bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differential gut microbiome in spondyloarthritis patients associated to Blastocystis colonization
Authors: Nieto-Clavijo Carlos , Morales Liliana , Marquez-Ortíz Ricaurte Alejandro , Romero-Sánchez Consuelo , Ramos-Casallas Alejandro , Escobar-Perez Javier , Bautista-Molano Wilson , Bello-Gualtero Juan Manuel , Chaparro-Olaya Jacqueline
Published: April 2023

The role ofBlastocystisin intestinal health is an open controversy, and little is known about the potential effect of this microorganism in autoinflammatory diseases such as spondyloarthritis (SpA). Here, we analyzed the gut microbiome of 36 SpA-patients and 13 control individuals and demonstrated that the richness, diversity, and taxonomic composition between these two groups are different. We also showed that colonization byBlastocystisin control individuals increases the richness and diversity of the intestinal microbiome, whereas in SpA-patients, it does not seem to have any impact. This may reflect a potential role ofBlastocystisin sculpting the gut microbiome architecture in control individuals, whereas in subjects with SpA, the modulation of the microbiome may be governed by disease-dependent factors that cannot be overcome byBlastocystis. Regarding taxonomic characterization, SpA-patients colonized byBlastocystisshowed significant increases in the phylumProteobacteria, classGammaproteobacteria, familySuccinivibrionaceae, and genusSuccinivibrio. Simultaneously, there were significant increases in the classBacilli, orderLactobacillales, familiesLactobacillaceaeandClostridiaceae, and generaLactobacillusandClostridiumin non-colonized SpA-patients. On the other hand, PICRUSt analysis inBlastocystis-positive SpA-patients showed elevations in pathways that may enhance antioxidant capacities and alleviate intestinal inflammation, whileBlastocystis-negative SpA-patients showed significant changes in pathways that promote cell division/proliferation and can lead to larger changes in the gut microbiome. Our analyses lead us to believe that these changes in the gut microbiome of SpA-patients may trigger protective mechanisms as an initial response to inflammation in an attempt to restore balance in the intestinal environment.
Bronchial oncocytic carcinoma in an adult: a case report and literature review
Authors: Shen yifan , Wang Cheng-Long , Chu Zhi-Gang , Cao You-De , Luo Yan , Zhang Yang-Li , Cao Yi-Jia
Published: April 2023

Background:
Lung salivary-type tumors originating from bronchial submucosal glands are rare, only four types of salivary gland-type tumors are listed in 2015 WHO classification of lung tumors. Here, we report a rare case of oncocytic carcinoma (OC) in the right main bronchus.
Case presentation:
A 34-year-old man presented to our hospital with a two-month history of recurrent hemoptysis and with one month of inspiratory dyspnea. Pulmonary function tests showed mild restrictive ventilatory dysfunction and severe diffusion dysfunction. Furthermore, the flow volume loop showed a variable extra-thoracic obstruction. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed that a polypiform nodule of 13 mm in diameter was at the proximal right main bronchus. Testing for purified protein derivative was positive (category 2). The nodule was resected under bronchoscopy. The bronchial aspirate was negative for mycobacterium tuberculosis and tumor cells. The biopsy sample showed a solid and acinar predominant pattern with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm. The bronchial mucosa was destroyed and replaced by tumor cells. The loose edematous stromal reaction could be seen in a local area. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for CK, EMA, Vimentin, CD117, CK7, S100, Mammaglobin and SOX10. Only scattered tumor cells were stained by basal cell markers, including CK5/6, P40 and P63. Electron microscopy revealed numerous swelling mitochondria with lacking mitochondrial cristae in tumor cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing for MAML2 and ETV6 rearrangement were negative. Next-generation sequencing analysis of 520 genes in the tissue biopsy specimen showed no somatic mutation. The diagnosis of OC was made. Subsequently, the patient underwent a right upper lobectomy with sleeve resection of the main bronchus and lymph dissection. No recurrent evidence was seen during two years of chest CT follow-up.
Conclusions:
To our knowledge, this is the first case of primary OC in the bronchus. This patient has no recurrence during two years of follow-up, indicating that primary OC in the bronchus has the same favorable prognosis as in salivary glands. Moreover, complete excision and thorough sampling to know the invasive growth pattern is important to reach the correct diagnosis.
High-normal serum bilirubin is a useful indicator to assess the risk of diabetic retinopathy in type 2 diabetes: A real-world study
Authors: Li Lian-Xi , Xu Man-Rong , Wang Jun-Wei , Ma Yi-Lin , Wang Yu-Jie , Li Meng-Han , Lu Jun-Xi
Published: April 2023

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of serum bilirubin within normal range, especially unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsIn this cross-sectional, real-world study, 7617 T2DM patients were stratified into quartiles based on serum UCB levels. DR was determined by digital fundus photography and further classified into non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and PDR. The associations of serum bilirubin levels and UCB quartiles with DR were investigated by logistic regression analysis.ResultsAfter controlling for age, sex, and diabetes duration, the DR prevalence was significantly decreased across the serum UCB quartiles (40.4%, 33.4%, 29.7%, 26.6% for each quartile, respectively, p < 0.001 for trend). The subjects with DR had lower serum total bilirubin (TB) and UCB, rather than conjugated bilirubin (CB), compared with those without DR (p = 0.003 for TB, p < 0.001 for UCB, and p = 0.528 for CB, respectively), while all three types of serum bilirubin in the subjects with PDR were obviously lower than those with NPDR (p = 0.006 for TB, and p < 0.001 for UCB and CB, respectively). After adjustment for confounding factors, logistic regression demonstrated negative associations of serum TB and UCB levels, rather than CB, with the presence of DR (OR: 0.844, 95%CI: 0.774–0.920, p < 0.001 for TB; OR: 0.828, 95%CI: 0.763–0.899, p < 0.001 for UCB; and OR: 0.984, 95%CI: 0.900-1.074, p = 0.713 for CB, respectively). Additionally, a fully-adjusted analysis revealed a negative correlation between UCB quartiles and DR (p < 0.001).ConclusionsHigh-normal serum TB and UCB were closely associated with the decreased risk of DR, while all types of serum bilirubin were negatively correlated with the severity of DR in T2DM. Serum bilirubin may be used as a potential indicator to assess the risk and severity of DR in T2DM.
Burden in caregivers of primary care patients with dementia: Influence of neuropsychiatric symptoms according to disease stage (NeDEM project)
Authors: García-Martín Victoria , de Hoyos-Alonso M Canto , Ariza-Cardiel Gloria , Delgado-Puebla Rosalía , Cura-González Isabel del
Published: April 2023

Background Caregiver burden is related to personal factors and patient characteristics and is greater when neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) are present. Objective: Estimate the prevalence of burden among caregivers of dementia patients and its association with NPSs and identify NPSs causing greater caregiver distress according to dementia stage.Methods Cross-sectional observational study in caregivers of noninstitutionalized dementia patients. Caregiver variables: sociodemographic, time of care, NPS-associated distress based on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Caregiver Distress Scale (NPI-D) and burden based on the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Patient variables: time since disease onset, Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) disease stage, functional assessment and NPS presence and intensity according to the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). The mean ZBI score, prevalence of burden and NPI-D score with 95% CIs at each dementia stage were estimated. Factors associated with burden were identified by multivariate analysis.Results Of the 125 caregivers included, 77.6% were women, with a mean age of 60.7 (± 14.3) years; 78.4% (95% CI: 71.0; 86.0) experienced burden. The mean ZBI score was 12.3 (95% CI: 11.6; 12.9) and increased according to NPS number (p = 0.042). The NPSs causing the most burden were disinhibition (93.5%), irritability (87.3%) and agitation (86.1%). Agitation, apathy, and sleep disorders were the NPSs generating the greatest overall caregiver distress; depression (max NPI-D 1.9), hyperactivity (max NPI-D 2.1), and psychosis symptoms (max NPI-D 1.6) generated the greatest distress at stage GDS 3, stages GDS 4–5, and stages GDS 6–7, respectively. The NPI score (OR = 1.0, 95% CI 1.0; 1.1), intensity of irritability (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0; 1.6), disinhibition (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.1; 5.2) and hyperactivity subsyndrome (OR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0; 1.2) were associated with caregiver burden. Other associated factors were female gender (OR = 6.0, 95% CI 1.6; 22.8), ≥ 8 hours daily care (OR = 5.6, 95% CI 1.4; 22.8), working outside the home (OR = 7.6, 95% CI 1.8; 31.8), living with the patient (OR = 4.5, 95% CI 1.1; 19.6), kinship (OR = 5.4, 95% CI 1.0; 28.2) and lower patient education (OR = 8.3, 95% CI 2.3; 30.3).Conclusions The burden on caregivers of dementia patients is high and associated with NPS presence and intensity. Disinhibition and irritability caused the highest burden. Depression, hyperactivity and psychosis produce more distress in mild, mild-moderate and severe dementia, respectively.
Multi-Module G2P Converter for Persian Focusing on Relations between Words
Authors: Rezaei Mahdi , Nayeri Negar , Farzi Saeed , Sameti Hossein
Published: April 2023

Grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) is the task of converting a grapheme sequence into its pronunciation sequence. It is an essential component of text-to-speech (TTS) and speech recognition systems for any language lacking consistent pronunciation rules. Persian is a low-resource language with more homograph complexities than languages such as English. In this paper, we investigate the application of integrated and multi-module frameworks for G2P conversion for the Persian language. The results demonstrate that our proposed multi-module G2P system outperforms our integrated systems in terms of accuracy and speed. The system consists of a pronunciation dictionary as our look-up table, along with separate models to handle homographs, OOVs and ezafe in Persian created using GRU and Transformer architectures. The system is sequence-level rather than word-level, which allows it to effectively capture the unwritten relations between words (cross-word information) necessary for homograph disambiguation and ezafe recognition without the need for any pre-processing. After evaluation, our system achieved a 94.48% word-level accuracy, outperforming the previous G2P systems for Persian.
GBS-YOLOv5: Improved Algorithm for UAV Intelligent Transportation Based on YOLOv5
Authors: Liu Haiying , Duan Xuehu , Lou Haitong , Chen Haonan , Gu Jason , Bi Lingyun
Published: April 2023

As the road traffic situation becomes complex, the task of traffic management takes on an increasingly heavy load. The air-to-ground traffic administration network of drones has become an important tool to promote the high quality of traffic police work in many places. Drones can be used instead of a large number of human beings to perform daily tasks, as: traffic offense detection, daily crowd detection, etc. UAVs are less accurate at detecting drones because they operate from the air and take pictures of small targets. To address the problem of low accuracy of UAVs in detecting small targets, we proposed the GBS-YOLOv5 model. It was an improvement on the original YOLOv5 model. The default YOLOv5 model suffered from severe loss of small target information and under-utilization of shallow feature information as the depth of the feature extraction network deepened. We deepened the feature extraction network by introducing an efficient spatiotemporal interaction (ESI) module. We added the spatial pyramid convolution (SPC) module as a detection head for tiny-sized targets. A shallow bottleneck (SB) was introduced to better preserve the detailed information of small targets in the shallow features. The introduction of recursive gated convolution in the feature fusion section enabled better interaction of higher-order spatial semantic information. The GBS-YOLOv5 algorithm conducted experiments showing that the value of mAP@0.5 was 35.3% and the mAP@0.5:0.95 was 20.0%. Compared to the default YOLOv5 algorithm was boosted by 4.0% and 3.5% respectively.
Optogenetic Targeting of Astrocytes Restores Slow Brain Rhythm Function and Slows Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology
Authors: Lee Yee Fun , Russ Alyssa N. , Zhao Qiuchen , Maci Megi , Miller Morgan R. , Hou Steven S. , Algamal Moustafa , Zhao Zhuoyang , Li Hanyan , Gelwan Noah , Gomperts Stephen N. , Araque Alfonso , Galea Elena , Bacskai Brian J. , Kastanenka Ksenia V.
Published: April 2023

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) exhibit non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep disturbances in addition to memory deficits. Disruption of NREM slow waves occurs early in the disease progression and is recapitulated in transgenic mouse models of beta-amyloidosis. However, the mechanisms underlying slow-wave disruptions remain unknown. Because astrocytes contribute to slow-wave activity, we used multiphoton microscopy and optogenetics to investigate whether they contribute to slow-wave disruptions in APP mice. The power but not the frequency of astrocytic calcium transients was reduced in APP mice compared to nontransgenic controls. Optogenetic activation of astrocytes at the endogenous frequency of slow waves restored slow-wave power, reduced amyloid deposition, prevented neuronal calcium elevations, and improved memory performance. Our findings revealed malfunction of the astrocytic network driving slow-wave disruptions. Thus, targeting astrocytes to restore circuit activity underlying sleep and memory disruptions in AD could ameliorate disease progression.
The changing pattern of common respiratory viruses among children from 2018-2021 in Wuhan, China
Authors: Wan Lu , Li Liangyu , Zhang Haiyue , Liu Chan , Li Ruiyun , Wu Xiaojun , Chen Jianjun
Published: April 2023

Background Acute respiratory infections in children are a global public health challenge. Owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions, including patient isolation, social distancing, handwashing, and mask wearing, have been widely implemented, impacting the transmission of common respiratory viruses. We aimed to clarify the epidemiological features of respiratory viruses in children aged under 14 years in Wuhan before and after COVID-19.Methods Respiratory specimens were collected from patients aged < 14 years at two hospitals in Wuhan, China, from January 2018 to December 2021. Seven respiratory viruses were identified using immunofluorescence. Pathogen profiles and seasonality were analysed.Results The number of visits and virus detection rate decreased dramatically after February 2020. The respiratory virus detection rate peaked in January and December and decreased dramatically in February and August. The detection rate was lower in 2021 than in 2018 and 2019. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was identified as the leading pathogen in children aged < 1 year and 1–4 years before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In children aged 5–14 years, influenza virus was detected with the highest rate before, and RSV after, the COVID-19 pandemic. RSV was the most common coinfection virus.Conclusions This study revealed the epidemiological patterns of common respiratory viruses from 2018 to 2021. The spectrum of pathogens involved in paediatric respiratory infection partly changed. Non-pharmaceutical interventions offered fewer opportunities for spread of common viruses, also induced an “immunity debt” and could have negative consequences when the pandemic is under control in Wuhan.
Predicting public mental health needs in a crisis using situational indicators and social media emotions: A Singapore big data study
Authors: Othman Nur Atiqah , Panchapakesan Chitra , Zhang Mila , Loh Siyuan , Gupta Raj , Martanto Wijaya , Phang Ye Sheng , Morris Robert , Loke Wai Chiong , Tan Kelvin Bryan , Subramaniam Mythily , Yang Yinping
Published: April 2023

Mental health issues and needs have increased substantially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, health policy and decision-makers do not have adequate data and tools to predict population-level mental health demand, especially amid a crisis. This study investigates whether situational indicators and social media emotions can be effectively used to predict public mental health needs. We collected time-series data from multiple sources in Singapore between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2021, including daily-level records of situation indicators, emotions expressed on social media, and mental health needs measured by the number of public visits to the emergency room of the country's largest psychiatric hospital, and use of government-initiated online mental health self-help portal. Compared to mental health needs data alone, social media emotions were found to have significant Granger-causality effects with as early as four to five days lag length. Each resulted in a statistically significant enhancement in predicting the public's visits to the emergency room and the online self-help portal (e.g., Facebook Anger Count on emergency room visits, χ2 = 13·7, P = ·0085**). In contrast, situational indicators such as daily new cases had Granger-causality effects (χ2 = 10·3, P = ·016*) with a moderate lag length of three days. The findings indicate that emotions algorithmically extracted from social media platforms can provide new indicators for tracking and forecasting population-level mental health states and needs.
Physiological comparison of three spontaneous breathing trials in COVID-19 pneumoniae. Inspiratory effort, and relationship with the different phenotypes. Risk of patient self-inflicted lung injury.
Authors: Simon Jose Manuel Serrano , Montosa Carolina Joya , Carmona Juan Francisco Martínez , Amaya Manuel Jesús Delgado , Castro Javier Luna , Carmona Ashlen Rodríguez , Pérez Jose Castaño , Delgado Marina Rodríguez , Centeno Guillermo Besso , Lozano in memoriam José Antonio Benítez
Published: April 2023

Background
High drive and high effort during spontaneous breathing can generate potential patient self-inflicted lung injury (P-SILI), due to uncontrolled high transpulmonary and transvascular pressures, with relapse of respiratory failure. P-SILI has been demonstrated in experimental studies, and supported in recent computational models. Different treatment strategies have been proposed according to the phenotypes of elastance of the respiratory system (Ers) for patients with COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different ventilatory strategies on the respiratory drive and muscle effort in the clinical practice, and its relationship with the different phenotypes, by obtaining respiratory signals and calculated muscle pressure.
Design:
Monocenter physiologic study of series cases.
Setting:
University medical-surgical ICU.
Patients:
Eleven mechanically ventilated patients COVID-19 pneumoniae at the initiation of spontaneous breathing were studied.
Interventions:
Three spontaneous ventilation modes were evaluated: Pressure support ventilation (PSV), airway pressure release ventilation (APRV), and CPAP double in each of the patients.
Measurements and main results:
The study is based on the calculation of muscle pressure (Pmus) through the equation of motion. For this purpose, we have acquired the respiratory signals of airway pressure (Paw), Flow (V´) and Volume (V) directly from the data transmission protocol of the ventilator (Dräger). The main physiological measurements have been calculation of the respiratory drive (P0.1), muscle effort through the ΔPmus, pressure-time product (PTP_pmus) and "power of breathing" considered as work of the patient J/min (WOBp).
Our results show similar high drive and muscle effort in each of the spontaneous ventilatory modes tested, without significant differences between them. Median (IQR): P0.1 6.12 (4.43-7.21) cmH2O, ∆Pmus 13.48 (11.09-17.81) cmH2O, PTP 166,29 (124.02-253.33) cmH2O*sec/min; and WOBp 11.12 (5.91-17.51) J/min. High Drive and effort are found in patients even with low Ers.
The relationship between respiratory drive and “power of breathing” versus Ers, although with a wide coefficient of variation, is significant.
We have found a trend towards a worse prognosis in terms of survival and stay in the ICU, in patients with high drive and inspiratory effort.
Conclusions: None of the spontaneous ventilatory methods tested succeeded in reducing the high respiratory drive or muscle effort, and thus potentially promoting P-SILI, regardless of the Ers.
Efficient PFOA removal from drinking water by a dual-functional mixed-matrix-composite nanofiltration membrane
Authors: Nir Oded , Chaudhary Mohit , Sela-Adler Michal , Ronen Avner
Published: April 2023

Drinking-water contamination by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is a global concern. Nanofiltration is a promising PFAS removal technology due to its scalability and cost-effectiveness. However, nanofiltration cannot typically reduce PFAS concentrations below current drinking-water recommendations. To enhance PFAS removal, we developed mixed-matrix-composite nanofiltration (MMCNF) membranes - an active nanofiltration layer on porous adsorptive support that synergetically combines filtration and adsorption. We synthesized MMCNF membranes comprising thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films deposited on thick (~400 µm) polyethersulfone supports incorporating β-cyclodextrin microparticles. These membranes achieved near complete removal (>99.9%) of model PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid) for significantly longer filtration times compared to a control membrane without β-cyclodextrin, but otherwise identical. The spent MMCNF membrane was regenerated using ethanol, showing consistent performances in three filtration cycles. Perfluorooctanoic acid was concentrated 38-fold in the ethanol eluent. Further concentration by evaporation is straightforward and can enable eluent recycling and effective PFAS destruction.
The Promise of Zero-Shot Learning for Alcohol Image Detection: Comparison with a Task-Specific Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Bonela Abraham Albert , Nibali Aiden , He Zhen , Riordan Benjamin , Anderson-Luxford Dan , Kuntsche Emmanuel
Published: April 2023

Exposure to alcohol content in media increases alcohol consumption and related harm. With exponential growth of media content, it is important to use algorithms to automatically detect and quantify alcohol exposure. Foundational models such as Contrastive Language-Image Pretraining (CLIP) can detect alcohol exposure through Zero-Shot Learning (ZSL) without any additional training. In this paper, we evaluated the ZSL performance of CLIP against a supervised algorithm called Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm Version-2 (ABIDLA2), which is specifically trained to recognise alcoholic beverages in images, across three tasks. We found ZSL achieved similar performance compared to ABIDLA2 in two out of three tasks. However, ABIDLA2 outperformed ZSL in a fine-grained classification task in which determining subtle differences among alcoholic beverages (including containers) are essential. We also found that phrase engineering is essential for improving the performance of ZSL. To conclude, like ABIDLA2, ZSLwith little phrase engineering can achieve promising performance in identifying alcohol exposure in images. This makes it easier for researchers, with little or no programming background, to implement ZSL effectively to obtain insightful analytics from digital media. Such analytics can assist researchers and policy makers to propose regulations that can prevent alcohol exposure and eventually prevent alcohol consumption.
Thyroid axis participates in heat temperature-induced male sex reversal through its activation by the stress response
Authors: Castañeda-Cortés Diana C. , Rosa Ivana F. , Boan Agustín F. , Marrone Demian , Pagliaro Natalia , Oliveira Marcos A. , Rodrigues Maira S. , Doretto Lucas B. , Silva Camila , Tavares-Júnior José , Costa Daniel F. , Dodds María S. , Strobl-Mazzulla Pablo H. , Langlois Valerie S. , Nóbrega Rafael H. , Fernandino Juan Ignacio
Published: April 2023

Environmental changes alter the sex fate in about 15% of vertebrate orders, mainly in ectotherms such as fish and reptiles. However, the effects of temperature changes on the endocrine and molecular processes controlling gonadal sex determination are not fully understood. Here, we provide evidence that thyroid hormones (THs) act as co-players in heat-induced masculinization through interactions with the stress axis to promote testicular development. We first demonstrated that the thyroid axis (through thyroid-related genes and T3 levels) is highly active in males during the gonadal development in medaka (Oryzias latipes). Similarly, T3 treatments promoted female-to-male sex reversal in XX embryos. Subsequently, embryonic exposure to temperature-induced stress up-regulated the genes related to the thyroid and stress axes with a final increase in T3 levels. In this context, we show that blocking the stress axis response by the loss of function of the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors suppresses thyroid-stimulating hormone expression, therefore, heat-induced activation of the thyroid axis. Thus, our data showed that early activation of the stress axis and, in consequence, the TH axis, too, leaves us with that both are the leading endocrine players in inducing female-to-male reversal, which can help predict possible upcoming physiological impacts of global warming on fish populations.
Factors contributing to vulnerability to risky sexual behaviour in severe mental illness in the Ugandan socio-cultural context
Authors: Birungi C. , Ssebunnya J. , Kiwanuka N , Nakasujja N. , Kinyanda E.
Published: April 2023

Background There is paucity of research about contexts underlying vulnerability to risky sexual behavior and severe mental illness (SMI) among adults, irrespective of their HIV status in Uganda. Most studies done on vulnerability to risky sexual behavior (RSB) have often focused on young people and those living with HIV. Understanding factors that affect vulnerability to RSB in severe mental illness, taking into consideration the individual, carers and mental health specialists views is important in planning preventive interventions. We explored the socio-cultural factors and practices as well as social network structures that underlie SMI and vulnerability to RSB in an adult population.Methods We did a cross-sectional qualitative study at Butabika and Masaka hospitals. We collected data from a total of 32 participants; 12, 8 and 12, semi-structured interviews for persons living with SMI, carers and mental health specialists respectively. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We followed framework analysis principles, to manage, analyze and interpret the data. We used illuminating verbatim quotations to illustrate major findings.Results Risky sexual behavior was noted to be common among persons with severe mental illness; and a growing problem mostly understood in the context of HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies, and sexual encounters with strangers. The problem was largely attributed to the compromised sense of judgement due to the underlying morbidity, abnormally high libido, poverty, desperation and inadequate social support associated with severe mental illness. Sexual starvation due to stigma/discrimination and long periods of hospitalization was also reported fuel irresponsible and risky sexual acts. Respondents also cited some practices and systemic weaknesses within the hospitals that inadvertently expose patients to RSB such as stripping patients going to the seclusion room naked, and inadequate monitoring of patients. The limited scope in understanding of the problem was thought to hamper efforts to address the problem. Unfortunately, there were no reports of health education initiatives specifically to address the problem.Conclusions The study revealed that risky sexual behavior is common among persons with severe mental illness, and identified several moderating factors. The study further highlighted the need to integrate sexual and reproductive health into mental health services.
Wingers’ running performance demands and technical-tactical actions dependent on different playing formations in an amateur football team. A case study.
Authors: Izquierdo José María , Marqués-Jiménez Diego , Redondo Juan Carlos
Published: April 2023

We examine the differences in running performance demands and technical-tactical actions for male amateur football wingers in four tactical formations: 1-4-2-3-1, 1-4-4-2, 1-3-5-2 and 1-3-4-2-1 during an entire season. Running demands were assessed in terms of: total distance run; distance traveled at 3 different speed ranges (D > 14.4 km/h; D > 19.8 km/h; and D > 25 km/h); and number of accelerations registered in two different magnitude bands (Acc 2–4; and Acc > 4) while technical-tactical actions were assessed through 3,269 team match observations. The 1-3-5-2 formation requires the highest running demands with large differences identified in D > 19.8 comparing 1-4-2-3-1 and 1-3-5-2; in D > 25.0 comparing 1-4-2-3-1 and 1-3-5-2, and comparing 1-3-5-2 and 1-3-4-2-1. In addition, wingers in 1-3-5-2 register the lowest scores for several technical-tactical actions: Shots: 1-3-5-2 vs 1-3-4-2-1; Goal Area Shots:1-3-5-2 vs 1-3-4-2-1; and Dribbles: 1-3-5-2 vs 1-3-4-2-1. Finally, wingers registered the highest levels of defensive technical-tactical actions in 1-4-4-2 and 1-3-5-2. Findings suggest it would be of benefit for coaches to focus on formulating specific training plans to address the specific demands placed on wingers playing in these amateur matches and running performance demands and technical-tactical actions should be considered together with tactical formation.
Time to premarital cohabitations and its predictors among youth women in Ethiopia 2016 demographic and health survey, using parametric shared frailty model
Authors: Demis Teshome , Bekele Zinabu , Eshete Eyob , Wake Fikadu
Published: April 2023

Introduction
In the second half of the 20th century, cohabitation became highly prevalent, especially among young women between the ages of 15 and 24. Nowadays, college students and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa often have unprotected sex and contract STDs, leading to most new HIV infections. The aim of this study is to assess the time to premarital cohabitation and its predictors among youth women aged 15–24 years using the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey.
Method
It is a secondary data analysis from a nationwide community-based survey. The data for this analysis was extracted from 2016 DHS data. Using STATA version 17 weighted, descriptive analysis of medians, percentiles, graphs, and frequency tables will be used to characterize the study participant. We use the Kaplan-Meier method and compare categorical predictor variables using the log-rank test. The best model for the data was selected by using Akaike information criteria. Finally, the adjusted hazard ratio or adjusted time ratio was used as a measure of effect size, with a 5% significant level and a p-value less than 0.05.
Result
The overall median age of premarital cohabitation was found to be 16 years (IQR, 15–18 years). The independent predictors of time to premarital cohabitation were: women's age (HR = 0.795; 95% CI: 0.761–0.868). 0.733 (95% CI: 0.607, 0.959) and 0.610 (95% CI: 0.589, 0.632) for primary, secondary, and higher education, respectively, among women who can read and write (HR = 0.896; 95% CI: 0.872, 0.920). Women with media access (HR = 0.722, 95% CI: 0.510, 0.963).
Conclusion
The most important idea is that educational level, access to media, age, and literacy are the most significant factors for the time-to-premarital cohabitation rate.
Reconstructing self from the illness: a constructivist grounded theory study of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease
Authors: Wang Ying , Zhang Chen , Zhou Yunxian
Published: April 2023

Background Some patients with Crohn’s disease report posttraumatic growth, which can promote reductions in anxiety and depression, and improve the patients’ quality of life. However, the process of posttraumatic growth remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to explore the social-psychological process of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease in the context of Chinese culture and construct an interpretive understanding based on the perspectives of patients.Methods This research adopted Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory. Nineteen participants with Crohn’s disease were selected by purposive and theoretical sampling from three hospitals in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, as well as from the China Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. In-depth interviews were conducted. Data analysis was based on initial, focused and theoretical coding strategies, and methods such as constant comparison and memo writing were adopted. COREQ reporting guidelines were utilised.Results An interpretive understanding of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease was constructed. The core category was "reconstructing self from the illness", which included the following four categories: "suffering from the illness", "accepting the illness", "dancing with the illness" and "enriching life beyond the illness". However, not every patient reached the last phase. Before patients enter the next stage, they might begin a new cycle by experiencing new suffering or discovering new unacceptable facts about the illness.Conclusions This interpretive understanding reveals a growth process centred on "reconstructing self from the illness". These findings provide knowledge on the process of posttraumatic growth in patients with Crohn’s disease within the wider sociocultural context.
Contrast-free ultrasound imaging for blood flow assessment of the lower limb in patients with peripheral arterial disease: A feasibility study
Authors: Sabeti Soroosh , Nayak Rohit , McBane Robert , Fatemi Mostafa , Alizad Azra
Published: April 2023

While being a relatively prevalent condition particularly among aging patients, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of lower extremities commonly goes undetected or misdiagnosed due to its symptoms being nonspecific. Additionally, progression of PAD in the absence of timely intervention can lead to dire consequences. Therefore, development of non-invasive and affordable diagnostic approaches can be highly beneficial in detection and treatment planning for PAD patients. In this study, we present a contrast-free ultrasound-based quantitative blood flow imaging technique for PAD diagnosis. The method involves monitoring the variations of blood flow in the calf muscle in response to thigh-pressure-cuff-induced occlusion. Four quantitative metrics are introduced for analysis of these variations. We examine the feasibility of this method through an in vivo study consisting of 14 PAD patients with abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) and 8 healthy volunteers. Ultrasound data acquired from 13 legs in the patient group and 13 legs in the healthy group are analyzed. Out of the four utilized metrics, three exhibited significantly different distributions between the two groups (p-value < 0.05). The results of this feasibility study indicate the diagnostic potential of the proposed method for the detection of PAD.
Validation of Prediction Algorithm for Risk Estimation of Intracranial Aneurysm Development using Real-world Data
Authors: Kim Tackeun , Choi Jisu , Park Won-Ju , Cho Seunghyeon , Yoo Yeongjae , Kim Hyeonjun , Cho Juhee , Joo Jin-Deok , Oh Chang Wan
Published: April 2023

Background Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is difficult to detect, and most patients remain undiagnosed, as screening tests have potential risks and high costs. Thus, it is important to develop risk assessment system for efficient and safe screening strategy. We designed a clinical validation study to test the efficacy and validity of an artificial intelligence (AI) based risk prediction model for intracranial aneurysm in an actual clinical setting.Materials and Methods The study population comprised individuals who visited the Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital Health Promotion Center in Korea for voluntary medical checkups between 2007 and 2019. All participants had no history of cerebrovascular disease and underwent brain CTA for screening purpose. Presence of IA was evaluated by two specialized radiologists. The risk score was calculated using the previously developed AI model, and 0 point represents the lowest risk and 100 point represents the highest risk. To compare the prevalence according to the risk, age-sex standardization using national database was performed.Result A study collected data from 5,942 health examinations, including brain CTA data, with participants ranging from 20 to 87 years old and a mean age of 52 years. The age-sex standardized prevalence of IA was 3.20%. The prevalence in each risk group was 0.18% (lowest risk, 0–19), 2.12% (lower risk, 20–39), 2.37% (mid-risk, 40–59), 4.00% (higher risk, 60–79), and 6.44% (highest risk, 80–100). The odds ratio between the lowest and highest risk groups was 38.50. The adjusted proportions of IA patients in the higher and highest risk groups were 26.7% and 44.5%, respectively. The median risk scores among IA patients and normal participants were 74 and 54, respectively. The optimal cut-off risk score was 60.5 with an area under the curve of 0.70.Conclusion We showed the clinical efficacy and validity of a prediction algorithm for risk estimation of IA using real-world data.
Effects of Diagnostic Utilities on the Thyroid Cancer Incidence
Authors: Suntornlohanakul Onnicha , Sripl Hutcha
Published: April 2023

The diagnostic methods both thyroid ultrasound and fine needle aspiration (FNA) can affect thyroid cancer incidence. This study aims to explore the effect of thyroid ultrasound, and FNA uses on low thyroid cancer incidence countries without ultrasound screening for cancer by using data from the Songkhla Cancer Registry during 1990–2019. We performed the age-period-cohort (APC) analysis to determine the period and cohort effect on incidence. For the effect of diagnostic utilities of thyroid ultrasounds and FNA on the incidence, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used. Among 1,785 thyroid cancer patients, PTC was the most common. In women, the age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) of PTC rose from 2.97 in 1990 to 6.10 per 100,000 women-years in 2019. There is no increment in the ASR of PTC in men and other thyroid cancers in both sexes. The APC analysis indicated period and cohort effects on the ASR of PTC in women. GAM showed thyroid ultrasound and FNA affected the incidence. The maximum ability for diagnosis of both diagnostic methods was reached. Thyroid ultrasound should be used as a diagnostic method in patients presenting with thyroid nodule(s). Ultrasound screening for thyroid cancer in general population is not recommended.
Large scale annotated dataset for code-mix abusive short noisy text
Authors: Tiwari Paras , Rai Sawan , Chowdary C. Ravindranath
Published: April 2023

With globalization and cultural exchange around the globe, most of the population gained knowledge of at least two languages. The bilingual user base on the Social Media Platform (SMP) has significantly contributed to the popularity of code-mixing. However, apart from multiple vital uses, SMP also suffer with abusive text content. Identifying abusive instances for a single language is a challenging task, and even more challenging for code-mix. The abusive posts detection problem is more complicated than it seems due to its unseemly, noisy data and uncertain context. To analyze these contents, the research community needs an appropriate dataset. A small dataset is not a suitable sample for the research work. In this paper, we have analyzed the dimensions of Devanagari-Roman code-mix in short noisy text. We have also discussed the challenges of abusive instances. We have proposed a cost-effective methodology with 20.38% relevancy score to collect and annotate the code-mix abusive text instances. Our dataset is eight times to the related state-of-the-art dataset. Our dataset ensures the balance with 55.81% instances in the abusive class and 44.19% in the non-abusive class. We have also conducted experiments to verify the usefulness of the dataset. We have proposed a Large scale annotated dataset for code-mix abusive short noisy text baseline architecture with 0.5194 MCC score. From our experiments, we have observed the suitability of the dataset for further scientific work.
Altered Gut Microbiota-Host Bile Acid Metabolism in IBS-D Patients with Liver Depression and Spleen Deficiency Pattern
Authors: Du Liqing , Zhang Zhaozhou , Zhai Lixiang , Yang Wei , Xu Shujun , Huang Chunhua , Lin Chengyuan , Zhong Linda LD , Bian Zhaoxiang , ZHAO Ling
Published: April 2023

Background Dysregulation of gut microbiota-host bile acid (BA) co-metabolism is a critical pathogenic factor of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), instructed by pattern differentiation, is effective in treating IBS-D, in which liver depression and spleen deficiency (LDSD) is the most prevalent pattern. Still, it is unclear the linkage between the LDSD pattern and the BA metabolic phenotype. This study aimed to uncover the biological basis of the LDSD pattern from the BA metabolic perspective.Methods Patients with IBS-D completed questionnaires regarding the irritable bowel severity scoring system (IBS-SSS), stool frequency, Stool Bristol scale, and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Fasting blood and morning feces were collected to analyze the gut metagenome and BA-related indices/metabolites.Results IBS-D patients with LDSD had a higher incidence of BA overexcretion (41% vs. 23% non-LDSD) with significant elevations in fecal total BAs and serum BA precursor 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one levels. Compared to controls or non-LDSD patients, LDSD patients had a featured fecal BA profile, with higher proportions of deoxycholic acid (DCA), 7-ketodeoxycholic acid, and lithocholic acid. It is consistent with the BA-metabolizing genomic changes in the LDSD gut microbiota characterized by overabundances of 7-dehydroxylating bacteria and BA-inducible genes (baiCD/E/H). The score of bowel symptoms (stool frequency and abdominal pain) showing greater severity in the LDSD pattern were positively correlated with bai-expressing bacterial abundances and fecal DCA levels separately.Conclusion We clarified an LDSD-specific BA metabolic phenotype, which closely correlates with the severity of bowel symptoms. It demonstrates that gut microbiota and host BA co-metabolism would provide crucial insight into the biology of the LDSD pattern and its internal relationship with IBS progression.
Identification of the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress genes in endometrial cancer and their association with tumor immunity
Authors: Zhang Tang ansu , Zhang Qian , Zhang Jun , Zhao Rong , Shi Rui , Wei Sitian , Liu Shuangge , Zhang Qi , Wang Hongbo
Published: April 2023

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the worldwide gynecological malignancies. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is the cellular homeostasis disturbance that participates in cancer progression. However, the mechanisms of ER stress on EC have not been fully elucidated.
Method: The ER Stress-related genes were obtained from Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and GeneCards, and the RNA-seq and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The risk signature was constructed by the Cox regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. The significance of the risk signature and clinical factors were tested by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the selected were to build a nomogram. The immunity correlation was particularly analyzed, including the related immune cells, pathways, and immune checkpoints. Functional enrichment, potential chemotherapies, and in vitro validation were also conducted.
Result: An ER Stress-based risk signature, consisting of TRIB3, CREB3L3, XBP1, and PPP1R15A was established. Patients were randomly divided into training and testing groups with 1:1 ratio for subsequent calculation and validation. Based on risk scores, high- and low-risk subgroups were classified, and low-risk subgroup demonstrated better prognosis. The Area Under Curve (AUC) demonstrated a reliable predictive capability of the risk signature. The majority of significantly different immune cells and pathways were enriched more in low-risk subgroup. Similarly, several typical immune checkpoints, expressed higher in low-risk subgroup. Patients of the two subgroups responded differently to chemotherapies.
Conclusion: We established an ER Stress-based risk signature that could effectively predict EC patients' prognosis and their immune correlation.
Genetic diversity and antagonistic properties of Trichoderma strains from the crop rhizospheres in southern Rajasthan, India
Authors: Jambhulkar Prashant P. , Singh Bhumica , Raja M. , Ismaiel Adnan , Lakshman Dilip K. , Tomar Maharishi , Sharma Pratibha
Published: April 2023

There are fewer studies on Trichoderma diversity in agricultural fields. The rhizosphere of 16 crops was analyzed for Trichoderma species in 7 districts of Rajasthan state of India. Based on DNA sequence of translation elongation factor 1α (tef-1α), and morphological characteristics, 60 isolates were identified as 11 species: Trichoderma brevicompactum, species in Harzianum clade identified as T. afroharzianum, T. inhamatum, T. lentiforme, T. camerunense, T. asperellum, T. asperelloides, T. erinaceum, T. atroviride, T. ghanense, and T. longibrachiatum. T. brevicompactum is the most commonly occurring strain followed by T. afroharzianum. No new species were described in this study. T. lentiforme, showed its first occurrence outside the South American continent. The morphological and cultural characteristics of the major species were observed, described, and illustrated in detail. The isolates were tested for their antagonistic effect against three soilborne plant pathogens fungi: Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani, and Fusarium verticillioides in plate culture assays. One of the most potent strains was T. afroharzianum BThr29 having a maximum in vitro inhibition of S. rolfsii (76.6%), R. solani (84.8%), and F. verticillioides (85.7%). Such information on crop selectivity, antagonistic properties, and geographic distribution of Trichoderma species will be beneficial for developing efficient Trichoderma-based biocontrol agents.