bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Promotes Healing and Reduced Pain in Patients with Acute Suppurative Mastitis
Authors: Qiu Lin , Wang Feng , Xu Qin , Lin Zhenlv , Lin Bo , Huang Meng , Wu Qiaoyi
Published: December 2020

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) and conventional incision and drainage (I&D) for treating acute suppurative mastitis. Methods: Hospital medical records were searched for patients 20 to 50 years of age who were diagnosed with acute suppurative mastitis from January 2014 to December 2018, and treated with traditional I&D or VSD. Patients were divided into those treated with VSD and I&D, and outcomes including pain, healing time, length of hospital stay, and length of antibiotic course were compared between the groups. Pain was evaluated with a numeric rating scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (most severe pain). Subgroup analysis of lactating women was also performed. Results: There were 110 women who received traditional I&D, and 105 women that received VSD included. The 2 groups were similar with respect to age (31.1 ± 4.8 vs. 29.9 ± 4.4, p = 0.058), and disease characteristics. The median pain score of women who received VSD (5 [IQR: 5-6]) was significantly less than that of women who received I&D (8 [IQR: 7-8]) (p < 0.001). The time for healing was significantly less in women who received VSD (40 days [IQR: 30-45 days]) compared to I&D (60 days [IQR: 45-70 days]) (p < 0.001). The length of hospital say and the length of antibiotic treatment were similar between the 2 groups. Results were similar for lactating women. Conclusion: VSD is effective for treating acute suppurative mastitis with reduced pain and shortening healing time.
Quantifying surface morphology of manufactured activated carbon and the waste coffee grounds using the Getis-Ord-Gi* statistic and Ripley’s K function
Authors: Lee Sanghoon , Na Sukjoon , Rogers Olivia , Youn Sungmin
Published: December 2020

Activated carbon can be manufactured from waste coffee grounds via physical and/or chemical activation processes. However, challenges remain to quantify the differences in surface morphology between manufactured activated carbon granules and the waste coffee grounds. This paper presents a novel quantitative method to determine the quality of the physical and chemical activation processes performed in the presence of intensity inhomogeneity and identify surface characteristics of manufactured activated carbon granules and the waste coffee grounds. The spatial density was calculated by the Getis-Ord-Gi* statistic in scanning electron microscopy images. The spatial characteristics were determined by analyzing Ripley’s K function and complete spatial randomness. Results show that the method introduced in this paper is capable of distinguishing between manufactured activated carbon granules and the waste coffee grounds, in terms of surface morphology.
Detection of Multidrug-resistant Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteria from Community Infections in the city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas Mexico
Authors: Cruz-González Eduardo , Ramírez-Moreno Esther , Ortega-Balleza Jessica , Heredia-Mireles Itzel , Ramirez-Puente Imelda , Cruz-Pulido Wendy , Rivera Gildardo , Bocanegra-García Virgilio
Published: December 2020

Production of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) is one of the main problems related to antimicrobial resistance worldwide, with the CTX-M, TEM and SHV types standing out as the most prevalent. These enzymes are usually related to plasmids which facilitates their horizontal genetic transmission. In the northeast region of Tamaulipas their clinical prevalence is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this work was to define the molecular epidemiology of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in clinical strains collected in Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico. A selection of 123 Enterobacteriaceae strains from different clinical patients were collected from August 2018 to December 2019. These strains were phenotypically identified by double disk synergy tests (DDST) and subsequently subjected to polymerase chain reaction for the detection and amplification of the blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX−M−1, blaCTX−M−2, blaCTX−M−9 and blaCTX−M−8/25 genes. Lastly, antimicrobial resistance profiles were determined by plate diffusion method and their capacity to transfer this sort of resistance by conjugation was assessed. Our results showed a prevalence of 48.78% (60/123) of ESBL-producing enterobacteria, with the blaTEM and blaCTX−M−1 genes most commonly detected in 76.67% (46/60) and 58.33% (35/60), respectively. Additionally, a 68.33% (41/60) of these ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were multidrug-resistant, while 51.67% (31/60) were able to transfer some genes related to ESBL production, being blaCTX−M−1 the most common. This is the first study in the region that evaluates ESBL production in clinical Enterobacteriaceae strains, as well as the content of genes related to this phenotype and the ability to transfer this type of antimicrobial resistance.
Convergence of Heteromodal Lexical Retrieval in the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex
Authors: Aabedi Alexander , Kakaizada Sofia , Young Jacob , Kaur Jasleen , Wiese Olivia , Valdivia Claudia , Krishna Saritha , Weyer-Jamora Christina , Berger Mitchel , Weissman Daniel , Brang David , Hervey-Jumper Shawn
Published: December 2020

Lexical retrieval requires selecting and retrieving the most appropriate word from the lexicon to express a desired concept. Few studies have probed lexical retrieval with tasks other than picture naming, and when non-picture naming lexical retrieval tasks have been applied, both convergent and divergent results emerged. The presence of a single construct for auditory and visual processes of lexical retrieval would influence cognitive rehabilitation strategies for patients with aphasia. In this study, we perform support vector regression lesion-symptom mapping using a brain tumor model to test the hypothesis that brain regions specifically involved in lexical retrieval from visual and auditory stimuli represent overlapping neural systems. We find that principal components analysis of language tasks revealed multicollinearity between picture naming, auditory naming, and a validated measure of word finding, implying the existence of redundant cognitive constructs. Nonparametric, multivariate lesion-symptom mapping across participants was used to model accuracies on each of the four language tasks. Lesions within overlapping clusters of 8,333 voxels and 21,512 voxels in the left lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) were predictive of impaired picture naming and auditory naming, respectively. These data indicate a convergence of heteromodal lexical retrieval within the PFC.
Modelling and Estimating the Transmissibility of COVID-19: Transmission Dynamics in Shaanxi Province of China as a Case Study
Authors: Zhang Xu-Sheng , Liu Wei , Xiong Huan , Chen Zhengji
Published: December 2020

To control and contain the outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19, it is important to know how easy and fast they transmit among people. To explore the essential information of the novel infectious agents, people always confront an inverse problem: using (partially) observed numbers of infected people by time and region to dig up the underlying characteristics of unknown infectious agents. Epidemics armed with advanced statistical inference and mathematical theory has been developed to help reconstruct transmission dynamics processes and to estimate key features of infectious diseases. In this study we use COVID-19 outbreak in Shaanxi province as an example to illustrate how the infectious disease dynamics method can be used to help build the transmission process and to estimate the transmissibility of COVID-19. Three transmission dynamics models were proposed for this. By separating continuous importation from local transmission and treating imported cases as the source rather than results of local transmission, the basic reproduction number of COVID-19 in Shaanxi province was estimated in the range from 0.46 to 0.61, well below the critical value of 1.0. This indicates that COVID-19 cannot self-sustain in Shaanxi province and reflects the timely and strong control measures taken in Shaanxi province.
Gender Differences in Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors in China’s Ageing Population: An Empirical Study of Shanghai
Authors: Liu Luxue , Wang Chunlan , Yang Shangguang , Lo Kevin , Yang Xi
Published: December 2020

Background: Given the growing healthcare demands of the elderly, an improved understanding of the factors influencing their healthcare-seeking behaviors is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the current healthcare system. This study empirically investigates the factors influencing the elderly population’s healthcare-seeking behaviors in Shanghai, China, from a gender differences perspective.Methods: We combine both quantitative and qualitative analyses by constructing a binary logistic regression model and identifying the relevant influential factors based on the following types of dimensions: individual, family, and cultural.Results: The results indicate that gender differences exist in the elderly population with common diseases but not in those with severe diseases, and that the female elderly are more likely to choose non-tertiary hospitals than males. In addition, age, marital status, employment status, income, health conditions, medical insurance, family support, and social capital are found to be critical influencing factors.Conclusions: The findings provide a better understanding of the elderly population’s healthcare demands and can be used to promote healthcare equality.
Influence of Tumor Mutational Burden on Immune-infiltrating Cells in Stomach Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhao Zongxian , Li Shilong , Li Shuliang , Yang Huaxiang , Wang Daohan , Fu Weihua
Published: December 2020

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is described as a novel powerful signature to predict response to immunotherapy in gastric cancer. Nevertheless, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in different TMB GC remains unknown.Results: (1) The most common missense were single nucleotide polymorphisms and C>T. Furthermore, titin (TTN), tumor protein p53 (TP53), and mucin 16 (MUC16) had a higher rate of mutations in STAD. (2) TMB-high and -low groups were not associated with survival, T stage, M stage, and grade of patients with stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) (Psurvival=0.086, PT=0.331, PM=0.804, Pgrade=0.695). However, TMB groupings were related with N stage and sex (PN=0.003, Psex=0.003). (3) There were intricate differences in immune infiltration cells (eg, T cells, monocytes, and mast cells) between the TMB-high and TMB-low groups. (4) A total of 458 genes were identified as DEGs; Dynein cytoplasmic 1 intermediate chain 1(DYNC1I1), matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) and zinc finger and BTB domain containing 16 (ZBTB16) were correlated with overall survival (OS). (5) DEGs were mainly involved in the regulation of the extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, and the Wnt and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways.Conclusion: The present study provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of TMB and its clinical significance, and reveals the complicated differences of 22 TIICs between TMB-high and TMB-low groups in STAD.
Assessment and Documentation of Indigenous and Introduced Soil and Water Conservation Measures in Some Parts of Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Kanito Dawit , Bekele Tsegaye , Dawit Tesfaye , T/yohannes Seyfu
Published: December 2020

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, soil and water conservation activities were started after the famines of 1973 and 1985. Following this, different conservation measures were implemented by the government, non-government organizations, and the community to facilitate the optimum level of production from a given area of land while keeping soil loss below a critical value. This study was conducted at Wolaita, Hadiya, Kambata Tambaro, and Dawro Zones of Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to identify indigenous and introduced soil and water conservation practices, measure and describe identified practices, and document the identified practice for further reference. ResultsThe result revealed that three types of soil and water conservation practices namely biological, physical, and agronomical were implementing in the study areas. The result from the technical evaluation showed that soil bund and fanya juu has channel depth and embankment height lower than the recommended dimension. The result also indicated that less attention was given to indigenous soil and water conservation practices. Besides, the sustainability gap in constructed conservation practices was widely perceived.ConclusionsFarmers in the study area are well acquainted with soil erosion, its cause, and consequent reduction in land productivity. They confirm that implementing SWC measures are insurance to sustain and boost soil fertility and land productivity. In southern Ethiopia government and peoples were invested much more time, money, knowledge, and manpower to construct SWC measures. But, year by year structures get damage and yet seem not substantial to achieve the sector of sustainable agriculture. Besides, the study revealed that identified practices such as traditional cutoff drain, fanya juu, soil bund, stone-faced soil bund, fanya juu, brushwood, and gabion check-dams have technical, social, and institutional difficulties. The major gap observed with indigenous conservation practices is, it had been taken less attention by different stakeholders including GOs, NGOs, and research institutes. As a result, their respective dimension was not modified, effective measures were not up-scaled and circulated to other areas having similar agroecology and farming system. Thus, apparently, traditional conservation measures are aggravating soil erosion and their construction did not consider the downstream effect on dwelling community, water bodies, and aquatic lives.
Calciprotein particles are a sensitive marker predicting vascular calcification in patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Moriya Hidekazu , Mochida Yasuhiro , Ishioka Kunihiro , Oka Machiko , Maesato Kyoko , Hidaka Sumi , Ohtake Takayasu , Miura Yutaka , Kuro-o Makoto , Kobayashi Shuzo
Published: December 2020

Background: In chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, vascular calcification occurs in the early stage of CKD, before the titer of existing CKD mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD)-related markers exceed the threshold. Calciprotein particles (CPPs) are crystals in which excessive phosphorus and calcium in the blood form colloidal particles and are associated with vascular calcification. However, it is unknown whether CPPs are a more sensitive marker for detecting calcification than others.
Methods: In a prospective cohort study of 58 patients with CKD we examined CKD-MBD markers, including CPPs. Vascular arterial calcification score (ACS) of the lower extremities was measured with the Agatston score. One year later, the markers and ACS were reevaluated, and the relationship between the degree of progression of vascular calcification and CKD-MBD markers was evaluated.
Results: The CPP titer was significantly correlated with that of serum phosphate and corrected calcium. However, the CPP titer showed no correlation with eGFR or ACS in the lower extremities. After one year, the basic titers of serum creatinine, eGFR, FGF-23, intact-PHT, 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and CPP were not significantly correlated with ACS changes in the lower extremities. There was a significant correlation between the rate of change in ACS and that in CPP (r = 0.292, p = 0.0258). CPP was an independent risk factor for the progression of calcification in the lower extremities in a multivariate analysis (p = 0.0144).
Conclusions: CPP is a more sensitive marker of arterial calcification than other CKD-MBD markers in patients with CKD.
Key words: Calciprotein particle, Chronic kidney disease, Vascular calcification
Genome Mining Reveals Secondary Metabolites of Antarctic Bacterium Streptomyces Albidoflavus ANT_B131 Related to Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activities
Authors: França Paula de , Costa Jonas , Fill Taícia , Lancelotti Marcelo , Ruiz Ana , Fantinatti-Garboggini Fabiana
Published: December 2020

The antimicrobial resistance requires the urgent mining of new antimicrobials. Actinobacteria, specially Streptomyces genus, are responsible for production of numerous clinical antibiotics and anticancer agents. The use of genome mining can reveal the genetic potential of a strain to produce natural products, however the potential may not be express under laboratory conditions. In the present study, the Antarctic bacterium was taxonomically affiliated as Streptomyces albidoflavus, ANT_B131. The crude extracts showed antimicrobial activity against fungi, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and antiproliferative activity against five human tumor cell lines. Whole genome sequencing reveals a 6.96 Mb genome size and the genome mining showed 24 BGCs, representing 13.3% of the genome. The use of three culture media and extraction methods reveal the expression and recovery of 20% of the BGCs. The natural products identified were surugamide A, surugamide D, desferrioxamine B + Al, desferrioxamine E, and ectoine. This study reveals the potential of S. albidoflavus ANT_B131 as a natural product producer. Yet, the diversity of culture media and extraction methods could enhance the BGCs expression and recovery of natural products, and could be a new strategy to intensify the BGC expression of natural products.
Development of a Deep-learning Pipeline to Recognize and Characterize Macrophages in Colo-rectal Liver Metastasis
Authors: Cancian Pierandrea , Cortese Nina , Donadon Matteo , Maio Marco Di , Soldani Cristiana , Marchesi Federica , Savevski Victor , Santambrogio Marco Domenico , Cerina Luca , Torzilli Guido , Mantovani Alberto , Terracciano Luigi , Roncalli Massimo , Tommaso Luca Di
Published: December 2020

Quantitative analysis of tumor microenvironment (TME) provides prognostic and predictive information in several human cancers but, with few exceptions, it is not performed in the daily clinical practice being time-consuming. We recently showed that the morphology of tumor associated macrophages (TAM) correlates with outcome in patients with colo-rectal liver metastases (CLM). However, as for other TME components, recognizing and characterizing hundreds of TAM in a single histopathological slide is unfeasible. To fasten this process, we explored a deep-learning based solution. We tested three convolutional neural networks (CNN), Unet, SegNet and DeepLab-v3, and compared their results according to IoU (intersection over union), a metric describing the similarity between what CNN predicts as TAM and the ground truth and SBD (symmetric best dice), which indicates the ability of CNN to separate different TAMs. Unet and SegNet showed intrinsic limitations in discriminating single TAMs (highest SBD 61.34 ± 2.21), whereas DeepLab-v3 accurately recognized TAM from the background [IoU (89.13 ± 3.85)] and separated different TAM [SBD (79.00 ± 3.72)]. This deep-learning pipeline to recognize TAMs in digital slides, will allow the characterization of TAM-related metrics in the daily clinical practice, allowing the implementation of prognostic tools
Demodex Folliculorum and Bacterial Co-Infection in Patients With Blepharitis
Authors: Kosik-Bogacka Danuta Izabela , Pyzia Joanna , Galant Katarzyna , Czepita Maciej , Kot Karolina , Łanocha-Arendarczyk Natalia , Czepita Damian
Published: December 2020

Background Demodex mites are obligate ectoparasites found in the pilosebaceous follicle and sebaceous gland of many mammals. The aim of the study was to examine prevalence of bacterial infection in Demodex folliculorum infected patients with blepharitis. Methods The study included patients with a diagnosis of blepharitis with D. folliculorum (n=128) and healthy volunteers (n=103). Patients were questioned about their age, sex, social habits, and literacy status and per capita income. The examination consisted of examining the vision of the patient with and without ocular correction, tonus in both eyes and a careful examination of the anterior segment of both eyes. The bacterial culture of the conjunctival sac was obtained by inoculating the samples on Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood and identified based on morphological characteristics and stained by the Gram method. Species identification was performed by coagulase test or VITEK Compact. ResultsPhysiological flora was found in 8.7% participants from uninfected and all infected with D. folliculorum patients. We isolated Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Bacillus spp. in the conjunctival sac only in patients infected with D. folliculorum. In patients with D. folliculorum infection mean intraocular pressure and visual acuity were lower than in uninfected participants. ConclusionsPatients infected with D. folliculorum should also undergo microbiological examination of conjunctival swabs. The treatment of each patient should be individualized, adapted to the clinical condition, and in cases of bacterial co-infection.
Identification of the Signature Associated With m6A RNA Methylation Regulators and m6A-related Genes and Construction of the Risk Score for Prognostication in Early-stage Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Guo Bingzhou , Zhang Hongliang , Wang Jinliang , Wu Rilige , Zhang Junyan , Zhang Qiqin , Xu Lu , shen Ming , Zhang Zhibo , Gu Fangyan , Zeng Weiliang , yin Chengliang
Published: December 2020

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification play critical roles in tumorigenesis because it can change gene expression and even the function in multiple levels including the regulation of degradation, subcellular localization, splicing and local conformation changes of RNA transcripts. In this study, we aim to conduct comprehensive investigation on m6A RNA methylation regulators and m6A-related genes and their association with prognosis in early-stage Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: The relevant datasets which were used to analyze 21 m6A RNA methylation regulators and 887 m6A-related genes in m6Avar were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Univariate cox regression analysis, random survival forest analysis, Kaplan-Meier anylysis, STRING and multivariate cox analysis were carried out on the datasets, and a risk prognostic model based on five feature genes was constructed.Results: Respectively, we treated GSE31210 (n=226) as training set, GSE50081 (n=128) and TCGA data (n=461) as test set. By performing univariable cox regression and random survival forest algorithm in the training group, five prognosis-related genes including DENND1A, KBTBD6, KIF4A, BMPER, and YTHDC2 were screened out, which could divide LUAD patients into low-risk group and high-risk group (log rank P < 0.001). The predictive efficacy of these genes was confirmed in the test group GSE50081 (log rank P < 0.01) and TCGA datasets (log rank P < 0.001). Cox analysis showed that this five-gene signature was an independent risk factor in LUAD. Further, genes in the signature were also external validated using online database. YTHDC2 played vital role of readers in m6A methylation.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that associated with m6A-related genes and m6A RNA methylation regulators, five-gene signature was reliable prognostic indicator for LUAD patients, indicating a clinical application prospect to serve as a potential therapeutic target.
Vasohibin 2 Promotes Lymphangiogenesis of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through Snail-dependent VEGF-D Signaling Pathway
Authors: Liu Pengpeng , Zhang Rui , Han Lei , Zhang Xiao , Ye Yingnan , Yu Wenwen , Ren Xiubao , Zhang Weijia , Yu Jinpu
Published: December 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Sustained of mir-499-5p delivery from injection alters the muscle metabolomic profiles in broiler chicken
Authors: Li Zhixiong , Lin Yaqiu , Yuan Mao , Jiang Xiaosong , Yang Chaowu , Yu Chunlin , Chen Ling
Published: December 2020

Background

Myogenic miRNAs (myomiRs) which dramatically increased during myogenesis have been shown to play critical roles in many aspects of muscle function. As a myomiR, miR-499-5p, has been identified to be highly expressed in cardiac and skeletal muscle. The study focused on the effects of miR-499-5p on muscle metabolism in broiler chicken.
Methods

In the current study, we assigned 16 broiler chicks to control group and treatment group and then monitored the effects using metabolomics. Chicks were fed basal diets without or with miR-499-5p delivery. Muscle samples were collected and analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS).
Results

Our findings revealed that miR-499-5p injection altered the concentrations of a variety of metabolites in the muscle. Thereinto, a total of 46 metabolites were identified at higher (P < 0.05) concentrations and 30 metabolites were identified at lower (P < 0.05) concentrations in the treatment group as compared with the control group. These metabolites were primarily involved with the regulation of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Further metabolic pathway analysis revealed that fructose and mannose metabolism, galactose metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis were the most important and critical pathway which may partially interpret the effects of miR-499-5p.
Conclusions

To our knowledge, this research is the first report of metabolic signatures and related metabolic pathways in the skeletal muscle for miR-499-5p injection and provide new insight into the effect of miRNA on growth performance.
Longitudinal Impact of Oral Health on Geriatric Syndromes and Clinical Outcomes in Community-dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Lim Jihye , Park Hyungchul , Lee Heayon , Lee Eunju , Lee Danbi , Jung Hee-Won , Jang Il-Young
Published: December 2020

BackgroundOral health is essential for daily living and plays a pivotal role in overall health conditions and well-being. This study evaluated the impact of self-reported oral health on geriatric conditions, institutionalization, and mortality. MethodsThis study analyzed the population of the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area that had undergone geriatric assessments between 2016 and 2017. The oral health status of the participants was determined using three items from the General Oral Health Assessment Index, and the participants were classified into three groups according to the total sum of the scores as good (3), fair (4–7), or poor (8-15). The outcomes were the incidence of geriatric syndromes at 2 years and the composite outcome of mortality and institutionalization.ResultsAmong the 1189 participants, 44.1% were women, and the mean age of the study population was 75.0 years. Good, fair, and poor oral health were observed in 597 (50.2%), 406 (34.1%), and 186 (15.6%) individuals, respectively. Worsening oral health status was associated with the incidences of various geriatric syndromes at follow-up, and these associations were attenuated after adjusting for baseline demographic and geriatric parameters. Similarly, the significant association between baseline oral health status and the incidence of the composite outcome was attenuated after adjusting for demographic and geriatric parameters. ConclusionsOral health affected the geriatric health conditions in this prospective, longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling older adults. The correlations and interactions of oral health status with other functional parameters may deserve consideration as a geriatric domain.
Diagnostic delay of associated interstitial lung disease increases mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: Spanish RA-ILD cohort
Authors: Cano-Jiménez Esteban , Rodríguez Tomás Vázquez , Martín-Robles Irene , Villegas Diego Castillo , García Javier Juan , de Miguel Elena Bollo , Robles-Pérez Alejandro , Galván Marta Ferrer , Roibas Cecilia Mouronte , Lara Susana Herrera , Bermudo Guadalupe , Moyano Marta García , Portal José Antonio Rodríguez , Torres Jacobo Sellarés , Molina-Molina María
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease whose main extra-articular organ affected is the lung, sometimes in the form of diffuse interstitial lung disease (ILD) and conditions the prognosis. Methods: A multicenter, observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of consecutive patients diagnosed with RA-ILD between 2013 and 2018. Demographic, analytical, respiratory functional and evolution characteristics were analyzed to evaluate the predictors of progression and mortality. Results: 106 patients were included. The mean age was 70.2±19.8 years and 51.9% of the patients presented UIP pattern. In the multivariate Cox analysis the age (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.09-1.62, p=0.0045), the DLCO (%) (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.98, p=0.0246), and the final SatO2 (%) in the 6MWT (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, p=0.0465) were independent predictor variables of mortality, as well as the GAP index (HR 4.65, 95% CI 1.59 - 13.54, p=0.0051) and the CPI index (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03 - 1.22, p=0.0092). Also highlight that the diagnostic delay was an independent predictor of mortality (HR 1.11, CI 1.01-1.23, p = 0.035). Conclusions: This is the first study where it is objectified that the diagnostic delay in RA-ILD is associated with an increased mortality just like happens in IPF.
Randomized, Double-Blind, Four-Arm Pilot Study on the Effects of BRAND'­­­­­­S Chicken Essence and FlexC-II® on Joint, Bone, and Muscle Functions
Authors: Chen Chun-Chieh , Chang Shih-Sheng , Chang Chih-Hsiang , Hu Chih-Chien , Nakao Yoshihiro , Yong Shan May , Mandy Yen Ling Ow , Shih Hsin-Nung
Published: December 2020

BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability among elderly individuals. Medical and surgical treatments are expensive and have side eﬀects. The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of FlexC-II®, a type II collagen hydrolysate, and BRAND'S Essence of Chicken with FlexC-II® (BEC-FlexC-II®) on joint, muscle, and bone functions among elderly adults with OA.MethodsPatients (n = 160) with grade 1–3 knee OA based on the Kellgren–Lawrence classification system, joint pain for ≥3 months, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score of >6 were considered eligible in this study. The participants were randomized into four groups (BEC-FlexC-II®, FlexC-II®, glucosamine hydrochloride [HCl], and placebo) and were instructed to perform resistance training for 24 weeks. The outcomes included WOMAC score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, hand grip strength, fat-free mass (FFM), bone mass, and 36-Item Short-form Survey score. ResultsThe WOMAC scores of all groups improved after 24 weeks. However, the results did not significantly differ. Meanwhile, there was a remarkable difference in the VAS score between groups (P = 0.039). The FlexC-II® group had a greater reduction in pain than the placebo group (mean ± standard error: −1.3 ± 0.45, P = 0.021). In the FlexC-II® group, the VAS score significantly reduced by 0.9 ± 1.89 (P = 0.034) after 14 days. In the adjusted analyses, the BEC-FlexC-II® group had a significantly higher FFM than the glucosamine HCl (P = 0.02) and placebo (P = 0.017) groups and hand grip strength than the glucosamine HCl group (P = 0.002). Further, on the basis of a subgroup analysis, participants with poor training compliance in the BEC-FlexC-II® group had a significantly higher left hip bone mass than those in the placebo (P = 0.01) and glucosamine HCl (P = 0.049) groups.ConclusionsFlexC-II® relieves OA-associated pain within 14 days, and BEC-FlexC-II® increases muscle mass and strength after 24 weeks. Thus, BEC-Flex-CII® is a promising novel, holistic supplement that can improve mobility by promoting joint, muscle, and bone functions among elderly individuals. However, full-scale studies should be conducted in the future to validate these findings.Trial registrationThis clinical trial was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the ID NCT04483024 on July 20, 2020. URL: https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/SelectProtocol?sid=S0008FK4&selectaction=Edit&uid=U0004BM2&ts=2&cx=-5y1oh4
Analysis of the Space and Time Distribution of Syphilis in Brazil: Cases of Acquired Syphilis from 2010-2018 and Congenital and Syphilis in Pregnant Women from 2001-2017
Authors: Silva Ângelo Antônio Oliveira , Leony Leonardo Maia , Souza Wayner Vieira de , Freitas Natália Erdens Maron de , Daltro Ramona Tavares , Santos Emily Ferreira dos , Vasconcelos Larissa de Carvalho Medrado , Grassi Maria Fernanda Rios , Regis-Silva Carlos Gustavo , Santos Fred Luciano Neves
Published: December 2020

Background. In Brazil, the notification of acquired syphilis (AS), congenital syphilis (CS) and syphilis in pregnant women (SiP) is compulsory. Notification data provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in combination with the mapping of vulnerable geographic areas is essential to forecasting possible outbreaks and more effectively combating infection through monitoring. We aim evaluated the space and time distribution of reported cases of CS and SiP in Brazil (2001 to 2017), as well as an estimation of cases of AS (2010 to 2018). Methods. A retrospective ecological study was carried out using secondary surveillance data obtained from the Brazilian National Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) database, considering all reported cases of CS and SiP between 2002 to 2017, as well as MoH epidemiological bulletin data regarding cases of AS between 2010 to 2018. Epidemiological characteristics and time trends were analyzed using joinpoint regression models and spatial distribution (three-year moving averages), considering microregions or states/macroregions as units of analysis. Results. A total of 188,630 (5.4/100,000) CS, 235,895 SiP (6.3/100,000) and 479,731 cases of AS (27.4/100,000) were reported during the periods studied. The epidemiological profile of Brazil indicates most reported CS cases occurred among ‘mixed-race’ newborns who were diagnosed within seven days after birth and whose mothers had received prenatal care. Regarding SiP, most cases were among women who self-reported ‘mixed-race’, were aged 20–39 years, had up to eight years of formal education and were diagnosed with primary or latent syphilis. Overall, rates of AS rose around 400% from 2010 to 2018. Nearly all microregions reported at least one case of CS and SiP. From 2012 to 2016, CS cases increased significantly in almost all Brazilian states, most notably in the South, Southeast, and Central-West macroregions, from 2001–2018 and the relative risk of SiP increased around 4,000%. Conclusions. Considering the epidemiological scenario of the infection in Brazil, it is necessary to enhance preventive, control and eradication measures.
Use of insecticide treated nets among women in Ghana: a multilevel modelling of the 2016 malaria indicator survey
Authors: Dadzie Louis Kobina , Blay Alfred , Afari Francis Obeng , Seidu Abdul-Aziz , Ahinkorah Bright Opoku
Published: December 2020

Background

Malaria is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality particularly among women and children in sub-Saharan Africa and remains a public health challenge. Over the years, provision of insecticide mosquito nets (ITNs) for individuals and households have been on the forefront of various organizations. Focus has been on proportion of population with access to ITNs at the expense of usage proportion. This study examined the factors associated with the use of ITNs among women in Ghana.
Methods

This study used a cross-sectional data obtained from the 2016 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey (GMIS). A sample of 4,267 women aged 15–49 who possessed at least one mosquito net was included in this study. Use of ITNs was the outcome variable. Descriptive statistics and multilevel binary logistic regression were employed. Results were provided in tables with a significance level set at P < 0.05.
Results

Out of the 4,267 total sample, more than half (55.9%) were users of ITNs. Women aged 15–24 were less likely (aOR = 0.680 Crl:0.576–0.803) to use ITNs compared to women aged 35 years and above. Women with no education were more likely (aOR = 1.282 Crl:1.047–1.570) to use ITNs compared to women with secondary or higher educational level. Poor women also had significantly higher odds (aOR = 2.005 Crl:1.612–2.495) of using ITNs than similar women who were rich. Women who lived in least disadvantaged communities had higher odds (aOR = 1.358 CrI:1.055–1.748) of using ITNs compared to women in most disadvantaged communities.
Conclusions

Low socio-economic status was a key predictor of ITN usage in Ghana. Having no education, being poor, living in rural areas, chances of getting malaria, coverage of malaria under NHIS and being least socio-economically disadvantaged increased the likelihood of using ITNs. Interventions aimed at improving socio-economic statuses are needed to increase ITN usage in Ghana.
High MEIS3 expression intimates poor prognosis for clinical stage II/III colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Jian Ma , Li Haitao , Wang Meihua , Chen Jian , Zhu Ming , Li Ang , Ling Yang
Published: December 2020

Background
The middle stages colorectal cancer (CRC) patients are severely differentiated, so suitable biomarkers are required to distinguish the cohort with high recurrence risk. We hypothesized that among the specimens retained after surgery, those from cohort who relapsed quickly after surgery may be more capable to find the high-risk markers.
Methods
A lable-free analysis was employed to identify candidate proteins markers in CRC tissues relapsed within three years since surgery. Combined with MEIS3 immunohistochemistry characteristic, we analyzed MEIS3 (myeloid ecotropic viral insertion site 3) expression level in clinical stages. Kaplan-Meier Analysis was adopted to analyze the correlation between gene expression and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) of CRC patients. Finally, cell biology methods were employed to analyze molecular mechanism for tumor cell migration and metastasis.
Results
Through proteomics immunohistochemistry analysis, we identified protein MEIS3 are mainly located in growth front and other highly invasive areas in cancer. And its expression level is closely associated to the clinical stage of CRC. Furthermore, high MEIS3 expression in cancer tissues is closely related to the 5-year DFS expectations of CRC patients. The 5-year DFS of stage II patients with high MEIS3 expression was significantly lower than that of low MEIS3 expression (60.2% % vs 81.1% p < 0.01). The 5-year DFS III patients with high MEIS3 expression was also significantly lower than those of low MEIS3 expression (38.1% vs 56.7% p < 0.01). The analysis on SW480 cells showed that MEIS3 may promote migration and invasion of CRC cells by regulating the expression of LAMB1.
Conclusion
This study intimates that MEIS3 overexpression is associated to poor prognosis for stage II and III patients, and MEIS3 can promote the CRC cells invasion through regulating LAMB1 expression.
The Iron-Sulfur Scaffold Protein HCF101 Unveils The Complexity of Organellar Evolution in SAR, Haptista and Cryptista
Authors: Pyrih Jan , Žárský Vojtech , Fellow Jastin D. , Grosche Christopher , Wloga Dorota , Striepen Boris , Maier Uwe G. , Tachezy Jan
Published: December 2020

Background: Nbp35-like proteins (Nbp35, Cfd1, HCF101, Ind1, and AbpC) are P-loop NTPases that serve as components of iron-sulfur cluster (FeS) assembly machineries. In eukaryotes, Ind1 is present in mitochondria, and its function is associated with the assembly of FeS clusters in subunits of respiratory Complex I, Nbp35 and Cfd1 are the components of the cytosolic FeS assembly (CIA) pathway, and HCF101 is involved in FeS assembly of photosystem I in plastids of plants (chHCF101). The AbpC protein operates in Bacteria and Archaea. To date, the cellular distribution of these proteins is considered to be highly conserved with only a few exceptions. Results: We searched for the genes of all members of the Nbp35-like protein family and analyzed their targeting sequences. Nbp35 and Cfd1 were predicted to reside in the cytoplasm with some exceptions of Nbp35 localization to the mitochondria; Ind1was found in the mitochondria, and HCF101 was predicted to reside in plastids (chHCF101) of all photosynthetically active eukaryotes. Surprisingly, we found a second HCF101 paralog in all members of Cryptista, Haptista, and SAR that was predicted to predominantly target mitochondria (mHCF101), whereas Ind1 appeared to be absent in these organisms. We also identified a few exceptions, as apicomplexans possess mHCF101 predicted to localize in the cytosol and Nbp35 in the mitochondria. Our predictions were experimentally confirmed in selected representatives of Apicomplexa (Toxoplasma gondii), Stramenopila (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Thalassiosira pseudonana), and Ciliophora (Tetrahymena thermophila) by tagging proteins with an transgenic reporter. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that chHCF101 and mHCF101 evolved from a common ancestral HCF101 independently of the Nbp35/Cfd1 and Ind1 proteins. Interestingly, phylogenetic analysis supports rather a lateral gene transfer of ancestral HCF101 from bacteria than its acquisition being associated with either α- proteobacterial or cyanobacterial endosymbionts. Conclusion: Our searches for Nbp35-like proteins across eukaryotic lineages revealed that SAR, Haptista, and Cryptista possess mitochondrial HCF-101. Because plastid localization of HCF101 was only known thus far, the discovery of its mitochondrial paralog explains confusion regarding the presence of HCF101 in organisms that possibly lost secondary plastids (e.g., ciliates, Cryptosporidium) or possess reduced nonphotosynthetic plastids (apicomplexans).
Tissue Immunofluorescence Confirmation of CNS Autoantibodies Identified by Immunoblot or Cell-Based Assay
Authors: Abelhosn Rania W. , Montana Laura , Rivera Jonnielyn G. , Haji-Sheikhi Farnoosh , Diao Joanne H. , Tran Harley H. , Levy Michael , Horner Anthony A.
Published: December 2020

Background: While many immunologic targets of autoimmune CNS disease have been identified, autoantibodies to each, are detected only rarely. Therefore, serum is often screened by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with whole brain tissue before reflexing positive samples to more specific assays for confirmation and identification. The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity of immunofluorescence positive staining of whole brain tissue to immunoblot assays (IBAs) and cell-based immunofluorescence assays (CBAs) for the initial detection of autoantibodies associated with paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS) and other autoimmune diseases of the CNS.Methods: All comprehensive paraneoplastic neurological syndrome panel results released from our laboratory over a two-year period (2017-2019) were reviewed. This panel was specifically chosen for these retrospective analyses because of the comprehensive PNS panel’s design; a reflex testing algorithm is not used and a tissue IFAs, IBAs, and CBAs, are run in parallel and independently on all serum samples. Results: For autoantibodies to intracellular targets, tissue IFA results were positive for 47 of 56 (84%) samples that were positive by IBA. In contrast, for autoantibodies to membrane-imbedded antigenic targets, tissue IFA results were positive for only 5 of 14 (35.7%) samples that were positive by CBA.Conclusions: These retrospective analyses suggest that tissue IFAs of serum are more than twice as likely to confirm the presence of IBA identified autoantibodies to intracellular proteins than CBA identified autoantibodies to membrane imbedded protein targets. Moreover, these findings have important implications for the use of tissue IFA screening for the initial detection of CNS autoantibodies.
Factors That Affect Post-traumatic Growth in Korean Police Officers, by Age Group
Authors: Kim Myung-Gwan , Han Seungwoo
Published: December 2020

Background: The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence PTG in South Korean police officers, according to age group.Methods: Raw data were collected from September 26 to October 9, 2017 for 269 police officers who are employed at 10 police offices in Seoul. Multiple regression analysis was conducted on selected data by age group. Results: Post-traumatic growth (PTG) was affected significantly by age, marital status, monthly income, and police rank in pain perception and social support variables among general characteristics. Factors that affected PTG in the ‘20~29’ age group were resilience (B = 0.570) and pain perception (B = 0.243), but in the ‘30~39’ age group, only Pain perception (B = 0.249) was significant, and in the ‘over 50’ age group, social support (B = 0.448) and pain perception (B = 0.252) were significant.Conclusion: Development of mental health programs should consider the age group of the patients. Mental health care should also be continuous.
Can the Preoperative Prognostic Nutrition Index (PNI) Predict Surgical Site Infection Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty?
Authors: SHI JINGSHENG , YU JIE , DENG JINGDE , ZHENG CHAOJUN , ZHAO GUANGLEI , XIA JUN , WEI YIBIN , HUANG GANGYONG , WANG SIQUN , CHEN JIE
Published: December 2020

Background:Malnutrition is reported as one of the risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI). The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is a simple method for nutritional evaluation. However, few studies have discussed the effectiveness of PNI as a nutritional assessment in predicting SSI after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between SSI and malnutrition as identified by the PNI scores following TKA. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 483 patients (SSI vs. non-SSI group: 19 vs. 464; follow-up period: at least 1 year) was performed to confirm the risk factors, including the PNI, associated with SSI after primary TKA using both univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Postoperatively, nineteen patients (19/483, 3.9%) experienced SSI (deep vs. superficial SSI: 12 vs. 7), and periprosthetic joint infection was observed in all deep SSI cases. Univariate analysis showed that male sex, body weight, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, steroid usage, operative time and PNI differed between the SSI and non-SSI groups (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that the preoperative PNI (odds ratio [OR]: 0.859; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.762-0.969; cutoff [CV]: 49.27), operative time (OR: 1.005; 95% CI: 1.000-1.010; CV: 131.0 min), male sex (OR: 4.127; 95% CI: 1.165-14.615), diabetes mellitus (OR: 6.133; 95% CI: 2.067-18.193) and steroid usage (OR: 6.034; 95% CI: 1.521-23.935) were independently associated with SSI (P<0.05). Conclusions: A low preoperative PNI associated with malnutrition was demonstrated to be an independent risk factor for SSI following primary TKA. Patients with preoperative low PNI should be cautioned and provided with adequate nutritional intervention to reduce postoperative SSI.