a factor in the IOP elevation of glaucoma.
RNA N6-Methyladenine Modification, Cellular Reprogramming, and Cancer Stemness
Authors: Chen Huarong , Wang Yifei , Su Hao , Zhang Xiaoting , Chen Hongyan , Yu Jun
Published: July 2022

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant modification on eukaryote messenger RNA and plays a key role in posttranscriptional regulation of RNA metabolism including splicing, intracellular transport, degradation, and translation. m6A is dynamically regulated by methyltransferases (writers), RNA-binding proteins (readers), and demethylases (erasers). Recent studies demonstrate that perturbation of m6A regulators remarkably influences cell fate transitions through rewiring various biological processes, such as growth, differentiation, and survival. Moreover, aberrant m6A modification is implicated in a variety of diseases, in particular cancer. In this review, we describe the functional linkage of m6A modifications to cellular reprogramming and cancer stemness properties.
Optimized Dispatching for Integrated Energy System With Wind Power
Authors: Zhang Tao , Yan Xing , Zhang Renmin , Ye Qingquan , Ma Junhua
Published: July 2022

The intermittency and unpredictability are the obstacles to absorb all wind power. The combined heat and power (CHP) system has been widely utilized as a heat and electricity source, and the heating load limits the regulatory capacity of CHP to reduce curtailed wind power. This study proposes an optimization model of an integrated power and heating network system to fully utilize curtailed wind power. The thermal inertia in the primary heating network, thermal comfort of end-users, and electric boiler in the secondary heating network are included in multiple scenarios to analyze different operation strategies. The simulation results show that considering the heating network, the inertia and thermal comfort of end-users could reduce the curtailed wind power ratio from 15% to 9%. Adding a peak-shaving electric boiler on the user side can increase the system electric load and reduce the curtailed wind power, while reducing the heat output of the CHP unit during the peak and low periods of the heat load at night. Moreover, there is less than 1% of the curtailed wind power ratio if the peak-shaving capacity ratio is higher than 10%, which means the application recommendations of installed electric boiler capacity are obtained to increase enough flexibility of the power and heating network system.
Position Identification Method of Isolation Switch for Prosumer Substation Based on Intelligent Image Recognition Technology
Authors: Wang Bozhong , Wei Juan , Li Peng , Peng Mai , Li Cheng , Wang Lide , Zhou Hui , Yi Jin
Published: July 2022

To improve the intelligence and automation for adapting to the development of prosumer substations, this paper proposes an isolation switch opening and closing position discrimination method based on intelligent image recognition technology. The marking point recognition and edge detection method based on the Canny algorithm is developed to identify the open and close position of disconnecting switch. Compared with the traditional auxiliary switch contact, the proposed method can form the “double confirmation” criterion of non-homologous position to realize the open and close position of the disconnecting switch, while providing the auxiliary discrimination support for one-button compatible operation. In addition, the transformation scheme of intelligent recognition and monitoring of the disconnecting switch is designed in the high voltage environment of the substation to enhance the adaptation to the prosumer substation. The field work proves that the designed system has good accuracy and reliability, which can enhance the development of one-button sequence control technology and the implementation and application in the construction site.
Response of Soil Fertility and Bacterial Community Composition to Vegetation Species in a Coal Mining Subsidence Area: A Survey After 20-Year Reclamation
Authors: Wang Yuming , Fan Yuchao , Wang Qiuya , Zhang Shiwen , Shi Yu , Zheng Xuebo
Published: July 2022

Revegetation is an important restoration approach after reclamation in coal mining subsidence area. However, few studies have paid attention to the impacts of different vegetation species on soil fertility and bacterial community composition in the reclamation area filled with fly ash for a long time. In this study, soil fertility and bacterial community composition were investigated in a non-subsidence area (FCK) and a coal mining subsidence reclamation area restored vegetation with woody plants (pagoda trees, FS; peach trees, FP) and herbaceous plants (wheat-maize rotation, FW) for 20 years. Results showed that topsoil and subsoil nutrients including available K and alkali-hydrolyzable N, soil organic matter, and total carbon in the non-subsidence site were significantly higher than those in reclamation sites. Topsoil fertility indices (SFI) in reclamation sites were lower than that in non-subsidence site, and soil fertility index in FW was higher than that in FS and FP. Moreover, the SFI in topsoil (from −0.24 to 2.08) was significantly higher than that in subsoil (from −1.12 to −0.39). 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacterial phyla in all sites, but the subsoil bacterial alpha indices (Shannon and Simpson) in the non-subsidence site were higher than those in reclamation sites. Principal coordinates analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the bacterial community composition in reclamation sites was significantly different from that in the non-subsidence site, and they were similar in the soil with wheat-maize rotation model between non-subsidence and reclamation sites. Co-occurrence network analysis noted that the network of dominant bacterial operational taxonomic units in the subsoil was more complex than that in the topsoil. Redundancy analysis suggested soil pH in topsoil and subsoil was an important driving factor for soil bacteria community composition. Overall, the reclamation site with the wheat-maize rotation model had higher soil fertility and bacterial community composition was similar to that of the non-subsidence site, indicating revegetation with the wheat-maize rotation model is a good reclamation approach to improve soil fertility in coal mining subsidence area.
Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Analysis Investigates Causal Associations Between Gut Microbial Genera and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and Specificity Causal Associations in Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Liu Bin , Ye Ding , Yang Hong , Song Jie , Sun Xiaohui , Mao Yingying , He Zhixing
Published: July 2022

Background

Intestinal dysbiosis is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), two subtypes of IBD, are characterized by unique microbial signatures, respectively. However, it is unclear whether UC or CD has a specific causal relationship with gut microbiota.

Objective

To investigate the potential causal associations between gut microbial genera and IBD, UC, or CD, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted.

Materials and Methods

We obtained genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of gut microbiota and IBD, UC, or CD from published GWASs. Two-sample MR analyses were performed to identify potential causal gut microbial genera for IBD, UC, and CD using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted to validate the robustness of the primary results of the MR analyses. Finally, a reverse MR analysis was performed to evaluate the possibility of reverse causation.

Results

Combining the results from the primary and sensitivity analyses, six bacterial genera were associated with the risk of IBD, UC, or CD in the IVW method. Briefly, Eubacterium ventriosum group was associated with a lower risk of IBD (P=0.011) and UC (P=1.00×10-4), whereas Coprococcus 2 was associated with a higher risk of IBD (P=0.022) and UC (P=0.007). In addition, we found a positive association between Oxalobacter with IBD (P=0.001) and CD (P=0.002), and Ruminococcaceae UCG014 with IBD (P=0.005) and CD (P=0.007). We also noticed a negative association between Enterorhabdus (P=0.044) and IBD, and between Lachnospiraceae UCG001 (P=0.023) and CD. We did not find causal effects of IBD, UC, or CD on these bacterial genera in the reverse MR analysis.

Conclusion

This study expanded gut microbial genera that were causally associated with the risk of IBD, and also revealed specificity-gut microbial genera for UC or CD.
Leveraging mRNA Platform Technology to Accelerate Development of Vaccines for Some Emerging and Neglected Tropical Diseases Through Local Vaccine Production
Authors: Sparrow Erin , Hasso-Agopsowicz Mateusz , Kaslow David C. , Singh Kavita , Rao Raman , Chibi Moredreck , Makubalo Lindiwe E. , Reeder John C. , Kang Gagandeep , Karron Ruth A. , Cravioto Alejandro , Lanata Claudio F. , Friede Martin , Abela-Ridder Bernadette , Solomon Anthony W. , Dagne Daniel Argaw , Giersing Birgitte
Published: July 2022

The mRNA vaccine technology platform may enable rapid response to some emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), as demonstrated through the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the role it could play in future EID response, mRNA technology also could have an important role in accelerating the development of, and access to, vaccines for some neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which occur mainly in impoverished regions of the world. Despite their significant disease burden, few vaccines against NTDs have been developed, in part because of the uncertain market and return on investment. In addition, the probability of technical and regulatory success is considered to be low for developing vaccines against multicellular parasites, or organisms that have sophisticated mechanisms for evading immunological surveillance, such as many of the NTD pathogens. The global 2021-2030 road map for neglected tropical diseases sets ambitious targets for the eradication, elimination, and control of NTDs. For some, effective interventions exist but are underutilized. For others, vaccines need to be developed or their use expanded to meet global targets on control and elimination. This article discusses the application of the mRNA technology platform to the development of vaccines for NTDs as well as EIDs, highlights the challenges in bringing these products to the market, and indicates potential areas which could be explored, including leveraging investment for vaccines with a more profitable market potential and enabling local manufacturing in regions where NTDs are endemic. Such regional production could include collaborations with the mRNA vaccine technology transfer hubs that are being established with the support of WHO and COVAX partners.
Serodiagnosis of Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Disease Using a Newly Developed Chemiluminescence Immunoassay
Authors: Kühnl Alexander , Hartwig Lea , Dähnrich Cornelia , Schlumberger Wolfgang
Published: July 2022

Circulating autoantibodies directed against the kidney glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antigens are important markers in the diagnosis and monitoring of autoimmune glomerulonephritides, including the classic Goodpasture's syndrome. Rapid and reliable diagnostic tools for the detection of anti-GBM autoantibodies are crucial as anti-GBM disease can progress rapidly and, if too late or incorrectly diagnosed, can have serious, even fatal consequences. The performance of the newly developed standardized chemiluminescence immunoassay (ChLIA) was evaluated in comparison with the established Anti-GBM ELISA (IgG) (EUROIMMUN). For the assessment of its diagnostic performance, sera from 67 clinically characterized anti-GBM disease patients and 221 disease controls were analyzed. The clinical sensitivity of the Anti-GBM ChLIA (IgG) reached 100% at a specificity of 98.6%. The Anti-GBM ELISA (IgG) performance was less sensitive (89.6%) without any positive findings in the control group, indicating a specificity of 100%. Both methods were homogeneous (κ = 0.901). The Anti-GBM ChLIA (IgG) represents a promising alternative tool for accurate anti-GBM assessment in routine diagnostic settings with the advantage of rapid turnaround time and fully automated random-access processing.
The Role of B Cells in Scleroderma Lung Disease Pathogenesis
Authors: Liossis Stamatis-Nick C. , Staveri Chrysanthi
Published: July 2022

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic, autoimmune, multisystem disease characterized by tissue fibrosis that, apart from the skin, may affect the lungs among other organs. B cells have been found in tissue lymphocytic infiltrates; in the lungs are encountered in lymphoid aggregates. The abnormal and hyperreactive B cell in SSc may initiate and perpetuate the fibrotic process via incompletely understood mechanisms. Studies in animal models of SSc have demonstrated that B cell dysregulation is an early event in disease pathogenesis. Functional disturbances of BCR signaling such as decreased inhibitory CD22 signal transduction or augmented CD19-mediated signaling result in prolonged B cell activation. Antagonism of BAFF, a cytokine known for his central role in B cell survival and maturation, not only suppresses the production of fibrogenic cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-10, but also amplifies antifibrogenic cytokine secretion such as IFN-γ and it finally contributes to skin fibrosis attenuation. B cells subsets in SSc patients display several abnormalities. Naïve B cells are increased, in contrast to switched memory B cells that are not only decreased but also activated. Disturbances in the expression of molecules that are involved in B cell tuning have also been described. Interestingly, a distinct B cell population characterized by anergy and exhaustion has been found to be increased in patients with SSc-ILD. Another B cell subset, the CD30+GM-Beff, is capable to differentiate monocytes to dendritic cells and is increased in SSc patients with ILD. Of note, patients with SSc-ILD exhibit increased expression of the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB on naïve and double negative B cells aiming perhaps to counterbalance the abnormal B cell activation. Studies of B cell targeted treatments have demonstrated promising clinical efficacy. Therefore, B cell eliminating therapies could be integrated into the therapeutic armamentarium of patients suffering from SSc-ILD aiming to at least stabilize the fibrotic lung process.
Older and Wiser: Interpretation of Proverbs in the Face of Age-Related Cortical Atrophy
Authors: Kljajevic Vanja
Published: July 2022

In the present study, we investigated whether interpretation of proverbs differs across the lifespan and if so, whether it is associated with age-related fronto-temporal atrophy. Using a sample of 333 healthy individuals aged 18–89 years, we found a significant effect of age on proverb interpretation [H(2) = 12.001, p = 0.002]: old adults (OA) were better than young adults (YA) (p = 0.002), and so were middle-aged-adults (MA) (p = 0.005). OA and MA had significantly less grey matter (GM) than YA in frontal and temporal lobes bilaterally, and OA less than MA in the right temporal lobe. GM volumes in these regions did not moderate the effect of age on the proverbs scores. The whole-brain analysis of groups’ GM maps revealed that the proverbs scores were associated with more GM in YA relative to OA in the right middle temporal gyrus, which is consistent with evidence on the role of this area in processing of unfamiliar proverbs. Overall, our data suggest that interpretation of proverbs is well preserved in late adulthood, despite considerable age-related cortical atrophy.
Hippocampal Connectivity of the Presubiculum in the Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)
Authors: Honda Yoshiko , Shimokawa Tetsuya , Matsuda Seiji , Kobayashi Yasushi , Moriya-Ito Keiko
Published: July 2022

The marmoset (a New World monkey) has recently received much attention as an experimental animal model; however, little is known about the connectivity of limbic regions, including cortical and hippocampal memory circuits, in the marmoset. Here, we investigated the neuronal connectivity of the marmoset, especially focusing on the connectivity between the hippocampal formation and the presubiculum, using retrograde and anterograde tracers (cholera toxin-B subunit and biotin dextran amine). We demonstrated the presence of a direct projection from the CA1 pyramidal cell layer to the deep layers of the presubiculum in the marmoset, which was previously identified in the rabbit brain, but not in the rat. We also found that the cells of origin of the subiculo-presubicular projections were localized in the middle part along the superficial-to-deep axis of the pyramidal cell layer of the distal subiculum in the marmoset, which was similar to that in both rats and rabbits. Our results suggest that, compared to the rat and rabbit brains, connections between the hippocampal formation and presubiculum are highly organized and characteristic in the marmoset brain.
Management of Skull-Base Meningiomas With Extracranial Extensions: Clinical Features, Radiological Findings, Surgical Strategies, and Long-Term Outcomes
Authors: He Wenbo , Liu Zhiyong , Jie Danyang , Tang Liansha , Teng Haibo , Xu Jianguo
Published: July 2022

Objectives:

The aim of this research was to summarize the clinical and prognostic features of the skull-base meningiomas with extracranial extensions, and enhance the management of skull-base communicative meningiomas.

Methods

We retrospectively studied the medical records and analyzed the follow-up information of 53 patients who have done surgery for skull-base meningiomas with extracranial extensions in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from 2009 to 2020.

Results

The incidence of skull-base meningiomas with extracranial extensions was 0.74%. The average diagnosis age was 45.9 years, with a 1:3.1 men to women ratio. WHO grade I was seen in 84.9% of patients, and higher grades were found in 15.1%. Heterogeneous enhancement, high bone invasion rate, high incidence of peritumoral edema, and high dural tail sign rate were typical imaging features. Routine craniotomy and endoscopic endonasal approach were adopted, and gross total resection was performed in 62.3% of cases with 20.8% postoperative complication rates. The average follow-up time was 61.5 months, with a recurrence rate of 34.9%. By survival analysis, the extent of resection (p = 0.009) and the histological grade (p = 0.007) were significantly related to the prognosis. Adjuvant radiotherapy proved beneficial in patients with subtotal resection (p = 0.010) and high-grade meningiomas (p = 0.018).

Conclusions

Skull-base meningiomas with extracranial extensions were sporadic. According to the tumor location and communication way showed by the preoperative imaging, routine craniotomy or endoscopic endonasal approach with a reasonable skull-base repair strategy could be adopted to achieve the maximum tumor resection. Maximized resection, adjuvant radiotherapy, and low histological grade indicate a better prognosis.
Metric Learning in Freewill EEG Pre-Movement and Movement Intention Classification for Brain Machine Interfaces
Authors: Plucknett William , Sanchez Giraldo Luis G. , Bae Jihye
Published: July 2022

Decoding movement related intentions is a key step to implement BMIs. Decoding EEG has been challenging due to its low spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio. Metric learning allows finding a representation of data in a way that captures a desired notion of similarity between data points. In this study, we investigate how metric learning can help finding a representation of the data to efficiently classify EEG movement and pre-movement intentions. We evaluate the effectiveness of the obtained representation by comparing classification the performance of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) as a classifier when trained on the original representation, called Euclidean, and representations obtained with three different metric learning algorithms, including Conditional Entropy Metric Learning (CEML), Neighborhood Component Analysis (NCA), and the Entropy Gap Metric Learning (EGML) algorithms. We examine different types of features, such as time and frequency components, which input to the metric learning algorithm, and both linear and non-linear SVM are applied to compare the classification accuracies on a publicly available EEG data set for two subjects (Subject B and C). Although metric learning algorithms do not increase the classification accuracies, their interpretability using an importance measure we define here, helps understanding data organization and how much each EEG channel contributes to the classification. In addition, among the metric learning algorithms we investigated, EGML shows the most robust performance due to its ability to compensate for differences in scale and correlations among variables. Furthermore, from the observed variations of the importance maps on the scalp and the classification accuracy, selecting an appropriate feature such as clipping the frequency range has a significant effect on the outcome of metric learning and subsequent classification. In our case, reducing the range of the frequency components to 0–5 Hz shows the best interpretability in both Subject B and C and classification accuracy for Subject C. Our experiments support potential benefits of using metric learning algorithms by providing visual explanation of the data projections that explain the inter class separations, using importance. This visualizes the contribution of features that can be related to brain function.
Graph Empirical Mode Decomposition-Based Data Augmentation Applied to Gifted Children MRI Analysis
Authors: Chen Xuning , Li Binghua , Jia Hao , Feng Fan , Duan Feng , Sun Zhe , Caiafa Cesar F. , Solé-Casals Jordi
Published: July 2022

Gifted children and normal controls can be distinguished by analyzing the structural connectivity (SC) extracted from MRI data. Previous studies have improved classification accuracy by extracting several features of the brain regions. However, the limited size of the database may lead to degradation when training deep neural networks as classification models. To this end, we propose to use a data augmentation method by adding artificial samples generated using graph empirical mode decomposition (GEMD). We decompose the training samples by GEMD to obtain the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Then, the IMFs are randomly recombined to generate the new artificial samples. After that, we use the original training samples and the new artificial samples to enlarge the training set. To evaluate the proposed method, we use a deep neural network architecture called BrainNetCNN to classify the SCs of MRI data with and without data augmentation. The results show that the data augmentation with GEMD can improve the average classification performance from 55.7 to 78%, while we get a state-of-the-art classification accuracy of 93.3% by using GEMD in some cases. Our results demonstrate that the proposed GEMD augmentation method can effectively increase the limited number of samples in the gifted children dataset, improving the classification accuracy. We also found that the classification accuracy is improved when specific features extracted from brain regions are used, achieving 93.1% for some feature selection methods.
Prevalence of Sarcopenia in Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Xu Ying , Xu Jia-wen , You Peng , Wang Bing-Long , Liu Chao , Chien Ching-Wen , Tung Tao-Hsin
Published: July 2022

Background

It has been speculated that patients with sarcopenia are aggravated by the current novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. However, there is substantial uncertainty regarding the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19.

Objectives

The purpose of the study was to systematically evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19, including stratification by gender, study location, study population, study design, and diagnostic criteria.

Design

This is the systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Methods

An electronic search was performed in MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science and Scopus to identify observational studies reporting a prevalence estimate for sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19. Studies were reviewed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and a meta-analysis was performed. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort studies and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) manual for cross-sectional studies, and Stata 14.0 was used to perform meta-analyses.

Results

A total of 4,639 studies were initially identified. After removing the duplicates and applying the selection criteria, we reviewed 151 full-text studies. A total of 21 studies, including 5,407 patients, were eligible for inclusion in this review finally. The prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19 in individual studies varied from 0.8 to 90.2%. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in COVID-19 was 48.0% (95% confidence interval, CI: 30.8 to 65.1%, I2 = 99.68%, p = 0.000). We did not find any significant differences in the prevalence estimates between gender specificity (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 0.80–2.26; p = 0.001). By sex, the prevalence was 42.5% (95% CI: 31.7 to 53.4%) in men and 35.7% (95% CI: 24.2 to 47.2%) in women. The prevalence estimates significantly varied based on population settings and different diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia. ICU patients (69.7, 95% CI: 51.7 to 85.2%) were more likely to suffer from sarcopenia compared to other population settings.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis reporting on the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19. Sarcopenia is frequently observed in patients with COVID-19, with varying prevalence across population settings. This study would be useful for clinicians to prompt the increasing awareness of identifying sarcopenia and developing interventions at patients with COVID-19 with high risk of sarcopenia. Further prospective longitudinal studies to define the association of sarcopenia and its prognostic outcomes in COVID-19 survivors are urgently needed to propose the most appropriate treatment strategies during their admission and discharge.

Systematic Review Registration

[www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42022300431].
Clinicopathological Features, Staging Classification, and Clinical Outcomes of Esophageal Melanoma: Evaluation of a Pooled Case Series
Authors: Sun Haiyan , Zhu Ningning , Gong Lei , Lan Lan , Yu Zhentao , Pan Zhanyu
Published: July 2022

Studies that have attempted to validate the staging systems and the predictors of survival for patients with primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus (PMME) have been underpowered given their scarcity and small scale. We aimed to review a large number of PMME cases to know more about its clinicopathological features, TNM staging systems, and survival predictors of PMME. Case reports on PMME were extracted from PubMed/Medline through bibliography search and our center. A total of 287 PMME cases were identified. The majority of the patient population was male (72.08%). The most common location of PMME was the lower esophagus (50.62%) and middle esophagus (35.39%). Among the patients, 82.28% received surgical intervention. The median overall survival (OS) duration was 15 months (0.5–244). The American Joint Commission on Cancer staging classification (AJCC) for the mucosal melanoma of the upper aerodigestive tract with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA showed better distribution of OS than that for esophageal carcinoma. T stage, N stage, and surgery had significant impacts on OS duration in univariate analysis. However, only T stage and N stage were identified as independent factors for OS duration in the multivariate Cox models. PMME is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. The AJCC staging system for mucosal melanoma with stage IVB and IVC integrated in stage IVA may be a better option for staging PMME patients. T stage and N stage are independent factors for OS.
A Multi-Centric Study Assessing Safety and Efficacy of Everolimus in Adult Chinese Patients With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Associated Renal Angiomyolipomas
Authors: Wang Wenda , Guo Gang , Shi Guohai , Wei Xin , Hu Zhiquan , Li Hanzhong , Zhang Xu , Ye Dingwei , Zhang Yushi
Published: July 2022

Background

Everolimus has been approved in China for adult patients with TSC-AML (tuberous sclerosis associated renal angiomyolipomas) not requiring immediate surgery and has been previously shown to be an effective treatment option for TSC-AML in the Chinese population

Methods

This is an open label, single arm, multi-center Phase IV post-approval commitment study to further assess the safety and efficacy of everolimus in patients with TSC-AML who do not require immediate surgical intervention. The primary outcome was to evaluate the safety of everolimus while the secondary outcome was to evaluate AML response.

Results

Treatment with everolimus was associated with a clinically meaningful best overall AML response rate of 70% (95% CI: 53.5, 83.4). Of the 38 evaluable patients, 37 (97%) patients experienced a reduction in the sum of volumes of target angiomyolipoma lesions relative to baseline. At Week 12 (n=38), the median percentage change in sum of target AML volume was −56.60%, which further changed by -59.96% at Week 24 (n=38), and by −64.41% at Week 48 (n=22). Throughout the study, renal function remained relatively stable. Patients with TSC associated lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) (N=13) demonstrated a lower than expected rate of decline in pulmonary function tests (PFTs). Everolimus was generally well tolerated with no significant safety findings in Chinese patients. Most of the adverse events were of grade 1-2, and manageable with appropriate dose adjustments and supportive therapies. There were no treatment discontinuation due to AE and no treatment death was reported.

Conclusions

Based on the efficacy and safety data presented in this study, the overall clinical benefit/risk assessment further supports the use of everolimus as a viable treatment option for Chinese patients with TSC-AML.
Accuracy and Reliability of Whole Blood Bilirubin Measurements Using a Roche Blood Gas Analyzer for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia Screening and Risk Stratification
Authors: Wang Qing , Zhang Tianyi , Lin Yuanxi , Jiang Li , Zhou Wenlong , Zong Xiaolong
Published: July 2022

Background

Accurate bilirubin measurements are essential for appropriate management of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of whole blood bilirubin measurements obtained using a Roche blood gas analyzer (Roche TBiL), with total serum bilirubin (TSB) measurements determined by the Ortho VITROS 4600 chemistry system (Ortho TSB) serving as a reference.

Materials and Methods

Medical records of hospitalized neonates that underwent simultaneous Roche TBiL and Ortho TSB measurements were reviewed for eligibility selection and data collection. The correlations and differences between two sets of results were determined using Passing–Bablok regression analysis and a Bland–Altman plot, respectively. For eligible newborns, the risk of developing severe hyperbilirubinemia was assessed using the Bhutani nomogram. Weighted kappa analysis was used to evaluate the agreement between risk prediction by the two methods.

Results

We obtained 618 paired Roche TBiL and Ortho TSB results from 309 neonates. Roche TBiL and Ortho TSB measurements showed a good correlation (r = 0.923; 95% CI: 0.905–0.938). Passing–Bablok regression analysis yielded the following equation: Roche TBiL = 0.794 × Ortho TSB + 1.255 mg/dL, with a slope of 0.794 (95% CI: 0.763–0.825) and intercept of 1.255 (95% CI: 1.042–1.417). The average difference between the two methods was 0.1 ± 1.448 mg/dL. A total of 207 neonates were eligible for evaluation of the agreement between the risk-grading methods. Although kappa analysis showed good agreement between the methods, with a weighted kappa of 0.681 (95% CI: 0.610–0.751) across all populations, the values for approximately half of the neonates at intermediate and high risk of hyperbilirubinemia (33/72) were underestimated by Roche TBiL.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that Roche TBiL and Ortho TSB measurements in the neonatal population are not consistent. As a point-of-care and trace blood assay, Roche blood gas bilirubin measurements can facilitate primary screening of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, but it seems to lack accuracy regarding risk stratification, particularly for high-risk newborn individuals.
Clinical Significance of Serum Haptoglobin and Protein Disulfide-Isomerase A3 in the Screening, Diagnosis, and Staging of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Niu Yajin , Xue Jun , Wu Xueliang , Qu Ming , Wang Likun , Liang Weizheng , Li Tian
Published: July 2022

Objective: This study aims to explore the clinical significance of haptoglobin (HP) and protein disulfide-isomerase A3 (PDIA3) in human serum in the screening, diagnosis and staging of colorectal cancer (CRC), and to provide novel screening approaches featuring high specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for early screening and diagnosis of clinical colorectal cancer.

Methods: 88, 77, and 36 blood specimens were respectively harvested from colorectal cancer patients, colorectal polyp patients, and normal subjects (the health examination) who requested medical assistance from our hospital between Oct2019 and February 2022. The serum contents of HP and PDIA3 in each sample were determined through an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This step was taken to analyze the differences among different specimen groups in terms of the serum contents of HP and PDIA3, to analyze the relationships between the expression levels of HP and PDIA3 and the pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer, and to explore the critical role of HP and PDIA3 in the screening, diagnosis, and staging of colorectal cancer.

Results: Serum contents of HP and PDIA3 were higher in colorectal cancer patients, with statistical differences (p < 0.05), than those in the colonic polyp patients and healthy subjects. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated that the cut-offs of HP and PDIA3 serum contents indicating colorectal cancer were 149 ug/ml and 66 ng/ml respectively. The individually and jointly tested AUCs of HP (0.802) and PDIA3 (0.727) were higher than those of serum CEA and CA199, the sensitivity and specificity of HP were 64.8 and 91.2%, the sensitivity and specificity of PDIA3 were 65.9 and 71.7%. Moreover, the contents of HP and PDIA3 increased alongside disease progression, with differences (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our research indicated that joint testing of HP and PDIA3 was of reference value for progressive stage and reliable biological indicators of colorectal cancer screening.
Rydberg Wire Gates for Universal Quantum Computation
Authors: Jeong Seokho , Shi Xiao-Feng , Kim Minhyuk , Ahn Jaewook
Published: July 2022

Rydberg atom arrays offer flexible geometries of strongly interacting neutral atoms, which are useful for many quantum applications such as quantum simulation and quantum computation. Here, we consider an all-optical gate-based quantum computing scheme for the Rydberg atom arrays, in which auxiliary atoms (wire atoms) are used as a mean of quantum-mechanical remote-couplings among data-qubit atoms, and optical individual-atom addressing of the data and wire atoms is used to construct universal quantum gates of the data atoms. The working principle of our gates is to use the wire atoms for coupling mediation only, while leaving them in noncoupling ground states before and after each gate operation, which allows the double-excited states of data qubits to be accessible by a sequence ofπorπ/2 pulses addressing the data and wire atoms. Optical pulse sequences are constructed for standard one-, two-, and multi-qubit gates, and the arbitrary two-qubit state preparation is considered for universal computation prospects. We further provide a detailed resource estimate for an experimental implementation of this scheme in a Rydberg quantum simulator.
Biolocomotion and Premelting in Ice
Authors: Vachier Jérémy , Wettlaufer John S.
Published: July 2022

Biota are found in glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost. Ice bound micro-organisms evolve in a complex mobile environment facilitated or hindered by a range of bulk and surface interactions. When a particle is embedded in a host solid near its bulk melting temperature, a melted film forms at the surface of the particle in a process known as interfacial premelting. Under a temperature gradient, the particle is driven by a thermomolecular pressure gradient toward regions of higher temperatures in a process called thermal regelation. When the host solid is ice and the particles are biota, thriving in their environment requires the development of strategies, such as producing exopolymeric substances (EPS) and antifreeze glycoproteins (AFP) that enhance the interfacial water. Therefore, thermal regelation is enhanced and modified by a process we term bio-enhanced premelting. Additionally, the motion of bioparticles is influenced by chemical gradients influenced by nutrients within the icy host body. We show how the overall trajectory of bioparticles is controlled by a competition between thermal regelation and directed biolocomotion. By re-casting this class of regelation phenomena in the stochastic framework of active Ornstein-Uhlenbeck dynamics, and using multiple scales analysis, we find that for an attractive (repulsive) nutrient source, that thermal regelation is enhanced (suppressed) by biolocomotion. This phenomena is important in astrobiology, the biosignatures of extremophiles and in terrestrial paleoclimatology.