bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cohort profile: prescriptions dispensed in the community linked to the national cancer registry in England
Authors: Henson Katherine E , Brock Rachael , Shand Brian , Coupland Victoria H , Elliss-Brookes Lucy , Lyratzopoulos Georgios , Godfrey Philip , Haigh Abigail , Hunter Kelvin , McCabe Martin G , Mitchell Graham , Monckton Nina , Robson Robert , Round Thomas , Wong Kwok , Rashbass Jem
Published: July 2018

Purpose

The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource was set up to extend our understanding of the pathway for patients with cancer past secondary care into the community, to ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Participants

The linked prescriptions cancer registry data resource is currently available for April to July 2015, for all patients diagnosed with cancer in England with a dispensed prescription in that time frame.

The dispensed prescriptions data are collected by National Health Service (NHS) Prescription Services, and the cancer registry data are processed by Public Health England. All data are routine healthcare data, used for secondary purposes, linked using a pseudonymised version of the patient’s NHS number and date of birth.

Detailed demographic and clinical information on the type of cancer diagnosed and treatment is collected by the cancer registry. The dispensed prescriptions data contain basic demographic information, geography measures of the dispensed prescription, drug information (quantity, strength and presentation), cost of the drug and the date that the dispensed prescription was submitted to NHS Business Services Authority.

Findings to date

Findings include a study of end of life prescribing in the community among patients with cancer, an investigation of repeat prescriptions to derive measures of prior morbidity status in patients with cancer and studies of prescription activity surrounding the date of cancer diagnosis.

Future plans

This English linked resource could be used for cancer epidemiological studies of diagnostic pathways, health outcomes and inequalities; to establish primary care comorbidity indices and for guideline concordance studies of treatment, particularly hormonal therapy, as a major treatment modality for breast and prostate cancer which has been largely delivered in the community setting for a number of years.
A retrospective study of the clinical features of new syphilis infections in an HIV-positive cohort in Alberta, Canada
Authors: Lang Raynell , Read Ron , Krentz Hartmut B , Peng Mingkai , Ramazani Soheil , Vu Quang , Gill M John
Published: July 2018

Objectives

Syphilis is a global health concern with an estimated 12 million infections occurring annually. Due to the increasing rates of new syphilis infections being reported in patients infected with HIV, and their higher risk for atypical and severe presentations, periodic screening has been recommended as a routine component of HIV care. We aimed to characterise incident syphilis presentation, serological features and treatment response in a well-defined, HIV-infected population over 11 years.

Methods

Since 2006, as routine practice of both the Southern Alberta Clinic and Calgary STI programmes, syphilis screening has accompanied HIV viral load measures every 4 months. All records of patients who, while in HIV care, either converted from being syphilis seronegative to a confirmed seropositive or were reinfected as evidenced by a fourfold increase in rapid plasma reagin (RPR) after past successful treatment, were reviewed.

Results

We identified 249 incident syphilis infections in 194 different individuals infected with HIV; 72% were initial infections whereas 28% were reinfections. Half (50.8%) of the infections were asymptomatic and identified only by routine screening. Symptomatic syphilis was more common when RPR titres were higher (p=0.03). In patients with recurrent syphilis infection, a trend was noted favouring symptomatic presentation (62%, p=0.07). All 10 patients with central nervous system (CNS) syphilis involvement presented with an RPR titre ≥1:32. Following syphilis infection, a decline of 42 cells/mm3in CD4 (p=0.004) was found, but no significant changes in viral load occurred. No association was found with the stage of syphilis or symptoms at presentation and antiretroviral therapy use, CD4 count or virological suppression.

Conclusion

Routine screening of our HIV-infected population identified many asymptomatic syphilis infections. The interaction of HIV and syphilis infection appears to be bidirectional with effects noted on both HIV and syphilis clinical and serological markers.
Endovascular treatment for symptomatic intracranial artery stenosis: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Tao , Wang Xue , Yang Kun , Zhang Jing , Luo Jichang , Gao Peng , Ma Yan , Jiao Liqun , Ling Feng
Published: July 2018

Introduction

Atherosclerotic intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS) is one of most common causes of stroke, which is the second-leading cause of death worldwide. Medical, surgical and endovascular therapy are three major treatments for ICAS. Currently, medical therapy is considered as the standard of care for most patients with ICAS, while extracranial to intracranial bypass is only used in rare situations. Balloon angioplasty alone, balloon-mounted stent and self-expanding stent, collectively called endovascular treatment, have shown promising potentials in treating specific subgroups of patients with symptomatic ICAS; however, their comparative safety and efficacy is still unclear. Therefore, a systematic review with network meta-analysis is needed to establish a hierarchy of these endovascular treatments.

Methods and analysis

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols was followed to establish this protocol. The search will be limited to studies published from 1 January 2000 to the formal search date. Major databases including Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, conference proceedings and grey literature database will be searched for clinical studies comparing at least two interventions for patients with symptomatic ICAS. Primary outcomes include short-term and long-term mortality or stroke rate. Random effects pairwise and network meta-analyses of included studies will be performed on STATA (V.14, StataCorp, 2015). The surface under the cumulative ranking curve and mean rank will be calculated in order to establish a hierarchy of the endovascular treatments. Evaluation of the risk of bias, heterogeneity, consistency, transitivity and quality of evidence will follow the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval is not needed as systematic review is based on published studies. Study findings will be presented at international conferences and published on a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42018084055; Pre-results.
Role of personality traits in reporting the development of adverse drug reactions: a prospective cohort study of the Estonian general population
Authors: Realo Anu , van Middendorp Henriët , Kööts-Ausmees Liisi , Allik Jüri , Evers Andrea W M
Published: July 2018

Objective

To examine the role of the Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits in reporting the development of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) when controlling for sociodemographic variables and health status.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting

The Estonian Biobank of the Estonian Genome Centre, University of Tartu.

Participants

814 women and 543 men (mean age=47.9 years;SD=15.2) who after the initial enrolment in the Estonian Biobank were re-contacted for follow-up purposes about 5.3 years after the enrolment and for whom both self- and informant-reported personality data were available.

Main outcome measure

Participants who did not report having any ADRs at baseline but who reported ADRs at the follow-up about 5.3 years later versus participants who did not report any ADRs at either time point. The reports of developing ADRs were predicted from the FFM personality traits after statistically controlling for sociodemographic variables (age, gender and education), baseline indicators of health status (number of diagnoses and medicines taken, body mass index and blood pressure), and the change in health status between the two measurements.

Results

The results of a hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis showed that participants who reported the development of ADRs between the two measurements had higher levels of conscientiousness, were more likely to be women, were taking more medicines at baseline and had a higher increase in the number of medicines taken during the study period than participants who did not report any ADRs at either time point (all p values <0.05). Higher neuroticism (p=0.067) and a higher number of diagnosed diseases at baseline (p=0.053) also made marginal contributions to predicting the development of ADRs.

Conclusions

This study shows for the first time that higher levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism are associated with reporting the development of ADRs.
UK nationals who received their medical degrees abroad: selection into, and subsequent performance in postgraduate training: a national data linkage study
Authors: Tiffin Paul A , Orr James , Paton Lewis W , Smith Daniel T , Norcini John J
Published: July 2018

Objectives

To compare the likelihood of success at selection into specialty training for doctors who were UK nationals but obtained their primary medical qualification (PMQ) from outside the UK (‘UK overseas graduates’) with other graduate groups based on their nationality and where they gained their PMQ. We also compared subsequent educational performance during postgraduate training between the graduate groups.

Design

Observational study linking UK medical specialty recruitment data with postgraduate educational performance (Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) ratings).

Setting

Doctors recruited into national programmes of postgraduate specialist training in the UK from 2012 to 2016.

Participants

34 755 UK-based trainee doctors recruited into national specialty training programmes with at least one subsequent ARCP outcome reported during the study period, including 1108 UK overseas graduates.

Main outcome measures

Odds of being deemed appointable at specialty selection and subsequent odds of obtaining a less versus more satisfactory category of ARCP outcome.

Results

UK overseas graduates were more likely to be deemed appointable compared with non-EU medical graduates who were not UK citizens (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.42), although less so than UK (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.27) or European graduates (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.75). However, UK overseas graduates were subsequently more likely to receive a less satisfactory outcome at ARCP than other graduate groups. Adjusting for age, sex, experience and the economic disparity between country of nationality and place of qualification reduced intergroup differences.

Conclusions

The failure of recruitment patterns to mirror the ARCP data raises issues regarding consistency in selection and the deaneries’ subsequent annual reviews. Excessive weight is possibly given to interview performance at specialty recruitment. Regulators and selectors should continue to develop robust processes for selection and assessment of doctors in training. Further support could be considered for UK overseas graduates returning to practice in the UK.
Meditation-based therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children, adolescents and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Junhua , Díaz-Román Amparo , Cortese Samuele
Published: July 2018

Background

The efficacy of meditation-based therapies for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across the lifespan remains uncertain.

Objective

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of meditation-based therapies for ADHD core symptoms and associated neuropsychological dysfunctions in children/adolescents or adults with ADHD.

Methods

We searched Pubmed, PsycInfo, Embase+Embase Classic, Ovid Medline and Web of Knowledge with no language, date or type of document restriction, up to 5 May 2018. Random-effects model was used. Heterogeneity was assessed with Cochran’s Q and I2statistics. Publication (small studies) bias was assessed with funnel plots and the Egger’s test. Studies were evaluated with the Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tool. Analyses were conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis.

Findings

13 RCTs (seven in children/adolescents, n=270 and six in adults, n=339) were retained. Only one RCT was double-blind.Meditation-based therapies were significantly more efficacious than the control conditions in decreasing the severity of ADHD core symptoms (inattention+hyperactivity/impulsivity: children/adolescents: Hedge’s g=-0.44, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.19, I20%; adults: Hedge’s g=−0.66, 95% CI –1.21 to −0.11, I281.81%). No significant effects were found on neuropsychological measures of inattention and inhibition in children/adolescents. In adults, significant effects were detected on working memory and inhibition, although these results were based on a small number of studies (n=3). 57% and 43% of the studies in children/adolescents were rated at overall unclear and high risk of bias, respectively. In adults, 33% and 67% of the studies were deemed at overall unclear and high risk of bias, respectively. No evidence of publication bias was found.

Conclusions

Despite statistically significant effects on ADHD combined core symptoms, due to paucity of RCTs, heterogeneity across studies and lack of studies at low risk of bias, there is insufficient methodologically sound evidence to support meditation-based therapies for ADHD.

Trial registration number

PROSPERO 2018 [CRD42018096156].
Cladribine: mechanisms and mysteries in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Jacobs Benjamin Meir , Ammoscato Francesca , Giovannoni Gavin , Baker David , Schmierer Klaus
Published: July 2018

Objectives

The aims of this manuscript were to review the evidence for the efficacy and safety of cladribine in multiple sclerosis (MS) and to review the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which cladribine acts as a disease-modifying therapy in MS.

Methods

This is a narrative review of the available clinical and preclinical data on the use of cladribine in MS.

Results

Clinical trial data argue strongly that cladribine is a safe and effective therapy for relapsing MS and that it may also be beneficial in progressive MS. The pharmacology of cladribine explains how it is selectively toxic towards lymphocytes. Immunophenotyping studies show that cladribine depletes lymphocyte populations in vivo with a predilection for B cells. In vitro studies demonstrate that cladribine also exerts immunomodulatory influences over innate and adaptive immunity.

Conclusions

Cladribine is a safe and effective form of induction therapy for relapsing MS. Its mechanism of benefit is not fully understood but the most striking action is selective, long-lasting, depletion of B lymphocytes with a particular predilection for memory B cells. The in vivo relevance of its other immunomodulatory actions is unknown. The hypothesis that cladribine’s action of benefit is to deplete memory B cells is important: if correct, it implies that selective targeting of this cell population and sparing of other lymphocytes could modify disease activity without predisposing to immunosuppression-related complications.
Lessons fromFrankenstein: narrative myth as ethical model
Authors: Koepke Yvette
Published: July 2018

As Frankenstein’s 200th anniversary nears, its use as a shorthand for ethical critique only increases. This article argues, though, that its lessons inhere in its unique structure, which enacts an interpretive process that models the multiplicity and uncertainty constitutive of ethical decision-making. Frankenstein deliberately functions as a modern myth, rewriting classical and Christian mythology to challenge the straightforward moral lessons often ascribed to the text. Complex portrayals of the creature and of Victor Frankenstein in the context of contemporary science make it impossible to read Victor as villain, victim or hero, or to take a consequentialist or nature-based stance in which the outcome of his research dictates its wrongness. The use of Paradise Lost insists on the creature’s fundamental humanity. Indeed, the creature’s voice frames the entire novel and serves as its structural centrepiece. His experience counters Victor’s and vividly expresses the harm in a narrow focus on discovery and in the denial of responsibility for scientific work as it moves beyond the laboratory. Both the creature’s and Captain Walton’s stories stress the need to hear other voices and honour their distinct lived experiences. While Frankenstein-as-myth (re)produces science as the fundamental explanatory paradigm, it presents a vision of science as passionately personal and societally situated. Repeated disruptions of narrative cohesion question accuracy and causality, producing instead an acute awareness of perspective. Frankenstein argues for a reflective and dialogical narrative ethics: choices must be made and evaluated not according to a priori abstract rules, but within the attached stories.
Pentraxin 3 increases in adult overweight and obese men after weight loss by dietary modification with exercise training
Authors: Zempo-Miyaki Asako , Kumagai Hiroshi , Yoshikawa Toru , Myoenzono Kanae , So Rina , Otsuki Takeshi , Tanaka Kiyoji , Maeda Seiji
Published: July 2018

The circulatory level of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), an anti-inflammatory cardioprotective protein, has been shown to be lower in obese individuals than in those with normal weight. However, reports on the effects of different weight-loss methods on PTX3 are limited. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of weight loss on circulating PTX3 levels in overweight and obese men and to examine the combined effect of dietary modification and exercise training on PTX3 levels. Forty-eight overweight and obese men were assigned to 2 groups: dietary modification (group D) or exercise training and dietary modification (group DE). Groups D and DE were composed of 27 and 21 participants, respectively. We observed a significant independent relationship between changes in PTX3 and body mass index (BMI) in all participants (β = −0.617, p < 0.01). Subsequently, we compared the effects of the 2 weight-loss methods on plasma PTX3 in groups D and DE. The magnitude of the increase in plasma PTX3 levels was similar in the 2 groups. Interestingly, we observed that PTX3 levels in group DE increased significantly more than those in group D in subjects who achieved normal weight, based on BMI, after interventions. Our study suggested that weight reduction after lifestyle modification significantly increased PTX3 levels in overweight and obese men, and the addition of habitual exercise to dietary modification enhanced the magnitude of the increase in PTX3 levels in obese individuals achieving normal weight after weight loss.
Transition from shear band propagation to global slab failure in submarine landslides
Authors: Zhang Wangcheng , Randolph Mark F. , Puzrin Alexander M. , Wang Dong
Published: July 2018

The risk posed by seabed instability is of increasing significance as offshore activities including oil and gas developments continue to expand in this century. Many studies have considered runout of debris flows resulting from submarine landslides and potential impact on offshore infrastructure. However, initiation of slab failure resulting from shear band propagation (SBP) at the onset of a landslide has received less attention, although it is of key importance for estimating the scale and consequences of landslides. The present paper explores arrest of SBP as well as global slab failure above the shear band. The complete evolution of a submarine landslide from shear band initiation, propagation, slab failure, and arrest of SBP is observed through large-deformation finite element (LDFE) modelling. Governing equations for both dynamic and quasi-static SBP are established and solved, with results showing good agreement with the LDFE results. Lower limits for the final shear band length and for global slab failure are proposed for cases with high strain-rate dependency of shear strength, where shear band propagation is quasi-static; upper limits are proposed for cases without rate effects where the behaviour is dynamic.
Acoustic telemetry as a potential tool for mixed-stock analysis of fishery harvest: a feasibility study using Lake Erie walleye
Authors: Faust Matthew D. , Vandergoot Christopher S. , Brenden Travis O. , Kraus Richard. T. , Hartman Travis , Krueger Charles C.
Published: July 2018

Understanding stock composition is critical for sustainable management of mixed-stock fisheries. When natural markers routinely used for stock discrimination fail, alternative techniques are required. We investigated the feasibility of using acoustic telemetry to estimate spawning population contributions to a mixed-stock fishery using Lake Erie’s summer walleye (Sander vitreus) recreational fishery as a case study. Postrelease survival was estimated after tagging and used to inform simulations to evaluate how contribution estimates could be affected by survival, sample size, and expected population contributions. Walleye experienced low short-term survival after tagging, but showed higher survival after 100 days, likely allowing fish to return to spawning areas the following spring. Based on simulations, accuracy and precision of population composition increased with an increase in the number of tagged fish released, and both appeared to stabilize when ≥200 tagged fish were released. Results supported the feasibility of using acoustic telemetry to estimate spawning population contributions to mixed-stock fisheries in Lake Erie.
Light-front and conformal field theories in two dimensions
Authors: Grangé Pierre , Werner Ernst
Published: July 2018

Light-front (LF) quantization of massless fields in two spacetime dimensions is a long-standing and much debated problem. Even though the classical wave-equation is well-documented for almost two centuries, either as problems with initial values in spacetime variables or with initial data on characteristics in light-cone variables, the way to a consistent quantization in both types of frames is still a puzzle in many respects. This is in contrast to the most successful Conformal Field Theoretic (CFT) approach in terms of complex variables [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] pioneered by Belavin, Polyakov and Zamolodchikov in the ’80s. It is shown here that the 2D-massless canonical quantization in both reference frames is completely consistent provided that quantum fields are treated as Operator-Valued Distributions (OPVD) with Partition of Unity (PU) test functions. We recall first that classical fields have to be considered as distributions (e.g. generalized functions in the Russian literature). Then, a necessary condition on the PU test function follows from the required matching of the classical solutions of the massless differential equations in both types of reference frame. Next we use a mathematical formulation for OPVD, developed in the recent past. Specifically, smooth [Formula: see text] fields are introduced through the convolution operation in the distributional context. Due to the specific behavior of the Fourier-transform of the initial test function, this convolution transform has a well-defined integral in the dual space, whatever the initial choice of the reference frame. The relation to the conformal fields method follows immediately from the transition to Euclidean time and leads directly to explicit calculations of a few correlation functions of the scalar field and its energy–momentum tensor. The LF derivation of the Virasoro algebra is then obtained from the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] expansions of the canonical fields as distributional Laplace-transform in these variables. Finally, the popular and problematic Discretized Light Cone Quantization (DLCQ) method is scrutinized with respect to its zero mode and ultraviolet content as encompassed in the continuum OPVD formulation.
Optical transmission singularities in light propagation through double active barrier structure
Authors: Opačak Nikola , Milanović Vitomir , Radovanović Jelena
Published: July 2018

Propagation of the electromagnetic wave through a system with complex permittivity is investigated. The system consists of two media, one is passive and surrounds the two barrier slabs made out of the second material with complex dielectric constant. Expression for transmission probability is obtained along with equation which allows calculation of the resonant frequency. Analytical expressions for reflection and absorption probabilities are acquired as well. It will be shown, if the frequency is given, that the transmission probability (along with reflection and absorption probabilities) approaches infinity for one particular value of the dielectric constant with negative imaginary part, which is used to describe active media. Furthermore, conditions for appearance of these transmission singularities are obtained.
Aerial photographic intelligence during World War II: contributions by some distinguished British geologists
Authors: Rose Edward P. F.
Published: July 2018

During the war of 1939–45, intelligence was gleaned from aerial photographs by a newly founded organization that developed into the Allied Central Interpretation Unit. This was based primarily at Danesfield House (known as Royal Air Force Medmenham) some 50 km west of London, in Buckinghamshire. At least six British geoscientists (and at least one American, L. J. Simon) were amongst its pioneering photographic interpreters, all recruited from civilian life: palaeobotanist H. Hamshaw Thomas; geologists L. R. Wager, N. L. Falcon, P. E. Kent and P. Allen; and a geologist who became distinguished as a geographer, D. L. Linton. Of these six, all except Linton were to become Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS): the highest British academic accolade for a scientist. Work at Medmenham, although important for the war effort, required interpreters familiar with aerial photographs rather than geology as such – but geology did assist the search for storage sites for ‘V’ weapons, terrain interpretation for the 1944 Allied landings in Normandy, and in guiding plans to bomb German industrial complexes hidden underground.
Archibald Geikie: his influence on and support for the roles of female geologists
Authors: Burek Cynthia V.
Published: July 2018

This chapter explores the interaction between Archibald Geikie and female geologists in their many different roles and within the social context of his life and time (1835–1924). The roles adopted by female geologists altered around 1875 when there was a change in the educational and legal background. Geikie's attitude to female fieldwork and research publications changes through time too. His life is divided up into five different stages according to his ability to support and influence female geologists in their roles as researchers, lecturers, wife assistants and students. Case studies of both single and married women are explored looking at the influence and interaction they had with Archibald Geikie. They include Maria Ogilvie Gordon, Catherine Raisin, Annie Greenly, Gertrude Elles, Ethel Skeat and Ethel Wood. Geikie seems to have accepted most of the roles that women undertook and supported them wherever he could.
TRPC1 regulates brown adipose tissue activity in a PPARγ-dependent manner
Authors: Wolfrum Christian , Kiehlmann Elke , Pelczar Pawel
Published: July 2018

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has the unique ability to convert energy stored in the form of triglycerides into heat. This property makes BAT a target tissue to increase energy expenditure and improve systemic metabolic control. TRPC1 is a founding member of the TRP protein family that also includes several temperature sensitive channels. We show that TRPC1 is highly expressed in all adipocyte depots including BAT and that Trpc1-deficient mice are prone to weight gain and manifest reduced metabolic control. We also demonstrate that knockdown of TRPC1 in cultured brown adipocytes leads to a downregulation of several metabolic genes, including UCP1 and PPARγ, as well as upregulation of a BAT-specific thermosensitive channel TRPV2, ultimately resulting in impaired respiratory function. We also show that TRPC1 is a possible target of PPARγ, suggesting that TRPC1 is a downstream component of a mechanism that translates metabolic or environmental stimuli into output in the form of BAT activity. Better understanding of the possible role of TRPC1 and other TRP channels in body temperature regulation and BAT function may help us to develop obesity therapies based on BAT activation.
A Depth Evidence Score Fusion Algorithm for Chinese Medical Intelligence Question Answering System
Authors: Zhou Xiabing , Wu Binglin , Zhou Qinglei
Published: July 2018

Question answering (QA) system is becoming the focus of the research in medical health in terms of providing fleetly accurate answers to users. Numerous traditional QA systems are faced to simple factual questions and do not obtain accurate answers for complex questions. In order to realize the intelligent QA system for disease diagnosis and treatment in medical informationization, in this paper, we propose a depth evidence score fusion algorithm for Chinese Medical Intelligent Question Answering System, which can measure the text information in many algorithmic ways and ensure that the QA system outputs accurately the optimal candidate answer. At the semantic level, a new text semantic evidence score based on Word2vec is proposed, which can calculate the semantic similarity between texts. Experimental results on the medical text corpus show that the depth evidence score fusion algorithm has better performance in the evidence-scoring module of the intelligent QA system.
The Threat of Ambient Air Pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal
Authors: Saud Bhuvan , Paudel Govinda
Published: July 2018

Air pollution has been a major problem of 21st century for both developed and developing world. It has a negative impact on various environmental aspects which directly or indirectly affect the quality of human health. Nepal, especially Kathmandu, in the current situation, is observing rapid urbanization and various infrastructure development projects. As a result, these sorts of human activities have been responsible for increasing air pollution in an enormous rate inside Kathmandu Valley. Chronic exposure of deteriorated air increases the chance of Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) like lung disease, heart disease, and cancers. Short term exposures also invite respiratory diseases and allergy. This review is an attempt to summarize the updated knowledge on the threat of air pollution on public health and discuss the sources of air pollutants in Kathmandu. We reviewed the literatures that were published in PMC, MEDLINE, life science journals, and organization official websites and finally came up with the findings and their interpretation that reveal the current scenario in the context of Kathmandu’s air quality status and its impact on human health. The knowledge about the invisible killer’s role in causing acute and chronic diseases may help in finding out the answer of the question regarding its effect and prevention.
Integrated Feature Selection of ARIMA with Computational Intelligence Approaches for Food Crop Price Prediction
Authors: Shao Yuehjen E. , Dai Jun-Ting
Published: July 2018

Because of global climate change, lack of arable land, and rapid population growth, the supplies of three major food crops (i.e., rice, wheat, and corn) have been gradually decreasing worldwide. The rapid increase in demand for food has contributed to a continuous rise in food prices, which directly threatens the lives of over 800 million people around the world who are reported to be chronically undernourished. Consequently, food crop price prediction has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Recent integrated forecasting models have developed various feature selection methods (FSMs) to capture fewer, but more important, explanatory variables. However, one major problem is that the future values of these important explanatory variables are not available. Thus, predictions based on these variables are not actually possible. Because an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) can extract important self‐predictor variables with future values that can be calculated, this study incorporates an ARIMA as the FSM for computational intelligence (CI) models to predict three major food crop (i.e., rice, wheat, and corn) prices. Other than the ARIMA, the components of the proposed integrated forecasting models include artificial neural networks (ANNs), support vector regression (SVR), and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). The predictive accuracies of ARIMA, ANN, SVR, MARS, and the proposed integrated model are compared and discussed. Experimental results reveal that the proposed integrated model achieves superior forecasting performance for predicting food crop prices.
Primary Prophylaxis to Prevent the Development of Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Patients with Acute Variceal Bleeding
Authors: Higuera-de-la-Tijera Fátima , Servín-Caamaño Alfredo I. , Salas-Gordillo Francisco , Pérez-Hernández José L. , Abdo-Francis Juan M. , Camacho-Aguilera Jaime , Alla Sai N. , Jiménez-Ponce Fiacro
Published: July 2018

Background and Aim. Variceal bleeding is the second most important precipitating factor related to the development of episodic hepatic encephalopathy; but to date there are no recommendations to prevent this complication. The aim of this study was to compare if primary prophylaxis with lactulose or L-ornithine L-aspartate or rifaximin, in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding, is better than placebo for avoiding the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Methods. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02158182) which included cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding, without minimal or clinical hepatic encephalopathy at admission. Findings. 87 patients were randomized to one of four groups. The basal characteristics were similar between groups. Comparatively with placebo, the frequency with regard to the development of hepatic encephalopathy was as follows: lactulose (54.5% versus 27.3%; OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.09-1.0; P = 0.06); L-ornithine L-aspartate (54.5% versus 22.7%, OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.06-0.88; P = 0.03); rifaximin (54.5% versus 23.8%; OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.07-0.9; P = 0.04). There was no significant difference between the three groups receiving any antiammonium drug (P = 0.94). In the group receiving lactulose, 59.1% had diarrhea, and 45.5% had abdominal discomfort, bloating, and flatulence. Two patients (10%) treated with lactulose and a patient (4.5%) in the placebo group developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to E. coli; one of them died due to recurrent variceal bleeding. There were no other adverse effects. Conclusions. Antiammonium drugs, particularly L-ornithine L-aspartate and rifaximin, proved to be effective in preventing the development of hepatic encephalopathy in those cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding.
Micro Operator Design Pattern in 5G SDN/NFV Network
Authors: Tseng Chia-Wei , Huang Yu-Kai , Tseng Fan-Hsun , Yang Yao-Tsung , Liu Chien-Chang , Chou Li-Der
Published: July 2018

The trend of 5G mobile networks is increasing with the number of users and the transmission rate. Many operators are turning to small cell and indoor coverage of telecom network service. With the emerging Software Defined Networking and Network Function Virtualization technologies, Internet Service Provider is able to deploy their networks more flexibly and dynamically. In addition to the change of the wireless mobile network deployment model, it also drives the development trend of the Micro Operator (μO). Telecom operators can provide regional network services through public buildings, shopping malls, or industrial sites. In addition, localized network services are provided and bandwidth consumption is reduced. The distributed architecture of μO tackles computing requirements for applications, data, and services from cloud data center to edge network devices or to the micro data center of μO. The service model of μO is capable of reducing network latency in response to the low‐latency applications for future 5G edge computing environment. This paper addresses the design pattern of 5G micro operator and proposes a Decision Tree Based Flow Redirection (DTBFR) mechanism to redirect the traffic flows to neighbor service nodes. The DTBFR mechanism allows different μOs to share network resources and speed up the development of edge computing in the future.
A Service‐Oriented Approach for Radio Resource Management in Virtual RANs
Authors: Rouzbehani Behnam , Correia Luis M. , Caeiro Luísa
Published: July 2018

Virtualisation, as a key role player of future mobile communications, promotes the idea of service‐oriented architectures. This paper proposes a model of Radio Resource Management (RRM) for emerging Virtual Radio Access Networks, based on the interaction between two separated management entities: Common‐RRM (CRRM) to coordinate the radio resources among the Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and a centralised virtualisation platform on top of it, called Virtual‐RRM (VRRM), which is responsible for service orchestration among Virtual Network Operators, enabling the definition of various services and policies, separately from vendors and underlying RATs. The main objective of VRRM is to satisfy the Service Level Agreements associated with different service classes to the highest possible level, within the framework of proportional fairness. On the other hand, CRRM is in charge of mapping the demanded capacity of each service onto the most suitable RATs. The model is further extended to deal with extreme situations of resource shortage, resulting from high traffic loads, by introducing delay to lower priority services. The performance of the proposed model is evaluated in a practical multi‐RAT scenario. Results confirm that the isolation of service classes is consistent with the introduced serving weights, while all the demanded capacities from different services are responded by the most suitable RATs. Finally, independent of the variation of traffic load, 100% of the aggregated capacity is used.
New Insights into Approaches to Evaluating Intention and Path for Network Multistep Attacks
Authors: Hu Hao , Liu Yuling , Yang Yingjie , Zhang Hongqi , Zhang Yuchen
Published: July 2018

The attack graph (AG) is an abstraction technique that reveals the ways an attacker can use to leverage vulnerabilities in a given network to violate security policies. The analyses developed to extract security-relevant properties are referred to as AG-based security evaluations. In recent years, many evaluation approaches have been explored. However, they are generally limited to the attacker’s “monotonicity” assumption, which needs further improvements to overcome the limitation. To address this issue, the stochastic mathematical model called absorbing Markov chain (AMC) is applied over the AG to give some new insights, namely, the expected success probability of attack intention (EAIP) and the expected attack path length (EAPL). Our evaluations provide the preferred mitigating target hosts and the vulnerabilities patching prioritization of middle hosts. Tests on the public datasets DARPA2000 and Defcon’s CTF23 both verify that our evaluations are available and reliable.
Development of Dynamic Impact Factor Expressions for Skewed Composite Concrete‐Steel Slab‐On‐Girder Bridges
Authors: Mohseni Iman , Ashin Amin , Choi Won , Kang Junsuk
Published: July 2018

In order to take into account the dynamic effects of moving vehicles, bridges are designed to carry static loads that are increased by dynamic impact (IFs) factors (or dynamic amplification factors) that are a function of either the span or the first flexural natural frequency of the bridge. However, this approach tends to produce very conservative designs as the IFs are calculated based on a relatively few general parameters, ignoring many significant bridge and truck dynamic characteristics. This paper presents a method for determining more realistic dynamic impact factors for skewed composite slab‐on‐girder bridges under AASHTO LRFD truck loading. An extensive parametric study of over 125 bridge prototypes examined key parameters, namely, the number of girders, number of lanes, skew angle, and span length. Based on the data generated by this analysis, appropriate expressions for dynamic impact factors for the longitudinal moment and deflection are proposed. In order to reduce the complexity of proposed expressions, the effects of road surface roughness on dynamic responses of bridge‐vehicle interaction are considered in bridge modeling. The findings of this study are expected to help bridge engineers to design composite slab‐on‐girder bridges more reliably and economically and can also be used to reassess the safe live‐load capacity of existing structures, potentially preventing the unnecessary posting or closing of busy highway bridges.
A Traumatic Direct Inguinal Hernia from Pelvic Ring Disruption
Authors: Chow Kevin L. , Smith-Singares Eduardo , Doherty James
Published: July 2018

Introduction. Pelvic fractures usually involve a high-energy traumatic mechanism and account for approximately 3% of all blunt traumatic skeletal injuries. Additional musculoskeletal injuries are found in over 80% of unstable pelvic fractures. Traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWHs) are a rare entity, and traumatic inguinal hernias (TIHs) associated with open-book pelvic fractures have not been described previously.Case Presentation. We present the case of a 45-year-old male motorcyclist involved in a collision resulting in a traumatic direct inguinal hernia due to abdominal wall disruption from an open-book pelvic fracture. He underwent a combined operation with an open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of his pelvic fracture and an abdominal wall reconstruction with a modified Stoppa technique utilizing mesh for his hernia.Discussion. This is a unique presentation of a TIH due to an open-book pelvic fracture after blunt abdominal trauma. The formation of TAWH is typically from a combination of local tangential shearing forces and a sudden rise in intraabdominal pressures damaging the muscle, fascia, and peritoneum while the skin remains intact. In patients without hollow viscous injuries and gross contamination, these hernias can be repaired safely with mesh in the acute setting simultaneously with pelvic reduction.
Danggui Sini Decoction Protected Islet Endothelial Cell Survival from Hypoxic Damage via PI3K/Akt/eNOS Pathway
Authors: Chen Wenting , Huang Caoxin , Yang Chen , Ge Xilin , Huang Wenfang , Li Xuejun , Yang Shuyu , Liu Suhuan
Published: July 2018

Danggui Sini decoction (DSD) is a traditional Chinese decoction, which is wildly applied and showed to be effective in ameliorating ischemia‐related symptoms. However, the mechanisms of DSD action in ischemic damage remain to be fully clarified. Pancreatic islet endothelial cells are pivotal constituent of islet microvasculature, with high vulnerability to hypoxic injuries. Here, using MST1 cell, a pancreatic islet endothelial cell‐line, as a model, we investigated the effects of DSD on hypoxia‐stimulated endothelial cell lesions and its underlying mechanisms. We found that DSD‐Containing Serum (DSD‐CS), collected from DSD‐treated rats, could efficiently protect MST1 survival and proliferation from Cobalt chloride (CoCl2) induced damage, including cell viability, proliferation, and tube formation. Furthermore, DSD‐CS restored the activity of PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling inhibited by CoCl2 in MST1 cells. The protective effect of DSD‐CS could be blocked by the specific PI3K/Akt/eNOS inhibitor LY294002, suggesting that DSD‐CS protection of MST1 cell survival from hypoxia was mediated by PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway. In conclusion, DSD treatment protected MST1 survival from hypoxic injuries via PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway, indicating its role in protecting microvascular endothelial cells.
Correlation of Reactive Oxygen Species Levels with Resveratrol Sensitivities of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Cells
Authors: Zheng Xu , Jia Bin , Tian Xiao-Ting , Song Xue , Wu Mo-Li , Kong Qing-You , Li Hong , Liu Jia
Published: July 2018

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the most lethal thyroid malignancy without a reliable therapeutic agent. Resveratrol possesses cancer‐suppressive effects, while its effect(s) on ATC cells remains unknown. Because oxidative damage caused by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the therapeutic effects of anticancer drugs and oxidative stress‐caused mitochondria swelling is observed in resveratrol‐treated cancer cells, the oxidative statuses and their relevance with resveratrol sensitivities are elucidated using THJ‐16T and THJ‐11T ATC cells established from two human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cases. The results revealed that resveratrol‐treated THJ‐16T rather than THJ‐11T cells showed remarkable growth arrest and extensive apoptosis accompanied with the elevated ROS generation and the attenuated superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) and catalase (CAT) levels. Mitochondrial impairment and the enhanced caspase‐9/caspase‐3 activation are found only in resveratrol‐sensitive THJ‐16T cells. Treatment with the antioxidant N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) partly attenuated resveratrol‐induced ROS generation and apoptosis of THJ‐16T cells. The levels of resveratrol metabolic enzymes (SULT1A1 and SULT1C2) in THJ‐16T cells were lower than those in THJ‐11T cells and therefore reversely related with resveratrol sensitivities of ATC cells. Our findings demonstrate the ability of resveratrol to increase ROS generation and oxidative‐related cellular lesions in resveratrol‐sensitive THJ‐16T cells presumably through activating the ROS‐mitochondrial signal pathway. The levels of SULTs and ROS may reflect the response manners of ATC cells to resveratrol.
Amoebic Liver Abscess and Indigenous Alcoholic Beverages in the Tropics
Authors: Kumanan T. , Sujanitha V. , Balakumar S. , Sreeharan N.
Published: July 2018

Amoebic liver abscess (ALA) seen commonly in the tropics is predominantly confined to adult males, especially those who consume locally brewed alcohol, although intestinal amoebiasis occurs in all age groups and in both genders. Whether the role of alcohol in the development of ALA is incidental and casual or whether alcohol is causally implicated has been debated. It has been argued that socioeconomic factors and poor sanitary conditions are the primary culprits that casually link alcohol to ALA. However, there has emerged an abundance of data that implicates alcohol in a more causal role in facilitating the extraintestinal invasion of the infective protozoan and the subsequent development of ALA. These factors include the role of alcohol in host immunity, parasitic proliferation, and invasion and in creating a conducive hepatic microenvironment. The contributory role of alcohol-induced increase in hepatic iron stores and lipid content is discussed. Late-stage liver disease with fibrosis seems to be protective for the development of ALA. Further research is necessary to elucidate the many possible mechanisms that predispose to hepatic amoebiasis, so that appropriate individual and population-based preventive measures can be implemented.