bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Canadian Survey of Medical Students and Undergraduate Deans on Managing Patients With Obesity
Authors: Katz Nathan J. , Lovrics Olivia , Zevin Boris
Published: March 2022

Background: With over 26% of Canadian adults living with obesity, undergraduate medical education (UGME) should prepare medical students to manage this chronic disease. It is currently unknown how management of obesity is taught within UGME curricula in Canada. This study (1) examined the knowledge and self-reported competence of final-year medical students in managing patients with obesity, and (2) explored how this topic is taught within UGME curricula in Canada.Methods: We distributed two online surveys: one to final-year medical students, and another to UGME deans at 9 English-speaking medical schools in Canada. The medical student survey assessed students’ knowledge and self-reported competence in managing patients with obesity. The dean’s survey assessed how management of patients with obesity is taught within the UGME curriculum.Results: 133 (6.9%) and 180 (9.3%) out of 1936 eligible students completed the knowledge and self-reported competence parts of the survey, respectively. Mean knowledge score was 10.5 (2.1) out of 18. Students had greatest knowledge about etiology of obesity and goals of treatment, and poorest knowledge about physiology and maintenance of weight loss. Mean self-reported competence score was 2.5 (0.86) out of 4. Students felt most competent assessing diet for unhealthy behaviors and calculating body mass index. Five (56%) out of 9 deans completed the survey. A mean of 14.6 (5.0) curricular hours were spent on teaching management of obesity.Conclusions: Canadian medical students lack adequate knowledge and feel inadequately prepared to manage patients with obesity. Changes to UGME curricula may help address this gap in education.
“Building Palliative Care Capacity in Cancer Treatment Centres: A Participatory Action Research”
Authors: Bhatnagar Sushma , Rao Seema Rajesh , Salins Naveen , Goh Cynthia Ruth
Published: March 2022

Introduction: There is a significant lack of palliative care access and service delivery in the Indian cancer institutes. In this paper, we describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a palliative care capacity-building program in Indian cancer institutes.Methods:Participatory action research method was used to develop, implement and evaluate the outcomes of the palliative care capacity-building program. Participants were healthcare practitioners from various cancer institutes in India. Researchers developed interventions towards capacity building, which was modified and further developed after each cycle of the capacity-building program. Qualitative content analysis was used to develop an action plan to build capacity. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the outcomes of the action plan. Results:Seventy-three healthcare practitioners from 31 cancer treatment centers in India were purposively recruited between 2016 and 2020. Training and education in palliative care, infrastructure for palliative care provision, and opioid availability were identified as key requisites for capacity-building. Individual and organizational change champions were identified for context-specific capacity-building. A training program was developed and delivered to the change champions for knowledge- and skill-development and peer-mentorship for knowledge-translation. The outcome indicators of the project were defined a priori, and were audited by an independent auditor. The three cycles of the program resulted in the development of palliative care services in 23 of the 31 institutes enrolled in the program. Conclusion: This program illustrates how a transformational change at the organizational and individual level can lead to the development of sustained provision of palliative care services in cancer institutes.
A van der Waals force-based adhesion study of stem cells exposed to cold atmospheric plasma jets
Authors: Hajizadeh Kobra , Mehdian Hassan , Hajisharifi Kamal , Robert Eric
Published: March 2022

Cold atmospheric plasma has established its effect on cell adhesion. Given the importance of cell adhesion in stem cells, the current study looked at the effect of plasma treatment on stem cell adhesion by which the differentiation and fate of cells are determined. In this paper, adhesion modification was investigated not just among cell-ECM, but also between suspended cells, and enhanced adhesions were found in both circumstances. Regarding the previous works, increasing the cell-ECM adhesion during the plasma therapy could be mostly attributed to enhancing the production and activity of integrin proteins, while at the suspension condition, we have showed that this increasing is due to the enhancing in van der Waals forces (VDWFs) between the cells. Considering the importance of van der Waals forces at the cellular level, the effect of cold plasma on VDWFs and so its effect on adhesion were investigated in this work for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. For this purpose, employing the semi-empirical methods, the role of the plasma therapy on the VDWF between the cells has been studied at three levels; a) plasma-induced dipole formation, b) Hammaker coefficient modification of culture medium, and c) cell roughness modification. We believe that, the present work gives a new physical insight in studying the plasma therapy method at the cellular level.
Changes in rhizosphere microbiomes of field-grown rice in response to biogas slurry application
Authors: Yang Yanmei , He Yan , Sheng Hao , Wei Zheng , Weng Rui , Zhou Gongming , Lin Yuanyuan
Published: March 2022

Biogas slurry (BS) is widely used as a liquid fertilizer in paddy fields. A growing body of evidence shows that rhizosphere microbiota is important for plant growth and reproduction. However, the dynamic responses of rhizosphere microbiomes of field-grown rice to BS application still remain unknown. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to further understand the impacts of BS fertilizer (BCF) on the dynamic changes of rhizosphere microbiota throughout the life cycle of rice with conventional chemical fertilizer (CF) treatment as control. The results demonstrated that BS could increase the N-, P- and C- level in paddy water as well as rhizospheric microbial abundance and diversity of paddy fields compared with control. In particular, the phosphate-solubilizing- and cellulose-decomposition-related bacteria (e.g. Bacillus) and fungi (e.g. Mortierella) were more abundant in the rhizosphere of BCF than those of CF. Moreover, these above-mentioned microbes increased markedly at the reproductive stages compared with those at vegetative stages in BCF, which could promote rice to obtain available nutrient (phosphorus and carbon) at low fertility input stages (the reproductive stages). It was noted that denitrifying-related bacteria (e.g. Steroidobacteraceae) decreased and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) -related bacteria increased generally at the reproductive stages, which could reduce N-loss and help to N-fixation. Furthermore, correlation network showed that nutrient-cycles-related microbes were more closely interconnected in BCF than control. These observations demonstrated the application of BS could regulate root-related microbiomes towards a beneficial fertilizer use for rice production.
Identification and characterization of the gene profile in diabetes induced erectile dysfunction rat model
Authors: Zhu Zhiguo , Li Xiaoli , Cao Xiande , Qin Huisheng , Yue Dong , Liu Deqian , Tan Guigeng , Xuan Xujun , Zhu Haizhou
Published: March 2022

Background
Genes are differentially expressed in diabetes induced erectile dysfunction (DED); however, there is still a lack of systematic and in-depth understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of DED. This study aimed to systematically analyze molecular correlates leading to ED in diabetes by bioinformatics analysis, and provide new insights into the mechanism of DED.
Results
A total of 800 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 407 upregulated and 393 downregulated) were identified in the diabetic-induced ED samples compared with the control group. The upregulated DEGs were mainly enriched in glucose and lipid metabolism-related pathways, and the downregulated DEGs were primarily enriched in tissue development and structure. The dysregulated extracellular matrix genes (especially related to collagen and elastin) may be closely related to the damage of erectile function of the corpus cavernosum. Sixteen hub genes (6 upregulated, 10 downregulated) and 24 modules were detected buy hub gene and MCODE analysis. Protein phosphorylation might play an important role in DED. Furthermore, 20 TFs targeting DEGs were identified by ChEA3.
Conclusions
Our research comprehensively and systematically described the molecular characteristics of DED, and suggested that dysregulated extracellular matrix genes and protein phosphorylation may play critical roles in DED.
Extraventricular Neurocytoma: a Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Wang Liping , Dai Xiaoxiao , Ping Yifang , Chen Ping , Chen Yanming , Cheng Shan , Li Yongdong , Li Suwen , Li Haoran , Yuan Jiaqi , Hou Yanghao , Dong Jun
Published: March 2022

Extraventricular neurocytoma (EVN) is a rare intracranial tumor. The most common locations of EVN were frontal lobe and cerebellum, followed by temporal lobe. Heterogeneous contrast enhancement, cystic changes, perilesional edema and calcification were a few distinct imaging characteristics. EVN is a primary tumor with either glial or neuronal differentiation or potential for atypical changes. The lack of characteristic manifestations in histopathology makes EVN difficult to distinguish from other low-grade neuronal and mixed neuronal-glial tumors. Herein, we describe a case of frontal extraventricular neurocytoma in a 37-year-old male presenting with dizzy and review the literature on this rare tumor. Pathological examination reveals that the tumor mainly composed of oligodendroglia-like cells, with expression of synaptophysin (SYN) and Olig2 (oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2), and microcalcifications. Methylation profile and t-SNE analysis show our sample cluster with the other two reference EVNs. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) shows FGFR1-TACC1 fusion. We report a case of EVN with expression of Olig2, FGFR1-TACC1 fusion, methylation of MGMT promoter, and discuss our experience along with a review of the published literature.
Meta-Analysis Of Ecological Studies Attenuating Solar Radiation Illustrates The Importance Of Blue Light Over Ultraviolet Radiation In Driving Photodegradation Of Litter In Terrestrial Ecosystems
Authors: Wang Qing-Wei , Pieristè Marta , Kotilainen Titta K. , Forey Estelle , Chauvat Matthieu , Kurokawa Hiroko , Robson T Matthew , Jones Alan G
Published: March 2022

Background and aim: Wherever sunlight reaches litter there is potential for photodegradation to contribute to decomposition. Although recent studies have weighted the contribute of the short-wavelength visible spectrum and ultraviolet (UV) radiation as drivers of photodegradation, the relative importance of each spectral region across biomes and plant communities remains uncertain.Methods: We performed a systematic meta-analysis of studies that assessed photodegradation through spectrally selective attenuation of solar radiation, by synthesizing 30 published studies using field incubations of leaf litter from 110 plant species under ambient sunlight.Results: Globally, the full spectrum of sunlight significantly increased litter mass loss by 15.3% ± 1% across all studies compared to darkness. Blue light alone was responsible for most of this increase in mass loss (13.8% ± 1%), whereas neither UV radiation nor its individual constituents UV-B and UV-A radiation had significant effects at the global scale, being only important in specific environments. These waveband-dependent effects were modulated by climate and ecosystem type. Among initial litter traits, carbon content, lignin content, lignin to nitrogen ratio and SLA positively correlated with the rate of photodegradation. Global coverage of biomes and spectral regions was uneven across the meta-analysis potentially biasing the results, but also indicating where research in lacking.Conclusions: Across studies attenuating spectral regions of sunlight, our meta-analysis confirms that photodegradation is a significant driver of decomposition, but this effect is highly dependent on the spectral region considered. Blue light was the predominant driver of photodegradation across biomes rather than UV radiation.
Percutaneous vertebral-disc plasty for thoracolumbar very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures
Authors: Jiang Jiawei , Zhang Jinlong , Bao Guofeng , Chen Jiajia , Wu Chunshuai , Xue Pengfei , Xu Guanhua , Cui Zhiming
Published: March 2022

Background: To compare the clinical outcomes and radiological parameters of patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) versus those undergoing percutaneous vertebral-disc plasty (PVDP) for back pain, segmental instability, and kyphosis due to thoracolumbar very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (vsOVCFs).Methods: 31 patients with thoracolumbar vsOVCFs were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients were divided into the PVP group and the PVDP group. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), local kyphosis angle, and disc height were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively.Results: Significant postoperative improvements on the VAS, ODI, and the local kyphosis angle (LKA) were shown, compared with the preoperative values in both groups (p < 0.05). The average VAS, ODI, and LKA for patients in the PVP group were increased compared to those in the PVDP group were observed at the last follow-up (p < 0.05). The DHA, DHP, and LKA were seen to be maintained in the PVDP group at the last follow-up (p > 0.05). In those parameters, the change was significantly lower in the PVDP group at the last follow-up. (p <0.05).Conclusions: PVDP may be a feasible and effective technique for the treatment of very severe OVCFs, that can restore intervertebral height, provide segmental stabilizing and improve kyphosis in the short term.
Identification of a pyroptosis-related prognostic signature in breast cancer
Authors: Chen Hanghang , Luo Haihua , Wang Jieyan , Li Jinming , Jiang Yong
Published: March 2022

Background
The relationship between pyroptosis and cancer is complex. It is controversial that whether pyroptosis represses or promotes tumor development. This study aimed to explore prognostic molecular characteristics to predict the prognosis of breast cancer (BRCA) based on a comprehensive analysis of pyroptosis-related gene expression data.
Methods
RNA-sequcing data of BRCA were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Ominibus (GEO) datasets. First, pyroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and tumor tissues were identified from the TCGA database. Based on the DEGs, 1053 BRCA patients were divided into two clusters. Second, DEGs between the two clusters were used to construct a signature by a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model, and the GSE20685 cohort was used to validate the signature. Various statistical methods were applied to assess this gene signature. Finally, Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was employed to compare the enrichment scores of 16 types of immune cells and 13 immune-related pathways between the low- and high-risk groups. We calculated the tumor mutational burden (TMB) of TCGA cohort and evaluated the correlations between the TMB and riskscores of the TCGA cohort. We also compared the TMB between the low- and high-risk groups.
Results
A total of 39 pyroptosis-related DEGs were identified from the TCGA-breast cancer dataset. A prognostic signature comprising 21 genes in the two clusters of DEGs was developed to divide patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, and its prognostic performance was excellent in two independent patient cohorts. The high-risk group generally had lower levels of immune cell infiltration and lower activity of immune pathway activity than did the low-risk group, and different risk groups revealed different proportions of immune subtypes. The TMB is higher in high-risk group compared with low-risk group. OS of low-TMB group is better than that of high-TMB group
Conclusion
A 21-gene signature comprising pyroptosis-related genes was constructed to assess the prognosis of breast cancer patients and its prognostic performance was excellent in two independent patient cohorts. The signature was found closely associated with the tumor immune microenvironment and the potential correlation could provide some clues for further studies. The signature was also correlated with TMB and the mechanisms are still warranted.
Abnormal Proliferation of Gut Mycobiota Contribute to The Aggravation of Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Bao Li , Zhang Ying , Zhang Guo , Jiang De , Yan Dan
Published: March 2022

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) constitute a worldwide health threat, and the underlying mechanism for the development and progression of T2D is complex and multifactorial. During the last decade, gut commensal bacteria have been found to play a crucial role in the regulation of T2D and related metabolic disorders. However, as a considerable component in gut microbiome, the relationship between mycobiota and T2D and related metabolic disorders remains unclear. As a proof-of-concept, we observed that the ablation of the commensal fungi in mice can protect HFD induced insulin resistance and related metabolic disorders. Both ITS2 sequencing and culture-dependent analysis show the enrichment of Candida albicans in samples from individuals with T2D (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2100042049). Repopulation with C. albicans in HFD mice accelerated insulin resistance and related disorders. Mechanically, we found the β-glucan from C. albicans mirrored the deteriorating effect of C. albicans through the dectin-1 dependent pathway. Our current findings support that gut mycobiota play an important role in the progress of T2D and indicated the preventing of gut mycobiota is a promising strategy to alleviate insulin resistance and related metabolic dysfunctions.
Prognosis of resected non-small cell lung cancer with pleural plaques on intrathoracic findings
Authors: Mimura Takeshi , Kagimoto Atsushi , Kamigaichi Atsushi , Yamashita Yoshinori
Published: March 2022

Background: The prognosis of patients with lung cancer who demonstrate pleural plaques intraoperatively, which may be associated with exposure to asbestos, is unclear. Here, we compared the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of these patients with those of patients without pleural plaques.Methods: We included patients who underwent curative-intent resection for non-small cell lung cancer. We retrospectively investigated the relationship of intrathoracic findings of pleural plaques with clinicopathological features and prognosis.Results: Pleural plaques were found in 121/701 patients (17.3%) during surgery. The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (P < 0.001) and the pathological stage (P = 0.021) were higher in patients with pleural plaques. Overall survival was significantly worse in patients with pleural plaques (5-year rate; 64.5% vs. 79.3%; P < 0.001), and the same finding was noted in clinical stage I patients (5-year rate; 64.8% vs. 83.4%; P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, the presence of pleural plaques was a significant predictor of overall survival in patients with clinical stage I (hazard ratio, 1.631; P = 0.039). Among patients with emphysema severe than Goddard score 5 points or interstitial pneumonia, overall survival was also significantly worse in patients with pleural plaques (5-year rate; 66.3% vs. 49.5%; P < 0.001).Conclusions: Patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent resection and demonstrated pleural plaques intraoperatively had a significantly worse prognosis. It is important to recognize the presence of pleural plaques intraoperatively, and our findings will be useful in determining the treatment and follow-up strategy for such patients with lung cancer and pleural plaques on intrathoracic examination.
Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during decontamination of oil-polluted soils: the power of electronic bioinformatics databases
Authors: Ablieieva Iryna , Plyatsuk Leonid , Liu Tong , Berezhna Iryna , Yanchenko Ilona
Published: March 2022

The main idea was to solve the problem related to oil contamination of soil using bioremediation with bioaugmentation with modelled microorganism strains. The paper aimed to develop a bacterial consortium for petroleum hydrocarbons degradation during biological treatment of oil-contaminated soils using electronic databases. The methodology of the research included analysis of the mechanisms and metabolic pathways of petroleum hydrocarbons degradation, and assessment of the possible reaction modulus and enzymatic systems for degradation of aromatic compounds. The taxonomic classification and review of metabolic pathways of oil compound transformation were carried out using electronic KEGG, MetaCyc and EzTaxon databases. The KEGG database was used to create a microbiological consortium of certain strains of bacteria that improved hydrocarbon degradation process performance. Identification of bacteria complete genome using Island Viewer 4 allowed to create of a consortium of oil-destructive bacteria consisting of such strains: Pseudoxanthomonas spadix BD-a59, Rhodococcus jostii RHA1, Rhodococcus aetherivorans IcdP1, Pseudomonas putida ND6, Pseudomonas stutzeri 19SMN4, Pseudomonas fluorescens UK4, Acinetobacter lactucae OTEC-02, Bacillus cereus F837/76.7.9. The ratio between the mentioned strains of microorganisms in the consortium was set at 20% : 20% : 15% : 10% : 10% : 5% : 5% : 15%. This bacterial consortium for aromatic hydrocarbons was created according to the metabolic information of basic enzymatic systems and predominant transformation of particular oil compounds, using BacDive database.
Factors Associated With Children’s HIV Positive Status Disclosure in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia: Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Walle Belete Gelaw , Tiruneh Chalie Marew , Dessie Tigabu , Selomon Nigusie , Kassaw Amare , Chekole Bogale , Wubneh Moges , Lankrew Tadele , Bayih Wubet Alebachew
Published: March 2022

Background: Children HIV-positive status disclosure is an essential component of chronic care and long-term disease management. However, children HIV-positive status disclosure is complex and varies across different communities. Although data from different settings are necessary to overcome this problem, evidences are limited particularly in case of children HIV-positive status disclosure. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence of HIV-positive status disclosure and associated factors among children on antiretroviral therapy.Methods: A facility based, mixed-method study was conducted among 203 care givers with children in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Structured questionnaire and in-depth interview guide was implemented to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Simple random sampling for quantitative and purposive sampling for qualitative parts was applied. Content or Thematic analysis for qualitative and Binary logistic regression was used for quantitative. Results: In this study, the overall prevalence of children HIV-positive status disclosure was found to be 46.8%. Age of the child >=12 years (AOR= 7.5, 95% CI: 2.9-15.6), duration on ART >=72 months (AOR= 3.8, 95% CI: 1.7-6.7), death of parent (AOR= 2.0, 95% CI: 1.1- 3.8), and types of health facilities (AOR= 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-4.7) were associated with disclosure. Being immature child was the commonest reason of non-disclosure. Frequent questions by the child why they are taking drugs, for better self-care, and treatment adherence were the commonest reason of care givers to make decision for disclosing their children’s HIV positive status.Conclusion: Children’s HIV-positive status disclosure was low in this study. Health facility, children, and care givers related factors were mentioned as reason for disclosing or not-disclosing children’s HIV-positive status. Hence, health care workers should give especial attention for children HIV-positive status disclosure which helps to increase the effectiveness of treatment out-come and prevent further HIV transmission.
Large-area flexible Visible-Short wavelength Infrared Photodetection based on III-V compound semiconductor membrane photodetector with high performance
Authors: LI XUANZHANG , ZHANG JUNYANG , YUE CHEN , TANG XIANSHENG , GAO ZHENDONG , JIANG YANG , DU CHUNHUA , DENG ZHEN , JIA HAIQIANG , WANG WENXIN , CHEN HONG
Published: March 2022

Mechanically flexible optoelectronic devices and systems can enable a much broader range of applications than what their rigid counterparts can do, especially for novel bio-integrated optoelectronic systems, flexible consumer electronics and wearable sensors. Inorganic semiconductor could be a good candidate for the flexible PD when it can keep its high performance under the bending condition. Here, we demonstrate a III-V material-based flexible photodetector operating wavelength from 640 nm to 1700 nm with the high detectivity of 5.18×1011 cm‧Hz1/2/W @1550nm by using a simply top-to-down fabrication process. The optoelectrical performances are stable as the PDs are exposed to bending cycles with a radius of 15 mm up to 1000 times. Furthermore, the mechanical failure mode of the PD is also investigated, which suggests that the cracking and delamination failure mode are dominant in bending up and bending down direction, respectively. Such a flexible III-V material-based PD and design with stable and high performance could be a promising strategy for the application of the flexible broad spectrum detection.
Source apportionment of metal elements in a river by using an effective variance chemical mass balance model: a feasibility study
Authors: HSIEH PEIYUAN , Ho Chi-Chang , Wang Gen-Shuh , Hsu Yuan-Jeng , Wang Di-Wen , Shang Yu-Man , Wu Chang-Fu
Published: March 2022

This technical report aimed to determine the sources of water pollution in a major river in northern Taiwan by using the characteristics of actual industrial wastewater and the effective variance chemical mass balance (EV-CMB) model. River water samples from 9 sampling sites and 14 profiles of potential sources were collected and a total of 52 metal elements were analyzed. To monitor the levels of industrial pollutants in the water samples, the metal index (MI) is used. The model results identified the major sources of river pollution and may suggest the existence of unknown sources. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying the receptor model in the strategic investigation of river pollution and highlights the need for a comprehensive source profile database.
Comparison of actual and predicted resting metabolic rate in women with lipedema
Authors: Jeziorek Małgorzata , Szuba Andrzej , Kujawa Krzysztof , Regulska-Ilow Bożena
Published: March 2022

Background: An adequate dietary energy supply is particularly important in patients with lipedema as it promotes weight and fat loss. Accurate estimation of resting metabolic rate (RMR) allows implementing a proper calorie restriction diet in patients with lipedema. Therefore, an accurate assessment of energy demand in patients with lipedema is crucial in clinical practice. Our study aimed to compare actual resting metabolic rate (aRMR) with predicted resting metabolic rate (pRMR) in women with lipedema and to determine the association between individual anthropometric measurements and aRMR.Methods: A total of 108 women diagnosed with lipedema were enrolled in the study. aRMR was measured by indirect calorimetry (IC) using FitMate WM metabolic system (Cosmed, Rome, Italy). pRMR was estimated with predictive equations and BIA. All anthropometric measurements were based on BIA (bioelectric impedance analysis).Results: The mean aRMR in the study group was 1705.2 ± 320.7 kcal/day. Most methods of predicted RMR measurement used in our study significantly underpredicted aRMR in patients with lipedema. We reported statistically significant high correlations between all anthropometric measurements and aRMR/pRMR and a moderate correlation between visceral fat level (VFL) and aRMR. Conclusions: aRMR in patients with lipedema calculated with predictive equations was significantly lower than aRMR measured with other methods. This study found the agreement of predictive equations compared to IC is low (<60%). Fat-free mass (FFM) is a stronger determinant of RMR in patients with lipedema than fat mass.
The Changes of Willow Biomass Characteristics During the Composting Process and Their Phytotoxicity Effect on Sinapis Alba L.
Authors: Sowiński Józef , Jama-Rodzeńska Anna , Perera Peliyagodage
Published: March 2022

This study evaluated the use of willow chips for compost production and its effect on Sinapis alba L. germination index and seedling growth. A compost experiment with willow biomass was conducted to study its effect on selected compost indexes (particle structure in %, bulk density (kg m-3 ), and total nitrogen content). The quality assessment of the willow composts was determined after six months of composting process based on the N content and morphological characteristics of tested plant in vegetative chamber. Sinapis alba L. was germinated on a water extract made from willow compost using the following additives to willow biomasses: W0 - without additives, WN - with the addition of nitrogen, WF - with the addition of mycelium, WNF - with the addition of nitrogen and mycelium. During the composting process, samples were taken after each mixing of the bio-mass pile to assess their maturity through the use of a bioassay. Willow biomass did not have a negative effect on biological evaluation parameters, and in some indicators, such as the length of embryonic roots in the VI period of the measurements, it was stimulating (61-84% longer in W0 and WF than in the control). The addition of nitrogen during the composting process, especially in the initial composting period, had a strong inhibitory effect.
Management of Chronic Anal Fissure With A Novel Topical Hemp-Herbal Based Ointment - A Pilot Study
Authors: Ram Edward , Zager Yaniv , Meyer Raanan , Carter Dan , Joubran Samia , Horesh Nir
Published: March 2022

Purpose
Anal fissure (AF) is a common anorectal disease. Although several pharmacological treatments are available, many patients still require surgical interventions. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an ointment based on a multi-functional blend of herbal ingredients including hemp (ProctoFiz) for chronic AF.
Methods
A single arm questionnaire-based prospective study was conducted in a large tertiary center to evaluate the outcomes of patients suffering from chronic AF treated with topical ProctoFiz.
Results
Ninety-two patients were included in the study, 54 (58.7%) were females with a median age of 39 (range 17–78). 32 patients (34.7%) suffered from recurrent AF before enrolling in the study and 5 patients (5.4%) underwent previous surgical interventions for AF. Three patients (3.2%) were lost to follow-up leaving 89 patients for analysis. Eighty patients (89.9%) reported significant improvement of symptoms after one week using ProctoFiz, and 79 patients reported continued improvement after one month of treatment. The mean Pain Visual Analog Score (VAS) declined by 6.6 points (8.9 vs. 2.3; 95% CI − 7.20 to -5.99, p < 0.0001) following one week of treatment, with continuous improvement to a mean of 0.64 after one month. Negative impact on Quality of Life (QoL) significantly decreased from a mean 8.8 to a 0.38 following a month of treatment (p < 0.0001), with significant reduction in the number of patients suffering from bleeding following bowel movements (64.1–2.5%; p = 0.0001).
Conclusion
Hemp based topical treatment of AF is feasible and significantly improves AF correlated symptoms.
Definition and Quantified Research of Track Structural Damage Index of High-speed Railway Girder Bridge
Authors: Hu Zhangliang , Wei Biao , Jiang Lizhong , Li Shanshan , Min Haozheng
Published: March 2022

The classification and quantitative description of damage of track structure for high-speed railway girder bridges (HRGBs) are still in the exploratory stage, which seriously interferes with the performance-based seismic damage assessment of HRGBs. In view of this, firstly, from the safety and stability of train operation, this paper defines the damage grade of track structure (intact, slight, moderate, severe and complete damage state) by refining the train operation index value. Secondly, based on the simple supported and continuous girder bridge structures of high-speed railway, the train-track-bridge system (TTBS) model is established, and the additional lateral irregularities of the rail caused by the lateral deform of the girder after the earthquake are induced. Finally, the influence of the lateral displacement amplitude of the rail and the train velocity on the train safety and stability is discussed. The results indicate that the rail lateral displacement by the reverse translation of the adjacent simply supported spans and the reverse rotation of the adjacent simply supported spans have the greatest impact on the train safety and stability, respectively. The lateral displacement of rail is proposed as an index to measure the damage of the track structure, and its critical value corresponding to each damage grade in the range of train velocity from 200km/h to 400km/h is determined, which can be used for the seismic vulnerability analysis of track structures for HRGBs.
Molecular Characterization of a Novel Virga-like Virus Associated to Wheat
Authors: Li Hua , Guo Jun , Ye Zhuangxin , Zhao ZhongHua , Chen Jianping , Yang Jian
Published: March 2022

In this work, we report the detection of a novel single strand RNA virus from wheat，tentatively named as Triticum aestivum-associated virga-like virus 1 (TaAVLV1). Further characterization revealed that the complete genome of TaAVLV1 can be divided into two segments, RNA1 and RNA2. Each fragment excluding their respective polyA tails has 3530 and 3466 nt in length and contains only one open reading frame (ORF). The ORF in RNA1 encodes an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), while the other in RNA2 encodes a putative protein carrying MET and HEL domains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the RdRp of TaAVLV1 was closely related to the RdRp protein members of the unclassified virga-like virus group in the family Virgaviridae. Therefore, we have identified TaAVLV1 as a putative novel virga-like virus belonging to the family Virgaviridae.
The Project ENABLE Cornerstone Randomized Controlled Trial: Study Protocol for a Lay Navigator-Led, Early Palliative Care Coaching Intervention for African American and Rural-Dwelling Advanced Cancer Family Caregivers
Authors: Bechthold Avery C. , Azuero Andres , Pisu Maria , Pierce Jennifer Young , Williams Grant R. , Taylor Richard A. , Wells Rachel , Curry Kayleigh , Reed Rhiannon D. , Harrell Erin R. , Gazaway Shena , Mollman Sarah , Engler Sally , Puga Frank , Bakitas Marie A. , Dionne-Odom James Nicholas
Published: March 2022

Background
Family caregivers play a vital, yet stressful role in managing the healthcare needs and optimizing the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer, from the time they are newly-diagnosed until end of life. While early telehealth palliative care has been found to effectively support family caregivers, little work has focused on historically under-resourced populations, particularly African American and rural-dwelling individuals. To address this need, we developed and are currently testing Project ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) Cornerstone, a lay navigator-led, early palliative care coaching intervention for family caregivers of African American and rural-dwelling patients with newly-diagnosed advanced cancer.
Methods
This is a 2-site, single-blind, hybrid type I implementation-effectiveness trial of the Cornerstone intervention versus usual care. Cornerstone is a multi-component intervention based on Pearlin’s Stress-Health Process Model where African American and/or rural-dwelling family caregivers of patients with newly-diagnosed advanced cancer (target sample size = 294 dyads) are paired with a lay navigator coach and receive a series of six, brief 20–60 minute telehealth sessions focused on stress management and coping, caregiving skills, getting help, self-care, and preparing for the future/advance care planning. Subsequent to core sessions, caregivers receive monthly follow-up indefinitely until the patient’s death. Caregiver and patient outcomes are collected at baseline and every 12 weeks until the patient’s death (Primary outcome: caregiver distress at 24 weeks; Secondary outcomes: caregiver: quality of life and burden; patient: distress, quality of life, and healthcare utilization). Implementation costs and the intervention cost effectiveness are also being evaluated.
Discussion
Should this intervention demonstrate efficacy, it would yield an implementation-ready model of early palliative care support for under-resourced family caregivers. A key design principle that has centrally informed the Cornerstone intervention is that every caregiving situation is unique and each caregiver faces distinct challenges that cannot be addressed using a one-size-fits all approach. Hence, Cornerstone employs culturally savvy lay navigator coaches who are trained to establish a strong, therapeutic alliance with participants and tailor their coaching to a diverse range of individual circumstances.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04318886. Registered 20 March, 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04318886
A Qualitative Study of VA Stakeholders’ Experiences Discussing Community Care with Veterans
Authors: Golden Sara , Lafferty Megan , Tyzik Anna , Govier Diana , Barton Jennifer , Teo Alan , Edwards Samuel , Ono Sarah , Hynes Denise , Slatore Christopher
Published: March 2022

Background: Veterans have access to community care, which is covered through Veterans Health Administration (VHA) benefits. However, in 2018, the Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act (Government bill S.2372) was passed, which allows for more Veterans to be eligible for the VHA-purchased health care provided by community clinicians (i.e., “community care). The current study aims to describe the process of community care coordination, assess experiences of Veterans Affairs stakeholders around patient decision-making for where to receive care, and identify opportunities for improvement. Methods: Primary interview data were collected from VA clinicians and staff across the United States between February and October 2020. We conducted qualitative interviews with 20 clinicians and staff involved in Veterans’ decisions about where to receive their health care. We focused on experiences with the MISSION Act; communication with Veterans about care options; and suggestions to support decision-making related to community care. We professionally transcribed and de-identified the interviews. We utilized a rapid analysis process of the transcripts.Results: First, participants reported having insufficient time or knowledge to help Veterans make decisions about receiving community care. Second, participants were concerned about the quality of care outside of VA. Third, the referral process is complicated, and it would be helpful for clinicians and patients to have more access to information about the process. Lastly, coordination and continuity of care are highly important aspects of care but were hard to manage when patients use community health care. Participants worried that patients may not realize the implications of using community health care.Conclusions: Veterans need to be able to make informed choices about where to receive their health care and may require decision support that integrates their informational needs with their values and preferences surrounding health care quality, coordination, and Veteran-centeredness. VA may be able to leverage existing decision support tools that incorporate patient preferences and values, modify them to include data on the quality of VA and community care and implications of choosing community health care.
Femoral Pulse Pressure Variation is not Interchangeable with Radial Pulse Pressure Variation During Living Donor Liver Transplantation.
Authors: Kim Doyeon , Ahn Jin Hee , Han Sangbin , Choi Young Woong , Ko Justin Sangwook , Gwak Mi Sook , Lee Su Nam , Kim Gaab Soo
Published: March 2022

The radial artery is commonly used as the site measuring pulse pressure variation (PPV) during surgery. Accurate measurement of circulating blood volume and timely interventions to maintain optimal circulating blood volume is important to deliver sufficient oxygen to tissues and organs. It has not rather than never studied in patients undergoing liver transplantation whether PPV measured at peripheral sites, like the radial artery, do represent central PPV for evaluating blood volume. In this retrospective study, 51 liver transplant recipients were enrolled. The two PPVs had been automatically recorded every minute in electrical medical record. A total 1,878 pairs of the two PPVs were collected. The interchangeability of PPV measured at the radial and the femoral artery was analysed by using the Bland-Altman plot, four-quadrant plot, the Cohen's kappa (k), and receiver operating curve. The bias and limits of agreement of the two PPVs were − 1.3% and − 8.8–6.2%, respectively. The percentage error was 75%. The concordance rate was 65%. The Kappa of PPV-radial determining whether PPV-femoral was > 13% or ≤ 13% was 0.64. We found that PPV-radial is not interchangeable with PPV-femoral during liver transplantation. Also, PPV-radial failed to reliably track changes of PPV-femoral. Lastly, the clinical decision regarding blood volume status (depletion or not) is significantly different between the two PPVs. Therefore, PPV-femoral may help maintain blood volume circulating to major organs including the newly transplanted liver graft for liver transplant recipients.
Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Genes, and Phylogenetic Characteristics of Pathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated From Patients and Swine Suffering From Diarrhea
Authors: Do Kyung-Hyo , Seo Kwang-Won , Lee Wan-Kyu
Published: March 2022

Background: Escherichia (E.) coli causes colibacillosis in swine and humans, and is frequently associated with antimicrobial resistance. In this study we aimed to compare antimicrobial resistance, O-serogroups, virulence genes, and multi-locus sequence type of E. coli between isolates from pigs and patients suffering from diarrhea, and the most prevalent pathogenic E. coli strain from swine isolates in Korea. Methods: We tested 64 and 50 E. coli strains from pigs and patients suffering from diarrhea for antimicrobial susceptibility test, virulence genes, O-serogroups, and multi-locus sequence typing. Results: We confirmed that isolates from swine showed significantly higher resistance than from those from patients, especially to fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin: 37.5% and 10.0%; norfloxacin: 29.7% and 8.0%, respectively). Stx1 (23 isolates, 46.0%) was most frequently detected in patients followed by stx2 (19 isolates, 38.0%). There was no significant difference in stx2 (swine: 23.4%, patients: 38.0%). In isolates from patients, O157 (12.0%) was the most prevalent O-serogroup, and two isolates (3.1%) from pigs were confirmed to have O157. Additionally, sequence type (ST) 10 (swine: 6 isolates, patients: 2 isolates) and ST 88 (swine: 2 isolates, patients: 1 isolate) were simultaneously detected. Conclusions: We confirmed that isolates from both pigs and patients had similar virulence traits and they were phylogenetically similar. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance was significantly higher in pigs than in patients. These results suggest that there are risks for cross-infection and transfer of antimicrobial resistance between pigs and human.
Automated fish detection and tracking system using pre-trained Mask R-CNN for Ecological biodiversity
Authors: Mana Suja Cherukullapurath , Sasipraba T.
Published: March 2022

In this paper, propose a new dynamic classifying algorithm which supports fully automatic fish detection and tracking system to identify fish species and to track fish activities for understanding synapomorphies characteristic simultaneously. The pre-trained Mask Regional Convolutional Neural Network (Mask-R-CNN) is involved for having well-enhanced feature vectors derived after undergone with number of test samples taken from captured video footage. Hence, the proposed framework is noticed as pre-trained Mask-R-CNN. It improves the system function of automatic fish detection and tracking to enhance the underwater surveillance for monitoring ecological biodiversity. The available ground–truth dataset is used to evaluate the system precisian, F1-score, and recall in terms of classifying and tracking mechanism. The comparative analysis is made with existing tracking R-CNN algorithms such as minimum output sum of squared errors (MOSSE), sequential non-maximum suppression (Seq-NMS) and Siamese mask (SiamMask). Simulation results conveys that the proposed algorithm support effective fish detection (i.e. around 120 out of 170 individual bream) and accuracy of the pre-trained Mask-R-CNN (87%) as compared with MOSSE (75%), Seq-NMS (78%), and SiamMask (84%) respectively. Thus, the evaluation result shows, the proposed pre-trained Mask-R-CNN achieves reasonable improvement in accuracy (detection and tracking) which give potential benefits to ocean ecosystem for establishing the ecological management.
Mutational topography reflects clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity
Authors: Henssen Anton , Rodriguez-Fos Elias , Burkert Martin , Maldonado Montserrat Puiggròs , Toedling Joern , Thiessen Nina , Blanc Eric , Szymansky Annabell , Hertwig Falk , Beule Dieter , Torrents David , Eggert Angelika , Koche Richard , Schwarz Roland , Haase Kerstin , Schulte Johannes
Published: March 2022

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor characterized by strong clinical heterogeneity. Although certain complex genomic alterations, such as extrachromosomal DNA amplifications (ecDNA), have been recurrently detected in neuroblastomas, the mutational processes involved in their generation remain largely unclear. By examining the topography of complex rearrangements along with mutational signatures derived from all variant classes, we identify previously unrecognized co-occurring mutational footprints, which we termed mutational scenarios. We demonstrate that clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity is linked to differences in the processes driving these mutational scenarios. Whereas high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma genomes were characterized by signs of replication slippage and stress, homologous recombination-associated signatures defined high-risk non-MYCN-amplified patients. Non-high-risk neuroblastomas, on the other hand, were marked by footprints of chromosome missegregation. This analysis provides a systematic perspective on the repertoire of mutational patterns that contribute to clinical neuroblastoma heterogeneity.