bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preoperative prognostic nutritional index predicts short-term complications after radical resection of distal cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: He Yulong , Liu Haoran , Ma Yuhu , Li Jianlong , Zhang Jinduo , Ren Yanxian , Dong Chunlu , Bai Bing , Zhang Yong , Lin Yanyan , Yue Ping , Meng Wenbo
Published: January 2023

Background

The occurrence of postoperative complications of distal cholangiocarcinoma (dCCA) is an indicator of poor patient prognosis. This study aimed to determine the immune-nutritional indexes (INIs) that can predict short-term postoperative complications.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 148 patients with dCCA who were operated radical pancreaticoduodenectomy at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from December 2015 to March 2022 was conducted to assess the predictive value of preoperative INIs and preoperative laboratory tests for short-term postoperative complications, and a decision tree model was developed using classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to identify subgroups at risk for overall complications.

Results

In this study, 83 patients (56.08%) experienced overall complications. Clavien-Dindo grade III-V complications occurred in 20 patients (13.51%), and 2 patients died. The areas under curves (AUCs) of the preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were compared; the PNI provided the maximum discrimination for complications (AUC = 0.685, 95% CI = 0.600–0.770), with an optimal cutoff value of 46.9, and the PNI ≤ 46.9 group had higher incidences of overall complications (70.67% vs. 40.00%, P < 0.001) and infectious complications (28.77% vs. 13.33%, P = 0.035). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified PNI (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.80–0.94) and total bilirubin (OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00–1.01) were independent risk factors for overall complications (P < 0.05). According to CART analysis, PNI was the most important parameter, followed by the total bilirubin (TBIL) level. Patients with a PNI lower than the critical value and TBIL higher than the critical value had the highest overall complication rate (90.24%); the risk prediction model had an AUC of 0.714 (95% CI, 0.640–0.789) and could be used to stratify the risk of overall complications and predict grade I-II complications (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The preoperative PNI is a good predictor for short-term complications after the radical resection of dCCA. The decision tree model makes PNI and TBIL easier to use in clinical practice.
Influence of preoperative depression on clinical outcomes after cervical laminoplasty: A retrospective study
Authors: Zhang Wentao , Sun Tianze , Wang Shiyuan , Zhang Jing , Yang Ming , Li Zhonghai
Published: January 2023

Background

Depression is a highly prevalent mental disorder, and we found that patients with preoperative depression had worse postoperative improvement in lumbar fusion. Are mental factors related to the prognosis of laminoplasty?

Objective

To analyze the relationship between depression and clinical outcomes after laminoplasty for the treatment of multilevel CSM.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 115 patients with multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), who underwent laminoplasty and were followed up for more than 1 year, were enrolled in this study from October 2018 to October 2021. Patients with the scores of 21-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) ≥ 15 or Hamilton Depression Scale-24 (HAMD-24) > 20 were included in the depression group. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by the changes and recovery rate (RR) of Japanese Orthopaedic Association Scores (JOA) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) respectively. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to reveal the relationship between preoperative depressive states and clinical outcomes.

Results

Fourteen patients were diagnosed with depression by BDI and twenty-nine by HAMD-24. Between the depression group and the non-depression group, the age, gender, smoking history, and duration of symptoms were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression showed that the BDI scores had a negative relationship with the changes and RR of JOA and NDI, and the HAMD-24 scores had a negative relationship with the changes and RR of JOA.

Conclusions

Preoperative depression in patients with multilevel CSM can lead to worse prognosis. In order to improve the curative effect of the operation, we should pay attention to the psychological state monitoring and intervention of patients before they receive laminoplasty.
A male congenital pelvic arteriovenous malformation diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound: A case report and literature review
Authors: Huang Yanhua , Liu Xiatian , Qian Hongwei
Published: January 2023

Congenital pelvic arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare vascular abnormality whereby arteries and veins are directly connected with malformed vascular plexus. Owing to its low incidence and nonspecific symptoms, the ultrasonographic characteristics of congenital pelvic AVM in males have been infrequently studied. A 30-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of progressive pain in the right lower abdomen and lumbar area since 2 months previously. Abdominal ultrasound (US) was performed at the initial examination and pelvic AVM was diagnosed, which was then confirmed by computed tomographic angiography. After right internal iliac artery embolization, the patient recovered uneventfully and remained asymptomatic during the 12-month follow-up period. Congenital pelvic AVM should thus be included in the differential diagnosis of pelvic cystic masses in males despite its low incidence, with US also being of great diagnostic value. We describe the ultrasonic features of AVM in detail and hope that this study may contribute to the ultrasonic diagnosis of congenital pelvic AVM in males.
Experimental study on heat transfer characteristics of steam underwater direct-contact condensation
Authors: Qian Chen , Hui Li , Dongyang Li , Jiming Wen , Yong Li , Qi Xiao , Sichao Tan
Published: January 2023

Introduction: The direct-contact condensation (DCC) of steam under water injection is the basic thermodynamic process of the bubble deaerator. In order to understand the complex coupling behavior of strong turbulence and fast phase-change heat transfer involved in the process.

Methods: This study uses a visualized method and convective heat transfer model.

Results: Since the contact area is affected by steam injection flow and sub-cooled degree is affected simultaneously, the trend of the condensation heat-transfer coefficient depends on the degree of their respective effects under each condition, and the maximum variation of the coefficient exceeds 104 W/m2.°C. Moreover, they still effect the period of steam plume, and the maximum variation of the period was beyond 80 ms.

Discussion: Calculated the average condensation heat transfer coefficient and then produces the variation law of heat transfer coefficient under various conditions in one steam plume evolution period.
Variation of ewe olfactory secretome during a ram effect
Authors: Cann Paul , Le Danvic Chrystelle , Porte Chantal , Chesneau Didier , Keller Matthieu , Nagnan-Le Meillour Patricia
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Under temperate latitudes, reproduction in Ovis aries displays a marked seasonality, governed by the photoperiod. In natural conditions, the transition between sexual rest and sexual activity in both sexes is induced by the decrease of day light. Meanwhile, specific odors emitted by a sexually active male are able to reactivate the gonadotropic axis of anovulatory ewes. This physiological effect is called “male effect”, precisely ram effect in the ovine species. We have previously shown that the secreted proteins, namely Olfactory Binding Proteins (OBP), contained in the nasal mucus constitute the olfactory secretome (OS), the composition of which is determined by the status of oestrus cycle of females and differs between sexual rest and sexual activity periods. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that exposure to sexually active male can also modify the composition of ewes olfactory secretome during a male effect, as well as hormones produced by the reactivation of the oestrus cycle in sexual activity period under natural conditions.

Methods

We have set up a new non-invasive protocol of nasal mucus sampling and collected it from 12 ewes at different times during a ram effect. We analyzed the composition of their olfactory secretome by proteomics, mainly SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. As post-translational modifications of OBPs were a hallmark of ewes' sexual activity period, we were looking for glycosylation by western-blot and mass spectrometry.

Results

The efficiency of male effect was low in stimulated ewes as only 3 females displayed elevated progesterone levels in their blood. Besides, half of control ewes (non-stimulated ones) were cycled. We noticed a common OS profile in ewes in anoestrus, versus OS of cycled ones. A very clear and important result was the apparition of O-GlcNAcylation, previously detected only in sexual activity, after only 30 min of male introduction into the flock.

Discussion

This exploratory study paves the way for further experiments with larger flock to confirm and reinforce these results, and for eventually exploiting the nasal mucus as an indicator of females' receptivity to male odors.
Characterization of early immune responses elicited by live and inactivated vaccines against Johne's disease in goats
Authors: Hanafy Mostafa , Hansen Chungyi , Phanse Yashdeep , Wu Chia-wei , Nelson Kathryn , Aschenbroich Sophie A. , Talaat Adel M.
Published: January 2023

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (M. paratuberculosis) is the causative agent of Johne's disease, a chronic debilitating condition affecting ruminants causing significant economic losses to the dairy industry. Available inactivated vaccines are not effective in controlling the disease and vaccinated animals can continue to infect newly born calves. Recently, we have shown that a live-attenuated vaccine candidate (pgsN) is protective in goats and calves following challenge with virulent strains of M. paratuberculosis. To decipher the dynamics of the immune responses elicited by both live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines, we analyzed key immunological parameters of goats immunized through different routes when a marker-less pgsN vaccine was used. Within a few weeks, the inactivated vaccine triggered the formation of granulomas both at the site of inoculation and in regional lymph nodes, that increased in size over time and persisted until the end of the experiment. In contrast, granulomas induced by the pgsN vaccine were small and subsided during the study. Interestingly, in this vaccine group, histology demonstrated an initial abundance of intra-histiocytic mycobacterial bacilli at the site of inoculation, with recruitment of very minimal T lymphocytes to poorly organized granulomas. Over time, granulomas became more organized, with recruitment of greater numbers of T and B lymphocytes, which coincided with a lack of mycobacteria. For the inactivated vaccine group, mycobacterial bacilli were identified extracellularly within the center of caseating granulomas, with relatively equal proportions of B- and T-lymphocytes maintained across both early and late times. Despite the differences in granuloma-specific lymphocyte recruitment, markers for cell-mediated immunity (e.g., IFN-γ release) were robust in both injected pgsN and inactivated vaccine groups. In contrast, the intranasal live-attenuated vaccine did not elicit any reaction at site of inoculation, nor cell-mediated immune responses. Finally, 80% of animals in the inactivated vaccine group significantly reacted to purified protein derivatives from M. bovis, while reactivity was detected in only 20% of animals receiving pgsN vaccine, suggesting a higher level of cross reactivity for bovine tuberculosis when inactivated vaccine is used. Overall, these results depict the cellular recruitment strategies driving immune responses elicited by both live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines that target Johne's disease.
Use of male-to-female sex reversal as a welfare scoring system in the protandrous farmed gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)
Authors: Holhorea Paul G. , Felip Alicia , Calduch-Giner Josep À. , Afonso Juan Manuel , Pérez-Sánchez Jaume
Published: January 2023

Gilthead sea bream is a highly cultured marine fish throughout the Mediterranean area, but new and strict criteria of welfare are needed to assure that the intensification of production has no negative effects on animal farming. Most welfare indicators are specific to a given phase of the production cycle, but others such as the timing of puberty and/or sex reversal are of retrospective value. This is of particular relevance in the protandrous gilthead sea bream, in which the sex ratio is highly regulated at the nutritional level. Social and environmental factors (e.g., contaminant loads) also alter the sex ratio, but the contribution of the genetic component remains unclear. To assess this complex issue, five gilthead sea bream families representative of slow/intermediate/fast growth were grown out with control or a plant-based diet in a common garden system from early life to the completion of their sexual maturity in 3-year-old fish. The plant-based diet highly enhanced the male-to-female sex reversal. This occurred in parallel with the progressive impairment of growth performance, which was indicative of changes in nutrient requirements as the result of the different energy demands for growth and reproduction through development. The effect of a different nutritional and genetic background on the reproductive performance was also assessed by measurements of circulating levels of sex steroids during the two consecutive spawning seasons, varying plasma levels of 17β-estradiol (E2) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) with age, gender, diet, and genetic background. Principal component analysis (PCA) of 3-year-old fish displayed a gradual increase of the E2/11-KT ratio from males to females with the improvement of nutritional/genetic background. Altogether, these results support the use of a reproductive tract scoring system for leading farmed fish toward their optimum welfare condition, contributing to improving the productivity of the current gilthead sea bream livestock.
Associations Between Parental Employment and Children’s Screen Time: A Longitudinal Study of China Health and Nutrition Survey
Authors: Xie Qian-Wen , Luo Xiangyan , Chen Roujia , Zhou Xudong
Published: January 2023

Objectives: Parents are often torn between their parenting roles in the family and working roles at the workplace. This study focused on the associations of parental employment with children’s screen time (ST) on weekdays, weekends, and during the entire week.

Methods: Unbalanced panel data including 2,977 children (aged 0–17 years) from five waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 2004 to 2015 were utilized. Two-way fixed effects models were fitted to examine the associations of parental employment status, working hours, and overwork with children’s ST.

Results: Compared to unemployment status, maternal formal employment positively predicted children’s ST on both weekdays and weekends, while maternal informal employment was associated with increased children’s ST on weekends. The more hours they worked, the more time their children spent using screens. Neither employment status nor the overwork of fathers was significant.

Conclusion: Parental employment, especially maternal employment, was linked with the ST of children. More childcare-friendly labor policies are needed to promote healthy lifestyles among the next generation.
Transformación de las Mipymes restauranteras de Toluca ante la nueva normalidad; un análisis desde el comportamiento del consumidor
Authors: Olmos-Hernandez Miriam Janet , Icaza-Castro Gloria Georgina , Sánchez-Valdés Arlén , Millán-García Carlos Hugo
Published: January 2023

La pandemia por Covid-19 dejó un escenario incierto para la industria restaurantera, donde miles de empresas cerraron al no resistir el periodo del confinamiento o no adaptarse a la nueva normalidad. Sin duda, fueron las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas las que presentaron mayores dificultades ya que a diferencia de grandes empresas éstas no contaban con un plan de contingencia ni con los recursos financieros y humanos suficientes, por lo cual, esta investigación se llevó a cabo en el Centro Histórico de Toluca, Estado de México, y tuvo como objetivo analizar cómo se dio la transformación a partir de la teoría de cambios puntuados evolucionarios y revolucionarios, donde existe un momentum, en este caso, la crisis sanitaria y desde el conocimiento entorno al consumidor. Este fue un estudio cuantitativo no experimental y descriptivo donde se logra concluir que las Mipymes estudiadas pudieron sobrevivir y romper con la inercia debido a aspectos que tradicionalmente se consideran debilidades empresariales; la ausencia de estructura organizacionales formales lo que propició procesos ágiles de toma de decisiones donde el conocimiento empírico del comportamiento del consumidor y la adopción de innovaciones principalmente tecnológicas, fueron los factores más relevantes para la supervivencia.
The D-Bar Algorithm Fusing Electrical Impedance Tomography with A Priori Radar Data: A Hands-On Analysis
Authors: Rixen Jöran , Leonhardt Steffen , Moll Jochen , Nguyen Duy Hai , Ngo Chuong
Published: January 2023

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an imaging modality that can estimate a visualization of the conductivity distribution inside the human body. However, the spatial resolution of EIT is limited because measurements are sensitive to noise. We investigate a technique to incorporate a priori information into the EIT reconstructions of the D-Bar algorithm. Our paper aims to help engineers understand the behavior of the D-Bar algorithm and its implementation. The a priori information is provided by a radar setup and a one-dimensional reconstruction of the radar data. The EIT reconstruction is carried out with a D-Bar algorithm. An intermediate step in the D-Bar algorithm is the scattering transform. The a priori information is added in this exact step to increase the spatial resolution of the reconstruction. As the D-Bar algorithm is widely used in the mathematical community and thus far has limited usage in the engineering domain, we also aim to explain the implementation of the algorithm and give an intuitive understanding where possible. Different parameters of the reconstruction algorithm are analyzed systematically with the help of the GREIT figures of merit. Even a limited one-dimensional a priori information can increase the reconstruction quality considerably. Artifacts from noisy EIT measurements are reduced. However, the selection of the amount of a priori information and the estimation of its value can worsen the reconstruction results again.
Evolutionary Algorithm with Geometrical Heuristics for Solving the Close Enough Traveling Salesman Problem: Application to the Trajectory Planning of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Authors: Cariou Christophe , Moiroux-Arvis Laure , Pinet François , Chanet Jean-Pierre
Published: January 2023

Evolutionary algorithms have been widely studied in the literature to find sub-optimal solutions to complex problems as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). In such a problem, the target positions are usually static and punctually defined. The objective is to minimize a cost function as the minimal distance, time or energy. However, in some applications, as the one addressed in this paper—namely the data collection of buried sensor nodes by means of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle— the targets are areas with varying sizes: they are defined with respect to the radio communication range of each node, ranging from a few meters to several hundred meters according to various parameters (e.g., soil moisture, burial depth, transmit power). The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has to enter successively in these dynamic areas to collect the data, without the need to pass at the vertical of each node. Some areas can obviously intersect. That leads to solve the Close Enough TSP. To determine a sub-optimal trajectory for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, this paper presents an original and efficient strategy based on an evolutionary algorithm completed with geometrical heuristics. The performances of the algorithm are highlighted through scenarios with respectively 15 and 50 target locations. The results are analyzed with respect to the total route length. Finally, conclusions and future research directions are discussed.
Hyperparameter Black-Box Optimization to Improve the Automatic Classification of Support Tickets
Authors: Bruni Renato , Bianchi Gianpiero , Papa Pasquale
Published: January 2023

User requests to a customer service, also known as tickets, are essentially short texts in natural language. They should be grouped by topic to be answered efficiently. The effectiveness increases if this semantic categorization becomes automatic. We pursue this goal by using text mining to extract the features from the tickets, and classification to perform the categorization. This is however a difficult multi-class problem, and the classification algorithm needs a suitable hyperparameter configuration to produce a practically useful categorization. As recently highlighted by several researchers, the selection of these hyperparameters is often the crucial aspect. Therefore, we propose to view the hyperparameter choice as a higher-level optimization problem where the hyperparameters are the decision variables and the objective is the predictive performance of the classifier. However, an explicit analytical model of this problem cannot be defined. Therefore, we propose to solve it as a black-box model by means of derivative-free optimization techniques. We conduct experiments on a relevant application: the categorization of the requests received by the Contact Center of the Italian National Statistics Institute (Istat). Results show that the proposed approach is able to effectively categorize the requests, and that its performance is increased by the proposed hyperparameter optimization.
Autonomous Task Planning Method for Multi-Satellite System Based on a Hybrid Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Long Jun , Wu Shimin , Han Xiaodong , Wang Yunbo , Liu Limin
Published: January 2023

The increasing number of satellites for specific space tasks makes it difficult for traditional satellite task planning that relies on ground station planning and on-board execution to fully exploit the overall effectiveness of satellites. Meanwhile, the complex and changeable environment in space also poses challenges to the management of multi-satellite systems (MSS). To address the above issues, this paper formulates a mixed integer optimization problem to solve the autonomous task planning for MSS. First, we constructed a multi-agent-based on-board autonomous management and multi-satellite collaboration architecture. Based on this architecture, we propose a hybrid genetic algorithm with simulated annealing (H-GASA) to solve the multi-satellite cooperative autonomous task planning (MSCATP). With the H-GASA, a heuristic task scheduling scheme was developed to deal with possible task conflicts in MSCATP. Finally, a simulation scenario was established to validate our proposed H-GASA, which exhibits a superior performance in terms of computational power and success rate compared to existing algorithms.
Numerical Study of Combustion and Emission Characteristics for Hydrogen Mixed Fuel in the Methane-Fueled Gas Turbine Combustor
Authors: Wang Kefu , Li Feng , Zhou Tao , Ao Yiqun
Published: January 2023

The aeroderivative gas turbine is widely used as it demonstrates many advantages. Adding hydrogen to natural gas fuels can improve the performance of combustion. Following this, the effects of hydrogen enrichment on combustion characteristics were analyzed in an aeroderivative gas turbine combustor using CFD simulations. The numerical model was validated with experimental results. The conditions of the constant mass flow rate and the constant energy input were studied. The results indicate that adding hydrogen reduced the fuel residues significantly (fuel mass at the combustion chamber outlet was reduced up to 60.9%). In addition, the discharge of C2H2 and other pollutants was reduced. Increasing the volume fraction of hydrogen in the fuel also reduced CO emissions at the constant energy input while increasing CO emissions at the constant fuel mass flow rate. An excess in the volume fraction of added hydrogen changed the combustion mode in the combustion chamber, resulting in fuel-rich combustion (at constant mass flow rate) and diffusion combustion (at constant input power). Hydrogen addition increased the pattern factor and NOx emissions at the outlet of the combustion chamber.
Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Ti2AlNb/GH99 Superalloy Brazed Joints Using TiZrCuNi Amorphous Filler Alloy
Authors: Cai Junjie , Hu Shengpeng , Liu Hongbing , Lin Danyang , Fu Wei , Song Xiaoguo
Published: January 2023

Dissimilar materials brazing of Ti2AlNb alloy to GH99 superalloy is of great pragmatic importance in the aerospace field, especially the lightweight space aircraft components manufacturing. In this work, TiZrCuNi amorphous filler alloy was used as brazing filler, and experiments were carried out at different brazing temperatures and times to investigate the changes in interfacial structures and properties of the joints. The typical interfacial microstructure was Ti2AlNb alloy/B2/β/Ti2Ni (Al, Nb) + B2/β + (Ti, Zr)2(Ni, Cu) + (Ti, Zr)(Ni, Cu)/(Cr, Ni, Ti) solid solution + (Ni, Cr) solid solution/GH99 superalloy when being brazed at 1000 °C for 8 min. The interfacial microstructure of the joints was influenced by diffusion and reaction between the filler alloy and the parent metal. The prolongation of brazing process parameters accelerated the diffusion and reaction of the liquid brazing alloy into both parent metals, which eventually led to the aggregation of (Ti, Zr)2(Ni, Cu) brittle phase and increased thickness of Ti2Ni (Al, Nb) layer. According to fracture analyses, cracks began in the Ti2Ni (Al, Nb) phase and spread with it as well as the (Ti, Zr)2(Ni, Cu) phase. The joints that were brazed at 1000 °C for 8 min had a maximum shear strength of ~216.2 MPa. Furthermore, increasing the brazing temperature or extending the holding time decreased the shear strength due to the coarse Ti2Ni (Al, Nb) phase and the continuous (Ti, Zr)2(Ni, Cu) phase.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance among Poultry Farmers in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Authors: Sawadogo Abdallah , Kagambèga Assèta , Moodley Arshnee , Ouedraogo Abdoul Aziz , Barro Nicolas , Dione Michel
Published: January 2023

Increased use of antibiotics in livestock is a public health concern, as it poses risks of antibiotic residues and antibiotic-resistant pathogens entering the food chains and infecting humans. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 216 poultry farms to study knowledge, attitudes and practices of poultry farmers on the use of antibiotics in urban and peri-urban areas of Ouagadougou. Results show that only 17.13% (37/216) of farmers attended training on poultry production. Majority of farmers—85.65% (185/216) were not knowledgeable about the rational use of antibiotics. When there was a disease outbreak, 31.98% (63/197) of farmers used veterinary drugs without a prescription and 22.34% (44/197) consulted a community animal health worker. It should also be noted that 79.19% (156/197) of farmers reported using chicken meat as per normal if the bird died during or right after treatment with an antibiotic. Knowledge of rational use of antibiotics was positively influenced by a good attitude adopted by the farmer during the illness of birds and negatively influenced by disease treatment success and high level of education of the farmer. Lack of knowledge about the rational use of antibiotics including their use without a prescription are serious risk factors for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Awareness of farmers and other veterinary drug supply chain actors such as drug stockists and animal health workers on best practices in antimicrobial use and promotion of good biosecurity on farms are important to reduce the misuse of antibiotics.
The Effectiveness of Interactive Dashboards to Optimise Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Care: A Systematic Review
Authors: Garzón-Orjuela Nathaly , Parveen Sana , Amin Doaa , Vornhagen Heike , Blake Catherine , Vellinga Akke
Published: January 2023

Governments and healthcare organisations collect data on antibiotic prescribing (AP) for surveillance. This data can support tools for visualisations and feedback to GPs using dashboards that may prompt a change in prescribing behaviour. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of interactive dashboards to optimise AP in primary care. Six electronic databases were searched for relevant studies up to August 2022. A narrative synthesis of findings was conducted to evaluate the intervention processes and results. Two independent reviewers assessed the relevance, risk of bias and quality of the evidence. A total of ten studies were included (eight RCTs and two non-RCTs). Overall, seven studies showed a slight reduction in AP. However, this reduction in AP when offering a dashboard may not in itself result in reductions but only when combined with educational components, public commitment or behavioural strategies. Only one study recorded dashboard engagement and showed a difference of 10% (95% CI 5% to 15%) between intervention and control. None of the studies reported on the development, pilot or implementation of dashboards or the involvement of stakeholders in design and testing. Interactive dashboards may reduce AP in primary care but most likely only when combined with other educational or behavioural intervention strategies.
Peroxiredoxin 6 Regulates Glutathione Peroxidase 1-Medited Glutamine Synthase Preservation in the Hippocampus of Chronic Epilepsy Rats
Authors: Kim Ji-Eun , Park Hana , Kang Tae-Cheon
Published: January 2023

Clasmatodendrosis (an autophagic astroglial degeneration) plays an important role in the regulation of spontaneous seizure duration but not seizure frequency or behavioral seizure severity in chronic epilepsy rats. Recently, it has been reported that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor to glutathione (GSH), attenuates clasmatodendritic degeneration and shortens spontaneous seizure duration in chronic epilepsy rats, although the underlying mechanisms of its anti-convulsive effects are not fully understood. To elucidate this, the present study was designed to investigate whether NAC affects astroglial glutamine synthase (GS) expression mediated by GSH peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and/or peroxiredoxin 6 (Prdx6) in the epileptic hippocampus. As compared to control animals, GS and GPx1 expressions were upregulated in reactive CA1 astrocytes of chronic epilepsy rats, while their expressions were significantly decreased in clasmatodendritic CA1 astrocytes and reactive astrocytes within the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Prdx6 expression was increased in reactive CA1 astrocytes as well as clasmatodendritic CA1 astrocytes. In the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, Prdx6 expression levels were similar to those in control animals. NAC ameliorated clasmatodendrosis through the increment of GS and GPx1 expressions, while it abolished Prdx6 upregulation. 1-hexadecyl-3-(trifluoroethgl)-sn-glycerol-2 phosphomethanol (MJ33, a selective inhibitor of aiPLA2 activity of Prdx6) alleviated clasmatodendrosis by enhancing GPx1 and GS expressions in clasmatodendritic CA1 astrocytes without changing the Prdx6 level. NAC or MJ33 did not affect GS, GPx1 and Prdx6 expression in astrocytes within the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. These findings indicate that upregulated aiPLA2 activity of Prdx6 may abolish GPx1-mediated GS preservation and lead to clasmatodendrosis in CA1 astrocytes, which would extend spontaneous seizure duration due to impaired glutamate-glutamine conversion regulated by GS. Therefore, the present data suggest that aiPLA2 activity of Prdx6 in astrocytes may be one of the upstream effectors of seizure duration in the epileptic hippocampus.
Transport Stress Induces Oxidative Stress and Immune Response in Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides): Analysis of Oxidative and Immunological Parameters and the Gut Microbiome
Authors: Wang Qingchun , Ye Wei , Tao Yifan , Li Yan , Lu Siqi , Xu Pao , Qiang Jun
Published: January 2023

Transport is essential in cross-regional culturing of juvenile fish. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) often exhibit decreased vitality and are susceptible to disease after transportation. To study the effects of transport stress on juvenile largemouth bass, juveniles (average length: 8.42 ± 0.44 cm, average weight 10.26 ± 0.32 g) were subjected to a 12 h simulated transport, then subsequently, allowed to recover for 5 d. Liver and intestinal tissues were collected at 0, 6 and 12 h after transport stress and after 5 d of recovery. Oxidative and immunological parameters and the gut microbiome were analyzed. Hepatocytic vacuolization and shortened intestinal villi in the bass indicated liver and intestinal damage due to transport stress. Superoxide dismutase, lysozyme and complement C3 activities were significantly increased during transport stress (p < 0.05), indicating that transport stress resulted in oxidative stress and altered innate immune responses in the bass. With the transport stress, the malondialdehyde content first increased, then significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and showed an increasing trend in the recovery group. 16S rDNA analysis revealed that transport stress strongly affected the gut microbial compositions, mainly among Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria and Spirochaetes. The Proteobacteria abundance increased significantly after transport. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional analysis revealed that most gut microbes played roles in membrane transport, cell replication and repair. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the dominant genera varied significantly and participated in the measured physiological parameter changes. With 5 days of recovery after 12 h of transport stress, the physiological parameters and gut microbiome differed significantly between the experimental and control groups. These results provide a reference and basis for studying transport-stress-induced oxidative and immune mechanisms in juvenile largemouth bass to help optimize juvenile largemouth bass transportation.
Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit JNK-Mediated Mitochondrial Retrograde Pathway to Alleviate Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury
Authors: Cen Yelei , Lou Guohua , Qi Jinjin , Li Minwei , Zheng Min , Liu Yanning
Published: January 2023

Acetaminophen (APAP) is the major cause of drug-induced liver injury, with limited treatment options. APAP overdose invokes excessive oxidative stress that triggers mitochondria-to-nucleus retrograde pathways, contributing to APAP-induced liver injury (AILI). Mesenchymal stem cell therapy is a promising tool for acute liver failure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the beneficial effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (AMSC) therapy on AILI and reveal the potential therapeutic mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were used as the animal model and AML12 normal murine hepatocytes as the cellular model of APAP overdose. Immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and RNA sequencing assays were used for assessing the efficacy and validating mechanisms of AMSC therapy. We found AMSC therapy effectively ameliorated AILI, while delayed AMSC injection lost its efficacy related to the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-mediated mitochondrial retrograde pathways. We further found that AMSC therapy inhibited JNK activation and mitochondrial translocation, reducing APAP-induced mitochondrial damage. The downregulation of activated ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) and DNA damage response proteins in AMSC-treated mouse liver indicated AMSCs blocked the JNK-ATM pathway. Overall, AMSCs may be an effective treatment for AILI by inhibiting the JNK-ATM mitochondrial retrograde pathway, which improves APAP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and liver injury.
Protective Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids against Ang- II-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Brain Endothelial Cells: A Potential Role of Heme Oxygenase 2
Authors: Kassan Modar , Kwon Youngin , Munkhsaikhan Undral , Sahyoun Amal M. , Ishrat Tauheed , Galán María , Gonzalez Alexis A. , Abidi Ammaar H. , Kassan Adam , Ait-Aissa Karima
Published: January 2023

Objectives: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the main metabolites released from the gut microbiota, are altered during hypertension and obesity. SCFAs play a beneficial role in the cardiovascular system. However, the effect of SCFAs on cerebrovascular endothelial cells is yet to be uncovered. In this study, we use brain endothelial cells to investigate the in vitro effect of SCFAs on heme oxygenase 2 (HO-2) and mitochondrial function after angiotensin II (Ang-II) treatment. Methods: Brain human microvascular endothelial cells were treated with Ang-II (500 nM for 24 h) in the presence and absence of an SCFAs cocktail (1 μM; acetate, propionate, and butyrate) and/or HO-2 inhibitor (SnPP 5 μM). At the end of the treatment, HO-2, endothelial markers (p-eNOS and NO production), inflammatory markers (TNFα, NFκB-p50, and -p65), calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial ROS and H2O2, and mitochondrial respiration were determined in all groups of treated cells. Key Results: Our data showed that SCFAs rescued HO-2 after Ang-II treatment. Additionally, SCFAs rescued Ang-II-induced eNOS reduction and mitochondrial membrane potential impairment and mitochondrial respiration damage. On the other hand, SCFAs reduced Ang-II-induced inflammation, calcium dysregulation, mitochondrial ROS, and H2O2. All of the beneficial effects of SCFAs on endothelial cells and mitochondrial function occurred through HO-2. Conclusions: SCFAs treatment restored endothelial cells and mitochondrial function following Ang-II-induced oxidative stress. SCFAs exert these beneficial effects by acting on HO-2. Our results are opening the door for more studies to investigate the effect the of SCFAs/HO-2 axis on hypertension and obesity-induced cerebrovascular diseases.
Antiamnesic Effects of Feralolide Isolated from Aloe vera Resin Miller against Learning Impairments Induced in Mice
Authors: Khan Imran , Mohanta Tapan Kumar , Ihsan Nuzhat , Halim Sobia Ahsan , Khan Ajmal , Rehman Najeeb Ur , Khan Faizullah , Khalid Asaad , Abdalla Ashraf N. , Karim Nasiara , Al-Harrasi Ahmed
Published: January 2023

Feralolide, a dihydroisocoumarin, was isolated from the methanolic extract of resin of Aloe vera. The present study aims to investigate the in vivo ability of feralolide to ameliorate memory impairment induced by scopolamine using a battery of in vitro assays, such as antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition, and in vivo animal models, including elevated plus maze, Morris water maze, passive avoidance, and novel object recognition tests. Feralolide caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of AChE and BuChE enzymes with IC50 values of 55 and 52 μg/mL, respectively, and antioxidant activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) with IC50 values 170 and 220 μg/mL, respectively. Feralolide reversed the scopolamine-induced amnesia as indicated by a dose-dependent decrease in escape latency, path length, and passing frequency in the Morris water maze test compared with the relevant control. The compound also significantly increased the discrimination index in a dose-dependent manner in NORT and decreased transfer latency in EPM, reflective of its memory-enhancing effect. Furthermore, feralolide also caused significant dose-dependent elevation in the step-down latency (SDL) in the passive avoidance test. The results indicated that feralolide might be a helpful memory restorative mediator in treating cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Simulation Tests of the Passing Distance of Ships on a Two-Way Fairway
Authors: Gucma Stanisław , Artyszuk Jarosław , Gralak Rafał , Przywarty Marcin
Published: January 2023

One of the components necessary to determine the width of a safe maneuvering area on two-way fairways is a safe passing distance. Existing methods do not consider modern model studies of interactions between passing vessels, additionally, they ignore the influence of the vessel’s position accuracy and navigators’ qualifications. This paper presents a method to determine the passing distance, which is free of the drawbacks of the methods used so far. The proposed method is based on simulation research carried out using an FMBS-type (Full Mission Bridge) simulator. The tests were carried out for three loaded vessels (bulk carrier, tanker, and sea ferry), on four sections of the fairway with different parameters and aids-to-navigation available. The results obtained allowed the modification of the authors’ previous, but still widely used, deterministic–probabilistic MTE (Marine Traffic Engineering) method for determining the width of a safe maneuvering area.
Forecasting the July Precipitation over the Middle-Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River with a Flexible Statistical Model
Authors: Jiang Qixiao , Shi Xiangjun
Published: January 2023

The multiple regression method is still an important tool for establishing precipitation forecast models with a lead time of one season. This study developed a flexible statistical forecast model for July precipitation over the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (MLYR) based on the prophase winter sea surface temperature (SST). According to the characteristics of observed samples and related theoretical knowledge, some special treatments (i.e., more flexible and better-targeted methods) were introduced in the forecast model. These special treatments include a flexible MLYR domain definition, the extraction of indicative signals from the SST field, artificial samples, and the amplification of abnormal precipitation. Rolling forecast experiments show that the linear correlation between prediction and observation is around 0.5, more than half of the abnormal precipitation years can be successfully predicted, and there is no contradictory prediction of the abnormal years. These results indicate that the flexible statistical forecast model is valuable in real-life applications. Furthermore, sensitivity experiments show that forecast skills without these special treatments are obviously decreased. This suggests that forecast models can benefit from using statistical methods in a more flexible and better-targeted way.
Current State of Sensors and Sensing Systems Utilized in Beer Analysis
Authors: Benadouda Khalfa , Sajid Salvia , Chaudhri Suleman Farooq , Tazally Khadiaz Jahangir , Nielsen Marcus M. K. , Prabhala Bala Krishna
Published: January 2023

Beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Advances in instrumental techniques have allowed the analysis and characterization of a large number of beers. However, review studies that outline the methodologies used in beer characterization are scarce. Herein, a systematic review investigating the molecular targets and sensometric techniques in beer characterization was performed following the PRISMA protocol. The study reviewed 270 articles related to beer analysis in order to provide a comprehensive summary of the recent advances in beer analysis, including methods using sensors and sensing systems. The results revealed the use of various techniques that include several technologies, such as nanotechnology and electronics, often combined with scientific data analysis tools. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind and provides the reader with a faithful overview of what has been done in the sensor field regarding beer characterization.
Biomedical Applications of Collagen
Authors: Huang Ngan F. , Zaitseva Tatiana S. , Paukshto Michael V.
Published: January 2023

Extracellular matrix proteins (ECMs) provide structural support and dynamic signaling cues that regulate cell behavior and tissue morphogenesis [...]
Escape from Cellular Senescence Is Associated with Chromosomal Instability in Oral Pre-Malignancy
Authors: Prime Stephen S. , Cirillo Nicola , Parkinson E. Kenneth
Published: January 2023

An escape from cellular senescence through the development of unlimited growth potential is one of the hallmarks of cancer, which is thought to be an early event in carcinogenesis. In this review, we propose that the molecular effectors of senescence, particularly the inactivation of TP53 and CDKN2A, together with telomere attrition and telomerase activation, all lead to aneuploidy in the keratinocytes from oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD). Premalignant keratinocytes, therefore, not only become immortal but also develop genotypic and phenotypic cellular diversity. As a result of these changes, certain clonal cell populations likely gain the capacity to invade the underlying connective tissue. We review the clinical implications of these changes and highlight a new PCR-based assay to identify aneuploid cell in fluids such as saliva, a technique that is extremely sensitive and could facilitate the regular monitoring of OPMD without the need for surgical biopsies and may avoid potential biopsy sampling errors. We also draw attention to recent studies designed to eliminate aneuploid tumour cell populations that, potentially, is a new therapeutic approach to prevent malignant transformations in OPMD.
CRABP-I Expression Patterns in the Developing Chick Inner Ear
Authors: Cardeña-Núñez Sheila , Callejas-Marín Antuca , Villa-Carballar Sergio , Rodríguez-Gallardo Lucía , Sánchez-Guardado Luis Óscar , Hidalgo-Sánchez Matías
Published: January 2023

The vertebrate inner ear is a complex three-dimensional sensorial structure with auditory and vestibular functions, regarded as an excellent system for analyzing events that occur during development, such as patterning, morphogenesis, and cell specification. Retinoic acid (RA) is involved in all these development processes. Cellular retinoic acid-binding proteins (CRABPs) bind RA with high affinity, buffering cellular free RA concentrations and consequently regulating the activation of precise specification programs mediated by particular regulatory genes. In the otic vesicle, strong CRABP-I expression was detected in the otic wall’s dorsomedial aspect, where the endolymphatic apparatus develops, whereas this expression was lower in the ventrolateral aspect, where part of the auditory system forms. Thus, CRABP-I proteins may play a role in the specification of the dorsal-to-ventral and lateral-to-medial axe of the otic anlagen. Regarding the developing sensory patches, a process partly involving the subdivision of a ventromedial pro-sensory domain, the CRABP-I gene displayed different levels of expression in the presumptive territory of each sensory patch, which was maintained throughout development. CRABP-I was also relevant in the acoustic-vestibular ganglion and in the periotic mesenchyme. Therefore, CRABP-I could protect RA-sensitive cells in accordance with its dissimilar concentration in specific areas of the developing chick inner ear.