bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Treatment With a Marine Oil Supplement Alters Lipid Mediators and Leukocyte Phenotype in Healthy Patients and Those With Peripheral Artery Disease
Authors: Schaller Melinda S. , Chen Mian , Colas Romain A. , Sorrentino Thomas A. , Lazar Ann A. , Grenon S. Marlene , Dalli Jesmond , Conte Michael S.
Published: July 2020

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an advanced form of atherosclerosis characterized by chronic inflammation. Resolution of inflammation is a highly coordinated process driven by specialized pro‐resolving lipid mediators endogenously derived from omega‐3 fatty acids. We investigated the impact of a short‐course, oral, enriched marine oil supplement on leukocyte phenotype and biochemical mediators in patients with symptomatic PAD and healthy volunteers.

Methods and Results

This was a prospective, open‐label study of 5‐day oral administration of an enriched marine oil supplement, assessing 3 escalating doses in 10 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with PAD. Over the course of the study, there was a significant increase in the plasma level of several lipid mediator families, total specialized pro‐resolving lipid mediators, and specialized pro‐resolving lipid mediator:prostaglandin ratio. Supplementation was associated with an increase in phagocytic activity of peripheral blood monocytes and neutrophils. Circulating monocyte phenotyping demonstrated reduced expression of multiple proinflammatory markers (cluster of differentiation 18, 163, 54, and 36, and chemokine receptor 2). Similarly, transcriptional profiling of monocyte‐derived macrophages displayed polarization toward a reparative phenotype postsupplementation. The most notable cellular and biochemical changes over the study occurred in patients with PAD. There were strong correlations between integrated biochemical measures of lipid mediators (specialized pro‐resolving lipid mediators:prostaglandin ratio) and phenotypic changes in circulating leukocytes in both healthy individuals and patients with PAD.

Conclusions

These data suggest that short‐term enriched marine oil supplementation dramatically remodels downstream lipid mediator pathways and induces a less inflammatory and more pro‐resolution phenotype in circulating leukocytes and monocyte‐derived macrophages. Further studies are required to determine the potential clinical relevance of these findings in patients with PAD.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT02719665.
A Response to My Critics
Authors: Wiebe Donald
Published: July 2020

This response replies to the previous papers.
Defining and Enabling ‘Justice’ for Victims/Survivors of Domestic Violence and Abuse
Authors: Aghtaie Nadia , Mulvihill Natasha , Abrahams Hilary , Hester Marianne
Published: July 2020

The article is based on a qualitative field study of how justice (in its wider sense) is understood by practitioners and religious leaders from Judaism, Islam and Christianity, who work with victims of domestic violence and abuse. The article focuses on two key questions: a) how do practitioners from the three faith communities conceptualise justice in relation to domestic violence and abuse (DVA)? b) how far do these practitioners believe that victims of DVA have access to justice within their respective faith communities? The findings suggest that the concept of structural spiritual abuse should be given more attention by the DVA literature and also by those who are working with women of faith.
Visuo-Proprioceptive Control of the Hand in Older Adults
Authors: Block Hannah J. , Sexton Brandon M.
Published: July 2020

To control hand movement, we have both vision and proprioception, or position sense. The brain is known to integrate these to reduce variance. Here we ask whether older adults integrate vision and proprioception in a way that minimizes variance as young adults do, and whether older subjects compensate for an imposed visuo-proprioceptive mismatch as young adults do. Ten healthy older adults (mean age 69) and 10 healthy younger adults (mean age 19) participated. Subjects were asked to estimate the position of visual, proprioceptive, and combined targets, with no direct vision of either hand. After a veridical baseline block, a spatial visuo-proprioceptive misalignment was gradually imposed by shifting the visual component forward from the proprioceptive component without the subject’s awareness. Older subjects were more variable than young subjects at estimating both visual and proprioceptive target positions. Older subjects tended to rely more heavily on vision than proprioception compared to younger subjects. However, the weighting of vision vs. proprioception was correlated with minimum variance predictions for both older and younger adults, suggesting that variance-minimizing mechanisms are present to some degree in older adults. Visual and proprioceptive realignment were similar for young and older subjects in the misalignment block, suggesting older subjects are able to realign as much as young subjects. These results suggest that intact multisensory processing in older adults should be explored as a potential means of mitigating degradation in individual sensory systems.
Retroactivating the Idea of the Avant Garde
Authors: Léger Marc James
Published: July 2020

In the late 1970s, Pierre Bourdieu argued that the field of cultural production was distinguished along class lines by three different modes of cultural habitus: bourgeois disinterestness, petty-bourgeois allodoxia and working-class necessity. Since that era, the petty-bourgeois habitus has become the dominant predisposition. Adding Bourdieu’s sociology of culture to Peter Bürger’s historicized theory of the emergence of the avant garde as a critique of the “institution art,” a new “avant garde hypothesis” becomes possible for today’s age of post-Fordist biocapitalism. Based on Jacques Lacan’s Four Discourses, the contemporary situation is shown to privilege specific forms of cultural production, in particular an activist Discourse of the Hysteric and a technocratic Discourse of the University. Psychoanalysis reveals the limits of these tendencies while also underscoring the archaic aspects of an aestheticist Discourse of the Master and the transferential logics of Analyst avant gardes.
Bulbophyllum gedangense (Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Malaxideae), a new species from Tibet, China

Authors: LUO YAN , DENG JIAN-PING , PENG YU-LAN , YAN LI-CHUN , LI JIAN-WU
Published: July 2020

Bulbophyllum gedangense (Orchidaceae), a new species from Tibet, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to B. psychoon and B. levinei, but differs from them by having longer scapes, smaller flowers, sepals subequal in length, ovate dorsal sepal with obtuse apex, obliquely triangular-ovate lateral sepals with acute apex, ovate petals with entire margins and rounded apex.
Two new names for extant Pteris species (Pteridaceae)

Authors: KOTTAIMUTHU RAMALINGAM , DHASAN NALLUCHAMY KAMALA , BASU MUTHURAMALINGAM JOTHI
Published: July 2020

Pteris Linnaeus (1753: 1073) is the largest genus in Pteridaceae (PPG I 2016) and known to have 323 species globally (POWO 2020). It is a cosmopolitan genus with maximum diversity in tropical America, Africa and Asia but a few dwells in temperate regions too (Chao et al. 2014). The brake fern genus Pteris can be characterized from other members of Pteridaceae by its marginal indusiate sporangia borne continuously along most of the length of the pinnae from commissural veins and cingulate trilete spores (Prado & Windisch 2000).
Streothrips jianshuiensis sp. n., a tropical addition to the Aeolothripidae fauna of China (Thysanoptera)
Authors: LIU HUI , MOUND LAURENCE , ZHANG HONGRUI
Published: July 2020

Streothrips jianshuiensis sp.n. is described from Yunnan, China, as the fourth species in this genus from the Oriental tropics. A key is provided to the five genera of Aeolothripidae recorded from China.
Why Does a Colder (Warmer) Winter Tend to Be Followed by a Warmer (Cooler) Summer over Northeast Eurasia?
Authors: Chen Shangfeng , Wu Renguang , Chen Wen , Li Kai
Published: July 2020

This study reveals a pronounced out-of-phase relationship between surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies over northeast Eurasia in boreal winter and the following summer during 1980–2017. A colder (warmer) winter over northeast Eurasia tends to be followed by a warmer (cooler) summer of next year. The processes for the out-of-phase relation of winter and summer SAT involve the Arctic Oscillation (AO), the air–sea interaction in the North Atlantic Ocean, and a Eurasian anomalous atmospheric circulation pattern induced by the North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Winter negative AO/North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like atmospheric circulation anomalies lead to continental cooling over Eurasia via anomalous advection and a tripolar SST anomaly pattern in the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic SST anomaly pattern switches to a dipolar pattern in the following summer via air–sea interaction processes and associated surface heat flux changes. The summer North Atlantic dipolar SST anomaly pattern induces a downstream atmospheric wave train, including large-scale positive geopotential height anomalies over northeast Eurasia, which contributes to positive SAT anomalies there via enhancement of downward surface shortwave radiation and anomalous advection. Barotropic model experiments verify the role of the summer North Atlantic SST anomalies in triggering the atmospheric wave train over Eurasia. Through the above processes, a colder winter is followed by a warmer summer over northeast Eurasia. The above processes apply to the years when warmer winters are followed by cooler summers except for opposite signs of SAT, atmospheric circulation, and SST anomalies.
Greater Future U.K. Winter Precipitation Increase in New Convection-Permitting Scenarios
Authors: Kendon Elizabeth J. , Roberts Nigel M. , Fosser Giorgia , Martin Gill M. , Lock Adrian P. , Murphy James M. , Senior Catherine A. , Tucker Simon O.
Published: July 2020

For the first time, a model at a resolution on par with operational weather forecast models has been used for national climate scenarios. An ensemble of 12 climate change projections at convection-permitting (2.2 km) scale has been run for the United Kingdom, as part of the UK Climate Projections (UKCP) project. Contrary to previous studies, these show greater future increases in winter mean precipitation in the convection-permitting model compared with the coarser (12 km) driving model. A large part (60%) of the future increase in winter precipitation occurrence over land comes from an increase in convective showers in the 2.2 km model, which are most likely triggered over the sea and advected inland with potentially further development. In the 12 km model, increases in precipitation occurrence over the sea, largely due to an increase in convective showers, do not extend over the land. This is partly due to known limitations of the convection parameterization scheme, used in conventional coarse-resolution climate models, which acts locally without direct memory and so has no ability to advect diagnosed convection over the land or trigger new showers along convective outflow boundaries. This study shows that the importance of accurately representing convection extends beyond short-duration precipitation extremes and the summer season to projecting future changes in mean precipitation in winter.
Prognostic factors for short-term patient mortality following interhospital transfers
Authors: Baykan Necmi , Aslaner Mehmet ali
Published: July 2020

Introduction:

The data on short-term mortality among patients following interhospital transfers remain uncertain in the literature, and particularly in Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of interhospital transfer patients and to investigate the factors associated with 72-h mortality.

Methods:

All interhospital transfer patients aged 16 years and above from a secondary care public hospital were evaluated retrospectively for the period January to December 2018. A total of 34 variables, including age, gender, date of transfer, referring unit, diagnosis, reason for transfer, transfer destination, waiting and transfer time, vitals, the Glasgow Coma Scale, the presence of intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation before transfer, and the use of vasopressor medication, were included in the univariate analysis. The factors associated with short-term mortality were identified by multivariate regression analysis.

Results:

During the 1-year study period, 1216 interhospital transfers were performed. A total of 116 (9.5%) patients died within 72 h following interhospital transfer. Among all the transfers, the median age was 62 (interquartile range, 39–76) years. According to the multivariate analysis, vasopressor use (odds ratio, 3.55; 95% confidence interval: 1.32–9.52), age (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.03), pulse (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.02), and diastolic blood pressure (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval: 0.95–0.99) were predictive of 72-h mortality following interhospital transfer.

Conclusion:

Nearly 10% of all the transfers from the secondary care public hospital resulted in mortality within 72 h. Vasopressor use, advanced age, lower diastolic blood pressure, and tachycardia were the most important factors associated with short-term mortality.
Zanubrutinib for the treatment of patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia: 3 years of follow-up
Authors: Trotman Judith , Opat Stephen , Gottlieb David , Simpson David , Marlton Paula , Cull Gavin , Munoz Javier , Tedeschi Alessandra , Roberts Andrew W. , Seymour John F. , Atwal Siminder Kaur , Yu Yiling , Novotny William , Holmgren Eric , Tan Ziwen , Hilger James D. , Huang Jane , Tam Constantine S.
Published: July 2020

Inhibitors of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) have established therapeutic activity in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Zanubrutinib, a potent and selective BTK inhibitor, was evaluated in a phase 1/2 study in patients with WM who were either treatment-naïve (TN) or had relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease. Patients had disease requiring treatment per International Workshop on Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (IWWM) criteria. Treatment was 160 mg of oral zanubrutinib twice daily (n = 50) or 320 mg once daily (n = 23). Efficacy endpoints included overall response rate (ORR) and very good partial response/complete response (VGPR/CR) rates per IWWM-6 criteria (with modification of VGPR definition published previously). Between September 2014 and March 2018, 77 patients (24 TN and 53 R/R) began treatment. At a median follow-up of 36.0 months for patients with R/R disease and 23.5 months for TN, 72.7% remained on treatment. Reasons for treatment discontinuation included any adverse events in 13.0% of patients (1 treatment related), disease progression (10.4%), and other (3.9%). The ORR was 95.9%, and the VGPR/CR rate was 45.2%, which increased over time: 20.5% at 6 months, 32.9% at 12 months, and 43.8% at 24 months. Estimated 3-year progression-free survival rate was 80.5%, and overall survival rate was 84.8%. Adverse events of interest included contusion (32.5%, all grade 1), neutropenia (18.2%), major hemorrhage (3.9%), atrial fibrillation/flutter (5.2%), and grade 3 diarrhea (2.6%). Long-term treatment with single-agent zanubrutinib resulted in deep and durable responses in some patients with WM. The safety profile of long-term zanubrutinib therapy in these patients was acceptable. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02343120.
Complement inhibition does not impair the clinical antiviral capabilities of virus-specific T-cell therapy
Authors: Rubinstein Jeremy D. , Zhu Xiang , Lutzko Carolyn , Leemhuis Tom , Cancelas Jose A. , Jodele Sonata , Bollard Catherine M. , Hanley Patrick J. , Davies Stella M. , Grimley Michael S. , Nelson Adam S.
Published: July 2020

Key Points

The use of terminal complement blockade is compatible with virus-specific T-cell (VST) expansion and clinical effectiveness. VST and complement-blocking agent concurrent therapy may be safely used in patients with thrombotic microangiopathy and viral infections.
Characterization, identification and expression profiling of genome-wide R-genes in melon and their putative roles in bacterial fruit blotch resistance
Authors: Islam Md. Rafiqul , Hossain Mohammad Rashed , Jesse Denison Michael Immanuel , Jung Hee-Jeong , Kim Hoy-Taek , Park Jong-In , Nou Ill-Sup
Published: July 2020

Background

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), a disease caused by Acidovorax citrulli, results in significant economic losses in melon. The causal QTLs and genes for resistance to this disease have yet to be identified. Resistance (R)-genes play vital roles in resistance to plant diseases. Since the complete genome sequence of melon is available and genome-wide identification of R-genes has been performed for this important crop, comprehensive expression profiling may lead to the identification of putative candidate genes that function in the response to BFB.

Results

We identified melon accessions that are resistant and susceptible to BFB through repeated bioassays and characterized all 70 R-genes in melon, including their gene structures, chromosomal locations, domain organizations, motif distributions, and syntenic relationships. Several disease resistance-related domains were identified, including NBS, TIR, LRR, CC, RLK, and DUF domains, and the genes were categorized based on the domains of their encoded proteins. In addition, we profiled the expression patterns of the genes in melon accessions with contrasting levels of BFB resistance at 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, and 6 d after inoculation with A. citrulli. Six R-genes exhibited consistent expression patterns (MELO3C023441, MELO3C016529, MELO3C022157, MELO3C022146, MELO3C025518, and MELO3C004303), with higher expression levels in the resistant vs. susceptible accession.

Conclusion

We identified six putative candidate R-genes against BFB in melon. Upon functional validation, these genes could be targeted for manipulation via breeding and biotechnological approaches to improve BFB resistance in melon in the future.
Outcome impact of individualized fluid management during spine surgery: a before-after prospective comparison study
Authors: Che Lu , Zhang Xiu H. , Li Xu , Zhang Yue L. , Xu Li , Huang Yu G.
Published: July 2020

Background

Individualized fluid management (IFM) has been shown to be useful to improve the postoperative outcome of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. A limited number of clinical studies have been done in orthopaedic patients and have yielded conflicting results. We designed the present study to investigate the clinical impact of IFM in patients undergoing major spine surgery.

Methods

This is a before-after study done in 300 patients undergoing posterior spine arthrodesis. Postoperative outcomes were compared between control group implementing standard fluid management (n = 150) and IFM group (n = 150) guided by fluid protocol based on continuous stroke volume monitoring and optimization. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients who developed one or more complications within 30 days following surgery.

Results

During surgery, patients received on average the same volume of crystalloids (7.4 vs 7.2 ml/kg/h) and colloids (1.6 vs 1.6 ml/kg/h) before and after the implementation of IFM. During 30 days following surgery, the proportion of patients who developed one or more complications was lower in the IFM group (32 vs 48%, p < 0.01). This difference was mainly explained by a significant decrease in post-operative nausea and vomiting (from 38 to 19%, p < 0.01), urinary tract infections (from 9 to 1%, p < 0.01) and surgical site infections (from 5 to 1%, p < 0.05). Median hospital length of stay was not affected by the implementation of IFM.

Conclusion

In patients undergoing major spine surgery, the implementation of IFM was associated with a significant decrease in postoperative morbidity.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02470221. Prospectively registered on June 12, 2015.
Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers and associated factors among children in Hawassa City, southern Ethiopia
Authors: Argaw Bedru , Mihret Adane , Aseffa Abraham , Tarekegne Azeb , Hussen Siraj , Wachamo Demelash , Shimelis Techalew , Howe Rawleigh
Published: July 2020

Background

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Limited information exists about the epidemiology of HBV infection in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess sero-prevalence of HBV markers and associated factors in children living in Hawassa City, southern Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 471 children in Hawassa City, southern Ethiopia from May to September, 2018. A total of 471 children were included in the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data on demographic and risk factors were gathered using structured questionnaires. Blood samples were collected and sera were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to core antigen (anti-HBc), and antibody against surface antigen (anti-HBs) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

The sero-prevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs markers among children were 4.4, 19.5 and 20.0%, respectively. Children at higher risk of having HBsAg marker were those who had a history of injectable medications (AOR 5.02, 95% CI: 1.14, 22.07), a family history of liver disease (AOR 6.37, 95% CI: 1.32, 30.74), a HBsAg seropositive mothers, (AOR 11.19, (95% CI: 3.15, 39.67), and had no vaccination history for HBV (AOR, 6.37, 95% CI: 1.32, 30.74). Children from families with low monthly income, who were home delivered, unvaccinated for HBV or with HBsAg seropositive mother had increased risk of having anti-HBc.

Conclusions

The study findings showed an intermediate endemicity of HBV infection in the study setting. The observed rate of residual HBV infection with low rate of immunized children after HBV vaccination was high. Hence, introducing birth dose vaccine, safe injection practice and improving immunization coverage during pregnancy as part of the antenatal care package should be considered. Furthermore, governmental and non-governmental organizations should give attention on timely measures for the prevention of ongoing vertical transmission from mother to child as well as early horizontal transmission of HBV in Hawassa City, Ethiopia.
Risk stratified breast cancer screening: UK healthcare policy decision-making stakeholders’ views on a low-risk breast screening pathway
Authors: McWilliams Lorna , Woof Victoria G. , Donnelly Louise S. , Howell Anthony , Evans D. Gareth , French David P.
Published: July 2020

Background

There is international interest in risk-stratification of breast screening programmes to allow women at higher risk to benefit from more frequent screening and chemoprevention. Risk-stratification also identifies women at low-risk who could be screened less frequently, as the harms of breast screening may outweigh benefits for this group. The present research aimed to elicit the views of national healthcare policy decision-makers regarding implementation of less frequent screening intervals for women at low-risk.

Methods

Seventeen professionals were purposively recruited to ensure relevant professional group representation directly or indirectly associated with the UK National Screening Committee and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Three themes are reported: (1) producing the evidence defining low-risk, describing requirements preceding implementation; (2) the impact of risk stratification on women is complicated, focusing on gaining acceptability from women; and (3) practically implementing a low-risk pathway, where feasibility questions are highlighted.

Conclusions

Overall, national healthcare policy decision-makers appear to believe that risk-stratified breast screening is acceptable, in principle. It will however be essential to address key obstacles prior to implementation in national programmes.
Assessment of the mechanical forces applied during eye rubbing
Authors: Hafezi Farhad , Hafezi Nikki L. , Pajic Bojan , Gilardoni Francesca , Randleman J. Bradley , Gomes Jose Alvaro P. , Kollros Léonard , Hillen Mark , Torres-Netto Emilio A.
Published: July 2020

Background

To determine the average amount of mechanical forces applied to the lids of keratoconus patients during eye rubbing.

Methods

Fifty-seven patients (41 male, 16 female, average age 34.8 years) with a clinically and topographically diagnosed keratoconus and a history of eye rubbing were prospectively asked to perform their individual eye rubbing movement on a high-precision balance. The type of eye-rubbing movement and the force applied, represented in newtons (N), were recorded and analyzed.

Results

We detected three different types of eye rubbing. Rubbing with the fingertip was most frequent (51%), followed by rubbing with the knuckle (44%) and rubbing with the fingernail (6%). Each type of eye rubbing showed different average forces, with knuckle type eye rubbing applying significantly more force (9.6 ± 6.3 N) on the lids than fingertip (4.3 ± 3.1 N) and fingernail (2.6 ± 3.3 N) types (p < 0,001 and p = 0,016, respectively).

Conclusions

There were major variations in the force exerted on the lids, depending on the type of eye rubbing employed. This data will help determine the forces that need to be applied in future experimental eye rubbing models.
Implementation of nationwide screening of pregnant women for HTLV-1 infection in Japan: analysis of a repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Yonemoto Naohiro , Suzuki Shunji , Sekizawa Akihiko , Hoshi Shinichi , Sagara Yoko , Itabashi Kazuo
Published: July 2020

Background

Screening of pregnant women carrying human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has a crucial role in reducing the number of HTLV-1 carriers. A national HTLV-1 screening program for pregnant women was started in 2011 in Japan. The purpose of this study is to report on the implementation of this nationwide screening program.

Methods

This was a retrospective repeated cross-sectional study. We used datasets from surveys of HTLV-1-antibody-positive pregnant women performed by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in 2011, 2013, and 2016. Outcomes for evaluation included the number of persons (pregnant women) who conducted the screening test, the number of positive persons (women) identified by these tests, and the proportion of positive persons to the number of persons (women) who conducted the tests.

Results

Numbers of target facilities changed yearly: 1857 in 2011, 2544 in 2013, and 2376 in 2016. The mean number of screening-test participants increased per facility, but the median increased or decreased. The mean number of positive individuals identified decreased. Multivariate analysis results revealed the number of screenings was slightly reduced yearly, although areas (Kanto and Kinki) and high volume in facility types increased. Regarding the positive rates, some areas (Hokkaido/Tohoku, Kanto, and Chugoku/Shikoku) exhibited decreases or increases by facility type. The number of western blotting (WB) implementations decreased in 2016, positive rates identified by WB decreased in 2016 in all areas, and the number of facility types increased. The number of PCR participants increased in 2016 in Kanto and Kinki, but a decrease in facility type was observed. Positive rates were decreased in all areas (except the central region) but facility types were increased.

Conclusions

The nationwide screening program for HTLV-1 in Japan was almost fully implemented. However, regional variations in screening tests were observed during this implementation. Thus, some incentives are needed to encourage proper implementation across all regions.
The modified cross-suture technique for unilateral pulled-out anchor during all-inside meniscal repair
Authors: Ni Jianlong , Shi Zhibin , Fan Lihong , Guo Ning , Wang Haoyu , Dang Xiaoqian , Li Dichen
Published: July 2020

Background

Meniscal repair has received increasing attention, but for inexperienced doctors, unilateral suture anchor pulling out may occur during all-inside meniscal repair, and the treatment outcome may be affected. When the errors happened intraoperatively, how to minimize the loss under guaranteeing of treatment effectiveness is a topic worth studying.

Purpose

To explore the practicability and effectiveness of the modified cross-suture method for arthroscopic remediation of unilateral suture anchor pulling out of an all-inside meniscal repair system.

Methods

From May 2014 to May 2017, 28 patients diagnosed with injuries of the meniscus and anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) from the First Department of Orthopaedics of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University were enrolled in the study as the observation group, including 18 males and 10 females with an average age of 25.5 ± 2.3 years (range 18–42 years). All patients underwent ACL reconstruction concurrently. All meniscus injuries were repaired with an all-inside meniscal repair technique, and 1–3 needles of unilateral suture anchor pulling out occurred intraoperatively. The modified cross-suture method was used to remedy the error of anchor pulling out and to eventually complete an effective repair. Another 30 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction and all-inside meniscal concurrently without unilateral suture anchor pulling out, including 20 males and 10 females with an average age of 26.3 ± 1.9 years (range 19–45 years), were enrolled as the control group. During postoperative follow-up, range of motion, Lachman test and pivot shift test were performed during the physical examination. The clinical healing of the meniscus was evaluated according to the Barrett standard. The meniscus healing status was also confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The function of the knee joint was evaluated according to the IKDC, Lysholm and Tegner scores.

Results

Twenty-five patients in the observation group and 28 patients in the control group completed the follow-up, with an average follow-up of 18.4 ± 5.2 months. All operations were performed by the same surgeon. At the follow-up 1 year after the operation, the average knee ROM of the two groups was 125.2 ± 4.3 degrees and 124.7 ± 3.8 degrees, the clinical healing rate of the meniscus of the two groups was 92.0% (23/25) and 92.9% (26/28), the MRI healing rate of the menniscus of the two groups was 72.0% (18/25) and 71.4% (20/28), and the IKDC, Lysholm and Tegner scores of the two groups were 90.52 ± 2.8, 89.17 ± 3.1, and 6.81 ± 1.7 and 91.42 ± 1.9, 90.32 ± 3.4, and 7.02 ± 1.4, respectively. The differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

The modified cross-suture method is practicable and effective for arthroscopic remediation of unilateral suture anchor pulling out in an all-inside meniscal repair system.
Pretreatment clamping of pulmonary artery during uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy
Authors: Zhang Ruijie , Cai Yixin , Wang Tiffany , Fu Xiangning , Zhang Ni
Published: July 2020

Background

Intraoperative pulmonary artery (PA) hemorrhage is one of the leading reasons for conversion from uniportal VATS to open thoracotomy, especially for the small incision (≤3 cm) uniportal VATS performed by our department. So, We designed a technology called pretreatment clamping of the pulmonary artery, which may be helpful to solve the problem.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 19 patients who had pulmonary artery bleeding during uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy in which one group had undergone preventive pulmonary artery clamping, the clamping group (n = 11), and one group which did not receive preventive clamping, the non-clamping group (n = 8). We compared the rates of conversion from the uniportal VATS approach to open thoracotomy or multi-incision operation, duration of pulmonary artery repair, blood loss, length of postoperative hospital stay and postoperative complications of the two groups.

Results

Compared to the non-clamping group, the clamping group had lower rates of conversion to open thoracotomy (0% vs 62.5%, p < 0.05) and lower rates of conversion to multi-incision operations (18.2% of non-clamping converted to 2-port approach vs 12.5% of clamping converted to 2-port approach and 12.5% converted to 3-port approach, p < 0.05). Duration of pulmonary artery repair was reduced in the clamping group (10.1 ± 3.2 min vs 18.3 ± 5.5 min, p < 0.05). The clamping group also had decreased blood loss (23.6 ± 11.2 ml vs 47.5 ± 14.9 ml, p<0.05). There were no significant differences in postoperative hospital stay and postoperative complications between the two groups.

Conclusion

Pretreatment clamping of the pulmonary artery in VATS lobectomy can decrease conversion rates, decrease blood loss, shorten repairing time of the pulmonary artery, and feasibly can be applied in uniportal thoracoscopic lobectomy.
Use of AI-based tools for healthcare purposes: a survey study from consumers’ perspectives
Authors: Esmaeilzadeh Pouyan
Published: July 2020

Background

Several studies highlight the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) systems on healthcare delivery. AI-based tools may improve prognosis, diagnostics, and care planning. It is believed that AI will be an integral part of healthcare services in the near future and will be incorporated into several aspects of clinical care. Thus, many technology companies and governmental projects have invested in producing AI-based clinical tools and medical applications. Patients can be one of the most important beneficiaries and users of AI-based applications whose perceptions may affect the widespread use of AI-based tools. Patients should be ensured that they will not be harmed by AI-based devices, and instead, they will be benefited by using AI technology for healthcare purposes. Although AI can enhance healthcare outcomes, possible dimensions of concerns and risks should be addressed before its integration with routine clinical care.

Methods

We develop a model mainly based on value perceptions due to the specificity of the healthcare field. This study aims at examining the perceived benefits and risks of AI medical devices with clinical decision support (CDS) features from consumers’ perspectives. We use an online survey to collect data from 307 individuals in the United States.

Results

The proposed model identifies the sources of motivation and pressure for patients in the development of AI-based devices. The results show that technological, ethical (trust factors), and regulatory concerns significantly contribute to the perceived risks of using AI applications in healthcare. Of the three categories, technological concerns (i.e., performance and communication feature) are found to be the most significant predictors of risk beliefs.

Conclusions

This study sheds more light on factors affecting perceived risks and proposes some recommendations on how to practically reduce these concerns. The findings of this study provide implications for research and practice in the area of AI-based CDS. Regulatory agencies, in cooperation with healthcare institutions, should establish normative standard and evaluation guidelines for the implementation and use of AI in healthcare. Regular audits and ongoing monitoring and reporting systems can be used to continuously evaluate the safety, quality, transparency, and ethical factors of AI-based services.
Correction to: Development and evaluation of a patient passport to promote self-management in patients with heart diseases
Authors: Stamm-Balderjahn Sabine , Falinski Rebecca , Rossek Susanne , Spyra Karla
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes deliver microRNA-375 to downregulate ENAH and thus retard esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression
Authors: He Zhanfeng , Li Weihao , Zheng Tianliang , Liu Donglei , Zhao Song
Published: July 2020

Background

Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. The current study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs)-derived exosomal miR-375 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

After determining the expression of miR-375 and its putative target enabled homolog (ENAH) in ESCC tissues and cells, we tested effects of their altered expression on ESCC proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumorsphere formation was subsequently measured. Transfected hUCMSCs-derived exosomes (hUCMSCs-exo) were isolated and co-cultured with ESCC cells to measure the effects of miR-375 delivered by hUCMSCs-exo on ESCC development. Finally, we investigated the effect of miR-375 on tumor growth in vivo.

Results

The expression of miR-375 was reduced, while the expression of ENAH was elevated in ESCC. ENAH was identified as a target gene of miR-375. Elevated miR-375 or depleted ENAH expression inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, tumorsphere formation, and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, miR-375 delivered by hUCMSCs-exo could suppress ESCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, tumorsphere formation, but promoted apoptosis in vitro, as well as inhibiting tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions

Taken together, hUCMSCs-exo can deliver miR-375 to suppress ENAH expression and subsequently inhibit the initiation and progression of ESCC.
Author Correction: Feature selection and dimension reduction for single-cell RNA-Seq based on a multinomial model
Authors: Townes F. William , Hicks Stephanie C. , Aryee Martin J. , Irizarry Rafael A.
Published: July 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
Assisted reproductive technology represents a possible risk factor for development of epimutation-mediated imprinting disorders for mothers aged ≥ 30 years
Authors: Hara-Isono Kaori , Matsubara Keiko , Mikami Masashi , Arima Takahiro , Ogata Tsutomu , Fukami Maki , Kagami Masayo
Published: July 2020

Backgrounds

The proportion of assisted reproductive technology (ART)-conceived livebirths of patients with imprinting disorders (IDs) is higher than that of the general population. Whether this is due to ART or confounding effects of advanced parental age was not investigated. We examined the association of ART and parental ages at childbirth for the development of eight epimutation-mediated imprinting disorders (epi-IDs).

Results

We enrolled 136 patients with epi-IDs and obtained general population ART data from the Japanese robust nationwide registry. We compared the proportion of ART-conceived livebirths and maternal childbearing ages between patients with epi-IDs and the general population. The proportion of ART-conceived livebirths in patients with epi-IDs was higher than that in mothers aged ≥ 30 years, the age group in which more than 90% of ART procedures performed. The maternal childbearing ages of patients with epi-IDs were widely distributed from 19 to 45 (median: 32) within the approximate 2.5th to 97.5th percentiles of maternal childbearing ages of the general population. In addition, we compared the proportion of ART-conceived livebirths and parental ages at childbirth across patients with eight epi-IDs. We demonstrated that more than 90% of ART-conceived patients with epi-IDs were found in Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) patients, and parental ages were almost consistent in patients with eight epi-IDs, except Prader-Willi syndrome.

Conclusions

According to the prerequisite that most of the ART procedures in Japan are performed on mothers aged ≥ 30 years, ART can be a risk factor for the development of epi-IDs, particularly SRS and BWS, for mothers aged ≥ 30 years.
Coping, fostering resilience, and driving care innovation for autistic people and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Authors: Ameis Stephanie H. , Lai Meng-Chuan , Mulsant Benoit H. , Szatmari Peter
Published: July 2020

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is changing how society operates. Environmental changes, disrupted routines, and reduced access to services and social networks will have a unique impact on autistic individuals and their families and will contribute to significant deterioration in some. Access to support is crucial to address vulnerability factors, guide adjustments in home environments, and apply mitigation strategies to improve coping. The current crisis highlights that our regular care systems are not sufficient to meet the needs of the autism communities. In many parts of the world, people have shifted to online school and increased use of remote delivery of healthcare and autism supports. Access to these services needs to be increased to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 and future epidemics/pandemics. The rapid expansion in the use of telehealth platforms can have a positive impact on both care and research. It can help to address key priorities for the autism communities including long waitlists for assessment and care, access to services in remote locations, and restricted hours of service. However, system-level changes are urgently needed to ensure equitable access and flexible care models, especially for families and individuals who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. COVID-19 mandates the use of technology to support a broader range of care options and better meet the diverse needs of autistic people and their families. It behooves us to use this crisis as an opportunity to foster resilience not only for a given individual or their family, but also the system: to drive enduring and autism-friendly changes in healthcare, social systems, and the broader socio-ecological contexts.
Placenta-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells: a promising potential cell-based therapy for canine inflammatory brain disease
Authors: Amorim Rogério Martins , Clark Kaitlin C. , Walker Naomi J. , Kumar Priyadarsini , Herout Kyle , Borjesson Dori L. , Wang Aijun
Published: July 2020

Background

Canine inflammatory brain disease (IBD) is a severe inflammatory disorder characterized by infiltration of activated immune cell subsets into the brain and spinal cord. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising therapy for IBD, based on their potent pro-angiogenic, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory properties. The aims of this study were to compare the immunomodulatory attributes of canine adipose-derived MSCs (ASCs) and placenta-derived MSCs (PMSCs) in vitro. These data will serve as potency information to help inform the optimal MSC cell source to treat naturally occurring canine IBD.

Methods

Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) activity and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentration at baseline and after stimulation with interferon gamma (IFNγ) and/or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) were measured from canine ASC and PMSC cultures. Leukocyte suppression assays (LSAs) were performed to compare the ability of ASCs and PMSCs to inhibit activated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation. IDO activity and PGE2; interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, and IL-8; TNFα; and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations were also measured from co-culture supernatants. Cell cycle analysis was performed to determine how ASCs and PMSCs altered lymphocyte proliferation.

Results

Activated canine MSCs from both tissue sources secreted high concentrations of IDO and PGE2, after direct stimulation with IFNγ and TNFα, or indirect stimulation by activated PBMCs. Both ASCs and PMSCs inhibited activated PBMC proliferation in LSA assays; however, PMSCs inhibited PBMC proliferation significantly more than ASCs. Blocking PGE2 and IDO in LSA assays determined that PGE2 is important only for ASC inhibition of PBMC proliferation. Activated ASCs increased IL-6 and VEGF secretion and decreased TNFα secretion, while activated PMSCs increased IL-6, IL-8, and VEGF secretion. ASCs inhibited lymphocyte proliferation via cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 and PMSCs inhibited lymphocyte proliferation via induction of lymphocyte apoptosis.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that ASCs and PMSCs have substantial in vitro potential as a cell-based therapy for IBD; however, PMSCs more potently inhibited lymphocyte proliferation by inducing apoptosis of activated lymphocytes. These data suggest that the mechanism by which ASCs and PMSCs downregulate PBMC proliferation differs. Additional studies may elucidate additional mechanisms by which canine MSCs modulate neuroinflammatory responses.
Multiomics global landscape of stemness-related gene clusters in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Lu Guan-Ming , Rong Yong-Xian , Liang Zhi-Jie , Hunag Dong-Lin , Ma Yan-Fei , Luo Zhi-Zhai , Wu Fang-Xiao , Liu Xin-Heng , Liu Yu , Mo Steven , Qi Zhong-Quan , Li Hong-Mian
Published: July 2020

Background

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) are a type of stem cell that is abundant and widely used. The molecular characteristics of AD-MSCs from different passages from donors of different ages have not been well elucidated.

Methods

Six kinds of AD-MSCs ((E1, E2, E3, Y1, Y2, and Y3) with E denoting cells derived from an elderly patient, Y denoting cells derived from a young patient, and 1, 2, and 3 representing passages 3, 6, and 10) were obtained from human abdominal adipose tissue. We obtained the protein expression profile, the mRNA expression profile, the lncRNA expression profile, and the methylation profile of each kind of AD-MSC by sequencing. After calculating the stemness indices, genes related to stemness were extracted. The multiomics correlation analysis was performed in the stemness-related genes. In addition, short time-series expression miner (STEM) analysis was performed for all cell passages and donor ages. To further explore the biological functions of the stemness-related genes, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Finally, the lncRNA-KEGG network and transcription factor (TF)-KEGG network were constructed based on the RNAInter database and TRRUST v2 database.

Results

The stemness of the Y1, E1, and Y2 cells was higher than that of the E2, Y3, and E3 cells. The stemness was the highest for Y1 cells and the lowest for E3 cells. STEM analysis showed that five stemness-related gene clusters were associated with the cell passages, and only one gene cluster was associated with age. The enrichment analysis results showed that the biological processes (BPs) and KEGG pathways were mainly involved in the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of cells. The global regulatory landscape of AD-MSCs was constructed: 25 TFs and 16 lncRNAs regulated 21 KEGG pathways through 27 mRNAs. Furthermore, we obtained a core stemness-related gene set consisting of ITGAV, MAD2L1, and PCNA. These genes were expressed at higher levels in Y1 cells than in E3 cells.

Conclusion

The multiomics global landscape of stemness-related gene clusters was determined for AD-MSCs, which may be helpful for selecting AD-MSCs with increased stemness.