bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Magnitude of Exhumation in the Kidson Sub-basin, Western Australia, using Thermal and Compaction Techniques
Authors: Marfo George , Makuluni Patrick , Clark Stuart
Published: July 2022

The Kidson Sub-basin which forms the largest tectonic province of the Canning Basin has a high potential for Uranium, sediment-hosted base metals, conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons. The basin has undergone major tectonic events since its formation in the Early Ordovician involving several inversion episodes resulting in extensive exhumation in the basin. The magnitude, timing and distribution of exhumation associated with these inversion episodes are poorly studied due to sparse data in the area. In this study, we integrate recently acquired seismic data with existing well data, combining for the first time thermal and compaction techniques to constrain the magnitude and distribution of exhumation associated with these major inversion episodes. Our results indicate that 300 to 500 m of exhumation occurred during the middle Silurian to Early Devonian inversion episode or Prices Creek Compression, 500 to 750 m of exhumation occurred during the middle Carboniferous inversion episode or Meda Transpression and 800 to 1200 m of exhumation occurred during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic inversion episode or Fitzroy Transpression. Data from apatite fission-track analysis put temporal constraints on the timing of this exhumation and indicate that cooling from maximum post-depositional temperatures within the Kidson Sub-basin occurred in the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. This imply that a paleothermal maximum was reached within the Kidson Sub-basin during the Early Triassic extension episode, prior to the Fitzroy Transpression. During this period, we also detect that the sediments were affected by a slight increase in basal heat flow associated with the rifting event. Results illustrate that during each of these inversion events, higher amounts of exhumation affected the Kidson Sub-basin than previously thought. The results from this study also demonstrate two dominant factors controlling the spatial and temporal distribution of exhumation in the Kidson Sub-basin. We suggest that the spatial distribution of exhumation in the sub-basin during each inversion episode was dominantly controlled by variation in rheology (strength) of inherited basement units, whilst the temporal distribution of exhumation was dominantly controlled by variation in the magnitude of compressive stress.
RETRACTED: Design of Metamaterial Loaded Wideband Sub-6GHz 2×1 MIMO Antenna with Enhanced Isolation Using Characteristic Mode Analysis
Authors: SHARMA RASHBHA , Khanna Rajesh , Kapur Geetanjali
Published: July 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
An Efficient Technique to Implement Encoder and Decoder in Communication System for Error Detection and Correction Golay CodeUsing Golay code
Authors: DHANAVATH RUPA KUMAR , S Gopiya Naik
Published: July 2022

Channel noise, crosstalk, and other annoyances can occur. Detecting and fixing anomalies in received data is essential to retrieve the sender's data. The Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is used extensively in data transfer. The Golay binary cyclic codes are the most well-known (an alphabet consisting of two letters). The Extended Bose, Ray–Chaudhuri, and Hocquenghem (EBCH) codes and the binary Golay code are important because they are 3-error-correcting codes. The RS/BCH encoder converts input symbols into an n-symbol code word. Demodulate the QAM with a code phrase. The QAM mode is required to translate data symbols into signal waveforms. Raymond fading sends this altered signal. Artificial sounds and other disturbances may cause data loss on this Rayleigh channel. A demodulator separates the data from the carrier signal prior to decoding. It is fed into the receiver's decoder so that the original information may be recovered. The encoder and decoder employ the Golay coding strategy with CRC methodology to improve security while reducing circuit complexity. In order to alter encoders and decoders, the GOLAY binary coding mechanism must be used. The proposed system is designed to save electricity, reduce delay time, and speed up the encoding and decoding processes.
Stroke prevention in an octogenarian with atrial fibrillation, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and intracerebral hemorrhage. Case report
Authors: Stöllberger Claudia , Finsterer Josef , Schneider Birke
Published: July 2022

Introduction: In patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and atrial fibrillation (AF), both antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy for prevention of embolic stroke increases the risk of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has, therefore, been suggested as an alternative to antithrombotic therapy in patients with CAA.Case description: A man in his mid-80s suffered from ICH and CAA was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. He had a history of arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, monoclonal gammopathy (IgG kappa), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Four months previously, edoxaban 60 mg/d had been prescribed because of permanent AF. Blood pressure at admission was 170/80 mm Hg. The NT-pro-BNP level was 1819 ng/L (reference value: < 486 ng/L). The electrocardiogram showed AF. Echocardiography showed an enlarged left atrium, left ventricular wall thickening, good systolic function and diastolic dysfunction. Edoxaban was stopped and the ICH resolved within 16 days. Interventional LAAC was considered but eventually not performed because of the following reasons: 1. Postinterventional antiplatelet therapy to prevent device-associated thrombus formation would expose him to the risk of recurrent ICH. 2. Aggravation of heart failure may occur due to the missing hemodynamic and endocrine properties of the left atrial appendage. Thus, optimization of antihypertensive therapy without any antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy was recommended. Thirteen months after ICH, no further hemorrhagic or ischemic events had occurred. Conclusion: In view of the lack of randomized clinical trials in patients with CAA, ICH and AF, neither LAAC nor anticoagulant nor antiplatelet therapy but a healthy lifestyle with a blood-pressure target of < 120/80 mmHg should be recommended to prevent recurrent ICH.
Efficacy and safety of Anlotinib plus PD-1 blockade for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer：A Retrospective study
Authors: Pan Xiaoting , Dai Anwei
Published: July 2022

Purpose: Both anlotinib and programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1) have been demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in clinical. However, the number of prospective research of this combination therapy is limited in the literature. In this retrospective study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib plus PD-1 blockade for the treatment of advanced NSCLC patients. Methods： 40 advanced NSCLC patients who received combination treatment at traditional Chinese medicine hospital of Kunshan were selected between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021 and 31 eligible patients were screened for further study. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were the primary end points. The safety of the combination treatment was assessed by the incidence of adverse events. Results ： The combined therapeutic regimen of anlotinib and PD-1 blockade in 31 advanced NSCLC patients gained a median PFS of 6.4 months (95% CI 5.4-7.4 months) and the median overall survival(mOS) was 15.4 months (95% CI 13.4-17.4 months). Of all the eligible patients, 4 patients achieved partial respone(PR) and none of these patients achieved complete response(CR). The overall response rate(ORR) and the disease control rate(DCR) were 12.9% and 54.8% respectively. The common adverse events were fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, hypertension and hand-foot syndrome during the treatment. Conclusion ： The combination of anlotinib and PD-1 blockade has promising efficacy for the advanced NSCLC patients and the toxicity is tolerable.
Study on the desulfurization performance of calcium-based desulfurizer and NaHCO 3 desulfurizer
Authors: Lǖ Juan , Fu Yu , Wang Jianbo , Chen Haiyan
Published: July 2022

The commonly used Ca-desulfurizers have low desulfurization efficiency, NaHCO3-desulfurizers can meet the requirements of desulfurization efficiency, but the high price and the difficulty in handling desulfurization products, make dry flue desulfurization technology quite difficult to realize the large-scale application. Preliminary research found a new Ca-desulfurizer, to understand its performance, comparing investigation into desulfurization performance of different Ca-desulfurizer and NaHCO3-desulfurizer. The results showed that with the high-performance Ca-desulfurizer, conventional NaHCO3-desulfurizer, and ultrafine NaHCO3-desulfurizer, the operating time with 100% desulfurization efficiency is 420, 360, and 100 min, when the flue temperature of 100~300 ℃, the “break-through” temperature is 260, 200, and 200 ℃, expand the use range of desulfurizer flue gas temperature. Regarding the desulfurizer per unit mass, the production costs of ultrafine NaHCO3-desulfurizer are 5.36 times higher than Ca-desulfurizer. Compared with NaHCO3-desulfurizer, high-performance Ca-desulfurizer is characterized by several advantages, including high desulfurization efficiency, wider applicable temperatures, and low preparation cost, allowing for significant development potential in flue gas desulfurization.
Monitoring of Land Use and Land Cover Changes Using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System
Authors: Gul Shehla , Bibi Tehmina , Rahim Sabit , Gul Yasmeen , Niaz Abrar , Mumtaz Samina , Shedayi Arshad Ali
Published: July 2022

The Land use Land cover (LULC) change due to rapidly growing population is a common feature of urban area. This research aims to detect the variations in LULC from 1991-2017 of Malakand Division in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The study relies on secondary dataset downloaded from United State Geological Survey (1991, 2001, 2011 & 2017 imageries) and UN OCHA website. Maximum Likelihood technique under supervised image classification was adopted to analyze the LULC changes in between 1991 and 2017. Total six land use classes were generated including agriculture built-up area, vegetation cover, water bodies, snow cover and barren land. The results from 1991 to 2017 show a substantial reduction in snow cover and barren land which is consequence of climate change. Whereas the areas underbuilt-up, vegetation cover, and water bodies were increased. The vegetation cover increased from 28.89% to 44.67% while barren land decreased from 45.68% to 40.29 of the total area. Furthermore, the built-up area increased from 1.02% to 6.2%, whereas water covers increased from 0.63% (1991) up to 0.86% (2017) of the total area. The study concludes that there is immense need of planning to preserve natural habitat for sustainable development in the area.
Experimental investigation of thermal efficiency and thermal performance improvement of compound parabolic concentrator collector utilizing SiO2/Ethylene glycol-Water nanofluid
Authors: Khaledi Omid , Saedodin Seyfolah , rostamian seyed hadi
Published: July 2022

Compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collector has been used in present study due to its proper performance and lower operating costs per unit of heat increase compared to other tracker concentrators. This type of collector has been given more attention in industrial and domestic applications in the temperature range of 60°C to 300°C. Also, in order to increase the thermal efficiency (TE), nanofluid (NF) containing SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) in ethylene glycol (EG)-Water hybrid base fluid (10-90 Vol.%) has been used in three different volumetric fractions. The innovations of the present study include the utilization of mentioned NFs for the first time in this collector, which has good stability and cost-effective compared to other NPs. In addition, the experimental measurement of thermal and hydraulic properties of NFs could be considered as one of the new aspects of the present study. The experiments have been performed using three volumetric fractions of 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% under extensive solar radiation. Thermal performance (TP) at various volumetric flow rates (VFRs) in steady-state conditions has been investigated according to ASHRAE standard 93-2010 (RA2014). According to the experimental data, the TE of the collector was improved by 5 to 11.6%, when the NF was utilized. The maximum enhancements of the average Nusselt number of the NF versus the base fluid at the VFR of 1 Lit/min and the volumetric fraction of 1.5% are equal to 7.3%. Besides, NF increased the pressure drop and consequently the pumping power raised by a maximum of 3.58%. Finally, to consider Simultaneous both the impacts of heat transfer and pressure drop, performance evaluation criteria (PEC) and overall efficiency for NF have been analyzed. The results represented that in all volumetric fractions, the values ​​of performance evaluation criteria and overall efficiency enhanced compared to the base fluid. This research provides researchers and engineers with useful information in order to better understand the thermal and hydraulic parameters of the parabolic compound concentrator in the presence of NF to improve its TP. The results also highlight the potential of using SiO2 NPs to improve the TE of solar collectors despite their low thermal conductivity compared to other conventional NPs.
Factors Associated with Treatment Escalation for Psoriasis: an Electronic Health Record Platform for Retrospective and Prospective Real-world Studies
Authors: Rhoads Jamie L. W. , Malatestinic William N. , Burge Russel , Ganz Michael L. , Duffin Kristina C.
Published: July 2022

Background
Electronic health records (EHRs) offer the possibility of using data entry templates to simultaneously perform routine documentation during clinical care and to capture disease-specific measures as discrete data elements that can be used for health services research (HSR). The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with meaningful treatment escalation of psoriasis as a pilot study for future real-world retrospective and prospective comparative effectiveness studies, including pragmatic clinical trials.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with psoriasis by using data collected in the course of routine clinical care from an EHR using EpiCare® SmartForms customized for psoriasis. The Psoriasis SmartForm records body surface area (BSA) affected, plaque and overall Physician Global Assessments (pPGA and oPGA), and a patient-reported severity rating scale as well as descriptive findings (e.g., lesion locations, symptoms such as itch or pain) to generate visit notes. These clinical data were extracted and analyzed to identify factors associated with meaningful treatment escalation (MTE), defined as changing or adding phototherapy or systemic oral or biologic therapy.
Results
We identified 473 patients with psoriasis who had at least three consecutive visits between October 2015 and October 2018; 239 patients underwent MTE between their first (Visit 1) and third (Visit 3) observed visits, while 234 patients did not. Patients who experienced MTE had more severe disease at Visit 1 as assessed by BSA, pPGA, oPGA, and the patient-reported measure than patients who did not experience MTE. Other factors associated with MTE included use of topical medications only or no active treatment at Visit 1, palmoplantar disease phenotype and involvement of other difficult-to-treat body areas. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, we found that patients who underwent MTE experienced larger improvements in disease severity than those who did not.
Conclusions
This study highlights how data collected during routine clinical practice can be readily used for real-world retrospective HSR studies when disease measures are captured discretely. This approach could provide a cost-effective platform to conduct retrospective and prospective real-world studies, pragmatic trials, and comparative effectiveness research.
Short- and long-term prognosis of primary PCI in nonacute stent thrombosis STEMI
Authors: Wang Tianjie , Dong Junle , Yang Zhuoxuan , Jin Chen , Guan Changdong , Yuan Jiansong , Qiao Shubin , Xu Bo , Yang Yuejin , Yang Weixian
Published: July 2022

Objectives: To compare short and long-term prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) caused by de novo lesions or nonacute stent thrombosis treated by primary PCI.Background: The incidence of acute stent thrombosis has decreased significantly, however, with the extension of postoperative time, patients still have a possibility of developing nonacute stent thrombosis.Methods: A total of 8069 STEMI patients who undergoing primary PCI from the China Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (CAMI) were enrolled and divided into a nonacute stent thrombosis group and a de novo lesion group according to angiographic thrombosis findings. Propensity score matching (1∶2) according to baseline risk factors was performed between the two groups. The primary outcome was the incidence of all-cause mortality in the hospital and at the 1-year and 2-year follow-ups. The secondary outcome was the incidence of all major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in the hospital and at follow-ups.Results: A total of 121 STEMI patients(96 males) with nonacute stent thrombosis and 7948 STEMI patients(6473 males) with de novo lesions were enrolled. After propensity score matching, 121 patients were enrolled in the nonacute stent thrombosis group and 242 patients in the de novo lesion group. The incidences of recurrent MI (4.7% vs. 0.9%, P=0.039) and MACEs (14.8% vs. 7.4% at the 1-year follow-up, P=0.034; 18.0% vs. 9.1% at the 2-year follow-up, P=0.020) was higher in the nonacute stent thrombosis group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced age, female sex, history of diabetes, chronic renal insufficiency and low preoperative EF were independent risk factors for all-cause death at 2 years. Stent thrombosis was an independent risk factor for MACEs at the 1- and 2-year follow-ups but not for all-cause death.Conclusions: The nonacute stent thrombosis group had a higher incidence of recurrent MI and MACEs at follow-up than the de novo lesion group. Nonacute stent thrombosis was an independent risk factor for all MACEs, but not mortality, at the 1-year and 2-year follow-ups.Trial registration: CAMI, NCT01874691, Registered 11/06/2013, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01874691?term=01874691&draw=2&rank=1
Recognition and monitoring of the feeding behavior of dairy cows based on video and TCS-YOLO model
Authors: Yu Zhenwei , Liu Yuehua , Yu Sufang , Wang Ruixue , Song Zhanhua , Yan Yinfa , Li Fade , Wang Zhonghua , Tian Fuyang
Published: July 2022

Animal feeding behavior is an important animal welfare evaluation index. For an automatic monitoring of dairy cow feeding behaviors based on the deep learning technology, this paper proposes a quantity model for the recognition of dairy cow feeding behaviors and head movements. This model can automatically identify the feeding, chewing, and grass-bending behaviors of multiple dairy cows and track and quantify the feeding process and head movement trajectory of dairy cows in real time. This paper proposes a Transformer-Convolution Block Attention Module-Squeeze and Excitation-You Only Look Once (TCS-YOLO) model, which is an improved deep learning model based on You Only Look Once v5 (YOLOv5). By adding the transformer, Convolution Block Attention Module (CBAM), and Squeeze and Excitation (SE) enhancement modules, the feature extraction ability of the YOLOv5 model and the detection accuracy of the model are improved. It is further combined with the Deep Sort algorithm to track the trajectory of the heads of dairy cows when feeding. A total of 10,288 images were extracted from the top-view and front-view videos during the feeding process to construct a training set and a test set, and the TCS-YOLO model was tested and verified. The test results showed that the accuracy in detecting dairy cow feeding behaviors was 77.73% and 76.32%, the recall rate was 82.57% and 86.33%, and the mean average precision was 83.7% and 76.81%. Compared with the YOLOv5 model, the overall performance of the proposed model improved by 6–8%. It combined well with the Deep Sort target tracking algorithm, which could accurately track the feeding behaviors of dairy cows and suppress the change in their identity document. The research results can effectively solve the problems of poor recognition accuracy of feeding behaviors and insufficient feature extraction in complex breeding environments while providing an important reference guide for intelligent animal husbandry and precise breeding.
Eugenol inhibits neutrophil myeloperoxidase in vitro and attenuates LPS-induced lung inflammation in mice
Authors: Chniguir Amina , Saguem Mohamed Hedi , El-Benna Jamel , Bachoual Rafik
Published: July 2022

Eugenol (Eug) is a polyphenol extracted from the essential oil of Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry (Myrtaceae). Health benefits of eugenol in human diseases were proved in several studies. This work aims to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of eugenol in chronic lung pathologies. For this purpose, using human neutrophils, the antioxidant activity of eugenol was investigated in vitro. Animal model of LPS-induced lung injury was used to study the anti-inflammatory effect, in vivo. Results showed that eugenol inhibits luminol-amplified chemiluminescence of resting neutrophils and after stimulation with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLF) peptide or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). This effect was dose dependent and was significant from a low concentration of 0.1 µg/mL. Furthermore, eugenol inhibited myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity without affecting its dégranulation. Eugenol has no scavenging effect on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2.-). Pretreatment of mice with eugenol prior to the administration of intratracheal LPS significantly reduced neutrophil accumulation in the bronchoalveloar lavage fluid (BALF) and decreased protein concentration. Moreover, eugenol clearly inhibited the activity of matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, stimulated by LPS administration. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of eugenol against the LPS-induced lung inflammation could be exerted via inhibiting myeloperoxidase and metalloproteinases activity. Thus, eugenol could be a promising molecule for the treatment of lung diseases.
Associations between Gut Microbiota and Metabolism of Bisphenol A in Sprague-Dawley Rat
Authors: Zhao Nan , Mao Lingling , Mao weili , Zhao Meirong , Hu Zefu , jin hangbiao
Published: July 2022

Many studies have investigated the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure on gut microbial community changes, while the influence of gut microbiota on metabolism of BPA in organisms remains not well known. To explore this, in this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were intermittently (a 7-day interval) or continuously dosed by oral gavage at 500 µg BPA/kg bw/day for 28 days. Under a 7-day interval BPA exposure, the metabolism of BPA in rats and gut microbiota structure did not change greatly with dosing time. In contrast, following continuous BPA exposure, the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in rat gut were significantly increased, and the alpha diversity of rat gut bacteria was greatly reduced. Meanwhile, the mean proportion of BPA sulfate to total BPA in rat blood was gradually decreased from 30 (day 1) to 7.4% (day 28). After 28 days of continuous exposure, the mean proportion of BPA glucuronide to total BPA in rat urine elevated from 70 to 81%, and in rat feces the mean proportion of BPA gradually decreased from 83 to 65%. Under continuous BPA exposure, the abundances of 27, 25, and 24 gut microbial genera were significantly correlated with the proportion of BPA or its metabolites in rat blood, urine, and feces, respectively. Overall, this study first demonstrates that continuous BPA exposure disrupted the rat gut microbiota community, which in turn altered the metabolism of BPA in rats. This finding contributes to the better understanding of metabolism of BPA in humans.
The efficacy and safety of sarcomeric contractile activators in patients with reduced ejection fraction in heart failure: a network meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Beibei , Zhao Jikai , Li Zhi , Yu Liming , Wang Huishan
Published: July 2022

Background: Sarcomeric contractile activators are small molecules that target myocardium to increase contractility. So far, great progress has been achieved regarding their preventive actions against idiopathic heart failure. Specifically, Levosimendan, Omecamtiv mecarbil and Danicamtiv are all sarcomeric contractile activators, while, to date, direct comparative studies of these drugs in the treatment of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are lacking. Methods: Network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of these drugs in HFrEF patients. The primary endpoint was heart rate, and the secondary endpoints were all-cause death, dizziness, hypotension as well as cardiac failure events. Results: A total of 22 randomized controlled trials involving 11410 participants were included. Omecamtiv mecarbil was superior to placebo (1.64(1.12, 2.17)) and Levosimendan (2.96(0.39, 5.55)) in controlling heart rate. The incidence of all-cause death caused by Levosimendan was lower than placebo (0.05(-0.47, 0.58)) and Omecamtiv mecarbil (0.05(-0.48, 0.59)). The incidence of cardiac failure events caused by Levosimendan was lower than placebo (-0.19(-0.46, 0.09)) and Omecamtiv mecarbil (-0.11(-0.40, 0.18)). Conclusions: In HFrEF patients, Omecamtiv mecarbil was superior to placebo and Levosimendan in controlling heart rate. Levosimendan induced all-cause death and cardiac failure events better than placebo and Omecamtiv mecarbil in HFrEF patients.
Baicalein 5, 6, 7-trimethyl ether from Physalis pubescens L. leaves ameliorate the effect of epirubicin in HepG2 cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy
Authors: Al-Ashmawy Ghada , Abo-Saif Mariam , El-Sherbeni Suzy
Published: July 2022

Context:
flavonoids have a pivotal cytotoxic effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Aims
To reveal which flavonoid isolated from Physalis pubescens L. leaves exerts the most cytotoxic effect against HepG2 liver cancer cells and if it could ameliorate epirubicin efficacy and safety through regulating apoptosis and autophagy.
Methods
Baicalein trimethyl ether (BTE), rutin, quercitrin and myricitrin were isolated from Physalis Pubescens L. leaves. HepG2 cells were treated with the isolated flavonoids as well as a combination of BTE and epirubicin. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay after 48hr treatment. In addition, the chromosomal DNA fragmentation in HepG2 cells, a biochemical hallmark of apoptosis, was assessed. Autophagy and apoptosis markers, ATG7 and TGF-β1, were determined by RT-qPCR.
Results
BTE showed the best cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells (IC50 = 95.6 ± 5.849 µg/mL). Combination of epirubicin with (200µg/mL) BTE significantly decreased the IC50 of epirubicin from 2.79 ± 0.626 µg/mL to 0.76 ± 0.258 µg/mL (p = 0.04). Moreover, the same combination significantly increased the IC50 of BTE against WI-38 normal cells (p < 0.0001). DNA fragmentation was increased in HepG2 cells treated with BTE and BTE + epirubicin compared to untreated cells. BTE and BTE + epirubicin significantly downregulated gene expression of TGF-β1 while upregulated ATG7 gene expression.
Conclusions
BTE (200µg/mL) significantly increased the cytotoxicity of epirubicin against HepG2 cells and increased its safety profile. It could exert anti-hepatocarcinoma effect via increasing apoptosis and autophagy. It could be a promising adjuvant therapy to ameliorate epirubicin cytotoxicity against HCC with less adverse effects.
Urea-ammoniated cowpea husk in goat diet: Feed utilisation, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen utilisation, blood metabolites and growth performance
Authors: Olafadehan Olurotimi Ayobami , Okunade Sunday Adewale , Kholif Ahmed Eid , Oludare Toyin Rachael , Okoye Godwin Chukwunonso , Onwih Efiong Etim , Anaso Emmanuel Ugochukwu , Gero Abubakar , Shoyombo Ayoola John
Published: July 2022

The study investigated the effect of urea-ammoniated cowpea husk (UCH) as a substitute for dried brewers’ grains (DBG) on voluntary intake, ruminal fermentation, apparent digestibility, nitrogen retention, serum metabolites and growth performance of eighteen growing Red Sokoto goats. Goats were stratified into three groups: no UCH (control), 350 g/kg UCH and 700 g/kg UCH replacing 0, 500 and 1000 g/kg of DBG respectively. Average daily gain, organic matter (OM) and acid detergent fibre digestibility, digestible OM, metabolisable energy, nitrogen balance and retention, ruminal volatile fatty acid, digestible OM fermented in the rumen, microbial protein synthesis, and serum glucose and aspartate transaminase were increased quadratically (P < 0.05) in 350 g/kg UCH diet. Whereas dry matter and neutral detergent fibre digestibility increased linearly and quadratically (P < 0.05), feed:gain ratio and total N excretion decreased linearly with 350 g/kg UCH diet. Faecal N (linear and quadratic, P < 0.01) and crude protein (CP) digestibility, digestible CP and ruminal pH (linear, P < 0.01) decreased, but urinary N, ruminal total N and ammonia N and serum urea N (linear, P < 0.05) increased with increasing UCH level. Urea-ammoniated cowpea husk is a complete substitute for DBG in goat diet but 350 g/kg UCH optimised the productive performance and metabolic welfare.
Intimate Partner Violence Among Pregnant Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021
Authors: Mamo Israel , Haile Kinfe , Hussein Hassen
Published: July 2022

Background
Intimate partner violence (IPV) continues to be a challenge in the 21st century. IPV is social problem stipulated with many sectors and affecting at multiple levels. The aim of the study was to determine magnitude and associated factors of intimate partner violence during pregnancy at selected hospitals in Addis Ababa.
Methods
Multicenter cross sectional study conducted. Four hundred twenty pregnant women attending Antenatal care selected from the hospitals in proportion to their client load from April 2021- May 2021. Data collected using modified standard questionnaire for IPV. Data analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics and multivariate binary logistic regression computed. Statistical testes were considered significant when P < 0.05.
Result
The magnitude of intimate partner violence in pregnancy was 48.6%. Women with no formal education (AOR = 7.73, CI = 2.18, 27.38), lack of occupation in women (AOR = 2.82, CI = 1.39, 5.69), intimate partners with primary education (AOR = 3.62, CI = 1.36, 9.66), intimate partner alcohol consumption (AOR = 4.45, CI = 2.34, 8.47), lack of financial freedom(AOR = 10.58,CI = 5.03, 22.24) and unplanned pregnancy (AOR = 6.78, CI = 3.76, 12.23) were factors associated with intimate partner violence towards pregnant women.
Conclusion
Almost one in two women studied were victims of some form of intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Lower educational status, intimate partner alcohol consumption, lack of economic freedom as well as unemployment and unplanned pregnancy were associated with
Medial arch support of foot orthoses is associated with knee valgus angle at initial contact during cutting manoeuvres: a controlled laboratory study
Authors: Toyooka Seikai , Tsukada Keisuke , Yasui Youich , Saho Yasuaki , Okawa Yasuaki , Ando Shuji , Nakagawa Takumi , Kawano Hirotaka , Miyamoto Wataru
Published: July 2022

Background
We aimed to clarify the effect of medially posted foot orthoses on kinematics and kinetics of the knee joint in female athletes.
Methods
Sixteen female collegiate-level athletes who played basketball or volleyball volunteered to participate in this study. Participants were asked to perform a 30° sidestep cut with their dominant leg using orthoses of 3 different medial arch heights, comprising of the following: 1) “low,” a full flat foot orthosis without medial arch support 2) “mid,” a commercially available foot orthosis with general height arch support, and 3) “high,” a foot orthosis with double the commercially available height for arch support to observe the effect on the knee when overcorrected. Kinematics and kinetics of the knee joint were collected by a markerless motion capture system with 2 force plates and compared between orthosis types using linear regression analysis.
Results
The knee valgus angle at initial contact was 2.3 ± 5.2 degrees for “low” medial arch support height, 2.1 ± 5.8 degrees for “mid,” and 0.4 ± 6.6 degrees for “high.” Increased arch support height significantly decreased the knee valgus angle at initial contact. Other kinematic and kinetic measurements did not differ between groups.
Conclusions
The valgus angle of the knee at initial contact was decreased by the height of the medial arch support provided by foot orthosis during cutting manoeuvres. Increasing the arch support height may decrease knee valgus angle at initial contact. Medial arch support of foot orthosis may be effective in risk reduction of ACL injury.
Smartphone ophthalmoscope as a tool in teaching direct ophthalmoscopy: a crossover randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wang Hongxi , Liao Xulong , Zhang Mingzhi , Pang Chi Pui , chen haoyu
Published: July 2022

Background
To evaluate the effectiveness of smartphone ophthalmoscope (SO) in teaching ophthalmoscopy, compared with direct ophthalmoscope (DO).
Methods
In this cross-over study, forty-five final-year medical students attending sessions at a single institution were randomly allocated to two groups (A and B). Both groups attended two training sessions. In the first session, Group A students were taught ophthalmoscopy using DO and Group B students using SO. In the second session, the training sessions were crossed over. A series of eye models with 10 letters placed on the inner surface were designed to assess the students' skill on ophthalmoscopy. Students performed ophthalmoscopy on the eye models, recorded their findings and completed a questionnaire of feedback on DO and SO. The main outcome measure was the score of ophthalmoscopy, assessed by the student correctly recording each letter (score 1 for each letter).
Results
For Group A, the mean score of ophthalmoscopy on the eye model using DO and SO was 3.9 ± 2.4 and 8.2 ± 2.2, respectively. For Group B, the respective mean scores were 5.7 ± 3.5 and 8.7 ± 1.8. Students scored significantly higher in ophthalmoscopy when using SO than DO (P < 0.001). They expressed better visualization of the fundus using SO than DO (4.49 ± 0.65 vs 4.13 ± 0.81, P = 0.004).
Conclusions
Students' performance of ophthalmoscopy was better when SO was used compared with DO. The use of SO as an adjunctive tool is recommended and should improve the effectiveness of teaching ophthalmoscopy.
Trial registration:
ChiCTR2100054018. Registered 6 December, 2021 - Retrospectively registered.
Effect of Handing a Written Document to Share Concerns and Values to Physicians When Making Decisions About Starting Drug Treatment Among Patients: A Pre-post Quasi-experimental Study with Propensity Score Matching.
Authors: Bito Seiji , Iioka Tomomi , Yamada Yasuhiro , Hiraoka Eiji , Miyagami Taiju , Nago Naoki , Mori Takahiro , Sato Masamichi , Okada Tadao , Asai Atsushi
Published: July 2022

Background
Little evidence surrounds the effectiveness of decision aids to encourage physicians’ understanding of patients’ subjective perceptions. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of using a patient-filled standard template to express patients’ views, preferences, or concerns to their physicians in a clinical decision-making setting, on patients’ perceived decisional conflict and post-decision regrets.
Methods
A pre-post quasi-experimental study with a six-month control period followed by a 12-month intervention period. Participants came from six teaching hospitals and two clinics in Japan. The target population included 150 patients affected by diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and/or dyslipidemia, whose physicians had recently suggested to start drug treatment as a medical option. In the control period, a booklet on general informed consent was distributed, while in the intervention period, a “template for shared decision-making” was also provided. Patients were asked to fill out the template, which was then attached to the electronic medical records.
Results
Two months after enrollment, the decision conflict and decision regret scales were mailed to the patients. Three months after enrollment, the decision status about starting drug treatment and the concordance between the patients’ decision status and initial medical recommendation were observed. Seventy-nine and seventy-one participants assigned to the control and intervention groups were enrolled. Fifty-five patient pairs generated by propensity score matching were analyzed. No significant difference was observed between both groups in the decision conflict scale’s subscale scores and decision regret scale scores. The relative risk of the patients with a decision status of “still considering” regarding starting drug treatment was 2.2 (95% CI, 1.02–4.9) in the intervention group. The concordance rate between the physicians’ recommendation for starting drug treatment at enrollment and the patients’ actual decision made was 78.2% and 90.9% in the control and intervention groups, respectively (relative risk = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.05–2.2).
Conclusions
Using a template document to express patients’ personal values and feelings to their physicians is associated with longer deliberation times in making decisions about starting drug treatment; this may lead to decisions that are closer to medical recommendations.
The Identification and Verification of Hub Genes Associated with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Using Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis
Authors: Wu Weibin , Chen Ai , Lin Siming , Wang Qiuran , Lian Guili , Luo Li , Xie Liangdi
Published: July 2022

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary arterial pressure, with complex etiology, difficult treatment and poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential biomarkers for PAH based on bioinformatics analysis.Methods: The GSE117261 datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by screening PAH patients and controls. Then the DEGs were analyzed using a Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and the key modules were determined, and to further explore their potential biological functions via Gene Ontology analysis (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway analysis (KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Moreover, Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to identify hub gene candidates in the key modules. Finally, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was supplied to detected the expressions of hub genes in pulmonary arterial smooth cells (PASMCs) treated with cobalt chloride (COCl2) which was used to mimic hypoxia.Results: There were 2299 DEGs identified. WGCNA indicated that yellow module was the key one correlated with PAH. GO and KEGG analysis demonstrated that genes in the yellow module were mainly enriched in ‘Pathways in cancer’. GSEA revealed that ‘HALLMARK_MYC_TARGETS_V1’ was remarkably enriched in PAH. Based on the PPI network, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT), PNN interacting serine and arginine rich protein (PNISR) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H1(HNRNPH1) were identified as the hub genes. Additionally, the PCR indicated that the elevated expressions of PNISR and HNRNPH1 were in line with the bioinformatics analysis. ROC analysis determined that PNISR and HNRNPH1 could serves as potential biomarkers to provide better diagnosis of PAH.Conclusion: PNISR and HNRNPH1 were potential biomarkers to diagnosis PAH. In summary, the identified DEGs, modules, pathways, and hub genes provide clues and shed light on the potential molecular mechanisms of PAH.
V-shaped uterine suture (VUS): A new suturing technique to control lower uterine bleeding in placenta previa or accreta during cesarean section
Authors: Aoki Showa , Tomita Junko , Takahara Tokuei
Published: July 2022

Background: Uterine compression sutures have been reported to be an effective intraoperative hemostatic method in placenta previa or accreta. Nonetheless, this suture narrows the cavity of the lower uterine segment, making additional hemostatic measures difficult. Furthermore, extensive blockage of blood perfusion, in both the anterior and posterior walls, increases the risk of ischemia. Patients and Methods: We developed a V-shaped uterine suture (VUS), in which the suture was applied only on the side of placental detachment, including the area of the internal uterine ostium. Of the 20 cases of partial and total placenta previa diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasonography, between January 2018 and December 2021, VUS was performed in 14 cases using the following criteria: 1) gushing bleeding from the vicinity of the internal uterine ostium; 2) once the bleeding was removed, the time taken to re-fill the uterine cavity below the uterine incision, was 5 s or less.Results: The mean intraoperative blood loss was 1212±463 ml (range: 700-2100 ml). All procedures were completed in < 5 min, without the need for blood transfusion. Ultrasonography showed no uterine abnormalities on the fourth postoperative day or during the one-month follow-up evaluation.Conclusion: VUS is a simple and quick suturing technique to control massive hemorrhage in placenta previa or accreta with no narrowing of the lower part of the uterus and minimal blockage of the uterus. We suggest that VUS should be performed first, to obtain reliable hemostasis and prevent critical hemorrhagic damage.
Never in mitosis gene A related kinase-6 deficiency deteriorates diabetic cardiomyopathy via regulating Heat shock protein 72
Authors: Shao Shuangyin , Xiao Lili , Jia Meng , Zhang Chuyang , Zhao Guojun , Yao Rui , Wang Xiaofang , Gao Lu
Published: July 2022

NIMA (never in mitosis, gene A)-related kinase-6 (NEK6) a cell cycle regulatory gene was found to regulate cardiac hypertrophy. However, it’s role in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) have not been fully elucidated. This research was designed to illustrate the effect of NEK6 involved in DCM. Here we used a streptozotocin (STZ) induced mice diabetic cardiomyopathy model and NEK6 knockout mice to explore the role and mechanism of NEK6 on DCM. NEK6 knockout mice and wild type littermates were subjected to STZ injection (50mg/kg/d for five constitute days) to induce DCM model. As a result, 4 months after final STZ injection, DCM mice revealed cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis and systolic and diastolic dysfunction. NEK6 deficiency caused deteriorated cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis as well as cardiac dysfunction. Moreover, we observed serve inflammation and oxidative stress in NEK6 deficiency mice heart under DCM pathology. We used an adenovirus to overexpress NEK6 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, and found that NEK6 ameliorated high glucose induced inflammation, and oxidative stress. Mechanismly, we found that NEK6 increased phosphorylation of heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) and enhanced the protein level of PGC-1α, NRF2. Co-IP assay experiment confirmed that NEK6 interacted with HSP72. When we silence HSP72 the anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative stress effects of NEK6 were blurred. In summary, NEK6 could protect diabetic induced cardiomyopathy via interacting with HSP72 and promoting the HSP72/PGC-1α/NRF2 signaling.
Design and Modelling of Defective Single and Double Layered Graphene : Nano Resonators
Authors: Makwana Manisha , Patel Ajay M
Published: July 2022

Nano sensors and actuators are frequently made of graphene. Any defect in the graphene's manufacturing has an impact on its sensing performance and on its dynamic behaviour. Using a molecular structure mechanics technique, the influence of pinhole defects and atomic defects on the performance parameters of single layer graphene sheets (SLGS) and double layer graphene sheets (DLGS) with various boundary conditions and lengths is explored. In contrast to the perfect nanostructure of a graphene sheet, defects are described as holes formed by atomic vacancies. As the number of defects increases, the simulation results show that the presence of defects has the greatest impact on the resonance frequency of SLG and DLG. The interlayer separation in the form of Van der Waals interaction is modelled using characteristic spring element. The upper and lower sheets of DLGS are described as elastic beams connected by a spring element. For the purposes of analysis, two distinct types of boundary conditions (BD) are identified: cantilever and bridged. The influence of pinhole defect (PD) and atomic vacancy defect (AVD) on armchair, zigzag, and chiral SLGS and DLGS was investigated in this article using FEM based atomic Molecular Structure. The influence of both types of defects is largest when it is adjacent to the fixed support for all three different types of graphene sheets, i.e., Armchair, Zigzag, and Chiral. The model has been tested against previous research. The focus of this research is to develop a mechanism for determining how defects affect graphene frequency band.
Combined transcriptome and metabolite profiling analyses provide insights into the chronic toxicity of carbaryl and acetamiprid to Apis mellifera larvae
Authors: Gao Jing , Yang Yang , Ma Shilong , Liu Feng , Wang Qiang , Wang Xing , Wu Yanyan , Zhang Li , Liu Yongjun , Diao Qingyun , Dai Pingli
Published: July 2022

Despite many studies have revealed that developing honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae are posting a high risk on exposure to insecticides, but the toxicology information on bee larvae remain limited. The present study demonstrated the first assessment of the effects of no observed adverse effect concentration (NOAEC) of carbaryl (CR) and acetamiprid (ACE) on transcriptome and metabolome in honeybee larvae rearing in vitro. Chronic exposure to carbaryl caused a transcriptional response to oxidative stress. In addition, a series of metabolic homeostasis disrupted by carbaryl stress, such amino acid metabolism, purine and pyrimidine metabolism and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis. The activities of enzymic biomarkers including GST, P450, CAT, AChE and SOD were not influenced by ACE stress, while the CR exposure slightly decreased the activity of CAT and SOD. Our results clearly show that ACE and CR varied in their influence on modulation of transcriptome and metabolome, potentially associated with their different toxicity against bee larvae.
Radiomics analysis and metastatic patients: can we really continue to sidestep intra-patient tumor heterogeneity ?
Authors: Henry Théophraste , Sun Roger , Lerousseau Marvin , Estienne Théo , Robert Charlotte , Besse Benjamin , Robert Caroline , Paragios Nikos , Deutsch Eric
Published: July 2022

After promising results for localized cancer disease, radiomics analysis has been applied to the metastatic setting, sidestepping the potential intertumoral intrapatient heterogeneity captured by radiomics features. Our aim was to evaluate if radiomics features can capture intertumoral intrapatient heterogeneity, and the impact of tumor subsampling on the computed heterogeneity. To this end, We delineated all visible tumors from single acquisition pre-treatment computed tomography of patients with metastatic lung cancer or melanoma, and extracted tumor radiomics features. All robust radiomics indexes exhibited at least 20% of variation with significant heterogeneity both in heavily and oligo metastasized patients, and also at the organ level. None of the segmentation subsampling strategies were able to recover the true tumoral heterogeneity obtained by exhaustive tumor sampling. Further, we discussed potential limitations of predictive algorithms when this kind of heterogeneity is not taken into account.