bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How are global health policies transferred to sub-Saharan Africa countries? A systematic critical review of literature
Authors: Odoch Walter Denis , Senkubuge Flavia , Masese Ann Bosibori , Hongoro Charles
Published: February 2022

Background

Most sub-Saharan Africa countries adopt global health policies. However, mechanisms with which policy transfers occur have largely been studied amongst developed countries and much less in low- and middle- income countries. The current review sought to contribute to literature in this area by exploring how health policy agendas have been transferred from global to national level in sub-Saharan Africa. This is particularly important in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era as there are many policy prepositions by global actors to be transferred to national level for example the World Health Organization (WHO) policy principles of health financing reforms that advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Methods

We conducted a critical review of literature following Arksey and O’Malley framework for conducting reviews. We searched EBSCOhost, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google scholar for articles. We combined the concepts and synonyms of “policy transfer” with those of “sub-Saharan Africa” using Boolean operators in searching databases. Data were analyzed thematically, and results presented narratively.

Results

Nine articles satisfied our eligibility criteria. The predominant policy transfer mechanism in the health sector in sub-Saharan Africa is voluntarism. There are cases of coercion, however, even in the face of coercion, there is usually some level of negotiation. Agency, context and nature of the issue are key influencers in policy transfers. The transfer is likely to be smooth if it is mainly technical and changes are within the confines of a given disease programmatic area. Policies with potential implications on bureaucratic and political status quo are more challenging to transfer.

Conclusion

Policy transfer, irrespective of the mechanism, requires local alignment and appreciation of context by the principal agents, availability of financial resources, a coordination platform and good working relations amongst stakeholders. Potential effects of the policy on the bureaucratic structure and political status are also important during the policy transfer process.
Development of AI-driven prediction models to realize real-time tumor tracking during radiotherapy
Authors: Zhou Dejun , Nakamura Mitsuhiro , Mukumoto Nobutaka , Tanabe Hiroaki , Iizuka Yusuke , Yoshimura Michio , Kokubo Masaki , Matsuo Yukinori , Mizowaki Takashi
Published: February 2022

Background

In infrared reflective (IR) marker-based hybrid real-time tumor tracking (RTTT), the internal target position is predicted with the positions of IR markers attached on the patient’s body surface using a prediction model. In this work, we developed two artificial intelligence (AI)-driven prediction models to improve RTTT radiotherapy, namely, a convolutional neural network (CNN) and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The models aim to improve the accuracy in predicting three-dimensional tumor motion.

Methods

From patients whose respiration-induced motion of the tumor, indicated by the fiducial markers, exceeded 8 mm, 1079 logfiles of IR marker-based hybrid RTTT (IR Tracking) with the gimbal-head radiotherapy system were acquired and randomly divided into two datasets. All the included patients were breathing freely with more than four external IR markers. The historical dataset for the CNN model contained 1003 logfiles, while the remaining 76 logfiles complemented the evaluation dataset. The logfiles recorded the external IR marker positions at a frequency of 60 Hz and fiducial markers as surrogates for the detected target positions every 80–640 ms for 20–40 s. For each logfile in the evaluation dataset, the prediction models were trained based on the data in the first three quarters of the recording period. In the last quarter, the performance of the patient-specific prediction models was tested and evaluated. The overall performance of the AI-driven prediction models was ranked by the percentage of predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position. Moreover, the performance of the AI-driven models was compared to a regression prediction model currently implemented in gimbal-head radiotherapy systems.

Results

The percentage of the predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position was 95.1%, 92.6% and 85.6% for the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model, respectively. In the evaluation dataset, the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model performed best in 43, 28 and 5 logfiles, respectively.

Conclusions

The proposed AI-driven prediction models outperformed the regression prediction model, and the overall performance of the CNN model was slightly better than that of the ANFIS model on the evaluation dataset.
Shone’s complex and aortic dissection: case report and review of a rare, underdiagnosed congenital heart disease
Authors: Sinfield Steven , Ranasinghe Sachini , Wang Stephani , Mendoza Fernando , Khoynezhad Ali
Published: February 2022

Background

Shone’s complex is a rare congenital heart disease consisting of a variety of left ventricular inflow and outflow tract lesions. Patients typically present in childhood requiring early surgical intervention; however, with improved surgical techniques, these patients are surviving later into adulthood. This increased survival comes with a new set of medical complications that providers need to be aware of.

Case presentation

A 27 year old man with a complex cardiac history including an incomplete Shone’s complex and persistent symptomatic atrial flutter presented with sharp chest pain radiating to his back. He was found to have type A aortic dissection on imaging in the setting of severe patient-prosthesis mismatch. He had multiple valvular surgeries in childhood. The patient was being followed-up as an outpatient for an enlarging chronic aortic aneurysm and was non-compliant with his medications. He was taken emergently to the operating room for a skirted Bentall procedure, aortic valve replacement, and right sided MAZE.

Conclusions

Shone’s complex is a rare congenital heart disease associated with significant morbidities including atrial flutter, patient-prosthesis mismatch, and aortic dissection. As patients continue to live longer into adulthood with this disease, it is important to raise awareness of this rare syndrome for providers and highlight its potential complications. Further research is needed to determine appropriate guidelines for when to intervene on aortopathy-associated CHD.
Development and validation of a risk prediction model for postoperative pneumonia in adult patients undergoing Stanford type A acute aortic dissection surgery: a case control study
Authors: Wang Dashuai , Abuduaini Xiaerzhati , Huang Xiaofan , Wang Hongfei , Chen Xing , Le Sheng , Chen Manhua , Du Xinling
Published: February 2022

Background

Pneumonia is a common complication after Stanford type A acute aortic dissection surgery (AADS) and contributes significantly to morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. The purpose of this study was to identify independent risk factors associated with pneumonia after AADS and to develop and validate a risk prediction model.

Methods

Adults undergoing AADS between 2016 and 2019 were identified in a single-institution database. Patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets at a ratio of 2:1. Preoperative and intraoperative variables were included for analysis. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed using significant variables from univariate analysis in the training set. A nomogram was constructed for clinical utility and the model was validated in an independent dataset.

Results

Postoperative pneumonia developed in 170 of 492 patients (34.6%). In the training set, multivariate analysis identified seven independent predictors for pneumonia after AADS including age, smoking history, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, renal insufficiency, leucocytosis, low platelet count, and intraoperative transfusion of red blood cells. The model demonstrated good calibration (Hosmer–Lemeshow χ2 = 3.31, P = 0.91) and discrimination (C-index = 0.77) in the training set. The model was also well calibrated (Hosmer–Lemeshow χ2 = 5.73, P = 0.68) and showed reliable discriminatory ability (C-index = 0.78) in the validation set. By visual inspection, the calibrations were good in both the training and validation sets.

Conclusion

We developed and validated a risk prediction model for pneumonia after AADS. The model may have clinical utility in individualized risk evaluation and perioperative management.
Melanocortin 1 receptor activation protects against alpha-synuclein pathologies in models of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Cai Waijiao , Srivastava Pranay , Feng Danielle , Lin Yue , Vanderburg Charles R. , Xu Yuehang , Mclean Pamela , Frosch Matthew P. , Fisher David E. , Schwarzschild Michael A. , Chen Xiqun
Published: February 2022

Background

Epidemiological studies suggest a link between the melanoma-related pigmentation gene melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). We previously showed that MC1R signaling can facilitate nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron survival. The present study investigates the neuroprotective potential of MC1R against neurotoxicity induced by alpha-synuclein (αSyn), a key player in PD genetics and pathogenesis.

Methods

Nigral dopaminergic neuron toxicity induced by local overexpression of aSyn was assessed in mice that have an inactivating mutation of MC1R, overexpress its wild-type transgene, or were treated with MC1R agonists. The role of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in MC1R-mediated protection against αSyn was characterized in vitro. Furthermore, MC1R expression was determined in human postmortem midbrain from patients with PD and unaffected subjects.

Results

Targeted expression of αSyn in the nigrostriatal pathway induced exacerbated synuclein pathologies in MC1R mutant mice, which were accompanied by neuroinflammation and altered Nrf2 responses, and reversed by the human MC1R transgene. Two MC1R agonists were neuroprotective against αSyn-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity. In vitro experiments showed that Nrf2 was a necessary mediator of MC1R effects. Lastly, MC1R was present in dopaminergic neurons in the human substantia nigra and appeared to be reduced at the tissue level in PD patients.

Conclusion

Our study supports an interaction between MC1R and αSyn that can be mediated by neuronal MC1R possibly through Nrf2. It provides evidence for MC1R as a therapeutic target and a rationale for development of MC1R-activating strategies for PD.
Dendritic cell-based vaccine prolongs survival and time to next therapy independently of the vaccine cell number
Authors: Hawlina Simon , Chowdhury Helena H. , Smrkolj Tomaž , Zorec Robert
Published: February 2022

In 2009, new EU legislation regulating advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), consisting of gene therapy, tissue engineering and cell-based medicines, was introduced. Although less than 20 ATMPs were authorized since that time, the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2018 revived interest in developing new cancer immunotherapies involving significant manipulation of the patient's own immune cells, including lymphocytes and dendritic cells. The lymphocytes are mainly thought to directly affect tumour cells, dendritic cells are involved in indirect mechanisms by antigen presentation to other leukocytes orchestrating the immune response. It is the latter cells that are the focus of this brief review. Based on the recent results of our study treating patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with an immunohybridoma cell construct (termed aHyC), produced by electrofusion of autologous tumour and dendritic cells, we compare their effectiveness with a matched documented control group of patients. The results revealed that cancer-specific survival and the time to next in-line therapy (TTNT) were both significantly prolonged versus controls. When patients were observed for longer periods since the time of diagnosis of CRPC, 20% of patients had not yet progressed to the next in-line therapy even though the time under observation was ~ 80 months. Interestingly, analysis of survival of patients revealed that the effectiveness of treatment was independent of the number of cells in the vaccine used for treatment. It is concluded that autologous dendritic cell-based immunotherapy is a new possibility to treat not only CRPC but also other solid tumours.
Eco-evolutionary significance of domesticated retroelements in microbial genomes
Authors: Paul Blair G. , Eren A. Murat
Published: February 2022

Since the first discovery of reverse transcriptase in bacteria, and later in archaea, bacterial and archaeal retroelements have been defined by their common enzyme that coordinates diverse functions. Yet, evolutionary refinement has produced distinct retroelements across the tree of microbial life that are perhaps best described in terms of their programmed RNA—a compact sequence that preserves core information for a sophisticated mechanism. From this perspective, reverse transcriptase has been selected as the modular tool for carrying out nature’s instructions in various RNA templates. Beneficial retroelements—those that can provide a fitness advantage to their host—evolved to their extant forms in a wide array of microorganisms and their viruses, spanning nearly all habitats. Within each specialized retroelement class, several universal features seem to be shared across diverse taxa, while specific functional and mechanistic insights are based on only a few model retroelement systems from clinical isolates. Currently, little is known about the diversity of cellular functions and ecological significance of retroelements across different biomes. With increasing availability of isolate, metagenome-assembled, and single-amplified genomes, the taxonomic and functional breadth of prokaryotic retroelements is coming into clearer view. This review explores the recently characterized classes of beneficial, yet accessory retroelements of bacteria and archaea. We describe how these specialized mechanisms exploit a form of fixed mobility, whereby the retroelements do not appear to proliferate selfishly throughout the genome. Moreover, we discuss computational approaches for systematic identification of retroelements from vast sequence repositories and highlight recent discoveries in terms of their apparent distribution and ecological significance in nature. Lastly, we present a new perspective on the eco-evolutionary significance of these genetic elements in marine bacteria and demonstrate approaches that enable the characterization of their environmental diversity through metagenomics.
5-Methylcytosine profiles in mouse transcriptomes suggest the randomness of m5C formation catalyzed by RNA methyltransferase
Authors: Liu Junfeng
Published: February 2022

Objective

5-Methylcytosine (m5C) is a type of chemical modification on the nucleotides and is widespread in both DNA and RNA. Although the DNA m5C has been extensively studied over the past years, the distribution and biological function of RNA m5C still remain to be elucidated. Here, I explored the profiles of RNA m5C in four mouse tissues by applying a RNA cytosine methylation data analysis tool to public mouse RNA m5C data.

Results

I found that the methylation rates of cytosine were the same with the averages of methylation level at single-nucleotide level. Furthermore, I gave a mathematical formula to describe the observed relationship and analyzed it deeply. The sufficient necessary condition for the given formula suggests that the methylation levels at most m5C sites are the same in four mouse tissues. Therefore, I proposed a hypothesis that the m5C formation catalyzed by RNA methyltransferase is random and with the same probability at most m5C sites, which is the methylation rate of cytosine. My hypothesis can be used to explain the observed profiles of RNA m5C in four mouse tissues and will be benefit to future studies of the distribution and biological function of RNA m5C in mammals.
Prolidase deficiency, a rare inborn error of immunity, clinical phenotypes, immunological features, and proposed treatments in twins
Authors: Alrumayyan Nora , Slauenwhite Drew , McAlpine Sarah M. , Roberts Sarah , Issekutz Thomas B. , Huber Adam M. , Liu Zaiping , Derfalvi Beata
Published: February 2022

Background

Prolidase deficiency (PD) is an autosomal recessive inborn multisystemic disease caused by mutations in thePEPDgene encoding the enzyme prolidase D, leading to defects in turnover of proline-containing proteins, such as collagen. PD is categorized as a metabolic disease, but also as an inborn error of immunity. PD presents with a range of findings including dysmorphic features, intellectual disabilities, recurrent infections, intractable skin ulceration, autoimmunity, and splenomegaly. Despite symptoms of immune dysregulation, only very limited immunologic assessments have been reported and standard therapies for PD have not been described. We report twin females with PD, including comprehensive immunologic profiles and treatment modalities used.

Case presentation

Patient 1 had recurrent infections in childhood. At age 13, she presented with telangiectasia, followed by painful, refractory skin ulcerations on her lower limbs, where skin biopsy excluded vasculitis. She had typical dysmorphic features of PD. Next-generation sequencing revealed pathogenic compound heterozygous mutations (premature stop codons) in thePEPDgene. Patient 2 had the same mutations, typical PD facial features, atopy, and telangiectasias, but no skin ulceration. Both patients had imidodipeptiduria. Lymphocyte subset analysis revealed low-normal frequency of Tregcells and decreased frequency of expression of the checkpoint molecule CTLA-4 in CD4+TEMcells. Analysis of Th1, Th2, and Th17 profiles revealed increased inflammatory IL-17+CD8+TEMcells in both patients and overexpression of the activation marker HLA-DR on CD4+TEMcells, reflecting a highly activated proinflammatory state. Neither PD patient had specific antibody deficiencies despite low CD4+CXCR5+Tfhcells and low class-switched memory B cells. Plasma IL-18 levels were exceptionally high.

Conclusions

Immunologic abnormalities including skewed frequencies of activated inflammatory CD4+and CD8+TEMcells, decreased CTLA-4 expression, and defects in memory B cells may be a feature of immune dysregulation associated with PD; however, a larger sample size is required to validate these findings. The high IL-18 plasma levels suggest underlying autoinflammatory processes.
Exosomes from tendon derived stem cells promote tendon repair through miR-144-3p-regulated tenocyte proliferation and migration
Authors: Song Kai , Jiang Tao , Pan Pin , Yao Yao , Jiang Qing
Published: February 2022

Background

Tendon derived stem cells (TDSCs) have proven to be effective in tendon repair by secreting paracrine factors, which modulate the function of resident cells and inflammatory process. Exosomes, which are secreted from cells to mediate intercellular communication, may be used to treat tendon injuries. Here, we aimed to determine the effects of exosomes from TDSCs (TDSC-Exos) on tendon repair and to explore the underlying mechanism by investigating the role of microRNAs (miRNAs).

Methods

TDSC-Exos were isolated from TDSC conditioned medium. In vitro studies were performed to investigate the effects of TDSC-Exos on the proliferation, migration, cytoprotection, collagen production and tendon-specific markers expression in tenocytes. In order to determine the therapeutic effects of TDSC-Exos in vivo, we used a scaffold of photopolymerizable hyaluronic acid (p-HA) loaded with TDSC-Exos (pHA-TDSC-Exos) to treat tendon defects in the rat model. Subsequently, RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were used to screen for enriched miRNAs in TDSC-Exos and predict target genes. The miRNA-target transcript interaction was confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. In order to determine the role of candidate miRNA and its target gene in TDSC-Exos-regulated tendon repair, miRNA mimic and inhibitor were transfected into tenocytes to evaluate cell proliferation and migration.

Results

Treatment with TDSC-Exos promoted proliferation, migration, type I collagen production and tendon-specific markers expression in tenocytes, and also protected tenocytes from oxidative stress and serum deprivation. The scaffold of pHA-TDSC-Exos could sever as a sustained release system to treat the rat model of tendon defects. In vivo study showed that TDSC-Exos promoted early healing of injured tendons. Rats treated with TDSC-Exos had better fiber arrangement and histological scores at the injury site. Besides, the injured tendons treated with TDSC-Exos had better performance in the biomechanical testing. Therefore, the pHA-TDSC-Exos scaffold proved to facilitate tendon repair in the rat model. miR-144-3p was enriched in TDSC-Exos and promoted tenocyte proliferation and migration via targeting AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A).

Conclusions

TDSC-Exos enhanced tenon repair through miR-144-3p-regulated tenocyte proliferation and migration. These results suggest that TDSC-Exos can serve as a promising strategy to treat tendon injuries.
A large osteoderm-bearing rib from the Upper Triassic Kössen Formation (Norian/Rhaetian) of eastern Switzerland
Authors: Scheyer Torsten M. , Oberli Urs , Klein Nicole , Furrer Heinz
Published: February 2022

An important component of the Alpine vertebrate record of Late Triassic age derives from the Kössen Formation, which crops out extensively in the eastern Alps. Here, we present an isolated and only partially preserved large rib, which carries an osteoderm on a low uncinate process. Osteological comparison indicates that the specimen likely belongs to a small clade of marine reptiles, Saurosphargidae. Members of the clade are restricted to the western (today Europe) and eastern margins of the Tethys (today China) and were so far known only from the Anisian stage of the Middle Triassic. The assignment of the new find to cf. Saurosphargidae, with potential affinities to the genus Largocephalosaurus from the Guanling Formation of Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces, China, would extend the occurrence of the clade about 35 million years into the Late Triassic.
Electric circuit element boundary conditions in the finite element method for full-wave passive electromagnetic devices
Authors: Ciuprina Gabriela , Ioan Daniel , Sabariego Ruth V.
Published: February 2022

A natural coupling of a circuit with an electromagnetic device is possible if special boundary conditions, called Electric Circuit Element (ECE), are used for the electromagnetic field formulation. This contribution shows how these ECE boundary conditions can be implemented into the 3D-finite element method for solving coupled full-wave electromagnetic (EM) field-circuit problems in the frequency domain. The frequency response allows the extraction of a reduced order model of the analyzed device, accounting for all the EM field effects. The implementation is based on a weak formulation that uses the electric field strength E strictly inside the domain and a scalar potential V defined solely at the boundary. Edge elements for E are used inside the three-dimensional domain and nodal elements for V are used on its two-dimensional boundary. The weak formulation is described and implemented in the free environment Open Numerical Engineering LABoratory (onelab). The validation is carried out on 3D examples.
Dissipation patterns of acrinathrin and metaflumizone in Aster scaber
Authors: Lee Somin , Ko Rakdo , Lee Kwanghun , Kim Jinchan , Kang Seokhyeon , Lee Jiho
Published: February 2022

The establishment of preharvest residue limits (PHRLs) is important to minimize damage to producer and consumers caused by agricultural products which pesticide residue exceeds maximum residue limits (MRLs). Dissipation patterns of acrinathrin and metaflumizone in Aster scaber in greenhouse were studied during 10 days in order to determine a pre-harvest interval after application. Acrinathrin and metaflumizone were applied in two different greenhouse, located in Taean-gun (field 1) and Gwangyang-si (field 2). Samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after insecticides application. The recoveries of two insecticides analyzed by LC–MS/MS and HPLC–DAD were ranged from 77.1 to 111.3%. The half-lives of acrinathrin and metaflumizone residues respectively were 3.8 and 5.9 days in field 1 and 9.2 and 4.5 days in field 2. The PHRLs 10 days before harvesting A. scaber were 0.610 mg/kg (field 1), 0.946 mg/kg (field 2) for acrinathrin, and 5.930 mg/kg (field 1), 5.147 mg/kg (field 2) for metaflumizone. This results can be used as basic data for the establishment of PHRL in A. scaber.
Prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Nigatu Balkachew , Workneh Tigist , Mekuria Thomas , Yifter Helen , Mamuye Yeshiwondim , Gize Addisu
Published: February 2022

Background

The prevalence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) varies worldwide among racial and ethnic groups, population characteristics (eg, average age and body mass index (BMI) of pregnant women), testing method, and diagnostic criteria. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of GDM using the one-step 75-g Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) protocol, with plasma glucose measurement taken when patient is fasting and at 1 and 2 h and identify associated risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic at St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

Institution based cross sectional study was conducted from April, 2017 to October, 2017 at antenatal care clinic of SPHMMC among a randomly selected sample of 390 eligible pregnant women. Data were collected using a pretested questioner using 5% of the total sample size and later was modified accordingly to capture all the necessary data. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test and Binary Logistic Regression were used for analysis using SPSS version 23.0.

Results

The prevalence of GDM among the study population was 16.9%. Factors that affect prevalence of GDM were age group (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.03, 7.35 for 30–34 years old and AOR = 4.98, 95% CI: 1.703, 14.578 for ≥ 35 years old)and BMI (AOR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.21, 4.11).

Conclusions

The prevalence of GDM among the study population is higher than previous reports in Ethiopia and even in other countries. This implies that these women and their newborns might be exposed to increased risk of immediate and long term complications from GDM including future risk of GDM and Type II Diabetes Mellitus.
Progression of retinal vascularization after intravitreal anti-vascular-endothelial growth factor therapy in retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Mirghorbani Masoud , Rashidinia Ali , Yaseri Mehdi , Zarei Mohammad , Khojasteh Hassan , Bazvand Fatemeh , Modjtahedi Bobeck S.
Published: February 2022

Background

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF) therapy is now considered as one of standard therapies in approaching infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). The purpose of this study was to assess the time to full retinal vascularization in infants with ROP who were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB).

Methods

This retrospective cohort study evaluated premature infants with ROP who were treated with IVB between 2012 and 2019. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the medical records and analyzed. Main outcomes were defined as time to complete vascularization and time of zone shift.

Results

Eight hundred sixty-five eyes from 441 patients were included. Average gestational age and birth weight were 28 ± 4 weeks and 1121 ± 624 g, respectively. Primary treatment failure and reactivation occurred in 35 eyes (4.0%) and 33 eyes (3.8%), respectively. Recurrent ROP occurred significantly more frequently in infants with pre-treatment zone 1 ROP compared to those with zone 2 ROP (7.6% versus 3%, p < 0.01). Patients with pre-treatment zone 2 reached zone 3 faster than those with pre-treatment zone 1 (142 ± 152 days versus 181 ± 174 days, p < 0.01); however, the time until full retinal vascularization did not significantly differ between the groups (p = 0.10).

Conclusion

This study revealed that pre-treatment ROP zone was associated with ROP reactivation rate but not with time to full vascularization in those treated with IVB.

Trial registration Retrospectively registered; IR.TUMS.FARABI.REC.1399.040
Orthopaedic interventions in occipital horn syndrome: a rare case of mutation in ATP7A gene
Authors: Kaczmarek Agata , Kasprzyk Maciej , Koch Aleksander , Szymanski Arthur
Published: February 2022

Background

Occipital horn syndrome is a rare, X-linked recessive, connective tissue disorder caused by abnormal copper transporter proteins coded by the ATP7A gene. 32 cases have been reported worldwide to date. Clinically, patients typically present with inguinal hernia, exostosis, cutis laxa, and bladder diverticula. Orthopaedic problems often include exostosis of the elbows, thoracolumbar scoliosis, thoracic cavity deformities, and joint hypermobility due to joint laxity.

Case presentation

An 18-year-old presented with occipital horn syndrome and was treated for flat-valgus foot and posterior dislocation of the elbow joints. Due to collagen structure abnormalities, vulnerability to joint deformation makes treating patients with occipital horn syndrome challenging as they need complex orthopaedic intervention.

Conclusion

There is no effective causal therapy for this condition. Surgical procedures can help patients improve their physical condition and maintain adequate joint range of motion.
Primary Ewing’s sarcoma of the kidney: a rare masquerader of renal cell carcinoma on imaging
Authors: Choudhury Apratim Roy , Jain Swarna Gupta , Reghunath Anjuna , Ghasi Rohini Gupta , Kaur Navpreet , Kolte Sachin
Published: February 2022

Background

The Ewing sarcoma family of tumors comprises a group of high-grade small round cell tumors, including Ewing sarcoma of bone, extra-skeletal Ewing sarcoma, peripheral primitive neuro-ectodermal tumor (PNET), and Askin tumor (thoraco-pulmonary PNET). They are more prevalent in young children and adolescents. Ewing's Sarcoma is an aggressive tumor majorly described in bones. Primary renal Ewing's sarcoma is an extremely rare entity, characterized by a very aggressive course, with very few reported cases in the literature.

Case presentation

We present an 18-year-old girl who presented with sudden onset left flank pain and hematuria. The patient had histopathology-proven primary renal Ewing's sarcoma, which was initially misdiagnosed as renal cell carcinoma on imaging.

Conclusions

Owing to its non-specific radiological appearance, a high index of suspicion and a systematic approach is essential for detection of renal Ewing’s Sarcoma.
Role of social media tools in online teaching: perception of physiotherapy students and knowledge translation
Authors: Ganesh G. Shankar , Mishra Mrutyunjaya , Dalei Narendra N. , Khan Shabana , Ranjan Rajeev , Dhiman Sapna
Published: February 2022

Background

During the COVID-19 lockdown period many education institutions have shifted their focus from the traditional face-to-face education to online instruction mainly through various social media (SM) tools. However, it is not known if these results can be generalized across locations where infrastructure facilities are unevenly distributed. Further, no previous work has explored the role played by SM tools in knowledge translation. The objectives of this work are 1. To evaluate the students perceptions on the accessibility and acceptability of SM tools via an anonymous online survey and 2. Assess the efficacy of SM tools as an educational medium in imparting knowledge change.

An online survey using an anonymous web-based questionnaire was conducted to assess the student’s accessibility and acceptability of SM tools as a direct information sharing pathway between the faculty and students. A randomized comparative design was utilized to evaluate knowledge change via an online examination administered 10 min before and after an online class delivered via 2 different SM platforms (Google meet, YouTube) and e-mail.

Results

Data were obtained from 627 participants through a survey. Though 71.1% of the respondents believed online classes have helped them in their study, only 21.4% and 22.6% of the participants strongly agreed that social networking platforms are helpful for teaching and will be used for teaching/learning in the future respectively. The ANOVA responses to evaluate knowledge transfer from 224 participants who were randomized to receive course content through Google meet, YouTube, and e-mail showed no significant differences in outcomes before and after the delivery of contents.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that multiple external and internal factors need to be addressed before substituting classroom teaching with online teaching, especially during emergencies.
AMP-activated protein kinase promotes breast cancer stemness and drug resistance
Authors: Andugulapati Sai Balaji , Sundararaman Ananthalakshmy , Lahiry Mohini , Rangarajan Annapoorni
Published: February 2022

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are a major cause of therapy resistance and tumour progression. Currently, their regulation is not entirely understood. Previous work from our laboratory demonstrated a context-specific pro-tumorigenic role for AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) under anchorage-deprivation and mammosphere formation, which are hallmarks of BCSCs. Therefore, we investigated the role of AMPK in the maintenance of BCSC state/function. AMPK depletion reduces serial sphere formation in vitro and tumour initiation in vivo. Intriguingly, tumour-derived cell analysis using stem cell markers and functional assays revealed that AMPK is required for the maintenance of BCSC populations in vivo. AMPK promotes the expression of stemness genes such as NANOG, SOX2 and BMI1 through the transcriptional upregulation of TWIST via promoter acetylation. Further, AMPK-driven stemness plays a critical role in doxorubicin resistance. Significantly, AMPK activity increased after chemotherapy in patient-derived tumour samples alongside an increase in stemness markers. Importantly, AMPK depletion sensitises mouse tumours to doxorubicin treatment. Our work indicates that targeting of AMPK in conjunction with regular chemotherapy is likely to reduce the stem cell pool and improve chemosensitivity in breast cancers.
Real-Time Wireless Tumor Tracking in Navigated Liver Resections: An Ex Vivo Feasibility Study
Authors: Eppenga Roeland , Heerink Wout , Smit Jasper , Kuhlmann Koert , Ruers Theo , Nijkamp Jasper
Published: February 2022

Background

Surgical navigation systems generally require intraoperative steps, such as intraoperative imaging and registration, to link the system to the patient anatomy. Because this hampers surgical workflow, we developed a plug-and-play wireless navigation system that does not require any intraoperative steps. In this ex vivo study on human hepatectomy specimens, the feasibility was assessed of using this navigation system to accurately resect a planned volume with small margins to the lesion.

Methods

For ten hepatectomy specimens, a planning CT was acquired in which a virtual spherical lesion with 5 mm margin was delineated, inside the healthy parenchyma. Using two implanted trackers, the real-time position of this planned resection volume was visualized on a screen, relative to the used tracked pointer. Experienced liver surgeons were asked to accurately resect the nonpalpable planned volume, fully relying on the navigation screen. Resected and planned volumes were compared using CT.

Results

The surgeons resected the planned volume while cutting along its border with a mean accuracy of − 0.1 ± 2.4 mm and resected 98 ± 12% of the planned volume. Nine out of ten resections were radical and one case showed a cut of 0.8 mm into the lesion. The sessions took approximately 10 min each, and no considerable technical issues were encountered.

Conclusions

This ex vivo liver study showed that it is feasible to accurately resect virtual hepatic lesions with small planned margins using our novel navigation system, which is promising for clinical applications where nonpalpable hepatic metastases have to be resected with small resection margins.
Aerobic Fitness Is Associated with Cerebral μ-Opioid Receptor Activation in Healthy Humans
Authors: SAANIJOKI TIINA , KANTONEN TATU , PEKKARINEN LAURA , KALLIOKOSKI KARI , HIRVONEN JUSSI , MALÉN TUULIA , TUOMINEN LAURI , TUULARI JETRO J. , ARPONEN EVELIINA , NUUTILA PIRJO , NUMMENMAA LAURI
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Central μ-opioid receptors (MORs) modulate affective responses to physical exercise. Individuals with higher aerobic fitness report greater exercise-induced mood improvements than those with lower fitness, but the link between cardiorespiratory fitness and the MOR system remains unresolved. Here we tested whether maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) and physical activity level are associated with cerebral MOR availability and whether these phenotypes predict endogenous opioid release after a session of exercise.

Methods

We studied 64 healthy lean men who performed a maximal incremental cycling test for V̇O2peak determination, completed a questionnaire assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; in minutes per week), and underwent positron emission tomography with [11C]carfentanil, a specific radioligand for MOR. A subset of 24 subjects underwent additional positron emission tomography scan also after a 1-h session of moderate-intensity exercise and 12 of them also after a bout of high-intensity interval training.

Results

Higher self-reported MVPA level predicted greater opioid release after high-intensity interval training, and both V̇O2peak and MVPA level were associated with a larger decrease in cerebral MOR binding after aerobic exercise in the ventral striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and insula. That is, more trained individuals showed greater opioid release acutely after exercise in brain regions especially relevant for reward and cognitive processing. Fitness was not associated with MOR availability.

Conclusions

We conclude that regular exercise training and higher aerobic fitness may induce neuroadaptation within the MOR system, which might contribute to improved emotional and behavioral responses associated with long-term exercise.
Transition from monolithic to microservice-based applications. Challenges from the developer perspective
Authors: Makris Antonios , Tserpes Konstantinos , Varvarigou Theodora
Published: February 2022

Microservices have taken the world of software development by storm. Application developers are struggling to understand the new concepts and make the transition by the so-called ``monolithic'' application approach to microservices. This paper touches upon this delicate issue, providing a more concrete view of the developers' concerns together with recent responses to these concerns. The objective is to place the concept of microservices in the most up-to-date context and shed some light in the challenges that puzzle the developers the most while they attempt to make use of this development and design style.
The Tartu Peace Treaty of February 1920 and its aftermath: A case for Russian-Estonian conciliation (a contemporary view from Russia)
Authors: Khudoley Konstantin
Published: February 2022

Artikkel käsitleb rahvusvahelisi suhteid Esimese maailmasõja järel, keskendudes 1920. aastal Nõukogude Venemaa ja Eesti Vabariigi vahel sõlmitud Tartu rahulepingule, mis tähistas iseseisva Eesti riigi sündi. Tegemist oli esimese leppega, mis sõlmitud väikese kapitalistliku ja suure sotsialistliku riigi vahel. Ühtlasi sümboliseeris see muutust Nõukogude Venemaa poliitikas, olles peaprooviks Venemaa ja Lääne-Euroopa riikide suhete normaliseerumisele. Erinevate sotsiaal-majanduslike mudelite ja vastastikkuse usaldamatuse tõttu ei suutnud leping tagada ka 1920.–30. aastatel lõpuni rahumeelset koostööd kahe riigi vahel.

Tartu rahu on jäänud siiani äärmiselt lõhestavaks küsimuseks. Vastakate arvamuste peamiseks põhjuseks on asjaolu, et pärast Nõukogude Liidu lagunemist arenesid Venemaa ja Eesti ühiskondlikult ja majanduslikult väga erinevates suundades. Pinged ja eriarvamused ei välista siiski võimalust leida vaidlusalustes küsimustes lahendusi. Kõige olulisem neist on piirileppe sõlmimine. Tartu rahulepingu sõlmimisel tehtud kompromissid võivad aidata lahendada ka kaasaegseid probleeme Venemaa ja Eesti vahelistes suhetes.
O kwietnych dywanach…
Authors: Wróblewska Violetta
Published: February 2022

Recenzja: Katarzyna Smyk, Obrzęd jako tekst kultury. Przykład Bożego Ciała w Spycimierzu, seria „Ścieżki Kultury”,Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin 2020.
Swojscy obcy
Authors: Kalniuk Tomasz
Published: February 2022

Recenzja: Olga Zadurska, Naznaczeni od Pana Boga. Obcy wśród swoich na wsi polskiej XIX i początku XX wieku, Wydawnictwo Scholar, Warszawa 2021.
Dealing with the Social Media Polycontextuality of Work
Authors: Vaast Emmanuelle , Pinsonneault Alain
Published: February 2022

Practice and Policy Oriented Abstract

This article views social media for work not only as technologies that enable people to do certain things, but also as contexts with emerging norms and roles in which people participated. As they do so, people are confronted with opportunities and challenges that are inherent to social media polycontextuality, that is, with multiple social media–based contexts of relevance to work. This study offers guidance for people on how their participation in multiple social media contexts affects their work positively and negatively and how they can manage the associated opportunities and challenges. It also reveals how people’s engagement with social media polycontextuality may change as their employment status and work experiences evolve. Moreover, this study holds managerial implications by bringing awareness to how employees’ participation in social media contexts bypasses the organization and, thus, their typical purview but is still associated with work rather than leisure. Managers can understand better their employees’ situations and examine how social media contexts affect them within and beyond organizational boundaries and shape what they can or cannot do in their work. A better understanding of social media polycontextuality also brings managers new insights to communicate with employees.
Conveying Demand Information in Serial Supply Chains with Capacity Limits
Authors: Kapuściński Roman , Parker Rodney P.
Published: February 2022

Supply chains are distributed across multiple locations, and to effectively manage inventory in these channels requires knowledge of inventory levels at many sites. Such information is changing dynamically, so it is unrealistic to expect such information to be readily available, especially in channels with production capacity limits. In “Conveying Demand Information in Serial Supply Chains with Capacity Limits,” Kapuscinski and Parker show that local information alone is sufficient to effectively manage inventory in capacity-limited supply chains. In supply chains with capacity limits, the retailer does not faithfully pass the demand information to her supplier but sends censored information in her order. Despite censoring, these orders contain sufficient information for the modified echelon base-stock policy, a full-information policy, to be mimicked. They provide evidence using numerical experiments and analytical bounds that the modified echelon base-stock policy performs superbly. Also, they describe information requirements used in supply chain literature and demonstrate that with an incentive-compatible mechanism, similar to Lee and Whang (2000), local managers will follow the centralized inventory policy.
Hearing Loss and Sixth Cranial Nerve Paresis after COVID-19
Authors: Lorenzo Villalba Noel , Pierre Léa , Guerrero-Niño Javier , Jannot Xavier , Andrès Emmanuel
Published: February 2022

An 80-year-old patient was admitted to the internal medicine department for binocular diplopia and hearing loss with sudden onset. The patient had presented with SARS-CoV-2 infection 3 weeks previously and had been admitted to hospital. Complete work-up including autoimmunity, serum and LCR viral serology and MRI did not allow a diagnosis to be established. The hypothesis of a microvascular origin or the previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was considered. The latter was retained in light of the temporal relationship, the absence of other pathologies after exhaustive work-up, and the clinical evolution.
Innovations in the Professional Activity of Teachers as a Leading Reference Point of Work of Institutions of Higher Pedagogical Education
Authors:   MI ", Petrychenko Larysa ,   Kharkiv Humanitarian and Pedagogical Academy",   of the Kharkiv Regional Council
Published: February 2022

The article reveals the current problem of preparing future teachers to work in conditions of modernization of the education system, the rapid introduction of various innovations in professional teaching activities. Innovation in education is considered as an approach and method that provides a planned qualitative change of professional relations in educational institutions in the direction of strengthening the innovative potential of the educational environment to solve the problem of training future professionals to work in the informatization of educational space, implementation of inclusive approach and non-discrimination and other innovation challenges. The innovative component of the functions of modern school teachers is revealed and characterized, which become extremely multiple and, in addition to the traditional didactic, provide consultative, diagnostic, correctional and developmental, organizational and methodological, medical and social and others. Based on the study of the experience of training future teachers in free economic education and the results of the survey of higher education and teachers, it is established that special attention in the educational process should be paid to modernizing the content of education and improving training technologies for future professionals. It is proved that such methods and techniques are effective in teaching pedagogical disciplines, in which the applicants themselves take an active part in learning, gaining innovative professional experience.