bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intramedullary Nailing for Pathological Fractures of the Proximal Humerus caused by Multiple Myeloma: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: xu guoqiang , wang gang , bai xiaodong , liu zhenyu , wang xinjia , wang baojun
Published: April 2021

BackgroundMultiple myeloma bone disease(MMBD) is indicative of multiple myeloma (MM), and it will reduce patient life quality. In addition to oncological, antineoplastic systemic therapy, surgical therapy in patients with MM represents an essential treatment pillar within the framework of supportive therapy measures and is the task of orthopedic tumor surgery. Nevertheless, there are few reports about applying intramedullary (IM) nailing in treating MM-induced proximal humeral fracture to prevent fixation loss. This paper aims to describe a case of pathological fracture of the proximal humerus caused by multiple myeloma effectively treated with IM nailing without removal of tumors and review the current literature.Case presentationThis study reported a 64-year-old male patient complaining of serious left shoulder pain and limited movement. X-ray films showed left proximal humeral fracture accompanying with osteoporosis and bone destruction. During the preoperative examinations, tumor markers, whole-body bone imaging and bone marrow biopsy were performed. The patient was finally diagnosed with multiple myeloma (IgAλ, IIIA/II). After the treatment of pathological fracture with IM nailing, the patient's function recovered and the pain was relieved rapidly. The visual analogue scale (VAS) reduced by 7 points to 2 points postoperatively compared with that preoperatively. Histopathological examination results presented plasma cell myeloma. Next, the patient received chemotherapy in the hematology department. Humeral fracture displayed good union in the 40-month follow-up, with complete healing of fracture, and the clinical outcome was still satisfactory.ConclusionThe pathological fracture of proximal humerus caused by multiple myeloma should be treated by surgery early. IM nail can be used for this kind of fracture without removal of tumors, bone cement augmentation for bone defect or local adjuvant therapy was also employed. Under the combined treatment, the proximal humerus fracture can eventually heal.
The synergistic anticancer traits of graphene oxide plus doxorubicin against BT474 and MCF7 breast cancer stem cells in vitro
Authors: Ebrahimi Mahsa , teimouri maryam , Pooladi Mehdi
Published: April 2021

Breast cancer is among leading causes of death due to cancers around the globe. Current therapeutic approaches towards healing of breast cancer have been associated with poor outcomes. Graphene and its derivatives have a two-dimensional flat structure, which is characterized by the ability to carry drugs and modify the surface, low cytotoxicity and high biocompatibility. This study was performed on MCF7 and BT474 human breast cancer cells. Different concentrations of doxorubicin (DOX), graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide plus doxorubicin (GO-DOX) were subjected to both cell lines at specified intervals. At the end of the treatments, MTT test was applied to determine the viability of cells and then flow cytometry, colony formation and spheroid tests were implemented for both cell lines treated with DOX, GO and GO-DOX components. We used DLS and TEM to confirm the GO properties. According to the MTT test results, 1 µL of DOX at 10 mg /mL (equivalent to 0.1 mg / mL) caused 50% survival of MCF7 cells at 24 hours. In both cell lines, an increase in apoptosis occurred after incubation with GO and DOX. Although, a rate of mortality of MCF-7 cells was due to necrosis, the BT474 cells death was merely through the apoptosis. Furthermore, the results of colony formation test outlined an enhancing inhibitory effect in the presence of GO-DOX as a comparison to the control. Additionally, spheroids formed following treatment with GO-DOX exhibited a significant decrease compared to their control group; with an increase in the number of spheroids in BT474 cells compared to those in the MCF-7. The decreasing effect of compounds against the migration and cell invasion potential was also observed, being higher in MCF7 than BT474 cells. The effects of cytotoxic GO were observed at higher concentrations.
Prebiotic potential and other health benefits of prebiotic mixture of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L) in Wistar NIN rats
Authors: Shakappa Devindra , Talari Aruna , Naik Rakesh
Published: April 2021

The legume prebiotics, especially galacto-oligosaccharides, are the center of health since they play a crucial role in maintaining gut health. The aim of the present study was to understand the role of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L) on gut microbiota, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Wistar National Institute of Nutrition NIN rats. Proximate composition and oligosaccharide content of the pigeon pea was estimated and for animal experiment, four-week-old weaning male Wistar National Institute of Nutrition NIN rats (N = 36) were divided equally into three groups (n = 12) control, raffinose, and pigeon pea prebiotics groups. All the groups were fed with the respective diet for 18 weeks. After 18 weeks 5 ml of blood was drawn from the retro-orbital plexus and the rats were sacrificed by (CO2) inhalation. Among the studied groups, the pigeon pea prebiotic supplementation significantly (p˂0.05) lowered body weight gain (284.7 ± 36.4 grams) and resulted in lower body mass index (3.79 ± 0.18kg / m2). The fat percent was significantly lower in pigeon pea prebiotic fed group (7.8 ± 2.7) than raffinose (11.6 ± 3.1) and control (13.8 ± 2) groups. Pigeon pea prebiotic feeding significantly (< 0.05) lowered blood glucose levels; it also improved the Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) index in pigeon pea prebiotic group (32.08 ± 5.37). Pigeon pea prebiotic feeding significantly (p˂0.05) enhanced the fold increase of lactobacillus and bifidobacterial count when compared to raffinose fed group. The present study explores the role of pigeon pea prebiotics on gut microbiota and the regulation of some of the features of metabolic syndrome such as obesity and diabetes.
MiR-25 protects NRK-52E cells from apoptosis induced by renal IRI by targeting DKK3
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zuo Xiangrong
Published: April 2021

Renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is one of the main causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). In recent years, there have been many studies on renal IRI, although an effective treatment method has not been developed. In recent years, growing evidence has shown that small noncoding RNAs play an important regulatory role in renal IRI. This article aims to explore whether microRNA-25 (miR-25) plays a role in the molecular mechanism of renal IRI. The results showed that the expression level of miR-25 was significantly downregulated in a rat renal IRI model, and this result was confirmed with in vitro experiments. After hypoxia-reoxygenation treatment, the apoptosis level of NRK-52E cells transfected with miR-25 mimics decreased significantly, and this antiapoptotic effect was antagonized by miR-25 inhibitors. In addition, we confirmed that DKK3 is a target of miR-25. MiR-25 exerts its protective effect against apoptosis on NRK-52E cells by inhibiting the expression of DKK3, and downregulating the expression level of miR-25 could disrupt this protective effect. In addition, we reconfirmed the role of miR-25 in rats. Therefore, we confirmed that miR-25 may target DKK3 to reduce renal cell damage caused by hypoxia and that miR-25 may be a new potential treatment for renal IRI.
Development and Validation of a Practical Machine-learning Triage Algorithm for the Detection of Patients in Need of Critical Care in the Emergency Department
Authors: Liu Yecheng , Gao Jiandong , Liu Jihai , Walline Joseph Harold , Liu Xiaoying , Zhang Ting , Wu Ji , Zhu Huadong , Zhu Weiguo
Published: April 2021

Identifying critically ill patients is a key challenge in emergency department (ED) triage. Mis-triage errors are still widespread in triage systems around the world. Here, we present a machine learning system (MLS) to assist ED triage officers better recognize critically ill patients and provide a text-based explanation of the MLS recommendation. To derive the MLS, an existing dataset of 20,272 patient encounters from 2012 to 2019 from our institution’s electronic emergency triage system (EETS) was used for algorithm training. We then conducted a prospective randomized cohort study of ED patients between March and April 2020. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.86 in a retrospective validation dataset of 2,000 randomized database cases. In the prospective cohort study, compared to the traditional triage system’s 1.2% mis-triage rate, the mis-triage rate in the MLS-assisted group was 0.9%. This MLS method with a real-time explanation for triage officers was able to lower the mis-triage rate of critically ill ED patients.
Mean heart dose-based normal tissue complication probability model for pericardial effusion
Authors: Fukada Junichi , Fukata Kyohei , Koike Naoyoshi , Kota Ryuichi , Shigematsu Naoyuki
Published: April 2021

We investigated the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of the incidence of pericardial effusion (PCE) based on the mean heart dose (MHD). We reviewed medical records of oesophageal cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy. Incidences of PCE in any grade (A-PCE) and symptomatic PCE (S-PCE) were evaluated separately. To identify significant predictors for PCE, clinical and dose-volume parameters were analysed using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariate regression analysis. The generated NTCP model was compared to the Lyman–Kutcher–Burman (LKB) model to validate its clinical applicability. Among 229 eligible patients, A-PCE and S-PCE were observed in 100 (43.7%) and 18 (7.9%) patients, respectively. MHD showed a preferable area under the curve (AUC) value for S-PCE (AUC = 0.821) and A-PCE (AUC = 0.734). MHD was the only significant predictor for A-PCE; MHD and hypertension were selected as significant factors for S-PCE. The estimated NTCP, using the MHD-based model, showed excellent correspondence to the LKB model in A-PCE and S-PCE. The NTCP curve of A-PCE was gentler than that of S-PCE and had no threshold. The MHD-based NTCP model was simple but comparable to the LKB model for both A-PCE and S-PCE. Estimated NTCP may provide clinically useful parameters for predicting PCE.
Effect of Postpartum Anaemia on Maternal Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review
Authors: Moya Ernest , Phiri Nomsa , Mwangi Martin N. , Phiri Kamija
Published: April 2021

Background: Postpartum anaemia remains a persistent and severe public health issue in many parts of the world. Studies have reported mixed findings on the effects of anaemia during the postpartum period on maternal health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We conducted this systematic review to summarise available evidence to inform public health practitioners on whether 1) anaemia negatively impact maternal health-related quality of life and 2) whether iron supplementation in anaemic women can improve maternal HRQoL during the postpartum period. Methods: This review’s protocol was registered online with PROSPERO (CRD42020206618). We extensively searched Embase, PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus through the HINARI website to identify studies that reported either association or effect of postpartum anaemia on fatigue, depression and mother-child interaction. We restricted our search to studies of human females published in English from databases inception until August 2020. We followed a guideline for reporting systematic reviews without meta-analysis to synthesise data. Results: Ten out of 15 studies where the direction of effect could be determined reported a significant association between lower Hb levels and physical fatigue symptoms. Fourteen out of 19 studies also reported a significant association between Hb levels and postpartum depression. There was evidence in six of the seven and seven of the eight randomised controlled trials that iron replenishment significantly decreased physical fatigue and postpartum depression respectively. Two of the four included studies showed that anaemic mothers were less responsive and had negative feelings towards their children than non-anaemic mother. Conclusion: Evidence from this review suggests that postpartum anaemia negatively affects health related quality of life and that iron replenishment improved both symptoms of fatigue and depression. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether postpartum anaemia affects mother-child interaction.
Cannabis Use Is Associated With Patient and Clinical Factors in a Population-Based Sample of Colorectal Cancer Survivors
Authors: Newcomb Polly A , Ton Mimi , Malen Rachel C , Heffner Jamiee L , Labadie Julia D , Phipps Amanda I , Burnett-Hartman Andrea
Published: April 2021

PurposeThis study aimed to characterize patient and clinical factors associated with cannabis(marijuana) use among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).MethodsWe identified CRC patients, diagnosed from 2016-2018, using the Seattle-Puget Sound Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry. CRC patients were recruited via mail and telephone, and participants completed a questionnaire eliciting information on medical history, demographics, and lifestyle factors, including cannabis use. Cancer stage was obtained from SEER registry data.ResultsOf 1,433 survey respondents, 339 (24%) were current cannabis users. Current cannabis use was associated with younger age at diagnosis, lower BMI, and a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption (P-value<0.05). Cannabis use was also associated with lower quality of life scores (FACT-C) and advanced stage cancer (P-value<0.05).ConclusionCannabis use among CRC patients was common. Patients with more advanced disease were more likely to report cannabis use. Use also varied by some personal factors, consistent with patterns in the general population. Given the high prevalence of cannabis use among CRC patients, research is needed to determine the benefits and harms of cannabis use for symptom management in cancer patients.
Immunohistochemical Analysis of Na+/K+-ATPase and Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Expressions in Both Parenchymal and Stromal Cells from Benign and Malignant Canine Mammary Tumors
Authors: ozmen ozlem
Published: April 2021

Canine mammary tumors are the most common type of dog tumor, and they are similar to human breast tumors. Na+/K+-ATPase is a common plasma membrane ion pump with important physiological and pathophysiological functions. In mammary tumors, the tumor microenvironment was composed of a heterogeneous population of tumor cells and nearby endogenous stromal cells. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate fetal development, tissue homeostasis and differentiation, and a variety of cellular functions. The purpose of this study is to examine the immunohistochemical expression of Na+/K+-ATPase and BMP-2 in tumoral and stromal cells from benign and malignant canine mammary tumors. In this study, ten benign and ten malignant mammary tumors from the archives of the Department of Pathology were used, with five normal breast tissues serving as controls. The results of the revealed that tumors had higher levels of Na+/K+-ATPase and BMP-2 expressions than normal mammary tissue. While both markers were expressed negatively or mildly in benign tumors, they increased significantly in malignant tumors. Both Na+/K+-ATPase and BMP-2 are expressed by tumoral and stromal cells in canine mammary tumors. When compared to compared to BMP-2, Na+/K+-ATPase expression was found to be more severe. This study found that Na+/K+-ATPase and BMP-2 can be used as markers of malignancy in canine mammary tumors and that stromal cells also play an important role in tumor progression. These findings also indicated that Na+/K+-ATPase and BMP-2 may be used for early diagnosis or as a potential target for treatment of canine and human breast tumors in the future.
Activation of the hippocampal LXRβ improves sleep-deprived cognitive impairment by inhibiting neuroinflammation
Authors: Qiu Chen , Wang Min , Yu Wen , Rong Zheng , Zheng He-Sheng , Sun Ting , Liu Shui-Bing , Zhao Ming-Gao , Wu Yu-Mei
Published: April 2021

Sleep deprivation (SD) leads to cognitive impairment due to neuroinflammation associated with impaired hippocampal neuronal plasticity and memory processes. Liver X receptors (LXRs), including LXRα and LXRβ isoforms, are crucial for synaptic plasticity as well as anti-inflammation. However, the potential roles of LXRs in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment induced by SD remain unclear. We revealed that SD resulted in LXRβ reduction in hippocampus, which was associated with upregulated expression of high mobility group box1 (HMGB1)/toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/NF-κB p65, and knockdown of hippocampal LXRβ by shRNA (shLXRβ) led to cognitive impairment. GW3965, a dual agonist for both LXRα and LXRβ, ameliorated SD-induced cognitive impairment by inhibiting microglia activation, suppressing HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB p65 pathway, and ultimately affecting the hippocampal expression of inflammatory cytokines in SD mice. LXRβ knockdown by shLXRβ, abrogated GW3965-mediated the inhibition of HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB p65 pathway, therefore abolished the cognitive improvement. Moreover, inhibition of HMGB1 by glycyrrhizin (GLY) synergistic promoted GW3965-mediated anti-inflammation in activated microglia after LPS/ATP stimulation and facilitated the cognitive improvement after GW administration by activating LXRβ. All the data suggested that GW3965 ameliorated impaired cognition in SD mice by suppressing HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB p65 pathway followed LXRβ activation. This study correlates a deficit of LXRβ in cognitive dysfunction in SD associated with HMGB1 inflammatory pathway in hippocampus, and LXRs may serve as a potential therapeutic target for cognitive impairment with anti-inflammation.
Prevalence and Associated Metabolic Factors for Thyroid Nodules: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest of China with More Than 120 Thousand Populations
Authors: Xu Li , Zeng Fanling , Wang Yutong , Bai Ye , Shan Xuefeng , Kong Lingxi
Published: April 2021

Objective. To explore the prevalence and its associated metabolic factors of thyroid nodules (TNs) among subjects who participated in the physical examinations in Chongqing, China. Methods. The participants from the Health Management Center of JinShan Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, between September 2015 and May 2020, were included in this study. All of the participants underwent thyroid ultrasonography, anthropometric measurements, and serum examinations. Differences in the TNs prevalence were compared with the chi-square test or Wilcoxon rang-sum test. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the metabolic factors associated with TNs and multi thyroid nodules (MTNs). Results. Of the included 121702 participants, 41547 had TNs, and 20899 had MTNs, with the prevalence of 34.1% and 17.0%, respectively. Women had a significantly higher prevalence of TNs than men (40.6% vs. 29.8%; χ2 = 1517.33, P < 0.001), and TNs prevalence was gradually increased with age (P for trend < 0.001). Female gender, advanced age, and metabolic factors including central obesity, BMI,hypertension, diabetes and fatty liver were positively associated with TNs; hyperlipoidemia and hyperuricemia were not independent risk factors of TNs. While female gender, advanced age, central obesity, hypertension and diabetes were independent risk factors of MTNs. Conclusions. The prevalence of thyroid nodules was relatively high. The associated factors identified in this study could help the clinicians to detect the high-risk patients and make targeted screening strategies for the preventing of the occurrence of TNs.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Tissue-Tracking and Parametric Mapping in Characterizing Takotsubo Syndrome: A Pilot Study
Authors: Cau Riccardo , Bassareo Pierpaolo , Cherchi Valeria , Montisci Roberta , Deidda Martino , Caredda Gloria , Porcu Michele , Suri Jasjit S , Esposito Antonio , Meloni Luigi , Pontone Gianluca , Saba Luca
Published: April 2021

Aims: The aims of our pilot study were to evaluate the application of cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking (CMR-TT) and tissue mapping in characterizing TS.Methods: Two groups were retrospectively enrolled: patients with apical ballooning TS (n=19) and healthy controls (n=10). We assessed global and regional bi-ventricular function, including longitudinal (LS), circumferential (CS), and radial strain (RS) analysis. Tissue characterization by T1, T2 mapping, and LGE was performed as well to detect the possible presence of myocardial injuries. Results: LS was reduced in patients with TS compared to healthy controls. LS dysfunction was detected mainly at mid- and apical cavity (p=0.001 for both). Again, basal RS was higher in TS patients compared to the control group. No other statistically significant differences in myocardial strain were detected. TS patients had higher T1 and T2 values, with greater involvement of the LV apex compared with controls. In a multivariate analysis, there was a statistically significant difference between TS and controls regarding parametric mapping and myocardial strain after controlling for gender and age. T1-native and T2 mapping proved to have an excellent performance in differentiating TS patients from controls (AUCs of 0.94 and 0.96, respectively)Conclusion: Our study suggests that myocardial strain impairment and parametric mappings could help in refining the evaluation of TS patients.
Systems biological assessment of human immunity to BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination
Authors: Pulendran Bali , Arunachalam Prabhu S
Published: April 2021

The emergency use authorization of two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in less than a year since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, represents a landmark in vaccinology1,2. Yet, how mRNA vaccines stimulate the immune system to elicit protective immune responses is unknown. Here we used a systems biological approach to comprehensively profile the innate and adaptive immune responses in 56 healthy volunteers vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Vaccination resulted in robust production of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) against the parent strain and the variant of concern, B.1.351, but no induction of autoantibodies, and significant increases in antigen-specific polyfunctional CD4 and CD8 T cells after the second dose. The innate response induced within the first 2 days of booster vaccination was profoundly increased, relative to the response at corresponding times after priming. Thus, there was a striking increase in the: (i) frequency of CD14+CD16+ inflammatory monocytes; (ii) concentration of IFN-y in the plasma, which correlated with enhanced pSTAT3 and pSTAT1 levels in monocytes and T cells; and (iii) transcriptional signatures of innate responses characteristic of antiviral vaccine responses against pandemic influenza, HIV and Ebola, within 2 days following booster vaccination compared to primary vaccination. Consistent with these observations, single-cell transcriptomics analysis of 242,479 leukocytes demonstrated a ~100-fold increase in the frequency of a myeloid cluster, enriched in a signature of interferon-response transcription factors (TFs) and reduced in AP-1 TFs, one day after secondary immunization, at day 21. Finally, we delineated distinct molecular pathways of innate activation that correlate with CD8 T cell and nAb responses and identified an early monocyte-related signature that was associated with the breadth of the nAb response against the B1.351 variant strain. Collectively, these data provide insights into the immune responses induced by mRNA vaccines and demonstrate their capacity to stimulate an enhanced innate response following booster immunization.
Resonator-free sub-MHz spectral dip in a twisted gain medium
Authors: Choksi Neel , Liu Yi , Ghasemi Rojina , Qian Li
Published: April 2021

Ultra-narrow spectral features are desirable for a broad range of applications, from precision spectroscopy to atomic clocks to slow-light and microwave photonics, and are conventionally realized using either ultrahigh-Q resonant structures or atomic resonances. Ultrahigh-Q structure often involves microfabrication, and suffers from loss mechanisms and manufacturing variations that cannot be easily compensated, whereas atomic resonances suffer from signal attenuation and tunability is a challenge. Here, we propose an entirely new way to achieve a sub-MHz and tunable spectral feature in a resonator-free gain medium, exploiting polarization pulling in a medium with frequency dependent polarization eigenmodes. To demonstrate a specific realization, we use Brillouin gain in a commercial spun fiber and experimentally achieve a 0.72 MHz spectral dip, which is to our knowledge, the narrowest spectral Brillouin feature ever reported. Furthermore, the simulation shows that the dip linewidth can be reduced to <0.1MHz, equivalent to a Q of almost 2 billion, by optimizing the birefringence and spun rate of the fiber. We also show that the linewidth, depth, and spectral location of this dip are all tunable on demand by controlling the pump frequency, pump power, and the input polarization of the signal. Its simplicity in implementation and broad applicability, its ultra-narrow linewidth, its tunability makes this approach extremely attractive for applications such as high precision metrology and microwave photonics.
Evidences and drivers of ocean deoxygenation off Peru over recent past decades
Authors: Espinoza-Morriberón Dante , Echevin Vincent , Gutiérrez Dimitri , Tam Jorge , Graco Michelle , Ledesma Jesús , Colas Francois
Published: April 2021

Deoxygenation is a major threat to the coastal ocean health as it impacts marine life and key biogeochemical cycles. Understanding its drivers is crucial in the thriving and highly exploited Peru upwelling system, where naturally low-oxygenated subsurface waters form the so-called oxygen minimum zone, and a slight vertical shift in its upper limit may have a huge impact. Here we investigate the long-term deoxygenation trends in the upper part of the nearshore oxygen minimum zone off Peru over the period 1970-2008. We use a unique set of dissolved oxygen in situ observations and several high resolution regional dynamical-biogeochemical coupled model simulations. The upper part of the oxygen minimum zone appears to lose oxygen over the period, particularly off Northern Peru, a trend well reproduced by the model. Model simulations attribute the deoxygenation to the slowdown of the near-equatorial eastward currents, which transport oxygen toward the Peruvian shores. The large uncertainties in the estimation of this ventilation flux and the consequences for more recent and future deoxygenation trends are discussed.
Synthesis of a new magnetic adsorbent using green tea leaf extract and its application in phenol removal by RSM method
Authors: Mohammadi Sayed Zia , Lashkari Batoul , Khosravan Azita
Published: April 2021

In this research, iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by green synthesis and identified by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and vibrational magnetometer. The tea leaves extract was used as a reducing agent to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles. The systematic study of the process was performed using Design Expert 10 software to determine the relationship between the four process variables, namely iron concentration, extract volume, time, and temperature effect. The square model was significant for the response variables. The iron oxide nanoparticles had super-magnetic properties. Then, iron oxide nanoparticles were used for magnetization of activated carbon (MAC). Finally, the MAC were used for phenol removing by response surface methodology (RSM) method. The results manifested that the generated MAC is quite effective in removing phenol. Various parameters such as pH, extraction time and adsorbent amount were optimized by the RSM method. The absorption of phenol was measured by using a spectrophotometer at a maximum wavelength of 510 nm. It was also indicated that phenol in an aqueous solution was removed up to 98%.
Relationship Between Diabetes Mellitus and Atrial Fibrillation Prevalence in the Polish Population. A Report From the Non-Invasive Monitoring for Early Detection of Atrial Fibrillation (NOMED-AF) Prospective Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Authors: Gumprecht Jakub Janusz , Lip Gregory Y.H , Sokal Adam , Średniawa Beata , Mitręga Katarzyna , Stokwiszewski Jakub , Wierucki Łukasz , Rajca Aleksandra , Rutkowski Marcin , Zdrojewski Tomasz , Grodzicki Tomasz , Kaźmierczak Jarosław , Opolski Grzegorz , Kalarus Zbigniew
Published: April 2021

Background:The global burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is constantly rising, leading to an increasing healthcare burden of stroke. AF often remains undiagnosed due to the occurrence in an asymptomatic, silent form, i.e., silent AF (SAF).The study aims to evaluate the relationships between DM and AF prevalence using a mobile long-term continuous ECG telemonitoring vest in a representative Polish and European population ≥65 years, for detection of AF, symptomatic or silent.Methods:A representative sample of 3014 participants from the cross-sectional NOMED-AF study was enrolled in the analyses (mean age 77.5, 49.1% female): 881 (29.2%) were diagnosed with DM. AF was screened using a telemonitoring vest for a mean of 21.9± 9.1days. Results:Overall, AF was reported in 680 (22.6%) of the whole study population. AF prevalence was higher among subjects with concomitant DM (DM+) versus those without DM (DM-) [25%, 95%CI 22.5-27.8% vs 17%; 95%CI 15.4-18.5% respectively, p<0.001]. DM patients were commonly associated with SAF [9%; 95%CI 7.9-11.4 vs 7%; 95% CI 5.6-7.5 respectively, p<0.001], and persistent/permanent AF [12.2%; 95% CI 10.3-14.3 vs 6.9%; 95% CI 5.9-8.1 respectively, p<0.001] compared to subjects without DM. The prolonged screening was associated with a higher percentage of newly established AF diagnosis in DM+ vs DM- patients (5% vs 4.5% respectively, p<0.001). In addition to shared risk factors, DM+ subjects were associated with different AF and SAF independent risk factors compared to DM- individuals, including thyroid disease, peripheral/systemic thromboembolism, hypertension, physical activity and prior percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Conclusions:AF affects 1 out of 4 subjects with concomitant DM. The higher prevalence of AF and SAF among DM subjects than those without DM highlights the necessity of active AF screening specific AF risk factors assessment amongst the diabetic population. Trial registration: NCT03243474.
A novel approach to event-based progression analysis in glaucomatous visual fields
Authors: Rui Chiara , Montesano Giovanni , Crabb David P. , Brusini Paolo , Chauhan Balwantray C , Rossetti Luca M , Fogagnolo Paolo , Giraud Jean-Marie , Fenolland Jean-Rémi , Oddone Francesco
Published: April 2021

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy determining characteristic changes to the optic nerve head and the visual field (VF). Detecting progression of VF damage with Standard Automated Perimetry (SAP) is of paramount importance for clinical care. One common approach to detecting progression is to compare each new VF test to a baseline SAP test (event analysis). This comparison is made difficult by the test-retest variability of SAP, which increases with the level of VF damage, and the lower bounds on the range of measurement, meaning that damage cannot be assessed below a certain level. We performed a prospective international multi-centre data collection of SAP data on 90 eyes from 90 people with glaucoma and different levels of VF damage over a short period of time (6 tests in 60 days). Data were collected using a fundus tracked perimeter (Compass, CenterVue). We used these data (minus the first test) to develop an improved event analysis that accounts for both the change in variability with damage and the lower bound on the measurement imposed by SAP. Using simulations, we show that our approach is more sensitive compared to previously developed methods, especially in the case of advanced glaucoma, while retaining similar specificity.
High Optical Kerr Nonlinearity of PdSe2 Di-chalcogenide 2D Films for Nonlinear Photonic Chips
Authors: Moss David , wu jiayang , jia linnan
Published: April 2021

As a novel layered noble metal dichalcogenide material, palladium diselenide (PdSe2) has attracted wide interest due to its excellent optical and electronic properties. In this work, a strong third-order nonlinear optical response of 2D PdSe2 films is reported. We conduct both open-aperture (OA) and closed-aperture (CA) Z-scan measurements with a femtosecond pulsed laser at 800 nm to investigate the nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction, respectively. In the OA experiment, we observe optical limiting behaviour originating from large two photo absorption (TPA) in the PdSe2 film of β = 3.26 ×10− 8 m/W. In the CA experiment, we measure a peak-valley response corresponding to a large and negative Kerr nonlinearity of n2 = -1.33×10− 15 m2/W – two orders of magnitude larger than bulk silicon. In addition, the variation of n2 as a function of laser intensity is also characterized, with n2 decreasing in magnitude when increasing incident laser intensity, becoming saturated at n2 = -9.96×10− 16 m2/W at high intensities. Our results show that the extraordinary third-order nonlinear optical properties of PdSe2 have strong potential for high-performance nonlinear photonic devices.
Development of a sensor and measurement platform for water quality observations: design, sensor integration, 3D printing, and open-source hardware
Authors: Kinar Nicholas John , Brinkmann Markus
Published: April 2021

A measurement and development platform for collecting water quality data (the WaterWatcher) was developed. The platform includes sensors to measure turbidity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and water temperature as variables that are often collected to assess water quality. The design is extensible for research and monitoring purposes, and all design files are provided under open-source permissive licenses for further development. System design and operation are discussed for illustrative purposes. A block diagram indicates elements of mechanical, electrical, and software design for this system. The mechanical assembly used to house circuit boards and sensors is designed using 3D printing for rapid prototyping. The electronic circuit board acts as a carrier for an Arduino 32-bit microcontroller board and an associated cellular module along with a GPS for geolocation of water quality measurements. The cellular module permits data transfer for Internet of Things (IoT) functionality. System operation is set up using a command line interface (CLI) and C++ code that allows for calibration coefficients and human readable transfer functions to be defined so that sensor voltages are related to physical quantities. Data are cached on a secure digital (SD) card for backup. The circuit was calibrated, and system operation assessed by deployment on an urban reservoir. Biogeochemical cycles were identified in the collected data using spectrogram and semivariogram analyses to validate system operation. As a system with hardware and software released under an open source license, the WaterWatcher platform reduces the time and effort required to build and deploy low-cost water quality measurement sensors and provides an example of the basic hardware design that can be used for measurements of water quality.
Innovation Management, from Materiality Assessment to Sustainability Reporting, opening the Social Impact Black Box
Authors: Suarez Lopez Belen , Vargas Alcaide Antonio
Published: April 2021

When the impossible becomes inevitable. The covid-19 has disrupted increasing the speed of changes in the Industry 4.0, highlighting the need to make a paradigm shift from ego-system to eco-system perspective, challenging organizations and citizens to react from their changemakers role. Two crucial needs arise: firstly, the need to innovate to address the tremendous and complex challenges we face and on the other hand, the need to assess and manage our social impacts. Most organizations should redesign their purpose to focus on measuring, monitoring, and reporting not only in financial terms but also taking into account the non-financial performance, especially in terms of sustainability. Some authors names this time, the era of “stakeholders capitalism”. This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific, standardization, and business discussion on understanding how organizations could measure their financial, environmental, and social impacts; how to increase the quality of the sustainability reporting, and deliver the most benefit for their stakeholders. The article analyzes the pathway of Innovating, Evaluating and Reporting the Impact, using the materiality assessment as a driver to create value thanks to disruptive technologies as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and the Internet of things. The result of the study can be practically valuable for many stakeholders: the Organizations Management and Boards, Chief Innovation Officers and Teams responsible for Sustainability reporting, Auditors assuring the reliability of sustainable reporting, the Scientifics researching on the topic of Innovation, Impact Assessment, and Sustainability; Public Administrations for addressing the economic, social and environmental challenges, and building trust by ensuring transparency and accountability; Investors and other stakeholders interested on understanding long-term value creation and the social and environmental risk assessment to incentivize sustainable growth.
Exploring jet substructure in semi-visible jets
Authors: Kar Deepak , Sinha Sukanya
Published: April 2021

Semi-visible jets arise in strongly interacting dark sectors, where parton evolution includes dark sector emissions, resulting in jets overlapping with missing transverse momentum. The implementation of semi-visible jets is done using the Pythia Hidden valley module to duplicate the QCD sector showering. In this work, several jet substructure observables have been examined to compare semi-visible jets (signal) and light quark/gluon jets (background). These comparisons were performed using different dark hadron fractions in the semi-visible jets. The extreme scenarios where signal consists either of entirely dark hadrons or visible hadrons offers a chance to understand the effect of the specific dark shower model employed in these comparisons. We attempt to decouple the behaviour of jet-substructure observables due to inherent semi-visible jet properties, from model dependence owing to the existence of only one dark shower model as mentioned above.
Crimes and Punishments according to Salic and Ripuarian Laws
Authors:   Lev Tolstoy Tula State Pedagogical University, Makutchev A.V.
Published: April 2021

The article presents the results of the analysis of the Frankish criminal law main provisions in the Early Middle Ages, namely, the aspects of the application of punishments for the main types of crimes. This analysis was based on the norms of two sources: the Salic Law, which is deservedly considered to be one of the most important barbarian laws, and the Ripuarian Law, which is less studied in domestic historiography, which consolidated the customary law of the Ripuarian Franks. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of the Salic and Ripuarian laws, aimed at identifying both common characteristics of criminal law for both documents, and features that reflect various aspects of the Salic and Ripuarian Franks social and economic development. In the course of the conducted research, the qualification of the main criminal offenses according to the Ripuarian and Salic Laws was determined, the characteristic features of the criminal legislation fixed by both sources were identified (class status, the predominance of material penalties, etc.). Based on the comparison of the norms of both Laws, the author also concludes that the historical value of the Ripuarian Law is higher than it is commonly believed: while repeating the norms of the Salic Law in some parts, neverthelessб it does not duplicate it, but complements and expands the characteristics of a legal institutions number.
A Radiographic Study on the Effect of Menopause on Proximal Femoral Angle Parameters
Authors: SERTEL MEYVACI Seda , KAYA Yasin Emre
Published: April 2021

Aim: In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of menopause on the femoral inclination angle (FIA) and femoral Alsberg angle (FAA) parameters in pelvic anteroposterior radiography.Methods: The FIA and FAA data were retrospectively reviewed in a total of 133 female subjects with natural menopause (the menopause group) and regular menstrual cycles (the control group) who were admitted to our orthopedics and traumatology clinic and underwent anteroposterior pelvic X-ray examination between October 2019 and June 2020.Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the menopause and control groups in terms of age (p<0.001), right-side FAA values (p<0.001), and right- and left-side FIA values (p<0.001 and p=0.026, respectively). Only the left-side FAA values did not differ significantly between the groups (p=0.446). All parameter measurements were higher in the menopause group.Conclusion: The finding that the FIA and FAA values were higher in the menopause group could be attributed to the fact that menopause occurs in the later decades of life and brings along changes in lifestyle. We recommend that the presence of menopause as a factor that can affect bone structure and metabolism in various ways should also be considered in studies on bone morphometry.
On-site Dining in Tokyo During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Time Series Analysis Using Mobile Phone Location Data
Authors: Nakanishi Miharu , Shibasaki Ryosuke , Yamasaki Syudo , Miyazawa Satoshi , Usami Satoshi , Nishiura Hiroshi , Nishida Atsushi
Published: April 2021

Background

During the second wave of COVID-19 in August 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government implemented public health and social measures to reduce on-site dining. Assessing the associations between human behavior, infection, and social measures is essential to understand achievable reductions in cases and identify the factors driving changes in social dynamics.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between nighttime population volumes, the COVID-19 epidemic, and the implementation of public health and social measures in Tokyo.

Methods

We used mobile phone location data to estimate populations between 10 PM and midnight in seven Tokyo metropolitan areas. Mobile phone trajectories were used to distinguish and extract on-site dining from stay-at-work and stay-at-home behaviors. Numbers of new cases and symptom onsets were obtained. Weekly mobility and infection data from March 1 to November 14, 2020, were analyzed using a vector autoregression model.

Results

An increase in the number of symptom onsets was observed 1 week after the nighttime population volume increased (coefficient=0.60, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.92). The effective reproduction number significantly increased 3 weeks after the nighttime population volume increased (coefficient=1.30, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.89). The nighttime population volume increased significantly following reports of decreasing numbers of confirmed cases (coefficient=–0.44, 95% CI –0.73 to –0.15). Implementation of social measures to restaurants and bars was not significantly associated with nighttime population volume (coefficient=0.004, 95% CI –0.07 to 0.08).

Conclusions

The nighttime population started to increase after decreasing incidence of COVID-19 was announced. Considering time lags between infection and behavior changes, social measures should be planned in advance of the surge of an epidemic, sufficiently informed by mobility data.
Role of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Real-Life Clinical Practice: Systematic Review (Preprint)
Authors: Yin Jiamin , Ngiam Kee Yuan , Teo Hock Hai
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are growing at an unprecedented pace in health care, including disease diagnosis, triage or screening, risk analysis, surgical operations, and so forth. Despite a great deal of research in the development and validation of health care AI, only few applications have been actually implemented at the frontlines of clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to systematically review AI applications that have been implemented in real-life clinical practice.

METHODS

We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and CINAHL to identify relevant articles published between January 2010 and May 2020. We also hand searched premier computer science journals and conferences as well as registered clinical trials. Studies were included if they reported AI applications that had been implemented in real-world clinical settings.

RESULTS

We identified 51 relevant studies that reported the implementation and evaluation of AI applications in clinical practice, of which 13 adopted a randomized controlled trial design and eight adopted an experimental design. The AI applications targeted various clinical tasks, such as screening or triage (n=16), disease diagnosis (n=16), risk analysis (n=14), and treatment (n=7). The most commonly addressed diseases and conditions were sepsis (n=6), breast cancer (n=5), diabetic retinopathy (n=4), and polyp and adenoma (n=4). Regarding the evaluation outcomes, we found that 26 studies examined the performance of AI applications in clinical settings, 33 studies examined the effect of AI applications on clinician outcomes, 14 studies examined the effect on patient outcomes, and one study examined the economic impact associated with AI implementation.

CONCLUSIONS

This review indicates that research on the clinical implementation of AI applications is still at an early stage despite the great potential. More research needs to assess the benefits and challenges associated with clinical AI applications through a more rigorous methodology.