bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diverse disease processes of group AStreptococcusinfection including severe invasive infections among members of a family
Authors: Amari Kaori , Tago Masaki , Katsuki Naoko E , Yamashita Shu-ichi
Published: April 2021

We herein report three cases of group AStreptococcus(GAS) infection in a family. Patient 1, a 50-year-old woman, was transferred to our hospital in shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome, swelling in the right neck and erythemata on both lower extremities. She required intubation because of laryngeal oedema. At the same time, patient 2, a 48-year-old man, was admitted because of septic shock, pneumonia and a pulmonary abscess. Five days later, patient 3, a 91-year-old woman, visited our clinic with bloody stool. All three patients were cured by antibiotics, and GAS was detected by specimen cultures. During these patients’ clinical course, an 84-year-old woman was found dead at home after having been diagnosed with type A influenza. All four patients lived in the same apartment. The GAS genotypes detected in the first three patients were identical. When treating patients with GAS, appropriate management of close contacts is mandatory.
Continued versus discontinued oxytocin stimulation in the active phase of labour (CONDISOX): double blind randomised controlled trial
Authors: Boie Sidsel , Glavind Julie , Uldbjerg Niels , Steer Philip J , Bor Pinar
Published: April 2021

Objective

To determine whether discontinuing oxytocin stimulation in the active phase of induced labour is associated with lower caesarean section rates.

Design

International multicentre, double blind, randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Nine hospitals in Denmark and one in the Netherlands between 8 April 2016 and 30 June 2020.

Participants

1200 women stimulated with intravenous oxytocin infusion during the latent phase of induced labour.

Intervention

Women were randomly assigned to have their oxytocin stimulation discontinued or continued in the active phase of labour.

Main outcome measure

Delivery by caesarean section.

Results

A total of 607 women were assigned to discontinuation and 593 to continuation of the oxytocin infusion. The rates of caesarean section were 16.6% (n=101) in the discontinued group and 14.2% (n=84) in the continued group (relative risk 1.17, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 1.53). In 94 parous women with no previous caesarean section, the caesarean section rate was 7.5% (11/147) in the discontinued group and 0.6% (1/155)

in the continued group (relative risk 11.6, 1.15 to 88.7). Discontinuation was associated with longer duration of labour (median from randomisation to delivery 282
v
201 min; P<0.001), a reduced risk of hyperstimulation (20/546 (3.7%)
v
70/541 (12.9%); P<0.001), and a reduced risk of fetal heart rate abnormalities (153/548 (27.9%)
v
219/537 (40.8%); P<0.001) but rates of other adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar between groups.

Conclusions

In a setting where monitoring of the fetal condition and the uterine contractions can be guaranteed, routine discontinuation of oxytocin stimulation may lead to a small increase in caesarean section rate but a significantly reduced risk of uterine hyperstimulation and abnormal fetal heart rate patterns.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov
NCT02553226
.
Effect of nutrition education by health professionals on pregnancy-specific nutrition knowledge and healthy dietary practice among pregnant women in Asmara, Eritrea: a quasi-experimental study
Authors: Teweldemedhin Lidia Ghirmai , Amanuel Helen Gebretatyos , Berhe Soliana Amanuel , Gebreyohans Ghidey , Tsige Zemenfes , Habte Eyasu
Published: April 2021

Background

Healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes are greatly influenced by the intake of adequate and balanced nutrition. Pregnant women’s nutritional knowledge and practice have been identified as an important prerequisites for their proper nutritional intake. The antenatal period with the opportunities for regular contact with health professionals appears to be the ideal time and setting to institute the intervention which could maximise pregnant women’s outcome and that of their baby by motivating them to make nutritional changes.

Objective

To assess the effect of nutrition education on the appropriate nutritional knowledge and practice of pregnant women.

Methodology

A facility-based single-group pre–post quasi-experimental study design was employed in five health facilities providing antenatal care (ANC) service in Asmara on 226 pregnant women. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data regarding nutritional knowledge via interview by trained data collectors during the pretest, immediate post-test and 6 weeks later. The practice was assessed at pre-intervention and 6 weeks later only. Repeated measures analysis of variance and paired t-test were used to make comparisons in knowledge and practice scores, respectively, using SPSS (V.22).

Results

Training provided to pregnant women resulted in a significant increase on the mean scores of their knowledge from 29.01/47 (SE=0.35) pre-intervention to 42.73/47 (SE=0.24) immediate post-intervention. However, the score declined significantly from immediate after intervention to 6-week follow-up by 1.79 (SE=0.22). Although the score declined, knowledge at 6-week follow-up was still significantly greater than that of pre-intervention (p<0.0001). Health professionals (70.2%) were the primary source of information for pregnant women. The pregnancy-specific dietary practice score at 6-week follow-up (M=13.13/16, SE=0.09) was significantly higher than that of pre-intervention (M=12.55/16, SE=0.16). There was no significant interaction between the categories of demographic characteristics and change in practice and knowledge.

Conclusion

This study has shown that the nutrition messages given to pregnant women by trained health professionals using a holistic approach in a sustained manner played a huge role in increasing their knowledge and in introducing positive dietary practices among them. Thus, ANC clinics must play a leading role in coordinating the effort of awareness creation regarding nutrition during pregnancy.
Residential area and screening venue location features associated with spatial variation in breast cancer screening invitation response rates: an observational study in Greater Sydney, Australia
Authors: Khan Jahidur Rahman , Carroll Suzanne Jane , Warner-Smith Matthew , Roder David , Daniel Mark
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Participation in breast cancer screening (BCS) varies at the small-area level, which may reflect environmental influences. This study assessed small-area variation in BCS invitation response rates (IRRs) and associations between small-area BCS IRR, sociodemographic factors, BCS venue distance and venue location features in Greater Sydney, Australia.

Methods

BCS IRR data for 2011–2012 were compiled for 9528 Australian Bureau of Statistics Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) units (n=227 474 women). A geographial information system was used to extract SA1-level sociodemographic features (proportions of women speaking English at home, full-time employed and university educated, and proportion of dwellings with motor vehicles), SA1-level distance to closest venue(s) (expressed as quartiles), and closest venue(s) colocated with bus stops, train station, hospital, general practitioner and shops. Associations between area-level features, BCS venue distance, venue location features and IRR were estimated using ordinary least square-type spatial lag models including area education as a covariate.

Results

BCS IRR varied across SA1s (mean=59.8%, range: 0%–100%), with notable spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I=0.803). BCS IRR was positively associated with greater SA1-level proportion of women speaking English at home (β=2.283, 95% CI 2.024 to 2.543), women’s education (in the model including speaking English at home β=0.454, 95% CI 0.211 to 0.697), dwellings with motor vehicles (β=1.836, 95% CI 1.594 to 2.078), greater distance to venue (eg, most distant quartile compared with closest: β=6.249, 95% CI 5.489 to 7.008), and BCS venue colocated with shops (β=0.762, 95% CI 0.273 to 1.251). Greater SA1-level women employment (β=−0.613, 95% CI −0.898 to −0.328) and venue colocated with train station (β=−1.889, 95% CI −2.376 to −1.402) or hospital (β=−0.677, 95% CI −1.164 to −0.189) were inversely related to BCS IRR.

Conclusions

Small-area variation in BCS IRR exists for Greater Sydney and is strongly related to sociodemographic factors that, together with BCS venue location features, could inform targeted attempts to improve IRR.
Delivering screening programmes in primary care: protocol for a scoping and systematic mixed studies review
Authors: Modi Rakesh Narendra , Kelly Sarah , Hoare Sarah , Powell Alison , Kuhn Isla , Usher-Smith Juliet , Mant Jonathan , Burt Jenni
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Screening programmes represent a considerable amount of healthcare activity. As complex interventions, they require careful delivery to generate net benefit. Much screening work occurs in primary care. Despite intensive study of intervention delivery in primary care, there is currently no synthesis of the delivery of screening programmes in this setting. The purpose of this review is to describe and critically evaluate the delivery of screening programmes in general practice and community services.

Methods and analysis

We will use scoping review methods to explore which components of screening programmes are delivered in primary care and systematic review methods to locate and synthesise evidence on how screening programmes can be delivered in primary care, including barriers, facilitators and strategies. We will include empirical studies of any design which consider screening programmes in high-income countries, based in part or whole in primary care. We will search 20 information sources from 1 January 2000, including those relating to health (eg, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL), management (eg, Rx for change database) and grey literature (eg, OpenGrey, screening committee websites). Two reviewers will screen citations and full texts of potentially eligible studies and assess these against inclusion criteria. Qualitative and quantitative data will be extracted in duplicate and synthesised using a best fit framework approach. Within the systematic review, the mixed methods appraisal tool will be used to assess risk of bias.

Ethics and dissemination

No ethics approval is required. We will disseminate findings to academics through publication and presentation, to decision-makers through national screening bodies, to practitioners through professional bodies, and to the public through social media.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020215420.
Walrus large bore guide catheter impact on recanalization first pass effect and outcomes: the WICkED study
Authors: Cortez Gustavo M , Turner Raymond D , Monteiro Andre , Puri Ajit S , Siddiqui Adnan H , Mocco J , Vargas Jan , Kuhn Anna L , Majidi Shahram , Chaudry M Imran , Aghaebrahim Amin , Turk Aquilla S , Sauvageau Eric , Hanel Ricardo A
Published: April 2021

Background

The use of a balloon-guide catheter (BGC) in acute stroke treatment has been widely adopted after demonstrating optimized procedure metrics and outcomes. Initial technical constraints of previous devices included catheter stiffness and smaller inner diameters. We aim to evaluate the performance and safety of the Walrus BGC, a variable stiffness catheter with a large bore 0.087 inch inner diameter (ID), via the the WICkED study (Walrus Large Bore guide CatheterImpact on reCanalization first passEffect anDoutcomes).

Methods

This is a retrospective, site adjudicated, multicenter study on consecutive patients with large vessel occlusion treated with the Walrus BGC. Baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes and functional outcomes were analyzed.

Results

A total of 338 patients met the inclusion criteria. The Walrus was successfully tracked into distal vasculature and allowed therapeutic device delivery in all but 3 cases (0.9%). Large aspiration catheters ≥0.070 inch ID were used in 71.9% of cases. Stent retriever thrombectomy was used as the first-line modality in 59.2% and thromboaspiration in 40.8% of cases. The successful recanalization rate (modified treatment in cerebral ischemia (mTICI) 2b/3) was 94.4%, with 64.8% of the patients achieving mTICI 2b/3 after the first pass. The Walrus-related adverse event rate was 0.6%, corresponding to two vessel dissections. Functional independence was 50% (126/252) and mortality 25% (63/252). Unfavorable outcomes were more likely in older patients, who had unsuccessful reperfusion, longer procedure times, and a higher mean number of passes.

Conclusion

In acute ischemic stroke patients presenting with large vessel occlusion, the Walrus BGC demonstrated excellent navigability and safety profile, allowed the accommodation of leading large bore aspiration catheters, and demonstrated high vessel recanalization rates.
Designing plots for precise estimation of forest attributes in landscapes and forests of varying heterogeneity
Authors: Lister Andrew J. , Leites Laura P.
Published: April 2021

Models of relationships among forest inventory sampling efficiency and cluster plot configuration variables inform decisions by inventory planners. However, relationships vary under different spatial heterogeneity scenarios. To improve understanding of how spatial patterns of forests affect these relationships, we implemented a factorial experiment by simulating forest pattern at both the landscape and stand scales. We sampled these simulated forests with a variety of cluster plot configurations, calculated coefficient of variation (CV) of trees per hectare for each replicate, and tested the relationships among CV and the heterogeneity and cluster plot configuration factors within a linear mixed model framework. Both landscape- and stand-scale pattern aggregation had a significant relationship with CV. Changing cluster plot configuration factors did little to change the overall CV when using larger subplots but had some important effects when using smaller subplots. These impacts were stronger in the more uniform landscapes. Results were opposite for stand-scale heterogeneity; changing plot configuration in areas with aggregated patterns had a stronger impact than it did in areas with more uniform patterns. Results of this study reveal the importance of accounting for spatial pattern at multiple scales when making cluster configuration choices if the goal is statistical efficiency.
Role of pregnancy on insulin-induced vasorelaxation: the influence of angiotensin II receptors
Authors: Rodríguez-Reyes Betzabel , Tufiño Cecilia , López Mayorga Ruth M. , Mera Jiménez Elvia , Bobadilla Lugo Rosa Amalia
Published: April 2021

Insulin resistance is a feature of pregnancy and is associated with increased levels of angiotensin II (Ang II) and insulin. Therefore, pregnancy may change insulin-induced vasodilation through changes in Ang II receptors. Insulin-induced vasorelaxation was evaluated in phenylephrine-precontracted aortic rings of pregnant and non-pregnant rats, using a conventional isolated organ preparation. Experiments were performed in thoracic or abdominal aorta rings with or without endothelium in the presence and absence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (10−5 M), losartan (10−7 M), or PD123319 (10−7 M). AT1 and AT2 receptor expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry. Insulin-induced vasodilation was endothelium- and nitric oxide–dependent and decreased in the thoracic aorta but increased in the abdominal segment of pregnant rats. The insulin’s vasorelaxant effect was increased by losartan mainly on the thoracic aorta. PD123319 decreased insulin-induced vasorelaxation mainly in the pregnant rat abdominal aorta. AT1 receptor expression was decreased while AT2 receptor expression was increased by pregnancy. In conclusion, pregnancy changes insulin-induced vasorelaxation. Moreover, insulin vasodilation is tonically inhibited by AT1 receptors, while AT2 receptors appear to have an insulin-sensitizing effect. The role of pregnancy and Ang II receptors differ depending on the aorta segment. These results shed light on the role of pregnancy and Ang II receptors on the regulation of insulin-mediated vasodilation.
Potential Role of Gut Microbiota in Traditional Chinese Medicine against COVID-19
Authors: Zhang Qiao , Yue Shijun , Wang Wenxiao , Chen Yanyan , Zhao Chongbo , Song Yijun , Yan Dan , Zhang Li , Tang Yuping
Published: April 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads and rages around the world and threatens human life. It is disappointing that there are no specific drugs until now. The combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medication seems to be the current more effective treatment strategy for COVID-19 patients in China. In this review, we mainly discussed the relationship between COVID-19 and gut microbiota (GM), as well as the possible impact of TCM combined with western medication on GM in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, aiming to provide references for the possible role of GM in TCM against COVID-19. The available data suggest that GM dysbiosis did occur in COVID-19 patients, and the intervention of GM could ameliorate the clinical condition of COVID-19 patients. In addition, TCMs (e.g., Jinhua Qinggan granule, Lianhua Qingwen capsule, Qingfei Paidu decoction, Shufeng Jiedu capsule, Qingjin Jianghuo decoction, Toujie Quwen granules, and MaxingShigan) have been proven to be safe and effective for the treatment of COVID-19 in Chinese clinic. Among them, Ephedra sinica, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Bupleurum chinense, Lonicera japonica,Scutellaria baicalensi, and Astragalus membranaceus are common herbs and have a certain regulation on GM, immunity, and angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Notably, Qingfei Paidu decoction and MaxingShigan have been demonstrated to modulate GM. Finally, the hypothesis of GM-mediated TCM treatment of COVID-19 is proposed, and more clinical trials and basic experiments need to be initiated to confirm this hypothesis.
Fake News Sharing
Authors: Valecha Rohit , Srinivasan Srikrishna Krishnarao , Volety Tejaswi , Kwon K. Hazel , Agrawal Manish , Rao H. Raghav
Published: April 2021

Fake news has become a growing problem for societies, spreading virally and transforming into harmful impacts in social networks. The problem of fake news is even more troubling in the healthcare context. In the healthcare literature, it has been well established that threat situations and coping responses facilitate information sharing and seeking among the public. Along a similar vein, we argue that threat and coping related cues are important indicators of shareworthiness of fake news in social media. We address the following research questions associated with fake news sharing in the context of Zika virus: How do threat- and coping-related cues influence fake news sharing? We characterize threat situations that have threat and severity cues and coping responses that are based on reaction to protection and fear cues. The results indicate the significant positive effect of threat cues and protection cues on fake news sharing. Such an investigation can allow the monitoring of viral fake messages in a timely manner.
CLU
Authors: Das Palash , Kapoor Hemangee K.
Published: April 2021

Convolutional/Deep Neural Networks (CNNs/DNNs) are rapidly growing workloads for the emerging AI-based systems. The gap between the processing speed and the memory-access latency in multi-core systems affects the performance and energy efficiency of the CNN/DNN tasks. This article aims to alleviate this gap by providing a simple and yet efficient near-memory accelerator-based system that expedites the CNN inference. Towards this goal, we first design an efficient parallel algorithm to accelerate CNN/DNN tasks. The data is partitioned across the multiple memory channels (vaults) to assist in the execution of the parallel algorithm. Second, we design a hardware unit, namely the convolutional logic unit (CLU), which implements the parallel algorithm. To optimize the inference, the CLU is designed, and it works in three phases for layer-wise processing of data. Last, to harness the benefits of near-memory processing (NMP), we integrate homogeneous CLUs on the logic layer of the 3D memory, specifically the Hybrid Memory Cube (HMC). The combined effect of these results in a high-performing and energy-efficient system for CNNs/DNNs. The proposed system achieves a substantial gain in the performance and energy reduction compared to multi-core CPU- and GPU-based systems with a minimal area overhead of 2.37%.
TPrune
Authors: Mao Jiachen , Yang Huanrui , Li Ang , Li Hai , Chen Yiran
Published: April 2021

The invention of Transformer model structure boosts the performance of Neural Machine Translation (NMT) tasks to an unprecedented level. Many previous works have been done to make the Transformer model more execution-friendly on resource-constrained platforms. These researches can be categorized into three key fields: Model Pruning, Transfer Learning, and Efficient Transformer Variants. The family of model pruning methods are popular for their simplicity in practice and promising compression rate and have achieved great success in the field of convolution neural networks (CNNs) for many vision tasks. Nonetheless, previous Transformer pruning works did not perform a thorough model analysis and evaluation on each Transformer component on off-the-shelf mobile devices. In this work, we analyze and prune transformer models at the line-wise granularity and also implement our pruning method on real mobile platforms. We explore the properties of all Transformer components as well as their sparsity features, which are leveraged to guide Transformer model pruning. We name our whole Transformer analysis and pruning pipeline as TPrune. In TPrune, we first propose Block-wise Structured Sparsity Learning (BSSL) to analyze Transformer model property. Then, based on the characters derived from BSSL, we apply Structured Hoyer Square (SHS) to derive the final pruned models. Comparing with the state-of-the-art Transformer pruning methods, TPrune is able to achieve a higher model compression rate with less performance degradation. Experimental results show that our pruned models achieve 1.16×–1.92× speedup on mobile devices with 0%–8% BLEU score degradation compared with the original Transformer model.
Characterization of Link Quality Fluctuation in Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Wen Jianjun , Dargie Waltenegus
Published: April 2021

Wireless sensor networks accommodating the mobility of nodes will play important roles in the future. In residential, rehabilitation, and clinical settings, sensor nodes can be attached to the body of a patient for long-term and uninterrupted monitoring of vital biomedical signals. Likewise, in industrial settings, workers as well as mobile robots can carry sensor nodes to augment their perception and to seamlessly interact with their environments. Nevertheless, such applications require reliable communications as well as high throughput. Considering the primary design goals of the sensing platforms (low-power, affordable cost, large-scale deployment, longevity, operating in the ISM band), maintaining reliable links is a formidable challenge. This challenge can partially be alleviated if the nature of link quality fluctuation can be known or estimated on time. Indeed, higher-level protocols such as handover and routing protocols rely on knowledge of link quality fluctuation to seamlessly transfer communication to alternative routes when the quality of existing routes deteriorates. In this article, we present the result of extensive experimental study to characterise link quality fluctuation in mobile environments. The study focuses on slow movements (<5 km h
-1
) signifying the movement of people and robots and transceivers complying to the IEEE 802.15.4 specification. Hence, we deployed mobile robots that interact with strategically placed stationary relay nodes. Our study considered different types of link quality characterisation metrics that provide complementary and useful insights. To demonstrate the usefulness of our experiments and observations, we implemented a link quality estimation technique using a Kalman Filter. To set up the model, we employed two link quality metrics along with the statistics we established during our experiments. The article will compare the performance of four proposed approaches with ours.
An Optimization Model for Logistics Distribution Network of Cross-Border E-Commerce Based on Personalized Recommendation Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Zhongqiang
Published: April 2021

In order to solve the problems of poor timeliness and high service cost caused by international logistics of cross-border e-commerce and to realize the localization of cross-border trade and improve consumers' shopping experience, much cross-border e-commerce has introduced overseas warehouse business. Because the optimization model for the logistics distribution network of cross-border e-commerce cannot solve the problem of high operation cost, the optimization model for the logistics distribution network of cross-border e-commerce based on a personalized recommendation algorithm is designed. Through the analysis of the logistics distribution network of cross-border e-commerce structure and the construction of logistics distribution network of cross-border e-commerce model and multiobjective optimization of logistics distribution network of cross-border e-commerce, the construction process of the logistics distribution network optimization model is completed. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the model. By comparison, this model can effectively solve the problems that the original model cannot solve and reduce the operation cost of the logistics distribution network.
A Distributed Congestion Control Strategy Using Harmonic Search Algorithm in Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Pang Meiyu , Shen Jianing , Wu Lixiu
Published: April 2021

Aiming at the diversified requirements of network application QoS (Quality of Service) in the terminal equipment of Internet of Vehicles, this paper proposes a distributed congestion control strategy based on harmony search algorithm and the Throughput Evaluation Priority Adjustment Model (TEPAM) to ensure real-time transmission of high-priority data messages related to security applications. Firstly, the channel usage rate is periodically detected and the congestion is judged; then, in order to minimize delay and delay jitter as the goal, harmony search algorithm is utilized to perform global search to obtain a better solution for the transmission range and transmission rate. Secondly, packet priority and the TEPAM are applied to indicate the sending right of each packet. The data message priority and throughput percentage factor are used to express the transmission weight of each data message. Besides, the real-time evaluation of path state in MPTCP is carried out by the batch estimation theory model, which realizes the on-demand dynamic adjustment of the network congestion time window. Finally, SUMO, MOVE, and NS2 tools are used to create a VANET-like environment to evaluate the performance of the proposed congestion control strategy. Experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to other three methods in the four indicators of average delay time, average transmission rate, number of retransmissions, and packet loss rate compared with other advanced methods.
The Effect of a Zinc-Containing Additive on the Properties of PVC Compounds
Authors: Vikhareva Irina N. , Aminova Guliya K. , Moguchev Alexander I. , Mazitova Aliya K.
Published: April 2021

Polymeric materials that undergo degradation under the influence of biological media have attracted widespread attention in recent decades. This is due to the ability to eliminate the negative impact on the environment, gradually reducing the scale of plastic waste pollution. At the same time, it remains relevant to ensure the necessary performance characteristics of products for a certain period of use. An important direction in the field of biodegradable composite compositions is the development of nontoxic additives in order to ensure their safe interaction with biological media. In this regard, a method has been developed for the joint production of a new nontoxic plasticizer decyl phenoxyethyl adipate and a biocidal additive of zinc decyl adipate. The effect of the obtained additives on the biodegradation of PVC film samples under natural conditions was studied. The period of biocidal action of zinc compound formed in situ in an amount of 0.3% in the composition of PVC films using the developed plasticizer was determined.
Some New Results of Mitrinović–Cusa’s and Related Inequalities Based on the Interpolation and Approximation Method
Authors: Zhang Lina , Ma Xuesi
Published: April 2021

In this paper, new refinements and improvements of Mitrinović–Cusa’s and related inequalities are presented. First, we give new polynomial bounds for sinc(x) and cos(x) functions using the interpolation and approximation method. Based on the obtained results of the above two functions, we establish new bounds for Mitrinović–Cusa’s, Wilker’s, Huygens’, Wu–Srivastava’s, and Neuman–Sándor’s inequalities. The analysis results show that our bounds are tighter than the previous methods.
A Novel Clinical Nomogram to Predict Transient Symptomatic Associated with Infarction: The ABCD3‐SLOPE Score
Authors: Lu YanQin , Bi QianQian , Fu Wang , Liu LiLi , Zhang Yin , Zhou XiaoYu , Wang Jue
Published: April 2021

Background. It is hard to differentiate transient symptoms associated with infarction (TSI) from transient ischemic stroke (TIA) without MRI in the early onset. However, they have distinct clinical outcomes and respond differently to therapeutics. Therefore, we aimed to develop a risk prediction model based on the clinical features to identify TSI. Methods. We enrolled 230 consecutive patients with transient neurologic deficit in the Department of Neurology, Tongji University Affiliated Tenth People’s Hospital from March 2014 to October 2019. All the patients were assigned into TIA group (DWI‐negative) or TSI group (DWI‐positive) based on MRI conducted within five days of onset. We summarized the clinical characteristics of TSI by univariate and multivariate analyses. And then, we developed and validated a nomogram to identify TSI by the logistic regression equation. Results. Of the 230 patients, 41.3% were diagnosed with TSI. According to the multivariate analysis, four independent risk factors, including smoking history, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, brain natriuretic peptide precursor, and ABCD3 score, were incorporated into a nomogram. We developed a predictive model named ABCD3‐SLOPE. The calibration curve showed good agreement between nomogram prediction and observation. The concordance index (C‐index) of the nomogram for TSI prediction was 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.70‐0.83), and it was well‐calibrated. Conclusions. Smoking history, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, brain natriuretic peptide precursor, and ABCD3 score were reliable risk factors for TSI. ABCD3‐SLOPE was a potential tool to quantify the likelihood of TSI.
Effect of the Number of Removed Lymph Nodes on Survival in Patients with FIGO Stage IB-IIA Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma following Open Radical Hysterectomy with Pelvic Lymphadenectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Guo Qinhao , Wu Yong , Wen Hao , Ju Xingzhu , Wu Xiaohua
Published: April 2021

Objective. To determine whether the number of removed lymph nodes (RLN) is associated with survival in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB-IIA cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Methods. We reviewed the medical records of FIGO stage IB-IIA CSCC patients who underwent standardized radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy (RHPL) in our center between 2006 and 2014. The X-tile software was performed to calculate the optimal grouping of cutoff points for RLN. The impact of RLN on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Cox regression analysis. Results. Among 3,127 patients, the mean number of RLN was 22, and positive lymph node (LN) was found in 668 (21.4%) patients. X-tile plots identified “21” and “16” as the optimal cutoff value of RLN to divide the patients into two groups in terms of PFS and OS separately. In all patients, the number of RLN was not associated with PFS (

P
=
0.182

) or OS (

P
=
0.193

). Moreover, in both LN positive and negative patients, the number of RLN was not associated with either PFS (

P
=
0.212

and

P
=
0.540

, respectively) or OS (

P
=
0.173

and

P
=
0.497

, respectively). Cox regression analysis showed that the number of RLN was not an independent prognostic factor for PFS or OS. Conclusion. If standardized RHPL was performed, the number of RLN was not an independent prognostic factor for survival of patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA CSCC.
Barriers to Access to Treatment for Hypertensive Patients in Primary Health Care of Less Developed Northwest China: A Predictive Nomogram
Authors: Wang Lin , Heizhati Mulalibieke , Cai Xintian , Li Mei , Yang Zhikang , Wang Zhongrong , Abudereyimu Reyila , Li Nanfang
Published: April 2021

Background. This study aims to evaluate the risk factors associated with untreated hypertension and develop and internally validate untreated risk nomograms in patients with hypertension among primary health care of less developed Northwest China. Methods. A total of 895 eligible patients with hypertension in primary health care of less developed Northwest China were divided into a training set (n = 626) and a validation set (n = 269). Untreated hypertension was defined as not taking antihypertensive medication during the past two weeks. Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model, we identified the optimized risk factors of nontreatment, followed by establishment of a prediction nomogram. The discriminative ability, calibration, and clinical usefulness were determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision analysis. The results were assessed by internal validation in the validation set. Results. Five independent risk factors were derived from LASSO regression model and entered into the nomogram: age, herdsman, family income per member, altitude of habitation, and comorbidity. The nomogram displayed a robust discrimination with an AUC of 0.859 (95% confidence interval: 0.812–0.906) and good calibration. The nomogram was clinically useful when the intervention was decided at the untreated possibility threshold of 7% to 91% in the decision curve analysis. Results were confirmed by internal validation. Conclusions. Our nomogram showed favorable predictive accuracy for untreated hypertension in primary health care of less developed Northwest China and might help primary health care assess the risk of nontreatment in patients with hypertension.
A Hotspot Information Extraction Hybrid Solution of Online Posts’ Textual Data
Authors: Cao HuiRu , Li Xiaomin , Lian Songyao , Zhan Choujun
Published: April 2021

Online posts have gradually become a major carrier of network public opinion in social media, and the social network hotspots are the important basis for the study of network public opinion. Therefore, it is significant to extract hotspots for monitoring Internet public opinion from online posts textual big data. However, the current hotspot extraction methods are focused on the users’ features that are based on textual big data with spam and low-quality content. Meanwhile, these methods seldomly consider the time span of posts and the popularity of users. Accordingly, this article presents a hotspots information extraction hybrid solution of online posts’ textual data. Firstly, a filtering strategy to obtain more high-quality textual data is designed. Secondly, the topic hot degree is presented by considering the average number of replies and the popularity of the participant. Thirdly, an improved co-word analysis technology is used to search the same topic posts and Bisecting k-means clustering algorithm using repliers’ popularity and key posts are designed for studying and monitoring the hotspots of online posts in a valid big data environment. Finally, the proposed algorithms are verified in experiments by extracting the hotspots of online posts from the dataset. The results show that the data filtering strategy can help to obtain more valuable information and decrease the computing time. The results also demonstrate that the proposed solution can help to obtain hotspots comparing the traditional methods, and the hot degree can reflect the trend of the online post by comparing the traditional methods.
Idiopathic Multicentric Hyaline Vascular-Type Castleman Disease
Authors: Moutinho Adelaide , Cunha Rita Gamboa , Jamal Sheila Koch , Lisboa Marta Meleiro , Tavares Sandra
Published: April 2021

Castleman disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder presenting with localized or disseminated lymphadenopathy and systemic symptoms. It can be categorized clinically as unicentric or multicentric, histopathologically as hyaline vascular, plasma cell, or mixed variant, and etiologically, considering the subtypes based on causative viral agents and associated syndromes. The multicentric type can mimic other haematological malignancies, ranging from asymptomatic to multiple organ involvement. Although its pathophysiology is not well known, the current approved treatments are directed towards interleukin-6, CD-20, and viral agents. The authors present an 82-year-old leucodermic man presented with a 2-week history of constitutional symptoms. Examination revealed pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, and palpable left axillary lymphadenopathy. Investigation showed anaemia, thrombocytopenia, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, hypoalbuminemia, and high acute phase reactants, with image study revealing multiple axillary, mediastinal, inguinal, and pelvic lymphadenopathies. The lymph node biopsy was consistent with hyaline vascular-type Castleman disease without human herpersvirus-8 markers. He started prednisolone with initial improvement evolved poorly on a short term. Castleman disease has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, associations, and complications that bring a diagnostic challenge, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Clinicians should be familiar with its features because proper diagnosis and aggressive targeted treatment are the pillars of proper management of these patients.
MCT4 Promotes Tumor Malignancy in F98 Glioma Cells
Authors: Reuss Anna Maria , Groos Dominik , Ghoochani Ali , Buchfelder Michael , Savaskan Nicolai
Published: April 2021

Monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4, SLC16A3) is elevated under hypoxic conditions in many malignant tumors including gliomas. Moreover, MCT4 expression is associated with shorter overall survival. However, the functional consequences of MCT4 expression on the distinct hallmarks of cancer have not yet been explored at the cellular level. Here, we investigated the impact of MCT4 overexpression on proliferation, survival, cell death, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in F98 glioma cells. Stable F98 glioma cell lines with MCT4 overexpression, normal expression, and knockdown were generated. Distinct hallmarks of cancer were examined using in silico analysis, various in vitro cell culture assays, and ex vivo organotypic rat brain slice culture model. Consistent with its function as lactate and proton exporter, MCT4 expression levels correlated inversely with extracellular pH and proportionally with extracellular lactate concentrations. Our results further indicate that MCT4 promotes proliferation and survival by altered cell cycle regulation and cell death mechanisms. Moreover, MCT4 overexpression enhances cell migration and invasiveness via reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Finally, MCT4 inhibition mitigates the induction of angiogenesis, suggesting that MCT4 also plays a crucial role in tumor-related angiogenesis. In summary, our data highlight MCT4/SLC16A3 as a key gene for distinct hallmarks of tumor malignancy in glioma cells.
Fluid and Electrolyte Disturbances in COVID‐19 and Their Complications
Authors: Pourfridoni Mohammad , Abbasnia Seyede Mahsa , Shafaei Fateme , Razaviyan Javad , Heidari-Soureshjani Reza
Published: April 2021

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is the cause of an acute respiratory illness which has spread around the world. The virus infects the host by binding to the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors. Due to the presence of ACE2 receptors in the kidneys and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, kidneys and GI tract damage arising from the virus can be seen in patients and can cause acute conditions such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and digestive problems for the patient. One of the complications of kidneys and GI involvement in COVID‐19 is fluid and electrolyte disturbances. The most common ones of these disorders are hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, hypochloremia, hypervolemia, and hypovolemia, which if left untreated, cause many problems for patients and even increase mortality. Fluid and electrolyte disturbances are more common in hospitalized and intensive care patients. Children are also at greater risk for fluid and electrolyte disturbances complications. Therefore, clinicians should pay special attention to the fluid and electrolyte status of patients. Changes in fluid and electrolyte levels can be a good indicator of disease progression.
Intuitionistic Fuzzy Factorial Analysis Model for Supplier Selection of Urban Rail Transit Companies within a Random Environment
Authors: Sun Hui , Li Hanlin , Wang Yuning , Yang Yufei
Published: April 2021

Facing serious environmental and traffic problems, urban rail transit companies, with the features of large capacity and high efficiency, have become an important choice for many large cities that are prioritizing public transportation and encouraging green travel options. As the construction speed of rail transit projects accelerates, the demand for materials and devices required for construction and operation is also increasing for urban rail transit companies. Therefore, the scientific selection of suppliers to meet construction and operation demands has become a problem that must be addressed. This paper presents an intuitionistic fuzzy factorial analysis model in a random environment, where correlative phenomena among each of the indicators and a random decision-making environment are considered. The evaluation indicator system of rail suppliers is established by considering the influencing factors. The extracted common factors indicate the nature of the studied object in a most direct way. The suppliers are evaluated from the perspective of the number of intuitionistic fuzzy factors and are ranked by their scores. Finally, the Tianjin urban rail transit company is used as a case study to illustrate the validity and feasibility of the method. The results can help urban rail transit companies improve their existing supplier selection method.
Serum Sulfhydryl Groups, Malondialdehyde, Uric Acid, and Bilirubin as Predictors of Adverse Outcome in Heart Failure Patients due to Ischemic or Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Wojciechowska Celina , Jacheć Wojciech , Romuk Ewa , Ciszek Anna , Bodnar Patryk , Chwalba Tomasz , Waliczek Martyna , Gąsior Mariusz , Rozentryt Piotr
Published: April 2021

Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). The aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of oxidation‐reduction (redox) markers in patients with HF due to ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy. The study included 707 patients of HF allocated into two groups depending on ethology: ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) (n = 435) and nonischemic cardiomyopathy (nICM) (n = 272), who were followed up for one year. The endpoint occurrence (mortality or heart transplantation) in a 1‐year follow‐up was similar in the ICM and nICM group. The predictive value of endpoint occurrence of oxidative stress biomarkers such as the serum protein sulfhydryl groups (PSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), uric acid (UA), bilirubin, and MDA/PSH ratio and other clinical and laboratory data were assessed in both groups (ICM and nICM) separately using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. In multivariate analysis, the higher concentrations of UA (p = 0.015, HR = 1.024, 95% CI (1.005‐1.044)) and MDA (p = 0.004, HR = 2.202, 95% CI (1.296‐3.741)) were significantly associated with adverse prognosis in patients with ICM. Contrastingly, in patients with nICM, we observed that higher bilirubin concentration (p = 0.026, HR = 1.034, 95% CI (1.004‐1.064)) and MDA/PSH ratio (p = 0.034, HR = 3.360, 95% CI (1.096‐10.302)) were significantly associated with increased risk of death or HT. The results showed the association of different oxidative biomarkers on the unfavorable course of heart failure depending on etiology.
Impact of GPS Interference on Time Synchronization of DVB-T Transmitters
Authors: Machaj Juraj , Brida Peter , Majer Norbert , Sčehovič Roman
Published: April 2021

Nowadays, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is widely used in all aspects of our lives. GPS signals are not used only in positioning and navigation applications and services in transport and military, but, thanks to quite precise information about time, also for synchronization of world trade and synchronization of wireless transmitters. However, with the recent spread of location-based services, a large number of GPS jammers had appeared. Use of these jammers is prohibited by law; however, their use is gaining popularity especially in the transport segment since jammers can be used to trick vehicle onboard units and help avoid paying toll fees on highways or avoid tracking of company cars when used privately. In this paper, we will investigate the impact of GPS interference caused by jamming and spoofing on the synchronization of Single Frequency Network (SFN) Digital Video Broadcasting–Terrestrial (DVB-T) transmitters. Since GPS signals are used in the DVB-T SFN to provide synchronization which is crucial for the correct network operation, the interference of GPS signals can cause problems with signal distribution. Thus, signals received from a DVB-T SFN network might be out of synchronization and disrupt the service for users.
Metro Train Operation Plan Analysis Based on Station Travel Time Reliability
Authors: Xu Ruihua , Wang Fangsheng , Zhou Feng
Published: April 2021

The train operation plan plays an essential role in metro systems and directly affects transportation organization efficiency and passenger service level. In metro systems, passengers have paid more attention to the travel time reliability (TTR), reflecting the reliability of metro operation management. This article proposes an analysis method of train operation plan based on TTR in the station dimension. First, an automated fare collection (AFC) data-driven framework is established to calculate the station travel time reliability (STTR) and analyze the train operation plan at different periods. The framework structure consists of four steps: AFC data preprocessing, STTR calculation and assignment, clustering algorithm design based on SOM neural network, and train operation plan analysis and optimization. Second, the proposed method is applied to the Beijing metro network as a case study. Several promising results are analyzed that allow the optimization of the existing train operation plan. Our research shows that STTR is a good supplement for the existing metro operation assignment studies, which can help analyze and optimize the train operation plan effectively. This study is also applicable to other metro networks with AFC systems.