bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generation and Evolution of Cavitation Bubbles in Volume Alternate Cavitation (VAC)
Authors: Chen Shangshuang , Wang Yun , Li Fuzhu , Xue Shenwei , Xu Zhenying , Yu Chao , Zhang Kun
Published: May 2023

Cavitation generation methods have been used in multifarious directions because of their diversity, and numerous studies and discussions have been conducted on cavitation generation methods. This study aims to explore the generating mechanism and evolution law of volume alternate cavitation (VAC). In the VAC, liquid water is placed in an airtight container with a variable volume. As the volume alternately changes, the liquid water inside the container continues to cavitate. Then, the mixture turbulence model and in-cylinder dynamic grid model are adopted to conduct computational fluid dynamics simulation of volume alternate cavitation. In the simulation, the cloud images at seven heights on the central axis are monitored, and the phenomenon and mechanism of height and eccentricity are analyzed in detail. By employing the cavitation flow visualization method, the generating mechanism and evolution law of cavitation are revealed. The synergistic effects of experiments and high-speed camera capturing confirm the correctness of the simulation results. In the experiment, the volume change stroke of the airtight container is set to 20 mm, the volume change frequency is 18 Hz, and the shooting frequency of the high-speed camera is set to 10000 FPS. The experimental results indicate that the position of the cavitation phenomenon has a reasonable law during the whole evolution cycle of the cavitation cloud. Also, the volume alternation cycle corresponds to the generation, development, and collapse stages of cavitation bubbles.
Shape Memory Polymer Composite Booms with Applications in Reel-Type Solar Arrays
Authors: Xiao Hong , Wu Sijie , Xie Dongdong , Guo Hongwei , Ma Li , Wei Yuxuan , Liu Rongqiang
Published: May 2023

Solar arrays are the primary energy source for spacecraft. Although traditional rigid solar arrays improve power supply, the quality increases proportionally. Hence, it is difficult to satisfy the requirements of high-power and low-cost space applications. In this study, a shape-memory polymer composite (SMPC) boom was designed, fabricated, and characterized for flexible reel-type solar arrays. The SMPC boom was fabricated from a smart material, a shape-memory polymer composite, whose mechanical properties were tested. Additionally, a mathematical model of the bending stiffness of the SMPC boom was developed, and the bending and buckling behaviors of the boom were further analyzed using the ABAQUS software. An SMPC boom was fabricated to demonstrate its shape memory characteristics, and the driving force of the booms with varying geometric parameters was investigated. We also designed and manufactured a reel-type solar array based on an SMPC boom and verified its self-deployment capability. The results indicated that the SMPC boom can be used as a deployable unit to roll out flexible solar arrays.
Liver failure as the initial presentation in cancer of unknown primary: a case report
Authors: Qin Lisha , Tian Shan , Yang Lian , Fan Jun , Zhang Jianchu
Published: May 2023

Background

Liver failure is severe hepatic cellular damage caused by multiple factors that leads to clinical manifestations. Hepatic infiltration by malignancy is rarely reported as a cause of liver failure.

Case presentation

A 51-year-old male patient was admitted to the Wuhan Union Hospital complaining of bloating and jaundice. He had been diagnosed with polymyositis ten prior and was taking oral glucocorticoids. Physical examination revealed seroperitoneum and icteric sclera; laboratory tests revealed liver dysfunction, a coagulopathy, and negative results for the common causes of liver failure. Moreover, an ascitic tap and bone marrow aspirate and trephine confirmed a metastatic, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. These findings indicate that malignant infiltration is the most likely cause of liver failure. Regrettably, the patient refused complete liver and lymph node biopsies and was discharged on day 31.

Conclusion

Clinicians should consider the possibility of malignant infiltration when approaching a case of liver failure with prodromal symptoms or imaging abnormalities, especially in patients with autoimmune diseases, such as polymyositis.
Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on obesity and its risk factors: a systematic review
Authors: Nour Tahir Yousuf , ALTINTAŞ Kerim Hakan
Published: May 2023

Background

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the severe acute new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Devastating social, economic, and health service utilisation-related activities. Increased burden and lifestyle changes due to confinement.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate and determine the determinants of obesity during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic from 2019 to 2023.

Methods

Observational studies published between December 2019 and January 2023 were thoroughly searched using a PRISMA flow chart. PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, HINARI, Scopus, and Embase databases were used. Two reviewers independently identified and critically evaluated the relevant literature. Studies that reported weight gain or involved BMI measurements of 25 kg/m2 or BMI z-scores for children during the COVID-19 lockdown were selected for inclusion. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used as a quality assessment instrument in nonrandomised studies to evaluate study quality. All the contributing determinants of weight increase were identified, gathered, and synthesised.

Results

This systematic review identified 40 studies with a total population of 5,681,813 from 22 countries, of which 74.6% were male. The sample size from included articles ranged from 37 to 5,315,435. Of the 40 selected articles, 24 focused on adults, five on adolescents, three on children, and eight on children and adolescents. Physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour, bad eating habits, behavioural lifestyle, excessive stress, depression, anxiety, behavioural risk factors, sex, and ethnic minorities were associated with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, and poor eating patterns were the most common risk factors for obesity. Additionally, unhealthy eating habits, excessive behavioural stress, depression, anxiety, low mood, age, gender, and ethnic minorities have been identified as risk factors for obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experiences of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting: a gender-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Swaich Anmol , Richardson Lindsey , Cui Zishan , DeBeck Kora , Milloy M-J , Kerr Thomas , Hayashi Kanna
Published: May 2023

Objectives

People who use drugs (PWUD) experience disproportionately high rates of violent victimization. Emerging research has demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated violence against some priority populations (e.g., women), however there is limited research examining the impact of the pandemic on the experiences of violence of PWUD.

Methods

Using data collected between July and November 2020 from three prospective cohort studies of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada, we employed multivariable logistic regression stratified by gender to identify factors associated with recent experiences of violence, including the receipt of COVID-19 emergency income support.

Results

In total, 77 (17.3%) of 446 men, and 54 (18.8%) of 288 women experienced violence in the previous six months. Further, 33% of men and 48% of women who experienced violence reported that their experience of violence was intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In the multivariable analyses, sex work (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–4.35) and moderate to severe anxiety or depression (AOR = 3.00, 95% CI: 1.37–6.57) were associated with experiencing violence among women. Among men, drug dealing (AOR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.10–3.38), street-based income sources (AOR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.10–3.38), homelessness (AOR = 2.54, 95%CI: 1.40–4.62), and regular employment (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.75–5.04) were associated with experiencing violence.

Conclusion

Our study results suggest economic conditions and gender were major factors associated with experiencing violence among our sample of PWUD during COVID-19. These findings highlight criminalization of drug use and widespread socioeconomic challenges as barriers to addressing violence among PWUD during periods of crisis.
Predictors of desire to limit childbearing among reproductive age women in high fertility regions in Ethiopia. A multilevel mixed effect analysis
Authors: Negash Wubshet Debebe , Belachew Tadele Biresaw , Asmamaw Desale Bihonegn , Bitew Desalegn Anmut
Published: May 2023

Background

A high fertility rate can have a number of expensive consequences for developing nations, such as limiting economic growth, adversely impacting women and their children’s health, and reducing access to quality education, nutrition, and employment. The problem is more obvious in Ethipia’s high fertility regions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess predictors of desire to limit childbearing among reproductive age women in high fertility regions in Ethiopia.

Methods

The analysis was based on secondary data using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Stata version 14 software was used for analysis. A multi-level mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was fitted. Adjusted Odds Ratio at 95% confidence interval was used to show the strength and direction of the association. Statistical significance was declared at aP-value less than 0.05.

Results

The overall desire to limit childbearing in high fertility regions in Ethiopia was 37.7% (95% CI: 36.28, 39.17). Age; 25–34 (AOR = 3.74; 95% CI: 2.97, 4.73), 35–49 years (AOR = 14; 95% CI: 10.85, 18.06), women education; Primary education (AOR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.61, 0.88), secondary and higher (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.43), from the community level variables Oromia National Regional state (AOR = 5.86; 95% CI: 2.82, 12.23), high proportion of community level poverity (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.98), and high proportion of community level media exposure (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.19) were statistically significant factors for desire to limit childbearing in high fertility regions of Ethiopia.

Conclusion

Nearly four in ten women had the desire to limit childbearing in high fertility regions in Ethiopia. Thus, to fulfill the women’s desire to limit childbearing, Ministry of Health and health facilities are needed to increase financial support strategies and Family planning programs that enable pregnant women from poor households to use health services. In addition, increasing community level media exposure are important interventions.
Socioeconomic and geographical inequalities in health care coverage in Mozambique: a repeated cross-sectional study of the 2015 and 2018 national surveys
Authors: Daca Chanvo S. L. , Sebastian Miguel San , Arnaldo Carlos , Schumann Barbara , Namatovu Fredinah
Published: May 2023

Background

Over the past years, Mozambique has implemented several initiatives to ensure equitable coverage to health care services. While there have been some achievements in health care coverage at the population level, the effects of these initiatives on social inequalities have not been analysed.

Objective

The present study aimed to assess changes in socioeconomic and geographical inequalities (education, wealth, region, place of residence) in health care coverage between 2015 and 2018 in Mozambique.

Methods

The study was based on repeated cross-sectional surveys from nationally representative samples: the Survey of Indicators on Immunisation, Malaria and HIV/AIDS in Mozambique (IMASIDA) 2015 and the 2018 Malaria Indicator survey. Data from women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years) were analysed to evaluate health care coverage of three indicators: insecticide-treated net use, fever treatment of children, and use of Fansidar malaria prophylaxis for pregnant women. Absolute risk differences and the slope index of inequality (SII) were calculated for the 2015 survey period and the 2018 survey period, respectively. An interaction term between the socioeconomic and geographical variables and the period was included to assess inequality changes between 2015 and 2018.

Results

The non-use of insecticide-treated nets dropped, whereas the proportion of women with children who were not treated for fever and the prevalence of women who did not take the full Fansidar dose during pregnancy decreased between 2015 and 2018. Significant reductions in the inequality related to insecticide-treated net use were observed for all socioeconomic variables. Concerning fever treatment, some reductions in socioeconomic inequalities were observed, though not statistically significant. For malaria prophylaxis, the SII was significant for education, wealth, and residence in both periods, but no significant inequality reductions were observed in any of these variables over time.

Conclusions

We observed significant reductions of socioeconomic inequalities in insecticide-treated net use, but not in fever treatment of children and Fansidar prophylaxis for pregnant women. Decision-makers should target underserved populations, specifically the non-educated, poor, and rural women, to address inequalities in health care coverage.
Factors associated with subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low or no disease activity- a RA ultrasound registry study
Authors: Wang Yu-Wei , Chen Jia-Feng , Ko Chi-Hua , Cheng Tien-Tsai , Chiu Wen-Chan , Yu Shan-Fu , Hsu Chung-Yuan , Chen Ying-Chou
Published: May 2023

Background

To evaluate the factors to predict subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in patients with RA who are in clinical remission or low disease activity.

Methods

Gray scale and power Doppler ultrasound were performed on the dorsal radio-lunate of both wrists. The presence of synovitis, comorbidities, and use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were recorded. A Multivariable forward logistical regression model was used to identify factors associated with subclinical inflammation.

Results

There were 1248 patients (1010 females, 238 males; mean age: 60.0 ± 10.5 years ). 57.4% of patients in complete remission and low disease activity had sonographic inflammation. Multivariable forward logistic regression analysis indicated that male sex, smoking are positively associated with inflammation and that age, alcohol consumption, and use of methotrexate, glucocorticoid, or a biological therapy are negatively associated with inflammation. Use of biological agents decreased the risk of inflammation by 40.9%.

Conclusions

There was evidence of subclinical inflammation in most patients who were in low or no disease activity, those with biological therapy had lower risk of subclinical inflammation.
Evaluation of surface electromyography of selected neck muscles during the whiplash mechanism in aware and unaware conditions due to safe punching in kickboxing
Authors: Pashaei Mosa , Babakhani Farideh , Banihashemi Kambiz
Published: May 2023

Background

Kickboxing is considered as a combat sport in progress, in which injuries are frequent and significant, and close injury monitoring is highly recommended. Sports injuries to the head and neck are estimated to cause 70% deaths and 20% permanent disabilities although they are much less common than those to the limbs. Whiplash mechanism involves the rapid extension (opening) and flexion (bending) of neck. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the electromyographic activity of selected muscles in the whiplash mechanism in aware and unaware conditions of the safe punching in kickboxing so that we can design special exercises.

Method

In the present study, 24 male kickboxing athletes aged 18–40 years were selected based on a purposive sampling method. The surface electromyography (EMG) signals of muscles were recorded with and without awareness of safe punching by using a nine-channel wireless EMG device. Additionally, a nine-channel 3D inertial measurement unit (IMU, wireless,) was utilized to determine the acceleration, kinematics, and angular velocity of the subjects’ head. The statistical dependent t-test was applied to compare the EMG activity of each muscle, as well as its participation ratio.

Results

The results of statistical analysis represented a significant increase in the EMG activity of sternocleidomastoid (p = 0.001), upper trapezius (p = 0.001) and cervical erector spinae muscles (p = 0.001), as well as the neck extension and flexion angles between the athletes aware (open eyes) and unaware (closed eyes) of the safe punching.

Conclusion

In this study, the EMG activity of the sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and cervical erector spine muscles in the aware condition was significantly different from the activity under unaware condition. In fact, the intended muscles exhibited significantly different behaviors in preventing extension and flexion in the two conditions.
A qualitative analysis of pharmacists’ attitudes towards provision of medication abortion
Authors: Sandoval Selina , Chen Grace , Rafie Sally , Rabin Borsika , Mody Sheila , Averbach Sarah
Published: May 2023

Background

90% of United States’ counties do not have a single clinic offering abortion care, and barriers to care disproportionately affect low-income families. Novel models of abortion care delivery, including provision of medication abortion in pharmacies, with pharmacists prescribing medication, have the potential to expand access to abortion care. Pharmacists are well-positioned to independently provide abortion care and are highly accessible to patients, however medication abortion provision by pharmacists is not currently legal or available in the United States. To assess the potential acceptability of pharmacist provision of medication abortion and to identify anticipated barriers and facilitators to this model of care, we explored pharmacists’ attitudes towards providing medication abortion, inclusive of patient selection, counseling, and medication prescribing.

Methods

From May to October 2021, we conducted 20 semi-structured qualitative interviews with pharmacists across the United States, guided by the domains of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Science Research.

Results

Major themes included there is a need for pharmacist provision of medication abortion and pharmacists perceive provision of medication abortion to be potentially acceptable if anticipated barriers are addressed. Anticipated barriers identified included personal, religious, and political beliefs of pharmacists and lack of space and systems to support the model. Ensuring adequate staffing with pharmacists willing to participate, private space, time for counseling, safe follow-up, training, and reimbursement mechanisms were perceived strategies to facilitate successful implementation.

Conclusions

Pharmacist identified implementation strategies are needed to reduce anticipated barriers to pharmacist provision of medication abortion.
RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed genes in the peripheral serum of ankylosing spondylitis patients
Authors: Bie Yongchen , Zheng Xiujun , Chen Xiaojiong , Liu Xiangyun , Wang Liqin , Sun Yuanliang , Kou Jianqiang
Published: May 2023

Background

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease characterized by spinal and sacroiliac arthritis, but its pathogenesis and genetic basis are largely unclear.

Methods

We randomly selected three serum samples each from an AS and a normal control (NC) group for high-throughput sequencing followed by using edgeR to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Reactome pathway analyses, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were used to comprehensively analyze the possible functions and pathways involved with these DEGs. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape. The modules and hub genes of these DEGs were identified using MCODE and CytoHubba plugins. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to validate the expression levels of candidate genes in serum samples from AS patients and healthy controls.

Results

We successfully identified 100 significant DEGs in serum. When we compared them with the NC group, 49 of these genes were upregulated in AS patients and 51 were downregulated. GO function and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were mainly enriched in several signaling pathways associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress, including protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, unfolded protein response, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. We also constructed a PPI network and identified the highly connected top 10 hub genes. The expression levels of the candidate hub genes PPARG, MDM2, DNA2, STUB1, UBTF, and SLC25A37 were then validated by RT-qPCR analysis. Finally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested that PPARG and MDM2 may be the potential biomarkers of AS.

Conclusions

These findings may help to further elucidate the pathogenesis of AS and provide valuable potential gene biomarkers or targets for the diagnosis and treatment of AS.
Depression, sexual function and sexual quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and healthy subjects
Authors: Mojahed Batool Shahraki , Ghajarzadeh Mahsa , Khammar Razie , Shahraki Zahra
Published: May 2023

Background

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) suffer from a wide range of psychological problems. The goal of this study is to assess depression, sexual dysfunction and sexual quality of life in women with PCO compared with healthy subjects.

Methods

One hundred and six PCO cases and 106 healthy subjects enrolled. They were asked to fill out valid and reliable Persian versions of BDI (Beck depression inventory), FSFIS (Female Sexual Function Index), and sexual quality of life-Female (SQOL-F) questionnaires.

Results

One hundred and six PCO cases and 106 healthy subjects enrolled. Mean BDI was significantly higher while FSFI and its subscales as well as SQOL-F were significantly lower in PCO group than controls. There were significant negative correlation between FSFO and BDI (r=-0.43, p < 0.001) and also positive correlation between FSFI and SQOL-F (r = 0.438, p < 0.001) in whole population of the study. In PCO group, 77 (72.6%) had FSFI less than 26.55 and 29 (27.4%) had score more than 26.55. mean BDI was significantly higher in the group with FSFI < = 26.55 than the other group (33 ± 14.4 vs. 12 ± 11.6, p < 0.001) while SLQL-F was significantly lower in the first group (57 ± 16 vs. 74.9 ± 17.6, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis by considering SQOL-F as dependent and FSFI, age and BDI as independent variables showed that BDI and FSFI are independent predictors.

Conclusion

Women with PCO, suffer more from depression and sexual dysfunction than healthy subjects.
Head-to-head comparison of perfluorobutane contrast-enhanced US and multiparametric MRI for breast cancer: a prospective, multicenter study
Authors: Lang Manlin , Liang Ping , Shen Huiming , Li Hang , Yang Ning , Chen Bo , Chen Yixu , Ding Hong , Yang Weiping , Ji Xiaohui , Zhou Ping , Cui ligang , Wang Jiandong , Xu Wentong , Ye Xiuqin , Liu Zhixing , Yang Yu , Wei Tianci , Wang Hui , Yan Yuanyuan , Wu Changjun , Wu Yiyun , Shi Jingwen , Wang Yaxi , Fang Xiuxia , li Ran , Yu Jie
Published: May 2023

Background

Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) has high sensitivity for diagnosing breast cancers but cannot always be used as a routine diagnostic tool. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the diagnostic performance of perfluorobutane (PFB) contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is similar to that of MP-MRI in breast cancer and whether combining the two methods would enhance diagnostic efficiency.

Patients and methods

This was a head-to-head, prospective, multicenter study. Patients with breast lesions diagnosed by US as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categories 3, 4, and 5 underwent both PFB-CEUS and MP-MRI scans. On-site operators and three reviewers categorized the BI-RADS of all lesions on two images. Logistic-bootstrap 1000-sample analysis and cross-validation were used to construct PFB-CEUS, MP-MRI, and hybrid (PFB-CEUS + MP-MRI) models to distinguish breast lesions.

Results

In total, 179 women with 186 breast lesions were evaluated from 17 centers in China. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the PFB-CEUS model to diagnose breast cancer (0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74, 0.97) was similar to that of the MP-MRI model (0.89; 95% CI 0.73, 0.97) (P = 0.85). The AUC of the hybrid model (0.92, 95% CI 0.77, 0.98) did not show a statistical advantage over the PFB-CEUS and MP-MRI models (P = 0.29 and 0.40, respectively). However, 90.3% false-positive and 66.7% false-negative results of PFB-CEUS radiologists and 90.5% false-positive and 42.8% false-negative results of MP-MRI radiologists could be corrected by the hybrid model. Three dynamic nomograms of PFB-CEUS, MP-MRI and hybrid models to diagnose breast cancer are freely available online.

Conclusions

PFB-CEUS can be used in the differential diagnosis of breast cancer with comparable performance to MP-MRI and with less time consumption. Using PFB-CEUS and MP-MRI as joint diagnostics could further strengthen the diagnostic ability.

Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov; NCT04657328. Registered 26 September 2020.

IRB number2020-300 was approved in Chinese PLA General Hospital. Every patient signed a written informed consent form in each center.
Exercise and epigenetic ages in older adults with myeloid malignancies
Authors: Loh Kah Poh , Sanapala Chandrika , Jensen-Battaglia Marielle , Rana Anish , Sohn Michael B. , Watson Erin , Gilmore Nikesha , Klepin Heidi D. , Mendler Jason H. , Liesveld Jane , Huselton Eric , LoCastro Marissa , Susiarjo Martha , Netherby-Winslow Colleen , Williams AnnaLynn M. , Mustian Karen , Vertino Paula , Janelsins Michelle C.
Published: May 2023

Background

Older adults with myeloid malignancies are susceptible to treatment-related toxicities. Accelerated DNAm age, or the difference between DNA methylation (DNAm) age and chronological age, may be used as a biomarker of biological age to predict individuals at risk. In addition, cancer treatment can also lead to accelerated DNAm age. Exercise is a promising intervention to reduce or prevent functional, psychological, and cognitive impairments in older patients with myeloid malignancies, yet there is little evidence of the effects of exercise on DNAm age. We explored (1) the associations of accelerated DNAm age with physical, psychological, and cognitive functions at baseline; (2) changes in DNAm age from baseline to post-intervention; and (3) the associations of changes in accelerated DNAm age with changes in functions from baseline to post-intervention.

Methods

We enrolled older patients with myeloid malignancies to a single-arm pilot study testing a mobile health (mHealth) exercise intervention that combines an exercise program (EXCAP©®) with a mobile application over 2 cycles of chemotherapy (8–12 weeks). Patients completed measures of physical, psychological, and cognitive functions and provided blood samples for analyses of DNAm age at baseline and post-intervention. Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests assessed changes in DNAm ages, and Spearman’s correlation assessed the relationships between accelerated ages and functions.

Results

We included 20 patients (mean age: 72 years, range 62–80). Accelerated GrimAge, accelerated PhenoAge, and DunedinPACE were stable from baseline to post-intervention. At baseline, DunedinPACE was correlated with worse grip strength (r = -0.41, p = 0.08). From baseline to post-intervention, decreases in accelerated GrimAge (r = -0.50, p = 0.02), accelerated PhenoAge (r = − 0.39, p = 0.09), and DunedinPace (r = − 0.43, p = 0.06) were correlated with increases in distance walked on 6-min walk test. Decreases in accelerated GrimAge (r = − 0.49, p = 0.03), accelerated PhenoAge (r = − 0.40, p = 0.08), and DunedinPace (r = − 0.41, p = 0.07) were correlated with increases in in grip strength.

Conclusions

Among older adults with myeloid malignancies receiving chemotherapy, GrimAge and PhenoAge on average are stable after a mHealth exercise intervention. Decreases in accelerated GrimAge, accelerated PhenoAge, and DunedinPACE over 8–12 weeks of exercise were correlated with increased physical performance. Future trials assessing the effects of exercise on treatment-related toxicities should evaluate DNAm age.

Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04981821.
Akkermansia muciniphila, which is enriched in the gut microbiota by metformin, improves cognitive function in aged mice by reducing the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6
Authors: Zhu Xiaoqi , Shen Junyan , Feng Shengyu , Huang Ce , Wang Hao , Huo Fengjiao , Liu Hailiang
Published: May 2023

Background

Metformin, a type 2 diabetes treatment, improves the cognitive function of aged mice; however, whether the protective effects of metformin on cognitive function in aged mice are associated with the gut microbiome is poorly understood. Although some studies suggest that the gut microbe composition influences cognitive function and that manipulating the gut microbiota might protect against age-related cognitive dysfunction, there is no direct evidence to validate that the gut microbiota mediates the effect of metformin on cognitive improvement.

Results

In this study, we show that the gut microbiota is altered by metformin, which is necessary for protection against ageing-associated cognitive function declines in aged mice. Mice treated with antibiotics did not exhibit metformin-mediated cognitive function protection. Moreover, treatment with Akkermansia muciniphila, which is enriched by metformin, improved cognitive function in aged mice. Mechanistically, A. muciniphila decreased pro-inflammatory-associated pathways, particularly that of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6, in both the peripheral blood and hippocampal profiles, which was correlated with cognitive function improvement. An IL-6 antibody protected cognitive function, and an IL-6 recombinant protein abolished the protective effect of A. muciniphila on cognitive function in aged mice.

Conclusion

This study reveals that A. muciniphila, which is mediated in the gut microbiota by metformin, modulates inflammation-related pathways in the host and improves cognitive function in aged mice by reducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6.

Graphical Abstract
The Cannabis sativa genetics and therapeutics relationship network: automatically associating cannabis-related genes to therapeutic properties through chemicals from cannabis literature
Authors: Jackson Trever J. , Chakraborty Sunandan
Published: May 2023

Background

Understanding the genome of Cannabis sativa holds significant scientific value due to the multi-faceted therapeutic nature of the plant. Links from cannabis gene to therapeutic property are important to establish gene targets for the optimization of specific therapeutic properties through selective breeding of cannabis strains. Our work establishes a resource for quickly obtaining a complete set of therapeutic properties and genes associated with any known cannabis chemical constituent, as well as relevant literature.

Methods

State-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) was used to automatically extract information from many cannabis-related publications, thus producing an undirected multipartite weighted-edge paragraph co-occurrence relationship network composed of two relationship types, gene-chemical and chemical property. We also developed an interactive application to visualize sub-graphs of manageable size.

Results

Two hundred thirty-four cannabis constituent chemicals, 352 therapeutic properties, and 124 genes from the Cannabis sativa genome form a multipartite network graph which transforms 29,817 cannabis-related research documents from PubMed Central into an easy to visualize and explore network format.

Conclusion

Use of our network replaces time-consuming and labor intensive manual extraction of information from the large amount of available cannabis literature. This streamlined information retrieval process will enhance the activities of cannabis breeders, cannabis researchers, organic biochemists, pharmaceutical researchers and scientists in many other disciplines.
Impact of time to revision total knee arthroplasty on outcomes following aseptic failure
Authors: Roof Mackenzie A. , Narayanan Shankar , Lorentz Nathan , Aggarwal Vinay K. , Meftah Morteza , Schwarzkopf Ran
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Prior studies have demonstrated an association between time to revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) and indication; however, the impact of early versus late revision on post-operative outcomes has not been reported.

Materials and methods

A retrospective, observational study examined patients who underwent unilateral, aseptic rTKA at an academic orthopedic hospital between 6/2011 and 4/2020 with > 1-year of follow-up. Patients were early revisions if they were revised within 2 years of primary TKA (pTKA) or late revisions if revised after greater than 2 years. Patient demographics, surgical factors, and post-operative outcomes were compared.

Results

470 rTKA were included (199 early, 271 late). Early rTKA patients were younger by 2.5 years (p = 0.002). The predominant indications for early rTKA were instability (28.6%) and arthrofibrosis/stiffness (26.6%), and the predominant indications for late rTKA were aseptic loosening (45.8%) and instability (26.2%; p < 0.001). Late rTKA had longer operative times (119.20 ± 51.94 vs. 103.93 ± 44.66 min; p < 0.001). There were no differences in rTKA type, disposition, hospital length of stay, all-cause 90-day emergency department visits and readmissions, reoperations, and number of re-revisions.

Conclusions

Aseptic rTKA performed before 2 years had different indications but demonstrated similar outcomes to those performed later. Early revisions had shorter surgical times, which could be attributed to differences in rTKA indication.

Level of evidence

III, retrospective observational analysis.
Effects of Pilates on health and well-being of women: a systematic review
Authors: Parveen Afsha , Kalra Sheetal , Jain Shilpa
Published: May 2023

Background

Pilates (Contrology) is a mind–body exercise that emphasises strength, core stability, flexibility, muscle control, posture, and breathing. Pilates can be practised in a variety of methods, including using various equipment and one’s own body weight on a mat. This review’s objective is to assess the benefits of Pilates therapies for women with health issues, with a focus on physical and psychological health, with a focus on physical and psychosocial results.

Methodology

All published Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and comparative trials with free full text that involved female participants with medical conditions with Pilates exercises as the intervention were included. A search was conducted across 3 databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane Library): 10 studies—7 RCTs and 3 comparative studies, met the inclusion criteria. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to evaluate the quality of the methodology.

Results

According to recent research, Pilates may improve quality of life while lowering pain, and disability. It may also increase flexibility, strength, mobility, respiratory rate, vital capacity, body mass index, and balance. It also helps in lowering fasting blood glucose, and HbA1c level in type 2 diabetic women and also helps in lowering the severity of temporomandibular dysfunction.

Conclusion

Women with health issues who practised pilates reported improvements in physical and psychological health metrics. Additional high-quality research is necessary to determine the impact on other aspects of health and fitness.

Trial registration

This systematic review was registered on PROSPERO with a registration ID CRD42022328804.
Does COVID-19 vaccination protect against pulmonary embolism?
Authors: Tantillo Simona , Cilloni Nicola , Guarnera Martina , Talarico Francesco , Citino Mario , Silingardi Mauro , Catalano Leonardo , Imbriani Michele
Published: May 2023

The prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 patients is highly variable, depending on methodological and clinical factors, among which vaccination (1). The hypothesis of a possible protective role of vaccination in preventing pulmonary embolism (PE) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients has not been explored. The aim of the study was to evaluate PE prevalence in vaccinated versus unvaccinated hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We conducted a retrospective case–control study from 2021/11/01 to 2022/01/15; we reviewed all the chest computed topographies (chest-CT) performed because of a clinical suspicion for PE at our Institution. Sixty-two patients were included in the study: 27/62 (43.5%) were vaccinated and 35/62 (56.4%) were not. Vaccinated patients were older and with more comorbidities than unvaccinated people. Overall, PE was diagnosed in 19/62 patients (30.1% prevalence). CT Severity Score (CT-SS) differs between the two groups; not vaccinated patients had a more severe CT imaging than the vaccinated (< 0.00005). PE prevalence in ICU was 43.2% (16/37 patients), while in the Internal Medicine ward, it was 12% (3/25 cases). PE was significantly higher among unvaccinated people: 16/35 (45.7%) vs 3/27 (11.1%), OR p = 0.04. We observed a strong association between vaccination and protection from PE in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: morbidity was significantly lower in vaccinated versus not vaccinated patients. The issue of the protective role of vaccination in COVID-19-associated VTE should be addressed in adequately designed and powered future prospective studies.
A mixed strength decomposition method for identifying critical nodes by decomposing weighted social networks
Authors: Yin Hang , Hou Jishan , Gong Chengju
Published: May 2023

Identifying critical nodes is an efficient strategy for preventing the dynamics of risk dissemination. The properties of edges connecting to the removed nodes are assumed to be the same by many decomposition methods. However, the edge weights are always different in weighted social networks since they have certain practical implications. In this study, a mixed strength decomposition (MSD) method is proposed to identify critical nodes in weighted social networks. This method aims to address the issue of not accounting for the information on removed nodes by considering both residual strength and exhausted strength. Three experimental analyses —the monotonicity test, Susceptible-Infected (SI) diffusion simulation, and successive node removal experiments— conducted on six real-world networks demonstrate that the MSD method has a competitive performance in identifying critical nodes, which overcomes the instability of the node strength and the degeneracy of the s-core method.
Lyric Dispossession as Solitary Presence
Authors: Galvez Marisa
Published: May 2023

While medieval literature offers many models of solitary thinking, vernacular lyric confronts the problem of solitude in a unique mode, grappling and coping with this phenomenon that gives shape and texture to ambivalence and vexation. Comparing the event of lyric dispossession with Petrarch’s idea of solitude, this essay examines solitary presence as a musicopoetic art form across various vernacular traditions, from the Occitan works of Bernart de Ventadorn, William IX, and Arnaut Daniel to lyrics of the Iberian Peninsula, including the Mozarabic kharja (final stanzas of poems written in Arabic or Hebrew in the Romance dialect of Andalusia) and a Galician-Portuguese cantiga d’amigo (songs in which a young girl laments the absence of her lover). Lyric dispossession can affirm female desire despite its dominance as a male solitary presence in the courtly tradition. In the poetic dynamics of the muwashshah, discourses of dispossession compete through the interaction of different languages and social registers. The muwashshah poetics illuminates how the female-voiced solitary presence is maintained not only in the cantiga d’amigo but also in other genres such as trobairitz cansos and Old French crusade departure lyrics from the perspective of women left behind.
The Solitudes of Robert Southwell
Authors: Gross Karen Elizabeth
Published: May 2023

A hitherto unidentified early modern inscription in an illuminated Anglo-Norman Apocalypse manuscript owned by the Wormsley Estate (Buckinghamshire) is here demonstrated to be a stanza from “Content and Rich,” a moralizing lyric written by the Jesuit priest and martyr Robert Southwell (ca. 1561–95). In three parts, this essay explores the nature of solitude as prompted by this happy placement of Southwell’s lines praising conscience within a medieval French metrical translation of the Book of Revelation. The first part considers how the medieval manuscript glosses the Renaissance poem, proposing that the eschatological setting changes the seemingly anodyne “Content and Rich” into a charged justification for the controversial defense strategy known as equivocation. The second part, inspired by the Wormsley manuscript’s evidence of early modern engagement with medieval books, investigates Southwell’s reading of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) while awaiting execution. The final section reverses the relationship outlined in the first, using the early modern annotation to explicate the medieval Apocalypse manuscript. Southwell’s verses celebrating inner tranquility challenge readers to imagine if there may be such a condition as eschatological solitude. All three of these meditations on finding Southwell in the Apocalypse underscore the profound paradox that contented solitude is not solitary.
Miss Havisham and Me
Authors: Hollywood Amy
Published: May 2023

Against the background of the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, this essay returns to Charles Dickens and Great Expectations, especially his infamous recluse Miss Havisham, and asks what relationship we might discover between Miss Havisham’s solitude, that of many medieval holy women, and the author’s own. Reading the novel as largely to do with class and money, patriarchal capitalism, and the affective ruptures generated by social, economic, and cultural mobility, the Middle Ages seem far from its concerns. Yet solitude, loneliness, and death haunt the texts by and about all of these women (characters). The essay argues for an affective history, as what drew the author to Miss Havisham was her own complex emotional response to solitude, to reading, and to particular texts from the Middle Ages, in this case Mechthild of Magdeburg’s The Flowing Light of the Godhead. Are we ever really alone if God visits us—or if we have a good book?
Fixing Solitude
Authors: Keller Patty
Published: May 2023

Written in three “acts” with a brief philosophical interlude, this essay offers a meditation on the crucial but all-too-often overlooked distinction between solitude and loneliness. Act 1 considers the relationship between solitude and taboo, taking up representations of solitude and the social forces behind its violent rejection in classic Hollywood melodrama. Act 2 turns to the embrace of solitude as essential to the work of philosophy, with particular attention to the writings of Maurice Blanchot, for whom solitude is a way of becoming both “someone else” and at the same time more fully in tune with oneself. The interlude introduces a brief parenthesis, intended less as a provocation and more as a clarifying interruption to distinguish between lonely and solitary modes of living. Finally, Act 3 wanders into the realm of poetics and aims to think about the strange, paradoxical relationship between collaboration and solitude; the creative, collective world-making potential of solitude.
Theaters of Solitary Selves
Authors: Salih Sarah
Published: May 2023

The psychomachic model of the self as an unstable coalition of miscellaneous entities enables both detailed psychological analysis and intersubjectivity. It is a scalable form that may map an individual, a household, a city, or the world, thus permitting mutual indwelling. It is an implicitly dramatic form: a devotional text such as Sawles Warde has the potential to become a closet drama if read aloud, and it is possible that such devotional texts influenced the otherwise obscure early history of the psychomachic morality play. Psychomachic drama such as The Castle of Perseverance replicated the structure of anchoritic enclosure, inviting its audience to participate in its staging of an expanded self. The fifteenth-century poets John Lydgate and Thomas Hoccleve use the psychomachic form for self-analysis. Lydgate’s autobiographical Testament replicates the form of his mummings to account and repent for his past. Hoccleve, however, finds that self-analysis only produces further instability and that he needs social engagement with others in order to recover his self.
On Work and Disaster
Authors: Remes Jacob A. C.
Published: May 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic and social disruption that it precipitated have brought increased attention to the intersections of disaster studies and labor and working-class history. This historiographical essay lays out four places where disaster intersects with work: first, all disasters are workplace disasters for somebody; second, disasters create labor; third, disasters can reveal what always existed about labor, class relations, and working-class life; and fourth, disasters can remake living and working conditions by providing new grounds to contest them.
The Black Death and Consequences for Labor
Authors: Cohn Samuel
Published: May 2023

From the perspective of the Black Death, the economic consequences for laborers in our unfolding pandemic, COVID-19, might come as a surprise. Instead of labor shortages benefiting workers, especially the unskilled, and narrowing the gap between rich and poor, our pandemic has sent economic inequality racing forward across the world with laborers’ health and material well-being plummeting. However, a closer examination of the Black Death suggests that the consequences for labor of the two pandemics may not be as different as first assumed. This essay explores the silver lining for labor after the dramatic crash in population caused by the Black Death and subsequent waves of plague during the second half of the fourteenth century. By first turning to Europe as a whole and then concentrating on Italy, this essay challenges notions that labor conditions and standards of living improved immediately after the Black Death's halving of populations and that these changes were almost universal across Europe or even within city-states, such as Florence, or in rural areas hosting different sorts of agricultural workers. In Italy, where real wages have been calculated, the Black Death's silver lining for laborers failed to arrive until two or three generations after 1348. Moreover, compressing economic inequality from the late fourteenth to the late fifteenth centuries spurred reactions from elites that wrought new inequalities in other spheres of activity.