bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deciphering the miRNA transcriptome of Rongchang pig longissimus dorsi at weaning and slaughter time points
Authors: Chen Xiaochang , Zhao Chen , Dou Mingle , Sun Yunmei , Yu Taiyong , Pang Weijun , Yang Gongshe
Published: February 2020

MicroRNA (miRNA) is essential for the process of gene posttranscriptional regulation in skeletal muscle of many species, such as mice, cattle and so on. However, a little number of miRNAs have been reported in the muscle development of Chinese native pig breeds. In this study, the longissimus dorsi transcripts of Chinese native Rongchang pig at weaning and slaughter time points were analysed for miRNA‐seq. The results showed that 19 novel and 186 known miRNAs involved in the Rongchang pig skeletal muscle development were identified. Based on these findings, we further confirmed that porcine miR‐127, miR‐299 and miR‐432‐5p were obviously down‐expressed in adult pig (287 days of age), while miR‐7134‐3p and 664‐5p were significantly up‐expressed in weaning pig (35 days of age). In other words, these miRNAs could be the potential molecular markers and play vital roles in the muscle development process. Moreover, we found miR‐127 could inhibit the proliferation and myogenesis of porcine satellite cells in longissimus dorsi muscle. Our findings will provide deep insight into miRNA function for pork quality research with Chinese indigenous pig breeds.
Piloting a food photo sorting activity in Samoa to assess maternal beliefs and their role in child diet
Authors: Tanawattanacharoen Veeraya K. , Choy Courtney C. , Anesi Trevor J. , Naseri Take , Soti‐Ulberg Christina , Reupena Muagututia S. , Hawley Nicola L.
Published: February 2020

Eating habits begin forming early in life when parental beliefs and behaviours often play a major role in shaping dietary intake. We aimed to assess maternal beliefs about the cost, social status, and nutritional value of foods in Samoa—a setting with an alarming burden of childhood obesity—and to determine how those beliefs may be related to child dietary intake. Samoan mothers (n = 44) sorted photographs of 26 foods commonly consumed in children in Samoa by cost, social status, and nutritional value (healthfulness). Responses were then assessed for their association with child dietary intake (reported using a food frequency questionnaire) using Pearson correlations. Mothers indicated that traditional Samoan foods were healthier, of higher social status, and lower cost compared with non‐traditional/imported food items. Compared with nutritional experts and a market survey of food prices, mothers demonstrated strong nutritional (r = .87, 95% CI [0.68, 0.95], p < .001) and consumer (r = .84, 95% CI [0.68, 0.93], p < .001) knowledge. The perceived cost of food was more strongly associated (r = −.37, 95% CI [−0.66, 0.02], p = .06) with child dietary intake than either healthfulness or social status, with decreasing consumption reported with increasing food cost. Our findings contradicted the notion that the high social status of imported foods may be contributing to increased intake and rising prevalence of childhood obesity in this developing country setting. Despite their nutritional knowledge, Samoan mothers may need additional support in applying their knowledge/beliefs to provide a healthy child diet, including support for access to reasonably priced healthy foods.
On Reinstating “Part I” and “Part II” to Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations – A Supplementary Note
Authors: Knott Hugh A.
Published: February 2020

I have argued previously in this journal for the reinstatement of the titles “Part I” and “Part II” to Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, these having been replaced by “Philosophical Investigations” and “Philosophy of Psychology – A Fragment” by the editors of the 4th edition. My case for reinstatement was based principally on the written testimonies of Wittgenstein’s literary executors and first editors of the Investigations. Since the publication of my paper, further evidence of Wittgenstein’s publication intentions, from the diaries of his friend M. O’C. Drury, has come to my attention, which I now present. The current editors are urged to respond.
Audit of red blood cell transfusion in patients with acute leukemia at a tertiary care university hospital
Authors: Jaime‐Pérez José Carlos , García‐Salas Gerardo , Áncer‐Rodríguez Jesús , Gómez‐Almaguer David
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion support is essential in patients with acute leukemia (AL). A restrictive RBC transfusion approach is assumed to be safe for most individuals with AL. The aim of this audit was to assess RBC transfusion appropriateness in AL patients at an academic center.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

RBC transfusions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia patients of all ages between January 1, 2013, and March 31, 2019, were analyzed for adherence to evidence‐based criteria. Transfusion appropriateness was compared among ordering specialties, patient locations, and hematologic diagnoses. Pretransfusion hemoglobin was compared between categories. Overtransfusion rates were also analyzed. Descriptive statistics and categorical and numerical tests were employed to determine statistical significance.

RESULTS

A total of 510 RBC transfusions were received by 133 AL patients in the departments of internal medicine, hematology, and pediatrics. Overall, 84.5% were appropriate according to established criteria. Internal medicine was the ordering department with the highest rate of appropriateness (88.1%). The outpatient clinic was the location with the highest adherence (85.9%), whereas the intensive care unit had the lowest (70%; p = 0.03). The reasons for most appropriate and inappropriate transfusions were asymptomatic anemia with a hemoglobin below (60.6%) or above (69.6%) 7 g/dL in patients without cardiac disease, respectively. Overtransfusion was present in 22% of episodes.

CONCLUSION

RBC transfusion in AL patients reflected good adherence to guidelines. However, continuing education in transfusion medicine and prospective chart auditing are needed to improve adherence to established guidelines.
A Stabilizing Control Algorithm for Asynchronous Parallel Quadratic Programing via Dual Decomposition
Authors: Lee Kooktae
Published: February 2020

This paper proposes a control algorithm for stable implementation of asynchronous parallel quadratic programing (PQP) through a dual decomposition technique. In general, distributed and parallel optimization requires synchronization of data at each iteration step due to the interdependency of data. The synchronization latency may incur a large amount of waiting time caused by an idle process during computation. We aim to mitigate this synchronization penalty in PQP problems by implementing asynchronous updates of the dual variable. The price to pay for adopting asynchronous computing algorithms is the unpredictability of the solution, resulting in a tradeoff between speedup and accuracy. In the worst case, the state of interest may become unstable owing to the stochastic behavior of asynchrony. The stability condition of asynchronous PQP problems is investigated by employing the switched system framework. A formal algorithm is provided to ensure the asymptotic stability of dual variables. Furthermore, it is shown that the implementation of the proposed algorithm guarantees the uniqueness of optimal solutions, irrespective of asynchronous behavior. To verify the validity of the proposed methods, simulation results are presented.
Control-Oriented Modeling and Repetitive Control in In-Layer and Cross-Layer Thermal Interactions in Selective Laser Sintering
Authors: Wang Dan , Jiang Tianyu , Chen Xu
Published: February 2020

Although laser-based additive manufacturing (AM) has enabled unprecedented fabrication of complex parts directly from digital models, broader adoption of the technology remains challenged by insufficient reliability and in-process variations. In pursuit of assuring quality in the selective laser sintering (SLS) AM, this paper builds a modeling and control framework of the key thermodynamic interactions between the laser source and the materials to be processed. First, we develop a three-dimensional finite element simulation to understand the important features of the melt pool evolution for designing sensing and feedback algorithms. We explore how the temperature field is affected by hatch spacing and thermal properties that are temperature-dependent. Based on high-performance computer simulation and experimentation, we then validate the existence and effect of periodic disturbances induced by the repetitive in- and cross-layer thermomechanical interactions. From there, we identify the system model from the laser power to the melt pool width and build a repetitive control algorithm to greatly attenuate variations of the melt pool geometry.
A Study of Improving the Formability of the Commercial Pure Titanium Foils
Authors: Zhu Jiaqi , Nunnally Alex , Gau Jenn-Terng , Xu Siguang
Published: February 2020

In order to obtain the optimum forming process for commercial pure titanium grade 2 foils, a series of tensile tests and micro scale limited dome height (µ-LDH) tests at four temperatures, and meso scale limited dome height tests (meso-LDH) with three punch speeds were conducted on the as-received foils with a thickness of 75 µm. The effects of temperature, geometry, and high-velocity impact were investigated to understand their influences on the formability of the foils. It has been found in the tensile tests that the formability can be improved by elevating temperatures; this has been validated by the µ-LDH tests. Based on forming limit diagrams (FLDs) of the meso-LDH specimens, the high-velocity impact forming process results in not only much better formability but also more uniform thickness distributions than the quasi-static. By analyzing the fractographical scanning electron microscope (SEM) pictures of the meso-LDH specimens, it has been proven that the formability of the foils by using high-velocity impact process is superior to the conventional process. Furthermore, high-velocity impact causes forming limit curve (FLC) to shift in the upper right direction on the right-hand side of FLD. Therefore, it is suggested forming the foils by using high-velocity impact forming process at the elevated temperature for obtaining a better formability and more uniform thickness distribution. It is also recommended to make the radius of the LDH hemisphere punch close to the smallest feature of the designed products for obtaining more accurate FLCs.
Relationship Between Personal and Social Responsibility and the Roles Undertaken in Sport Education
Authors: Guijarro Eva , MacPhail Ann , González-Víllora Sixto , Arias-Palencia Natalia María
Published: February 2020

Purpose: To examine the impact of undertaking roles in Sport Education on responsibility levels of elementary school students.Method: Forty-one fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in a 15-lesson season. Students undertook five different roles into the Sport Education season and presented differing initial perceived responsibility scores.Results: Results in this study convey students’ responsibility improvements for both personal and social responsibility during a season of Sport Education. There are differences in students with low perceived responsibility depending on the role they undertake, whereas students with high perceived responsibility do not present any difference according to the role they perform.Conclusion: In the physical education context, the teachers have to consider the personal characteristics of the students in the process of mapping students to roles.
Data-driven discovery of changes in clinical code usage over time: a case-study on changes in cardiovascular disease recording in two English electronic health records databases (2001–2015)
Authors: Rockenschaub Patrick , Nguyen Vincent , Aldridge Robert W , Acosta Dionisio , García-Gómez Juan Miguel , Sáez Carlos
Published: February 2020

Objectives

To demonstrate how data-driven variability methods can be used to identify changes in disease recording in two English electronic health records databases between 2001 and 2015.

Design

Repeated cross-sectional analysis that applied data-driven temporal variability methods to assess month-by-month changes in routinely collected medical data. A measure of difference between months was calculated based on joint distributions of age, gender, socioeconomic status and recorded cardiovascular diseases. Distances between months were used to identify temporal trends in data recording.

Setting

400 English primary care practices from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD GOLD) and 451 hospital providers from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).

Main outcomes

The proportion of patients (CPRD GOLD) and hospital admissions (HES) with a recorded cardiovascular disease (CPRD GOLD: coronary heart disease, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, stroke; HES: International Classification of Disease codes I20-I69/G45).

Results

Both databases showed gradual changes in cardiovascular disease recording between 2001 and 2008. The recorded prevalence of included cardiovascular diseases in CPRD GOLD increased by 47%–62%, which partially reversed after 2008. For hospital records in HES, there was a relative decrease in angina pectoris (−34.4%) and unspecified stroke (−42.3%) over the same time period, with a concomitant increase in chronic coronary heart disease (+14.3%). Multiple abrupt changes in the use of myocardial infarction codes in hospital were found in March/April 2010, 2012 and 2014, possibly linked to updates of clinical coding guidelines.

Conclusions

Identified temporal variability could be related to potentially non-medical causes such as updated coding guidelines. These artificial changes may introduce temporal correlation among diagnoses inferred from routine data, violating the assumptions of frequently used statistical methods. Temporal variability measures provide an objective and robust technique to identify, and subsequently account for, those changes in electronic health records studies without any prior knowledge of the data collection process.
Phase II study of pembrolizumab and capecitabine for triple negative and hormone receptor-positive, HER2−negative endocrine-refractory metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Shah Ami N , Flaum Lisa , Helenowski Irene , Santa-Maria Cesar A , Jain Sarika , Rademaker Alfred , Nelson Valerie , Tsarwhas Dean , Cristofanilli Massimo , Gradishar William
Published: February 2020

Background

Response rates to single agent immune checkpoint blockade in unselected pretreated HER2−negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are low. However, they may be augmented when combined with chemotherapy.

Methods

We conducted a single-arm, phase II study of patients with triple negative (TN) or hormone receptor-positive endocrine-refractory (HR+) MBC who were candidates for capecitabine. Patients were treated with pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously day 1 and capecitabine 1000 mg/m2by mouth twice daily on days 1–14 of a 21-day cycle. The primary end point was median progression-free survival (mPFS) compared with historic controls and secondary end points were overall response rate (ORR), safety and tolerability. The study had 80% power to detect a 2-month improvement in mPFS with the addition of pembrolizumab over historic controls treated with capecitabine alone.

Results

Thirty patients, 16 TN and 14 HR+ MBC, were enrolled from 2017 to 2018. Patients had a median age of 51 years and received a median of 1 (range 0–6) prior lines of therapy for MBC. Of 29 evaluable patients, the mPFS was 4.0 (95% CI 2.0 to 6.4) months and was not significantly longer than historic controls of 3 months. The median overall survival was 15.4 (95% CI 8.2 to 20.3) months. The ORR was 14% (n=4), stable disease (SD) was 41% (n=12) and clinical benefit rate (CBR=partial response+SD>6 months) was 28% (n=8). The ORR and CBR were not significantly different between disease subtypes (ORR 13% and 14%, CBR 25% and 29% for TN and HR+, respectively). The 1-year PFS rate was 20.7% and three patients have ongoing responses. The most common adverse events were low grade and consistent with those seen in MBC patients receiving capecitabine, including hand-foot syndrome, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue and cytopenias. Toxicities at least possibly from pembrolizumab included grade 3 or 4 liver test abnormalities (7%), rash (7%) and diarrhea (3%), as well as grade 5 hepatic failure in a patient with liver metastases.

Conclusions

Compared with historical controls, pembrolizumab with capecitabine did not improve PFS in this biomarker unselected, pretreated cohort. However, some patients had prolonged disease control.

Trial registration number

NCT03044730.
Clinical use of 4D flow MRI for quantification of aortic regurgitation
Authors: Alvarez Ana , Martinez Vicente , Pizarro Gonzalo , Recio Manuel , Cabrera Jose Ángel
Published: February 2020

Objective

The main objective of the present study was to compare the use of four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI with the habitual sequence (two-dimensional phase-contrast (2DPC) MRI) for the assessment of aortic regurgitation (AR) in the clinical routine.

Methods

This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with varying grades of AR. For the purposes of the present study, we selected all the cases with a regurgitant fraction (RF)>5% as determined by 2DPC MRI (n=34). In all cases, both sequences (2DPC and 4D flow MRI) were acquired in a single session to ensure comparability. We compared the results of the two techniques by evaluating forward flow, regurgitant flow and regurgitation fraction. Then, the patients were divided into subgroups to determine if these factors had any influence on the measurements: aortic diameter (≤ vs >38 mm), valve anatomy (tricuspid vs bicuspid/quadricuspid), stenosis (gradient ≥15 vs <15) and region of interest location (aortic valve vs sinotubular junction).

Results

No statistically significant differences were observed between the two techniques with Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) of forward flow (r=0.826/p value<0001), regurgitant flow (r=0.866/p value<0001) and RF (r=0.761/p value<0001).

Conclusions

The findings of this study confirm the value of 4D flow MRI for grading AR in clinical practice with an excellent correlation with the standard technique (2DPC MRI).
Student perceptions of “doing” hematology physiology practicals
Authors: D Savitha , A Taniya
Published: February 2020

Although hands-on experience in hematology practical work has been an integral part of physiology education, the students’ perception on the importance of the same has remained largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to explore students’ perception on the importance of “doing” hematology experiments. The first-year medical students of the 2017–18 batch filled out a semistructured questionnaire at the end of the course of hematology practicals. The questionnaire captured their perception of the importance of doing hematology practicals on their own blood, the assessment of the same, and its value in medical training. Students indicated that doing practicals individually by pricking themselves was a necessary part of physiology teaching ( n = 126 responses: 43 men, 83 women; 86%). They felt that it not only improved their knowledge ( n = 120: 39 men, 81 women; 82%) and fine-motor skills ( n = 107: 41 men, 66 women; 73%), but also molded their attitude ( n = 101: 41 men, 60 women; 69%), gearing them to become empathetic and confident doctors. They felt that some practicals were unnecessary/outdated; this needs attention. While suggesting a few modifications in the practical curriculum, almost all students felt that the practicals should be continued for future batches. Students felt that doing hematology practical work was a necessary part of their training. It improved their knowledge, skills, and attitude, making them more empathetic and confident doctors.
Diffusion MRI Findings in Encephalopathy Induced by Immunosuppressive Therapy after Liver Transplantation
Authors: Tinelli Emanuele , Locuratolo Nicoletta , Pierallini Alberto , Rossi Massimo , Fattapposta Francesco
Published: February 2020

Neurological complications are common after liver transplantation, as they affect up to one-third of the transplanted patients and are associated with significant morbidity. The introduction of calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine A and tacrolimus, in immunosuppressive regimens significantly improved the outcome of solid-organ transplantation even though immunosuppression-associated neurotoxicity remains a significant complication, particularly occurring in about 25% of cases after liver transplantation. The immunosuppressant cyclosporine A and tacrolimus have been associated with the occurrence of major neurological complications, diffuse encephalopathy being the most common. The biochemical and pathogenetic basis of calcineurin inhibitors-induced neurotoxicity are still unclear although several mechanisms have been suggested. Early recognition of symptoms could help reduce neurotoxic event. The aim of the study was to evaluate cerebral changes through MRI, in particular with diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps, in two patients undergoing liver transplantation after immunosuppressive therapy. We describe two patients in which clinical pictures, presenting as a severe neurological condition, early after orthotopic liver transplantation during immunosuppression therapy, showed a different evolution in keeping with evidence of focal-multifocal lesions at DWI and ADC maps. At clinical onset, DWI showed hyperintensity of the temporo-parieto-occipital cortex with normal ADC values in the patient with following good clinical recovery and decreased values in the other one; in the latter case, MRI abnormalities were still present after ten days, until the patient’s exitus. The changes in DWI with normal ADC may be linked to brain edema with a predominant vasogenic component and therefore reversible, while the reduction in ADC is due to cytotoxic edema and linked to more severe, nonreversible, clinical picture. Brain MRI and particularly DWI and ADC maps provide not only a good and early representation of neurological complications during immunosuppressant therapy but can also provide a useful prognostic tool on clinical outcome of the patient.
Thirty-Day Outcomes following Pediatric Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Surgery: A NSQIP Pediatrics Analysis
Authors: Gallaway Kathryn E. , Ahn Junho , Callan Alexandra K.
Published: February 2020

Background. Pediatric bone and soft tissue sarcomas are rare; therefore, national registries are essential tools for orthopedic oncology research. Past studies provide excellent data on long-term prognosis and survival trends but fail to examine treatment-specific morbidity. The aim of this study is to use a national registry to describe patient demographics, comorbidities, and adverse events in the first thirty days following surgical management of pediatric bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Methods. A retrospective review of patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program—Pediatrics database (NSQIP-P) was performed. The cohort was partitioned by tumor origin (bone versus soft tissue) and tumor location (axial versus appendicular). Results. One-hundred ninety-two patients were identified. Bone sarcomas were more common (71.9%) and predominately appendicular (62.3%), while soft tissue sarcomas were predominately axial (77.8%). The overall complication rate was 8.9%. The most frequent etiologies were wound dehiscence (3.6%) and infectious complications such as surgical site infections (2.6%), pneumonia (1.6%), urinary tract infections (1.6%), and C. diff colitis (1.0%). Twenty-four percent of patients experienced bleeding requiring transfusion. The unplanned readmission rate was 12.5% (3.6% related to principle procedure), and the unplanned reoperation rate was 4.7% (4.2% related to principle procedure). The mortality rate was 1.0%. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with higher rates of wound dehiscence and infectious complications. There were no differences in adverse events with respect to tumor origin or location. Conclusion. Approximately 1 in 11 pediatric patients will experience a complication in the first thirty days following surgery. However, perioperative mortality remains low. This study represents the first comprehensive review of pediatric bone and soft tissue sarcoma surgery in the NSQIP-P database. As the case volume of NSQIP-P continues to grow, NSQIP-P has the potential to become a powerful tool for pediatric orthopedic oncology research.
Safety and Localization of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Human Adipose Tissue-Associated Hyaluronic Acid: A Preclinical Study
Authors: dos Santos Machado Janaína José , Piñeiro Bernard Gomes , Ramos Isalira Peroba , de Souza Sergio Augusto Lopes , Gutfilen Bianca , Nicola Maria Helena , de Souza Paulo Roberto Cotrim , Cruz Eduardo , Goldenberg Regina Coeli
Published: February 2020

Millions of plastic surgeries are performed worldwide every year with the objective of correcting lipodystrophies stemming from lesions, tumor resections, birth defects, and AIDS-associated antiretroviral therapy. Besides that, a large number of clinical research have assessed the outcome of procedures that rely on combinations of dermal fillers and autologous cells. However, little is known about the safety of these combinations and the localization of the injected cells. The aim of this study was to test the toxicity of a solution containing 1% hyaluronic acid (HA) and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) from the human adipose tissue and to assess the localization of the injected cells, with and without HA, labeled with technetium-99m.Rats received subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injections of a solution containing 1% HA/adipose-derived stromal cells isolated from the human fat tissue. The animals were then observed for up to forty-two days. The solution tested in this study did not result in systemic, biochemical, or anatomic alterations that could represent toxicity symptoms. The association of HA and ASCs labeled with technetium-99m remained at the site of the injection within a period of twenty-four hours, as demonstrated by a whole-body imaging software fusion of SPECT and CT. In conclusion, our study shows that the subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injection of HA associated with adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) is safe. The association of HA and ASCs did not induce local or systemic toxicity. Thus, the administration of volume equal to or less than 0.2 mL of the agent filler (1×106ASC+HA 1%) should be considered for subsequent studies and may be an alternative to dermal fillers due to the expected lasting effects.
From Chance to Serendipity: Knowledge Workers’ Experiences of Serendipitous Social Encounters
Authors: Olshannikova Ekaterina , Olsson Thomas , Huhtamäki Jukka , Paasovaara Susanna , Kärkkäinen Hannu
Published: February 2020

Serendipity refers to uncontrolled circumstances that lead to unexpected yet fortunate discoveries. The phenomenon has been studied extensively in relation to information retrieval. However, serendipity in the context of social encounters has been the subject of few empirical studies. In professional life, social serendipity might result in benefits such as fruitful collaboration, successful recruitment, discovery of novel information, and acquisition of crucial new perspectives from peers. Despite the potential significance of serendipity, particularly for knowledge work, there is a lack of empirical understanding of related subjective experiences and the role of technology within the process of encountering unsought findings. This qualitative study investigates knowledge workers’ detailed narratives of serendipitous social encounters and the related factors through an analysis of 37 responses to an international online survey. We provide a detailed account of the experiential characteristics and contextual qualities of the reported instances of social serendipity. Finally, we discuss the seemingly minor role of technology in social serendipity and research avenues to computationally enhance social serendipity.
Effect of Lifestyle Changes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Revascularization
Authors: Wang Yang , Xian Ying , Chen Tao , Zhao Yanyan , Yang Jinggang , Xu Bo , Li Wei
Published: February 2020

Objective. Whether optimal cardiovascular health metrics may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in secondary prevention is uncertain. The study was conducted to evaluate the influence of lifestyle changes on clinical outcomes among the subjects underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods. The study group consists of 17,099 consecutive PCI patients. We recorded data on subject lifestyle behavior changes after their procedure. Patients were categorized as ideal, intermediate, or poor CV health according to a modified Life’s Simple 7 score (on body mass, smoking, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose). Multivariable COX regression was used to evaluate the association between CV health and revascularization event. We also tested the impact of cumulative cardiovascular health score on reoccurrence of cardiovascular event. Results. During a 3‐year median follow‐up, 1,583 revascularization events were identified. The observed revascularization rate was 8.0%, 9.3%, and 10.6% in the group of patients with optimal (a modified Life’s Simple 7 score of 11–14), average (score = 9 or 10), or inadequate (less or equal than 8) CV health, respectively. After multivariable analysis, the adjusted hazard ratios were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73–0.94) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.79–0.99) for patients with optimal and average lifestyle changes comparing with the inadequate tertile (P for trend = 0.003). In addition, each unit increase in above metrics was associated with a decrease risk of revascularization (HR, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.93–0.98; P < 0.001). Conclusion. Ideal CV health related to lower incidence of cardiovascular events, even after the percutaneous coronary intervention. Revascularization can be reduced by lifestyle changes. The cardiovascular health metrics could be extrapolated to secondary prevention and need for further validation.
Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of the Angiolipoma at Hypopharynx-Esophageal Introitus
Authors: Liu Lu , Miao Feng , Guo Hai-Mei , Li Nuo , Jiao Shu-Hua , Cai Shuang , Liu Peng-Liang , Zhang Shan-Shan , Ma Jia , Weng Yang , Sun Ying , Tang Yin-Si , Zhao Feng , Zheng Yan , Zhang Shen , Yang Yan , Yu Yang , Tian Lei , Zhao Zhi-Feng
Published: February 2020

Angiolipoma in the region of the hypopharynx-esophageal introitus is a rare occurrence. Surgical treatment was performed in the few cases reported in the literature. Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a minimally invasive treatment for hypopharyngeal and esophageal lesions. Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of ESD for treatment of angiolipoma at the hypopharynx-esophageal introitus. The patients with submucosal tumors at the hypopharynx-esophageal introitus were diagnosed as angiolipoma by preoperative evaluation with endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, and computed tomography (CT). The patients who were diagnosed with angiolipoma agreed to undergo endoscopic submucosal dissection. Under general anesthesia and endotracheal intubation, ESD was used to remove the lesions. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of endoscopic submucosal dissection. From January 2013 to December 2018, 6 cases of angiolipoma were treated with ESD with a success rate of 100%. The average operation time was 107.0±69.4 minutes. Intraoperative blood loss is the main risk. Endoscopic thermocoagulation successfully stopped bleeding in all cases. Pharyngeal pain and painful swallowing were the main clinical signs. There was no stricture at the hypopharynx-esophageal introitus after the operation. ESD treatment of angiolipoma at hypopharynx-esophageal introitus is feasible, safe, and effective.
Misplacement of Tracheostomy Tube in the Right Main Bronchus: a Rare Complication
Authors: Amirian Armin , Shahriarirad Reza , Ziaian Bizhan , Mardani Parviz , Erfani Amirhossein
Published: February 2020

A 38-year-old woman known case of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the cervical esophagus due to increasing dyspnea and stridor attributed to the pressure effect of the primary mass was scheduled for tracheostomy, which ended up in the right main bronchus. This rare complication occurred using a tracheostomy tube number 7.5 via a vertical tracheotomy over 4th and 5th tracheal rings. The misplacement was confirmed by chest X-ray and fiberoptic bronchoscopy, and the tracheostomy tube was successfully repositioned in a nonoperative approach.
Late Recurrence in Ovarian Dysgerminoma Presenting as a Primary Retroperitoneal Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Sato Yuichiro , Hayashi Tohru , Yamamoto Hidetaka , Niina Ichiro , Kuroki Naoya , Iwamura Takeshi , Onishi Junji
Published: February 2020

Ovarian dysgerminoma is a rare type of germ cell tumor. The majority of patient relapses occur within 2 years of diagnosis. Here, we report the case of a 74-year-old woman with a history of ovarian dysgerminoma 39 years earlier. The patient visited the hospital presenting with heartburn. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a right retroperitoneal mass, and a primary retroperitoneal tumor was suspected. She underwent surgical resection of the retroperitoneal tumor. Histological examination confirmed a metastatic dysgerminoma to the retroperitoneum. Postoperative CT showed paraaortic and cervical lymph node metastases. The patient was treated with bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin chemotherapy. This case demonstrates the difficulties that may be encountered in the differential diagnosis of a retroperitoneal mass and underlines the necessity for understanding a patient’s clinical history.
Neoadjuvant Radiation with Concurrent 5-FU Resulting in Complete Pathologic Response in Stage IIIB Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Urethra
Authors: Suthar Krishna H. , Kesireddy Meghana , Sides Mark , Correa Amit , Ukudeyva Aijan , Venkatesan Rohit
Published: February 2020

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urethra is a rare malignancy, comprising less than 1% of all malignancies. The annual age-adjusted incidence of urethral SCC is 4.3 per million in men and 1.5 per million in women. Due to the rarity of the disease, there are a limited number of prospective randomized controlled trials to evaluate the optimal management of locally advanced urethral SCC. Here, we present the case of a 47-year-old man with stage IIIB urethral squamous cell cancer that showed complete clinical and pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation with only 5-flurouracil after incomplete response to traditional chemotherapy with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP).
Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Medium onto Perlite-Based Geopolymer
Authors: Saufi Hamid , El Alouani Marouane , Alehyen Saliha , El Achouri Mohammed , Aride Jilali , Taibi M’hamed
Published: February 2020

In this work, geopolymer synthesized with perlite and an alkaline activator medium was evaluated as a new adsorbent and photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye from an aqueous medium. The functional group, the structure, and the morphology of the raw and the synthesized materials were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, and SEM analysis. The degradation of MB in the contaminated solution was examined using the spectrophotometric technique. Several analysis methods revealed the formation of the aluminosilicate gel after the geopolymerization reaction. The kinetics data with UV and without UV irradiations were well fitted with the pseudo-second-order equation. The results indicated that the degradation efficiency of cationic dye by perlite-based geopolymer without and with UV was up to 88.94% and 97.87% in 4 hours, respectively. The degradation efficiencies of methylene blue are in the following order: perlite-based geopolymer under UV irradiations is greater than perlite-based geopolymer without UV irradiations that is larger than UV irradiations. The overall experimental results suggested that the new elaborated material with synergetic adsorption and photocatalytic activities has a great potential for the treatment of water contaminated by hazardous substances.
Clinicopathological Analysis of Five Cases of NUT Midline Carcinoma, including One with the Gingiva
Authors: Zhou Luting , Yong Xiang , Zhou Jun , Xu Jiankun , Wang Chaofu
Published: February 2020

Aims. NUT midline carcinoma (NMC) is a rare, poorly differentiated carcinoma defined by the presence of NUT gene rearrangement. In order to better understand the diagnostic and clinicopathologic features of this disease as they pertain to clinical practice, we have herein compiled findings pertaining to 5 cases of NMC at our institution. Methods. Clinicopathological findings from 5 NMC cases were retrospectively reviewed, with histologic findings being reassessed and summarized accordingly. Tumor samples in the present study had been stained for markers including NUT, P63, P40, TTF‐1, keratin, CK7, Syn, CD56, CgA, CD34, CD117, EGFR, and Ki‐67. All cases were subjected to both fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and followed up. Results. Of these 5 NMC cases, 2 were males and 3 were females, with ages ranging from 26 to 69 years. A total of 2 cases localized to the lung, 1 to the larynx, 1 to the maxillary gingiva, and 1 to the orbital cavity. Upon microscopic assessment, these tumors appeared as clusters of small rounded cells with interstitial neutrophil infiltration. Squamous epithelial differentiation varied between samples. NUT staining revealed strong diffuse nuclear staining in tumor cells, and FISH confirmed the presence of NUT gene translocation in these samples. Conclusions. NMC is a form of highly invasive cancer that can manifest in a number of tissues including the gingiva. NMC tumors have a fairly well‐defined pathological morphology, and both immunohistochemistry and FISH are valuable for NMC diagnosis.
Epstein–Barr Virus miRNA BART2-5p Promotes Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Suppressing RND3
Authors: Jiang Chen , Li Lei , Xiang Yan-Qun , Lung Maria Li , Zeng Tingting , Lu Jiabin , Tsao Sai Wah , Zeng Mu-Sheng , Yun Jing-Ping , Kwong Dora L.W. , Guan Xin-Yuan
Published: February 2020

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-related malignancy. Recently, we found that the EBV-encoded miRNA BART2-5p was increased in the serum of patients with preclinical nasopharyngeal carcinoma and that the copy number positively correlated with disease progression. In this study, we established its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression and explored underlying mechanisms and clinical significance. BART2-5p was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for progression-free survival and its circulating abundance positively associated with distant metastasis. Ectopic expression of BART2-5p promoted migration and invasion of EBV-negative nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, whereas genetic downregulation of BART2-5p in EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells decreased aggressiveness. Mechanistically, BART2-5p targeted RND3, a negative regulator of Rho signaling. Downregulation of RND3 phenocopied the effect of BART2-5p and reconstitution of RND3 rescued the phenotype. By suppressing RND3, BART2-5p activated Rho signaling to enhance cell motility. These findings suggest a novel role for EBV miRNA BART2-5p in promoting nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis and its potential value as a prognostic indicator or therapeutic target.

Significance:

This study shows that EBV-encoded BART2-5p miRNA suppresses expression of the RND3 Rho family GTPase, consequently promoting ROCK signaling, cell motility, and metastatic behavior of NPC cells.
Abdominal Wall Dyskinesia: Case Report
Authors: Cavdar Leyla , Ajasin Solomon , Woolf Scott , Fekete Robert
Published: February 2020

The clinical presentation of repetitive choreiform involuntary movements of the anterior abdominal wall was first introduced as “belly dancer’s dyskinesia.” Etiologies of this rare condition include idiopathic causes, medication inducement, or post-abdominal surgery. We report a case of orobuccal stereotypic movements and abdominal wall dyskinesia secondary to prochlorperazine intake. The movements began 2 weeks after cessation of prochlorperazine. The patient took this dopamine receptor-blocking medication for 6 months to treat nausea due to chemotherapy. To our knowledge, abdominal wall dyskinesia as a tardive syndrome of prochlorperazine has not been previously reported.
ПЕРЕДОЗУВАННЯ ОПІОЇДАМИ: ЯК НАДАТИ ДОМЕДИЧНУ ДОПОМОГУ
Authors: Kosa T. V.
Published: February 2020

У статті описано порядок надання домедичної допомоги особам при підозрі на передозування опіоїдами.
Fuzzy Deep Medical Diagnostic System: Gray Relation Framework and the Guiding Functionalities for the Professional Sports Club Social Responsibility
Authors: Qiao Zebo , Yin Jianjun
Published: February 2020

Fuzzy deep medical diagnostic system based on gray relation framework and the guiding functionalities for the professional sports club social responsibility is proposed in this paper. Medical high-tech has two features, namely formal logic and mathematics. That is to say, they use formal
logic to build the theoretical system, which requires that the principles of the medical science and technology are defined clearly in concept, the reasoning is rigorous and logical and its mathematics requires its pursuit of precision in the work, and a mathematical language to reveal the
internal relations between the present images. Medical technology for tissue damage mild disease is often unchecked, when the patient’s own symptoms and feelings are often more accurate than the instrument. Inspired by this, this paper integrates the deep learning model to construct
the intelligent diagnostic system. The gray relation is designed to improve the traditional CNN model and the revised algorithms also combine the sensitive data analysis framework. At the meanwhile, application scenario on the professional sports club social responsibility is demonstrated.
Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the designed system. The diagnostic accuracy has reached 98.38% which performs better compared with the other state-of-the-art methodologies.
Medical Information Forensics System Based on Convolutional Neural Network with Pattern Finding Prior
Authors: Shao Chenghui , Zhang Qixun , Song Yang , Zhu Dong
Published: February 2020

Hospital Information System HIS is an indispensable technical support environment and infrastructure for modern hospitals. It reflects the comprehensive management of a modern hospital. Many hospitals have established local networks and implemented some subsystems, such as inpatient
toll collection systems and drug management systems, which have yielded some success. Medical information forensics is a comprehensive process of using scientific methods to collect network data, identify intrusion, analyze data, store data, determine the reason of intrusion tp enhance security
equipment and trigger alarm procedures. In this paper, we study the concepts and techniques of medical information forensics, and discuss the definition, classification, sources and characteristics of medical information forensics. The deep learning model and the data analytic framework are
combined to provide the comprehensive analysis of the research. The technique novelty is validated through the experiment. The simulation compared with the other state-of-the-art methodologies proves the efficiency of the method.
An Iterative Axial and Lateral Ultrasound Strain Estimator Using Subband Division
Authors: Peng Hui , Tie Juhong , Guo Dequan
Published: February 2020

Conventional ultrasound strain imaging usually only calculates the axial strain. Although axial strain is the main component of two dimensional strain field, lateral displacement and strain estimation can provide additional information of human mechanical properties. Shear strain and
Poisson’s ratio can be estimated by using lateral strain estimation technique. Low lateral sampling rate and decorrelation noise of lateral radio frequency (RF) signal caused by axial displacement motion increase the difficulty of lateral strain estimation. Subband division technique
is to divide a broadband signal into several narrowband signals. In this paper, the application of subband division technique in axial and lateral strain estimation is studied, and an iterative method for estimating axial and lateral strains is proposed based on subband technique. The subband
division of this method is carried out along the axial direction, so that the bandwidth of the lateral subband signal is maintained and the quality of the lateral sub strain image is not reduced. In this paper, the number of subbands is three; the compounded lateral strain image is obtained
by superimposing these sub strain images on the average. In each iteration, the temporal stretching technique is used to align the axial and lateral RF signals by using the axial and lateral displacement estimation information, which reduces the decorrelation noise of the RF signals. The length
of temporal stretching window decreases with the number of iterations, so as to gradually improve the accuracy of temporal stretching. The phase zero algorithm is used to estimate the axial and lateral displacements. The effectiveness of this method is tested by simulations. The simulation
results show that the elastographic signal-to-noise ratio (SNRe) of lateral strain image is increased by about 50%, the elastographic contrast noise ratio (CNRe) of lateral strain image is increased by about 120%, the SNRe of axial strain image is increased by about 4%, the CNRe of axial strain
image is increased by 8%, and the signal-to-noise ratio of Poisson’s ratio image is increased by about 40%.
Improved Age Estimation Mechanism from Medical Data Based on Deep Instance Weighting Fusion
Authors: Li Yongming , Zheng Yuanlin , Wang Pin , Zhang Xinzheng , Zeng Xiaoping , Li Xinke
Published: February 2020

Age estimation is very useful in the fields of pattern recognition and data mining, especially for medical problems. The current methods of age estimation do not consider the relationships among instances, especially the internal hierarchical structure, which limits the potential improvement
of the age estimation error. A deep age estimation mechanism based on deep instance weighting fusion is proposed to solve this problem. First, an iterative means clustering (IMC) algorithm is designed to construct the hierarchical instance space (multiplelayer instance space) and obtain multiple
trained regression models. Second, a deep instance weighting fusion (DIWF) mechanism is designed to fuse the results from the trained regression models to produce the final results. The experimental results show that the mean absolute error (MAE) of the estimated ages can be decreased significantly
on two publicly available data sets, with relative gains of 4.97% and 0.8% on the Heart Disease Data Set and Diabetes Mellitus Data Set, respectively. Additionally, some factors that may influence the performance of the proposed mechanism are studied. In general, the proposed age estimation
mechanism is effective. In addition, the mechanism is not a concrete algorithm but framework algorithm (or mechanism), and can be used to generate various concrete age estimation algorithms, so the mechanism is helpful for related studies.