bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cone-Beam-CT Guided Adaptive Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Enables Quality Assurance and Superior Sparing of Healthy Lung
Authors: Hoegen Philipp , Lang Clemens , Akbaba Sati , Häring Peter , Splinter Mona , Miltner Annette , Bachmann Marion , Stahl-Arnsberger Christiane , Brechter Thomas , El Shafie Rami A. , Weykamp Fabian , König Laila , Debus Jürgen , Hörner-Rieber Juliane
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To evaluate the potential of cone-beam-CT (CB-CT) guided adaptive radiotherapy (ART) for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for sparing of surrounding organs-at-risk (OAR).

Materials and Methods

In 10 patients with locally advanced NSCLC, daily CB-CT imaging was acquired during radio- (n = 4) or radiochemotherapy (n = 6) for simulation of ART. Patients were treated with conventionally fractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with total doses of 60–66 Gy (pPlan) (311 fraction CB-CTs). OAR were segmented on every daily CB-CT and the tumor volumes were modified weekly depending on tumor changes. Doses actually delivered were recalculated on daily images (dPlan), and voxel-wise dose accumulation was performed using a deformable registration algorithm. For simulation of ART, treatment plans were adapted using the new contours and re-optimized weekly (aPlan).

Results

CB-CT showed continuous tumor regression of 1.1 ± 0.4% per day, leading to a residual gross tumor volume (GTV) of 65.3 ± 13.4% after 6 weeks of radiotherapy (p = 0.005). Corresponding PTVs decreased to 83.7 ± 7.8% (p = 0.005). In the actually delivered plans (dPlan), both conformity (p = 0.005) and homogeneity (p = 0.059) indices were impaired compared to the initial plans (pPlan). This resulted in higher actual lung doses than planned: V20Gy was 34.6 ± 6.8% instead of 32.8 ± 4.9% (p = 0.066), mean lung dose was 19.0 ± 3.1 Gy instead of 17.9 ± 2.5 Gy (p = 0.013). The generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) of the lung was 18.9 ± 3.1 Gy instead of 17.8 ± 2.5 Gy (p = 0.013), leading to an increased lung normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of 15.2 ± 13.9% instead of 9.6 ± 7.3% (p = 0.017). Weekly plan adaptation enabled decreased lung V20Gy of 31.6 ± 6.2% (−3.0%, p = 0.007), decreased mean lung dose of 17.7 ± 2.9 Gy (−1.3 Gy, p = 0.005), and decreased lung gEUD of 17.6 ± 2.9 Gy (−1.3 Gy, p = 0.005). Thus, resulting lung NTCP was reduced to 10.0 ± 9.5% (−5.2%, p = 0.005). Target volume coverage represented by conformity and homogeneity indices could be improved by weekly plan adaptation (CI: p = 0.007, HI: p = 0.114) and reached levels of the initial plan (CI: p = 0.721, HI: p = 0.333).

Conclusion

IGRT with CB-CT detects continuous GTV and PTV changes. CB-CT-guided ART for locally advanced NSCLC is feasible and enables superior sparing of healthy lung at high levels of plan conformity.
Analysis of N6-Methyladenosine Methyltransferase Reveals METTL14 and ZC3H13 as Tumor Suppressor Genes in Breast Cancer
Authors: Gong Peng-Ju , Shao You-Cheng , Yang Yan , Song Wen-Jing , He Xin , Zeng Yi-Fan , Huang Si-Rui , Wei Lei , Zhang Jing-Wei
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Recently, an increasing number of studies have revealed that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) functions as a significant post-transcriptional modification which plays a critical role in the occurrence and progression of enriched tumors by regulating coding and non-coding RNA biogenesis. However, the biological function of m6A in breast cancer remains largely unclear.

Materials and Methods

In this study, we used a series of bioinformatic databases and tools to jointly analyze the expression of m6A methylation transferases (METTL3, METTL14, WTAP, RBM15, RBM15B and ZC3H13) and investigate the prognostic value of METTL14 and ZC3H13 in breast cancer. Besides, we analyzed the downstream carcinogenic molecular mechanisms related to METTL14 and ZC3H13 and their relationship with immune infiltration in breast tumor tissues.

Results

The results showed that METTL14 and ZC3H13 were the down-regulated m6A methylation transferases in breast cancer. Survival outcome analysis suggested that abnormally low expression of METTL14 and ZC3H13 could predict unfavorable prognosis in four breast cancer subtypes. Moreover, their down-regulation was associated with ER-, PR- and triple-negative breast cancer patients, as well as tumor progression (increased Scarff, Bloom and Richardson grade status and Nottingham Prognostic Index classification). Co-expression analysis revealed that METTL14 and ZC3H13 had a strong positive correlation with APC, an antagonist of the Wnt signaling pathway, indicating they might cooperate in regulating proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of tumor cells. METTL14, ZC3H13, and APC expression levels had significant positive correlation with infiltrating levels of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells, and negative correlation with Treg cells in breast cancer.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that down-regulation of METTL14 and ZC3H13 which act as two tumor suppressor genes was found in breast cancer and predicted poor prognosis. Their abnormal expression promoted breast cancer invasion by affecting pathways related to tumor progression and mediating immunosuppression.
Megakaryocytic Expansion in Gilteritinib-Treated Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Is Associated With AXL Inhibition
Authors: Suknuntha Kran , Choi Yoon Jung , Jung Ho Sun , Majumder Aditi , Shah Sujal , Slukvin Igor , Ranheim Erik A.
Published: December 2020

Numerous recurrent genetic mutations are known to occur in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Among these common mutations, Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 remains as one of the most frequently mutated genes in AML. We observed apparent marrow expansion of megakaryocytes in three out of six patients with Flt3-mutated AML following treatment with a recently FDA-approved Flt3 inhibitor, gilteritinib which possesses activity against internal tandem duplication and tyrosine kinase domain Flt3 mutations and also inhibits tyrosine kinase AXL. To assess whether biopsy findings can be attributed to promotion of megakaryocytic (Mk) differentiation with gilteritinib, we devised a cellular assay by overexpressing double mutated Flt3-ITDY591F/Y919F in chronic myeloid leukemia cell line K562 to study Mk differentiation in the presence of Flt3 and AXL inhibitors with non-mutually exclusive mechanisms. These experiments demonstrated the lack of direct effect Flt3 inhibitors gilteritinib and quizartinib on megakaryocytic differentiation at either transcriptional or phenotypic levels, and highlighted antileukemic effects of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor and its potential role in megakaryocytic development.
AUNIP Expression Is Correlated With Immune Infiltration and Is a Candidate Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ma Chenxi , Kang Wenyan , Yu Lu , Yang Zongcheng , Ding Tian
Published: December 2020

AUNIP, a novel prognostic biomarker, has been shown to be associated with stromal and immune scores in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Nonetheless, its role in other cancer types was unclear. In this study, AUNIP expression was increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) according to data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, Integrative Molecular Database of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCCDB), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE45436, GSE102079, GSE10072, GSE31210, and GSE43458). Further, according to copy number variation analysis, AUNIP up-regulation may be associated with copy number variation. Immunohistochemistry showed AUNIP expression was higher in HCC and LUAD compared with the normal tissues. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that AUNIP is a candidate diagnostic biomarker for HCC and LUAD. Next, TCGA, International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), and GEO (GSE31210 and GSE50081) data showed that increased AUNIP expression clearly predicted poor overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) in HCC and LUAD. Additionally, multivariate Cox regression analysis involving various clinical factors showed that AUNIP is an independent prognostic biomarker for HCC and LUAD. Next, the role of AUNIP in HCC and LUAD was explored via a co-expression analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses, and a gene set variation analysis (GSVA). HCC and LUAD exhibited almost identical enrichment results. More specifically, high AUNIP expression was associated with DNA replication, cell cycle, oocyte meiosis, homologous recombination, mismatch repair, the p53 signal transduction pathway, and progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation. Lastly, the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) tool was used to determine the correlations of AUNIP expression with tumor immune infiltration. AUNIP expression was positively correlated with the infiltration degree of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells in HCC. However, AUNIP expression was negatively correlated with the infiltration degree of B cells, CD4+ T cells, and macrophages in LUAD. In addition, AUNIP expression was correlated with immune infiltration in various other tumors. In conclusion, AUNIP, which is associated with tumor immune infiltration, is a candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HCC and LUAD.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia: From Biology to Clinical Practices Through Development and Pre-Clinical Therapeutics
Authors: Roussel Xavier , Daguindau Etienne , Berceanu Ana , Desbrosses Yohan , Warda Walid , Neto da Rocha Mathieu , Trad Rim , Deconinck Eric , Deschamps Marina , Ferrand Christophe
Published: December 2020

Recent studies have provided several insights into acute myeloid leukemia. Studies based on molecular biology have identified eight functional mutations involved in leukemogenesis, including driver and passenger mutations. Insight into Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and assessment of cell surface markers have enabled characterization of LSCs from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Clonal evolution has been described as having an effect similar to that of microenvironment alterations. Such biological findings have enabled the development of new targeted drugs, including drug inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies with blockage functions. Some recently approved targeted drugs have resulted in new therapeutic strategies that enhance standard intensive chemotherapy regimens as well as supportive care regimens. Besides the progress made in adoptive immunotherapy, since allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation enabled the development of new T-cell transfer therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell and transgenic TCR T-cell engineering, new promising strategies that are investigated.
Targets and Mechanism Used by Cinnamaldehyde, the Main Active Ingredient in Cinnamon, in the Treatment of Breast Cancer
Authors: Liu Yufei , An Tian , Wan Donggui , Yu Bowen , Fan Yingyi , Pei Xiaohua
Published: December 2020

Background: Breast cancer has become one of the most common malignant tumors in women owing to its increasing incidence each year. Clinical studies have shown that Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl (cinnamon) has a positive influence on the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Aim: We aimed to screen the potential targets of cinnamon in the treatment of breast cancer through network pharmacology and explore its potential therapeutic mechanism through cell experiments.

Methods: We used the TCMSP, TCM Database @ Taiwan, and TCMID websites and established the active ingredient and target database of cinnamon. Thereafter, we used the GeneCards and OMIM databases to establish a breast cancer-related target database, which matched the cinnamon target database. Based on the matching results, the STRING database was used to analyze the interaction between the targets, and the biological information annotation database was used to analyze the biological process of the target (gene ontology) and the pathway enrichment of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). After establishing the layout of the analysis, we used Cytoscape 3.6.0 software for network analysis. Finally, the cell experiment was used to verify the anti-breast cancer effect of cinnamaldehyde.

Results: Our research showed that the main components of cinnamon, including cinnamaldehyde, can play a role in the treatment of breast cancer through 59 possible important targets. Subsequently, enrichment analysis by gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes showed that 83 cell biological processes and 37 pathways were associated with breast cancer (p < 0.05), including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and PI3K-Akt pathway, which are closely related to tumor cell apoptosis. In vitro cell verification experiments showed that cinnamaldehyde can significantly inhibit cell proliferation, change cell morphology, inhibit cell migration and invasion ability, and promote cell apoptosis.

Conclusion: Our results showed that cinnamaldehyde is a potential novel drug for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.
Intricate Distribution Patterns of Six Cytotypes of Allium oleraceum at a Continental Scale: Niche Expansion and Innovation Followed by Niche Contraction With Increasing Ploidy Level
Authors: Duchoslav Martin , Jandová Michaela , Kobrlová Lucie , Šafářová Lenka , Brus Jan , Vojtěchová Kateřina
Published: December 2020

The establishment and success of polyploids are thought to often be facilitated by ecological niche differentiation from diploids. Unfortunately, most studies compared diploids and polyploids, ignoring variation in ploidy level in polyploids. To fill this gap, we performed a large-scale study of 11,163 samples from 1,283 populations of the polyploid perennial geophyteAllium oleraceumwith reported mixed-ploidy populations, revealed distribution ranges of cytotypes, assessed their niches and explored the pattern of niche change with increasing ploidy level. Altogether, six ploidy levels (3x−8x) were identified. The most common were pentaploids (53.6%) followed by hexaploids (22.7%) and tetraploids (21.6%). Higher cytotype diversity was found at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes (>52° N), where only tetraploids and pentaploids occurred. We detected 17.4% of mixed-ploidy populations, usually as a combination of two, rarely of three, cytotypes. The majority of mixed-ploidy populations were found in zones of sympatry of the participating cytotypes, suggesting they have arisen through migration (secondary contact zone). Using coarse-grained variables (climate, soil), we found evidence of both niche expansion and innovation in tetraploids related to triploids, whereas higher ploidy levels showed almost zero niche expansion, but a trend of increased niche unfilling of tetraploids. Niche unfilling in higher ploidy levels was caused by a contraction of niche envelopes toward lower continentality of the climate and resulted in a gradual decrease of niche breadth and a gradual shift in niche optima. Field-recorded data indicated wide habitat breadth of tetraploids and pentaploids, but also a pattern of increasing synanthropy in higher ploidy levels. Wide niche breadth of tetra- and pentaploids might be related to their multiple origins from different environmental conditions, higher “age”, and retained sexuality, which likely preserve their adaptive potential. In contrast, other cytotypes with narrower niches are mostly asexual, probably originating from a limited range of contrasting environments. Persistence of local ploidy mixtures could be enabled by the perenniality ofA. oleraceumand its prevalence of vegetative reproduction, facilitating the establishment and decreasing exclusion of minority cytotype due to its reproductive costs. Vegetative reproduction might also significantly accelerate colonization of new areas, including recolonization of previously glaciated areas.
Abscisic Acid Deficiency Alters Epicuticular Wax Metabolism and Morphology That Leads to Increased Cuticle Permeability During Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Fruit Ripening
Authors: Romero Paco , Lafuente María Teresa
Published: December 2020

Citrus fruit ripening is coupled with the synthesis and deposition of epicuticular waxes, which reduces water loss during fruit postharvest storage. Although abscisic acid (ABA) is a major regulator of citrus fruit ripening, whether ABA mediates epicuticular wax formation during this process remains poorly understood. We investigated the implication of ABA in cuticle properties and epicuticular wax metabolism, composition, and morphology by comparing the Navelate orange [Citrus sinensis(L.) Osbeck] and its ABA biosynthesis-impaired mutant Pinalate in four ripening stages. ABA deficiency had minor effects on cuticle thickness and epicuticular wax load, but correlated with cuticle permeability. ABA content aligned with mostly fatty acids accumulation in both cultivars, and also with specific alkane, terpenoid, and aldehyde constituents in the parental fruit. In turn, cuticle permeability correlated with the fatty acid profile during fruit ripening in the Navelate and Pinalate, and with primary alcohols, terpenoids, and aldehydes, but only in the mutant fruit. Low ABA levels increased the susceptibility of waxes to crack and were lost from the epicuticular layer. The RNA-seq analysis highlighted the differential regulation of a list of 87 cuticle-related genes between genotypes and ripening stages. Changes in the gene expression of the selected genes in both cultivars were consistent with the content of the aliphatics and terpenoid fractions during ripening. The results suggest a role for ABA in the regulation of fatty acid content and primary alcohol composition, and point out the importance of alkane and triterpenoid for controlling water permeance through fruit cuticles.
Role of Arabidopsis Splicing factor SF1 in Temperature-Responsive Alternative Splicing of FLM pre-mRNA
Authors: Lee Keh Chien , Chung Kyung Sook , Lee Hee Tae , Park Jae-Hyeok , Lee Jeong Hwan , Kim Jeong-Kook
Published: December 2020

Small changes in temperature affect plant ecological and physiological factors that impact agricultural production. Hence, understanding how temperature affects flowering is crucial for decreasing the effects of climate change on crop yields. Recent reports have shown that FLM-β, the major spliced isoform of FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM)—a flowering time gene, contributes to temperature-responsive flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the molecular mechanism linking pre-mRNA processing and temperature-responsive flowering is not well understood. Genetic and molecular analyses identified the role of an Arabidopsis splicing factor SF1 homolog, AtSF1, in regulating temperature-responsive flowering. The loss-of-function AtSF1 mutant shows temperature insensitivity at different temperatures and very low levels of FLM-β transcript, but a significantly increased transcript level of the alternative splicing (AS) isoform, FLM-δ. An RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay revealed that AtSF1 is responsible for ambient temperature-dependent AS of FLM pre-mRNA, resulting in the temperature-dependent production of functional FLM-β transcripts. Moreover, alterations in other splicing factors such as ABA HYPERSENSITIVE1/CBP80 (ABH1/CBP80) and STABILIZED1 (STA1) did not impact the FLM-β/FLM-δ ratio at different temperatures. Taken together, our data suggest that a temperature-dependent interaction between AtSF1 and FLM pre-mRNA controls flowering time in response to temperature fluctuations.
COVID-19, Coronavirus, Wuhan Virus, or China Virus? Understanding How to “Do No Harm” When Naming an Infectious Disease
Authors: Masters-Waage Theodore C. , Jha Nilotpal , Reb Jochen
Published: December 2020

When labeling an infectious disease, officially sanctioned scientific names, e.g., “H1N1 virus,” are recommended over place-specific names, e.g., “Spanish flu.” This is due to concerns from policymakers and the WHO that the latter might lead to unintended stigmatization. However, with little empirical support for such negative consequences, authorities might be focusing on limited resources on an overstated issue. This paper empirically investigates the impact of naming against the current backdrop of the 2019–2020 pandemic. The first hypothesis posited that using place-specific names associated with China (e.g., Wuhan Virus or China Virus) leads to greater levels of sinophobia, the negative stigmatization of Chinese individuals. The second hypothesis posited that using a scientific name (e.g., Coronavirus or COVID-19) leads to increased anxiety, risk aversion, beliefs about contagiousness of the virus, and beliefs about mortality rate. Results from two preregistered studies [N(Study 1) = 504; N(Study 2) = 412], conducted across three countries with the first study during the early outbreak (April 2020) and the second study at a later stage of the pandemic (August 2020), found no evidence of any adverse effects of naming on sinophobia and strong support for the null hypothesis using Bayesian analyses. Moreover, analyses found no impact of naming on anxiety, risk aversion, beliefs about contagiousness of the virus, or beliefs about mortality rate, with mild to strong support for the null hypothesis across outcomes. Exploratory analyses also found no evidence for the effect of naming being moderated by political affiliation. In conclusion, results provide no evidence that virus naming impacted individual’s attitudes toward Chinese individuals or perceptions of the virus, with the majority of analyses finding strong support for the null hypothesis. Therefore, based on the current evidence, it appears that the importance given to naming infectious diseases might be inflated.
Causality Orientations and Supportive/Controlled Environment: Understanding Their Influence on Basic Needs, Motivation for Health and Emotions in French Hospitalized Older Adults
Authors: Souesme Guillaume , Martinent Guillaume , Akour Donia , Giraudeau Caroline , Ferrand Claude
Published: December 2020

Objectives

From a self-determination theory perspective, the purpose of this cross sectional study was to better understand how to motivate hospitalized older adults’ behaviors and test an integrative model of the role of causality orientations and a supportive/controlled environment on basic need satisfaction, motivation for health oriented physical activity, positive and negative affective states, depressive symptoms, apathy, and boredom.

Methods

Older adults (N = 146; Mage = 81.27 years, SD = 7.75, 74.7% female) in French hospital units completed self-report questionnaires and socio-demographic data were also collected.

Results

Partial least squares path modeling results showed that participants’ autonomy orientation positively associated with the perception of a supportive environment was related to need satisfaction, autonomous motivation for health-oriented physical activity, and high scores on positive affective states. Conversely, participants’ impersonal orientation positively associated with the perception of a controlled environment was related to undermining need satisfaction, controlled motivation for health-oriented physical activity, and amotivation, and high scores on both negative affective states, and boredom.

Conclusion

The present results indicate that taking into account personality factors in hospital units can be useful and health professionals should take an interest both in the patients’ causality orientations and the supportive nature of the environment in order to understand better how to motivate patients’ behaviors. The present study points to the need to focus on all motivational dynamics which allow patients’ need satisfaction.
Compassion: From Its Evolution to a Psychotherapy
Authors: Gilbert Paul
Published: December 2020

The concept, benefits and recommendations for the cultivation of compassion have been recognized in the contemplative traditions for thousands of years. In the last 30 years or so, the study of compassion has revealed it to have major physiological and psychological effects influencing well-being, addressing mental health difficulties, and promoting prosocial behavior. This paper outlines an evolution informed biopsychosocial, multicomponent model to caring behavior and its derivative “compassion” that underpins newer approaches to psychotherapy. The paper explores the origins of caring motives and the nature and biopsychosocial functions of caring-attachment behavior. These include providing a secure base (sources of protection, validation, encouragement and guidance) and safe haven (source of soothing and comfort) for offspring along with physiological regulating functions, which are also central for compassion focused therapy. Second, it suggests that it is the way recent human cognitive competencies give rise to different types of “mind awareness” and “knowing intentionality” that transform basic caring motives into potentials for compassion. While we can care for our gardens and treasured objects, the concept of compassion is only used for sentient beings who can “suffer.” As psychotherapy addresses mental suffering, cultivating the motives and competencies of compassion to self and others can be a central focus for psychotherapy.
Using the Generic Model of Psychotherapy to Develop a Culturally-Sensitive Approach to Psychotherapy With Sexual and Gender Minority Patients
Authors: Tomicic Alemka , Martínez Claudio , Rodríguez Juliana
Published: December 2020

This article discusses how the Generic Model of Psychotherapy (Orlinsky and Howard, 1987) can help to organize the psychotherapy research and the knowledge in the field of psychotherapy for sexual and gender minority patients. The structure that this traditional model provides is a good foundation for research in this field, inasmuch as it stresses macrosocial aspects that determine the provision of psychotherapy and contextualize its outcomes. Each one of the main components offered by the Generic Model of Psychotherapy – Determinants, Processes, and Consequences – are specified for psychotherapy with LGBT patients and are illustrated with a selection of already existing research in the field of sexual minorities; they are also stress areas marked by knowledge gaps that require future developments. In addition, a set of questions are proposed to contribute to new studies, including the clinical implications that can be derived from this model.
The Burnout Phenomenon: A Résumé After More Than 15,000 Scientific Publications
Authors: Hillert Andreas , Albrecht Arnd , Voderholzer Ulrich
Published: December 2020

The “burnout” phenomenon, supposedly caused by work related stress, is a challenge for academic psychiatry both conceptually and professionally. Since the first description of burnout in 1974 until today, more than 140 definitions have been suggested. Burnout–symptomatology's main characteristic, the experience of exhaustion, is unspecific. Different development–models of burnout were proposed, assumed to depict a quasi-natural process. These could not be confirmed empirically. An expert consensus on the diagnostic criteria and the conceptual location, whether as an independent disorder or as a risk, could not be agreed on. Nevertheless, the phenomenon of burnout in the ICD-11 is considered to be categorized as a work-related disorder. Psychiatric research on the burnout–phenomenon ignores problems of definition resulting from different perspectives: It may meet societal expectations, but does not fulfill scientific criteria, and therefore is not suitable to establish an objective diagnosis and treatment. Parallel detection of ICD/DSM diagnoses from an expert perspective and subjective perturbation models are considered appropriate.
Attitude, Perception, and Knowledge of COVID-19 Among General Public in Pakistan
Authors: Mahmood Sammina , Hussain Tariq , Mahmood Faiq , Ahmad Mehmood , Majeed Arfa , Beg Bilal Mahmood , Areej Sadaf
Published: December 2020

The World Health Organization has acknowledged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease as a pandemic. Efforts are being made all over the world to raise awareness to prevent the spread of the disease. The goal of this study was to assess the attitude, perception, and knowledge of Pakistani people toward COVID-19 disease. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in which a questionnaire of 17 questions was transformed online on Google forms and was sent to random individuals online. A total of 1,000 questionnaires from individuals throughout Pakistan were evaluated. The results revealed that 42.9% of the participants knew about COVID-19 through social media, the largest source of information. Most of the participants (48.3%) started working from home amid the lockdown; 39.9% of the participants reported that they wash their hands every hour, and 56.9% participants are using a surgical mask. About thermal scanners, 30.5% of the people answered they may be effective, and 46.0% of the people think COVID-19 is a bioweapon; 59% of the participants think everyone is susceptible, whereas 83.9% of the people recognize fever as a primary symptom; 65.2% of the people are practicing social distancing, whereas 85.1% of the people think social gatherings causes spread of the disease. In general, participants had a good knowledge about the disease and a positive attitude toward protective measures. The effective measures are being taken by the government and the public; still, there remains a need for further awareness campaigns and knowledge of safe interventions to combat the spread of disease.
Fighting Strategies Against the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic: Impact on Global Economy
Authors: Gorain Bapi , Choudhury Hira , Molugulu Nagashekhara , Athawale Rajani B. , Kesharwani Prashant
Published: December 2020

Sudden outbreak of a new pathogen in numbers of pneumonic patients in Wuhan province during December 2019 has threatened the world population within a short period of its occurrence. This respiratory tract–isolated pathogen was initially named as novel coronavirus 2019 (nCoV-2019), but later termed as SARS-CoV-2. The rapid spreading of this infectious disease received the label of pandemic by the World Health Organization within 4 months of its occurrence, which still seeks continuous attention of the researchers to prevent the spread and for cure of the infected patients. The propagation of the disease has been recorded in 215 countries, with more than 25.5 million cases and a death toll of more than 0.85 million. Several measures are taken to control the disease transmission, and researchers are actively engaged in finding suitable therapeutics to effectively control the disease to minimize the mortality and morbidity rates. Several existing potential candidates were explored in the prevention and treatment of worsening condition of COVID-19 patients; however, none of the formulation has been approved for the treatment but used under medical supervision. In this article, a focus has been made to highlight on current epidemiology on the COVID-19 infection, clinical features, diagnosis, and transmission, with special emphasis on treatment measures of the disease at different stages of clinical research and the global economic influence due to this pandemic situation. Progress in the development on vaccine against COVID-19 has also been explored as important measures to immunize people. Moreover, this article is expected to provide information to the researchers, who are constantly combating in the management against this outbreak.
Have COVID-19-Related Economic Shocks Affected the Health Levels of Individuals in the United States and the United Kingdom?
Authors: Jiang Baozhen , Liu Zhaohui , Shen Rui , Huang Leping , Tong Yang , Xia Yuxin
Published: December 2020

This paper introduces a health index for measuring the health level of societies during the lockdown era, i. e., for the period from March 21, 2020 to April 7, 2020. For this purpose, individual-level survey data from the Global Behaviors and Perceptions in the COVID-19 Pandemic dataset are considered. We focus on cases in the United States and the United Kingdom, and the data come from 11,270 and 11,459 respondents, respectively. We then use unit root tests with structural breaks to examine whether COVID-19-related economic shocks significantly affect the health levels of the United States and the United Kingdom. The empirical results indicate that the health levels in the United States and the United Kingdom are not significantly affected by the COVID-19-related economic shocks. The evidence shows that government directives (such as lockdowns) did not significantly change the health levels of these societies.
Control Protocols for Range-Based Navigation of a Networked Group of Underwater Vehicles
Authors: De Palma Daniela , Indiveri Giovanni , Parlangeli Gianfranco
Published: December 2020

This paper tackles the problem of formation reconstruction for a team of vehicles based on the knowledge of the range between agents of a subset of the participants. One main peculiarity of the proposed approach is that the relative velocity between agents, which is a fundamental data to solve the problem, is not assumed to be known in advance neither directly communicated. For the purpose of estimating this quantity, a collaborative control protocol is designed in order to mount the velocity data in the motion of each vehicle as a parameter through a dedicated control protocol, so that it can be inferred from the motion of the neighbor agents. Moreover, some suitable geometrical constraints related to the agents' relative positions are built and explicitly taken into account in the estimation framework providing a more accurate estimate. The issue of the presence of delays in the transmitted signals is also studied and two possible solutions are provided explaining how it is possible to get a reasonable range data exchange to get the solution both in a centralized fashion and in a decentralized one. Numerical examples are presented corroborating the validity of the proposed approach.
When Can We Safely Stop Luteal Phase Support in Fresh IVF Cycles? A Literature Review
Authors: Mizrachi Yossi , Raziel Arieh , Weissman Ariel
Published: December 2020

There is no consensus on the optimal duration of luteal phase support (LPS) in fresh IVF cycles. Although some clinicians withdraw LPS on the day of a positive pregnancy test, most clinicians continue its administration at least up to the 8th week of gestation. In this literature review, we included several randomized clinical trials comparing early and late cessation of LPS. Most studies have found no benefit in extended administration. These studies, however, were limited by their small sample size and selection bias. Until now, only a few attempts have been made to indicate when LPS can be safely stopped based on individual patient characteristics. In conclusion, the quality and quantity of the evidence regarding LPS duration in fresh IVF cycles is currently insufficient to justify early cessation in all patients. Individualization of LPS should receive high priority in future research.
Ecological Risk of Water Resource Use to the Wellbeing of Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Rivers of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Authors: Agboola Olalekan A. , Downs Colleen T. , O'Brien Gordon
Published: December 2020

The rivers of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, are being impacted by various anthropogenic activities that threaten their sustainability. Our study demonstrated how Bayesian networks could be used to conduct an environmental risk assessment of macroinvertebrate biodiversity and their associated ecosystem to assess the overall effects of these anthropogenic stressors in the rivers. We examined the exposure pathways through various habitats in the study area using a conceptual model that linked the sources of stressors through cause-effect pathways. A Bayesian network was constructed to represent the observed complex interactions and overall risk from water quality, flow and habitat stressors. The model outputs and sensitivity analysis showed ecosystem threat and river health (represented by macroinvertebrate assessment index – MIRAI) could have high ecological risks on macroinvertebrate biodiversity and the ecosystem, respectively. The results of our study demonstrated that Bayesian networks can be used to calculate risk for multiple stressors and that they are a powerful tool for informing future strategies for achieving best management practices and policymaking. Apart from the current scenario, which was developed from field data, we also simulated three other scenarios to predict potential risks to our selected endpoints. We further simulated the low and high risks to the endpoints to demonstrate that the Bayesian network can be an effective adaptive management tool for decision making.
Beyond the Headlines: The Influence of Insurance Pest Management on an Unseen, Silent Entomological Majority
Authors: Krupke Christian H. , Tooker John F.
Published: December 2020

For most of the last two decades, insect pest management in key grain and oilseed crops has relied heavily on an insurance-based approach. This approach mandates a suite of management tactics prior to planting and in the absence of pest data. Because there is little flexibility for using these tactics individually, most producers have adopted this full suite of practices despite mounting evidence that some components do not provide consistent benefits. In North America in particular, this preventive approach to insect pest management has led to steep increases in use of neonicotinoid insecticides and subsequent increases in neonicotinoids in soil and water within crop fields and beyond. These increases have been accompanied by a host of non-target effects that have been most clearly studied in pollinators and insect natural enemies. Less attention has been given to the effects of this practice upon the many thousands of aquatic insect species that are often cryptic and offer negligible, or undefined, clear benefits to humans and their commerce. A survey of the literature reveals that the non-target effects of neonicotinoids upon these aquatic species are often as serious as for terrestrial species, and more difficult to address. By focusing upon charismatic insect species that provide clearly defined services, we are likely dramatically under-estimating the effects of neonicotinoids upon the wider environment. Given the mounting evidence base demonstrating that the pest management and crop yield benefits of this approach are negligible, we advocate for a return to largely-abandoned IPM principles as a readily accessible alternative path.
Biochar Alters Soil Physical Characteristics, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Colonization, and Glomalin Production
Authors: Barna Gyöngyi , Makó András , Takács Tünde , Skic Kamil , Füzy Anna , Horel Ágota
Published: December 2020

Soil enhancements such as biochar (BC) are gaining attention as tools to mitigate climate change and also to promote crop growth. However, biochar use can disrupt soil ecosystems by changing the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. The study aimed to determine how biochar influences soil physical changes such as specific surface area (SSA) and water vapor sorption, and how these conditions affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) hyphae growth and glomalin production. The study analyzed these factors at different plant phenological phases (i.e., flowering, development of fruit, and ripening of fruit and seed) to better understand the changes within the system while varying biochar amounts. The study also investigated the effect of different soil physical and chemical parameters on mycorrhizal hyphae growth and glomalin production. Four treatments were investigated: 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (w/w) biochar amended silt loam soil planted with pepper. Soil samples were taken at the beginning and weeks 6, 10, and 12 of the study. The amount of adsorbed water vapor increased with an increasing amount of biochar added to the soils. Compared to control, SSA was significantly higher in all biochar amended treatments based on adsorption data, and only in the highest biochar amended soils for the desorption data at the end of the experiment. The presence of AMF in the roots appeared at week 6 of the experiment and the intensity of AMF root colonization increased with the age of plants. The AMF colonization parameters were significantly lower in BC2.5 compared to all other biochar amended soils. The abundance of intraradical AMF structures was highly correlated with several physicochemical soil parameters, such as SSA, the geometric mean diameter of soil aggregate, soil aggregate sizes, or pH. Glomalin production was negatively correlated with SSA, water vapor adsorption, aggregate stability, aggregate size, total nitrogen, potassium, and organic carbon content of the soil, while positive correlation was observed with bulk density. Increased biochar amount resulted in a significant decrease in glomalin production, concurrent with the age of the plants. Our results highlight the great complexity of interactions between soil physicochemical and biological parameters, and the importance of the time of sampling when biochar is used in soil, as the effects of biochar additions on the plant, soil physical characteristics, and soil microsymbionts vary over time.
The Relationship between Hunting Methods and the Sex, Age and Body Mass of Wild Boar Sus scrofa
Authors: Kamieniarz Robert , Jankowiak Łukasz , Fratczak Martyna , Panek Marek , Wojtczak Janusz , Tryjanowski Piotr
Published: December 2020

Increases in the wild boar Sus scrofa population create many conflicts that must be managed, especially because hunting represents a major cause of mortality in this game species. However, hunting effort is not distributed randomly and is influenced by many factors, including hunting methods. This can be especially important in understanding the nature of hunting pressure for both theoretical (ecological and evolutionary) and applied reasons (for management purposes, especially during infectious diseases, for example, African swine fever, outbreaks). We analyzed hunting data from the survey area in Western Poland from the years 1965–2016. In this period a total of 2335 wild boar were culled using two hunting methods: by individual hunters (43.8%) and by teams of hunters (52.0%). During the study period, the number of wild boars increased significantly but in a non-linear manner. More adult males and yearlings of both sexes were shot during individual hunts; more adult females were culled during team hunting. Moreover, the body mass of culled wild boars was positively influenced by the distance to a forest and during the team hunts heavier females and males were shot. To effectively control populations of wild boars, programs to reduce the number of individuals should be better planned and ensure the maintenance of proper age- and sex structure in the wild boar population.
Fostering Appropriate Antibiotic Use in a Complex Intervention: Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation Alongside the Cluster-Randomized Trial ARena
Authors: Poss-Doering Regina , Kühn Lukas , Kamradt Martina , Stürmlinger Anna , Glassen Katharina , Andres Edith , Kaufmann-Kolle Petra , Wambach Veit , Bader Lutz , Szecsenyi Joachim , Wensing Michel
Published: December 2020

The cluster randomized trial ARena (sustainable reduction of antibiotic-induced antimicrobial resistance, 2017–2020) promoted appropriate use of antibiotics for acute non-complicated infections in primary care networks (PCNs) in Germany. A process evaluation assessed determinants of practice and explored factors associated with antibiotic prescribing patterns. This work describes its findings on uptake and impacts of the complex intervention program and indicates potential implementation into routine care. In a nested mixed-methods approach, a three-wave study-specific survey for participating physicians and medical assistants assessed potential impacts and uptake of the complex intervention program. Stakeholders received a one-time online questionnaire to reflect on network-related aspects. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews, with a purposive sample of physicians, medical assistants and stakeholders, explored program component acceptance for daily practice and perceived sustainability of intervention component effects. Intervention components were perceived to be smoothly integrable into practice routines. The highest uptake was reported for educational components: feedback reports, background information, e-learning modules and disease-specific quality circles (QCs). Participation in PCNs was seen as the motivational factor for guideline-oriented patient care and adoption of new routines. Future approaches to fostering appropriate antibiotics use by targeting health literacy competencies and clinician’s therapy decisions should combine evidence-based information sources, audit and feedback reports and QCs.
Monitoring of Non-β-Lactam Antibiotic Resistance-Associated Genes in ESBL Producing Enterobacterales Isolates
Authors: Shinu Pottathil , Bareja Rajesh , Nair Anroop B. , Mishra Vashishth , Hussain Snawar , Venugopala Katharigatta N. , Sreeharsha Nagaraja , Attimarad Mahesh , Rasool Sahibzada Tasleem
Published: December 2020

Genetic context of extended spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacterales and its association with plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR), aminoglycoside modifying enzymes (AME) and Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) resistance is little known from North India. Therefore, the current study was aimed to investigate the frequency of Non-β-Lactam antibiotic resistance associated genes in extended spectrum β-Lactamase producing Enterobacterales. For this study, Non-Duplicate phenotypically confirmed ESBL producing Enterobacterales isolates (N = 186) were analyzed for ESBLs, PMQRs, AMEs and TMP-SMX resistance genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR detected presence of PMQR genes in 81.29% (N = 139) of ESBL isolates (N = 171), AME genes in 60.82% and TMP-SMX resistance genes in 63.74% of the isolates. Molecular characterization of ESBL producing Enterobacterales showed 84.79% blaTEM followed by 73.68% blaCTX-M, 43.86% blaSHV, 19.88% blaPER and 9.94% blaVEB, respectively. Analysis of PMQR genes revealed 77.7% aac(6′)-lb-cr the most commonly detected gene followed by 67.63% oqxB, 62.59% oqxA, 43.17% qnrB, 19.42% qnrD, 18.7% qnrS, 9.35% qnrA, 3.6% qepA and 2.88% qnrC, respectively. Analysis of AMEs gene profile demonstrated 81.73% aac(6′)-Ib, the most frequently encountered gene followed by 46.15% aph(3′)-Ia, 44.23% ant(3”)-Ia, respectively. A 100% prevalence of sul1, followed by dfrA (54.63%) and sul2 (15.74%) was observed. In summary, prevalence of ESBL-Producing genes (particularly blaTEM and blaCTX-M) along with PMQR, AMEs, and TMP-SMX resistant genes may potentially aid in the transfer of antimicrobial resistance among these strains.