bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of CCNE1 confers a poorer prognostic in triple negative breast cancer identified by bioinformatic analysis
Authors: Yuan Qianqian , Zheng Lewei , Liao Yiqin , Wu Gaosong
Published: August 2020

Background. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a major subtype of breast cancer. Due to the lack of effective therapeutic targets, the prognosis is poor. In order to find an effective target, despite many efforts, the molecular mechanisms of TNBC are still not well understood which remain to be a profound clinical challenge.Methods. To identify the candidate genes in the carcinogenesis and progression of TNBC, microarray datasets GSE36693 and GSE65216 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) databases via DAVID. We constructed the protein-protein interaction network (PPI) and the performed the module analysis using STRING and Cytoscape. Then we reanalyzed the selected DEGs genes and the survival analysis was performed using cBioportal.Results. A total of 140 DEGs were identified, consisting of 69 upregulated genes and 71 downregulated genes. Three hub genes were up-regulated among the selected genes from PPI and biological process analysis uncovered the fact that these genes were mainly enriched in p53 pathway and the pathways in cancer. Survival analysis showed that only CCNE1 may be involved in the carcinogenesis, invasion or recurrence of TNBC. Conclusion. CCNE1 could confer a poorer prognostic in TNBC identified by bioinformatic analysis and play key roles in the progression of TNBC which may contribute potential targets for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis assessment of TNBC.
Levels and trends in family planning method use among urban adolescents and young women in Guinea: analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys from 1999 to 2018
Authors: Sidibe Sidikiba , Delamou Alexandre , Camara Bienvenu Salim , Camara Nafissatou , Manet Hawa , Ayadi Alison M El , Benova Lenka , Kouanda Seni
Published: August 2020

Background Despite improvements, adolescent fertility remains high in Africa. In Guinea, high fertility among adolescents and young women in urban areas remains a public health concern. This study aims to describe levels and trends in, and factors associated with using modern family planning (FP) methods among urban adolescents and young women in Guinea.Methods We used four Guinea Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 1999, 2005, 2012, and 2018. Among urban adolescents and young women (15–24 years), we examined trends over time in four key indicators: 1. Contraceptive use (% using any using any FP method among all and among those in need for FP), 2. Unmet need for FP (% not using any FP method among all and among those in need for FP) and 3.Modern contraceptive use (% of using modern FP methods and among those in need of FP), and 4. % using modern FP method (demand satisfied). We multivariable logistic regression to examine association between socio-demographic factors and modern FP use (indicator 2) on the most recent DHS dataset (2018).Results We found a statistically significant changes over the time period exmained in modern contracetive use (8.4% in 1999 to 12.8% in 2018, p < 0.01), demand satisfied (29.0% in 1999, 54.1% in 2018, p < 0.001), and halving of unmet need for FP (from 15.8% in 1999 to 8.6% in 2018, p < 0.001). The most important changes in these two indicators occurred between 1999 and 2005.. Compared to those 15–19 years, young women (20–24) more likely to use modern FP methods. Those living in Faranah and Kankan more likely to use modern FP method than those in Conakry. Middle and richer wealth quintile households were more likely to use modern FP compared to poorer. Married women compared to nevever married and those from the Peulh and Malinke ethnic groups compared to Soussou were less likely to use modern FP methods.Conclusion Despite some progress, efforts are still needed to improve FP method use among urban adolescent and you women. Future policies and intervention programs should emphasize on improving adolescents’ reproductive health knowledge and increasing awareness of FP method use. The focus should also be on adolescents aged 15–19 years, disparities of urban administrative regions, ethnic groups, and wealth index, especially the poor quintiles.
Prevalence and Factors Associated with Major Depression Among Female Sex Workers in Post-Conflict Gulu District: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Simple Ouma , Tumwesigye Nazarius Mbona , Ndejjo Rawlance , Abbo Catherine
Published: August 2020

Background: Depression is the world’s leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Female sex workers operating in conflict-affected settings could be more prone to depression, yet the prevalence and factors associated with depression among this special population remain inadequately addressed. This study thus aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with major depression among female sex workers in post-conflict Gulu district. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 randomly selected female sex workers in Gulu district between March and June 2020. Possible factors associated with depression were assessed using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and participants assessed for major depression using Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) version 7.0.0. We utilized STATA 14.0 for univariate, bivariate and multivariate data analyses.Results: The mean age of study participants was 26.4 years (SD = 6), 57.7% attained primary education, 51.7% never married and 42.1% were living with HIV. Almost half (47.7%) of the participants had major depression, of whom half (50.4%) had severe depression and one-thirds (34.3%) had suicidal ideation. At multivariate level, factors that showed positive association with major depression were: psychological stressor (aOR = 11.0, 95%CI: 5.77-20.86), living with HIV (aOR= 2.32, 95%CI: 1.29-4.15), being verbally abused (aOR = 2.27, 95%CI: 1.26-4.07), and being 30+ years of age (aOR = 1.95, 95%CI: 1.05-3.61). Meanwhile, factors that showed negative association with major depression were: providing sexual services at client’s place (aOR=0.46, 95%CI: 0.24-0.91), using modern family planning method (aOR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.25-0.87), and daily intake of alcohol (aOR=0.50, 95%CI: 0.28-0.88).Conclusion: The findings underscore the high prevalence of major depression among female sex workers driven by psychological stress, living with HIV/AIDs, being verbally abused by clients and being 30+years of age. The high prevalence of major depression has important public health ramifications at individual and societal levels and requires urgent attention of all stakeholders.
Outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 and anti-aminoacyl-RNA synthetase antibodies positive idiopathic inflammatory myopathies in intensive care unit
Authors: Wang Shiyao , Zhang Xinran , Ren Yanhong , Zhang Yi , Tian Ye , Dai Huaping , Zhan Qingyuan
Published: August 2020

Background: This study aims to identify prognostic factors for mortality of patients with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (anti-MDA5) or anti-aminoacyl-RNA synthetase (anti-ARS) antibodies positive and acute respiratory failure in the intensive care unit.Methods: Clinical characteristics, laboratory test findings, imaging performance, and management were retrospectively collected in all cases with anti-MDA5 and anti-ARS antibodies positive, as well as follow-up survival data. Risk factors related to prognosis were identified by Cox regression analysis.Results: The 28-day mortality of all patients was 68.8% (n=44/64). The patients who died were more likely to have anti-MDA5 antibody(p<0.001), presented more Gottron papules(p=0.021) or heliotrope rash(p=0.008), had a relatively lower level of WBC(p=0.038), CRP(p=0.004), and had a higher level of LDH(p=0.029), serum ferritin(p=0.002). The main risk factors associated with 28-day mortality were anti-MDA5 antibody positive [HR 10.827 (95% CI: 4.261-27.514), p<0.001], presence of Gottron papules [2.299 (1.203-4.394), p=0.012], heliotrope rash [3.423 (1.773-6.606), p<0.001], and arthritis/arthralgia [2.365 (1.130-4.948), p=0.022). At a median of 14 (IQR 6.33-35.0) months of follow-up, the overall mortality of all patients was 75.0% (n=48/64). The non-survivors were more likely to own anti-MDA5 antibody(p<0.001), had a higher rate of Gottron papules(p=0.020) or heliotrope rash(p=0.014), had lower PFR(p=0.032) while ICU admission, and existed a higher level of serum ferritin(p=0.005). Main risk factors associated with overall mortality were consistent with risk factors for 28-day mortality. Conclusions: Anti-MDA5 antibody positive, presence of Gottron papules, heliotrope rash, or arthritis/arthralgia were the main independent risk factors of poor prognosis for IIM patients admitted to the ICU due to acute respiratory failure.
Pain is a common problem in patients with ILD
Authors: Shen Qinxue , Guo Ting , Song Min , Guo Wei , Zhang Yi , Duan Wang , Peng Yating , Ni Shanshan , Ouyang Xiaoli , Peng Hong
Published: August 2020

Background Less is known about the prevalence and characteristics of pain in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. To determine the characteristics of pain in ILD patients.Methods Participants with ILD and age, gender-matched, healthy controls completed short form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and part of the Brief Pain Inventory short form(BPI) to elicit pain characteristics. ILD patients also had assessments of pulmonary function test, six minutes walking test (6MWT), modified medical research council dyspnea scale (mMRC) for state of the illness and measured health-related quality of life(HRQoL) by short form-36(SF-36)and psychological associations by hospital anxiety and depression scale(HADS).Results A total of 63 participants with ILD and 63 healthy controls(HC) were recruited in our study. The prevalence of pain was 61.9% in ILDs versus 25.3% in HC (p = 0.005) and the median score of pain rank index (PRI) in ILDs was higher than in HC (P = 0.014). Chest(46.1%) accounted for the highest of overall pain locations in participants with ILD. Associated clinical factors for pain intensity in ILD patients included younger age (< 60 years), exposure history of ILD risk factors, longer distance of 6MWD(≥ 250 m), higher mMRC score(2–4) and lower DLCo, % predicted(≤ 45%). ILD patients with pain are more likely to suffer impaired HRQoL(P = 0.0014) and psychological problems(P = 0.0017,P = 0.044).Conclusion Pain is common in those with ILD and the pain intensity is associated with age, exposure history, 6MWD, mMRC score and DLCo, % predicted. ILD patients with pain have more possible to suffer depression, anxiety and impaired HRQoL.
Maternal emotional states in relation to their offspring weight status and health-related quality of life: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study
Authors: Parvin Parnian , Amiri Parisa , Jalali-Farahani Sara , Karimi Mehrdad , MoeinEslam Mina , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: August 2020

Background: Maternal characteristics have been known to be associated with parenting practices that could eventually influence their child’s weight and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to assess the direct and indirect associations of maternal emotional states (depression, anxiety and stress) with body mass index (BMI) and HRQoL in their children. Methods: This study was conducted within the framework of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Participants were children (n=231) who participated in the TLGS during 2014-2016 with complete data on maternal emotional states. Body weight and height of children were measured using standard protocol and BMI-Z scores were determined using Anthroplus. HRQoL in children and emotional states in mothers were assessed using the Iranian version of the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL TM 4.0) and the depression, anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21) respectively. Structural equations modeling (SEM) was used to assess the direct and indirect relations of maternal emotional states with children’s BMI Z score and HRQoL. Results: Mean age, BMI Z-score and HRQoL total score in children were 13.8±3.1 years, 0.74±1.5 and 84.7±11.3 respectively. In mothers, median scores (Interquartile ranges) of DASS-21 in three scales including depression, anxiety and stress were 4(0-10), 6(2-12) and 14(8-20) respectively. Maternal level of education was significantly associated with DASS-21 scores (β=-0.23, 95% CI: -0.37,-0.07). Maternal DASS-21 scores were significantly associated with BMI Z scores only in girls (β=0.25, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.53). Significant determinants of HRQoL in boys were child’s age (β=-0.21, 95% CI: -0.40, -0.01), maternal education (β=-0.24, 95%CI: -0.44, -0.02) and emotional state (β=-0.24, 95% CI: -0.44, -0.03). Child’s age (β=-0.33, 95%-CI: -0.53, -0.10) and maternal emotional state (β=-0.31, 95% CI: -0.54, -0.08) were significantly associated with HRQoL in girls. Conclusion: Our results indicate maternal emotional states to be the important determinants of HRQoL in children, regardless of their weight status. Further research is recommended to examine the current hypothesized model in rural and sub-urban populations taking ino consideration more influential factors.
Research trends and hotspots of Health-Related Quality of Life: A Bibliometric Analysis from 2000 to 2019
Authors: Zheng Si , He Anqi , Yan Yu , Jiang Lingling , Wang Peigang
Published: August 2020

Purpose
To analyze the global scientific output of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research and figure out general trends and hotspots in HRQoL.
Methods
HRQoL research articles were collected from the Web of Science (WOS) database between 2000 and 2019. A bibliometric analysis was performed based on the number of articles, citations, published journals, authors' address and keywords. Descriptive analysis, visualization of geographic distribution and keyword clustering analysis were applied to the collected data.
Results
The annual number of articles showed a growth over the past twenty years, but the annual TA (Total Citations) and annual CPA (Citations Per Article) were both in decreasing trends. Articles about HRQoL were more likely to be published in journals of multi-subject categories, The HRQoL research was mainly distributed across North America and Europe throughout the twenty years and ushered in a vigorous development worldwide after 2015. Research institutions with high productivity in HRQoL research were more inclined to collaborate, but the cooperation strength between domestic institutions was much greater than that between international institutions. There were a large number of author keywords were only used once or twice during 2000 to 2019. SF-36, EQ-5D, depression, obesity, disability, oncology, fatigue were identified as hot research areas. Also, dementia, HIV, chronic disease, OHRQoL, PRO, stress, well-being, the elderly, women and children may become new hotspots in future research.
Conclusion
This study provided an overall perspective on global research trends and hotspots in HRQoL research, as well as a potential guide for future research. Researchers need to strengthen international cooperation, as well as pay more attention to the standardization and unity of keywords in future study.
The Feasibility of Bedside Ultrasound in Confirmation of Endotracheal Tube Position in Neonates Compared with CXR
Authors: Zarei Elham , Khalesi Nasrin , Dehgan Marzie
Published: August 2020

Background: Endotracheal intubation is a common procedure in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Rapid and accurate confirmation of the endotracheal tube (ETT) position is critical . Routinely CXR is used for evaluation of ETT position that has some disadvantages . So there has been a considerable interest to find alternative modality with minimal complication and acceptable accuracy. Objectives: the purpose of our study is the evaluation of ultrasound efficacy in confirmation of ETT position in neonates comparison to CXR.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 66 intubated neonates in NICU of Ali -Asghar children Hospital, between January 2018 and January 2019. To determine the ETT position, within 2-4 hours after CXR, each neonate had a bedside ultrasound (US) with a high-frequency linear transducer. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, negative predicted value (NPV), positive predicted value (PPV) and Kappa agreement coefficient was used to compare the US and CXR results. Results: Sixty-six intubated neonates included in this study had a mean gestational age of 34.98 ±3.7 weeks and mean birth weight of 2284.7 ± 915g. US images were taken a mean of 3 ±0.6 h after CXR. The ETT was visualized by the US in all newborns examined.US revealed a sensitivity of 88% (95% CI, 68.78% to 97.45%), specificity of 84 % (95% CI, 63.92% 95.46%), PPV of 84.62% (95% CI, 68.89% to 93.18%), NPV of 87.50 % (95% CI, 70.49% to 95.35%), diagnostic accuracy of 86%(95% CI, 73.26% to 94.18%), positive likelihood ratio of 5.50 (95% CI 2.21 to 13.66), and Negative Likelihood Ratio of 0.14 (95% CI 0.05 to 0.46) compared to chest radiography. Overall, the Kappa value showed very good agreement in confirming the correct position of the tracheal tube placement (Kappa coefficient 0.72, p-value <0.001).The mean time taken for confirmation of ETT position by US 4 minutes and by CXR was 20 minutes.Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate ultrasound has acceptable accuracy for confirmation of ETT position in neonates and is a safer and faster method in comparison to CXR .
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Early Predictors of Disease Progression in Patients with COVID-19: A Case Control Study
Authors: Tang Qiang , Liu Yanwei , Fu Yingfeng , Di Ziyang , Xu Kailiang , Tang Bo , Wu Hui , Di Maojun
Published: August 2020

Background: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become an unprecedented public health crisis with nearly 16 million confirmed cases and 630,000 deaths worldwide. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological and treatment data of COVID-19 patients consecutively enrolled from January 18 to May 15, 2020, in Taihe and Jinzhou central hospital. Results: Of all 197 patients, the median age was 66.5 years (IQR 7-76), and 120 (60.9%) patients were males. We identified 88 (44.7%) of 197 COVID-19 patients as the disease progression (aggravation) cases. The aggravation cases tend to have more medical comorbidity: hypertension (34.1%), diabetes (30.7%), and presented with dyspnea (34.1%), neutrophilia (60.2%), and lymphocytopenia (73.9%), compared with those without. And the patients with disease progression showed significantly higher level of Fibrinogen (Fbg), D-dimer, IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and serum ferritin, and were more prone to develop organ damage in the liver, kidney, and heart (P<0.05). Multivariable regression showed that advanced age, comorbidities, lymphopenia, and elevated level of Fbg, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Cardiac troponin (CTnI), IL-6, serum ferritin were the significant predictors of disease progression. Further, we investigated antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and found that the levels of IgM and IgG were significantly higher in the disease progression cases compared to non-progression cases from 3 weeks after symptom onset. In addition, the disease progression group tended to peak later and has a more vigorous IgM/IgG response against SARS-CoV-2. Further, we performed Kaplan-Meier analysis and found that 61.6% of patients had not experienced ICU transfer or survival from hospital within 25 days from admission.Conclusions: Investigating the potential factors of advanced age, comorbidities and elevated level of IL-6, serum ferritin and Kaplan-Meier analysis enables early identification and management of patients with poor prognosis. Detection of the dynamic antibody may offer vital clinical information during the course of SARS-CoV-2 and provide prognostic value for patients infection.
Risk Factors for Anastomotic Complications After One-stage Anastomosis for Oesophageal Atresiarisk Factors for Anastomotic Complications After One-stage Anastomosis for Oesophageal Atresia
Authors: Huang Jinxi , Hong Songming , Chen Qiang , Wang Zengchun , Wu Dianming , Hong Junjie , Zhou Chaoming
Published: August 2020

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the risk factors for anastomotic complications after one-stage anastomosis for oesophageal atresia.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 107 children with congenital oesophageal atresia who underwent one-stage anastomosis in our hospital from January 2016 to December 2018. Single-factor and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for anastomotic fistula and anastomotic stenosis.Results: A total of 107 children with oesophageal atresia underwent one-stage anastomosis, and the incidence of anastomotic fistula was 26.2%. The probability of anastomotic stenosis in the long term was 52.3%, and the incidence of refractory stenosis (dilation ≥5 times) was 13.1%. Analysis of the clinical count data in the anastomotic fistula group and non-anastomotic fistula group showed that preoperative albumin (F=4.199, P=0.043), low birth weight (F=7.668, P=0.007) and long gap defects (F=6.107, P=0.015) were risk factors for postoperative anastomotic fistula. Further multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low birth weight (Wald2=4.499, P =0.034, OR=2.775) and long gap defects (Wald2=6.769, P =0.009, OR=4.939) were independent risk factors for postoperative anastomotic fistula. Premature delivery (F=5.338, P=0.023), anastomotic fistula (F=11.381, P=0.001), endoscopic surgery (F=6.343, P=0.013), preoperative neutrophil count (F=8.602, P=0.004), preoperative low albumin (F=8.410, P=0.005), and a preoperative prognostic nutritional index < 54 (F=5.54, P=0.02) were risk factors for long-term anastomotic stenosis in children. Further multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that postoperative anastomotic fistula (Wald2=11.417, P =0.001, OR=8.798), endoscopic surgery (Wald2=9.633, P =0.002, OR=4.808), and a prognostic nutritional index < 54 (Wald2=4.540, P =0.002, OR=2.3798) were independent risk factors for long-term anastomotic stenosis.Conclusion: Low birth weight and long gap defects are important predictors of postoperative anastomotic fistula, and the possibility of long-term anastomotic stenosis should be considered. The long-term risk of anastomotic stenosis was increased in children undergoing endoscopic surgery and in those with a preoperative prognostic nutritional index < 54.
Erenumab during pregnancy: a case report in a patient with chronic migraine
Authors: Fofi Luisa , Egeo Gabriella , Aurilia Cinzia , Barbanti Piero
Published: August 2020

Background: Migraine is very common in women of childbearing age. Erenumab is a first-in-class anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody with a a favorable efficacy/tolerability profile. However, there are very limited data on its effects during pregnancy.Case presentation: We report a case of a 37-years-old woman affected by chronic migraine who became pregnant during erenumab treatment. At the time of her first visit at our Unit she was on prophylaxis with sodium valproate 600 mg/day reporting low efficacy (18 headache days/month) and tolerability (weight gain). She had already failed 5 prior preventative treatments. On the same day started erenumab 70 mg, tapering down valproate. Erenumab was rapidly effective, reducing migraine frequency (7 days/month) since the first administration. On the follow-up visit scheduled for the fifth erenumab administration, the patient informed us of her pregnancy, documented by appropriate serological test the day before. Erenumab was immediately stopped. The last erenumab administration was made on 04/07/2019, probably corresponding to the first two weeks of pregnancy. Serological fetal DNA test was normal. During the I pregnancy trimester the frequency of migraine increased up to 10 days/month, markedly improving and progressively disappearing during the II-III trimesters. Migraine attacks started again from the 34th week of pregnancy throughout delivery and breast feeding. No other adverse event or complication occurred during pregnancy. The baby, born by vaginal birth in healthy conditions, developed breastfeeding jaundice which progressively normalized over time.Conclusions: We document no complications, abnormalities, or adverse events in both the mother and the child, and a physiological normal course of pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding in the first report of erenumab exposure during pregnancy in a migraine patient. More data from clinical studies and post-marketing surveillance are necessary to confirm our findings.
Real world, open label prospective experience of supplementation with a fixed combination of magnesium, vitamin B2, feverfew, andrographis paniculata and coenzyme Q10 (Vivinor®) for episodic migraine prophylaxis
Authors: Vikelis Michail , Dermitzakis Emmanouil V. , Vlachos Georgios S. , Soldatos Panagiotis , Spingos Konstantinos C. , Litsardopoulos Pantelis , Kararizou Evangelia , Argyriou Andreas A.
Published: August 2020

BackgroundTo investigate efficacy and safety of a supplementation with a fixed combination of magnesium, vitamin B2, feverfew, andrographis paniculata and coenzyme Q10 (Vivinor®) in episodic migraine prevention.MethodsAn observational, prospective, real-world study was conducted. After a one-month baseline period, Vivinor® was introduced in 113 Greek patients with episodic migraine who were prospectively followed-up for three months. The primary endpoint was the change in monthly migraine days between baseline period (BL) and the third month of supplementation (T3). Secondary endpoints included changes in mean intensity of migraine and in days with use of acute migraine medications. Changes in scores of Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Migraine Therapy Assessment questionnaire (MTAQ), MSQ-QOL (Migraine-Specific Quality of life questionnaire), HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were also evaluated. Those with ≥ 50% reduction in monthly migraine days at T3, compared to BL were considered Vivinor®-responders.ResultsMean number of migraine days was significantly decreased between BL and T3 (9.9 ± 5.0 vs 6.2 ± 4.0; P < 0.001). Likewise, days with peak headache intensity of > 4/10 (8.3 ± 3.8 vs 5.8 ± 4.0; P < 0.001) as well as days using acute headache medications per month (9.8 ± 5.6 vs 7.2 ± 5.4; P < 0.001) were significantly reduced. At final visit, 64 patients (56.6%) were classified as responders. The beneficial effect of Vivinor® supplementation was also associated with significant changes in HIT-6, MIDAS, MTAQ and MSQ-QOL scores between BL and Τ3. There were no safety concerns.ConclusionsVivinor® appears to be an effective and well-tolerated preventive treatment against episodic migraine.Trial registrationNCT04463875, Registered 9 July 2020- Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04463875
Large-eddy Simulation of Wall-bounded Turbulent Flow with High-order Discrete Unified Gas-Kinetic Scheme
Authors: Zhang Rui , Zhong Chengwen , Liu Sha , Zhuo Congshan
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we introduce the incompressible discrete Maxwellian equilibrium distribution function and external forces into the two-stage third-order Discrete Unified Gas-Kinetic Scheme (DUGKS) for simulating low-speed incompressible turbulent flows with forcing term. The Wall-Adapting Local Eddy-viscosity (WALE) and Vreman sub-grid models for Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) of wall-bounded turbulent flows are coupled within the present framework. In order to simulate the three-dimensional turbulent flows associated with great computational cost, a parallel implementation strategy for the present framework is developed, and is validated by three canonical wall-bounded turbulent flows, viz., the fully developed turbulent channel flow at a friction Reynolds number (Re) about 180, the turbulent plane Couette flow at a friction Re number about 93 and three-dimensional lid-driven cubical cavity flow at a Re number of 12000. The turbulence statistics are computed by the present approach with both WALE and Vreman models, and their predictions match precisely with each other. Especially, the predicted flow physics of three-dimensional lid-driven cavity are consistent with the description from abundant literatures. While, they have small discrepancies in comparison to the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) due to the relatively low grid resolution. The present numerical results verify that the present two-stage third-order DUGKS-based LES method is capable for simulating inhomogeneous wall-bounded turbulent flows and getting reliable results with relatively coarse grids.
The plant original identification of Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix based on morphology and DNA barcoding
Authors: Liu Jie , Zhao Chunyan , Guo Linong , Ma Shuangcheng , Zheng Jian , Wang Junli
Published: August 2020

Background: It’s a long history for the use of herbal medicines to derive remedies in Chinese, and the popularity of herbal medicines has risen worldwide. It is necessary to assure the safety, efficacy and quality of herbal medicines by the corrected identification. Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix is an important and historied used herbal medicine in Inner Mongolia.Methods: The methods of morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding was used to identify the plant origin of Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix.Results: The identification results of morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding showed that the original plant of Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix was Arnebia szechenyi, which was distinguished with Arnebia guttata, the official original plant of Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix.Conclusions: We inferred that that the original plant of Inner Mongolia Arnebia Radix was Arnebia szechenyi.
Joint Modeling of Longitudinal Lipids and Time to Coronary Heart Disease in the Jackson Heart Study
Authors: Kassahun-Yimer Wondwosen , Valle Karen A , Oshunbade Adebamike A , Hall Michael E , Min Yuan-I , Cain-Shields Lorreta , Anugu Pramod , Correa Adolfo
Published: August 2020

Background: Multiple longitudinal responses together with time-to-event outcome are common in biomedical studies. There are several instances where the longitudinal responses are correlated with each other and at the same time each longitudinal response is associated with the survival outcome. The main purpose of this study is to present and explore a joint modeling approach for multiple correlated longitudinal responses and a survival outcome. The method will be illustrated using the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), which is one of the largest cardiovascular studies among African Americans. Methods: Four longitudinal responses, i.e., total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and inflammation measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP); and time-to-coronary heart disease (CHD) were considered from the JHS. The repeated lipid and hsCRP measurements from a given subject overtime are likely correlated with each other and could influence the subject's risk for CHD. A joint modeling framework is considered. To deal with the high dimensionality due to the multiple longitudinal profiles, we use a pairwise bivariate model fitting approach that was developed in the context of multivariate Gaussian random effects models. The method is further explored through simulations. Results: The proposed model performed well in terms of bias and relative efficiency. The JHS data analysis showed that lipid and hsCRP trajectories could exhibit interdependence in their joint evolution and have impact on CHD risk. Conclusions: We applied a unified and flexible joint modeling approach to analyze multiple correlated longitudinal responses and survival outcome. The method accounts for the correlation among the longitudinal responses as well as the association between each longitudinal response and the survival outcome at once. This helps to explore how the combination of multiple longitudinal trajectories could be related to the survival process.
Structure/epitope-based immunoinformatics analysis of structural proteins of 2019 novel coronavirus
Authors: Li Yuwei , Mao Mi , Yang Liteng , Sun Xizhuo , Zhong Nanshan , Liu Zhigang
Published: August 2020

The newly identified 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has caused more than 81,400 laboratory-confirmed human infections, including 3261 deaths, posing a serious threat to human health. Currently, however, there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine. To identify immunodominant peptides for designing global peptide vaccine for combating the infections caused by 2019-nCoV, the structure and immunogenicity of 2019-nCoV structural protein were analyzed by bioinformatics tools. 33 B-cell epitopes and 39 T-cell epitopes were determined in four structural proteins via different immunoinformatic tools in which include spike protein (22 B-cell epitopes, 25 T-cell epitopes ), nucleocapsid protein (7 B-cell epitopes, 6 T-cell epitopes), membrane protein (2 B-cell epitopes, 7 T-cell epitopes), and envelope protein (2 B-cell epitopes, 1T-cell epitopes), respectively. The proportion of epitope residues in primary sequence was used to determine the antigenicity and immunogenicity of proteins. The envelope protein has the largest antigenicity in which residue coverage of B-cell epitopes is 24%. The membrane protein possesses the largest immunogenicity in which residue coverage of T-cell epitopes is 55.86%. The reason that immune storm was caused by 2019-nCoV maybe that the membrane and envelope protein expressed plentifully in cell infected. Further, studies involving experimental validation of these predicted epitopes is warranted to ensure the potential of B-cells and T-cells stimulation for their effective use as vaccine candidates. These findings provide the basis for starting further studies on the pathogenesis, and optimizing the design of diagnostic, antiviral and vaccination strategies for this emerging infection.
Enzymatic activities and analysis of a mycelium-based composite formation using peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) residues on Lentinula edodes
Authors: de Lima Gabriel , Schoenherr Zaira , Magalhães Washington , Tavares Lorena , Helm Cristiane
Published: August 2020

By seeding fungus on top of industry residues, a mycelium can grow and form a compacted network structure, producing a material whose properties can be quite similar to polystyrene. However, depending on the source used, it may not develop due to lack of optimal fungal nutrients. In such case, peach palm residues can be a potential alternative. To test this hypothesis, this work evaluated the effect of using peach palm sheaths for mycelium growth of Lentinula edodes. They were also supplemented with cassava bran and varied sources of nitrogen – ammonium sulphate, potassium nitrate and soy flour – in order to analyse its effects to their properties, enzymatic activities and mycelium growth; at 12 and 20 days of cultivation. A well-formed composite occurred for pure soy flour, whose properties were tested as a compressed and non-compressed material, exhibiting acceptable values and demonstrates that this residue can be a potential alternative.
Influence of dosimetry method on bone lesion absorbed dose estimates in PSMA therapy: application to mCRPC patients receiving Lu-177-PSMA-I&T
Authors: Brosch Julia , Uribe Carlos , Gosewisch Astrid , Kaiser Lena , Todica Andrei , Ilhan Harun , Gildehaus Franz Josef , Bartenstein Peter , Rahmim Arman , Celler Anna , Ziegler Sibylle , Böning Guido
Published: August 2020

Background

Patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) present with an increased tumor burden in the skeleton. For these patients, Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) radioligand therapy targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has gained increasing interest with promising outcome data. Patient-individualized dosimetry enables quantification of therapy success with the aim of minimizing absorbed dose to organs at risk while maximizing absorbed dose to tumors. Different dosimetric approaches with varying complexity and accuracy exist for this purpose. The relatively simple OLINDA method applied to tumors assumes a homogeneous activity distribution in a sphere with unit density. Voxel S value (VSV) approaches can account for heterogeneous activities but are simulated for a specific tissue. Full patient-individual Monte Carlo (MC) dose simulation addresses both, heterogeneous activity and density distributions. Subsequent CT-based density correction has the potential to overcome the assumption of homogeneous density in OLINDA and VSV methods, which could be a major limitation for the application in bone metastases with heterogeneous density. The aim of this investigation is a comparison of these methods for bone lesion dosimetry in mCRPC patients receiving Lu-177-PSMA therapy.
Results

In total, 289 bone lesions in 15 mCRPC patients were analyzed. Percentage deviation (PD) of absorbed lesion doses compared to full MC was + 7 ± 13% (min: -60%; max: +47%) for the OLINDA unit density sphere model. With an applied CT-based density weighting to account for density differences in bone lesions, PD was − 15 ± 6% (min: -54%; max: -2%). For a soft tissue VSV approach, large PDs of + 16 ± 13% (min: -56%; max: +57%) were found; after voxel-wise density correction this was reduced to -5 ± 2% (min: -15%; max: -2%). The use of a combination of standard soft tissue and cortical bone VSVs showed deviations of -35 ± 8% (min: -76%; max: +5%). With additional voxel-wise density weighting, the PD was − 3 ± 2% (min: -13%; max: 0%).
Conclusion

Based on our bone lesion dosimetry results, a VSV approach with subsequent CT-based, voxel-wise density correction enabled dose estimates, that closely replicate computationally-demanding gold-standard full MC dose simulations.
Identification and Functional Validation of Differentially Expressed Micrornas in Ascites-derived Ovarian Cancer Cells Compared With Primary Tumour Tissue
Authors: Jiang Yahui , Lyu Tianjiao , Liu Hua , Shen Lifei , Shi Yiwen , Zhou Tianyu , Feng Weiwei
Published: August 2020

Purpose: Ovarian cancer, manifested by malignant ascites, is the most lethal gynaecological cancer. Suspended ascites-derived spheroids may contribute to ovarian cancer metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are also associated with ovarian cancer metastasis. Here, we aimed to investigate the differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) in ascites-derived spheroids compared with primary tumour tissue, which may regulate ovarian cancer metastasis.Methods: The DE-miRNAs between ovarian cancer primary tumour tissues and ascites-derived spheroids were identified by GEO2R screening in dataset GSE65819. We used MiRTarBase and STRING to predict the target hub genes of DE-miRNAs and WebGestalt to perform functional analysis of hub genes. ALGGEN PROMO and TransmiR v2.0 were used to predict the common transcription factors (TFs) that potentially regulate DE-miRNAs expression. The observed differences in DE-miRNAs expression were validated with human ovarian cancer samples and ovarian cancer cell lines using PCR. The functions of DE-miRNAs on ovarian cancer progression were verified by transwell and angiogenesis assays.Results: Through bioinformatics screening and experimental validation, miR-199a-3p, miR-199b-3p, miR-199a-5p, miR-126-3p and miR-145-5p were identified as being significantly downregulated in ascites-derived spheroids compared with primary tumour tissues. In addition, TFAP2A was identified as a potentially common upstream TF regulating the expression of the abovementioned DE-miRNAs. The overexpression of miR-199a-3p, miR-199b-3p, miR-199a-5p could inhibit ovarian cancer invasion, and the overexpression of miR-145-5p could inhibit angiogenesis.Conclusion: The downregulated expression of miR-199a-3p, miR-199b-3p, miR-199a-5p, miR-126-3p and miR-145-5p in ascites-derived spheroids plays a key role in promoting ovarian cancer progression, which may represent novel molecules for targeted therapy for ovarian cancer.
Does Residential Segregation Affect Access to Public Health Education Among Rural Migrants in China?
Authors: wang zicheng , Liu Jiachun , Ming Juan
Published: August 2020

Background: Rural migrants in China often experience serious residential segregation in destination cities, potentially resulting in limited access to public health education. However, the effect of residential segregation on public health education access remains unexplored. The present paper aims to address three issues. Does residential segregation have significant effects on access to public health education? If it does, what are its potential mechanisms accounting for? Additionally, are any heterogeneity effects differentiated by local duration, migration patterns, migration traits, and regional variations?Methods: The data from the 2014 National Migrants Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey and Logit regression are applied to explore the association between residential segregation and access to public health education. We further use multinomial treatment effects regression to address the endogenous issue. Several Logit models are also used to investigate potential mechanisms and heterogeneous effects.Results :The Logit estimations reveal that rural migrants in segregated neighborhoods are negatively related with lower prevalence of attendance (OR: 0.9200, 95% CI: 0.8500, 0.9958) and online participation of public health education (OR: 0.8709, 95% CI: 0.7893, 0.9609). The negative effects of residential segregation on access to public health education are also drawn in the multinomial treatment effects regressions (attendance model: coefficient: −4.3321, 95% CI: −8.6404, −0.0238; method model: coefficient: −1.6482; 95% CI: −2.6790, −0.6173). The mechanism analysis also demonstrates that residential segregation is negatively associated with the two potential transmission channels: social network formation (OR: 0.6630, 95% CI: 0.6098, 0.7209) and community participation (OR: 0.7880, 95% CI: 0.7106, 0.8737).Conclusion: Residential segregation produces a negative effect on public health education access. Social network and community participation may act as the transmission channel that links residential segregation and access to public health education. Additionally, the effects of residential segregation on public health education are differentiated across regional variations, local duration, migration patterns, and family migration.
Obesity and Severity in Patients with COVID-19: A Scoping Review Protocol
Authors: Costa Marcela Larissa , Souza Carlos Adriano Santos , Silva Ana Caroline Cardoso , Santos Dayane Franciely Conceição , Nonato Edilene Fernandes , Santana Francismayne Batista , Dias Giselle dos Santos , Barreto Jessyca Teles , Costa Laís Santos , Costa Maria Carolina Barros , Ferreira Tamila das Neves , Santana Jeniffer Santos , Netto Raquel Simões Mendes , Nascimento Tereza Virgínia Silva Bezerra do , Nunes Marco Antônio Prado , de Souza Márcia Ferreira Cândido
Published: August 2020

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 strain, was first identified in late 2019, in China. A greater number of countries were affected in 2020, with a consequent increase in the disease's epidemiological curve. The outcomes of patients affected by the virus can worsen, developing acute respiratory failure and other serious complications, especially when related to older individuals and people of all ages with obesity and comorbidities. Some studies have shown that obese infected with COVID-19 had a high frequency risk of hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit and the need to use Invasive Mechanical Ventilation, in addition to the association between a higher death rate. Thus, obese patients tend to have a more severe course of COVID-19. In this sense, this review aims to synthesize the evidence in the literature that associates COVID-19 and the severity of the prognosis in infected obese patients. Methods: This protocol will include all study articles that can be used as instruments to assess the severity of clinical outcomes in obese patients infected by 2019-nCoV. There will be no time limitation when searching for articles. Studies in any environment or country for inclusion will be considered.Discussion: There are still not enough studies to characterize the evidence and its strength in the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, given the need for early detection of the possible implications and treatment for patients with obesity, the evidence will be useful for directing the conduct and optimization of therapies in these patients by the multiprofessional teams.Scoping review registration: Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/xrkec
The Gender Outcomes International Group: to Further Well-being Development (Going-fwd) Methodology on Identification and Inclusion of Gender Factors in Retrospective Cohort Studies
Authors: Raparelli Valeria Raparelli , Norris Colleen M. , Bender Uri , Herrero Maria Trinidad , Kautzky-Willer Alexandra , Kublickiene Karolina , Emam Khaled El , Pilote Louise
Published: August 2020

Background: Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people. It influences self-perception, individual’s actions and interactions, as well as the distribution of power and resources in society. Gender-related factors are seldom assessed as determinants of health outcomes, despite their powerful contribution.Methods: Investigators of the GOING-FWD project developed a standard methodology applicable for observational studies to retrospectively identify gender-related factors to assess their relationship to outcomes and applied this method to selected cohorts of non-communicable chronic diseases from Austria, Canada, Spain, Sweden.Results: The following multistep process was applied. Step 1 (Identification of Gender-related Variables): Based on the gender framework of the Women Health Research Network (i.e. gender identity, role, relations, and institutionalized gender), and available literature for a certain disease, an optimal “wish-list” of gender-related variables/factors was created and discussed by experts. Step 2 (Definition of Outcomes): each of the cohort data dictionaries were screened for clinical and patient relevant outcomes, using the ICHOM framework. Step 3 (Building of Feasible Final List): A cross-validation between gender-related and outcome variables available per database and the “wish-list” was performed. Step 4 (Retrospective Data Harmonization): The harmonization potential of variables was evaluated. Step 5 (Definition of Data Structure and Analysis): Depending on the database data structure, the following analytic strategies were identified: (1) local analysis of data not transferable followed by a meta-analysis combining study-level estimates; (2) centrally performed federated analysis of anonymized data, with the individual-level participant data remaining on local servers; (3) synthesizing the data locally and performing a pooled analysis on the synthetic data; and (4) central analysis of pooled transferable data.Conclusion: The application of the GOING-FWD systematic multistep approach can help guide investigators to analyze gender and its impact on outcomes in previously collected data.