bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Highly Skilled Migrant Workers as a Vulnerability of Small Island Developing States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cases of Three Countries in Micronesia
Authors: Maekawa Miko , Nakayama Mikiyasu , Fujikura Ryo , Yoshida Takayasu , Shiiba Nagisa ,   Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8524, Japan,   Global Infrastructure Fund Research Foundation Japan, Tokyo, Japan,   Faculty of Sustainability Studies, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan,   Sunrise Japan Hospital, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Published: April 2022

Several small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific managed to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing measures to ensure national isolation. Primarily due to being ordered to leave by their respective organizations, e.g., overseas development administration (ODA) in the developed world, many highly skilled migrant workers left these countries. This sudden exodus of highly skilled foreigners created a number of problems in these countries; for example, schools suffered from teacher staffing shortages and hospitals had reduced capacity to offer medical services due to the paucity of nurses and doctors. This study aims to examine the situations in the Federated State of Micronesia (FSM), Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), where many foreign workers have left their duty stations to return home under COVID-19, to elicit lessons learned and possible ways and means to alleviate the observed problems. To this end, literature surveys and interviews were conducted with informants. Results indicated that developing and maintaining a remote work environment is a promising method to fill the gaps caused by the sudden absence of foreign workers in management posts, even under non-emergency situation. This is because in the case that highly skilled migrant workers are forced to vacate their duty stations suddenly, immediately hiring replacements is often not possible. Promoting distance education also proved effective for COVID-19-free nations such as the FSM, Palau, and the RMI, not only during emergencies, but also during normal times. Similarly, the daily use of telemedicine is likely to be effective in coping with emergencies, as shown in the case of FSM’s Pohnpei State Hospital. We found both distance education and telemedicine to be effective measures to address the sudden departure of highly skilled migrant workers in the fields of education and medical services. Moreover, other forms of remote work should prove useful in other sectors such as industry and administration. These systems should be progressively developed during non-emergency times and integrated into the daily operations of relevant sectors.
Development of Farmland in a Lagoon and Damage Caused by Storm Surge in 17th Century Japan
Authors: Ebara Masaharu ,   Historiographical Institute, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
Published: April 2022

Japan is a mountainous country, and its mountains, formed as the result of tectonic uplift and volcanic activity, sit very close to the coastline. Short, steep rivers running down those mountains formed medium-sized alluvial plains in coastal areas. While the great majority of the coastal plains of Japan are alluvial, formed by the sedimentation of deposits carried by rivers, not all were formed solely by natural sedimentation. By artificially altering coastal tidelands and shallow inland lakes and marshes, the people of the Japanese archipelago gradually expanded their area for habitation and farming. In this paper, I take the Chuen Plain in the central part of the Japanese archipelago as an example to clarify how bodies of water were turned into land from the 16th century on, and I show what damage was done in this area of development by the storm surge caused by a huge typhoon at the end of the 17th century. We should consider that while turning bodies of water into land created more space for living and farming, it also increased the risk of natural disasters in daily life.
Yeni Sanayileşen Ülkelerde Finansal Kuznets Eğrisinin Geçerliliği
Authors: EFEOĞLU Rabia
Published: April 2022

Çalışmada, yeni sanayileşen ülkelerde 1987-2019 dönemi için Finansal Kuznets Eğrisi hipotezinin geçerliliği araştırılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda finansal gelişme ve gelir eşitsizliği arasındaki ilişki panel veri yöntemi kullanılarak incelenmiş, Parks-Kmenta ve Beck-Katz tahminleri gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular neticesinde yeni sanayileşen ülkelerde Finansal Kuznets Eğrisi hipotezinin geçerli olduğu, finansal gelişme ile gelir eşitsizliği arasında ters-U ilişkisinin varlığı tespit edilmiştir. Buna göre, yeni sanayileşen ülkelerde finansal gelişme belirli bir eşik düzeyine kadar gelir eşitsizliğini arttırmakta, bu eşik düzeyinden sonra gelir eşitsizliğini azaltmaktadır. Diğer taraftan kişi başına GSYH ve kişi başına GSYH karesi değişkenleri kontrol değişken olarak modele dahil edilmiş ve yeni sanayileşen ülkelerde klasik Kuznets Eğrisi hipotezinin de geçerli olduğu, kişi başına gelir ile gelir eşitsizliği arasında ters-U ilişkisinin olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Yeni sanayileşen ülkelerde kişi başına gelir belirli bir eşik düzeyine kadar gelir eşitsizliğini arttırmakta, bu eşik düzeyinden sonra gelir eşitsizliğini azaltmaktadır.
Phylogenetic relationships of sleeper gobies (Eleotridae: Gobiiformes: Gobioidei), with comments on the position of the miniature genus Microphilypnus
Authors: Macate Isadola Eusébio , Bessa-Silva Adam , Caires Rodrigo , Vallinoto Marcelo , Giarrizzo Tommaso , Angulo Arturo , Ruiz-Campos Gorgonio , Sampaio Iracilda , Guimarães-Costa Aurycéia
Published: April 2022

Microphilypnus and Leptophilypnion are miniaturized genera within the family Eleotridae. The evolutionary relationships among these taxa are still poorly understood, and molecular analyses are restricted to mitochondrial genes, which have not been conclusive. We compiled both mitochondrial and nuclear genes in order to study the phylogenetic position of Microphilypnus and the evolutionary history and relationships of eleotrids. We propose that Microphilypnus and Leptophilypnus (a non-miniature genus) are not sister groups as suggested by previous studies, but rather separate lineages that arose in the early Eocene, with Leptophilypnus recovered as a sister group to the other analyzed eleotrids. In fact, Microphilypnus is currently associated with the Neotropical clade Guavina/Dormitator/Gobiomorus. We also identified a well-supported clade that indicated Gobiomorus and Hemieleotris as paraphyletic groups, besides a close relationship among Calumia godeffroyi, Bunaka gyrinoides, Eleotris and Erotelis species. This is the first comprehensive report about the evolutionary relationships in members of the family Eleotridae, including multiloci and multispecies approaches. Therefore, we provided new insights about the phylogenetic position of some taxa absent in previous studies, such as the miniature genus Microphilypnus and a recently described species of Eleotris from South America.
Fyn interrupts telomere maintenance in stem cells by phosphorylating menin at tyrosine 603
Authors: PAUL SOUREN , McCourt Preston , Le Le Thi My , Ryu Joohyun , Czaja Wioletta , Bode Ann , Contreras-Galindo Rafael , Dong zigang
Published: April 2022

Telomeres protect chromosome ends and determine the proliferative potential of cells. The canonical telomere sequence TTAGGG is synthesized by telomerase holoenzyme, which maintains telomere length in proliferative stem cells. Although the core components of telomerase are well defined, many aspects of telomerase regulation are poorly understood. We report a novel role for the Src family kinase Fyn, which interrupts telomere maintenance in stem cells by negatively regulating telomerase assembly. We determine that Fyn promotes SUMOylation of the scaffold protein menin at lysine 609 (K609) by phosphorylating menin at tyrosine 603 (Y603). We show that K609-SUMOylated menin associates with much greater affinity to the telomerase RNA component (TERC) and interferes with telomerase assembly by preventing dyskerin (DKC1) and H/ACA ribonucleoprotein complex subunit 1 (GAR1) from binding to TERC. Importantly, we find that inhibition of Fyn reduces telomere shortening in human iPSCs and mice harboring mutations for dyskeratosis congenita.
A Student-led Interprofessional Virtual Outreach Program for People with HIV during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A pilot program at an academic medical center in Boston
Authors: Solomon Daniel A. , Larrabee Susan , Ellis Joshua , Erfani Parsa , Johnson Shawn F. , Rich Katherine M. , Sandoval Raquel Sofia , Osman Nora Y.
Published: April 2022

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic caused an abrupt disruption in clinical care and medical education, putting patients at increased risk for social stressors and displacing medical students from traditional clerkships. The pandemic also exposed the need for virtual tools to supplement clinical care, and an opportunity to create meaningful roles for learners. Methods: An interdisciplinary group designed a student-led virtual outreach program for patients with HIV whose care was limited by the pandemic. Patients were identified by clinicians and social workers using a clinic-based registry. Students called patients to conduct needs assessments, Covid-19 education, and to facilitate connection to services. Students participated in case-based didactics and workshops on motivational interviewing and patient engagement using virtual tools. Facilitated team meetings were held weekly during which themes of calls were identified.Results: During a three-month period, six students participated in the outreach program. 216 patients were identified for outreach calls, of which 174 (75.9%) were successfully reached by telephone. Rate of completed phone call did not differ by age. 60 patients had a preferred language other than English of which 95.6% were reached in their preferred language. Conclusions: Virtual proactive outreach can be used as a tool to support patients and engage students in clinical care when access to in-person care is limited. This model of care could be adapted to other ambulatory practices and integrated into pre-clerkship curriculum as an introduction to the social history and structural drivers of health (SDOH). (242/350)
Epidemiological analysis of age and spatial differences of HIV prevalence over the last decade in Nanjing, China
Authors: Zhu Zheng-ping , Xu Yuan-yuan , Li Xin , Ma Tao , Wu Su-shu , Shi Hong-jie , Qiao Meng-kai , Xu Wen-jiong , Ding Jie
Published: April 2022

ObjectiveTo describe the epidemiological characteristics of PLHIV, and to assess age and spatial distribution of HIV prevalence over the last decade in Nanjing.MethodsWe downloaded information of the reported PLHIV from Chinese HIV/AIDS comprehensive prevention system, and we performed descriptive, one-way ANOVA, autocorrelation analysis, spatial scanning and mapping of spatial distribution.Results5269 PLHIV that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included to our study. The HIV prevalence for each year rose from 1.09/10000 in 2011 to 5.70/10000 in 2020. The dominate transmission was sexual route. Homosexual transmission showed an upward trend from 61.5–74.5%, and decreased slowly to 62.9%, the proportion of drug injection transmission decreased from 10.6–0.2%. The characteristics of transmission routes, disease stage and the diagnosis way were different among three age groups, and the difference were statistically significant with all P<0.001. The spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the spatial clustering of HIV prevalence existed among three age groups in 2016 and 2020. By the end of 2020, HIV prevalence clustering districts among Youth were Qinhuai, Gulou, Xuanwu, Qixia, Jiangbeinewarea. HIV prevalence clustering districts among Middle-aged were Qinhuai, Gulou, Xuanwu, Jianye, Yuhuatai, HIV prevalence clustering districts among Elderly were Qinhuai, Gulou, Xuanwu, Qixia.ConclusionThe steadily increasing HIV prevalence rate, the late diagnosis of Elderly, the expansion of the clustering districts among Youth, and the key clustering districts like Qinhuai and Gulou where risk factors exist all posed challenges to the prevention and control of HIV in Nanjing. Societal and medical resources should be deployed to deal with HIV epidemic under the consideration of the variation of age and geographic regions.
Exploring Robust Architectures for Deep Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Waqas Asim , Rasool Ghulam , Farooq Hamza , Bouaynaya Nidhal
Published: April 2022

The architectures of deep artificial neural networks (DANNs) are routinely studied to improve their predictive performance. However, the relationship between the architecture of a DANN and its robustness to noise and adversarial attacks is less explored. We investigate how the robustness of DANNs relates to their underlying graph architectures or structures. This study: (1) starts by exploring the design space of architectures of DANNs using graph-theoretic robustness measures; (2) transforms the graphs to DANN architectures to train/validate/test on various image classification tasks; (3) explores the relationship between the robustness of trained DANNs against noise and adversarial attacks and the robustness of their underlying architectures estimated via graph-theoretic measures. We show that the topological entropy and Olivier-Ricci curvature of the underlying graphs can quantify the robustness performance of DANNs. The said relationship is stronger for complex tasks and large DANNs. Our work will allow autoML and neural architecture search community to explore design spaces of robust and accurate DANNs.
Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Home-Based Phototherapy Versus Hospital-Based Phototherapy for Treatment of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia in shiraz, Iran
Authors: Kavosi Zahra , Mozafari Malallah , Rezaee Mehdi , Keshavarz Khosro
Published: April 2022

Background
Neonatal jaundice is the most common cause of hospitalization of mature and healthy infants. Phototherapy is the most common treatment for the rise in indirect bilirubin. Hospitalization of infants has complications such as hospital infections, separation of the mother from the baby, occupying hospital beds and high cost of hospitalization. Since phototherapy is possible at home and by home care centers, this study was conducted to analyze the cost-effectiveness of phototherapy at home versus phototherapy in hospital in Shiraz in 2021.
Methods
This research is a complete economic evaluation of cost-effectiveness that was conducted cross-sectionally from March to August 2021 in Hafez and Hazrat Zeinab hospitals and Parseh and Ava Gostar home care centers in Shiraz. The study population included all neonates who were admitted to these centers with a diagnosis of jaundice for phototherapy. 180 neonates with jaundice in the two groups of hospital and home care were included in the study. The effectiveness index for this study was the average daily decrease in total bilirubin. We made use of cost and effectiveness forms to collect the required information. The results were presented in the form of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis was used to measure the strength of the study results. TreeAge pro2020, Excel 2019 and Spss18 were used to analyze the collected data.
Results
The results showed that the average cost of phototherapy at home and hospital were $ 196.52 and $ 397.85, respectively, and the average effectiveness was 0.39 and 0.36, respectively. Therefore, according to the results, phototherapy at home is more cost-effective than phototherapy in the hospital. In addition, the results of one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed the strength of the research results.
Conclusion
Phototherapy at home is a more cost-effective option than phototherapy in the hospital. Therefore, it can be suggested to insurance organizations as well as service providers to prioritize phototherapy at home to be included in the basic insurance package.
Evaluation of additional gastrectomy after noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection for early gastric cancer
Authors: Makimoto Shinichiro , Mushiake Yutaka , Takami Tomoya , Shintani Hiroshi , Kataoka Naoki , Yamaguchi Tomoyuki , Oura Shoji
Published: April 2022

BackgroundPerforming additional surgery after noncurative endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer is controversial. Our aims are to clarify the risk factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) and local residual cancer (RC) after noncurative ESD and to determine recommendations for additional treatment. MethodsOf the 1483 patients who underwent ESD for early gastric cancer between January 2012 and April 2020, we retrospectively analyzed 151 patients diagnosed as having a lesion not meeting the curative criteria after ESD. Of these patients, 100 underwent additional gastrectomy, and 51 were observed without surgery. ResultsSurgical specimens showed LNM in 14 patients (14.0 %) and local RC in 7 (7.0 %). However, 81 patients (81.0 %) had neither of these malignancies. Multivariate analysis revealed that a positive lymphatic invasion (P = 0.035)　and an undifferentiated type (P = 0.047) were independent risk factors for LNM, whereas a positive horizontal margin (P = 0.017) was an independent risk factor for local RC. In the additional gastrectomy group, 3 patients (3.0 %) had recurrences, and 2 (2.0 %) died of gastric cancer. In the observation group, 1 patient (2.0 %) had distant recurrence, and 2 patients (3.9 %) had local recurrences.ConclusionFollowing noncurative ESD for early gastric cancer, we recommend an additional gastrectomy with lymph node dissection for patients with lymphovascular invasion and/or undifferentiated type. Careful follow-ups without additional surgery may be acceptable for patients with advanced age, severe comorbidity, or no lymphovascular invasion.
Frequency and Associated Factors of Dysphagia Diagnosed by Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study in Patients with Fragility Hip Fracture
Authors: Kwak Soyoung , Park Sung-Jin , Park Chan Ho
Published: April 2022

Background
Dysphagia after hip fracture is a common disease that causes malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia, which aggravate treatment outcome of patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess (1) the prevalence of dysphagia in elderly patients who underwent hip fracture surgery using videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS), (2) accuracy of screening test compared to VFSS, and (3) relationship between dysphagia and several factors, including sarcopenia.
Method
A total of 72 patients over the age of 60 who underwent a surgery for fragility hip fracture from February to September 2019 were included in this prospective study. Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) and VFSS were performed in all patients to assess the swallowing function. Sarcopenia, history of various diseases, nutritional status, bone mineral density, and Koval grade, which can measure preoperative gait ability, were assessed to identify factors associated with dysphagia.
Results
VFSS results showed diagnosis of dysphasia in 55 (76.4%) patients, and penetration and airway aspiration were observed in 30 (41.7%) and 8 (11.1%) cases, respectively. The median value of GUSS was 19 points (range, 17–20) and 18 points (range, 14–20) in the dysphagia and non-dysphagia groups, respectively, and there was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.189). When dysphagia diagnosed by GUSS was compared to that of VFSS, the sensitivity and specificity of GUSS was 62% and 47%, respectively (positive predictive value 79%, negative predictive value 28%) Logistic regression analysis showed that dementia (OR10.56, CI 1.67 ~ 66.7) was associated with aspiration. SMI, grip strength, and sarcopenia were not associated with dysphagia; however, preoperative Koval grade was a factor that was associated with dysphagia (OR 2.36, CI 1.01–5.55).
Conclusions
GUSS showed mild dysphagia or normal findings in most patients, and the accuracy was not high. Therefore, VFSS is recommended to diagnose dysphagia and prevent complications for fragility hip fracture patients with a decreased gait ability who are likely to develop dysphagia.
Self-injury, suicidal ideation and -attempt and eating disorders in young people following the initial and second COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Danielsen Stine , Joensen Andrea , Andersen Per , Madsen Trine , Strandberg-Larsen Katrine
Published: April 2022

Experts has raised concerns about young people’s mental health following the lockdowns implemented to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. An aggravation in mental health have been suggested in several studies, but the impact on self-injury, suicidality and eating disorders (EDs) are less elucidated. Using two different data setups i.e. longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional data, we compare self-reported self-injury, suicide ideation and -attempt and symptoms of EDs from before through different pandemic periods until spring 2021. The longitudinal data indicate a slight reduction in the proportion of self-injury and suicide ideation in both women and men, as well as symptoms of EDs in women. For suicide attempt no change was observed. In the repeated cross-sectional data, we observed no changes in self-injury, suicide ideation- and attempts or symptoms of EDs. Thus, our findings provide no support for increase in self-injury, suicidality, and symptoms of EDs following the lockdowns.
Investigation of P1’ and P2’ sites of IQF substrates on their selectivity towards 20S proteasome subunits
Authors: Gladysz Radoslaw , Malek Natalia , Rut Wioletta , Drag Marcin
Published: April 2022

High levels of expression and activity of 20S proteasome have been linked to many types of pathologies including neoplasia, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and many more. Moreover, distinguishing between 20S proteasome catalytic subunits is neglected although may give further insight in the development of pathologies. Several approaches have been developed to detect 20S proteasome activity, one which is internally quenched fluorescent (IQF) substrates, which to this day they suffer from low efficiency and sensitivity. Previous reports focused on peptides including natural amino acids, therefore, in this report, we synthesized and analyzed IQF substrates with both natural and unnatural amino acids in P1’ and P2’ positions to investigate their influence on selectivity towards 20S proteasome subunits. We were able to obtain IQF substrates for Ch-L subunit that was characterized with higher selectivity that formerly used tetrapeptides. These findings may further contribute to the development of novel diagnostic tool in 20S proteasome dependent disorders.
Decompressive Cranioplasty using Titanium Mesh in a Patient with Osteopetrosis: A case-based Reviews.
Authors: Demirel Cem , Koksal Vaner
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Osteopetrosis is an inherited disease that causes thickening of the cranial bone. The need for both cerebral decompression and intracranial volume-enlarging cranioplasty in the same surgical session in a patient whose intracranial pressure is elevated cannot be prevented and is a very rare decision in neurosurgery practice. It is seen in the literature that the only indication that can lead to this surgery is osteopetrosis. Case report: A 24-year-old female patient with osteopetrosis admitted with the complaint of severe headache that did not respond to medical treatment, and surgery was decided. After decompressive craniectomy was performed with difficulties, cranioplasty with titanium mesh was performed in the same session to protect the cerebral tissue, to close the defect area, and to give more space to the cerebral tissue. Conclusions: It was observed that the complaints of increased intracranial pressure were completely resolved with unilateral cranial decompression in the early postoperative period and at the end of 2 years. The surgical intervention technique performed on the patient and the radiological findings obtained during the follow-up are presented. We think that performing cranioplasty with titanium mesh, which is used to protect and save the cerebral tissue in patients with osteopetrosis, is the most appropriate choice.
Association of Vitamin-D Receptor (Vdr), Gc-globulin and Cyp2r1 Polymorphism With Progression of Hbv Related Liver Disease Along With an Exclusive Svm Based Disease Prediction Model
Authors: Kalita Manash Jyoti , Adhyapak Sampurna , Kalita Simanta , Rudola Tanya , Hazarika Gautam , Kalita Simanta , Das Partha Pratim , Dutta Kalpajit , Ali Eyashin , Das Eshani , Idris Md Ghaznavi , Talukdar Anjan Jyoti , Dutta Sangitanjan , Medhi Subhash
Published: April 2022

Background: Polymorphism in genes associated with Vitamin-D metabolism and its receptor molecule altogether modulates the level of active serum Vitamin-D level and as such serves as potent immune modulator. Impact of this polymorphism on outcome of HBV related liver disease is poorly understood till date. Aim: This study focus on analysing the VDR polymorphism (TaqI, ApaI, and BsmI) and its associated molecules GC-Globulin and CYP2R1 among HBV infected patients and its probable correlation with disease progression. Method: Three hundred forty HBV infected patients belonging to three distinct clinical groups, Acute Viral hepatitis (AVH, n=205), Chronic Hepatitis (CH, n=84) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 51) along with 102 healthy control were included in the study. VDR, GC and CYP2R1 polymorphism were genotyped by PCR-RFLP method followed by Sanger sequencing. Haplotype distribution was analysed using SHEsis software. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find the association between different genotype and VDR haplotype with progression of liver disease. Further, an SVM based prediction model has also been described in detection of different disease stage. Results and Conclusion: Apa-I CC genotype was more frequently observed among chronic HBV patients and HCC than the acute cases among North east Indian population (OR = 2.241, C.I = 0.504- 5.558. p= 0.001). The occurrence of bAt haplotype was also found to be significantly higher among Chronic (p=0.004) and HCC (p=0.001<0.05) cases in comparison to acute cases. Further, logistic regression analysis after adjusting covariates like age, gender, serum AST/ALT level, serum albumin and platelet count, showed that Apa-I CC genotype and bAt haplotype were independent predictors for advancement of acute to chronic HBV infection and further. The SVM based prediction model using similar covariates also predicts the different disease stage with 90% accuracy.
Regional differences in dietary pattern in India and its relation to nutrition related outcomes
Authors: Venkatesan Padmanaban , SS Prakash , Ramasamy Jagadish
Published: April 2022

Purpose
This work was done to study whether regional differences in dietary patterns in India has a role in nutrition related health outcomes such as anemia, obesity, undernutrition, and high blood glucose.
Methods
It was an ecological study using data on food consumption and nutrition related health outcomes extracted from household consumer expenditure survey (2011), and National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) (2015-16), respectively. Data were extracted at district level from both these surveys and analysed separately for rural and urban regions. Dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis and their correlation with health outcomes were analysed by spatial regression analysis.
Results
Four major dietary patterns were observed and were similar between rural and urban regions. ‘Milk and wheat rich diet’ was positively associated with prevalence of anemia among men. ‘Rice and meat rich diet’ and ‘Coconut and sea food rich diet’ were positively associated with prevalence of overweight BMI and high blood glucose in women. ‘Coconut and sea food rich diet’ was negatively associated with prevalence of underweight BMI and anemia in women. ‘Refined oil and tur dal rich diet’ was positively associated with overweight BMI and hypertension and negatively associated with underweight BMI and anemia in men and women. These associations were significant after adjusting for differences in socio-economic development.
Conclusions
Four major dietary patterns were associated with several nutrition related health outcomes. The mechanism of these associations must be explored further.
Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Relation to the Difference between Body Image Perception and Actual Weight Status
Authors: Hwang Jong-Moon , Lee Su-Jin , Lim Min-Gyu , Kim Jung hee , Park Chulyong , Ko YoungJi , Kim Aeryoung , Kim Chul-Hyun
Published: April 2022

This study analyzed the difference between actual obesity level and subjectively perceived body-type in adults aged 20 years or older and investigated the difference in the amount of physical activity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for each difference between body mass index (BMI) and subjective body recognition (SBR). This study examined 21,326 adults regarding their BMI, subjectively perceived body-type, physical activity (according to International Physical Activity Questionnaire; IPAQ), and HRQOL (EuroQol-5 Dimension; EQ-5D) from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014–2017). Independent t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi-square test were conducted. High (Mean ± SD = 6.85 ± 25.20, p = .003) and moderate intensity of physical activity (Mean ± SD = 13.41 ± 30.01, p = .001) was higher in those with the same BMI and SBR than those who did not. In addition, those with normal BMI and SBR had the highest high (Mean ± SD = 7.20 ± 26.05, p < .001) and moderate intensity (Mean ± SD = 13.89 ± 30.18, p < .001). They had the highest percentage of responding as normal in the five EQ-5D sub-items. As the difference between the subjectively perceived body-types as well as normal range of BMI decreased, the amount of physical activity performed and positive results of HRQOL were confirmed. Various health promotion programs and policy recommendations to reduce the gap between subjective body perception and actual obesity are required.
Influence mechanism of particle size on macro-meso deformation of particle accumulation under graded loading
Authors: zhiqi Ma , Xiaobin Yang , yanyu Pei , hongming Cheng
Published: April 2022

The sedimentation of particle accumulation caused by the overlying load exerts serious effects. In order to study the particle transport mechanism of sand granular material accumulation during sedimentation, the micro glass beads (MGB) are selected as the experimental research object. Glass bead particles with five size ranges are selected for graded loading test, and their mechanical properties and deformation mechanism under triaxial loading are analyzed by discrete element method (DEM). The experimental results show that with the increase of axial load, the deformation of glass beads gradually increases, the porosity gradually decreases, and the strain difference in the loading stage increases exponentially. Under the same load, the deformation of particle accumulation increases with the enlargement of bead size. The discrete element method results show that with the increase of axial load, the rotation angle and the maximum speed at all levels of beads gradually increase, the rotation angle difference at all loading stages increases, and the rotation angle and speed are also raised with the increase increasing particle size. Combined with the test and discrete element method analysis, it can be obtained that the increase of the accumulation strain difference of beads during loading is mainly due to the improved rotation of particles. With the increase of load, the rotation angle of beads increases and the displacement caused by rotation increases. With the increase of particle size, the porosity between beads increases, the coordination number decreases, the anti-rotation ability between beads decreases, and the rotation of particles is promoted, resulting in greater strain difference of accumulation.
Prevalence and risk factors for suicide attempts in first episode and drug naïve major depressive disorder patients with overweight and obesity
Authors: Yue Yan , Du Xiangdong , Li Zhe , Li Ronghua , Zhang Jun , Ye Gang , Yin Ming , Lyu Xiaoli , Yuan Lian , Wu Siqi , Wang Haitao , Wu Yuxuan , Yang Ruchang , Zhou Yue , Fang Xiaojia , Zhang Xiangyang
Published: April 2022

Depression and obesity are both risk factors for suicide attempts; however, the pattern of suicide attempts in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are overweight or obese remains uncertain. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk variables for suicide attempts in first-episode and drug-naïve (FEND) MDD patients with overweight and obesity. This study included a total of 1026 FEDN MDD individuals who were overweight or obese. Their demographic data and metabolic parameters were collected. To examine the patients' symptoms, researchers employed the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The prevalence of suicide attempts in MDD patients with overweight and obesity was 19.59%. Among overweight and obese MDD patients, those with suicide attempts had significantly higher HAMD, HAMA, and PANSS positive symptom scores, as well as blood total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than those without suicide attempts. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, BMI, HAMA, and TC were significantly associated with suicide attempts in MDD patients who were overweight or obese. Suicide attempters and non-suicide attempters could be distinguished by HAMA and TC by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The prevalence of suicide attempts is high in MDD patients with overweight and obesity. Some clinical parameters and metabolic parameters are correlates of suicide attempts in overweight and obese MDD patients.
Record Linkage based Patient Intersection Cardinality for Rare Disease Studies using Mainzelliste and Secure Multi-Party Computation
Authors: Kussel Tobias , Brenner Torben , Tremper Galina , Schepers Josef , Lablans Martin , Hamacher Kay
Published: April 2022

Background: The low number of patients of any rare diseases poses a difficult problem for medical research: apart from some specialized biobanks and disease registries, potential study participants’ information are disjoint and distributed over many medical institutions. Whenever some of those facilities are in close proximity, a significant overlap of patients can reasonably be expected, further complicating statistical study feasibility assessments and data gathering. Due to the sensitive nature of medical records and identifying data, data transfer and joint computations are often legally forbidden or associated with prohibitive amounts of effort. To alleviate this problem and to support rare disease research, we developed the Mainzelliste Secure EpiLinker (MainSEL) record linkage framework, a secure Multi-Party Computation based application using trusted-third-party-less cryptographic protocols to perform privacy-preserving record linkage with high security guarantees. In this work we extend MainSEL to allow the record linkage based calculation of the number of common patients between institutions. This allows privacy-preserving statistical feasibility estimations for further analyses and data consolidation. Additionally, we created easy to deploy software packages using microservice containerization and continuous deployment/continuous integration. We performed tests with medical researchers using MainSEL in real-world medical IT environments, using synthetic patient data. Results: We show that MainSEL achieves practical runtimes, performing 10 000 comparisons in approximately 5 minutes. While already technically feasible in a wide range of network settings and use cases, the “lessons learned” from the real-word testing show the need to explicitly support and document the usage and deployment for both analysis pipeline integration and researcher driven ad-hoc analysis use cases, thus clarifying the wide applicability of our software. MainSEL is freely available under: https://github.com/medicalinformatics/MainSEL Conclusions: MainSEL performes well in real-world settings and is a useful tool for not only rare disease research, but medical research in general. It achieves practical runtimes, improved security guarantees compared to existing solutions, and is feasible to deploy in strict clinical IT environments. Based on the “lessons learned” from the real-word testing we hope to enable a wide range of medical researchers to meet their actual needs and requirements using modern privacy-preserving technologies.
Prediction of Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism Using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Shama Anika , Hossain Md. Bipul , Adhikary Apurba , Uddin K. M. Aslam , Hossain Mohammad Amzad
Published: April 2022

The thyroid gland is the key organs in the human body, secreting two hormones that help to regulate the human body's metabolism. Thyroid disease is a severe medical complaint that could developed by high TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels or an infection in the thyroid tissues. Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are two important conditions caused by insufficient thyroid hormone production and excessive thyroid hormone production, respectively. Machine learning model can utilize for precise processing of the data that is generated from different the medical sector and could be used for building a model for the prediction of several diseases. In this study, we used a variety of machine learning algorithm to predict hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Moreover, we identified the most significant features, which can be used to detect thyroid diseases more precisely. After completing the preprocessing and feature selection steps, we applied our modified and original data to several classification models to predict thyroidism. Finally, we found Random Forest is giving the maximum score in all sectors like accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score in our dataset and Naive Bayes is performing very poorly. By analyzing the characteristics and behavior of the dataset, we can identify the most important features of the datasets. In terms of accuracy and other performance evaluation criteria, this study could advocate the use of effective classifiers and features backed by machine learning algorithms for the detection and diagnosis of thyroid disease.
Tunable population dynamics in a synthetic filamentous co-culture
Authors: Finger Maurice , Palacio-Barrera Ana M. , Richter Paul , Schlembach Ivan , Büchs Jochen , Rosenbaum Miriam A.
Published: April 2022

Background
Microbial co-cultures are of great interest in biotechnology in quest to mimic competition and interaction within the natural environment. Thereby, the production of novel natural products can be stimulated. Especially filamentous organisms offer a huge metabolic diversity. However, most studies in this direction empirically combine different organisms without a deep understanding of the underlying interactions and population dynamics.
Results
Here, we apply high-throughput online monitoring of the respiration rate and fluorescence of tagged strains to provide detailed insight into co-culture interactions. A model synthetic filamentous co-culture of the cellulolytic fungus Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30 and the non-cellulolytic bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) was developed. The aforementioned co-culture was set-up to use α-cellulose as carbon source. This established a dependency of S. coelicolor on T. reesei, which secretes cellulases that in turn provide cellulose hydrolysate sugars to S. coelicolor. For this process, the respiration rate allowed to assess the degree of cellulose consumption and thereby, clearly differentiate between conditions of successful and non-successful cellulase formation. Furthermore, T. reesei and S. coelicolor were tagged with mCherry and mNeonGreen fluorescence proteins, respectively. Hence, the individual contributions of the strains in this co-culture system could be dissected, which provided detailed information on the population dynamics. As tunable biotic parameter, the inoculation ratio was tested. Both partners were observed to outcompete the other when given a too high inoculation advantage. However, adequate inoculation ratios for a co-culture with successful cellulase production and simultaneous growth of both partners were found. In these co-cultivations, production of pigments could be triggered, which was not observed in respective axenic control cultures. Finally, population dynamics were also tuned in co-cultures by modulation of abiotic factors, osmolality and shaking frequency. Increased osmolality provided a growth advantage to S. coelicolor and delay of T. reesei growth and cellulase production. In contrast, an increase of shaking frequency had a drastic negative effect on S. coelicolor biomass formation.
Conclusion
This work presents how information gaps for complex co-cultures can be comprehensively resolved by detailed online insight. The information gathered with respiration rate and fluorescence monitoring allows for set-up of tailor-made co-culture bioprocesses.
Self-reported versus physician-reported severity of hand eczema - Concordance analysis based on data from the German CARPE registry
Authors: Bentz Philipp , Apfelbacher Christian , Akst Wilhelm , Molin Sonja , Bauer Andrea , Elsner Peter , Mahler Vera , von Kiedrowski Ralph , Schmitt Jochen , Weisshaar Elke
Published: April 2022

Background and Objective: Self-assessment of general health status includes a variety of verifiable objective and subjective criteria and shows a significant influence on patient-related outcomes such as quality of life. The objective of this study was to investigate how patients assess the severity of their chronic hand eczema compared to physicians.Patients and method: Data for 1281 patients and their physicians from the German registry “CARPE” was available at baseline. At a 2-year follow-up, the remaining 788 cases served as a comparison. Concordance analysis was performed using Bangdiwala's B.Results:Only 16.62% (baseline) and 11.47% (follow-up) of the severity ratings showed complete concordance. The baseline shows a more pessimistic, the follow-up a more optimistic assessment from the patients compared to the physicians. Women and older patients had lower agreement. Bangdiwala's B value lies at the lower border of a substantial agreement ( B̂ω(baseline)=0.573, B̂ω(follow-up)=0.498).Conclusion:The assessment of the severity of hand eczema often differs between physician and patient. To ensure successful therapy and adherence, dermatologists should inquire about their patients' individual perception of the severity of the hand eczema, especially in older patients and women.
Calcium carbonate alleviates calcium deficiency through changes in the gut microbiota and metabolites
Authors: Liu Tianshu , Yu Hai , Wang Shuai , Li Huimin , He Xiaodong
Published: April 2022

The use of non-drug intervention for calcium deficiency has attracted attention in recent years. Although calcium carbonate is the preferred raw material for calcium supplements, the mechanism of its anti-calcium deficiency effect from the perspective of intestinal flora and metabolomics is rarely reported. In this study, we compare the abundance of intestinal flora and the expression levels of fecal and plasma metabolites in control rats fed with basic diet, low calcium fed rats, and calcium carbonate treated rats. The results revealed that compared with low-calcium rat, calcium content and bone mineral density of the midpoint and distal femur of rats in the oral calcium carbonate group were significantly improved. 16S rRNA sequencing and metabonomics analysis showed that calcium carbonate intervention altered the composition of intestinal microbiota and metabolic profiles in feces and plasma of low-calcium fed rats. Further, correlation analysis showed that selected intestinal flora were significantly correlated with metabolites enriched in feces and plasma. In conclusion, calcium carbonate intervention has the potential to reduce calcium deficiency and related symptoms, while affecting intestinal microbiota composition and metabolic characteristics in low-calcium rats. This study highlights scientific evidence for the potential effect of calcium carbonate as a calcium supplement on calcium deficiency.
The Impact of Evaluations Made by Mini-CEX on the Clinical Competency of Nursing Students
Authors: Motefakker Sanaz , Farahani Azam Shirinabadi , Nourian Manijeh , Nasiri Maliheh ,   Fateme Heydari	Fatemehy74@gmail.com Heydari
Published: April 2022

Introduction:
Clinical competency is defined as one’s capabilities in terms of knowledge, attitude and practice, and is a necessity for nursing practice. Evaluation is the inseparable part of the education process, without which the quality of education could not be measured. Considering the characteristics of clinical education and its impact on the clinical competency of students, as well as the importance of making precise evaluations of them using scientific, modern and efficient approaches, this study aims to investigate the impact of the evaluation made using mini-CEX on the clinical competency of the nursing students of the School of Nursing and Midwifery Shahid Behesti University.
Methods
This is a quasi-experimental study with a control group conducted on students who were taking courses in nursing care for sick children. The students were classified into the intervention and control groups using complete enumeration. The evaluations were made using mini-CEX in the intervention group and the portfolio approach in the control group. The skills regarding mother and child training, serum therapy and pharmacotherapy were evaluated by checklists. The data was analyzed by SPSS 19 software using descriptive and analytical statistics including Chi-square test, Fisher's exact accuracy test, paired t-test, independent t-test and ANCOVA.
Findings:
The results of the independent t-test and ANCOVA showed that the mean score of clinical competency in the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Considering the improvement of clinical competency in the intervention group, it is recommended to use mini-CEX for the evaluation of students.
Definitive airway management during ongoing chest compressions – direct vs. video laryngoscopy for establishment of a safe airway during resuscitation (DAMOCLES-I) A randomized manikin study
Authors: Steffen Richard , Hischier Simon , Roten Fredy-Michel , Huber Markus , Knapp Jürgen
Published: April 2022

Background
During cardiac arrest, management of the patient’s airway by tracheal intubation is the gold standard. However, minimizing interruptions to chest compressions is of high priority. Video laryngoscopy has been shown to improve the first-pass success rate for with tracheal intubation in emergency airway management. We aimed to compare first-pass success rate and time to successful intubation during uninterrupted chest compression using video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy.
Methods
A total of 28 anaesthetists and 28 anaesthesia nurses with varied clinical and anaesthesiological experience were recruited for the study. All participants performed a tracheal intubation on a manikin simulator during ongoing chest compressions by a mechanical resuscitation device. Stratified randomisation (physicians/nurses) was performed, with one group using direct laryngoscopy and the other using video laryngoscopy.
Results
First-pass success rate was 100% (95% CI: 87.9% − 100.0%) in the video laryngoscopy group and 67.8% (95% CI: 49.3% − 82.1%) in the direct laryngoscopy group [difference: 32.2% (95% CI: 17.8% − 50.8%), p < 0.001]. The median time for intubation was 27.5 seconds (IQR: 21.8–31.0 seconds) in the video laryngoscopy group and 30.0 seconds (IQR: 26.5–36.5 seconds) in the direct laryngoscopy group (p = 0.019).
Conclusion
This manikin study demonstrates that tracheal intubation under ongoing chest compressions has a higher first-pass success rate and shorter time to successful intubation with video laryngoscopy compared to direct laryngoscopy. Experience in airway management and professional group were not significant predictors.