bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis on the oral and fecal bacteriomes of children in the first week of life: a preliminary study
Authors: Pivrncova Eliska , Buresova Lucie , Kotaskova Iva , Videnska Petra , Andryskova Lenka , Piler Pavel , Janku Petr , Borek Ivo , Klanova Jana , Budinska Eva , Linhartova Petra Borilova
Published: February 2024

Background:Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) is commonly used during C-section delivery and in Group B Streptococcus-positive women before vaginal delivery. Here, we primarily aimed to investigate the effect of IAP on the neonatal oral and fecal bacteriomes in the first week of life.
Methods: In this preliminary study, maternal and neonatal oral swabs and neonatal fecal (meconium and transitional stool) swabs were selected from a pool of samples from healthy mother-neonate pairs participating in the pilot phase of CELSPAC: TNG during their hospital stay. The DNA was extracted and bacteriome profiles were determined by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing (Illumina).
Results: In the final dataset, 33 mother-neonate pairs were exposed to antibiotics during C-section‑ or vaginal delivery (cases; +IAP) and the vaginal delivery without IAP (controls, -IAP) took place in 33 mother-neonate pairs. Alpha diversity (Shannon index, p=0.01), bacterial composition (PERMANOVA, p<0.05), and relative abundance of the genus Gemella (q=0.08) only in neonatal oral samples collected ≤48 h after birth were lower in +IAP than in -IAP group. No significant differences between meconium bacteriomes of the +IAP and -IAP groups were observed (p>0.05). However, the IAP was associated with decreased alpha diversity (number of amplicon sequence variants, p<0.001), decreased relative abundances of the genera Bacteroidesand Bifidobacteria, and increased relative abundances of genera Enterococcusand Rothia (q<0.01 for all of them) in transitional stool samples.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that exposure to IAP may significantly influence the early development of the neonatal oral and gut microbiomes. IAP affected the neonatal oral bacteriome in the first two days after birth as well as the neonatal fecal bacteriome in transitional stool samples. In addition, it highlights the necessity for further investigation into the potential long-term health impacts on children.
Changes in High Resolution peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography in adolescents undergoing a first kidney transplantation.
Authors: De Mul Aurélie , Leclerc Anne-Laure Sellier , Ginhoux Tiphanie , Levi Charlène , Confavreux Cyrille , Aurelle Manon , Portefaix Aurélie , Bacchetta Justine
Published: February 2024

Purpose
Mineral bone disorders associated to chronic kidney disease (CKD-MBD) frequently persist after kidney transplantation (Tx), being due to pre-existing CKD-MBD, immunosuppressive therapies and post-Tx hypophosphatemia. We aimed to evaluate bone biomarkers and microarchitecture at the time of and 6 months after Tx.
Methods
Here we present the single-center sub-group of patients included between 10 and 18 years of age from the prospective TRANSOS study (NCT02729142). Patients undergoing a first Tx were matched on a 1:2 basis on sex, puberty and age with healthy controls (HC) from the VITADOS cohort. Results are presented as median (Q1-Q3). Non-parametric tests were performed.
Results
At a median age of 15 (13-16) years, 19 patients (6 girls, 7 pre-emptive Tx, 7 steroid-sparing immunosuppressive strategies) underwent a first Tx, with PTH levels of 1.9 (1.4-2.9) the upper limit of normal (ULN).
When comparing HC and patients at the time of Tx, we found significantly higher total and trabecular densities with High Resolution peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT). Six months after Tx, patients displayed significantly impaired trabecular parameters at radius compared to baseline; results were not different at the weight-bearing tibia, neither cortical parameters at both sites.
Six months after Tx, 6 (31%) patients displayed acidosis, 10 (53%) persistent hyperparathyroidism (always < 2 ULN) and 5 (26%) increased FGF23 levels; 11 (58%) received phosphate supplementation.
Conclusion
Data on bone health in adolescent receiving a first Tx seem reassuring, but radial trabecular bone microarchitecture impairment observed 6 months post-Tx may reflect subtle albeit present post-Tx CKD-MBD.
NCT02729142- March 25 2016
Serum BAFF levels are associated with the prognosis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy
Authors: Li Zhaohui , Chen Ping , Zhang Ying , Chen Juan , Zheng Shanshan , Li Wenbin , Tang Lijun , Liu Yipeng , Zhao Na
Published: February 2024

Objective
High serum levels of BAFF (B-cell activation factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) have been observed in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN); however, their relationships with disease severity and progression remain unclear.
Methods
Patients with iMN diagnosed via renal biopsy were enrolled in this study. The concentrations of BAFF and APRIL were determined using ELISA kits. Proteinuria remission, including complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR), was defined as a clinical event. The Cox proportional hazards method was used to analyze the relationship between survival and disease progression.
Results
Seventy iMN patients were enrolled in this study, with a median follow-up time of 24 months (range 6–72 months).The serum levels of BAFF and APRIL were higher in iMN patients than in healthy controls but lower than those in minimal change disease (MCD) patients. The serum BAFF level was positively correlated with the serum APRIL level, serum anti-PLA2R antibody level and 24-h proteinuria and negatively correlated with the serum albumin (Alb) level. However, there was no significant correlation between the serum APRIL level and clinical parameters. According to the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusted for sex, age, systolic blood pressure, eGFR, immunosuppressive agent use, 24-h proteinuria, APRIL level, and anti-PLA2R antibody, the serum BAFF level was identified as an independent predictor of PR(HR, 0.613; 95% CI, 0.405–0.927; p = 0.021) and CR of proteinuria (HR, 0.362; 95% CI, 0.202–0.648; p < 0.001).
Conclusions
A high serum BAFF level is associated with severe clinical manifestations and poor disease progression in patients with iMN.
Machine Learning Model for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Diagnosis Based on Ultrasound Radiomics
Authors: xia fei , wei wei , wang junli , wang kun , duan yayang , zhang chaoxue
Published: February 2024

Background
Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis(NASH) is a crucial stage in the progression of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease(NAFLD). The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical value of ultrasound features and radiological analysis in predicting the diagnosis of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
Method
An SD rat model of hepatic steatosis was established through a high-fat diet and subcutaneous injection of CCl4. Liver ultrasound images and elastography were acquired, along with serum data and histopathological results of rat livers.The Pyradiomics software was used to extract radiomic features from 2D ultrasound images of rat livers. The rats were then randomly divided into a training set and a validation set, and feature selection was performed through dimensionality reduction. Various machine learning (ML) algorithms were employed to build clinical diagnostic models, radiomic models, and combined diagnostic models. The efficiency of each diagnostic model for diagnosing NASH was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, Clinical Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), and calibration curves.
Results
In the machine learning radiomic model for predicting the diagnosis of NASH, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve for the clinical radiomic model in the training set and validation set were 0.989 and 0.885, respectively. The Decision Curve Analysis revealed that the clinical radiomic model had the highest net benefit within the probability threshold range of > 65%. The calibration curve in the validation set demonstrated that the clinical combined radiomic model is the optimal method for diagnosing Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
Conclusion
The combined diagnostic model constructed using machine learning algorithms based on ultrasound image radiomics has a high clinical predictive performance in diagnosing Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.
A joint task caching and computation offloading scheme based on Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Tian Huizi , Zhu Lin , Tan Long
Published: February 2024

Considering the dynamic variability of the vehicular edge environment and the limited edge servers resources, this paper proposes a joint task caching and computation offloading scheme based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). Considering that the motion trajectories of different vehicles overlap and their task requests may be the same, this paper designs a vehicle-edge-cloud computing framework to fully use the cache resources of vehicles, edge servers, and clouds to reduce task processing delays and energy consumption. Secondly, this paper adopts a method of partial offloading and collaboration between edge servers, which fully utilizes the computing resources of vehicles, edge servers, and the cloud, reducing the burden of vehicles and edge servers. In addition, this paper proposes a DRL-based task offloading scheme to obtain better task caching and offloading strategies. The simulation results show that the scheme proposed in this article performs better compared to other schemes and effectively reduces the latency and energy consumption of task processing.
Multi-Objective Constraint Multi-Swarm Particle Swarm Optimization Without Velocity(MOCMPSOWV) and its implementation in the GOLDFISH framework.
Authors: Cichocka Judyta , Łoj Szymon
Published: February 2024

In this paper a multi-objective version of the recent Constraint Multi-Swarm Particle Swarm Optimization without Velocity (CMPSOWV) is developed. With the focus on wider adoption of optimization aimed at solving multi-objective constrained engineering design problems in practice, the proposed method is implemented in the popular Grasshopper framework as a new optimization plug-in “Goldfish”. As CMPSOWV, the MOCMPSOWV algorithm is supposed to obtain highly diversified optimization results thanks to incorporating the multi-swarm approach and the enlarged search scope for the best solution in the multiple locations of the hyperspace. The introduced MOCMPSOWV algorithm in the Goldfish framework has proven its superiority over algorithms such as: MOPSO, NSGA-II, SPEA, SPEA2, MOGA, MOEA/D in the quality of solution criteria and computing time in the engineering design problems such as: Welded beam case, Pressure Vessel case and multi-objective test functions.
Prediction and Feature selection of Low Birth Weight using Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Reza Tasneem Binte , Salma Nahid
Published: February 2024

Background and Aims: The birth weight of a newborn is a crucial factor that affects their overall health and future well-being. Low birth weight (LBW) is a widespread global issue, which the World Health Organization defines as weighing less than 2,500 grams. LBW can have severe negative consequences on an individual's health, including neonatal mortality and various health concerns throughout their life. To address this problem, this study has been conducted using BDHS 2017-2018 data to identify the most relevant features of LBW and the best model.
Methods: The study used data extracted from BDHS 2017-2018. The Boruta algorithm and Wrapper method were employed to identify essential features. Several machine learning classifiers were then used, including Decision Tree, SVM (Support Vector Machine), Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting), and AdaBoost (Adaptive Boosting), to determine the best model for predicting LBW.
Results: According to the study, the Boruta algorithm identifies eleven significant features, which include the respondent's age, highest education level, educational attainment, wealth index, age at first birth, weight, height, BMI, age at first sexual intercourse, birth order number, and whether the child is a twin. The machine-learning classifiers used in the study were DT, SVM, NB, RF, XGBoost, and AB models, which had AUCs of 0.538, 0.532, 0.529, 0.549, 0.507, and 0.509, respectively. The DT and RF models, implemented using the wrapper method, identified three significant features: the region, whether the child is a twin, and delivery by cesarean section, with AUC values of 0.5550 and 0.5749, respectively. On the other hand, the SVM, NB, and AB models identified "child is twin" as a significant feature with an AUC value of 0.5120. Finally, the XGBoost model identified "age at 1st sex" and "child is twin" as significant features with an AUC value of 0.508.
Conclusions: Based on the analysis, the authors suggest that Random Forest (RF) is the most effective predictive model for Low Birth Weight (LBW). They also found that the Wrapper method is the best feature selection technique. Notable features of LBW include child is a twin, region, and delivery by caesarean section.
Safety and Efficacy of Apomorphine in the Treatment of Sleep Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wang Ziyuan , Wu Jiannan , Yan Junqiang
Published: February 2024

Objective:This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of apomorphine in addressing sleep disorders among individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and CBM, to identify relevant studies.
Results: After eliminating duplicate data and applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 117 patients from four studies (including one randomized controlled trial) were selected for analysis based on the PICOS criteria. The findings indicate that nocturnal apomorphine injections may offer benefits in terms of enhancing sleep quality and duration. Furthermore, apomorphine exhibits favorable tolerability and maintains a high safety profile.
Conclusions: In conclusion, this study provides supporting evidence for the efficacy of apomorphine in improving sleep quality and maintenance in PD patients, while also highlighting its safety. Nonetheless, further large-scale clinical trials are warranted to establish definitive guidelines for apomorphine treatment in PD-related sleep disorders.
Oceanic cloud trends during the satellite era and their radiative signatures
Authors: Tselioudis George , Rossow William B. , Bender Frida , Oreopoulos Lazaros , Remillard Jasmine
Published: February 2024

The present study analyzes zonal mean cloud and radiation trends over the global oceans for the past 35 years from a suite of satellite datasets covering two periods. In the longer period (1984-2018) cloud properties come from the ISCCP-H, CLARA-A3, and PATMOS-x datasets and radiative properties from the ISCCP-FH dataset, while for the shorter period (2000-2018) cloud data from MODIS and CloudSat/CALIPSO and radiative fluxes from CERES-EBAF are added. Zonal mean Total Cloud Cover (TCC) trend plots show an expansion of the subtropical dry zone, a poleward displacement of the midlatitude storm zone and a narrowing of the tropical Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) region over the 1984-2018 period. This expansion of the ‘low cloud cover curtain’ and the contraction of the ITCZ rearrange the boundaries and extents of all major climate zones, producing a more poleward and somewhat narrower midlatitude zone and a wider subtropical zone. Zonal mean oceanic cloud cover trends, when examined in terms of distinct latitude zones, two poleward of 50o and one bounded within 50oS and 50oN, show upward or near-zero cloud cover trends in the high latitude zones and consistent downward trends in the low latitude zone. The latter dominate in the global average resulting in TCC decreases that range from 0.72% per decade to 0.17% per decade depending on dataset and period. These contrasting cloud cover increases and decreases between the high and low latitude zones produce contrasting low latitude cloud radiative warming and high latitude cloud radiative cooling effects, present in both the ISCCP-FH and CERES-EBAF datasets. The global ocean mean trend of the Short Wave Cloud Radiative Effect (SWCRE) depends on the balance between these contrasting trends, and in the CERES dataset this balance is a SW cloud radiative warming trend of 0.12 W/m2/decade coming from the dominance of the low-latitude positive SWCRE trends while in the ISCCP-FH dataset it is a 0.3 W/m2/decade SW cloud radiative cooling trend coming from the dominance of the high latitude negative SWCRE trends. The CERES cloud radiative warming trend doubles in magnitude to 0.24 W/m2/decade when the period is extended from 2016 to 2022, implying a strong cloud radiative heating in the past 6 years coming from the low latitude zone.
Performance Enhancement of Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna Using Single-Layer Foam Substrate for 5.8 GHz ISM Band Applications
Authors: Hake Shahadev , Jaiswal Rupesh , Moon Sunil
Published: February 2024

Since last decade microstrip patch antenna has played a very important role in industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band applications, but single-layer antennae suffer from low gain, low radiation efficiency. For an ISM band, there is always a trade-off between these parameters, so maintaining it on a single-layer microstrip antenna is a big challenge. Hence this paper designs a circularly polarized (CP) microstrip antenna using a single-layer Foam Substrate for 5.8 GHz ISM band which offers high gain, improved radiation efficiency, and a lightweight design. It is constructed as a low-profile, single coaxial feed microstrip antenna on a foam substrate, achieving circular polarization by integrating two slots into the radiating patch antenna has dimensions of 0.98 λ0 × 0.98 λ0 × 0.096 λ0, impedance bandwidth of 600 MHz (5.56–6.16) GHz, which underscores its adaptability across a wide range of frequencies within the specified band. Furthermore, it elaborates the axial ratio bandwidth which extends over 130 MHz (5.77–5.90) GHz, showing the antenna's ability to maintain circular polarization characteristics over a significant frequency range with a gain of 8.87 dB. The experimental and simulation results confirmed a remarkable radiation efficiency of 95.62%, showing its superior effectiveness compared to any existing single-layer microstrip antenna.
Effect of Ozone and Low Power Laser as Therapeutic Alternatives on the Alveolar Repair Process After Tooth Extraction in Rats Wistar Exposed to Nicotine
Authors: Carvalho Thainy Oliveira , de Almeida Wilson Pereira , Palma Fabiano Rodrigues , Pilati Paulo Vinícius Fontanella , Zanardo Victoria , Chaves Anna Júlia Leduc , Pilati Sarah Freygang Mendes
Published: February 2024

The aim of this study was to evaluate the alveolar repair process in rats exposed to nicotine after tooth extraction, using ozonised water and low-power laser therapy (LPLT) as therapeutic adjuvants. Thirty Wistar rats (Rattus Norvegicus) were used and given the nicotine solution via subcutaneous tissue. After 7 days, the upper right central incisor was surgically extracted. Three days after the surgical procedure, the animals continued to receive nicotine until the day of euthanasia, totalling 21 days after extraction. The result was that the groups that received coadjuvant therapy had neoformed mature bone, unlike the group that did not receive it. Based on the literature and the results obtained, we can conclude that nicotine negatively influenced the healing process and bone repair in the alveoli; however, the use of ozonised water and LPLT, even in the presence of nicotine, was effective, as it enhanced the repair process, making them good options for surgical procedures in patients who smoke.
Relationship between dietary live microbe intake and the prevalence of COPD in adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of NHANES 2013-2018
Authors: He Baimei , Huang Qiong , Li Siqi , Nan Wenbin , Chen Qiong , Yu Qiao
Published: February 2024

Objective: To explore the potential association between dietary live microbes and the prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD).
Methods:In this cross-sectional study, data of 9791 participants aged 20 years or older in this study were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2013 and 2018. Participants in this study were classified into three groups according to the Sanders’ dietary live microbe classification system: low, medium, and high dietary live microbe groups. COPD was defined by a combination of self-reported physician diagnoses and standardized medical status questionnaires. Logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to assess whether dietary live microbes was associated with the risk of COPD.
Results: Through full adjustment for confounders, participants in the high dietary live microbe group had a low prevalence of COPD in contrast to those low dietary live microbe group (OR: 0.614, 95% CI: 0.474-0.795, and p < 0.001), but no significant association with COPD was detected in the medium and the low dietary live microbe groups. This inverse relationship between dietary live microbe intake and COPD prevalence were more inclined to occur in smokers, females, participants aged from 40-60 years old and non-obese participants.
Conclusion:A high dietary live microbe intake was associated with a low prevalence of COPD, and this negative correlation was detected especially in smokers, females, participants aged from 40-60 years old and non-obese participants.
An iterative method based on Simpson's 3/8 rule to solve absolute value equations
Authors: Rahpeymaii Farzad , Rostami ‎Majid
Published: February 2024

‎Generalized Newton's method is one of the important algorithms for solving absolute value equations‎. ‎In this paper‎, ‎we introduce a two-step method to improve the generalized Newton algorithm‎. ‎The first step of the new method is generalized Newton algorithm and the second step is based on Simpson's 3/8 rule‎. ‎Under some standard assumptions‎, ‎the convergence for the new method and its linear convergence are obtained‎. ‎Numerical results show that the new method is efficient and robust to solve‎ ‎absolute value equations‎.
Mathematics Subject Classification: 65K10, 90C30, 65F10, 65B99.
Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor of the liver in an elderly male by 18F-FDG PET/CT: A Case Report
Authors: Mao Haijia , Huang Huizhen , Wang Dandan , Wei Jianguo , Zhao Zhenhua , Yang Jianfeng , Lu Zengxin
Published: February 2024

Background
Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a highly invasive malignant tumor; often occurs in adolescents aged 20-30. In general, the diagnosis and assessment of tumor has relied upon CT and/or MRI. Here, we conducted an in-depth analysis of DSRCT of the liver on 18F-FDG PET/CT in an aging male.
Case presentation
The patient underwent Computed tomography (CT) due to left abdominal pain, showing multiple liver masses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple well-defined masses in liver with mixed high T1WI and low T2WI signal, accompanied by obvious enhancement. 18F-FDG PET/CT showed a mass of high uptakes in the hepatic and perihepatic hilum, indicating the malignance. He accepted percutaneous liver biopsy. Postoperative pathology showed that the mass was diagnosed as a highly malignant small round cell tumor.
Conclusions
DSRCT is a highly invasive sarcoma with poor prognosis. When the disease is found, it is often in the advanced stage. Early diagnosis is of great significance and has become one of the research directions of DSRCT in the future. The imaging diagnosis is suggestive but not specific, and the ideal treatment is not determined. 18F positron emission imaging (FDG-PET/CT) is more accurate in the diagnosis of DSRCT.
Bimodal Power Laplace Distribution
Authors: Sulewski Piotr
Published: February 2024

This article has two purposes. The first (main) goal is to introduce a new flexible distribution defined in an infinite domain. The distribution in question is named the bimodal power Laplace distribution. The second (additional) goal is a chronological overview of distributions belonging to the large family of Laplace distributions. Some properties of the BPL such as PDF, CDF, modal values, inflection points, quantiles, moments, Moors' measure, moments of order statistics and instructions to generate pseudo-random numbers are presented. The unknown parameters of the new distribution are estimated by the maximum likelihood method. The Shannon, Tsallis and Renyi entropies and Fisher Information Matrix are also presented. Illustrative examples of applicability and flexibility of the introduced distributions are given. The most important R codes and proofs of some theorems are given in the Appendix.
Behavioral impact of early smart device usage on toddlers: Importance of mother–child interaction
Authors: Chakranon Pairote , Huang Jian-Pei , Au Heng-Kien , Lin Chen-Li , Chen Yi-Yung , Mao Shih-Peng , Lin Wen-Yi , Zou Ming-Lun , Estinfort Wanda , Chen Yi-Hua
Published: February 2024

Background: In recent years, smart devices have become seamlessly integrated into human life. However, longitudinal studies focusing on their impact on toddlers are lacking. Accordingly, the present study examined the influence of early screen usage time and media content exposure on toddlers’ behavioral performance, along with the positive effects of mother–child interactions on this association.
Method: We analyzed 276 children born between November 2016 and July 2020 participating in an ongoing prospective follow-up study at five hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan. In particular, data from maternal reports regarding these the children’s conditions and parental self-reported data over postpartum years 1–3 were analyzed. Group-based trajectory modeling and multiple linear regression were employed for statistical analyses.
Results: Compared with a slight increase, a considerable increase in screen time during the ages of 1–3 was significantly associated with less favorable behavioral outcomes at age 3, including somatic complaints [adjusted beta coefficient (aβ) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.39–3.95], withdrawal (aβ = 2.42, 95% CI = 0.15–4.69), and aggressive behavior (aβ = 6.53, 95% CI = 0.25–12.81). This outcome was evident in children with relatively low mother–child interaction levels. Nevertheless, improved mother–child interactions alleviated most of the adverse effects. In addition, an increase in game and cartoon exposure was associated with less favorable behavioral outcomes in all children except those with positive mother–child interaction. Early mother-child interactions can mitigate behavioral issues in toddlers exposed to prolonged screen time and high game and cartoon content
Cervical internal carotid artery fenestration: A rare cause of lumen ‘’dissection’’
Authors: Pentara Natalia Valeria , Koutroulou Ioanna , Foinitsis Stefanos , Rafailidis Vasileios , Psoma Elisavet , Grigoriadis Nikolaos , Prassopoulos Panos , Karapanayiotides Theodoros
Published: February 2024

Cervical internal carotid artery fenestration (fcICA) is an extremely rare anatomic variation. Its embryological backround is merely a hypothesis and still not fully understood, causing many authors to question its existence and support the theory of an underlying pathologic mechanism such as dissection. Since distinction between ICA fenestration and pseudofenestration is usually not straightforward, patients should be examined carefully with all available imaging modalities to exclude potential subjacent arterial dissection. We present an interesting case of a 47-year-old woman with fcICA on the ground of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), who presented with ipsilateral pulsatile tinnitus.
Thelung ultrasound in children with SARS-COV 2 infection: a national multicenter prospective study
Authors: Supino Maria Chiara , Buonsenso Danilo , Agostiniani Rino , Gori Laura , Tipo Vincenzo , Morello Rosa , Monaco Giovanni Del , Falsaperla Raffaele , Biagi Carlotta , Cazzato Salvatore , Villani Alberto , Musolino Anna Maria , Scateni Simona , Ferro Valentina , Scialanga Barbara , Mesturino Maria Alessia , Boccuzzi Elena , D’Anna Carolina , Romagnoli Vittorio , Marino Silvia , Puxeddu Roberta , Martinelli Gaia
Published: February 2024

Covid-19 causedhospitalizations, severe disease and deaths in any age, including in the youngest children. The aim of this multicenter national study is to characterize the clinical and the prognostic role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in children with Covid-19. We enrolled children between 1 month and 18 years of age diagnosed with SARS-CoV2 infection and whounderwenta lung ultrasound within 6 hours from firstmedical evaluation. A total of 213 children were enrolled, 51.6%were male, median age was2 years and 5 months (IQR 4mm- 11 yearsand4 months).One hundred and fortyeight (69.4%) children were admitted in hospital, 9 (6.1%) in pediatric intensive care unit.We found an inverse correlation between the LUS score and the oxygen saturationatthe clinical evaluation (r = − 0.16; p = 0.019). Moreover, LUS scores were significantly higher in patients requiring oxygen supplementation (8 (IQR 3–19) vs 2 (IQR 0–4); p = 0.001). Among LUS pathological findings, irregular pleural line, sub-pleural consolidations and pleural effusions were significantly more frequentin patients whoneeded oxygen supplementation (p = 0.007; p = 0.006 andp = 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: This multicentric study confirmed that LUS is able to detect Covid-19 low respiratory tract involvement, which is characterized by pleural line irregularities, vertical artifacts and subpleural consolidations. Notably, children with higher LUS score have an higher risk of hospitalization or need for oxygen supplementation, supporting LUS as a valid and safe point-of-care first level tool for the clinical evaluation of children with Covid-19.
Knockdown siRNA targeting GPR55 reveals significant differences between the anti- inflammatory actions of KLS-13019 and cannabidiol
Authors: Brenneman Douglas E. , Kinney William A. , McDonnell Mark E. , Ippolito Michael J. , Ward Sara Jane
Published: February 2024

KLS-13019 was reported previously to reverse paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Recent studies demonstrated that paclitaxel-induced increases in inflammatory markers (GPR55, NLRP3 and IL-1b) of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cultures were shown to be reversed by KLS-13019 treatment. The mechanism of action for KLS-13019-mediated reversal of paclitaxel-induced neuroinflammation now has been explored using GPR55 siRNA. Pretreatment of DRG cultures with GPR55 siRNA produced a 21% decrease of immunoreactive (IR) area for GPR55 in cell bodies and a 59% decrease in neuritic IR area, as determined by high content imaging. Using a 24-hour reversal treatment paradigm, paclitaxel-induced increases in the inflammatory markers were reversed back to control levels after KLS-3019 treatment. Decreases in these inflammatory markers produced by KLS-13019 were significantly attenuated by GPR55 siRNA co-treatment, with mean IR area responses being attenuated by 56% in neurites and 53% in cell bodies. These data indicate that the percentage decreases in siRNA-mediated attenuation of KLS-13019-related efficacy on the inflammatory markers were similar to the percentage knockdown observed for neuritic GPR55 IR area. Similar studies conducted with cannabidiol (CBD), the parent compound of KLS-13019, produced low efficacy (25%) reversal of all inflammatory markers that were poorly attenuated (29%) by GPR55 siRNA. CBD was shown previously to be ineffective in reversing paclitaxel-induced mechanical allodynia. The present studies indicated significant differences between the anti-inflammatory properties of KLS-13019 and CBD which may play a role in their observed differences in the reversibility of mechanical allodynia in a mouse model of CIPN.
Uncovering the features of environmental burden in China’s metal extraction industries from 1995 to 2018: Evidence from MRIO assessments
Authors: Guo Tianjiao , Pan Hua , Song Xiaoqian
Published: February 2024

As one of the world's largest producers of many mineral resources, China’s metal extraction industries play an important role in the global value chain. However, the price of economic development could be a notable environmental burden, considering theories of the Environmental Kuznets Curve and the pollution-haven hypothesis. In this study, we conduct an environmental-extended multi-regional input-output (EE-MRIO) analysis to assess social, environmental, and climatic footprints of China’s metal extraction industries by four indicators, the total climate change impact, land use-related biodiversity loss, total particulate matter-related health impact, and water stress, in order to uncover features of related environmental burden. Our results show that China has probably borne the largest environmental burden in the global metal extraction value chain, with the four indicators increasing from 229–435% during 1995–2018. In addition, China relied on domestic production for most of its metal extraction, while about 20% − 35% of the environmental burden was associated with exports to other Asian countries, North America and Europe. The majority of the environmental burden in metal extraction were finally attributed to manufacturing and service sectors. Moreover, a decoupling analysis reveals that the four environmental burden indicators can be decoupled from China's economic growth. Finally, we propose several policy recommendations to reduce these environmental burdens and facilitate the development of China’s clean energy technologies.
Multifocality in thyroid lobectomy and completion thyroidectomy – a single tertiary center retrospective study
Authors: Policardo Federica , Bruno Carmine , Tralongo Pietro , Vegni Federica , Feraco Angela , Zhang Qianqian , Padial-Urtueta Belen , Carlino Angela , Pontecorvi Alfredo , Fadda Guido , Raffaelli Marco , Larocca Luigi Maria , Pantanowitz Liron , Rossi Esther Diana
Published: February 2024

Aims
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) updated guidelines for the treatment of thyroid cancer, leading to a less aggressive approach depending on clinical-pathological features. As a result, the possibility to perform lobectomy versus total thyroidectomy has significantly increased. The majority of thyroid cancers are indolent with an excellent prognosis, whilst only 15% of patients with well-differentiated carcinoma, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) have locally advanced thyroid cancer (LATC) at diagnosis. We review our practice in treating thyroid carcinoma over the last decade.
Methods
From January 2010 to December 2020, 1057 patients with uninodular benign and malignant thyroid lesions were reviewed.
Results
Among these cases, 77% were women with a median age of 49.3 years. The series involved 307 malignant diagnoses (29.05%) including 196 (61.6%) classic PTC and 38 (12%) aggressive variants of PTC, mostly tall cell variant (30 cases, 9.4%). Among the malignant cases, multifocality was microscopically documented in 84 cases (26.4%). Second surgery was assessed in a total of 150 cases, showing 42 cases with additional thyroid cancer foci in the other lobe (26 single vs 16 multiple foci). Ten cases had metastatic perithyroidal lymph nodes
Conclusion
our data could be the basis for performing a longitudinal study in order to establish which risk factors can predict bilateral involvement and to suggest a tailored surgical approach
Lead, Cadmium and other metals in Residential Paint Chips from Indoor wall surfaces
Authors: Akindele Ajoke Fehintola Idayat , Joseph Akaninyene
Published: February 2024

Paints beautify and shield houses, but may have risky metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury that endanger occupants, mainly children and pregnant women. To assess the levels and health risks of 14 metals in paint chips from indoor walls of residential houses in four states in South-western Nigeria. Paint chips were collected from 144 houses with childrens’ occupants and analyzed for metals using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer. The Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) levels (mg/kg) ranged from 1239.9-2254.2 and 1126.5- 3080.3 in all the states examined, respectively. Arsenic (As) ranged from 1236.3- 915.2 ± 4.800 and 972.5–1492.0 in Lagos and Ibadan, respectively. In Ado-Ekiti and Akure, the levels of As ranged 828.3- 920.4 and 822.1-842.3 mg/kg, respectively. The chronic daily intake, hazard quotient, hazard index, and lifetime cancer risk of metals were estimated for ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes. The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in paint chips exceeded the permissible limits for paints. The highest metal exposure and health risk were through ingestion, followed by inhalation and dermal contact. Children had higher exposure and risk than adults. Arsenic had the highest hazard index and lifetime cancer risk among the metals, followed by lead, chromium, and cadmium. The study revealed that paint chips from indoor walls pose a significant source of metal contamination and health risk, especially for children. There is a need for stricter regulation and monitoring of metal content in paints and paint chips in Nigeria.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve biomass, nutritive value, and digestibility of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller under different water levels by inducing resistances against cochineal infestation
Authors: Kebede Teame Gebrehiwot , Birhane Emiru , Ayimut Kiros-Meles , G.Egziabher Yemane
Published: February 2024

Background: Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller is dominantly growing in arid and semi-arid areas with low nutrient contents. Plants that grow with low-nutrient conditions are more attacked by herbivore insects and develop a strong association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to adapt to nutrient, drought, and herbivore insect stress. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of AMF inoculations and variable soil water levels (SWA) on the biomass, nutrient concentration, nutritional composition, and nutrient digestibility of the spiny and spineless O. ficus-indica by inducing resistance to cochineal stress.
Results: AMF was inoculated to O. ficus-indica plants to improve nutrient value and digestibility by inducing to resist cochineal and drought stresses. Second instar crawlers were exposed to the AMF treated and controlled O. ficus-indica plants. Drought stress reduced the below and above-ground biomass, cladode nutrient content, nutritional composition, and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). AMF colonization significantly increased biomass production with significant changes in the macro and micro-nutrient concentrations of O. ficus-indica. AMF inoculation significantly increased the IVDMD and IVOMD of both O. ficus-indica types by improving the biomass, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), and reduced fiber and ash contents. AMF-inoculated cladodes improved the nutrient concentrations of the cladodes. AMF caused an increase in biomass production, increased tolerance to cochineal stress, and improved nutrient concentration, nutritional composition, and nutrient digestibility performance of O. ficus-indica.
Conclusions: Our study concludes that the role of AMF on the O. ficus-indica plant is not only to resist drought and cochineal stress but also to improve biomass, nutrient concentration, nutritional composition, and nutrient digestibility. The potential of O. ficus-indica to adapt to cochineal stress is controlled by the micro and micro-nutrient concentration performance related to the AMF association.
A closer look from diversification perspectives with Bitcoin, Gold, Oil and Stock Marketsduring COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Braiek Sana
Published: February 2024

The emergence of new asset classes such as Islamic assets and digital assets offers avenues to international investment community however understanding relationship between any assets in a single portfolio is important. Weinvestigate the risk dependence between daily Bitcoin DJWI,DJIM,Gold andOil prices spanning over from the 2nd of December 2019 to the 31st of May2021. We start by examining long memory properties and report significantresults. Our methodology consists to construct two types of portfolio, onewith the Islamic Dow Jones Islamic index and one with the ConventionalDow Jones index. We refer to the model proposed by BraÃÂ¯ek et al (2020)the Mean-CoVaR to obtain the optimal weights. We find that the frontier ofthe portfolio with (DJWI) out performs the frontier of the portfolio with DJIM.Our results suggest that the inclusion of DJIW into diversified portfolio maybe profitable during the pandemic, serving therefore as risk diversifier. Weshow that our results are robust to the period of the recent market fluctuationscaused by COVID-19.
JEL classification : C51; C52; C58; G11; G17
WITHDRAWN: IEER: Inferring Embedded Email Roles
Authors: Ejaz Usama Abdullah , Cheema Muhammad Faisal , Khan Kifayat Ullah
Published: February 2024

In this study, we investigate the use of representation learning techniques for solving complex problems represented as graphs. To this end, we propose a novel method for learning graph representations called Inferring Embedded Email Roles (IEER). Our method generates low-dimensional vectorized features by acquiring local structural information for each vertex in the graph. Unlike existing approaches that have focused on incorporating various graph attributes, our method takes a unique approach to improving the performance of the base framework, EMBedding Email-based Roles (EMBER). This research aims to understand the effectiveness of an embedding technique for generating graph representations and its suitability for replacing the base framework technique. We identify an embedding technique that significantly improves the performance of EMBER, resulting in a 94\% accuracy improvement using the Permutation Invariant technique, which has been shown to outperform matrix factorization techniques in capturing structural behaviors. This technique has been shown to outperform matrix factorization techniques in dealing with structural behaviors. Additionally, our method is scalable and linear concerning the number of vertices in the graph.
Decoding the Virulence by sequencing analysis: Investigating Key Genes in Salmonella Typhi Isolates from Baghdad
Authors: Dawood Muna Sabah , Hussein Nadheema Hammood , Rasool Khetam Habeeb
Published: February 2024

Typhoid fever is one of the most important problem of global health in the developing countries, and the pathogenicity of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) depends on possession of different virulence factors, this study amid to investigate the spread of virulence genes among S. Typhi isolates from patients with typhoid fever in Baghdad, Iraq. Sixty S. Typhi isolates were collected from several hospitals in Baghdad. All isolates identified by vitek-II and then identification confirmed by PCR to detect 16S rRNA gene. The susceptibility test to different antimicrobials performed by method of disk diffusion, the results found the highest resistance rate (100%) to Ampicillin, Piperacillin, Cefotaxime and Ceftriaxone in contrast, the highest sensitivity rate (100%) found to Ertapenem, Imipenem, Meropenem and Sulfamethoxazole \Trimethoprim. The presence of genes encoding for virulence in S. Typhi isolates was tested by conventional PCR and the result found out of 60 S. Typhi isolates, 59 (98.3%), 59 (98.3%), 58 (96.7%) (Significant differences (< 0.01)), and 60 (100%) were positive for viaB, staA, cdtB and orfL genes, respectively. Sequencing of PCR products were carried out in the Macrogen Company (Seoul/ Korea), and the sequences compared to the nucleotide sequences in Gen-Bank database / BLAST. Also the phylogenetic analyses of16S rRNA, viaB, staA and cdtB based on the sequences of these genes were done and results found highly similarity of local sequences to the closely related sequences of genes in GenBank by using MEGA11 software. According to this results, presence of viaB, staA, cdtB and orfL virulence genes in almost isolates under study play an important role in the pathogenicity of local isolates.
Topic Modelling and Density-based Clustering for Opinion Anomaly Detection on Forum Discussion Transcript
Authors: Yudhistira Peter , Budhi Gregorius Satia , Tjondrowiguno Alvin Nathaniel
Published: February 2024

A directed discussion is a platform where community members may discuss specific topics whose scope is defined by the forum's facilitator. Several issues arose in a setting where each speaker's comment regarding the discussion topic must be noted for further manual and thorough analysis. Due to the sheer volume of the speech data and the limitation of available manpower, the assigned annotator for a given discussion frequently lost focus and became unable to take accurate note of each speaker's comment, resorting to paraphrasing. The paraphrasing caused a loss of information, context, and personal bias that prevented an objective evaluation. This study intended to address the issue and is conducted to objectively retrieve the comments contributed by each discussion member regarding a given topic and utilise unsupervised learning to find and identify anomalous comments. In particular, comments that are not appropriate to the topic of the discussion become the focus of this study. To this end, we propose a feature extraction and anomaly detection pipeline. The obtained text corpus will have its features extracted with word embedding and topic modelling. The extracted features will then become input for the anomaly detection methods: density-based clustering (DBSCAN), Isolation Forest (IF), and Local Outlier Factor (LOF). This research aims to search for effective combinations of parameters to obtain said anomalies. Our results indicate that topic modelling with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) as a feature extraction method and DBSCAN could isolate inappropriate, unrelated comments with up to 71.42% accuracy.
Exploring the Effect of Team Personality Traits, Role Behaviour and Job Performance on Project Success. A Case of Telecom Projects in Emerging Markets.
Authors: Okeyia Charles , Smith Charlotte , Koubouros Michail
Published: February 2024

Team personality traits enable project practitioners to deliver project success through role behaviour and job performance. However, various team personality traits influence role behaviour and job performance. Project success is a challenging phenomenon for project practitioners, where different factors play a critical role in project success. The objective of this study is to explore the effect of team personality traits on project success, with moderating effects of role behaviour and job performance. The study includes participants from telecom organisations in Nigeria, an emerging market, using the survey-structured quantitative data collection technique. The five-factors personal traits model was used to assess the individual participants and personal traits and team role experience and orientation factors. The collected data was analysed using the SPSS AMOS v29, with the results indicating that personal trait factors of agreeableness and conscientiousness are positive predictors of project success. In contrast, openness, extraversion and neuroticism did not have a strong correlation with project success in this context. The findings also concluded that the team role experience and orientation supported the role behaviour impact on project success. The team role experience and orientation model factors as moderators to role behaviour and job performance, which are relevant to the theory and practice and provide in-depth insight that is valuable for project practitioners, decision-makers, individuals, and scholars.