bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for prolonged mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients with influenza-related acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Hsu Pai-Chi , Lin Yi-Tsung , Kao Kuo-Chin , Peng Chung-Kan , Sheu Chau-Chyun , Liang Shinn-Jye , Chan Ming-Cheng , Wang Hao-Chien , Chen Yu-Mu , Chen Wei-Chih , Yang Kuang-Yao , TSIRC Taiwan Severe Influenza Research Consortium
Published: October 2023

BackgroundPatients with influenza-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are critically ill and require mechanical ventilation (MV) support. Prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) is often seen in these cases and the optimal management strategy is not established. This study aimed to investigate risk factors for PMV and factors related to weaning failure in these patients.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted by eight medical centers in Taiwan. All patients in the intensive care unit with virology-proven influenza-related ARDS requiring invasive MV from January 1 to March 31, 2016, were included. Demographic data, critical illness data and clinical outcomes were collected and analyzed.ResultsThere were 263 patients with influenza-related ARDS requiring invasive MV enrolled during the study period. Seventy-eight patients had PMV. The final weaning rate was 68.8% during 60 days of observation. The mortality rate in PMV group was 39.7%. Risk factors for PMV were body mass index > 25 (kg/m2) [odds ratio (OR) 2.087; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.006~4.329], extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) use (OR 6.181; 95% CI 2.338~16.336), combined bacterial pneumonia (OR 4.115; 95% CI 2.002~8.456) and neuromuscular blockade use over 48 hours (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.334~5.879). In addition, risk factors for weaning failure in PMV patients were ECMO (OR 5.05; 95% CI 1.75-14.58) use and bacteremia (OR 3.91; 95% CI 1.20-12.69).ConclusionsPatients with influenza-related ARDS have high mortality rate. Risk factors for PMV include BMI>25, ECMO use, combined bacterial pneumonia and neuromuscular blockade use over 48 hours. In addition, ECMO use and bacteremia predict unsuccessful weaning in PMV patients.
Brain Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Exercise Improves Methamphetamine-Induced Impairments in Mouse Learning and Memory Abilities
Authors: Huang Qiuyue , Wei Changling , Xu Jisheng , Zheng Tianzhen , Liang Xin , Li Xue
Published: October 2023

Background
Methamphetamine (METH) abuse can inflict severe harm to the human body, particularly the brain, resulting in profound and enduring neurotoxic consequences, which culminate in cognitive dysfunction and impairment of learning and memory. Physical exercise can stimulate both structural and functional adaptations in the central nervous system. The primary objective of this study was to elucidate the safeguarding effect and underlying mechanisms of treadmill exercise intervention in the brains of METH-addicted mice.
Results
Two-month-old adult mice were randomly assigned into three distinct groups: the control group (Group C), receiving intraperitoneal injections of saline; the METH treatment group (Group Ma), exposed to intraperitoneal METH administration; and the exercise group (Group Ea), which underwent a two-week regimen of treadmill exercise intervention following intraperitoneal METH exposure. The conditioned place preference experiment and the Y-maze experiment were executed to evaluate METH addiction and assess learning and memory capabilities, respectively. Subsequently, the mouse brain specimens were harvested for transcriptome sequencing and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis. Transcriptome sequencing analysis identified 316 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Group Ma compared to Group C. Furthermore, 156 DEGs were detected in Group Ea compared to Group Ma. Notably, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis outcomes underscored the substantial association of DEGs, discerned in exercise-intervention mice compared to METH-treated mice, with key signaling pathways, notably the PI3K-Akt, mTOR, and Wnt signaling pathways, among others. Cross-analysis of these DEGs with those induced by METH revealed 43 DEGs in exercise-treated mice, including notable targets, such as NFKBIA, CXCL12, and Vav3.
Conclusion
Our results revealed changes in the expression profile of the brain transcriptome of METH-addicted mice and indicated that treadmill exercise intervention affects the expression changes of the brain transcriptome of METH-addicted mice. The above research results provide unique insights into the further study of the mechanism of treadmill exercise intervention in improving the learning and memory abilities of METH-induced mice.
Communication Scheme for Steganography based on Image Reconstruction Technology with Information-Pixels Conversion
Authors: Zhao Pengbiao , Wang Bintao , Qin Zhen , Ding Yi , Qin Zhiguang , Choo Kim-Kwang Raymond
Published: October 2023

Digital image steganography is a technique for hiding information in an image with the aim of hiding the presence of the information itself. A new steganography without embedding scheme is proposed in this paper to create stego images based only on secret information, in order to avoid image distortion caused by pixel modification-based embedding methods. In this scheme, according to the proposed interconversion algorithm between messages and pixels, the secret message is encoded into pixel format and placed in a blank image in a specified way, which is considered a broken image to be restored. The broken image is repaired by the training network to obtain the stego image. The receiver selects specific stego pixels from the received image and restores them to the delivered secret message according to the inverse of the transformation. In addition, the proposed communication framework supports the choice of different generative network structures, further improving the resistance to steganalysis. The basic generation model was trained and tested on the collected cat face images and bedroom images from the LSUN dataset, respectively, and the steganographic images were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The final experimental results verify that the framework achieves satisfactory performance in steganography capacity and information recovery rate compared with other methods without embedding.
Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging: A Method to Improve the Accuracy of Sentinel Lymph Node Diagnosis in Breast Cancer
Authors: Su Shanshan , Ye Jiayi , Ke Helin , Zhong Huohu , Xu Zhirong , Li Rongbin
Published: October 2023

This study assessed the utility of multimodal ultrasound in enhancing the accuracy of breast cancer sentinel lymph node (SLN) diagnosis. Preoperative examinations, including two-dimensional ultrasound (2D US), intradermal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), intravenous CEUS, shear-wave elastography (SWE), and surface localization, were conducted on 86 SLNs from breast cancer patients. The diagnostic performance of single and multimodal approaches for detecting metastatic SLNs was compared to postoperative pathological results. Among the 86 SLNs, 29 were pathologically diagnosed as metastatic, and 57 as non-metastatic. Single-modality ultrasounds had AUC values of 0.826 (intradermal CEUS), 0.705 (intravenous CEUS), 0.678 (2D US), and 0.677 (SWE), respectively. Intradermal CEUS significantly outperformed the other methods (p < 0.05), while the remaining three methods had no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05). Multimodal ultrasound, combining intradermal CEUS, intravenous CEUS, 2D US, and SWE, achieved an AUC of 0.893, with 86.21% sensitivity and 84.21% specificity. The DeLong test confirmed that multimodal ultrasound was significantly better than the four single-modal ultrasound methods (p < 0.05). Decision curve analysis and clinical impact curves demonstrated the superior performance of multimodal ultrasound in identifying high-risk SLN patients. In summary, multimodal ultrasound improves breast cancer SLN identification and diagnostic accuracy.
Wind- and rain-driven macroplastic mobilization and transport on land
Authors: Mellink Yvette A.M. , Emmerik Tim H.M. van , Mani Thomas
Published: October 2023

Wind and rain are considered main drivers of mobilization and transport of macroplastics on land, yet there is a lack of empirical data that quantifies this. We present lab experiment results on land-based macroplastic mobilization and transport. We placed four types of macroplastics on terrains with varying surface roughness and slope angles, and exposed them to changing wind speeds and rain intensities. In general, we find that the mobilization probability and transport velocity of macroplastics strongly depend on the combination of the terrain characteristics and material properties. At Beaufort 3, 100% of the plastic bags were mobilized, whereas the for the other plastic less than 50% as mobilized. We find higher mobilization probabilities on land (grass: factor 1.5; paved: factor 5) than assumed by existing plastic transport models. Macroplastic transport velocities were positively correlated with wind speed, but not with rain intensity. This suggests that macroplastics are not transported on land by rain unless surface runoff develops that can bring the macroplastics afloat. Macroplastic transport velocities were, driven by wind, 1.9 and, driven by rain, 4.9 times faster on paved surfaces than on grass. This study enhances our understanding of land-based macroplastic transport and provides an empirical basis for models.
Uncertainty due to sampling in the quantitative NMR analysis of lignin
Authors: Pawade Shrikant Shivaji , Toom Lauri , Herodes Koit , Leito Ivo
Published: October 2023

In recent years, lignin analysis utilizing quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) has drawn much interest and has been the subject of numerous articles. However, evaluating the measurement uncertainty of lignin qNMR results is still a challenge. Specifically, uncertainty originating from lignin sampling or subsampling has been overlooked in the large majority of the articles. Although lignin is a reasonably homogeneous substance, it is nevertheless a solid, and separate samples collected for the analysis from the same bulk may have somewhat different compositions depending on mixing and the amount of sample taken. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the influence of the sampling uncertainty on the qNMR analysis of lignin on the basis of a case study. In our experiments, we have demonstrated that sample-to-sample variations contribute to about half of the variability coming from the quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) measurements. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of sample-to-sample variability was 2.4%, while the other sources of variability related to qNMR, including measurement, baseline irregularities, and partial peak overlap caused RSD 4.4%. The total variability RSD was 5.0%. We present two calculation approaches for evaluating uncertainty due to sampling from replicate measurement data of different samples, which may be helpful for practitioners in the field.
Status of the resistance of selected rice (Oryzasativa) varieties to bacterial blight strains in Senegal
Authors: DOSSOU Akossan Bernadin , Foncéka Daniel , Tall Hamidou , kane Ardo Ndjido , Faye Ndaw Omar , Sambakhe Diarietou , Szurek Boris , Onaga Geoffrey , Manneh Baboucarr , Diédhiou Papa Madiallacké
Published: October 2023

Rice plays an important role in achieving and maintaining food and nutritional security in the world. However, its productivity is affected by various constraints, including biotic and abiotic stresses, and several socio-economic constraints. Regarding biotic factors, bacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a major bacterial disease that causes severe yield losses of more than 70%, thereby threatening food and income security in most rice growing countries, including Senegal. Optimal control of this disease requires the use of host plant resistance, as it is economical and environmentally sustainable. Nevertheless, in the context of Senegal, the available sources of resistance are limited, and the potential for resistance among Senegalese rice varieties has been inadequately investigated. In this study we evaluated local rice germplasms for resistance to bacterial blight in Senegal. A trial was conducted in glasshouse conditions using a split-plot experimental design with 32 rice varieties as the main factor and five strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) as the secondary factor. Seven (07) of the popular rice varieties, including two (02) lowland (TOX 728-1 and BG 90 − 2), four (04) irrigated (ISRIZ 04, ISRIZ 05, ISRIZ 14 and SAHEL 202) and the variety GIGANTE exhibited full resistance against all strains tested. These varieties are suggested to be grown in Xoo-prone areas, and can be used for improving the resistance of other commercial varieties in other regions where Xoo is prevalent. A significant interaction between strains and varieties was detected, suggesting that pathogen race diversity may contribute to the determination of rice resistance to Xoo strains in Senegal. Among all bacterial strains, S82-4-1 of the race S4 exhibited the highest virulence. This strain can be used as reference for screening rice varieties in West-Africa.
Association Between Remnant Cholesterol and Risk of Asthma: NHANES 2005 - 2018
Authors: Zheng Ya-Fang , Liao Wan-Zhe , Zhong Yi , Qu Jia-Kang , Chen Geng-Jia , Guo Xu-Guang
Published: October 2023

Introduction
Remnant cholesterol is an important lipid substance that plays multiple physiological functions in the human body. It plays multiple physiological functions in the human body. Asthma is a common and widespread disease that affects chronic respiratory disease in the global population. In this study, we paid special attention to whether remnant cholesterol was associated with asthma.
Methods
Residual cholesterol levels were divided into continuous and binary variables as exposure variables and asthma as outcome variable. Other covariables are considered potential confounders that may act as effect modulators. Using seven combined circles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2018, this cross-sectional study sought a clear association between exposure and outcome through multiple regression models, subgroup analysis, and smoothed curve fitting tests.
Results
In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, a negative association was discovered between remnant cholesterol levels and the risk of asthma, with all confounders adjusted except smoking status and COPD. In subgroup analyses stratified by COPD, smoking status, and gender, never-smoking and COPD patients followed a U-shaped curve, andfemales followed a positive association, which was revealed intuitively by smooth fitting curves.
Conclusions
Remnant cholesterol levels are inversely associated with the development of asthma. However, the association between remaining cholesterol levels and asthma events in never-smoking and COPD patients followed a U-shaped curve, with females following a positive association.
Relationships between perceived social support, financial toxicity, and negative emotions following surgical treatment for lung cancer: a single-center analysis of high-middle income region in China
Authors: Xiao Julan , Luo Weixiang , Liu Lili , Xie Yanheng , Cheng Sijiao Sijiao , Lin Binghu , An Huai , Qin Lansong , Chen Fengjiao , Wen Yi , Peng Yueming
Published: October 2023

Objective: There is little research on the relationships between perceived social support, financial toxicity, and negative emotions in lung cancer patients in China. This study amed to explore the relationships between perceived social support, financial toxicity and negative emotions in lung cancer patients with surgical treatment.
Methods: A total of 447 lung cancer patients were recruited, participants completed the Comprehensive Scores for Financial Toxicity based on Patient-Reported Outcome Measures, the Chinese version of the Negative Emotion Screening Scale for Inpatients, and the Perceived Social Support Scale. The hypothesized relations were explored using structural equation modeling via the bootstrap method. The study methods were compliant with the STROBE checklist.
Results: Nearly half (42.51%, n=190) of the participants experienced financial toxicity. Negative emotions was negatively associated with perceived social support (r = -0.13) and negatively associated with financial toxicity (r = -0.50). Perceived social support was positively correlated with financial toxicity (r = 0.26). Financial toxicity negatively predicted negative emotions (β = −0.504). Social support and financial toxicity could explain 25.3% of the variance in patients’ negative emotions. Social support positively predicted financial toxicity (β = 0.257) and explained 6.60% of the variance in financial toxicity. Furthermore, financial toxicity could mediate the relationship between perceived social support and negative emotions (b = -0.124; 95% confidence interval: -0.182, -0.086).
Conclusion: Perceived social support can relieve lung cancer patients’ negative emotions, while financial toxicity can increase it. Perceived social support can also positively influence patients’ financial toxicity. Therefore, perceived social support should be enhanced to relieve patients’ financial toxicity and decrease their distress.
Comparison of knee cartilage biomechanics in finite element analysis using inputs from AnyBody and OpenSim
Authors: Peitola Joose P. J. , Esrafilian Amir , Eskelinen Atte S. A. , Andersen Michael S. , Korhonen Rami K.
Published: October 2023

Musculoskeletal (MS) modeling is an effective technique for examining body- and joint-level motion and loading. In knee joint models, the obtained joint kinematics and kinetics from the MS analysis are often used as inputs to finite element (FE) analysis to produce estimates for tissue-level responses. Previous research has explored how body- and joint-level estimates might be altered when using different MS modeling software, but there is a lack of information about the possible effects on tissue-level analysis. The aim of this study was to compare the cartilage tissue-level mechanics in subject-specific FE models with kinematic and kinetic inputs obtained from two widely used models, one applied in AnyBody and one in OpenSim. Motion data from gait trials of two healthy subjects were used with two commonly utilized MS models, one from each MS software. The obtained MS estimates were then used as inputs to the FE analysis, which was implemented in ABAQUS. Although the resulting cartilage mechanics were mostly comparable, the AnyBody- driven FE model estimated slightly higher maximum principal stresses in the medial cartilage for both subjects. The OpenSim-driven FE model estimated more anterior and lateral center of pressure in the lateral tibial cartilage, and more posterior in the medial tibial cartilage. Understanding and acknowledging these differences due to changes in the modeling environment is important to ensure reliable and accurate analysis of tissue-level knee mechanics, e.g., when predicting knee osteoarthritis progression and the effects of rehabilitations.
Relationship between interlaminar angle and the superior articular process removal range in patients with lumbar disc herniation during Percutaneous Endoscopic Interlaminar Discectomy: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kong Xiangzhen , Wang Zihao , Zhu Xuetao , Zhang Yuanqiang , Wei Jianlu , Wei Zhijian , Cheng Lei
Published: October 2023

Objective:
Explore the relationship between the superior articular process removal range (SAPR) during Percutaneous Endoscopic Interlaminar Discectomy （PEID）and the interlaminar angle (ILA). In addition, we assessed the relationship between other imaging parameters and surgical difficulty.
Methods:
Collect the data of 237 patients who underwent PEID at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University. Measure the imaging data, such as ILA, facet angle (FA), facet joint medial distance (FMD), and the SAPR, and compare their statistical difference.
Results:
SAPR is negatively related to ILA(P<0.05). For patients with the L4/L5 segment operation, the average SAPR is 6.15±3.02mm. The SAPR of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 47.50-72.52° was 9.06±1.70mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 72.71-86.06° was 7.30±1.22mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 86.31-96.37° was 6.50±1.48mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 97.10-118.68° was 1.86±1.17mm. For patients with the L5/S1 segment operation, the average SAPR is 4.81±2.17mm. The SAPR of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 54.48-86.22° was 7.22±0.79mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 87.30-98.60° was 5.72±1.06mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 98.80-107.06° was 4.43±0.90mm. That of the patients with surgical segment ILA of 108.53-141.00° was 1.98±1.26mm. Interestingly, the ILA is also closely related to the operation time and operation difficulty score(P<0.05).
Conclusions:
Smaller ILA tends to be associated with more SAPR during the PEID. In addition, The smaller the ILA, the more difficult it is to expose the key anatomical structures, which leads to an increase in operation difficulty and longer operation time.
COT2DNet: Contextual 2D Attention for Scene Text Recognition
Authors: Qian Yefei , Ibrayim Mayire , Hamdulla Askar , Zhang Chunhu
Published: October 2023

Although scene text recognition (STR) methods have made great progress, reading the text of irregularly shaped scenes remains a challenge. The current conversion of two-dimensional (2D) images to one-dimensional (1D) feature maps for sequence recognition may lose a large amount of spatial information and cannot recognize text with a large degree of curvature. In this paper, we propose an network infrastructure to recognize texts of arbitrary shapes, named Contextual 2D Attention for Scene Text Recognition Network (COT2DNet). Firstly, deformable convolution is added to the feature extraction module, which can perform feature extraction according to the shape of the character and expand the receptive field of feature extraction, in the Transformer encoding stage, the multi-head attention is changed to Contextual 2D Multi-head Attention (COT2D), which can makes full use of contextual information between Q,K,V neighbouring keys to facilitate attentional learning, which improves the model's ability to perceive contextual information in text image recognition tasks, and at the same time can effectively learn complex background image feature representations. Due to the full-image propagation property, it may be inefficient to capture short-term dependencies using multi-stacked attentional blocks, and Multiscale position feedforward (CFEED) is used to acquire short-term dependencies for 2D images. Thus, the model can capture features of text images at multiple scales. Experiments show that, together with a visual model-based recogniser, COT2DNet significantly improves lexical contextual links, achieving state-of-the-art performance in public benchmarking.
Anaerobic Digestion of Macrophytes (Lemna Minor, Spirodela intermedia, Spirodela Polyrhiza and Wolffia Columbiana) And Anaerobic Sludge From Uasb Reactor: Effect of I/S Ratio (Inoculum/substrate) and Temperature
Authors: Hoyos Nestor Leonel Muñoz , Júnior Jose Carlos Alves Barroso , Silva Maria Cristina de Almeida , Monteggia Luiz Olinto
Published: October 2023

The present study aimed to explore floating macrophytes biogas and methane production potential (Lemna minor, Wolffia columbiana, Spirodela polyrhiza, and Spirodela intermedia) through the digestion process using anaerobic sludge from a UASB reactor as inoculum. Substrate (macrophytes) and inoculum (anaerobic sludge) came from domestic wastewater treatment. Two exploratory trials were conducted at different operating conditions to determine their influence on biogas and methane production. The assays were carried out using biodigesters with a volume of 50 liters and operated in batches, using macrophyte in nature. The experiments were carried out in triplicates for blank (anaerobic sludge) and different I/S ratios (inoculum/substrate). In Test 1, who evaluated four I/S ratios (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0), biodigesters operation occurred under winter temperature conditions (mean 18±2.4°C) for 66 days. Test 2 evaluated the effect of temperature on biogas and methane production in the biodigesters. This experiment maintained the same I/S ratios of Test 1, but at summer temperature (26.6±1.1°C), and the duration of the batches was 37 days. The results obtained in the operational conditions tested in this work indicated that the biomass of macrophytes contributed positively to the increase in biogas and methane production. The highest yields (YCH4) achieved in winter and summer conditions were for I/S=2.0 with 184 NmL CH4/gVS and for I/S=1.0 with 323.3 NmL CH4/gVS, respectively. It evidenced that biogas and methane production varied in function of the operational parameter I/S that determines the amount of substrate fed in the biodigesters and the test application temperature.
Comparison of CRIB-II with SNAPPE-II as predictor of mortality and neurodevelopmental outcome at 12 months of age for newborns ≤ 32 weeks of gestational age
Authors: Bayen Abhinandan , Sk Md Habibullah , Chaudhuri Saugata , Saha Bijan
Published: October 2023

Premature births before 32 weeks of gestation pose a significant challenge in perinatal healthcare, with an increasing global trend. To ensure appropriate care and resource allocation, assessing the severity of neonatal illnesses is crucial. In this context, the study assessed CRIB-II and SNAPPE-II, two widely used scoring systems for newborn illness severity. These systems consider both perinatal and postnatal variables, providing comprehensive assessments. This prospective observational study conducted in an Eastern Indian tertiary care children's hospital between February 2021 and August 2022 aimed to evaluate and compare the predictive capabilities of two scoring systems, CRIB-II and SNAPPE-II, for in-hospital mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestational age. Results showed that both CRIB-II (AUC of 0.862, 95% CI: 0.745–0.939) and SNAPPE-II (AUC of 0.919 95% CI: 0.816–0.975) demonstrated similar predictive abilities for neonatal mortality (difference: 0.057, 95% CI: -0.044 to 0.16, p-value 0.268). However, when it came to predicting long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months corrected gestational age, SNAPPE-II maintained significance, while CRIB-II did not. The discrepancy in their performance over time emphasizes the complexity of predicting long-term outcomes in very preterm infants. Conclusion: This study suggests that CRIB-II and SNAPPE-II are comparable in predicting neonatal mortality. Given their similarity, CRIB-II may be preferred for its practicality in high-capacity NICUs. However, further research is needed to assess these systems' utility in comparing later neurodevelopmental outcomes and to explore the impact of new factors on their predictive accuracy.
The presence of a pet dog is associated with a more balanced response to a social stressor
Authors: Morris Kevin , Gandenberger Jaci , Ledreux Aurelie , Taeckens Ashley , Murphy Kerry , Forkin Jenni , Gilmore Anah
Published: October 2023

Acute and chronic stress have physical manifestations in the human body that can lead to many negative health impacts. Today, people around the world report and experience higher stress levels than ever before, spurring the search for non-pharmaceutical interventions to maintain healthy stress levels. In this study, we examined whether a pet dog's presence influences healthy adults' acute stress responses. Participating pet dog owners were randomly assigned to undergo the Trier Social Stress Test either with their pet dog or alone. Participants undergoing the acute psychological stressor with their pet dogs present had significantly lower heart rates, lower plasma cortisol response, and higher salivary alpha-amylase response than people without their dogs. Those who participated without their dog had a statistically flat alpha amylase response, which is typically associated with extreme or pathological stress. These findings extend the potential effect of pet dogs beyond merely lowering their owner’s stress levels to maintaining a healthier, balanced response across the sympatho-adrenal medullary axis and hypothalamic-pituitary axes.
New-Onset Seizure in a Case with 109 kb Interstitial Deletion of Chromosome 7q33: Case Report
Authors: Almalki Ashwaq , Castello Michael , Peters Jonathan , Alhasanat Odai , Bui Jonathan
Published: October 2023

We report a case of interstitial deletion of chromosome 7q33 in a 4-year-old male who had dysmorphic features such as microcephaly, short stature, developmental and language delay, and a new-onset seizure with status epilepticus. This deletion is unique because it is the smallest deletion reported to date within this region of chromosome 7. We aim to expand the knowledge base of this deletion and to further characterize its neurological phenotypes.
We present a case of interstitial deletion involving chromosome 7q33 in a 4-year-old male exhibiting dysmorphic features, including microcephaly, short stature, developmental and language delays, and a recent onset seizure progressing to status epilepticus. This deletion stands out as the smallest one documented within the 7q33 region to date. Our objective is to enhance the understanding of this deletion and provide a more comprehensive characterization of its associated neurological phenotypes.
Aggregating the response in time series lag models using Quad weight kernel: Impact of Environmental Factors on Schizophrenia Admissions
Authors: Thomas Jobin , Parameswaran Murali
Published: October 2023

In time series data where a data point has a delayed impact on dependent variables, distributed lag models (DLM) such as Distributed Lag Non-linear Model (DLNM) and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) are applicable. Several articles have shown the impact of air pollutants and atmosphere factors like temperature and relative humidity on health. In this paper, we use environmental data (pollutants & climate variables) and daily hospital admissions of schizophrenia patients, to analyze the impact of pollution and climate factors on the hospital admissions in Bengaluru, India. In this work, we are using Number of Admissions (NoA) to hospitals as a proxy for the incidence of schizophrenia emergence. We have explored the applicability of Non-linear ARDL and aggregating responses in DLNM (DLNM-Ag.R) technique. DLNM-Ag.R using Epanechnikov kernel showed improved performance over DLNM by 25%, 15%, 17% and 72% for performance metrices MSE, MAE, MAPE and R2 respectively. Within aggregation methods, we have introduced a quad-weight kernel that further improved performance over Epanechnikov kernel by 17% in terms of MSE.
Immune recovery uveitis in Whipple’s disease: an unusual ocular presentation
Authors: LEQUAIN Hippolyte , ABRAMOWICZ Stéphane , SEILLER Julien , ABUKHASHBAH Amro , BURILLON Carole , VIGNOT Emmanuelle , BRUNET Olivier , SÈVE Pascal
Published: October 2023

Purpose
To describe an unusual case of Whipple’s disease (WD) complicated by uveitis, and subsequent paradoxical worsening after effective antibiotic treatment targeting Tropheryma whipplei (TW).
Methods
Case report.
Results
A 53-year-old male presented with bilateral knee arthritis, weight loss, chronic low-grade fever, and cognitive disorders. He was under treatment with tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFi) for seronegative spondyloarthritis. Given this unusual clinical presentation, further investigations were performed and revealed blood, saliva, stool, synovial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid positivity for TW, confirming the diagnosis of systemic WD. Ophthalmologic examination revealed bilateral posterior uveitis and an aqueous humor sample confirmed the presence of intraocular TW. TNFi were stopped, and the patient was subsequently treated with adequate antibiotics (ceftriaxone, followed by doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine), and subconjunctival corticosteroid injections. After a transient improvement of the ocular symptoms, he presented a recurrence of posterior segment inflammation, leading to repeated PCR testing for TW which were negative. Therefore, paradoxical worsening of the inflammation in the context of immune recovery uveitis (IRU) was thought to be the culprit. The patient was treated with systemic corticosteroid therapy, allowing for rapid improvement of the ocular findings.
Conclusions
This case underlines the possibility of IRU complicating WD. Ophthalmologists, rheumatologists, and internists should be aware of this rare complication, particularly in the context of previous immunosuppressive therapy.
ETFE RFID Tag with heteroatom-doped conductive carbon by screen print
Authors: Fu Hao , Chen Guang , Gao Junchang , Wu Yadong
Published: October 2023

The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag in Internet of Things (IoT) applications lacks high-performance substrates to meet the growing demand. Surprisingly, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) is the strongest and toughest fluoroplastic, which maintains good heat resistance and chemical resistance, possessing strong mechanical properties as well, suiting for RFID tag substrate materials. Herein, we have demonstrated a simple route for the made of RFID tag via self-made ETFE membrane and heteroatom-doped conductive carbon screen printing technology. The ETFE membrane that can be produced on a large scale by using extrusion calendaring method.The highly conductive heteroatom-doped conductive carbon is produced using solvothermal method. Using simple screen printing technology prepare the RFID tag. The ETFE membrane exhibits excellent mechanical properties, combined with the excellent conductivity of heteroatom-doped conductive carbon, providing a high-quality and high-performance substrate selection for RFID tag.
Impact of upper tract urothelial carcinoma history on patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing intravesical chemotherapy
Authors: Wang Fei , Ji Jiaxiang , Lai Chin-Hui , Wang Mingrui , Hu Haopu , Song Yuxuan , Du Yiqing , Xu Kexin , Hu Hao , Xu Tao
Published: October 2023

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the impact of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) history on prognosis in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) receiving intravesical chemotherapy.
Patients and methods: We conducted a single center, retrospective study of 444 NMIBC patients who received intravesical chemotherapy after transurethral resection of the bladder cancer at Peking University People's Hospital from 2000 to 2015. Patients were divided into UTUC-NMIBC group (with UTUC history) and primary NMIBC group (without UTUC history). Demographic, clinical and pathologic factors were analyzed. Kaplan–Meier curves and the log-rank test were used to depict and compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between the two groups. Multivariable Cox regression models were constructed to determine the variables associated with RFS and PFS.
Results: Compared to the primary NMIBC group (n=410), the UTUC-NMIBC group (n=34) had an older median age (median age, 72.0 [65.0-81.0] vs 66.0 [58.0-75.0] years; P=0.007), a higher incidence of multiple tumors (52.9% vs 33.9%; P=0.026) and a higher recurrence rate (52.9% vs 30.7%; P=0.008) and worse RFS (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, UTUC history was an independent risk factor for recurrence (hazard ratio=2.257; P=0.001), but not for progression. Interestingly, subgroup analysis indicated recent UTUC history (≤24 months between UTUC and NMIBC diagnoses) were associated with increased recurrence rates (73.7% vs 26.7%; P=0.014).
Conclusion: Presence of UTUC history was an independent risk factor for recurrence in patients with NMIBC who received intravesical chemotherapy, which should be considered when developing treatment plan.
Saikosaponin B1/D alleviate dextran sulfate sodium- induced colitis via regulating the NRF2/HO-1 pathway to inhibit the ferroptosis in zebrafish
Authors: Hu Huimei , Zheng Kangdi , Xu Xiaoying , Li Boyi , Yin Qiuxiong , Zeng Haizhou , Jiang Yupeng , Zhang Zhao , Ma Sheng-Suo , Chen Tao , Qian Guoqiang
Published: October 2023

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and recurrent gastrointestinal inflammation, the pathophysiological mechanisms of that is not fully understood, and the current conventional treatment drugs are often associated with serious side effects. Saikosaponins(SSs) are the main active component of Bupleurum chinense DC. (BC). Saikosaponin A has been reported to have a positive effect on the remission of DSS induced colitis.
Aim: However, the studies on the mechanism and safety of SSs are still limited.
Materials and methods: We established zebrafish colitis model induced by sodium glucan sulfate (DSS) and gave intervention treatment with different saikosaponins.
Results : It was found that saikosaponin B1 (SSB1) and saikosaponin D (SSD) had the most prominent inhibitory ability on neutrophils infiltration in the larval intestine among the 6 saikosaponin monomers. In this study, we explored the effect and mechanism of SSB1 and SSD on DSS induced colitis in zebrafish. The results showed that both SSB1 and SSD could reduce the histological injury, tissue inflammatory cytokines and ROS expression in zebrafish. Moreover, we observed that both SSB1 and SSD significantly inhibited ferroptosis in DSS stimulated zebrafish colitis. In Conclusion: conclusion, our results suggested that Saikosaponin B1/D play a protective role in inhibiting ferroptosis by up-regulating NRF2/HO-1 pathway.
Whether vasectomy affects male sexual function and whether depression and anxiety occur after the procedure？
Authors: Fang Yang , Meijing Wang , Xiucheng Lan , Junjun Li , Liang Dong , Chunyan Fang , Degui Chang , Xujun Yu
Published: October 2023

A considerable number of male patients express apprehension regarding the potential correlation between vasectomy and sexual functionality, and worrying about affecting the couple's quality of sexual life and causing anxiety and depression. We investigated 306 male patients who sought vasectomy surgery between March 2016 and February 2022 at the Reproductive Women and Children's Hospital affiliated with Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We assessed patients' postoperative erectile status, ejaculation status, and depression and anxiety mainly by means of rating scales, including International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), the Chinese Index of Premature Ejaculation (CIPE), Zungs Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). Descriptive statistics (t-test, analysis of variance, rank sum test) detail the effect of vasectomy on IIEF-5, CIPE, SDS, SAS in men of different age groups.The results of age analysis showed that IIEF-5 and CIPE scores improved before and after ligation in different age groups (P < 0.05), with IIEF-5 scores improving the most in the age range of 30–39 years (205, 66.34%) (P = 0.00);Vasectomy does not affect male sexual satisfaction or erections, increases male patients' sexual confidence and desire, and does not cause or increase anxiety or depressive symptoms in men.
Exploring the Potential of Residual Impurities in Germanium Detectors for Low-Mass Dark Matter Detection
Authors: Mei Dongming
Published: October 2023

The pursuit of low-mass dark matter detection hinges on achieving an unprecedentedly low energy detection threshold. Germanium (Ge) detectors, when meticulously tailored with precise impurity compositions, hold the promise of expanding their sensitivity to energy levels below the sub-electronvolt (sub-eV) range. In this study, we embark on an exploration of residual impurities inherent to Ge detectors, focusing on their behavior at helium temperatures. These impurity atoms undergo a captivating freeze-out phenomenon, transitioning into localized states known as excited dipole states. Through compelling evidence derived from the measurement of relative capacitance, we elucidate the transition of impurity atoms from free charge states to these localized dipole states, as the temperature plummets from 11 K to 6.5 K. Our investigation encompasses the intricate formation of these dipole states in both n-type and p-type impurities. Furthermore, we shed light on the electric field generated by these dipole states, unveiling their capacity to ensnare charges and foster the creation of cluster dipole states. Drawing from prior measurements, we affirm that these excited dipole states exhibit a binding energy of less than 10 meV, thus forging a path toward an exceptionally low detection threshold for low-mass dark matter. Capitalizing on this concept, we propose the development of a 1-kg Ge detector equipped with internal charge amplification, an innovative approach poised to surpass electrical noise and, in turn, empower the detection of low-mass dark matter with unprecedented sensitivity.
The patient’s first point of contact (PINPOINT) – protocol of a prospective multicenter study of communication and decision-making during patient assessments by primary care registered nurses
Authors: Sundler Annelie J , Hedén Lena , Holmström Inger K , vanDulmen Sandra , Bergman Karin , Östensson Sofia , Östman Malin
Published: October 2023

Background
A major challenge for primary care is to set priorities and balance demands with available resources. The registered nurses in this study are practice nurses working in primary care offices, playing a large role in initial assessments. The overall objective of this research is to investigate practices of communication and decision-making during nurses’ initial assessment of patients’ health problems in primary care, examine working mechanisms in good practices and develop feasible solutions.
Methods
Project PINPOINT aims for a prospective multicenter study using various methods for data collection and analysis. A purposive sample of 150 patient‒nurse consultations, including 30 nurses and 150 patients, will be recruited at primary care centers in three different geographic areas of southwest Sweden. The study will report on outcomes of communication practices in relation to patient-reported expectations and experiences, communication processes and patient involvement, assessment and decision-making, related priorities and value conflicts with data from patient questionnaires, audio-recorded real-time communication, and reflective interviews with nurses.
Discussion
This research will contribute to the knowledge needed for the guidance of first-line decision-making processes to best meet patient and public health needs. This knowledge is necessary for the development of assessments and decisions to be better aligned to patients and to set priorities. Insights from this research can empower patients and service providers and help understand and enhance feasible person-centered communication strategies tailored to patients’ level of health literacy. More specifically, this research will contribute to knowledge that can strengthen nurses' communication, assessments, and clinical decision-making in primary care. In the long term, this will contribute to how the competencies of practice nurses and other professionals are organized and carried out to make the best use of the resources within primary care.
Trial registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06067672.
Effects of co-sleeping on the sleep pattern in young preschoolers: an observational cross-sectional study
Authors: Garrido Felipe , González-Caballero Juan-Luis , García Pilar , Gianni Maria-Lorella , Garrido Silvia , Gonzalez Lucia , Atance Verónica , Raffaeli Genny , Cavallaro Giacomo
Published: October 2023

Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the association between co-sleeping practiced during the first year of life and preschoolers' sleep patterns.
Methods
A prospective, cross-sectional study was designed to analyze including preschoolers between the ages of 12 and 30 months. The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire validated in Spanish was used to measure sleep quality. A latent class analysis was performed to identify qualitative subgroups in the sample and explore the effects of co-sleeping and other variables.
Results
The sleep patterns of 276 children were finally analyzed. A total of 181 (65.6%) mothers reported having practiced co-sleeping with their children. The latent class analysis identified a two-class solution with two different sleep patterns. One of them showed a worse quality sleep pattern. This pattern, defined as "Sleep-Disordered Pattern", showed a significant association with having practiced co-sleeping during the first year of life. In the logistic regression model, having practiced co-sleeping during the first year resulted to be independently associated with the "Sleep-Disordered Pattern" (odds ratio 2.83).
Conclusions
Based on the present findings co-sleeping during the first year of life appears to be associated with poor sleep patterns of young preschoolers.
Prominent tauopathy and intracellular β-amyloid accumulation triggered by genetic deletion of cathepsin D: Implications for Alzheimer disease pathogenesis
Authors: Terron Heather M. , Parikh Sagar J. , Abdul-Hay Samer O. , Sahara Tomoko , Kang Dongcheul , Dickson Dennis W. , Saftig Paul , LaFerla Frank M. , Lane Shelley , Leissring Malcolm A.
Published: October 2023

Background
Cathepsin D (CatD) is a lysosomal protease that degrades both the amyloid-β protein (Aβ) and the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which accumulate pathognomonically in Alzheimer disease (AD), but few studies have examined the role of CatD in the development of Aβ pathology and tauopathy in vivo.
Methods
CatD knockout (KO) mice were crossed to human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP) transgenic mice, and amyloid burden was quantified by ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Tauopathy in CatD-KO mice, as initially suggested by Gallyas silver staining, was further characterized by extensive IHC and biochemical analyses. Controls included human tau transgenic mice (JNPL3) and another mouse model characterized by pronounced lysosomal dysfunction (Krabbe A). Additional experiments examined the effects of CatD inhibition on tau catabolism in vitro and in cultured neuroblastoma cells with inducible expression of human tau.
Results
Deletion of CatD in hAPP transgenic mice triggers large increases in cerebral Aβ, manifesting as intense, exclusively intracellular aggregates; extracellular Aβ deposition, by contrast, is neither triggered by CatD deletion, nor affected in older, haploinsufficient mice. Unexpectedly, CatDKO mice were found to develop prominent tauopathy by just ~ 3 weeks of age, accumulating sarkosyl-insoluble, hyperphosphorylated tau exceeding the pathology in aged JNPL3 mice. CatDKO mice exhibit pronounced perinuclear Gallyas silver staining reminiscent of mature neurofibrillary tangles in human AD, together with widespread phospho-tau immunoreactivity. Striking increases in sarkosyl-insoluble phospho-tau (~ 1250%) are present in CatD-KO mice, but notably absent from Krabbe A mice collected at an identical antemortem interval. In vitro and in cultured cells, we show that tau catabolism is slowed by blockade of CatD proteolytic activity, including via competitive inhibition by Aβ42.
Conclusions
Our findings support a major role for CatD in the proteostasis of both Aβ and tau in vivo. To our knowledge, CatD-KO mice are the only model to develop detectable Aβ acumulation and profound tauopathy in the absence of overexpression of hAPP or human tau with disease-associated mutations. Given that tauopathy emerges from disruption of CatD, which can itself be potently inhibited by Aβ42, our findings suggest that impaired CatD activity may represent a key mechanism linking amyloid accumulation and tauopathy in AD.