bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meal replacement as a weight loss strategy for night shift workers with obesity: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Sooriyaarachchi Piumika , Jayawardena Ranil , Pavey Toby , King Neil A.
Published: October 2022

Background

Shift work is considered a risk factor for a number of chronic health conditions including obesity. Weight reduction in obese patients lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and mortality. Achieving a negative energy balance by providing low-calorie meal replacements is widely used for weight management. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a low-calorie “meal-replacement” on the weight and metabolic parameters of shift workers with obesity.

Methods

This trial will be conducted in a parallel, randomized controlled design for a period of 8 weeks. A total of 44 shift workers with body mass index over 25 kg/m2 will be recruited after assessing eligibility. Participants will be randomly assigned to the test and control groups on a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group (N = 22) will be provided with a low-calorie (~200 kcal) meal replacement shake as dinner, and the control group (N = 22) will continue their habitual diets. The visits and the evaluations will be done as follows: screening (visit 0), 4 weeks (visit 1), and 8 weeks (visit 2). Anthropometric measurements will be taken at 0, 4, and 8 weeks. Body composition, biochemical parameters, dietary intake, and physical activity will be assessed during the first and the last visit.

Outcomes

The primary outcome will be the proportion of participants that had a 5% body weight loss from baseline. The secondary outcomes will be post-intervention changes in other metabolic parameters.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is one of the first randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of a meal replacement as the night meal for weight loss in shift workers with obesity. Moreover, improvement of metabolic parameters in shift workers will be an added benefit to this high-risk group.

Trial registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12622000231741. Registered on 09 February 2022.
Functional mining of novel terpene synthases from metagenomes
Authors: Kwak Suryang , Crook Nathan , Yoneda Aki , Ahn Naomi , Ning Jie , Cheng Jiye , Dantas Gautam
Published: October 2022

Background

Terpenes are one of the most diverse and abundant classes of natural biomolecules, collectively enabling a variety of therapeutic, energy, and cosmetic applications. Recent genomics investigations have predicted a large untapped reservoir of bacterial terpene synthases residing in the genomes of uncultivated organisms living in the soil, indicating a vast array of putative terpenoids waiting to be discovered.

Results

We aimed to develop a high-throughput functional metagenomic screening system for identifying novel terpene synthases from bacterial metagenomes by relieving the toxicity of terpene biosynthesis precursors to the Escherichia coli host. The precursor toxicity was achieved using an inducible operon encoding the prenyl pyrophosphate synthetic pathway and supplementation of the mevalonate precursor. Host strain and screening procedures were finely optimized to minimize false positives arising from spontaneous mutations, which avoid the precursor toxicity. Our functional metagenomic screening of human fecal metagenomes yielded a novel β-farnesene synthase, which does not show amino acid sequence similarity to known β-farnesene synthases. Engineered S. cerevisiae expressing the screened β-farnesene synthase produced 120 mg/L β-farnesene from glucose (2.86 mg/g glucose) with a productivity of 0.721 g/L∙h.

Conclusions

A unique functional metagenomic screening procedure was established for screening terpene synthases from metagenomic libraries. This research proves the potential of functional metagenomics as a sequence-independent avenue for isolating targeted enzymes from uncultivated organisms in various environmental habitats.
A general modeling framework for exploring the impact of individual concern and personal protection on vector-borne disease dynamics
Authors: Roosa Kimberlyn , Fefferman Nina H.
Published: October 2022

Background

As climate variability and extreme weather events associated with climate change become more prevalent, public health authorities can expect to face an expanding spectrum of vector-borne diseases with increasing incidence and geographical spread. Common interventions include the use of larvicides and adulticides, as well as targeted communications to increase public awareness regarding the need for personal protective measures, such as mosquito repellant, protective clothing, and mosquito nets. Here, we propose a simplified compartmental model of mosquito-borne disease dynamics that incorporates the use of personal protection against mosquito bites influenced by two key individual-level behavioral drivers—concern for being bitten by mosquitos as a nuisance and concern for mosquito-borne disease transmission.

Methods

We propose a modified compartmental model that describes the dynamics of vector-borne disease spread in a naïve population while considering the public demand for community-level control and, importantly, the effects of personal-level protection on population-level outbreak dynamics. We consider scenarios at low, medium, and high levels of community-level vector control, and at each level, we consider combinations of low, medium, and high levels of motivation to use personal protection, namely concern for disease transmission and concern for being bitten in general.

Results

When there is very little community-level vector control, nearly the entire population is quickly infected, regardless of personal protection use. When vector control is at an intermediate level, both concerns that motivate the use of personal protection play an important role in reducing disease burden. When authorities have the capacity for high-level community vector control through pesticide use, the motivation to use personal protection to reduce disease transmission has little additional effect on the outbreak.

Conclusions

While results show that personal-level protection alone is not enough to significantly impact an outbreak, personal protective measures can significantly reduce the severity of an outbreak in conjunction with community-level control. Furthermore, the model provides insight for targeting public health messaging to increase the use of personal protection based on concerns related to being bitten by mosquitos or vector-borne disease transmission.

Graphical Abstract
Application of deep learning reconstruction of ultra-low-dose abdominal CT in the diagnosis of renal calculi
Authors: Zhang Xiaoxiao , Zhang Gumuyang , Xu Lili , Bai Xin , Zhang Jiahui , Xu Min , Yan Jing , Zhang Daming , Jin Zhengyu , Sun Hao
Published: October 2022

Background

Renal calculi are a common and recurrent urological disease and are usually detected by CT. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic capability, image quality, and radiation dose of abdominal ultra-low-dose CT (ULDCT) with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) for detecting renal calculi.

Methods

Sixty patients with suspected renal calculi were prospectively enrolled. Low-dose CT (LDCT) images were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (LD-HIR) and was regarded as the standard for stone and lesion detection. ULDCT images were reconstructed with HIR (ULD-HIR) and DLR (ULD-DLR). We then compared stone detection rate, abdominal lesion detection rate, image quality and radiation dose between LDCT and ULDCT.

Results

A total of 130 calculi were observed on LD-HIR images. Stone detection rates of ULD-HIR and ULD-DLR images were 93.1% (121/130) and 95.4% (124/130). A total of 129 lesions were detected on the LD-HIR images. The lesion detection rate on ULD-DLR images was 92.2%, with 10 cysts < 5 mm in diameter missed. The CT values of organs on ULD-DLR were similar to those on LD-HIR and lower than those on ULD-HIR. Signal-to-noise ratio was highest and noise lowest on ULD-DLR. The subjective image quality of ULD-DLR was similar to that of LD-HIR and better than that of ULD-HIR. The effective radiation dose of ULDCT (0.64 ± 0.17 mSv) was 77% lower than that of LDCT (2.75 ± 0.50 mSv).

Conclusion

ULDCT combined with DLR could significantly reduce radiation dose while maintaining suitable image quality and stone detection rate in the diagnosis of renal calculi.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm dispersion by the mouse antimicrobial peptide CRAMP
Authors: Zhang Yang , Cheng Peng , Wang Shiyuan , Li Xiaofen , Peng Lianci , Fang Rendong , Xiong Jing , Li Hui , Mei Cui , Gao Jiye , Song Zhenhui , Xu Dengfeng , Fu Lizhi , Li Chenghong , Wu Xueqing , He Yuzhang , Chen Hongwei
Published: October 2022

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a known bacterium that produces biofilms and causes severe infection. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa biofilms are extremely difficult to eradicate, leading to the development of chronic and antibiotic-resistant infections. Our previous study showed that a cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP) inhibits the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilms and markedly reduces the biomass of preformed biofilms, while the mechanism of eradicating bacterial biofilms remains elusive. Therefore, in this study, the potential mechanism by which CRAMP eradicates P. aeruginosa biofilms was investigated through an integrative analysis of transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data. The omics data revealed CRAMP functioned against P. aeruginosa biofilms by different pathways, including the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) system, cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) signalling pathway, and synthesis pathways of exopolysaccharides and rhamnolipid. Moreover, a total of 2914 differential transcripts, 785 differential proteins, and 280 differential metabolites were identified. A series of phenotypic validation tests demonstrated that CRAMP reduced the c-di-GMP level with a decrease in exopolysaccharides, especially alginate, in P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm cells, improved bacterial flagellar motility, and increased the rhamnolipid content, contributing to the dispersion of biofilms. Our study provides new insight into the development of CRAMP as a potentially effective antibiofilm dispersant.
Discovery of an autophagy inducer J3 to lower mutant huntingtin and alleviate Huntington’s disease-related phenotype
Authors: Long Jiahui , Luo Xia , Fang Dongmei , Song Haikun , Fang Weibin , Shan Hao , Liu Peiqing , Lu Boxun , Yin Xiao-Ming , Hong Liang , Li Min
Published: October 2022

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by aggregation of the mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein encoded from extra tracts of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the HTT gene. mHTT proteins are neurotoxic to render the death of neurons and a series of disease-associated phenotypes. The mHTT is degraded through autophagy pathway and ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS). This study identified a small molecule, J3, as an autophagy inducer by high-content screening. The results revealed that J3 could inhibit mTOR, thus promoting autophagic flux and long-lived protein degradation. Further, J3 selectively lowered the soluble and insoluble mHTT but not wild type HTT levels in cell models. The HdhQ140 mice showed reduced HD-associated activity and loss of motor functions. However, administration of J3 showed increased activity and a slight improvement in the motor function in the open-field test, balance beam test, and rotarod tests. Furthermore, in vivo studies revealed that J3 decreased T-HTT and misfolded protein levels in the striatum and increased the levels of the medium spiny neuron marker DARPP-32. In addition, J3 showed good permeability across the brain-blood barrier efficiently, suggesting that J3 was a promising candidate for the treatment of HD.
Pinus pinea: a natural barrier for the insect vector of the pine wood nematode?
Authors: van Halder Inge , Sacristan Alberto , Martín-García Jorge , Pajares Juan Alberto , Jactel Hervé
Published: October 2022

Key message

In mixed stands of Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea, fewer insect vectors of the pinewood nematode (PWN) were captured than in pure P. pinaster stands. This finding has practical implications for PWN disease management, including the recommendation to improve the diversity of maritime pine plantations and to conserve stone pines in infected areas.

Context

The PWN is an invasive species in European pine forests, being vectored by the longhorn beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis. The presence of less preferred host trees may disrupt the insect vector dispersal and slow the spread of the disease.

Aims

The aim of the study was to compare the abundance of M. galloprovincialis in pure stands of Pinus pinaster, a preferred host tree, pure P. pinea stands, a less preferred host, and mixtures of these two species.

Methods

We selected 20 mature pine stands varying in % P. pinaster and % P. pinea in Spain. In each stand, we installed 3 pheromone traps to catch M. galloprovincialis. We related trap catches to stand and landscape composition.

Results

The level of capture of M. galloprovincialis was highest in pure P. pinaster stands and decreased with increasing proportion of P. pinea.

Conclusions

The presence of stone pine mixed with maritime pine significantly reduces the local abundance of the PWN insect vector. The most plausible mechanism is that P. pinea emits odors that have a repulsive effect on dispersing beetles.
Loss-of-function in GIGANTEA confers resistance to PPO-inhibiting herbicide tiafenacil through transcriptional activation of antioxidant genes in Arabidopsis
Authors: Cha Joon-Yung , Shin Gyeong-Im , Ahn Gyeongik , Jeong Song Yi , Ji Myung Geun , Alimzhan Aliya , Kim Min Gab , Kim Woe-Yeon
Published: October 2022

Herbicides play a crucial role in maintaining crop productivity by reducing competition between weeds and crops. Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides trigger the photooxidative damage that destroys cell membranes. Tiafenacil is a recently developed pyrimidinedione-type PPO-inhibiting herbicide that has low IC50 values in plants and is less toxic in humans compared to other PPO inhibitors. Previous reports confirmed that mutations in Arabidopsis circadian clock-controlled gene GIGANTEA (GI) were insensitive to phytooxidants, including chloroplast biogenesis inhibitors and herbicides. Here, we examined whether GI regulates the resistance to tiafenacil. Both gi mutant alleles, gi-1 and gi-2, were resistant to tiafenacil with survival rates of 97% and 83%, respectively, under 1 µM tiafenacil treatments, while 56% of wild-type and GI-overexpressing plants (GI-OX) survived. Both gi mutants were insensitive to tiafenacil-induced inhibition of photosystem efficiency and alleviated photooxidative damage. The gi mutants showed significant increases in transcriptional expressions and enzyme activities of antioxidants compared to wild-type and GI-OX. Moreover, loss-of-function in GI enhanced resistance to tiafenacil-containing commercial herbicide Terrad’or Plus®. Collectively, based on our results together with previous reports, mutations in GI confer resistance to herbicides with different MoAs and would be a crucial molecular target for non-target-site resistance strategies to develop herbicide-resistant crops.
Decreased influenza vaccination coverage among Chinese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ma Libing , Han Xuan , Ma Yuan , Yang Yuan , Xu Yunshao , Liu Di , Yang Weizhong , Feng Luzhao
Published: October 2022

Background

Healthcare workers (HCWs) were the priority group for influenza vaccination, in China during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 influenza seasons. However, vaccination rates in HCWs have always been low. This study investigated influenza vaccination status among Chinese HCWs and analyzed the factors driving vaccination.

Methods

We provided electronic questionnaires to HCWs from January 27, 2022 to February 21, 2022, using the WeChat platform "Breath Circles". HCWs who received the link could also forward it to their colleagues. Binary logistic regression models were used to analyze vaccination-associated factors among HCWs.

Results

Among the 1697 HCWs surveyed, vaccination coverage was 43.7% (741/1697) during the 2020/2021 influenza season, and 35.4% (600/1697) during the 2021/2022 influenza season, as of February 21, 2022. Additionally, 22.7% (385/1697) and 22.1% (358/1697) of HCWs reported that their workplaces implemented a free vaccination policy for all employees during the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 influenza seasons. HCWs who were required to be vaccinated according to hospital regulations, and whose hospitals implemented the free influenza vaccine policy were more likely to be vaccinated (2020/2021 and 2021/2022; P < 0.05). In addition, the economic level of the HCWs' province (2021/2022, P < 0.05) and the HCWs’ knowledge about vaccination and willingness to get vaccinated, such as active learning about vaccines (2020/2021, P < 0.05), supportive attitude toward vaccination for all HCWs (2020/2021 and 2021/2022; P < 0.05), also had an impact on vaccine coverage.

Conclusions

A free influenza vaccination policy and workplace required vaccination are effective in improving influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs. Influenza vaccination coverage of Chinese HCWs remained low and showed a downward trend after the COVID-19 outbreak. Further effective measures, such as advocacy campaigns, free vaccine policies, and on-site vaccination could be implemented to improve influenza vaccination coverage.

Graphical abstract
The emotional-behavioral state of Israeli adolescent and young adult females with anorexia nervosa during the COVID19 pandemic
Authors: Serur Yaffa , Dikstein Hadar , Shilton Tal , Gothelf Doron , Latzer Yael , Lewis Yael , Enoch-Levy Adi , Pessach Itai , Gur Eitan , Stein Daniel
Published: October 2022

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel, the number of patients with eating disorders (EDs) seeking treatment increased significantly. The present study sought to evaluate whether, during the pandemic (2020–21), patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) would show more ED-related, comorbid, and COVID-19-related symptoms in comparison to a naturalistic control group, and whether differences would be found between adult and adolescent patients with AN. We also examined attitudes to telemedicine use during the pandemic in patients receiving long-distance interventions.

Methods

Using online self-report questionnaires, we assessed general and COVID-19-specific symptoms with a secure digital platform (REDCap®) in 36 female adolescents with AN, 35 female adults with AN, and 25 female controls.

Results

Compared with controls, patients with AN showed more symptoms of EDs, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), elevated suicidal ideation, more COVID-related emotional-behavioral disturbances, and lower resilience. Adult patients with AN fared worse than adolescent patients on most of these measures. Adult patients using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic showed fewer positive attitudes toward this treatment than adolescents (telemedicine was offered to all, but used by 18/35 adolescents and 21/36 adults with AN). Last, elevated COVID-19-related symptomatology was correlated with more symptoms of ED, anxiety, depression and PTSD, and with lower resilience.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the emotional-behavioral state of Israeli females with AN, particularly adults, was worse during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to controls. Many patients did not use telemedicine for their treatment. Adult patients using telemedicine were less satisfied with it than adolescent patients.
Attachment-based psychosocial programme for under-privileged school children with adverse life experiences in Istanbul, Turkey
Authors: Warfa Nasir , Bademci Özden , Karasar Şahin , White Robert
Published: October 2022

Children experiencing educational neglect are likely to experience the harm associated with adverse life experiences and a range of emotional and psychological challenges. Using attachment theory and psychosocial frameworks, we devised and implemented an intervention designed to ameliorate the deleterious effects of challenging behaviours in an elementary school situated in a deprived neighbourhood of Istanbul, Turkey. For a period of eight months, 160 pupils received a psychosocial intervention once a week. Children’s patterns of behaviour, emotions, movements, interactivity, socialisation and interpersonal communications were observed during this period. Core activities of the intervention included library visits, reading, writing and listening games, maths games, drawing, animal animation, leaf making, ball games, parachuting games, colouring, hula-hoop and driver-car role plays. At the end of the intervention, one group of children made significant improvements in behavioural changes while no improvements were observed for another group. Although further research is required to generalize beyond the reference group, the findings suggest that a robust collaboration between inter-agency community partnership and universities can play a crucial role in responding to the needs of marginalized children with psychological and emotional problems.
The pivotal application of patient-derived organoid biobanks for personalized treatment of gastrointestinal cancers
Authors: Yu Ya-ya , Zhu Yan-juan , Xiao Zhen-zhen , Chen Ya-dong , Chang Xue-song , Liu Yi-hong , Tang Qing , Zhang Hai-bo
Published: October 2022

Gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) occupy more than 30% of the cancer-related incidence and mortality around the world. Despite advances in the treatment strategies, the long-term overall survival has not been improved for patients with GICs. Recently, the novel patient-derived organoid (PDO) culture technology has become a powerful tool for GICs in a manner that recapitulates the morphology, pathology, genetic, phenotypic, and behavior traits of the original tumors. Excitingly, a number of evidences suggest that the versatile technology has great potential for personalized treatment, suppling the clinical application of molecularly guided personalized treatment. In the paper, we summarize the literature on the topics of establishing organoid biobanks of PDOs, and their application in the personalized treatment allowing for radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy selection for GICs. Despite the limitations of current organoid models, high-throughput drug screening of GIC PDO combined with next-generation sequencing technology represents a novel and pivotal preclinical model for precision medicine of tumors and has a great value in promoting the transformation from basic cancer research to clinical application.
Humor in radiological breast cancer screening: a way of improving patient service?
Authors: Sartoretti Elisabeth , Sartoretti Thomas , Koh Dow Mu , Sartoretti-Schefer Sabine , Kos Sebastian , Goette Romana , Donners Ricardo , Benz Robyn , Froehlich Johannes M. , Matoori Simon , Dubsky Peter , Plümecke Tino , Forstner Rosemarie , Ruch Willibald , Meissnitzer Matthias , Hergan Klaus , Largiader Selina , Gutzeit Andreas
Published: October 2022

Background

Breast cancer screening is essential in detecting breast tumors, however, the examination is stressful. In this study we analyzed whether humor enhances patient satisfaction.

Methods

In this prospective randomized study 226 patients undergoing routine breast cancer screening at a single center during October 2020 to July 2021 were included. One hundred thirty-two were eligible for the study. Group 1 (66 patients) received an examination with humorous intervention, group 2 (66 patients) had a standard breast examination. In the humor group, the regular business card was replaced by a self-painted, humorous business card, which was handed to the patient at the beginning of the examination. Afterwards, patients were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Scores between the two study groups were compared with the Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher’s exact test. P-values were adjusted with the Holm’s method. Two-sided p-values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

One hundred thirty-two patients, 131 female and 1 male, (mean age 59 ± 10.6 years) remained in the final study cohort. Patients in the humor group remembered the radiologist’s name better (85%/30%, P < .001), appreciated the final discussion with the radiologist more (4.67 ± 0.73–5;[5, 5] vs. 4.24 ± 1.1–5;[4, 5], P = .017), felt the radiologist was more empathetic (4.94 ± 0.24–5;[5, 5] vs.4.59 ± 0.64–5;[4, 5], P < .001), and rated him as a humorous doctor (4.91 ± 0.29–5;[5, 5] vs. 2.26 ± 1.43–1;[1, 4], P < .001). Additionally, patients in the humor group tended to experience less anxiety (p = 0.166) and felt the doctor was more competent (p = 0.094).

Conclusion

Humor during routine breast examinations may improve patient-radiologist relationship because the radiologist is considered more empathetic and competent, patients recall the radiologist’s name more easily, and value the final discussion more.

Trial registration

We have a general approval from our ethics committee because it is a retrospective survey, the patient lists for the doctors were anonymized and it is a qualitative study, since the clinical processes are part of the daily routine examinations and are used independently of the study. The patients have given their consent to this study and survey.
Two decades of FDG-PET/CT in seminoma: exploring its role in diagnosis, surveillance and follow-up
Authors: Conduit Ciara , Koh Thuan Tzen , Hofman Michael S , Toner Guy C , Goad Jeremy , Lawrentschuk Nathan , Tai Keen-Hun , Lewin Jeremy H , Tran Ben
Published: October 2022

Background

Survivors of testicular cancer may experience long-term morbidity following treatment. There is an unmet need to investigate techniques that can differentiate individuals who need additional therapy from those who do not. 2-18fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) with computerised tomography (CT) may be helpful in select settings and may be used outside of current evidence-based recommendations in real-world practice.

Methods

A institutional FDG-PET/CT database of scans performed between 2000 and 2020 for adults with testicular seminoma was interrogated. Endpoints of interest included the positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive value of FDG-PET/CT for identifying active seminoma (defined by progressive radiology, response to treatment or biopsy); or no active seminoma within 24-months for patients with stage 1 and advanced seminoma. An exploratory analysis examining predictive role of SUVmax was also performed.

Results

249 patients met eligibility criteria for the analysis, including 184 patients with stage 1 and 77 patients with advanced testicular seminoma. Of 193 FDG-PET/CT performed in stage 1 seminoma with available follow-up data, 79 were performed during active surveillance. 18 (23%) of these were positive, all of which had confirmed recurrent seminoma (PPV 100%). Of 45 negative FDG-PET/CT during active surveillance, 4 recurrences developed corresponding to a NPV 91%. When clinical suspicion precipitated FDG-PET/CT (n = 36): PPV 100%, NPV 86%. Of 145 FDG-PET/CT in advanced seminoma with available follow-up data, 25 (17%) were performed at baseline (within 2 months of diagnosis), 70 (48%) post-treatment for evaluation of treatment response and 50 (34%) during follow-up following prior curative treatment. 10 (14%) post-treatment FDG-PET/CT were positive corresponding to a PPV 60%. Of 46 negative FDG-PET/CT, 5 recurrences occurred (NPV 89%). During follow-up after prior curative treatment, 24 (50%) FDG-PET/CT were positive corresponding to a PPV 83%; of 20 negative FDG-PET/CT, 1 recurrence occurred, NPV 95%. When clinical suspicion indicated FDG-PET/CT (n = 36): PPV 100%, NPV 94%.

Conclusion

FDG-PET/CT offers high PPV for identifying seminoma and accurately predicts non-recurrence across a clinically relevant 24-months. Notably, FDG-PET/CT may prevent unnecessary treatment in 45% of patients undergoing investigation for clinical suspicion of recurrence during follow-up of advanced seminoma. The use of FDG-PET/CT in selected patients now, may help prevent unnecessary treatment of people with testicular seminoma.
Palliative rehabilitation in end-stage renal failure
Authors: Seng Alfred Wai Ping , Tham Shuen-Loong
Published: October 2022

Background

In end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD), patients experience disabilities stemming from organ failure. These can be worsened by symptoms and complications of underlying cause(s), and the conditions associated with the CKD. There is a dearth of literature regarding palliative rehabilitation in end-stage CKD. Our case highlights the complex medical and rehabilitative issues that such patients face.

Case presentation

A 64-year-old male had end-stage CKD and declined dialysis. After sustaining a myocardial infarction, he suffered a posterior circulation stroke the following month. Whilst undergoing stroke rehabilitation, his progress was further hampered by symptoms of kidney failure. The patient underwent interdisciplinary rehabilitation for 29 days. Goal-setting was performed with the patient and family to allow contextualization to the patient’s stage of disease, beliefs and environment. Care-giver training was provided to facilitate discharge back home. He demonstrated improvements in physical endurance and function. His Functional Independence Measure score improved from 51 to 82. He outlived his prognosis of 3–6 months and demised 15 months after discharge.

Conclusions

In end-stage CKD without renal replacement therapy, rehabilitation and palliative care efforts align to enhance quality of life, in the face of unlikely cure. While palliative care provides symptom management and supportive care, rehabilitation safeguards physical endurance and ability. It is in the hope of doing so, independence and thence, self-esteem, can be maintained. Future research should explore the benefits of palliative rehabilitation in renal failure.
Adductor canal block vs. femoral nerve block in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using levobupivacaine: a comparative randomized controlled double-blind study
Authors: ElShawady Kholoud Bahaa Eldin Abdel Mohsen , Zaki Gamal Fouad Saleh , Abdelhamid Hatem Saeed , Elfawy Dalia Mahmoud Ahmed , Elfar Marwa Mamdoh
Published: October 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of ultrasound-guided adductor canal block versus femoral nerve block in postoperative analgesia, as well as their effect on quadriceps muscle strength.

Results

The study included 66 patients who were underwent arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction under general anesthesia. They were randomly divided into 2 groups; A and F, of 33 patients in each. Patients in group A received an adductor canal block, while patients in group F received a femoral nerve block. The primary outcome was the total morphine requirements in the first 24 h after the procedure. Secondary outcomes included time to first analgesic request and the patients’ ability to perform straight leg raise in the post-anesthesia care unit and 2 h later. The straight leg raise was impaired in group F compared with group A both in the post-anesthesia care unit (p value = 0.017) and 2 h postoperatively (p value = 0.020). While there was no differences between both groups regarding time to first analgesic request, and total morphine requirements.

Conclusions

Compared with femoral nerve block, the adductor canal block may be an effective analgesic alternative with the advantage of sparing the quadriceps muscle strength in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgeries.
Atrial depolarization abnormalities in pulmonary sarcoidosis
Authors: Paul Amal , Paul Akhil , Subhash Immanuel , Yadav Bijesh , Jacob John Roshan , Christopher D. J. , Balamugesh T.
Published: October 2022

Background

Cardiac sarcoidosis, often manifested as sudden death, can be the first manifestation of sarcoidosis. Since 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is recommended as an initial screening tool for cardiac sarcoidosis, the recognition of subtle abnormalities assumes utmost significance. The objective of this study was to identify the electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Results

A detailed analysis of 12-lead ECGs obtained from sixty patients with histopathologically proven pulmonary sarcoidosis and no overt cardiac involvement was done. The findings were compared with those of an age-matched control group. Varying degrees of intraventricular conduction defects were common in the study group [67%], as well as the control group [57%] [P = 0.23]. There was a higher prevalence of biphasic P wave [P = 0.003] and bifid P wave [P = 0.029] in lead III and rsr’ in lead aVF [P = 0.03] in the study group as compared to the control group.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates a greater prevalence of subtle ECG abnormalities in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis as compared to patients with other forms of pulmonary disease. Atrial depolarization abnormalities were commoner in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Demystifying the effect of social media eWOM on revisit intention post-COVID-19: an extension of theory of planned behavior
Authors: Azhar Mohd , Ali Ruksar , Hamid Sheeba , Akhtar Mohd Junaid , Rahman Mohd Nayyer
Published: October 2022

The present study intends to unwrap the influence of social media electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on revisit intention post-COVID-19 applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Two additional constructs, viz., eWOM and destination image, have been undertaken in the present study to enhance the robustness of the TPB model. An online questionnaire was employed to collect data, and the research relied upon 301 correct and useable responses. The survey's population includes potential tourists who intend to revisit India post-COVID-19. SPSS 20 and AMOS 22.0 were used to analyze the data. The posited model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicate that all of the constructs under study, namely "electronic word of mouth (eWOM), destination image (DI), attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC)," significantly and positively influence "tourists' revisit intention (RI)" post-COVID-19. These constructs explained approximately 71% (R2 = 0.709) of the variance in the revisit intention post-COVID-19. A number of theoretical and practical implications can be delineated to make recommendations to the ministry of tourism, tour and travel agencies, central and state government-owned tourism departments, marketers and promoters of travel destinations. The distinctiveness of the present study lies in the fact that it measures the influence of eWOM on revisit intention post-COVID-19 in the Indian context by incorporating destination image with the TPB model.
A Semantic MSOAH-IoT Design for Improving Efficiency and Solving Heterogeneity within IoT Applications
Authors:   Department of computer science, ENSA Tetuan, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Morocco, Lamnaour Mohammed , Begdouri Mohammed Achkari , Mesmoudi Yasser , Khamlichi Yasser EL , Tahiri Abderrahim
Published: October 2022

The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in order to develop and manage different real life applications such as smart cities, environmental surveillance, health care, precision agriculture and traffic monitoring, has proven to be a game changer. Different IoT hardware and software solutions are merging to meet different application requirements. However, with each new IoT application, there are new challenges to solve, because of the variety of communication protocols, data formats and the heterogeneity of smart objects on the network. Many companies develop middleware platforms to overcome the heterogeneity problems. However, most of these solutions are proprietary, monopolized and developed as vertical proprietary application stacks, so it prevents developers from reusing modules. This paper demonstrates some recent middleware approaches, especially the Service Oriented Architecture for Heterogeneity Issues within the Internet of Things (MSOAH-IoT), designed to solve hardware and software heterogeneity issues within IoT applications. Then proposes an enhancement of the MSOAH-IoT middleware, by implementing new features such as semantic web and context awareness, in order to establish a smart gateway, able to make decisions for automated management, while ensuring connection between heterogeneous smart objects.
Estimating Effect of Total Specific Atmospheric Attenuation on Performance of FSO Communication Link in South Africa
Authors:   Department of Information Technology, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa, Maswikaneng Solly P. , Adebusola Samuel O. , Owolawi Pius A. , Ojo Sunday O.
Published: October 2022

In comparison with Radio Frequency (RF), the Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) provides higher bandwidth, free license operation, and less initial expenditure. However, its susceptibility to changes in atmospheric weather conditions. In this paper, the impact of irradiance fluctuation on FSO systems was estimated using Rytov theory for major cities in South Africa. The extent to which the refractive index structure parameter, propagation distance and link margin affect the optical signal power at the receiver is discussed and the different methods used in evaluating the atmospheric turbulence effect are investigated. In order to achieve the stated aim, meteorological data, altitude, visibility, and wind speed were obtained from the archive of South Africa Weather Services for a period of 3years (2016-2018) over seven locations which include Cape Town, Pretoria, Upington, Bloemfontein, Emalahleni, Polokwane, East London. Results show that Emalahleni was found to possess the poor visibility of 4.4 km because of foggy conditions due to the activities of miners and other environmental factors, followed by East London with average visibility of 4.8 km. From the analysis of link margin, it was shown that FSO link attenuation reduces at higher wavelengths and long link distances due to the effect of geometric and atmospheric losses. The results show that the rate of decrease in link margin is much higher in the inland regions as compared to the coastal regions; therefore, FSO systems are prone to outage during high rainfall and longer range of connections.
New Collaborative Caching Scheme for D2D Content Sharing in 5G
Authors:   Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Rana E.
Published: October 2022

Device-to-Device (D2D) content sharing is an excellent solution to offload the traffic from the core 5G networks and backhaul links. Caching the most popular files at the network edge and in users’ devices to support user proximity services in 5G helps to offload traffic in the core network and increases the cache hit probability. D2D communication in 5G can be utilized to share the cached files between a pair of devices with a minimal involvement from the base station. This paper presents a collaborative content caching scheme with the primary objective to maximize the overall system offloading gain and the cache hit probability in downloading the popular file contents. The proposed system model exploits the social-networking concept within the WiFi Direct radio range, assuming the cell structure present in a densely populated area such as a university campus or an auditorium. The performance of the proposed cache scheme is evaluated through extensive simulations taking into consideration the device mobility and disconnection, and the results are presented.
Distributed Multi Criteria Routed for MPLS-TE Based on Machine Learning: Concept and Applications
Authors:   Department of computer, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, Oubaha Jawad , Ouacha Ali , Echoukairi Hassan
Published: October 2022

MPLS-TE Networks are complex interacting systems, providers integrate absolutely the forwarding equivalent class involving in the dynamic routing algorithm "Dynamic Multi Criteria Routing", especially with network services such as an IPtv, a VPNs or a VoIP with the several types of video streaming and similar user applications, making its flagship technologies of tomorrow. Machine learning is very compatible for this kind of networks. In this paper, we first review how the main machine learning concepts can be integrated in communication networks and discuss concepts, supervised and unsupervised model suitable to the network, data and management strategies, and creating a new architecture of network controls and management tools. We then describe case studies networking in detail, anticipate anomalies at multiple network layers, covering predictive maintenance, descriptive network topology management, capacity optimization. Finally, we prove the importance of this work, and guess an overview of intelligent dynamic networks.
An Overview of the Development of Speaker Recognition Techniques for Various Applications
Authors:   Ain Shams University, Cairo 11517, Egypt, Mohamed Amira A. , Eltokhy Amira , Zekry Abdelhalim A.
Published: October 2022

Speech Enhancement (SE) is a significant research issue in audio signal processing where the goal is to enhance the clarity and quality of speech signals corrupted by noise. Because of its different applications, it becomes a compelling research topic nowadays. The focus of this paper is dedicated to one of these applications which is Speaker recognition. In this paper, the fundamentals and applications of speaker recognition are discussed. A brief study on the performance and the recognition accuracy of different speaker modeling techniques has been conducted. Furthermore, while there have been several studies about the technologies used in speaker recognition, there have been few studies about the applications of speaker recognition, and none of them considers combining or linking the applications and technology in the same study. This overview demonstrates the various technologies that can be used to achieve speaker recognition applications. It aims to give a new perspective of the existing technologies uses in various applications. The paper concludes with discussions on future trends and research opportunities in this area.
Quality and Energy Aware Multipath Routing in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks
Authors:   Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, R Jawwharlal , Devi L. Nirmala
Published: October 2022

In Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSNs), the sensor nodes are capable of acquiring the multimedia information like wildlife tracking, traffic accidents as well scalar data. Because of these factors, the WMSNs have a bright future in both academic and industry circles. Multimedia applications, on the other hand, generate a lot of network traffic, which causes a lot of delay and wastes a lot of energy. In WMSNs, both network duration and quality of service are critical, hence an effective routing algorithm that can manage more data while simultaneously extending network lifetime is necessary. Towards this objective, in this paper, we proposes a Quality Aware Multipath Routing (QAMR) that selects multiple paths based on three reference metrics; they are Expected Transmission Count, Energy and Delay. For a given source and sink node, the QAMR constructs a composite metric by combining these three metrics and selects node disjoint multiple paths. Since the multiple paths with common nodes has less efficiency in data forwarding, we opt for node disjoint paths in which no two paths have one common node. On the proposed system QAMR model, extensive simulation tests are performed, and the outcomes are evaluated using a variety of metrics such as energy consumption, throughput, delay, and packet delivery ratio.
High-Performance Stacked Ensemble Model for Stride Length Estimation with Potential Application in Indoor Positioning Systems
Authors: Duong Hang T. , Hoang Kha M. , Pham Hung V. , Trinh Vu A.
Published: October 2022

The pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) infrastructure-independent positioning method is of particular interest for many researchers due to its effectiveness in indoor positioning systems. The PDR technique consists of three main components including stride detection, movement heading estimation and stride length estimation (SLE). Among those, SLE results can be utilized in numerous applications, such as indoor positioning, disease diagnosis, incident detecting for patient warning, etc.. Traditional solutions for estimating stride length usually have simple structures with short calculation time but they do not ensure the expected accuracy as desired. To enhance the estimated stride length, recently, many solutions employing deep learning based techniques such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), have been developed to improve the SLE result. Although the accuracy in SLE has been improved compared to traditional methods, these deep learning based solutions still remain some limitations, such as complex structure and huge training parameters. This paper proposes some solutions of using machine learning based stacked ensemble model and simple machine learning algorithm to improve the accuracy of SLE while satisfying requirements such as simple structures, short execution time. The experimental results on real field data show that the proposed approaches outperform other state-of-the-art deep learning based methods on both SLE accuracy and computation time by at least 12% more accurate and seven times faster, respectively.
Design of a High-Efficiency Doherty Power Amplifier for 5G Applications Using Wilkinson Power Divider
Authors:   Department of Electrical Engineering, Pan African University, Institute for Basic Sciences Technology and Innovation, PAUSTI, Nairobi-6200-00200, Kenya, Ary Issoufou G. Gremah , Kamucha George N. , Manene Franklin
Published: October 2022

In this paper, a novel Doherty Power Amplifier DPA based on a 10 W gallium-nitride high-electron-mobility transistor (GaN-HEMT) technology is designed using Advanced Design System (ADS) software. In the design, two different single Power Amplifiers (PAs) are combined using a Wilkinson power divider which is also used to connect the power to the load. The designed DPA operates in the range of 2.0-3.0 GHz and aims to achieve high efficiency, wide bandwidth and high output power for 5G applications. Simulation results showed a 40% fractional bandwidth and more than 44 dBm of saturated output power. In addition, the Power-Added Efficiency (PAE) and Drain-efficiency (Deff) are about 77% and 84%, respectively. A comparison with the other previous works shows enhancement in the maximum large-signal gain (L_S_Gain) in the average of 2.5 dB and an average PAE of about 10%. This improvement can be attributed to the deployment of the power divider/combiner proposed in the design and also the optimization of the components during the design.