bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visual loss after treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension with lumboperitoneal shunting
Authors: Androu Angeliki , Alonistiotis Dimitrios , Isaakidis Dimitrios , Ananikas Konstantinos , Stavrakas Panagiotis
Published: April 2020

Both idiopathic intracranial hypertension and intracranial cerebrospinal fluid hypotension, spontaneous or iatrogenic, display visual disturbances, including visual loss, visual field deficit, transient visual obscurations, and diplopia. We present a case of a long-standing idiopathic intracranial hypertension, primarily manifesting with visual disturbances and documented pre-existing concentric visual field deficit, treated with a lumboperitoneal shunt after conservative treatment failure, leading to an unexpected exacerbation of visual field deficit and acute visual loss, probably due to shunt catheter malfunction and subsequent intracranial hypotension. We provide a step-by-step documentation of cerebrospinal fluid volume and consequent intracranial pressure fluctuations effect on visual field alterations over a significant period of time, attempting an insight on pathogenetic mechanisms implicated in the relationship between intracranial pressure and optic nerve functionality. Interdepartmental collaboration in such cases could ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment, leading to the possibility of either halting the progression or even reversing established visual loss, sparing our patients from a lifetime disability and improving their quality of life.
Multiple Interventions for Improving Food Safety Practices in 2 Small Beef Abattoirs of Honduras and Associated Impacts on Risk-Mitigation Management
Authors: Casas Diego , Calle Alexandra , Bueso Mariely , Huerta-Leidenz Nelson , Miller Markus F , Brashears Mindy M
Published: April 2020

Mitigation of risk for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella contamination was evaluated after a multiple-intervention approach (comprising food safety education and training, implementation of customized food safety practices and programs, and environmental monitoring programs with audits and corrective actions) in 2 small Honduran beef abattoirs. Previously, neither abattoir had food safety programs in place nor were they subjected to strict food safety regulatory surveillance. Abattoirs A and B were sampled on 4 nonconsecutive months each. Swab samples of abattoir A (n = 160, 40 samples per sampling date) and abattoir B (n = 78, 16-22 samples per sampling date) were taken from direct and indirect food contact surfaces, screened by BAX real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and confirmed using immunomagnetic separation, selective media, and latex agglutination. In abattoir A, Salmonella presence was negligible, whereas presumptive STECs were present in 10%, 12.5%, 0%, and 5% of the environmental samples respective to each sampling month, indicating a reduction of STEC ( P = .06) by the third and fourth sampling months. Conversely, presumptive STEC presence was negligible in abattoir B, whereas Salmonella presence for each sampling month was of 5.6%, 6.3%, 27.3%, and 0.0%, respectively. Upon the increased pathogen presence detected on the third sampling month, additional actions were taken to reinforce the implementation of food safety practices and programs, which resulted in a Salmonella reduction to 0% by the fourth sampling month ( P = .013). The satisfactory results strongly suggest that a multiple-intervention approach is crucial to improve food safety in this type of premises.
Motivational interviewing: An approach to support youth aging out of foster care
Authors: Richmond Adeya , Borden Lynne M
Published: April 2020

With thousands of youth aging out of foster care each year, caseworkers must provide various types of support and assistance to help these youth successfully transition to independent living. Collaboratively, youth and caseworkers work to create a transition care plan to develop attainable goals that enhance success across multiple domains (e.g. education, employment, etc.). Some youth struggle with meeting their goals as stated in their transition care plans. Motivational interviewing is an approach that can help elicit motivation and reinforce characteristics, such as self-efficacy, that may help youth thrive.

Findings

This article outlines key research on how motivational interviewing is an approach that strengthens positive youth development and can improve youth’s engagement in skills, resources, and services as they age out of foster care. Data support the use of motivational interviewing with youth to improve their motivation as well as outcomes.

Applications

Caseworkers can apply motivational interviewing to all of their work with youth and their families in foster care. Motivational interviewing might be especially effective with case plans in order to create goals that resonate better with youth.
Using crowdsourcing for a safer society: When the crowd rules
Authors: Estellés-Arolas Enrique
Published: April 2020

Neighbours sharing information about robberies in their district through social networking platforms, citizens and volunteers posting about the irregularities of political elections on the Internet, and internauts trying to identify a suspect of a crime: in all these situations, people who share different degrees of relationship collaborate through the Internet and other technologies to try to help with or solve an offence. The crowd, which is sometimes seen as a threat, in these cases becomes an invaluable resource that can complement law enforcement through collective intelligence. Owing to the increasing growth of such initiatives, this article conducts a systematic review of the literature to identify the elements that characterize them and to find the conditions that make them work successfully.
Conflict Resolution Interventions and Tertiary Violence Prevention Among Urban Nonintimate Adults: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Harmon-Darrow Caroline
Published: April 2020

Several hundred U.S. conflict resolution and restorative justice programs are addressing community violence using neutral facilitation to help people in conflict, or those who have experienced a crime, to talk things out face-to-face and come up with self-determined solutions. Very little quantitative intervention research has been conducted on the capacity of these programs to reduce violence, violent crime, and criminal recidivism. The scientific literature pertaining to the association of conflict resolution interventions with violence prevention are identified, screened, and sorted. Study design, sampling, measurement, and analyses are assessed using objective standards. Individual criminal recidivism outcomes and neighborhood gun violence rates are charted. In the 10 included studies, disparate conflict resolution and restorative justice interventions each appears to be related to modest reductions in individual criminal recidivism for participants, when compared with standard criminal justice system treatment. Conflict interruption interventions show a decrease in neighborhood gun violence in most districts. Future studies of conflict resolution and violence should mitigate selection bias, control for possibly confounding factors, operationalize all intervention components, select the correct units of analyses, and link “what works” outcome data to “how it works” intervention data. Four key gaps include measuring self-reported violence, including victimization, studying adults, and examining “upstream” interventions.
Cerebral Protection Using Percutaneous Normothermic Bilateral Antegrade Cerebral Perfusion During Total Arch TEVAR in a Patient With Shaggy Aorta
Authors: Joseph George , Pillai Rahul , Shukla Vinayak , Babu Krothapalli S. , Manickam Shankar , Thomson Viji Samuel , Kuruvilla Korah T. , Thankachen Roy , Joseph Elizabeth , Sahajanandan Raj
Published: April 2020

Purpose: To report a technique of global cerebral embolic protection (CEP) designed for use during thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Technique: Arterial cannulas are inserted percutaneously in the right axillary artery (12-F) and left common carotid artery (LCCA; 10-F) to provide normothermic antegrade cerebral perfusion during TEVAR with neuromonitoring. Inferior vena cava blood is drawn using a 19-F femoral cannula, filtered, oxygenated, and delivered through independent roller pumps to the arterial cannulas. Static CEP is obtained by balloon occlusion of the 3 aortic arch branches proximally, resulting in complete separation of aortic and cerebral blood flow; static CEP is used during aortic endograft delivery and deployment. Dynamic CEP, obtained by creating flow reversal in the innominate artery and proximal LCCA, is used at all other times. Successful use of this CEP technique is illustrated in a patient with shaggy aorta undergoing fenestrated total arch TEVAR. Conclusion: Percutaneous normothermic bilateral antegrade cerebral perfusion provides effective CEP during TEVAR.
A novel yarn spinning method for fabricating conductive and nanofiber-coated hybrid yarns
Authors: Kayabaşı Gizem , Özen Özgü , Yılmaz Demet
Published: April 2020

Electronic or conductive textiles have attracted particular attention because of their potential applications in the fields of energy storage, supercapacitors, solar cells, health care devices, etc. Contrary to solid materials, the properties of textile materials such as stretchability, foldability, washability, etc. make the textiles ideal support materials for electronic devices. Therefore, in recent years, various conductive materials and production methods have been researched extensively to make the textiles conductive. In the present study, an alternative method based on imparting the conductivity to the fiber-based structure for the production of conductive textiles was established. Considering the contribution of unique characteristics of the fiber-based structure to the clothing systems, imparting the conductivity to the fibrous structure before yarn and fabric production may help to protect the breathable, lightweight, softness, deformable and washable of textile structure, and hence to improve the wearability properties of the electronic textiles. In the study, carbon black nanoparticles were selected as a conductive material due to low cost and easy procurable while cotton fiber together with other fiber types such as polyester, acrylic and viscose rayon fibers were used due to their common usage in the textile industry. In addition, various production parameters (CB concentration, feeding rate, etc.) were analyzed and the results indicated that the developed alternative method is capable to produce conductive yarns and electrical resistance of the yarns was about 94–4481 kΩ. The yarns had comparable yarn tenacity and breaking elongation properties, and still carried conductive character even after washing. In literature, there has been no effort to get conductivity in this manner and the method can be considered to be a new application for added-on or built-in future wearable electronics. Also, in the study, produced conductive yarns were used as a collector to gather the nanofibers onto the yarn to produce hybrid yarns enabling the production of functional textile products.
The Jailed Coiling Technique for the Treatment of Penetrating Ulcers and Saccular Aneurysms of the Aortic Arch
Authors: Silverberg Daniel , Bar-Dayan Avner , Rimon Uri , Raskin Daniel , Fefer Paul , Halak Moshe
Published: April 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the technical success and short-term outcome of patients with penetrating aortic ulcers (PAUs) and saccular aneurysms (SAs) of the aortic arch treated with the jailed coiling technique.

Methods:

A retrospective review of 9 patients (mean age 70 years, 9 males) treated for PAUs and SAs of the aortic arch between 2018 and 2019 at our institution. Treatment included thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) with a short (1cm) proximal landing zone, followed by coiling of aneurysm through a jailed extraluminal catheter.

Results:

All 9 patients underwent TEVAR followed by jailed coiling of the lumen of the aneurysms. Debranching of supra-aortic vessels was performed in 4 patients in order to create a proximal landing zone of at least 10 mm. Technical success was achieved in all cases. Coils were placed accurately within the aneurysm lumen in all patients. No distal embolization occurred. One patient expired in the perioperative period from a cardiac event. No patient developed spinal cord ischemia or stroke in the perioperative period. Mean follow-up was 10 months (range 3-18). On follow-up imaging, complete thrombosis of the aneurysm lumen was seen in all patients. None experienced enlargement of ulcer dimensions and none required reintervention.

Conclusion:

PAUs and SAs of the aortic arch with a very short landing zone can be treated successfully by jailed coiling of the aneurysm and TEVAR. The procedure is technically feasible and can be performed with minimal morbidity. Long-term durability of the repair needs to be determined.
Advancing constructionist leadership research through paradigm interplay: An application in the leadership–trust domain
Authors: Sánchez Iván D , Ospina Sonia M , Salgado Elvira
Published: April 2020

While relational leadership constructionist scholarship has gained a powerful voice in the leadership conversation, mainstream leadership studies continue to ignore its contributions. Paradigm interplay represents an approach to knowledge construction that may help constructionists contribute to the cumulative relational leadership conversation, while reasserting their interpretive commitments. The article first explains why paradigm interplay is a promising strategy for overcoming two existing complications in relational leadership research and in its constructionist stream. It then offers an application of paradigm interplay in the leadership–trust research domain, to demonstrate how this approach works in practice, showing its promise for building a robust constructionist empirical research agenda to explore the role of trust in relational leadership. The article closes with a discussion of selected challenges associated with conducting paradigm interplay, and with a call to bridge distinct relational leadership perspectives to advance robust and actionable knowledge in the field.
Shenxiong Glucose Injection Protects H9c2 Cells From CoCl2-Induced Oxidative Damage via Antioxidant and Antiapoptotic Pathways
Authors: Lu Dingyan , Zhang Yubin , Xue Weina , Sun Jia , Yang Chang , Lin Changhu , Li Yongjun , Liu Ting
Published: April 2020

Cardiovascular disease has become one of the main diseases that endanger humans, and oxidative damage plays an important role in this. Shenxiong glucose injection (SGI) is a common clinical treatment in China for the treatment of this condition. To understand further the protective effects and related mechanisms of SGI on cardiovascular diseases, H9c2 cells were treated with SGI at different concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 2% [v/v]) before hypoxic damage was induced by treatment with CoCl2). In CoCl2-induced H9c2 cells, SGI treatment increased cell viability and the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, elevated mitochondrial membrane potential, and decreased the rate of cellular apoptosis, lactic dehydrogenase release, and the content of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species, while also upregulating Bcl-2 expression and downregulating Bax, Cyt-c, and cleaved caspase-3 expression. Together, these results suggested that SGI has a protective effect on CoCl2-induced damage, and its mechanism may be related to increased antioxidant and antiapoptosis capacity in H9c2 cells. This study provides the basis for further research and potential practical applications of SGI.
Migraine or idiopathic intracranial hypertension: Magnetic resonance venography and magnetic resonance imaging findings
Authors: Guliyeva Aynur , Apaydin Melda , Beckmann Yesim , Sezgin Gulten , Gelal Fazil
Published: April 2020

Background

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disease characterised by increased cerebral pressure without a mass or hydrocephalus. We aimed to differentiate migraine and IIH patients based on imaging findings.

Results

Patients with IIH ( n = 32), migraine patients ( n = 34) and control subjects ( n = 33) were evaluated. Routine magnetic resonance imaging, contrast-enhanced 3D magnetic resonance venography and/or T1-weighted 3D gradient-recalled echo were taken with a 1.5 T magnetic resonance scanner. Optic-nerve sheath distention, flattened posterior globe and the height of the pituitary gland were evaluated in the three groups. Transverse sinuses (TS) were evaluated with respect to score of attenuation/stenosis and distribution. Pearson chi-square, Fisher’s exact test and chi-square trend statistical analyses were used for comparisons between the groups. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Decreased pituitary gland height, optic-nerve sheath distention and flattened posterior globe were found to be statistically significant ( p < 0.001) in IIH patients. Bilateral TS stenosis was also more common in IIH patients than in the control group and migraine group ( p = 0.02).

Conclusion

Decreased pituitary gland height, optic-nerve sheath distention, flattened posterior globe, bilateral stenosis and discontinuity in TS are significant findings in differentiating IIH cases from healthy individuals and migraine patients. Bilateral TS stenosis may be the cause rather than the result of increased intracranial pressure. The increase in intracranial pressure, which is considered to be responsible for the pathophysiology of IIH, is not involved in the pathophysiology of migraine.
No amount of “AI” in content moderation will solve filtering’s prior-restraint problem
Authors: Llansó Emma J
Published: April 2020

Contemporary policy debates about managing the enormous volume of online content have taken a renewed focus on upload filtering, automated detection of potentially illegal content, and other “proactive measures”. Often, policymakers and tech industry players invoke artificial intelligence as the solution to complex challenges around online content, promising that AI is a scant few years away from resolving everything from hate speech to harassment to the spread of terrorist propaganda. Missing from these promises, however, is an acknowledgement that proactive identification and automated removal of user-generated content raises problems beyond issues of “accuracy” and overbreadth--problems that will not be solved with more sophisticated AI. In this commentary, I discuss how the technical realities of content filtering stack up against the protections for freedom of expression in international human rights law. As policymakers and companies around the world turn to AI for communications governance, it is crucial that we recall why legal protections for speech have included presumptions against prior censorship, and consider carefully how proactive content moderation will fundamentally re-shape the relationship between rules, people, and their speech.
Does Atherosclerosis Have Negative Impacts on Early Adjacent Segment Degeneration After Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion?
Authors: Sakaura Hironobu , Ikegami Daisuke , Fujimori Takahito , Sugiura Tsuyoshi , Mukai Yoshihiro , Hosono Noboru
Published: April 2020

Study Design:

Retrospective study.

Objective:

To examine whether atherosclerosis has negative impacts on early adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after posterior lumbar interbody fusion using traditional trajectory pedicle screw fixation (TT-PLIF).

Methods:

The subjects were 77 patients who underwent single-level TT-PLIF for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Using dynamic lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine before surgery and at 3 years postoperatively, early radiological ASD (R-ASD) was examined. Early symptomatic ASD (S-ASD) was diagnosed when neurologic symptoms deteriorated during postoperative 3-year follow-up and the responsible lesions adjacent to the fused segment were also confirmed on magnetic resonance imaging. According to the scoring system by Kauppila et al, the abdominal aortic calcification score (AAC score: a surrogate marker of systemic atherosclerosis) was assessed using preoperative lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine.

Results:

The incidence of early R-ASD was 41.6% at the suprajacent segment and 8.3% at the subjacent segment, respectively. Patients with R-ASD had significantly higher AAC score than those without R-ASD. The incidence of early S-ASD was 3.9% at the suprajacent segment and 1.4% at the subjacent segment, respectively. Patients with S-ASD had higher AAC score than those without S-ASD, although there was no significant difference.

Conclusions:

At 3 years after surgery, the advanced AAC had significantly negative impacts on early R-ASD after TT-PLIF. This result indicates that impaired blood flow due to atherosclerosis can aggravate degenerative changes at the adjacent segments of the lumbar spine after PLIF.
“A Good Habit”: Telehealth PrEP Users Find Benefit in Quarterly Monitoring Requirements
Authors: Koester Kimberly A. , Hughes Shana D. , Grant Robert M.
Published: April 2020

In the United States, uptake of daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV continues to grow albeit at a slower than desired pace. Innovations in PrEP delivery systems may partially address structural challenges related to PrEP uptake and PrEP persistence, such as difficulty in attending clinic visits or completing laboratory testing. To study PrEP services offered by a telehealth company called Nurx, we conducted 31 in-depth interviews with prospective or current patients. We hypothesized that patients would find the quarterly laboratory monitoring requirements to be onerous especially in light of receiving all other aspects of PrEP care through a telehealth delivery system. However, interviewees characterized navigating laboratory systems as relatively easy and complying with the quarterly monitoring as a supplementary benefit of PrEP use. Our research illustrates that quarterly monitoring requirements are meaningful to some telehealth PrEP users and may facilitate persistent engagement in receipt of PrEP care.
Masking Effects in the Perception of Multiple Simultaneous Talkers in Normal-Hearing and Cochlear Implant Listeners
Authors: Chen Biao , Shi Ying , Zhang Lifang , Sun Zhiming , Li Yongxin , Gopen Quinton , Fu Qian-Jie
Published: April 2020

For normal-hearing (NH) listeners, monaural factors, such as voice pitch cues, may play an important role in the segregation of speech signals in multitalker environments. However, cochlear implant (CI) users experience difficulties in segregating speech signals in multitalker environments in part due to the coarse spectral resolution. The present study examined how the vocal characteristics of the target and masking talkers influence listeners’ ability to extract information from a target phrase in a multitalker environment. Speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) were measured with one, two, or four masker talkers for different combinations of target-masker vocal characteristics in 10 adult Mandarin-speaking NH listeners and 12 adult Mandarin-speaking CI users. The results showed that CI users performed significantly poorer than NH listeners in the presence of competing talkers. As the number of masker talkers increased, the mean SRTs significantly worsened from –22.0 dB to –5.2 dB for NH listeners but significantly improved from 5.9 dB to 2.8 dB for CI users. The results suggest that the flattened peaks and valleys with increased numbers of competing talkers may reduce NH listeners’ ability to use dips in the spectral and temporal envelopes that allow for “glimpses” of the target speech. However, the flattened temporal envelope of the resultant masker signals may be less disruptive to the amplitude contour of the target speech, which is important for Mandarin-speaking CI users’ lexical tone recognition. The amount of masking release was further estimated by comparing SRTs between the same-sex maskers and the different-sex maskers. There was a large amount of masking release in NH adults (12 dB) and a small but significant amount of masking release in CI adults (2 dB). These results suggest that adult CI users may significantly benefit from voice pitch differences between target and masker speech.
Position of the Posteromedial Ankle Structures in Patients Indicated for Total Ankle Replacement
Authors: Conti Matthew S. , Garfinkel Jonathan H. , Greditzer Harry G. , Sofka Carolyn M. , Caolo Kristin C. , Deland Jonathan T. , Demetracopoulos Constantine A. , Ellis Scott J.
Published: April 2020

Background:

The posteromedial ankle structures are at risk during total ankle replacement (TAR). The purpose of our study was to investigate the distance of these structures from the posterior cortex of the tibia and talus in order to determine their anatomy at different levels of bone resection during a TAR and whether plantarflexion of the ankle reliably moved these structures posteriorly.

Methods:

Ten feet in 10 patients with end-stage tibiotalar arthritis indicated for a TAR were included. Preoperative magnetic resonance images were obtained with the foot in a neutral position as well as in maximum plantarflexion to measure the distance of posteromedial ankle structures to the closest part of the posterior cortex of the tibia or talus. Wilcoxon signed-rank rests were used to investigate differences in these distances.

Results:

The mean distance from the posterior tibial cortex to the tibial nerve at 14 and 7 mm above the tibial plafond was 8.7 mm (range 5.0-11.8 mm) and 6.7 mm (range 2.7-10.6 mm), respectively, which represented a statistically significant movement anteriorly ( P = .021). The posterior tibial artery was, on average, 8.0 mm (range 3.6-13.9 mm) and 7.2 mm (range 3.1-9.4 mm) from the posterior tibial cortex at 14 and 7 mm above the tibial plafond, respectively. Distal to the tibial plafond, the posterior tibial artery and flexor digitorum longus tendons moved posteriorly by less than 1 mm in plantarflexion (all P < .05); otherwise, plantarflexion of the ankle did not affect the position of the tibial nerve, posterior tibial tendon, or flexor hallucis longus.

Conclusion:

In patients with end-stage ankle arthritis, the tibial nerve and posterior tibial artery lie, on average, between 6.5 and 10 mm from the posterior tibial and talar cortices. Plantarflexion of the ankle did not reliably move the posteromedial ankle structures posteriorly.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series, therapeutic
Integration in Manufacturing Trade in Asia: A Cross-country Scenario with Special Reference to India
Authors: Paul Anusree , Barua Alokesh
Published: April 2020

The fragmentation of production due to vertical disintegration has profusely impacted growth in world trade via vertical specialisation in production and trade. This article is purported to examine domestic and import contents in exports in the manufacturing sector of India, and a few select countries in Asia. We have used the World Input–Output Database (WIOD) to estimate the domestic and foreign value-added shares of export. The period of our study is from 2000 to 2014. Our results pertaining to the aggregate manufacturing industry of India reveal that while, on the one hand, the domestic value-added contents of export have fallen significantly, the foreign value-added contents of export, on the other hand, have increased significantly over time. We have also conducted disaggregated industry-level analyses, which show that there is a wide variation in the degree of vertical integration in trade. The cross-country analysis reveals that the foreign value-added shares in total manufacturing export increased for developed Asia in 2014 over 2000. In emerging and developing Asia, it either has increased or remained stagnant. This scenario indicates a larger backward linkage of the manufacturing sector in the global value chain (GVC) across countries. Here, we have primarily focussed on the six key manufacturing industries viz. Food, Textiles, Chemicals, Basic Metals, Fabricated Metals and Motor Vehicles for cross-country industry-level analysis. Industry-level heterogeneity is highly prevalent in Asia in terms of their participation in GVC.
DeepSuccinylSite: a deep learning based approach for protein succinylation site prediction
Authors: Thapa Niraj , Chaudhari Meenal , McManus Sean , Roy Kaushik , Newman Robert H. , Saigo Hiroto , KC Dukka B.
Published: April 2020

Background

Protein succinylation has recently emerged as an important and common post-translation modification (PTM) that occurs on lysine residues. Succinylation is notable both in its size (e.g., at 100 Da, it is one of the larger chemical PTMs) and in its ability to modify the net charge of the modified lysine residue from + 1 to − 1 at physiological pH. The gross local changes that occur in proteins upon succinylation have been shown to correspond with changes in gene activity and to be perturbed by defects in the citric acid cycle. These observations, together with the fact that succinate is generated as a metabolic intermediate during cellular respiration, have led to suggestions that protein succinylation may play a role in the interaction between cellular metabolism and important cellular functions. For instance, succinylation likely represents an important aspect of genomic regulation and repair and may have important consequences in the etiology of a number of disease states. In this study, we developed DeepSuccinylSite, a novel prediction tool that uses deep learning methodology along with embedding to identify succinylation sites in proteins based on their primary structure.

Results

Using an independent test set of experimentally identified succinylation sites, our method achieved efficiency scores of 79%, 68.7% and 0.48 for sensitivity, specificity and MCC respectively, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.8. In side-by-side comparisons with previously described succinylation predictors, DeepSuccinylSite represents a significant improvement in overall accuracy for prediction of succinylation sites.

Conclusion

Together, these results suggest that our method represents a robust and complementary technique for advanced exploration of protein succinylation.
Whole genome sequencing of Nontuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM) isolates from sputum specimens of co-habiting patients with NTM pulmonary disease and NTM isolates from their environment
Authors: Yoon Jung-Ki , Kim Taek Soo , Kim Jong-Il , Yim Jae-Joon
Published: April 2020

Background

Nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) species are ubiquitous microorganisms. NTM pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) is thought to be caused not by human-to-human transmission but by independent environmental acquisition. However, recent studies using next-generation sequencing (NGS) have reported trans-continental spread of Mycobacterium abscessus among patients with cystic fibrosis.

Results

We investigated NTM genomes through NGS to examine transmission patterns in three pairs of co-habiting patients with NTM-PD who were suspected of patient-to-patient transmission. Three pairs of patients with NTM-PD co-habiting for at least 15 years were enrolled: a mother and a daughter with M. avium-PD, a couple with M. intracellulare-PD, and a second couple, one of whom was infected with M. intracellulare and the other of whom was infected with M. abscessus. Whole genome sequencing was performed using patients’ NTM isolates as well as environmental specimens. Genetic distances were estimated based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). By comparison with the genetic distances among 78 publicly available NTM genomes, NTM isolates derived from the two pairs of patients infected with the same NTM species were not closely related to each other. In phylogenetic analysis, the NTM isolates from patients with M. avium-PD clustered with isolates from different environmental sources.

Conclusions

In conclusion, considering the genetic distances between NTM strains, the likelihood of patient-to-patient transmission in pairs of co-habiting NTM-PD patients without overt immune deficiency is minimal.
Dynamics of immunoglobulin G subclasses during the first two years of life in Malawian infants born to HIV-positive mothers
Authors: Baroncelli Silvia , Galluzzo Clementina Maria , Liotta Giuseppe , Andreotti Mauro , Orlando Stefano , Ciccacci Fausto , Jere Haswell , Luhanga Richard , Sagno Jean Baptiste , Amici Roberta , Marazzi Maria Cristina , Giuliano Marina
Published: April 2020

Background

Maternal antibodies are key components of the protective responses of infants who are unable to produce their own IgG until 6 months of life. There is evidence that HIV-exposed uninfected children (HEU) have IgG levels abnormalities, that can be partially responsible for the higher vulnerability to infections in the first 2 years of the life of this population.

This retrospective study aimed to characterize the dynamics in plasma levels of total IgG and their isotypes during the first 2 years of life in HEU infants exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age.

Methods

Total IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 isotypes, and IgM and IgA plasma concentrations were determined by nephelometric methods in 30 Malawian infants born to HIV-positive women at month 1, 6 and 24 of life.

Results

At 1-month infants had a median concentration of total IgG of 8.48 g/l, (IQR 7.57–9.15), with an overrepresentation of the IgG1 isotype (89.0% of total) and low levels of IgG2 (0.52 g/l, IQR, 0.46–0.65). Total IgG and IgG1 concentrations were lower at 6 months (− 2.1 and − 1.12 g/dl, respectively) reflecting disappearance of maternal antibodies, but at 24 months their levels were higher with respect to the reported reference values for age-matched pairs. Abnormal isotype distribution was still present at 24 months with IgG2 remaining strongly underrepresented (0.87 g/l, 7.5% of total IgG).

Conclusion

HIV exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding seems to influence the IgG maturation and isotype distribution that persist in 2-year old infants.
Clinical impact of cardiovascular disease on patients with bronchiectasis
Authors: Chen Shanshan , Qiu Aimin , Tao Zhang , Zhang Hailin
Published: April 2020

Background

Patients with bronchiectasis have a higher cardiovascular risk than their matched controls. However, the effect of cardiovascular (CV) disease on bronchiectasis remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to investigate the clinical impacts of cardiovascular disease on adult patients with bronchiectasis.

Methods

The study cohort comprised 603 consecutive inpatients diagnosed with bronchiectasis in the Affiliated Yancheng Hospital of Southeast University Medical College (Jiangsu, China) from January 2014 to December 2017. Symptoms, bacterial cultures, blood biochemical indicator levels, and chest high-resolution computed tomography scans were assessed during their initial hospitalization for bronchiectasis. Three hundred and thirty five subjects finished 1 year follow-up after their hospital discharge.

Results

Three hundred thirty five patients had at least one bronchiectasis exacerbation during the 1-year follow-up period. Patients with CV comorbidities were more likely to present with symptoms of wheezing (65.3%) and had a higher levels of brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.001) and D-dimer (P < 0.001) than those without CV comorbidities. Independent risk factors associated with bronchiectasis exacerbations were the presence of comorbidities of cardiovascular diseases (odds ratio [OR] 2.503, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.298–4.823; P = 0.006), the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OR 2.076, 95% CI 1.100–3.919; P = 0.024), and extension to more than two lobes (OR 2.485, 95% CI 1.195–5.168; P = 0.015).

Conclusion

The existence of cardiovascular disease was independently associated with increased bronchiectasis exacerbation.
Determinants of traditional medicine utilization for children: a parental level study in Tole District, Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Hailu Fekensa , Cherie Amsale , Gebreyohannis Tigistu , Hailu Reta
Published: April 2020

Background

In Ethiopia, about 80% of the population use traditional medicine (TM) due to the cultural acceptability of healers and local pharmacopeias, the relatively low cost of traditional medicine, and the difficulty of accessing modern health facilities. This study was aimed at assessing traditional medicine utilization and its determinants among parents of the children employing a case study of the Tole District of South West of Oromia, Ethiopia.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional data were collected from 267 parents who have children less than 18 years old. The respondents were selected through a systematic random sampling technique. Both descriptive and exploratory techniques were used to analyze the data. The exploratory logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors determining the use of traditional medicine (TM).

Results

We found out that 85.9% of parents used TM for their children. Herbal medicine 73 (34.4%), massage 55 (25.9%), and religious/prayer therapy 25 (11.8%) were the major therapies used by parents for their children. In the study area, the rate of parental TM utuilization for their children was determined by monthly income [OR: 0.25(0.08, 0.78)], cultural belief [OR: 3.01(1.16, 7.83)], religious belief [OR = 3.17(1.26, 7.93)], and duration of illness [OR = 3.11(1.07, 9.02)].

Conclusion

Traditional medicine use is highly prevalent that its contribution to the public health is significant as some could not access to and afford modern health services in the area. Therefore, health professionals should advise parents side-by-side procuring modern health services. In light of this, further research will be needed on the safety and efficacy of TM for wider application.
IL-33, diet-induced obesity, and pulmonary responses to ozone
Authors: Kasahara David I. , Shore Stephanie A.
Published: April 2020

Background

Obesity augments pulmonary responses to ozone. We have reported that IL-33 contributes to these effects of obesity in db/db mice. The purpose of this study was to determine whether IL-33 also contributes to obesity-related changes in the response to ozone in mice with diet-induced obesity.

Methods

Male wildtype C57BL/6 mice and mice deficient in ST2, the IL-33 receptor, were placed on chow or high fat diets for 12 weeks from weaning. Because the microbiome has been implicated in obesity-related changes in the pulmonary response to ozone, mice were either housed with other mice of the same genotype (same housed) or with mice of the opposite genotype (cohoused). Cohousing transfers the gut microbiome from one mouse to its cagemates.

Results

Diet-induced increases in body mass were not affected by ST2 deficiency or cohousing. In same housed mice, ST2 deficiency reduced ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and neutrophil recruitment in chow-fed but not HFD-fed mice even though ST2 deficiency reduced bronchoalveolar lavage IL-5 in both diet groups. In chow-fed mice, cohousing abolished ST2-related reductions in ozone-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and neutrophil recruitment, but in HFD-fed mice, no effect of cohousing on these responses to ozone was observed. In chow-fed mice, ST2 deficiency and cohousing caused changes in the gut microbiome. High fat diet-feeding caused marked changes in the gut microbiome and overrode both ST2-related and cohousing-related differences in the gut microbiome observed in chow-fed mice.

Conclusion

Our data indicate a role for IL-33 in pulmonary responses to ozone in chow-fed but not high fat diet-fed mice and are consistent with the hypothesis that these diet-related differences in the role of IL-33 are the result of changes in the gut microbiome.
Bone tissue and mineral metabolism in hereditary endocrine tumors: clinical manifestations and genetic bases
Authors: Maraghelli Davide , Giusti Francesca , Marini Francesca , Brandi Maria Luisa
Published: April 2020

Inherited endocrine tumors are neoplasms of endocrine cells, transmitted via autosomal dominant germinal mutations. They present in two different forms: non-syndromic (patient has a single affected endocrine organ during his/her lifetime) or syndromic forms (multiple tumors in endocrine and non-endocrine organs during his/her lifetime).

In addition to their common tumoral manifestations, many of these diseases present clinical affection of bone tissues and/or mineral metabolism, both as secondary complications of primary tumors and as primary defects due to genetic mutation. To date, few studies have documented these bone complications, and there are no systematic reviews in this area.

We present a revision of medical literature about skeletal and mineral metabolism affections in inherited endocrine tumor syndromes, and studies, in cells and animal models, investigating the direct role of some genes, whose mutations are responsible for the development of endocrine tumors, in the regulation of bone and mineral metabolism.
A novel ETV6-miR-429-CRKL regulatory circuitry contributes to aggressiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Guo Chunmei , Gao Chao , Zhao Dongting , Li Jiahui , Wang Jinxia , Sun Xujuan , Liu Qinlong , Hao Lihong , Greenaway Frederick T. , Tian Yuxiang , Liu Shuqing , Sun Ming-Zhong
Published: April 2020

Background

Tumor metastasis is one of the main causes of the high mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). E-Twenty Six variant gene 6 (ETV6) is a strong transcriptional repressor, associated with the development and progression of tumors. However, the exact role and underlying mechanism of ETV6 in HCC remain unclear.

Methods

Western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of ETV6, CRKL (v-crk sarcoma virus CT10 oncogene homologue (avian)-like) and miR-429 in HCC tissues and cells; Transwell chamber and F-actin cytoskeleton staining assay to examine the effects of ETV6 and CRKL deregulation on the migration, invasion and cytoskeleton of HCC cells; Co-immunoprecipitation assay to determine the interaction between CRKL and ETV6; Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay to investigate the interaction between ETV6 and miR-429.

Results

We established a novel ETV6-miR-429-CRKL regulatory circuitry contributes to HCC metastasis. ETV6 and CRKL were frequently increased, while miR-429 was downregulated in both hepatocarcinoma tissues and hepatocarcinoma cells. Moreover, ETV6 upregulation was positively correlated with CRKL upregulation, and two negative correlations were also established for ETV6 and CRKL upregulation with miR-429 downregulation in both hepatocarcinoma patients’ tumorous tissues and hepatocarcinoma cells. Functional investigations revealed that overexpression and knockdown of ETV6 was remarkably effective in promoting and suppressing HCC cell migration, invasion, cytoskeleton F-actin expression and arrangement, whereas, CRKL overexpression exhibited similar effects to the overexpression of ETV6. Mechanistically, ETV6 negatively regulates miR-429 expression by directly binding to the promoter region of miR-429; miR-429 negatively regulates CRKL expression by selectively targeting CRKL-3′-UTR; ETV6 directly binds to CRKL and positively regulates its expression, which in turn CRKL positively regulates ETV6 expression.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that ETV6 promotes migration and invasion of HCC cells by directly binding to promoter region of miR-429 via modulating CRKL expression. The newly identified ETV6-miR-429-CRKL regulatory circuitry contributes to the aggressiveness of HCC, which provides new clues for fundamental research on diagnosis and treatment parameters for HCC.
Antibiotic prophylaxis in transurethral resection of bladder tumours: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Bausch Kathrin , Aghlmandi Soheila , Sutter Sarah Ursula , Stamm Linda Maria , Ewald Hannah , Appenzeller-Herzog Christian , Roth Jan Adam , Widmer Andreas F. , Seifert Hans-Helge
Published: April 2020

Background

The necessity of antibiotic prophylaxis for postoperative urinary tract infections (UTIs) after transurethral resection of bladder tumours is controversial. This potentially leads to the overuse of antibiotic prophylaxis and rising antimicrobial resistance rates. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the impact of different antimicrobial prophylaxis schemes versus placebo on the prevention of postoperative UTI and asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Methods

We designed and registered a study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and non-randomized (e.g. cohort, case-control) studies examining any form of antibiotic prophylaxis in patients with transurethral resection of bladder tumours. Literature searches will be conducted in several electronic databases (from inception onwards), including MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Grey literature will be identified through searching conference abstracts. The primary outcome will be postoperative urinary tract infections. The secondary outcome will be asymptomatic bacteriuria. Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles, and abstract data. Potential conflicts will be resolved through discussion. The study methodological quality (or bias) will be appraised using appropriate tools (e.g. Risk of Bias 2.0 tool and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale). If feasible, we will conduct random-effects meta-analysis of outcome data. Additional analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity (e.g. study design, publication year, the setting of the study, and antibiotics regimen).

We will also search, identify, and discuss potential risk factors for urinary tract infections following transurethral resection of bladder tumours. This may serve as basis for a scoping review.

Discussion

In times of rising antimicrobial resistance rates, sound evidence on the necessity of antibiotic prophylaxis is essential for implementation into guideline recommendations and for decision-making in clinical practice.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO, CRD42019131733