bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unipolar Hemiarthroplasty, Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty, or Total Hip Arthroplasty for Hip Fracture in Older Individuals
Authors: Okike Kanu , Prentice Heather A. , Chan Priscilla H. , Fasig Brian H. , Paxton Elizabeth W. , Bernstein Joseph , Ahn Jaimo , Chen Foster
Published: November 2023

Background:

Practice patterns regarding the use of unipolar hemiarthroplasty, bipolar hemiarthroplasty, and total hip arthroplasty (THA) for femoral neck fractures in older patients vary widely. This is due in part to limited data stipulating the specific circumstances under which each form of arthroplasty provides the most predictable outcome. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patient characteristics for which unipolar hemiarthroplasty, bipolar hemiarthroplasty, or THA might be preferable due to a lower risk of all-cause revision.

Methods:

A U.S. health-care system’s hip fracture registry was used to identify patients ≥60 years old who underwent unipolar hemiarthroplasty, bipolar hemiarthroplasty, or THA for hip fracture from 2009 through 2021. Unipolar and bipolar hemiarthroplasty were compared with THA within patient subgroups defined by age (60 to 79 versus ≥80 years) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification (I or II versus III); patients with an ASA classification of IV or higher were excluded. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to evaluate all-cause revision risk while adjusting for confounders, with mortality considered as a competing risk.

Results:

There were 14,277 patients in the final sample (median age, 82 years; 70% female; 80% White; 69% with an ASA classification of III; median follow-up, 2.7 years), and the procedures included 7,587 unipolar hemiarthroplasties, 5,479 bipolar hemiarthroplasties, and 1,211 THAs. In the multivariable analysis of all patients, both unipolar (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48 to 3.12; p < 0.001) and bipolar (HR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.31 to 2.80; p < 0.001) hemiarthroplasty had higher revision risks than THA. In the age-stratified multivariable analysis of patients aged 60 to 79 years, both unipolar (HR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.42 to 3.34; p = 0.004) and bipolar (HR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.08 to 2.65; p = 0.022) hemiarthroplasty also had higher revision risks than THA. In the ASA-stratified multivariable analysis, patients with an ASA classification of I or II had a higher revision risk after either unipolar (HR = 3.52, 95% CI = 1.87 to 6.64; p < 0.001) or bipolar (HR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.19 to 4.49; p = 0.013) hemiarthroplasty than after THA. No difference in revision risk between either of the hemiarthroplasties and THA was observed among patients with an age of ≥80 years or those with an ASA classification of III.

Conclusions:

In this study of hip fractures in older patients, THA was associated with a lower risk of all-cause revision compared with unipolar and bipolar hemiarthroplasty among patients who were 60 to 79 years old and those who had an ASA classification of I or II.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Long-standing Ulnar Wrist Pain Caused by an Anatomic Variant of the Ulnar Nerve
Authors: Nakui Ryusei , Iwamoto Takuji , Kimura Hiroo , Suzuki Taku , Matsumura Noboru , Nakamura Masaya
Published: November 2023

Case:

We present a 28-year-old woman with long-standing left ulnar wrist pain. Physical examination revealed severe tenderness over the pisiform; imaging findings were normal. Surgical exploration revealed compression of an aberrant branch, likely Kaplan's accessory branch, around the pisiform. Complete symptom relief was achieved after nerve decompression.

Conclusion:

Clinical symptoms associated with Kaplan's accessory branch are rare, indicating that many branches may be asymptomatic or overlooked despite the presence of symptoms. Kaplan's accessory branch should be considered as a potential differential diagnosis for refractory ulnar wrist pain.
Disparities in Prevalence of COVID-19, Long COVID, Disease Severity, and Mental Health Outcomes among US Adults by Industrial Sector of Employment, September-November 2022
Authors: Singh Gopal K , Kim Lyoung Hee , Lee Hyunjung , Azuine Romuladus E.
Published: November 2023

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a major adverse impact on people’s health and well-being in the United States (US) and globally. Although inequalities in COVID-19 prevalence and to a lesser extent in Long COVID and related mental health impact among US adults have been documented, disparities in COVID-related outcomes by industrial sector of employment, an important social determinant, have not been studied. Using the latest nationally representative data, we examine disparities in COVID-19, Long COVID, and associated mental health impact among US adults aged ≥18 years by industrial sector.
Methods: Using three consecutive rounds of the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from September 14 to November 14, 2022 (N=148,813), disparities in COVID-related outcomes by industrial sector were modeled by multivariable logistic regression after controlling for race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, health insurance, and other demographic characteristics.
Results: During September–November 2022, an estimated 117 million or 48.7% of US adults reported having been diagnosed with COVID-19; 34.3 million or 29.4% of COVID patients reported developing Long COVID; 14.7 million or 12.6% of COVID patients reported experiencing severe COVID symptoms; 10.7% of COVID patients reported serious depression, and 17.8% reported serious anxiety. Adjusted for covariates, workers in wholesale trade, finance and insurance, educational services, healthcare, social assistance, and accommodation and food services had 30-39% higher odds of being diagnosed with COVID-19 than workers in the agricultural sector. Workers in social assistance, real estate, utilities, construction, and healthcare sectors had 48-102% higher adjusted odds of developing Long COVID than workers in wholesale trade.
Conclusion and Implications for Translation: Marked disparities in COVID-related outcomes existed, with workers in employment industries such as healthcare, social assistance, real estate, arts and entertainment, and accommodation and food services being at increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, Long COVID, severe COVID symptoms, serious depression, and anxiety. Equitable access to social services and healthcare, including mental and behavioral health services, among workers afflicted with these conditions is critical to reducing inequities in COVID-related health outcomes.
 
Copyright © 2023 Singh et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.
Individualized Design and Field Application of Annular-Groove Polycrystalline Diamond Composite Bit
Authors: Huang Kuilin , Fu Cheng , Li Yong , Zhou Jian , Yang Yingxin , Feng Yueqiang
Published: November 2023

Aiming at the problems of slow drilling speed, low service life, and poor stability of conventional polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits in deep formations that are difficult to drill, a new annular-grooved PDC bit is proposed. The bit adopts discontinuous tooth arrangement to set cutters, and a circumferential annular groove around the center of the bit is set on the bit body to form a fragile convex annular ridge at the bottom of the well, improving the bit’s ability to invade the formation and its rock-breaking efficiency. Combined with the formation characteristics of Shapai 11 well and Shixi 102 well in Xinjiang Oil Field, the PDC bit crown shape, annular-groove design, cutter selection, and other aspects are designed individually, and the dynamic rock-breaking and hydraulic characteristics of the annular-groove PDC bit are simulated and analyzed. Finally, two PDC bits with different diameters are developed—a Φ215.9-mm annular-groove PDC bit and the field application bit. The field application bit results show that compared with the bit in the same layer of adjacent wells, the mechanical penetration rate of the annular-groove PDC bit is increased by 29.8–176.7%, and the footage is increased by 142.5–273.1%. It is concluded that the annular-groove PDC bit can significantly reduce the rock-breaking energy consumption of the bit and improve the mechanical rate of penetration (ROP) of the bit. At the same time, the raised annular ridge can reduce the lateral vibration of the bit and extend the service life of the bit, which will accelerate the exploration and development of deep difficult-to-drill formations. It is of positive significance to reduce drilling costs.
PhyloBench: a Benchmark for Evaluating Phylogenetic Programs
Authors: Spirin Sergey , Sigorskikh Andrey , Efremov Aleksei , Penzar Dmitry , Karyagina Anna
Published: November 2023

Motivation. Phylogenetic inference based on protein sequence alignment is a widely used procedure. Numerous phylogenetic algorithms have been developed, most of which have many parameters and options. Choosing a program, options, and parameters can be a nontrivial task. No benchmark for comparison of phylogenetic programs on real protein sequences is publicly available.
Results. We have developed PhyloBench, a benchmark for evaluating the quality of phylogenetic inference, and used it to test a number of popular phylogenetic programs. PhyloBench is based on natural, not simulated, protein sequences of orthologous evolutionary domains. The measure of accuracy of an inferred tree is its distance to the corresponding species tree. A number of tree-to-tree distance measures were tested. The most reliable results were obtained using the Robinson–Foulds distance. Our results confirmed recent findings that distance methods are more accurate than maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony. We tested the bayesian program MrBayes on natural protein sequences and found that it is superior to maximum likelihood, but inferior to distance methods. Of the methods we tested, the Balanced Minimum Evolution method implemented in FastME yielded the best results.
Availability. Alignments and reference species trees are available at https://mouse.belozersky.msu. ru/tools/phylobench/ together with a web-interface that allows for a semi-automatic comparison of a user’s method with a number of popular programs.
Advancing agricultural sustainability through improved management practices in China
Authors: Gu Baojing , Duan Jiakun , Zhang Xiuming , Ren Chenchen , Liu Hongbin , Wang Chen , Cheng Luxi , Xu Jianming
Published: November 2023

Enhanced agricultural management practices hold the potential to drive agricultural sustainability1, 2, a facet that is rarely quantified at the grassroots level. In this study, we conduct an analysis of nitrogen use and loss in Chinese cropland, drawing from data collected from 2,238,550 sites in two national agricultural pollution source censuses spanning from 2007 to 2017. Our findings reveal a significant upswing of 10% in crop yields and an impressive 8% reduction in nitrogen pollution during this period. This positive shift can be attributed to the promotion and adoption of various agricultural management practices in China, including the combination of organic and chemical fertilizers, no-tillage farming, straw recycling, and deep-placement of fertilizer. These practices have collectively contributed to an 18% increase in nitrogen use efficiency within the country. Moreover, by fully embracing these advanced practices, we project that annual cropland pollution could experience a further reduction of up to 1.7 million tonnes of nitrogen without compromising crop yield. Importantly, the benefits of these measures, encompassing both environmental and human health advantages, are expected to consistently outweigh the implementation costs in the future, with total benefits reaching as high as US$15 billion.
DPSCs Regulate Epithelial-T Cells Interactions in Oral Submucous Fibrosis
Authors: Wang Shuyan , Zhang Sijia , Meng Hongfang , Xu Haoqing , Guo Zhenxing , Yan jianfei , Gao Jialu , Niu Lina , Wang Songling , Jiao Kai
Published: November 2023

Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a precancerous lesion characterized by fibrous tissue deposition, and the incidence is positively correlated with the degree of betel nut chewing. Prolonged betel nut chewing can damage the integrity of oral mucosal epithelium, leading to chronic inflammation and local immunological derangement, while the underlying cellular events driving fibrogenesis and dysfunction are incompletely understood. Currently, OSF has few treatment options, with limited therapeutic effectiveness. Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have been recognized for their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis capabilities, making them promising candidates to treat a range of immune, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases. However, the application of DPSCs in OSF is inconclusive.
Methods A human cell atlas of oral mucosal tissues using single-cell RNA sequencing to delve into the underlying mechanisms was compiled. The epithelial cells were re-clustered to observe the heterogeneity of OSF epithelial cells and the cell communication relationship with immune cells. The results were validated in vitro, in clinicopathological sections and in animal models. In vivo, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of DPSCs were characterized by histological staining, immunohistochemical staining, SEM and AFM.
Results A unique epithelial cell population, Epi1.2, with proinflammatory and profibrotic functions was predominantly found in OSF. They also induced the fibrosis process in fibroblasts by interacting with T cells through the receptor-ligand crosstalk between macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)-CD74 and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Furthermore, we developed OSF animal models and simulated the clinical local injection process in rat buccal mucosa using DPSCs to assess their therapeutic impact and mechanism. In the OSF rat model, DPSCs demonstrated superior therapeutic effects compared with the positive control (glucocorticoids), including reducing collagen deposition and promoting blood vessel regeneration. DPSCs were mediated immune homeostasis primarily by regulating the numbers of Epi1.2 and epithelial-stromal crosstalk.
Conclusions Given the current ambiguity surrounding the cause of OSF and the limited treatment options available, our work provides new insights into the mechanism of OSF and reveals the therapeutic promise of DPSCs.
A novel synergistic antimicrobial mechanism of azalomycin F acting on lipoteichoic acid synthase and cell envelope
Authors: Yuan Ganjun , Luo Zilong , Li Pingyi , Zhang Duoduo , Zhu Jianping , Wang Wan , Zhao Wenjia , Li Pei-bo
Published: November 2023

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) plays an essential role in bacterial growth and resistance to antibiotics, and LTA synthetase (LtaS) was considered as an attractive target for combating Gram-positive infections. Azalomycin F, a natural guanidyl-containing polyhydroxy macrolide, can target the LTA of Staphylococcus aureus. To clarify the detailed mechanism, here the experimental results indicated that azalomycin F can accelerate the LTA release and disrupt the cell envelope, and also led to the feedback upregulation on the expressions of LtaS and other related enzymes. Simultaneously, the reconstituted enzyme activity evaluations showed that azalomycin F can significantly inhibit eLtaS, the extracellular catalytic domain of LtaS. Subsequently, the fluorescence analyses for five incubation systems, together with mass spectroscopy analyses and molecular dockings, indicated that azalomcyin F can spontaneously bind to LtaS active center involving the binding sites of substrates and the LTA prolongation. All these concluded that azalomycin F can inhibit LTA biosynthesis through the interactions of its guanidyl side chain with LtaS active center, and disrupt cell envelope through the synergistic effect of accelerating the LTA release, damaging the cell membrane and electrostatically interacting with LTA. Thereout, it presents a novel synergistic antimicrobial mechanism, and which would eventually the autolysis of S. aureus.
Parasagittal dural space is linked to cerebrospinal fluid in young children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Agarwal Nivedita , Frigerio Giulia , Losa Letizia , Ciceri Tommaso , Mani Elisa , Lanteri Fabiola , Molteni Massimo , Carare Roxana , Peruzzo Denis
Published: November 2023

The parasagittal dura (PSD), a tissue that lines the walls of the superior sagittal sinus, acts as an active site for immune-surveillance, promotes the reabsorption of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and facilitates the removal of metabolic waste products from the brain. CSF is important for the distribution of growth factors that signal immature neurons to proliferate and migrate. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by altered CSF dynamics. In this retrospective study, we investigated potential correlations between PSD volume, brain structure volumes, and clinical severity scales in young children with ASD. We employed a Deep Learning based approach to extract PSD volume from 3D-T2 Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery sequences. PSD volumes did not change with age but was significantly correlated with extra-axial CSF volume and severity of developmental delay. These findings suggest that children with ASD may have a maldeveloped PSD that potentially perturbs CSF dynamics affecting neurodevelopment.
Observational evidence of stratospheric cooling and surface warming due to increase of stratospheric water vapor by Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai
Authors: Veenus Venugopal , Das Siddarth Shankar
Published: November 2023

The stratospheric water vapour injected on the eruption of the submarine volcano, Hunga-Tonga Hunga Ha’apai, caused cooling in the stratosphere and warming in the surface. The surface temperature observed by the India Meteorological Department from 350 ground stations shows a warming of ∼ 4 K. This is accompanied by the stratospheric cooling observed from COSMIC-2 radio occultation measurements. The ERA5 assimilated data over the Indian region also shows a similar cooling during the month of March 2022. The radiative cooling due to the Tonga-injected water vapour is confirmed by the model simulations using the radiative-convective model. The concurrent warming points to the influence of stratospheric water vapour in the surface temperature anomaly over the Indian region.
Computer Vision Object Tracking on Navigators in a Modular, Sequence-Independent Motion Compensation Pipeline
Authors: Wampl Stefan , Körner Tito , Meyerspeer Martin , Zaitsev Maxim , Wolf Marcos , Trattnig Siegfried , Wolzt Michael , Bogner Wolfgang , Schmid Albrecht Ingo
Published: November 2023

Magnetic resonance (MR) acquisitions of the torso are frequently affected by respiratory motion with detrimental effects on signal quality. The motion of organs inside the body is typically decoupled from surface motion and is best captured using rapid MR imaging (MRI). We propose a pipeline for quantitative prospective motion correction using MR image navigators of the target organ.
Our method is designed to feature multi-nuclear interleaving for non-proton MR acquisitions and to tolerate local transmit coils with inhomogeneous field and sensitivity distributions. OpenCV object tracking was introduced for rapid estimation of in-plane displacements in 2D MR images. A full three-dimensional translation vector was derived by combining displacements from slices of multiple orientations. The pipeline was implemented on 3 T and 7 T MR scanners and tested in phantoms and volunteers. Fast motion handling was achieved with low-resolution 2D MR image navigators and direct implementation of OpenCV into the MR scanner’s reconstruction pipeline. Motion-phantom measurements demonstrate high tracking precision and accuracy with minor processing latency. The feasibility of the pipeline for reliable in-vivo motion extraction was shown on heart and kidney data. Organ motion was manually assessed by two independent operators to quantify tracking performance. Object tracking performed convincingly on 7774 navigator images from phantom scans and different organs in volunteers. In particular the kernelised correlation filter (KCF) achieved similar accuracy (74 %) as scored from interoperator comparison (82 %) while processing at a rate of over 100 frames per second. We conclude that fast 2D MR navigator images and computer vision object tracking can be used for accurate and rapid prospective motion correction. This and the modular structure of the pipeline allows for the proposed method to be used in imaging of moving organs and in challenging applications like cardiac magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided radiotherapy.
Stereoselective Assembly of C-oligosaccharides via Modular Difunctionalization of Glycals
Authors: Liang Yong-Min , Ding Ya-Nan , Xu Mei-Ze , Huang Yan-Chong , Kong Xiangtao , Liu Xue-Yuan , Ackermann Lutz
Published: November 2023

C-oligosaccharides are found in natural products and drug molecules. Despite the considerable progress made during the last decades, modular and stereoselective synthesis of C-oligosaccharides continues to be challenging and underdeveloped compared to the synthesis technology of O-oligosaccharides. Herein, we have designed a distinct strategy for the stereoselective and efficient synthesis of C-oligosaccharides via palladium-catalyzed nondirected C1-H glycosylation/C2-alkenylation, cyanation, and alkynylation of 2-iodoglycals with glycosyl chloride donors while realizing the difunctionalization of 2-iodoglycals for the first time. The catalysis approach tolerates various functional groups, including derivatives of marketed drugs and natural products. Notably, the obtained C-oligosaccharides can be further transformed into various C-glycosides while fully conserving the stereo-chemistry. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations studies are supportive of a concerted oxidative addition mechanism alkenyl-norbornadiene-palladacycle (ANP) intermediate with an α-mannofuranose chloride and the high stereoselectivity of glycosylation was due to steric hindrance.
­­Optimisation of sugar and solid biofuel co-production from almond tree pruning by acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis
Authors: Manuel Cuevas Aranda , Cartas Mª Lourdes Martínez , Fahd Mnasser , Asad Karim Adan , Sebastián Sánchez
Published: November 2023

Almond pruning is an important agricultural residue that has been scarcely studied for the production of sugars and solid biofuels. In this work, the production of monosaccharides from almond tree pruning has been optimised by a two-step process scheme: pretreatment with dilute sulphuric acid (0.025 M, at 185.9-214.1 ºC for 0.8–9.2 min) followed by enzyme saccharification of the pretreated cellulose. The application of a response surface methodology allowed mathematical modelling of the hydrolysis, setting pretreatment conditions that maximise both the amount of sugar in the acid prehydrolysate (22.8 kg/100 kg raw material, at 194 ºC for 2.08 min) and the enzymatic digestibility of the pretreated cellulose (45.4%, at 210 ºC for 8 min). The highest overall sugar yields (36.8 kg/100 kg raw material, equivalent to 64.3% of all sugars in the feedstock) were obtained with pretreatments carried out at 197 ºC for 4.0 min, which implies lower energy consumption than previously reported for the same biomass. Under these conditions, moreover, the final solids showed much better properties for thermochemical utilization (22.0 MJ/kg heating value, 0.87% ash content, and 72.1 mg/g moisture adsorption capacity) compared to those of the original prunings.
A Novel Evaluation Standard Combining Gini-index and Variation Coefficient for Double Plateaus Histogram Equalization
Authors: li weiming , jiang xianyang
Published: November 2023

Image contrast enhancement or boosting is normally referred to as one of the most crucial tasks in image processing, and histogram equalization (HE) is one of the most pervasive methods applied to address this task. HE and its variants have been proven a simple and effective technique. However, no one consistent image quality evaluation standard has been built for them, not to say other relevant approaches. In other words, it is lack of enough attention to image quality evaluation for contrast enhancement algorithms. The authors proposed a novel evaluation standard combining Gini-index and variation coefficient. They verified the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation standard especially for double plateaus histogram equalization (DPHE) algorithm. Their experimental results showed that the proposed objective standard could provide an additional objective basis for the quality evaluation of DPHE, which may be extended to pervasive image enhancement algorithms.
Decreased Intranuclear Cardiac Troponin I Impairs Cardiac Autophagy through FOS/ATG5 in Ageing Hearts
Authors: Liu Ruimin , huang Shan , Hu Di , Liu Lingjuan , Sun Huichao , Tian Jie , Pan Bo
Published: November 2023

Objective
In our previous study, intranuclear cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was demonstrated may function as a co-factor of YY1. Here, we aimed to explore the role of intranuclear cTnI in ageing hearts.
Methods and Results
Nuclear translocation of cTnI was demonstrated by using Wester-blot and Immunofluorencence. The potential nucleolar localization sequences (NLSs) of cTnI were predicted by a web server, and then verified in 293t cells by putative NLS-eGFP-GST and NLS-mutant transfection. Ratio of Nuclear cTnI/ Total cTnI (Nu/T) decreased significantly in ageing hearts, accompanied with ATG5-decline related impaired cardiac autophagy. RNA sequencing was performed in cTnI knockout hearts. The differential expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by overlapping with YY1 ChIP sequencing data. Those filtered DEGs’ expression level were determined by cTnI gain and loss experiments in vitro. A strong correlation was found between expression patterns cTnI and FOS. By using ChIP-q-PCR we demonstrated specific binding DNA sequences of cTnI were enriched in FOS promoter − 299~-157 region. It was further verified that pcDNA3.1 (-)-cTnI could increase the promoter activity of FOS by using luciferase report assay. At last, we found that FOS can regulate ATG5 (autophagy related gene 5) gene by using luciferase report assay.
Conclusion
Taken together, our results indicate that decrease of intranuclear cTnI in ageing hearts may cause impaired cardiac autophagy through FOS/ATG5 pathway.
Development and Validity Testing of a Matrix to Evaluate Maturity of Clinical Pathways: A Case Study in Saskatchewan, Canada
Authors: Larson Crystal Lynn , Vanstone Jason Robert , Mise Taysa-Rhea , Tupper Susan Mary , Groot Gary , Azizian Amir Reza
Published: November 2023

Background
Healthcare systems are transforming into learning health systems that use data-driven and research-informed approaches to achieve continuous improvement. One of these approaches is the use of clinical pathways, which are tools to standardize care for a specific population and improve healthcare quality. Evaluating the maturity of clinical pathways is necessary to inform pathway development teams and health system decision makers about required pathway revisions or implementation supports.
Main body
In an effort to improve the development, implementation, and sustainability of provincial clinical pathways, we developed a clinical pathways maturity evaluation matrix. To explore the initial content and face validity of the matrix, we used it to evaluate a case pathway within a provincial health authority in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Iterative cycles of feedback were gathered from stakeholders and patient and family partners to rank, retain, or remove sub-enablers of the draft matrix. We tested the matrix on the Chronic Pain Pathway (CPP) for primary care in a local pilot area and revised the matrix based on feedback from the CPP development team leader. The final matrix contains five enablers (i.e., Design, Ownership and Performer, Infrastructure, Performance Management, and Culture), 20 sub-enablers, and three trajectory definitions for each sub-enabler. Supplemental documents were created for six sub-enablers.
The CPP scored 15 out of 40 possible points of maturity. Although the pathway scored highest in the Design enabler (10/12), it requires more attention in several areas, specifically the Ownership and Performer and the Performance Management enablers, each of which scored zero. Additionally, the Infrastructure and Culture enablers scored 2/4 and 3/8 points, respectively. These areas of the CPP are in need of improvement in order to enhance the overall maturity of the CPP.
Short conclusion
We developed a clinical pathways maturity matrix to evaluate the various dimensions of clinical pathways’ development and implementation. The goals of this initial work were to develop and validate a tool to assess the maturity and readiness of new or existing pathways and to track pathways' revisions and improvements.
Turning Waste into Wealth: An Efficient Platform for Capturing, Recycling and Reusing Perfluorinated Compounds
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Yang Zhuojing , Zhu Yutong , Tan Xiao , Gunjal Samruddhi , Wang Yiqing , Xin Ruijing , Fu Changkui , Macintosh Katie , Sprague Lee , Leung Lam , Hopkins Timothy , Whittaker Andrew
Published: November 2023

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a group of compounds, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctylsulfonic acid (PFOS), that have raised environment and human health concerns. Opportunities exist for improved efficiency and scalable technologies over more broad-spectrum approaches for capture and utilization of these compounds from contaminated sources. In this study, we introduce a new type of reusable polymeric sorbent (perfluoropolyether-containing resin (PFPE-IEX+)) for rapid, efficient, and selective removal of multiple PFAS impurities from various contaminated water sources. The sorbent contains a hydrophobic polystyrenic backbone, with positively charged quaternary ammonium functional group and PFPE segments being crosslinked by divinylbenzene. The PFPE-IEX + resin shows superior PFAS sorption efficiency compared with commercially available sorbents in real PFAS contaminated media. The resin achieves > 98% removal efficiency and > 500 mg/g sorption capacity for all types of examined PFAS, including the short-chain heptafluorobutyric acid (PFBA) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA). We dedicated efforts to achieve efficient PFAS removal without breakthrough and subsequent resin regeneration with ~ 100% PFAS recovery in a proof-of-concept cartridge setup using real PFAS contaminated water sources, including potable water and landfill leachate. The recycled PFAS was then used as electrolyte additives to facilitate the formation of a ZnF2 rich protection layer on the anode surface to improve the cycling stability of aqueous zinc batteries. The outcomes of this study not only offer valuable guidance to the design and preparation of efficient sorbents applicable in cartridge-based PFAS removal from the environment, but also present an important strategy to reuse the recycled PFAS in battery systems to turn an environmental concern to a societal benefit to wealth.
Comparison of Immunotherapy in different time in combination with Lenvatinib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a real-world study
Authors: Yu Zeyu , Leng Bin , You Ran , Wang Chendong , Diao Lingfeng , Xu Qingyu , Yin Guowen
Published: November 2023

Introduction:
The Lenvatinib combined with immunotherapy therapies are still controversial in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). This research aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of Lenvatinib monotherapy (L) and combination therapy with Lenvatinib plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) administered synchronously (LI) and sequential therapy with initial Lenvatinib monotherapy followed by subsequent addition of ICIs (L-LI) in uHCC patients.
Methods
181 uHCC patients were enrolled in this study. Patients were classified into three groups: (1) Lenvatinib monotherapy (L). (2) Synchronous administration of Lenvatinib and ICIs (LI). (3) Sequential therapy where patients initially received Lenvatinib monotherapy for 3 months followed by addition of ICIs sequentially (L-LI). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), baseline characteristics, safety were compared among these groups.
Results
There were 108 patients in these groups after propensity score matching (PSM). OS and PFS were compared among these groups. The subgroup of patients with or without distant metastases were also compared. ECOG PS and AFP were independent prognostic factors for survival. The frequency of grade ≥ 3 AEs demonstrated no significant difference.
Conclusions
Our study demonstrated that, in all patients, the combination groups (LI, L-LI) had longer OS and PFS than the L group, and there was no statistical difference between the LI group and the L-LI group. However, in the subgroup of patients without distant metastases, the L-LI group exhibited longer PFS compared to the LI group. Conversely, in the subgroup of patients with distant metastases, the LI group showed longer PFS than the L-LI group.
Determination of cinnamaldehyde, thymol and eugenol in essential oils by LC-MS/MS and antibacterial activity of them against bacteria
Authors: Li Zhi , Li Yan , Cheng Wenbo
Published: November 2023

Based on Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), A qualitative and quantitative method for simultaneous detection of 3 bioactive compounds, including cinnamaldehyde (CNM), thymol (THY) and eugenol (EUG) in plant essential oil was established in this study. We tested the antibacterial activity of 3 bioactive compounds. Several necessary tests for 12 steroids, such as LLOQ, recovery and precision, have verified the repeatability and practicability of the method. Then, the antibacterial activity of 3 bioactive compounds against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentration and the synergistic antimicrobial effect. The results indicated that the MIC of CNM, THY and EUG against E. coli were 1.0, 1.0 mg/mL, and 0.5 µg/mL, respectively. And the MIC of CNM, THY and EUG against S. aureus were 0.5, 1.0 mg/mL, and 0.5 µg/mL, respectively. According to the results of fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI), it is considered that CNM + THY and CNM + THY + EUG has obvious synergistic inhibitory effect on E. coli, and CNM + THY and CNM + EUG has obvious synergistic inhibitory effect on S. aureus. In addition, the trace metals in the treated bacteria were analyzed.
Spatial co-occurrence of firearm homicides and opioid overdose deaths in Chicago by level of COVID-19 mortality, 2017-2021
Authors: McLone Suzanne G , II John R. Pamplin , Pappu Jaii D. , Gradus Jaimie L. , Jay Jonathan S.
Published: November 2023

To describe the co-occurring trends of firearm homicides and opioid overdose deaths before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors used 2017-2021 medical examiner’s by firearm homicide, opioid overdose, and COVID-19 mortality data from Chicago, IL. Deaths were assigned to zip codes based on decedents’ residence. We stratified zip codes into quartiles by COVID-19 mortality rate, then compared firearm homicide and fatal opioid overdose rates by COVID-19 quartile. Throughout the study period, firearm homicide and opioid overdose rates were highest in the highest COVID-19 mortality quartile and lowest in the lowest COVID-19 mortality quartile. Increases in firearm homicide and opioid overdose were observed across all COVID-19 mortality quartiles. High co-occurrence of these deaths at the community level call for addressing the systemic forces which made them most vulnerable before the pandemic. Such strategies should consider the environments where people reside, not only where fatal injuries occur.
Morphometric analysis of language-related cortex and its association with cognitive and verbal abilities in Indian children with autism and controls
Authors: Berkins Samuel , Koshy Beena , Livingstone Roshan S , Pearlin Benedicta , Jasper Anitha , Grace Hannah , Ravibabu Preethi , Rai Ekta
Published: November 2023

Background and aim Research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has highlighted abnormal asymmetry patterns in brain regions associated with language. Despite the rising prevalence of ASD in India, there is a dearth of neurobiological studies within the Indian population. This investigation explores morphometric differences and asymmetry patterns in language-related brain regions among Indian children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children, examining their correlation with cognitive abilities.Methods and Procedures Utilizing T1-weighted volumetric images from a 3T MRI scanner, we measured cortical volume (CV) and cortical thickness (CT) in 61 ASD and 17 TD children.Outcomes and Results Children with ASD displayed smaller cortical measures in bilateral insula (Ins) and planum polare (PP). Furthermore, ASD children displayed decreased leftward CV asymmetry in superior temporal gyrus (STG), reversed CV asymmetry in pars triangularis (Ptri) and Ins, and absence of CV asymmetry in PP compared to TD children. Additionally, increased rightward CT asymmetry in STG, decreased rightward CT asymmetry in supramarginal gyrus, and reversed CT asymmetry in Ptri and angular gyrus compared to TD children. No significant associations were found between these brain regions, their asymmetry, and VIQ, FSIQ, or autism severity.Conclusions These findings shed light on atypical language area development in Indian children with ASD.
Uncovering convergence and divergence between autism and schizophrenia using genomic tools and patients’ neurons
Authors: Romanovsky Eva , Choudhary Ashwani , Akel Ahmad Abu , Stern Shani
Published: November 2023

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are highly heritable and result in abnormal repetitive behaviors and impairment in communication and cognitive skills. Previous studies have focused on the genetic correlation between ASDs and other neuropsychiatric disorders, but an in-depth understanding of the correlation to other disorders is required. We conducted an extensive meta-analysis of common variants identified in ASDs by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and compared it to the consensus genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Schizophrenia (SCZ). We found approximately 75% of the SNPs that are associated with ASD are also associated with SCZ. We have also probed cellular phenotypes reported in ASD neurons compared to SCZ neurons from induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models. Interestingly, Autism neurons start with an early maturation and schizophrenia neurons start with a late maturation, but both end up with deficits in synaptic activity when compared to control neurons as they mature.
A small size walking type piezoelectric actuator with flexible mechanism vertical installation
Authors: Zhou Dudu , She Mingyun , Wu Hao , Gao Jingwen , Li Jianping , Tian Hailong , Deng Fuqin
Published: November 2023

In order to reduce the backward motion of the piezoelectric actuator and realize the miniaturization of the piezoelectric actuator, a walking-type piezoelectric actuator with vertical placement of flexible mechanism is proposed in this work. Two parallelogram flexible mechanisms are placed vertically to complete the "walking" movement of the actuator, and two flexible mechanisms are placed vertically to effectively reduce the volume of the actuator. The structure is simulated and analyzed by finite element method (FEM). In addition, the performance of the piezoelectric actuator is compared by experiments. Under the conditions of U=120V, f=1Hz, φ=160°, the forward and reverse vertical load of the piezoelectric actuator are 10kg. The maximum horizontal resistance of the forward motion is about 4.5N. In φ=160° condition, the maximum forward motion speed of the slider is 2705.85µm/s. Under the same voltage and frequency conditions, the forward motion vertical load of the single-driving foot piezoelectric actuator is 1600g, the maximum horizontal resistance of the forward motion is about 0.8N, and the maximum speed of the forward motion is 403.11µm/s. The experiment results show that the walking type piezoelectric actuator with the new flexible mechanism vertically placement has better working performance than the single-driving foot piezoelectric actuator in all aspects. Compared with the walking type piezoelectric actuator with traditional flexible mechanism placement method, the volume of the vertically placed flexible mechanism piezoelectric actuator proposed in this study is only 90×70×40mm, which significantly reduces the volume of the walking type piezoelectric actuator, and has certain significance for the miniaturization and market application of the piezoelectric actuator.
The Proliferation Regulation Role of 17β-Estradiol-Induced miR-16-5p in Mouse Thymic Epithelial Cells
Authors: Guo Dongguang , Chen Mingyan , Tian Jinhe , He Yaojia , Li Yugu
Published: November 2023

To investigate the proliferation regulation role of 17β-Estradiol(E2)-induced miR-16-5p in mouse thymic epithelial cells. The miRNA expression profiles in the 50 nmo/L E2 treated MTEC1 cells were determined by high-throughput sequencing. Then the significantly upregulated miRNA expression that responsive to E2 was screened and validated. Subsequently, the proliferation functions and mechanism of screened miRNA were analyzed in MTEC1 cells. MiR-16-5p was found that significantly upregulated and had “high” levels of of expression among the 36 upregulation miRNAs, which were significantly induced by 50 nmol/L E2. Transfection assays showed that overexpression of miR-16-5p reduced cell viability, suppressed cell proliferation, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in MTEC1 cells. Results from further analysis confirmed CCND1 and Igfbp3 as the target genes of miR-16-5p, and that the effects of Igfbp3 knockdown were similar to those of miR-16-5p overexpression in MTEC1 cells. Moreover, it is similar to the roles of E2 affect MTEC1 cells proliferation, a significant up-regulation trend of miR-16-5p expression levels in MTEC1 cells was observed from 25 nmol/L to 50 nmol/L E2 after treatment for 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h, respectively. This data indicated that the expression of miR-16-5p is an E2-responsive miRNA in MTEC1 cells, and also provided evidence that miR-16-5p has a proliferation role in MTEC1 cells proliferation. Suggests that E2 may affect thymic thymus involution by regulating the expression of miRNA in TECs.
Diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer in the light of modern molecular genetic achievements
Authors: Kagirova E. M. , Khusainova R. I. , Minniakhmetov I. R.
Published: November 2023

The purpose of the study was to systematize and summarize the literature data on the study of clinical and genetic aspects, molecular pathogenesis, as well as new trends in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Material and Methods. A literature search was conducted using Web of science, scopus, medline, pubmed, and elibrary databases.

Results. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in women diagnosed with gynecological cancer. ovarian cancer is a heterogeneous disease composed of different types of tumors, each of which has differences in pathogenesis, spectrum and mutation frequencies in characteristic genes, response to therapy and prognosis of the disease. more than 80 % of all malignant ovarian tumors are of epithelial origin (carcinomas) and about 26 % of all cases of ovarian cancer are caused by germline mutations found in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes. to date, the priority areas in the study of ovarian cancer are the improvement of diagnostic methods, algorithm of examination of women, identification of new biomarkers, study of tumor microenvironment and composition of ascitic fluid to detect cancer at early stages and prescribe appropriate therapy. Recent advances in targeted therapy based on the molecular profile of the tumor have made it possible to personalize treatment and increase its effectiveness. Achievements in molecular genetic, cytological, immunological and biochemical studies contribute to the development of novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Conclusion. With the advent of new novel approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, it is becoming increasingly clear that the tumor microenvironment can significantly affect the success of chemotherapy. New biomarkers can help identify the best candidates for ovarian cancer treatment. Further basic and applied research is needed to explore the use of different diagnostic and therapeutic agents in ovarian cancer.
A study to identify novel biomarkers associated with multiple myeloma
Authors: Iyshwarya Bhaskar Kalarani , Ramakrishnan Veerabathiran
Published: November 2023

Background. multiple myeloma (mm) is a plasma cell cancer that affects white blood cells. plasma cells from the bone marrow grow abnormally, as a consequence of which patients have high amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulin in their blood and urine, poor renal function, and recurring infections due to this condition. osteolytic bone lesions and immunodeficiency also impact multiple myeloma patients’ longevity and quality of life. The disease accounts for 13 % of all hematological malignancies worldwide, making it the second most common blood cancer.

Material and Methods. The studies investigating mm biomarkers from 2000 to 2021 are collected from various databases. “multiple myeloma”, “biomarkers”, “genetic markers”, “prognostic markers”, “epidemiology of multiple myeloma”, and “risk factors for multiple myeloma” are the key phrases utilized to gather the articles.

Results. The scientific and medical research progressed into mm, and the number of cases increased over time and continues to rise, prompting researchers and clinicians to discover new consequences of the disease and new markers for prognosis, diagnosis, detection, and treatment of cancer in the earliest stages. Prognostic and predictive signs for illness recurrence and response to medication may be detected adequately by innovative potential biomarkers, which are more accurate than current approaches.

Conclusion. treatment for multiple myeloma includes a variety of chemotherapeutic medicines, including immune modulators and proteasome inhibitors; however, most patients still experience recurrence after completing treatment. There have been numerous novel techniques for managing multiple myeloma, and this review summarises the most commonly used and the new ones that have appeared in the previously published articles.