bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of continuation of antiplatelet therapy on survival in patients receiving physician home visits
Authors: Osugi Yasuhiro , Ino Teruo , Kobayashi Daiki , Iwata Mitsunaga , Asai Kanichi
Published: December 2019

Background

Little is known about the effects of continued antiplatelet therapy in patients who receive physician home visits. This study aimed to evaluate the association of survival with the continuation of antiplatelet drugs in patients who received physician home visits.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a teaching hospital in Toyota, Japan, from April 2015 to October 2018. All patients who received home visits by physicians from the department of Family Medicine of the hospital were included. The primary outcome was the difference in all-cause mortality between patients who were taking antiplatelet drugs and those who were not. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied, adjusted for the patient’s demographic features, activities of daily living, comorbidities, and primary disease requiring home care.

Results

A total of 815 patients were included, of whom 61 received antiplatelet drugs (n = 42 for aspirin, n = 17 for clopidogrel, and n = 8 for cilostazol) and 772 received no antiplatelet drugs. The mean age of the patients was 78.3 years, 409 (49.1%) were male, and 314 (37.7%) had end-stage cancer. During a median follow-up period of 120 days (interquartile range, 29–364), 54.3% of the patients died. Compared with patients not taking antiplatelet drugs, patients taking antiplatelet drugs had a better outcome (p <  0.01, log-rank test) and a significantly lower hazard ratio (0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.17–0.65; Cox proportional hazards regression).

Conclusions

The continuous prescription of antiplatelet drugs may have beneficial effects on mortality among patients who receive physician home visits.
Applying trans-theoretical model for blood donation among Spanish adults: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sardi Lamyae , Idri Ali , Carrillo de Gea Juan Manuel , Toval Ángel , Fernández-Alemán José Luis
Published: December 2019

Background

Relying solely on altruistic appeals may fail to fulfil the increasing demand for blood supplies. Current research has largely been attempted to determine and understand motives that serve as blood donation drivers. The Trans-Theoretical Model of behaviour change (TTM) can be used to conceptualise the process of intentional blood donation behaviour.

Methods

A cross sectional survey of Spanish adults was conducted. The final sample consisted of 504 individuals who were administered a self-report questionnaire including the measures of demographic characteristics, Stages of Change, Processes of Change, Self-efficacy and Decisional Balance. Data were analysed by frequency analysis, MANOVA/ANOVA and correlation analysis.

Results

Findings indicated that most of the behavioural and cognitive processes of change, self-efficacy and physical cons differentiated participants across the stages of change of blood donation. In contrast, eligibility cons and pros were less influential in stage transitions. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between TTM constructs except for the physical cons and the processes of change.

Conclusions

The present study extensively supports and replicates the applicability of the TTM to blood donation behaviour change and offers important implications for the development of effective stage-matched interventions to increase blood donation.
Mental health and its influencing factors among left-behind children in South China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Zhang Xiu , Li Mengjie , Guo Li , Zhu Yanna
Published: December 2019

Background

With rapid development of China’s economy, there were over 68.7 million left-behind children (LBC) in China whose mental health has become a problem of public concern. The present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the status of mental health and its associated factors of LBC aged 3–16 years old in both rural and urban areas.

Methods

A total of 4187 children (aged 3–16), including 1471 LBC and 2716 non-left-behind children (NLBC), were recruited from 50 communities (22 in urban areas and 28 in rural areas) in Guangdong, China in August, 2014. The mental health problems were assessed using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Results

No statistically significant difference of SDQ subscales scores about difficulties were found between LBC and NLBC on the whole participants as well as in rural areas or in urban areas within the same age group after adjustments were made (all p > 0.05). However, compared with NLBC in the same areas, urban LBC tended to have higher prosocial behaviours scores, while rural LBC had the lowest prosocial behaviours scores not only in the whole age group but also in different age subgroups (p < 0.05). Besides, compared with urban LBC, rural LBC were not worse in SDQ subscales scores except for prosocial behaviour at 7–9 age group (p = 0.003). Furthermore, higher paternal educational level and longer duration of parental absence, were associated with less difficulties in both rural and urban LBC. Besides, shorter duration of talk per-time but higher communication frequency were associated with less difficulties in rural LBC.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that in general, no difference of mental health problems were found between LBC and NLBC. Besides, longer duration of parental absence, shorter duration of talk per time but more communication frequency, and higher paternal educational level tend to have better development of mental health. The findings reinforce the importance of the stability of caregivers and the effective parent-child communication for Chinese rural LBC.
Interpretable deep neural network for cancer survival analysis by integrating genomic and clinical data
Authors: Hao Jie , Kim Youngsoon , Mallavarapu Tejaswini , Oh Jung Hun , Kang Mingon
Published: December 2019

Background

Understanding the complex biological mechanisms of cancer patient survival using genomic and clinical data is vital, not only to develop new treatments for patients, but also to improve survival prediction. However, highly nonlinear and high-dimension, low-sample size (HDLSS) data cause computational challenges to applying conventional survival analysis.

Results

We propose a novel biologically interpretable pathway-based sparse deep neural network, named Cox-PASNet, which integrates high-dimensional gene expression data and clinical data on a simple neural network architecture for survival analysis. Cox-PASNet is biologically interpretable where nodes in the neural network correspond to biological genes and pathways, while capturing the nonlinear and hierarchical effects of biological pathways associated with cancer patient survival. We also propose a heuristic optimization solution to train Cox-PASNet with HDLSS data. Cox-PASNet was intensively evaluated by comparing the predictive performance of current state-of-the-art methods on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OV) cancer. In the experiments, Cox-PASNet showed out-performance, compared to the benchmarking methods. Moreover, the neural network architecture of Cox-PASNet was biologically interpreted, and several significant prognostic factors of genes and biological pathways were identified.

Conclusions

Cox-PASNet models biological mechanisms in the neural network by incorporating biological pathway databases and sparse coding. The neural network of Cox-PASNet can identify nonlinear and hierarchical associations of genomic and clinical data to cancer patient survival. The open-source code of Cox-PASNet in PyTorch implemented for training, evaluation, and model interpretation is available at: https://github.com/DataX-JieHao/Cox-PASNet.
HPOAnnotator: improving large-scale prediction of HPO annotations by low-rank approximation with HPO semantic similarities and multiple PPI networks
Authors: Gao Junning , Liu Lizhi , Yao Shuwei , Huang Xiaodi , Mamitsuka Hiroshi , Zhu Shanfeng
Published: December 2019

Background

As a standardized vocabulary of phenotypic abnormalities associated with human diseases, the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) has been widely used by researchers to annotate phenotypes of genes/proteins. For saving the cost and time spent on experiments, many computational approaches have been proposed. They are able to alleviate the problem to some extent, but their performances are still far from satisfactory.

Method

For inferring large-scale protein-phenotype associations, we propose HPOAnnotator that incorporates multiple Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) information and the hierarchical structure of HPO. Specifically, we use a dual graph to regularize Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) in a way that the information from different sources can be seamlessly integrated. In essence, HPOAnnotator solves the sparsity problem of a protein-phenotype association matrix by using a low-rank approximation.

Results

By combining the hierarchical structure of HPO and co-annotations of proteins, our model can well capture the HPO semantic similarities. Moreover, graph Laplacian regularizations are imposed in the latent space so as to utilize multiple PPI networks. The performance of HPOAnnotator has been validated under cross-validation and independent test. Experimental results have shown that HPOAnnotator outperforms the competing methods significantly.

Conclusions

Through extensive comparisons with the state-of-the-art methods, we conclude that the proposed HPOAnnotator is able to achieve the superior performance as a result of using a low-rank approximation with a graph regularization. It is promising in that our approach can be considered as a starting point to study more efficient matrix factorization-based algorithms.
Soluble versions of outer membrane cytochromes function as exporters for heterologously produced cargo proteins
Authors: Dietrich Helge M. , Edel Miriam , Bursac Thea , Meier Manfred , Sturm-Richter Katrin , Gescher Johannes
Published: December 2019

This study reveals that it is possible to secrete truncated versions of outer membrane cytochromes into the culture supernatant and that these proteins can provide a basis for the export of heterologously produced proteins. Different soluble and truncated versions of the outer membrane cytochrome MtrF were analyzed for their suitability to be secreted. A protein version with a very short truncation of the N-terminus to remove the recognition sequence for the addition of a lipid anchor is secreted efficiently to the culture supernatant, and moreover this protein could be further truncated by a deletion of 160 amino acid and still is detectable in the supernatant. By coupling a cellulase to this soluble outer membrane cytochrome, the export efficiency was measured by means of relative cellulase activity. We conclude that outer membrane cytochromes ofS. oneidensiscan be applied as transporters for the export of target proteins into the medium using the type II secretion pathway.
Characterising malaria connectivity using malaria indicator survey data
Authors: Guerra Carlos A. , Citron Daniel T. , García Guillermo A. , Smith David L.
Published: December 2019

Malaria connectivity describes the flow of parasites among transmission sources and sinks within a given landscape. Because of the spatial and temporal scales at which parasites are transported by their hosts, malaria sub-populations are largely defined by mosquito movement and malaria connectivity among them is largely driven by human movement. Characterising malaria connectivity thus requires characterising human travel between areas with differing levels of exposure to malaria. Whilst understanding malaria connectivity is fundamental for optimising interventions, particularly in areas seeking or sustaining elimination, there is a dearth of human movement data required to achieve this goal. Malaria indicator surveys (MIS) are a generally under utilised but potentially rich source of travel data that provide a unique opportunity to study simple associations between malaria infection and human travel in large population samples. This paper shares the experience working with MIS data from Bioko Island that revealed programmatically useful information regarding malaria importation through human travel. Simple additions to MIS questionnaires greatly augmented the level of detail of the travel data, which can be used to characterise human travel patterns and malaria connectivity to assist targeting interventions. It is argued that MIS potentially represent very important and timely sources of travel data that need to be further exploited.
Exploratory study of “real world” implementation of a clinical poverty tool in diverse family medicine and pediatric care settings
Authors: Purkey Eva , Bayoumi Imaan , Coo Helen , Maier Allison , Pinto Andrew D. , Olomola Bisola , Klassen Christina , French Shannon , Flavin Michael
Published: December 2019

Background

Poverty is associated with increased morbidity related to multiple child and adult health conditions and increased risk of premature death. Despite robust evidence linking income and health, and some recommendations for universal screening, poverty screening is not routinely conducted in clinical care.

Methods

We conducted an exploratory study of implementing universal poverty screening and intervention in family medicine and a range of pediatric care settings (primary through tertiary). After attending a training session, health care providers (HCPs) were instructed to perform universal screening using a clinical poverty tool with the question “Do you ever have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month?” for the three-month implementation period. HCPs tracked the number of patients screened and a convenience sample of their patients were surveyed regarding the acceptability of being screened for poverty in a healthcare setting. HCPs participated in semi-structured focus groups to explore barriers to and facilitators of universal implementation of the tool.

Results

Twenty-two HCPs (10 pediatricians, 9 family physicians, 3 nurse practitioners) participated and 150 patients completed surveys. Eighteen HCPs participated in focus groups. Despite the self-described motivation of the HCPs, screening rates were low (9% according to self-reported numbers). The majority of patients either supported (72%) or were neutral (22%) about the appropriateness of HCPs screening for and intervening on poverty. HCPs viewed poverty as relevant to clinical care but identified time constraints, physician discomfort, lack of expertise and habitual factors as barriers to implementation of universal screening.

Conclusions

Poverty screening is important and acceptable to clinicians and patients. However, multiple barriers need to be addressed to allow for successful implementation of poverty screening and intervention in health care settings.
Prognostic value of adiponectin level in patients with coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Lili , Li Bin , Zhao Yuan , Zhang Zhengyi
Published: December 2019

Background

Conflicting results on the prognostic value of blood adiponectin level in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been reported. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic value of elevated adiponectin level in CAD patients.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and Embase databases up to May 10, 2019. Studies evaluating the association between adiponectin level and major adverse cardiovascular events (death, stroke, acute coronary syndrome or coronary revascularisation), cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality in CAD patients were included. Pooled multivariable adjusted risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated for the highest vs the lowest category of adiponectin level.

Results

Twelve studies including 10,974 CAD patients were included. Elevated adiponectin level was independently associated with higher risk of cardiovascular (RR 1.93; 95% CI 1.55–2.42; p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (RR 1.96; 95% CI 1.64–2.34; p < 0.001) in CAD patients. However, CAD patients with higher adiponectin level did not significantly increase major cardiovascular events risk (RR 1.12; 95% CI 0.86–1.45; p = 0.407) after adjustment for potential confounders.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis indicates that elevated adiponectin level is an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in CAD patients. Measurement of blood adiponectin level has potential to identify CAD patients who have high risk of death.
HOXC-AS1-MYC regulatory loop contributes to the growth and metastasis in gastric cancer
Authors: Dong Yangyang , Li Xinyu , Lin Zhibin , Zou Wenbing , Liu Yan , Qian Huiyang , Jia Jing
Published: December 2019

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent and deadly malignancies worldwide. Accumulating reports have indicated the participation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the onset and progression of GC.

Methods

GSE109476 data was utilized to screen out lncRNAs dysregulated in GC. Gene expressions were determined by qRT-PCR and western blot. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to assess the function of HOXC-AS1 in GC. The association between genes was verified via RIP, ChIP, CoIP, RNA pull down and luciferase reporter assays, as appropriate.

Results

HOXC-AS1 was discovered to be upregulated in GC and located both in cytoplasm and in nucleus in GC cells. Functionally, inhibition of HOXC-AS1 restrained GC cell growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, HOXC-AS1 was proved to be trans-activated by c-MYC in GC. In return, HOXC-AS1 positively regulated MYC expression in GC through targeting miR-590-3p/MYC axis in cytoplasm and modulating BRG1/β-catenin complex-activated MYC transcription in nucleus. Furthermore, the rescue assays verified that MYC mediated HOXC-AS1-affected GC progression.

Conclusion

Our research illustrated a feedback loop of HOXC-AS1-MYC in aggravating GC cell growth and metastasis, highlighting HOXC-AS1 as a promising target for GC diagnosis and treatment.
Serum selenium level and cancer risk: a nested case-control study
Authors: Narod Steven A. , Huzarski Tomasz , Jakubowska Anna , Gronwald Jacek , Cybulski Cezary , Oszurek Oleg , Dębniak Tadeusz , Jaworska-Bieniek Katarzyna , Lener Marcin , Białkowska Katarzyna , Sukiennicki Grzegorz , Muszyńska Magdalena , Marciniak Wojciech , Sun Ping , Kotsopoulos Joanne , Lubiński Jan
Published: December 2019

Background

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a relationship between selenium status and cancer risk among those with low selenium levels. It is of interest to prospectively evaluate the relationship between selenium and cancer among women who reside in a region with ubiquitously low selenium levels.

Methods

We performed a nested case-control study of baseline serum selenium levels and cancer risk using data and biological samples from 19,573 females that were participants in a biobanking initiative between 2010 and 2014 in Szczecin Poland. Cases included women with any incident cancer (n = 97) and controls (n = 184) were women with no cancer at baseline or follow-up. Serum selenium was quantified using mass spectroscopy.

Results

The odds ratio associated being below the cutoff of 70.0 μg/L compared to a level above 70.0 μg/L was 2.29 (95% CI 1.26–4.19; P = 0.007). The risks for women in the two middle categories were similar and suggests that the normal range be between 70 μg/L and 90 μg/L. There was evidence for an increased risk of cancer among women in the highest category of selenium levels (i.e., > 90 μg/L), but this association did not achieve statistical significance (OR = 1.63; 95%CI 0.63–4.19; P = 0.31).

Conclusions

Results from this study suggest that suggest that the optimum serum level of selenium in women living in Poland should be between 70 μg/L and 90 μg/L.
RADAR: differential analysis of MeRIP-seq data with a random effect model
Authors: Zhang Zijie , Zhan Qi , Eckert Mark , Zhu Allen , Chryplewicz Agnieszka , De Jesus Dario F. , Ren Decheng , Kulkarni Rohit N. , Lengyel Ernst , He Chuan , Chen Mengjie
Published: December 2019

Epitranscriptome profiling using MeRIP-seq is a powerful technique for in vivo functional studies of reversible RNA modifications. We develop RADAR, a comprehensive analytical tool for detecting differentially methylated loci in MeRIP-seq data. RADAR enables accurate identification of altered methylation sites by accommodating variability of pre-immunoprecipitation expression level and post-immunoprecipitation count using different strategies. In addition, it is compatible with complex study design when covariates need to be incorporated in the analysis. Through simulation and real dataset analyses, we show that RADAR leads to more accurate and reproducible differential methylation analysis results than alternatives, which is available at https://github.com/scottzijiezhang/RADAR.
The ethical challenges raised in the design and conduct of pragmatic trials: an interview study with key stakeholders
Authors:   on behalf of the Ethics of Pragmatic Trials project, Nicholls Stuart G. , Carroll Kelly , Zwarenstein Merrick , Brehaut Jamie C. , Weijer Charles , Hey Spencer P. , Goldstein Cory E. , Graham Ian D. , Grimshaw Jeremy M. , McKenzie Joanne E. , Fergusson Dean A. , Taljaard Monica
Published: December 2019

Background

There is a concern that the apparent effectiveness of interventions tested in clinical trials may not be an accurate reflection of their actual effectiveness in usual practice. Pragmatic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are designed with the intent of addressing this discrepancy. While pragmatic RCTs may increase the relevance of research findings to practice they may also raise new ethical concerns (even while reducing others). To explore this question, we interviewed key stakeholders with the aim of identifying potential ethical challenges in the design and conduct of pragmatic RCTs with a view to developing future guidance on these issues.

Methods

Interviews were conducted with clinical investigators, methodologists, patient partners, ethicists, and other knowledge users (e.g., regulators). Interviews covered experiences with pragmatic RCTs, ethical issues relevant to pragmatic RCTs, and perspectives on the appropriate oversight of pragmatic RCTs. Interviews were coded inductively by two coders. Interim and final analyses were presented to the broader team for comment and discussion before the analytic framework was finalized.

Results

We conducted 45 interviews between April and September 2018. Interviewees represented a range of disciplines and jurisdictions as well as varying content expertise. Issues of importance in pragmatic RCTs were (1) identification of relevant risks from trial participation and determination of what constitutes minimal risk; (2) determining when alterations to traditional informed consent approaches are appropriate; (3) the distinction between research, quality improvement, and practice; (4) the potential for broader populations to be affected by the trial and what protections they might be owed; (5) the broader range of trial stakeholders in pragmatic RCTs, and determining their roles and responsibilities; and (6) determining what constitutes “usual care” and implications for trial reporting.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest both the need to discuss familiar ethical topics in new ways and that there are new ethical issues in pragmatic RCTs that need greater attention. Addressing the highlighted issues and developing guidance will require multidisciplinary input, including patient and community members, within a broader and more comprehensive analysis that extends beyond consent and attends to the identified considerations relating to risk and stakeholder roles and responsibilities.
Recent advances in the use of benzimidazoles as corrosion inhibitors
Authors: Marinescu Maria
Published: December 2019

Background

Benzimidazole, a key heterocycle in therapeutic chemistry, and its derivatives, are recently mentioned in the literature as corrosion inhibitors for steels (CS, MS), pure metals (Fe, Al, Cu, Zn) and alloys. Benzimidazoles are good corrosion inhibitors for extremely aggressive, corrosive acidic media such as 1 M HCl, 1 M HNO3, 1.5 M H2SO4, basic media, 0.1 M NaOH or salt solutions. Benzimidazole derivatives act as mixed type inhibitors, exhibiting stronger inhibitive effect on the cathodic reaction than on the anodic one.

Conclusion

These review highlights recent research in the field of benzimidazole compounds that their role as corrosion inhibitors, the structure of the compounds, electrochemical studies, the experimental conditions, the proposed mechanisms as well as the quantum theoretical studies that predict the structure of the compounds with inhibition properties.
Engineering the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica for production of α-farnesene
Authors: Liu Yinghang , Jiang Xin , Cui Zhiyong , Wang Zhaoxuan , Qi Qingsheng , Hou Jin
Published: December 2019

Background

Yarrowia lipolytica, a non-traditional oil yeast, has been widely used as a platform for lipid production. However, the production of other chemicals such as terpenoids in engineeredY. lipolyticais still low. α-Farnesene, a sesquiterpene, can be used in medicine, bioenergy and other fields, and has very high economic value. Here, we used α-farnesene as an example to explore the potential ofY. lipolyticafor terpenoid production.

Results

We constructed libraries of strains overexpressing mevalonate pathway and α-farnesene synthase genes by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) mediated integration into theY. lipolyticachromosome. First, a mevalonate overproduction strain was selected by overexpressing relevant genes and changing the cofactor specificity. Based on this strain, the downstream α-farnesene synthesis pathway was overexpressed by iterative integration. Culture conditions were also optimized. A strain that produced 25.55 g/L α-farnesene was obtained. This is the highest terpenoid titer reported inY. lipolytica.

Conclusions

Yarrowia lipolyticais a potentially valuable species for terpenoid production, and NHEJ-mediated modular integration is effective for expression library construction and screening of high-producer strains.
Inhibition of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling leads to increased activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in osteoarthritis
Authors: Chen Zhuming , Zhong Huan , Wei Jinsong , Lin Sien , Zong Zhixian , Gong Fan , Huang Xinqia , Sun Jinhui , Li Peng , Lin Hao , Wei Bo , Chu Jiaqi
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory disease of the joints that causes progressive disability in the elderly. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in OA development; they may activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby inducing the secretion of proinflammatory IL-1β and IL-18, leading to the aggravation of the downstream inflammatory response. Nrf2 is a key transcription factor that regulates the expression of antioxidant enzymes that protect against oxidative stress and tissue damage. We aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of OA development by investigating NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 expression in synovia and their regulatory networks in OA.

Methods

Human total knee replacement samples were subjected to histology and micro-CT analysis to determine the pathological changes in the cartilage and subchondral bone and to assess the expression of inflammation-related markers in the synovial tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC), qRT-PCR, and Western blot. To investigate these pathological changes in an OA animal model, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection and medial meniscectomy. Articular cartilage and subchondral bone changes and synovial tissue were also determined by the same methods used for the human samples. Finally, SW982 cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an in vitro inflammatory cell model. The correlation between NLRP3 and Nrf2 expression was confirmed by knocking down NLRP3 or Nrf2.

Results

Cartilage destruction and subchondral bone sclerosis were found in the OA patients and OA model rats. Significantly increased expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 were found in the synovial tissue from OA patients. NLRP3, ASC, Nrf2, and HO-1 expression in the synovium was also upregulated in the OA group compared with the sham group. Furthermore, the NLRP3, Nrf2, HO-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in LPS-treated SW982 cells was increased in a dose-dependent manner. As expected, the expression of NLRP3 was upregulated, and the expression of IL-1β and IL-18 was downregulated after Nrf2 silencing. However, knocking down NLRP3 did not affect the expression of Nrf2.

Conclusions

ROS-induced oxidative stress may be the main cause of NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequent release of downstream factors during OA development. Nrf2/HO-1 signaling could be a key pathway for the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which may contribute to the progression of OA. Herein, we discovered a novel role of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in the production of NLRP3, which may facilitate the prevention and treatment of OA.
Association of the mean platelet volume and red cell distribution width with dipper and non-dipper blood pressure in prehypertensive non-smokers
Authors: Taban Sadeghi Mohammadreza , Soroureddin Zahra , Nouri-Vaskeh Masoud , Nazarpoori Pantea , Aghayari Sheikh Neshin Saeideh
Published: December 2019

Objective

Absence of nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping is associated with poor health outcomes, including increased mortality. Non-dipper BP seems to be a predictor of cardiovascular damage in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the mean platelet volume (MPV) and red cell distribution width (RDW) with nocturnal dipping/non dipping status in newly diagnosed and untreated prehypertensive non-smokers, using ambulatory BP monitoring.

Results

Twenty-eight patients (15 males) in the dipper group and 24 patients (11 males) in the non-dipper group were evaluated in this study. The age of patients was 41.64 ± 15.01 and 37.96 ± 15.08 years in the dipper and non-dipper groups, respectively. The rate of nocturnal systolic BP drop in the dipper and non-dipper groups was 13.79 ± 3.35% (10.20–22.10) and 5.96 ± 2.87% (1.10–9.30) (P < 0.001), respectively. Also, the mean rate of nocturnal diastolic BP drop in the dipper and non-dipper groups was 17.02 ± 5.09% (10.30–26.90) and 6.19 ± 2.75% (1.20–9.70) (P < 0.001), respectively. RDW and MPV were significantly higher in non-dipper patients than dipper patients (P = 0.001 and P = 0.012, respectively). Bivariate analysis revealed that MPV was inversely correlated with the nocturnal systolic BP drop (P = 0.005, r = − 0.385). Furthermore, RDW was inversely correlated with systolic BP drop (P = 0.019, r = − 0.324).
Dose-dependent roles of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in abnormal bone remodeling and skeletal regeneration
Authors: Xie Yong , Pan Meng , Gao Yanpan , Zhang Licheng , Ge Wei , Tang Peifu
Published: December 2019

The failure of remodeling process that constantly regenerates effete, aged bone is highly associated with bone nonunion and degenerative bone diseases. Numerous studies have demonstrated that aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) activate cytokines and mediators on osteoclasts, osteoblasts and their constituent progenitor cells located around the remodeling area. These cells contribute to a complex metabolic scenario, resulting in degradative or synthetic functions for bone mineral tissues. The spatiotemporal effects of aspirin and NSAIDs in the bone remodeling are controversial according the specific therapeutic doses used for different clinical conditions. Herein, we review in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies on the dose-dependent roles of aspirin and NSAIDs in bone remodeling. Our results show that low-dose aspirin (< 100 μg/mL), which is widely recommended for prevention of thrombosis, is very likely to be benefit for maintaining bone mass and qualities by activation of osteoblastic bone formation and inhibition of osteoclast activities via cyclooxygenase-independent manner. While, the roles of high-dose aspirin (150–300 μg/mL) and other NSAIDs in bone self-regeneration and fracture-healing process are difficult to elucidate owing to their dual effects on osteoclast activity and bone formation of osteoblast. In conclusion, this study highlighted the potential clinical applications of low-dose aspirin in abnormal bone remodeling as well as the risks of high-dose aspirin and other NSAIDs for relieving pain and anti-inflammation in fractures and orthopedic operations.
Efficient cover image selection based on spatial block analysis and DCT embedding
Authors: Abed Sa’ed , Al-Roomi Suood Abdulaziz , Al-Shayeji Mohammad
Published: December 2019

In steganography, the cover medium is widely treated as a mere container for the embedded information, even though it affects the stego-image quality, security, and robustness. In addition, there is no consensus on the characteristics of a suitable cover image. In this work, we introduce and practically prove the most suitable cover image (MSCI) framework to automatically select a cover image for a given secret image. This paper proposes choosing the most suitable cover from a set of images based on two steps. First, a set of cover images is filtered based on relative entropy and a histogram in order to identify the most suitable candidates. Second, the local block pixel intensity features of the candidates are analyzed to select the most suitable cover image. Furthermore, cover image local blocks were optimized, using rotation and flipping, during the embedding process to further improve stego-image representation. The proposed framework demonstrated high visual image quality when compared with existing solutions. Steganalysis tests indicated that the proposed solution for cover selection provided an increased resistance to modern steganalyzers with up to 30% lowered detection rate, which improved security.
Insect pollinator dependence of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) in the Guinea Savanna zone of Ghana
Authors: Nasare Latif Iddrisu , Kwapong Peter K. , Doke Dzigbodi Adzo
Published: December 2019

Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn.) is a multipurpose tree species indigenous to the Sudano Sahelian zone of Africa and occurs as the most abundant economic tree species in northern Ghana. The edible oil (shea butter) extracted from shea kernel is ranked as the most economic product of the species. Although fruit set and yield of shea are known to be influenced by insect pollination, the actual contribution of insect pollinators to its reproductive success has rarely been studied. This study estimated the percentage insect pollinator dependence and monetary value of insect pollination per bag of shea kernel (85 kg) in the Guinea savanna zone. Open pollination and insect exclusion treatments were applied to the flowers of 18 randomly selected matured shea trees and observed from the onset of flowering to fruit maturity. Proportion of total production value attributed to insect pollination approach was used in estimating the monetary value of pollination per bag of shea kernel with the average market price as proxy. The study revealed an insect pollinator dependence of 77% and 73% for fruit set and dry kernel yield, respectively. Mean number of fruit set per inflorescence varied significantly between insect-excluded and open-pollinated inflorescences (p < 0.05). The monetary value of insect pollination was estimated at GH₵ 73.21 (US$ 18.67) per bag of kernel as of August 2016. Shea is a high insect pollinator–dependent species and the conservation of insect pollinators would be critical to the sustainability of yield.
School functioning and internalizing problems in young schoolchildren
Authors: Pedersen Marit Løtveit , Holen Solveig , Lydersen Stian , Martinsen Kristin , Neumer Simon-Peter , Adolfsen Frode , Sund Anne Mari
Published: December 2019

Background

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are common mental health problems in children and are often referred to as internalizing symptoms. Youth with such symptoms are at greater risk for poor academic achievement, school non-completion, and future mental health problems, all of which, lead to public health consequences and costs to society. The aim of the current study was to investigate associations between young school children’s internalizing symptoms and school functioning, as assessed separately by the teachers and the children.

Methods

This study is a cross-sectional study including children (N = 750. 58% girls) from the ages of 8–12 years with elevated levels of self-reported symptoms of anxiety (MASC-C) and/or depression (SMFQ). Teachers reported the academic achievement, school adaptation (TRF) and internalizing symptoms (BPM-T) of the children.Associations were analyzed using linear regression analyses.

Results

Both teacher-reported internalizing symptoms and children’s self-reported depressive symptoms were associated with poor academic achievement and school adaptation, while self-reported symptoms of anxiety were not. Symptoms of depression as assessed by the children were associated with teacher-rated internalizing symptoms, while self-reported symptoms of anxiety were not.

Conclusion

We found negative associations between school functioning and internalizing symptoms, as assessed by both the teachers and the children. The dual findings strengthen the validity of these relationships. Thus, prevention of depressive and anxiety symptoms in children may lead to positive changes in school domains such as academic achievement and school adaptation. The weak and non-significant associations between teacher-rated internalizing problems and children`s self-report on depression- and anxiety symptoms respectively, indicate that teachers may have difficulties recognizing children with these symptoms.

Trial registration

Clinical TrialsNCT02340637, Registered on June 12, 2014, Retrospectively registered.
Sleep deprivation of rats increases postsurgical expression and activity of L-type calcium channel in the dorsal root ganglion and slows recovery from postsurgical pain
Authors: Li Qi , Zhu Zi-yu , Lu Jian , Chao Yu-Chieh , Zhou Xiao-xin , Huang Ying , Chen Xue-mei , Su Dian-san , Yu Wei-feng , Gu Xi-yao
Published: December 2019

Perioperative sleep disturbance is a risk factor for persistent pain after surgery. Clinical studies have shown that patients with insufficient sleep before and after surgery experience more intense and long-lasting postoperative pain. We hypothesize that sleep deprivation alters L-type calcium channels in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), thus delaying the recovery from post-surgical pain. To verify this hypothesis, and to identify new predictors and therapeutic targets for persistent postoperative pain, we first established a model of postsurgical pain with perioperative sleep deprivation (SD) by administering hind paw plantar incision to sleep deprivation rats. Then we conducted behavioral tests, including tests with von Frey filaments and a laser heat test, to verify sensory pain, measured the expression of L-type calcium channels using western blotting and immunofluorescence of dorsal root ganglia (an important neural target for peripheral nociception), and examined the activity of L-type calcium channels and neuron excitability using electrophysiological measurements. We validated the findings by performing intraperitoneal injections of calcium channel blockers and microinjections of dorsal root ganglion cells with adeno-associated virus. We found that short-term sleep deprivation before and after surgery increased expression and activity of L-type calcium channels in the lumbar dorsal root ganglia, and delayed recovery from postsurgical pain. Blocking these channels reduced impact of sleep deprivation. We conclude that the increased expression and activity of L-type calcium channels is associated with the sleep deprivation-mediated prolongation of postoperative pain. L-type calcium channels are thus a potential target for management of postoperative pain.
Impaired β-glucocerebrosidase activity and processing in frontotemporal dementia due to progranulin mutations
Authors: Arrant Andrew E. , Roth Jonathan R. , Boyle Nicholas R. , Kashyap Shreya N. , Hoffmann Madelyn Q. , Murchison Charles F. , Ramos Eliana Marisa , Nana Alissa L. , Spina Salvatore , Grinberg Lea T. , Miller Bruce L. , Seeley William W. , Roberson Erik D.
Published: December 2019

Loss-of-function mutations in progranulin (GRN) are a major autosomal dominant cause of frontotemporal dementia. Most pathogenicGRNmutations result in progranulin haploinsufficiency, which is thought to cause frontotemporal dementia inGRNmutation carriers. Progranulin haploinsufficiency may drive frontotemporal dementia pathogenesis by disrupting lysosomal function, as patients withGRNmutations on both alleles develop the lysosomal storage disorder neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, and frontotemporal dementia patients withGRNmutations (FTD-GRN) also accumulate lipofuscin. The specific lysosomal deficits caused by progranulin insufficiency remain unclear, but emerging data indicate that progranulin insufficiency may impair lysosomal sphingolipid-metabolizing enzymes. We investigated the effects of progranulin insufficiency on sphingolipid-metabolizing enzymes in the inferior frontal gyrus of FTD-GRNpatients using fluorogenic activity assays, biochemical profiling of enzyme levels and posttranslational modifications, and quantitative neuropathology. Of the enzymes studied, only β-glucocerebrosidase exhibited impairment in FTD-GRNpatients. Brains from FTD-GRNpatients had lower activity than controls, which was associated with lower levels of mature β-glucocerebrosidase protein and accumulation of insoluble, incompletely glycosylated β-glucocerebrosidase. Immunostaining revealed loss of neuronal β-glucocerebrosidase in FTD-GRNpatients. To investigate the effects of progranulin insufficiency on β-glucocerebrosidase outside of the context of neurodegeneration, we investigated β-glucocerebrosidase activity in progranulin-insufficient mice. Brains fromGrn−/−mice had lower β-glucocerebrosidase activity than wild-type littermates, which was corrected by AAV-progranulin gene therapy. These data show that progranulin insufficiency impairs β-glucocerebrosidase activity in the brain. This effect is strongest in neurons and may be caused by impaired β-glucocerebrosidase processing.
Effect of drug-coated balloons in treatment of stenosis of the femoral artery and vein bypass graft not responding to plain old balloon angioplasty: a case report
Authors: Matsuura Sohei , Yamamoto Kota , Akai Takafumi , Isaji Toshihiko , Takayama Toshio , Hoshina Katsuyuki
Published: December 2019

Background

The use of drug-coated balloons (DCBs) with anti-proliferative agents in treating femoropopliteal lesions was approved in Japan in 2017. A better limb salvage rate or amputation-free rate of DCBs relative to plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) has been reported; however, there is little evidence of the direct effect on intimal hyperplasia (IH).

Case presentation

A 70-year-old man with chronic limb-threatening ischemia and foot gangrene had undergone bypass surgery from the left common femoral artery to the dorsalis pedis artery 2 years earlier. We evaluated the bypass graft using ultrasonography and found stenosis around the proximal anastomotic site, presumably due to IH. POBA was performed every 3 months due to the repeated re-stenosis of the lesion. Since using the DCB, no restenosis has been detected to date (10 months).

Conclusion

DCB might be an effective tool for treating re-stenosis due to IH or vein grafts that do not respond to POBA.
Indian womb — German baby: transnational gestational surrogacy in the film Monsoon Baby (2014)
Authors: Maierhofer Waltraud
Published: December 2019

The filmMonsoon Baby(2014) by Andreas Kleinert sympathetically shows the needs of the German couple seeking parenthood by gestational carrier in India. I argue that it also takes a strong stand against commercial surrogacy abroad because it points out legal issues and—more importantly—shows how surrogacy work can exploit women’s bodies, emotions, mental and physical health and even lives. From a postcolonial perspective, it is also problematic because it contains neo-colonial topoi and attitudes. Surrogacy with foreign intended parents has in the meantime been banned in India, but it may just move to other countries.Monsoon Babyremains an important contribution to the public debate about reproductive rights and choices as well as global reproductive justice.
Gaze collaboration patterns of successful and unsuccessful programming pairs using cross-recurrence quantification analysis
Authors: Villamor Maureen M. , Rodrigo Ma. Mercedes T.
Published: December 2019

A dual eye tracking experiment was performed on pairs of novice programmers as they traced and debugged fragments of code. These programming pairs were categorized into successful and unsuccessful pairs based on their debugging scores. Cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA), an analysis using cross-recurrence plots (CRP), was used to determine whether there are significant differences in the gaze collaboration patterns between these pair categories. Results showed that successful and unsuccessful pairs can be characterized distinctively based on their CRPs and CRQA metrics. This study also attempted to interpret the CRQA metrics in relation to how the pairs collaborated in order to provide a somewhat clear picture of their relevance and meaning. The analysis results could serve as a precursor in helping us understand what makes a programming pair more successful over other pairs and what behaviors exhibited by unsuccessful pairs that should be avoided.
Organization design as a competitive choice: an application to the study of innovation
Authors: Sengul Metin
Published: December 2019

This commentary reflects on how a perspective that concentrates on the role of competitive context and sees organization design as a competitive choice may inform the research stream on the link between organization design and innovation. Focusing on multiunit firms and their formal organization, I discuss the benefits of, and the need for, adopting such an approach for this research stream, in particular, and the study of organization design, in general. I conclude by outlining some implications and directions for future research.