bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of juvenile idiopathic arthritis with maternal infection: a case control study
Authors: Sutton Anna , Quraishi Sabah M. , Shenoi Susan
Published: June 2022

Objective

Maternal infection has been posited as a risk factor for childhood autoimmune disease such as type I diabetes. Given that similar studies in JIA are scant, our objective was to evaluate the association between Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and maternal infection.

Methods

This case–control study used an existing database that included 1290 JIA cases and 6072 controls matched on birth year. Maternal infection information was obtained from Washington State birth records. JIA diagnosis and categories were confirmed through chart review. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).

Results

JIA was not associated with maternal infection (OR = 1.02, 95%CI: 0.8–1.3). There was no association between JIA and maternal infection for persistent oligoarticular, RF negative polyarticular, or enthesitis-related JIA. There was suggestive evidence of an increased association of maternal infection with JIA in females in sex-stratified analysis.

Conclusions

We did not observe an increased risk of JIA in children exposed to maternal infection. Suggestive evidence of differential sex-specific results warrants further study.
Lombardy diagnostic and therapeutic network of thrombotic microangiopathy
Authors: Mancini I. , Agosti P. , Boscarino M. , Ferrari B. , Artoni A. , Palla R. , Spreafico M. , Crovetti G. , Volpato E. , Rossini S. , Novelli C. , Gattillo S. , Barcella L. , Salmoiraghi M. , Falanga A. , Peyvandi F. ,   Lombardy AREU TMA Network, Peyvandi Flora , Artoni Andrea , Ferrari Barbara , Palla Roberta , Mancini Ilaria , Agosti Pasquale , Spreafico Marta , Crovetti Giovanni , Volpato Elisabetta , Rossini Silvano , Falanga Anna , Russo Laura , Barcella Luca , Gattillo Salvatore , Novelli Chiara , Capuzzo Enrico , D’Agostino Marco , Moreno Porcari , Alessandro Inzoli , Ambrogio Pagani
Published: June 2022

Background

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) requiring urgent treatment. Standardization of its diagnosis and optimal management is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the role of centralized, rapid testing of ADAMTS13 in patients experiencing acute TMAs requiring plasma-exchange (PEX) and to estimate the incidence of TTP in a large Italian Region.

Methods

We perfomed a cohort study in the frame of the project “Set-up of a Lombardy network for the study and treatment of patients undergoing apheresis”, including 11 transfusion centers in the Region. Consecutive patients referred from 2014 to 2016 with acute TMAs requiring PEX were enrolled. Centralized ADAMTS13 activity testing was performed at the Milan Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center within 24 h.

Results

Forty-three TMA patients (44 events) were enrolled, of whom 35 (81%) had severe ADAMTS13 deficiency. Patients with severe ADAMTS13 deficiency were younger, mainly women, with a higher prevalence of autoimmune disorders and a lower prevalence of cancer. Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with and without severe ADAMTS13 deficiency largely overlapped, with a lower platelet count being the only baseline marker that significantly differed between the two patient groups (ADAMTS13 activity < 10% vs ≥ 10%: median difference of -27 × 109/l, 95% CI − 37 to − 3). PEX treatment was initiated in all patients, but soon discontinued in cases without severe ADAMTS13 deficiency. In this group, the mortality rate was higher and no episode exacerbations or relapses within 6 months occured. The estimated average annual incidence of acute acquired TTP events was 1.17 [0.78–1.55] per million people.

Conclusions

Severe ADAMTS13 deficiency distinguished two groups of patients with largely overlapping clinical features but different treatment and disease course. This study provides a feasible model implemented in a large Italian region for the practical clinical approach to TMAs and underlines the importance of urgent ADAMTS13 activity testing for an accurate differential diagnosis and therapeutic approach.
The PROMIZING trial enrollment algorithm for early identification of patients ready for unassisted breathing
Authors: Brault Clement , Mancebo Jordi , Suarez Montero Juan-Carlos , Bentall Tracey , Burns Karen E. A. , Piraino Thomas , Lellouche François , Bouchard Pierre-Alexandre , Charbonney Emmanuel , Carteaux Guillaume , Maraffi Tommaso , Beduneau Gaëtan , Mercat Alain , Skrobik Yoanna , Zuo Fei , Lafreniere-Roula Myriam , Thorpe Kevin , Brochard Laurent , Bosma Karen J.
Published: June 2022

Background

Liberating patients from mechanical ventilation (MV) requires a systematic approach. In the context of a clinical trial, we developed a simple algorithm to identify patients who tolerate assisted ventilation but still require ongoing MV to be randomized. We report on the use of this algorithm to screen potential trial participants for enrollment and subsequent randomization in the Proportional Assist Ventilation for Minimizing the Duration of MV (PROMIZING) study.

Methods

The algorithm included five steps: enrollment criteria, pressure support ventilation (PSV) tolerance trial, weaning criteria, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) tolerance trial (0 cmH2O during 2 min) and spontaneous breathing trial (SBT): on fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) 40% for 30–120 min. Patients who failed the weaning criteria, CPAP Zero trial, or SBT were randomized. We describe the characteristics of patients who were initially enrolled, but passed all steps in the algorithm and consequently were not randomized.

Results

Among the 374 enrolled patients, 93 (25%) patients passed all five steps. At time of enrollment, most patients were on PSV (87%) with a mean (± standard deviation) FiO2 of 34 (± 6) %, PSV of 8.7 (± 2.9) cmH2O, and positive end-expiratory pressure of 6.1 (± 1.6) cmH2O. Minute ventilation was 9.0 (± 3.1) L/min with a respiratory rate of 17.4 (± 4.4) breaths/min. Patients were liberated from MV with a median [interquartile range] delay between initial screening and extubation of 5 [1–49] hours. Only 7 (8%) patients required reintubation.

Conclusion

The trial algorithm permitted identification of 93 (25%) patients who were ready to extubate, while their clinicians predicted a duration of ventilation higher than 24 h.
Vector competence of Anopheles quadrimaculatus and Aedes albopictus for genetically distinct Jamestown Canyon virus strains circulating in the Northeast United States
Authors: Dieme Constentin , Kramer Laura D. , Ciota Alexander T.
Published: June 2022

Background

Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV; Peribunyaviridae, Orthobunyavirus) is a mosquito-borne pathogen belonging to the California serogroup. The virus is endemic in North America and increasingly recognized as a public health concern. In this study, we determined the vector competence of Anopheles (An.) quadrimaculatus and Aedes (Ae.) albopictus for five JCV strains belonging to the two lineages circulating in the Northeast.

Methods

An. quadrimaculatus and Ae. albopictus were fed blood meals containing two lineage A strains and three lineage B strains. Vector competence of both mosquito species was evaluated at 7- and 14-days post-feeding (dpf) by testing for virus presence in bodies, legs, and saliva.

Results

Our results demonstrated that Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are a competent vector for both lineages, with similar transmission levels for all strains tested. Variable levels of infection (46–83%) and dissemination (17–38%) were measured in An. quadrimaculatus, yet no transmission was detected for the five JCV strains evaluated.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that establishment of Ae. albopictus in the Northeast could increase the risk of JCV but suggest An. quadrimaculatus are not a competent vector for JCV.

Graphical Abstract
Fully automated and highly specific plasma β-amyloid immunoassays predict β-amyloid status defined by amyloid positron emission tomography with high accuracy
Authors: Yamashita Kazuto , Miura Masahiro , Watanabe Shunsuke , Ishiki Kengo , Arimatsu Yuji , Kawahira Junko , Kubo Toshiko , Sasaki Katsutaka , Arai Takayuki , Hagino Kei , Irino Yasuhiro , Nagai Kota , Verbel David , Koyama Akihiko , Dhadda Shobha , Niiro Hayato , Iwanaga Shigeki , Sato Toshiyuki , Yoshida Tomokazu , Iwata Atsushi
Published: June 2022

Background

Clinicians, researchers, and patients alike would greatly benefit from more accessible and inexpensive biomarkers for neural β-amyloid (Aβ). We aimed to assess the performance of fully automated plasma Aβ immunoassays, which correlate significantly with immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry assays, in predicting brain Aβ status as determined by visual read assessment of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET).

Methods

The plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio was measured using a fully automated immunoassay platform (HISCL series) in two clinical studies (discovery and validation studies). The discovery and validation sample sets were retrospectively and randomly selected from participants with early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) identified during screening for the elenbecestat Phase 3 program.

Results

We included 197 participants in the discovery study (mean [SD] age 71.1 [8.5] years; 112 females) and 200 in the validation study (age 70.8 [7.9] years; 99 females). The plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio predicted amyloid PET visual read status with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.941 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.910–0.973) and 0.868 (95% CI 0.816–0.920) in the discovery and validation studies, respectively. In the discovery study, a cutoff value of 0.102 was determined based on maximizing the Youden Index, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated to be 96.0% (95% CI 90.1–98.9%) and 83.5% (95% CI 74.6–90.3%), respectively. Using the same cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity in the validation study were calculated to be 88.0% (95% CI 80.0–93.6%) and 72.0% (95% CI 62.1–80.5%), respectively.

Conclusions

The plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio measured using the HISCL series achieved high accuracy in predicting amyloid PET status. Since our blood-based immunoassay system is less invasive and more accessible than amyloid PET and cerebrospinal fluid testing, it may contribute to the diagnosis of AD in routine clinical practice.
Psychiatric reaction of an intensive care unit survivor in the context of coronavirus disease 2019: a case report
Authors: Benzakour Lamyae , Kakoraiti Emmanouela , Perrin Alexandre , Cereghetti Sara , Assal Frédéric
Published: June 2022

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a serious impact on global mental health, particularly in intensive care unit survivors. Given the lethal potential and unpredictability of coronavirus disease 2019, a high risk of posttraumatic stress disorder was identified in the beginning of the crisis. There are insufficient details in current literature and no official guidelines available for the treatment and follow-up of acute stress disorder and the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder for intensive care unit survivors in the context of coronavirus disease 2019.

Case presentation

We hereby describe a 67-year-old Swiss patient presenting a psychiatric reaction in the context of coronavirus disease 2019. He was admitted to the intensive care unit due to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and intubated for 13 days. Afterwards, there was a severe worsening of acute renal failure prompting hemodialysis, and he developed delirium. Psychiatric liaison was requested 4 days post-intubation because the patient presented residual symptoms of delirium, false memories about the real context of his medical care, and ideas of persecution toward medical caregivers. He suffered from a very strong peritraumatic reaction, then developed an acute stress disorder linked with his care on the intensive care unit. We looked for strategies to prevent progression from acute stress disorder to posttraumatic stress disorder. We proceeded to the following therapeutic interventions: intensive psychiatric follow-up, intensive care unit diary, and low-dose antipsychotic treatment. The aim of our psychotherapeutic approach was to allow him to increase his feeling of security and to cope with the reality of his traumatic experience. He showed clinical improvement in his mental state after 3 months, despite several predictive factors of evolution to post-intensive care unit posttraumatic stress disorder.

Conclusion

This case report illustrates how a delusional clinical presentation after intensive care in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 can hide psychotraumatic symptoms. It is important to highlight that the intensive care unit diary completed by the intensive care team and the follow-up by the psychiatric liaison team helped the patient reconstruct an appropriate and coherent account. Further studies are needed to determine the psychiatric effects of coronavirus disease 2019 and to assess early and appropriate psychiatric intervention for patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder.
Blow-up conditions of nonlinear parabolic equations and systems under mixed nonlinear boundary conditions
Authors: Chung Soon-Yeong , Hwang Jaeho
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we firstly discuss blow-up phenomena for nonlinear parabolic equations$$ u_{t}=\nabla \cdot \bigl[\rho (u)\nabla u \bigr]+f(x,t,u),\quad \text{in }\Omega \times \bigl(0,t^{*}\bigr), $$ut=∇⋅[ρ(u)∇u]+f(x,t,u),in Ω×(0,t∗),under mixed nonlinear boundary conditions$\frac{\partial u}{\partial n}+\theta (z)u=h(z,t,u)$∂u∂n+θ(z)u=h(z,t,u)on$\Gamma _{1}\times (0,t^{*})$Γ1×(0,t∗)and$u=0$u=0on$\Gamma _{2}\times (0,t^{*})$Γ2×(0,t∗), where Ω is a bounded domain and$\Gamma _{1}$Γ1and$\Gamma _{2}$Γ2are disjoint subsets of a boundary∂Ω. Here,fandhare real-valued$C^{1}$C1-functions andρis a positive$C^{1}$C1-function. To obtain the blow-up solutions, we introduce the following blow-up conditions:$$ (C_{\rho})\,:\, \begin{aligned} &(2+\epsilon ) \int _{0}^{u}\rho (w)f(x,t,w)\,dw\leq u\rho (u)f(x,t,u)+ \beta _{1}u^{2}+\gamma _{1}, \\ &(2+\epsilon ) \int _{0}^{u}\rho ^{2}(w)h(z,t,w)\,dw \leq u\rho ^{2}(u)h(z,t,u)+ \beta _{2}u^{2}+ \gamma _{2}, \end{aligned} $$(Cρ):(2+ϵ)∫0uρ(w)f(x,t,w)dw≤uρ(u)f(x,t,u)+β1u2+γ1,(2+ϵ)∫0uρ2(w)h(z,t,w)dw≤uρ2(u)h(z,t,u)+β2u2+γ2,for$x\in \Omega $x∈Ω,$z\in \partial \Omega $z∈∂Ω,$t>0$t>0, and$u\in \mathbb{R}$u∈Rfor some constantsϵ,$\beta _{1}$β1,$\beta _{2}$β2,$\gamma _{1}$γ1, and$\gamma _{2}$γ2satisfying$$ \epsilon >0,\quad \beta _{1}+\frac{\lambda _{R}+1}{\lambda _{S}}\beta _{2} \leq \frac{\rho _{m}^{2}\lambda _{R}}{2}\epsilon \quad \text{and}\quad 0 \leq \beta _{2}\leq \frac{\rho _{m}^{2}\lambda _{S}}{2}\epsilon , $$ϵ>0,β1+λR+1λSβ2≤ρm2λR2ϵand0≤β2≤ρm2λS2ϵ,where$\rho _{m}:=\inf_{s>0}\rho (s)$ρm:=infs>0ρ(s),$\lambda _{R}$λRis the first Robin eigenvalue and$\lambda _{S}$λSis the first Steklov eigenvalue. Lastly, we discuss blow-up solutions for nonlinear parabolic systems.
Attitudes, perceptions, and barriers of community pharmacists in Rwanda towards health promotion: a cross sectional study
Authors: Nsengimana Amon , Biracyaza Emmanuel , Hategekimana Jean Claude , Tuyishimire Jacques , Nyiligira John , Rutembesa Eugène
Published: June 2022

Background

The practice of Pharmacists has changed worldwide over the past years. Today, health promotion is better known as an important part of modern pharmacy practice. Involving Community Pharmacists in health promotion is thus considered a valuable option in addressing public health issues. However, the literature on this practice remains unsubstantiated in African countries. In Rwanda, Community Pharmacists are believed to be solely involved in dispensing and very little has been studied about their role in health promotion. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate attitudes, perceptions, and barriers of Community Pharmacists in Rwanda towards their involvement in health promotion.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 licensed Community Pharmacists in Rwanda from 23rd January to 23rd June, 2021. A list of all respondents was obtained from Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority. All participants were randomly enrolled. Each community pharmacy was represented by one Pharmacist. We collected data from community pharmacy settings using a self-administered questionnaire made of close and open-ended questions. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.

Results

Of the 236 respondents, (n = 149, 63.1%) were male and (n = 87,37%) were female. The average age was 38.1 years (SD = 4.3). More than half confirmed that professional curriculum is adequate for offering health promotion services (n = 152, 64.4%).Majority responded that health promotion is part of their responsibility, and they are willing to provide health promotion services (n = 233,98.7%).The statement that “Pharmacists should not be involved in public health activities “was opposed by many (n=174,73.7%).The most sought-after service provided was education to drug misuse (n=211, 89.4%).Three major barriers to provision of health promotion were: lack of coordination with other healthcare professionals(n=106,69%),structure of healthcare system (n=157,67%),and lack of equipment (n=144,61%).Most Pharmacists disagreed with the statement that “patients are not interested in getting health promotion services”(n = 134,57%).

Conclusion

Though Community Pharmacists faced several challenges that hindered their participation in health promotion, they had positive attitudes towards promoting public health messages. There are several barriers like lack of structure to provide health promotion services that need to be addressed to boost more active participation of Pharmacists in health promotion.
Euthymic patients with predominantly manic polarity avoid happy faces in a dot probe task
Authors: Wenzel Martina , Althen Heike , Veeh Julia , Reif Andreas
Published: June 2022

Background

Some studies suggest a mood-congruent attentional bias in bipolar patients. However, for euthymic patients, especially in dependence on the predominant polarity, there is little and inconsistent data. A clearer understanding of emotion-related attentional biases and their relationship to dysfunctional emotion regulation could help improving the diagnostics and treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). Twenty bipolar patients in a depressive state (BP-acute-D), 32 euthymic patients with manic (BP-euth-M) or depressive (BP-euth-D) predominant polarity, and 20 healthy control participants (HC) performed a dot-probe task (DPT) with happy and sad faces presented for 250 ms or 1250 ms in two different runs. Emotion regulation strategies were assessed with two questionnaires.

Results

In the short presentation condition of the DPT, BP-euth-M showed less attention for happy faces than HC (p = .03, r = − 0.48). BP-acute-D scored lower in cognitive reappraisal and putting into perspective and higher in suppression, catastrophizing, and rumination than HC. BP-euth-M scored higher in rumination and BP-euth-D lower in putting into perspective and higher in catastrophizing than HC. In BP-euth-D and HC, bias scores for sad faces in the longer presentation condition and reappraisal scores correlated positively.

Conclusions

Results of the DPT suggest an avoidance of happy faces for BP-euth-M which we interpret as a protection mechanism for triggers of mania. That individuals who apply more reappraisal show more selective attention to sad faces could on the one hand reflect a mental effort in reevaluating the sad emotional input and on the other hand a greater tolerance for it.
The role of pyroptosis in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment
Authors: Wu Jinxiang , Wang Lei , Xu Jianwei
Published: June 2022

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) plays a key role in immunosuppression in cancer, which results in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, and contributes to insensitivity to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Understanding the mechanism of TIME formation is critical for overcoming cancer. Pyroptosis exerts a dual role in modulating the TIME. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of pyroptosis in modulating the TIME and the potential application of targeted pyroptosis therapy in the clinic. Several treatments targeting pyroptosis have been developed; however, the majority of treatments are still in preclinical studies. Only a few agents have been used in clinic, but the outcomes are unsatisfactory. More studies are necessary to determine the role of pyroptosis in cancer, and more research is required to realize the application of treatments targeting pyroptosis in the clinic.
Development of soy protein/sodium alginate nanogel-based cress seed gum hydrogel for oral delivery of curcumin
Authors: Shahbazizadeh Saeedeh , Naji-Tabasi Sara , Shahidi-Noghabi Mostafa
Published: June 2022

Background

In order to deliver bioactive compounds with better thermal stability and delayed release characteristics, nanogels can be placed inside a hydrogel network. The aim of the present study was to develop isolated soy protein (ISP)–sodium alginate (SA) nanogel (NG) (0, 10, 15 and 20%)-based cress seed gum (CSG) hydrogel as a delivery system of curcumin (Cur). A systematic study was performed to describe the rheological, thermal, microstructural, antioxidant activity properties, and release kinetic of NG-based hydrogels.

Results

Rheological studies showed participation of 10% NG resulted in more elastic, and compact composite with stable diffusion properties. Complex modulus of 10% NG composite was 60.96 (Pa), which was higher than the other hydrogels. The SEM images confirmed that 10% NG–hydrogel composite, can have better mechanical properties. NG-based hydrogel were thermally more stable than hydrogel and nanogel. The presence of different percentage of NG in composite significantly changed Cur release rate in intestinal condition. The Cur release in the intestine was well described by the Peppas model and no release was observed in stomach medium.

Conclusions

The results highlight the advantage of using composite hydrogel as a promising strategy for improving thermal stability and the successful delivery of bioactive materials.

Graphical Abstract
Growth analysis of the everbearing strawberry ‘Delizzimo’ under controlled temperature and photoperiod conditions
Authors: Rivero R. , Sønsteby A. , Heide O. M. , Solhaug K. A. , Remberg S. F.
Published: June 2022

Background

There is limited information on the effect of environment on vegetative growth in everbearing (EB) strawberry (Fragaria x ananassaDuch.) and its comparison with the situation in seasonal flowering types.

Methods

We investigated the effects of photoperiod (daylengths of 10 and 20 h) and temperature (12, 19 and 26 ℃) on leaf growth, dry matter production and partitioning, concentrations of soluble sugars, starch, and chlorophyll in the F1hybrid ‘Delizzimo’ grown in a single experiment in daylight phytotron compartments in Norway.

Results

Plants grown in the long photoperiod (LD) and higher temperatures had greater leaf growth and higher dry matter production than those under short day (SD) and low temperature conditions. Growth decreased over the 39 days of the experiment. The changes in growth in the different environments were associated with changes in relative growth rate (RGR) and these were driven by changes in net assimilation rate (NAR) and leaf area ratio (LAR). The plants directed more dry matter to the leaves and crowns under LD and high temperature conditions and less dry matter to the roots, thus increasing the plant’s shoot to root ratio. Long days decreased the concentrations of sugars and starch in most of the tissues, while the effect of temperature was more complex. Higher temperatures increased the concentrations of sugars in the leaves in LD, while starch accumulated in the roots under SD and low temperature conditions. Sucrose accumulated temporarily in the crowns at the time of flower bud formation in LD and higher temperatures.

Conclusions

The results of the experiment demonstrate that the effects of photoperiod and temperature on the vegetative growth of everbearing strawberry are similar to those reported for seasonal-flowering strawberry. Increases in temperature and photoperiod and the resulting enhancement of the RGR was associated with accumulation of soluble sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) in the above-ground parts of the plant, whereas low temperature and SD resulted in accumulation of starch in the roots.
Machine-learning-based porosity estimation from multifrequency poststack seismic data
Authors: Jo Honggeun , Cho Yongchae , Pyrcz Michael , Tang Hewei , Fu Pengcheng
Published: June 2022

Estimating porosity models via seismic data is challenging due to the low signal-to-noise ratio and insufficient resolution of the data. Although impedance inversion is often used in combination with well logs, to obtain subseismic scale porosity data, several problems must be addressed. Alternatively, we have proposed a machine learning-based workflow to convert seismic data into porosity models. A residual U-Net++ (ResUNet++)-based workflow is designed to take multiple poststack seismic volumes with different frequency bands as input and estimate a corresponding porosity model as output. This workflow is demonstrated in a 3D channelized reservoir to estimate the porosity model, and the R2 score of more than 0.9 is achieved for training and validation data. Moreover, a stress test is performed by adding noise to the seismic data to verify the expandability of applications, and the results find a robust estimation with 5% added noise. The additional two ResUNet++ are trained to only take the lowest or highest resolution seismic data as input to estimate the porosity model, but they exhibit underfitting and overfitting, respectively, supporting the importance of using multiscale seismic data for the porosity estimation problem. We mainly use experimental cases with simulated data. Therefore, scaling ResUNet++ for real data is needed in future research, such as considering coherent noise in seismic data, allowing uncertainty in petrophysical parameters, and expanding the size of ResUNet++ to the practical reservoir extent.
Joint deblending and source time inversion
Authors: Chen Yangkang , Fomel Sergey , Abma Ray
Published: June 2022

The simultaneous source technique has been widely applied in seismic field acquisition and has achieved great success in the past few decades. Many studies have shown that the inversion-based source-separation algorithms are more robust than filtering-based methods. However, inversion-based methods depend on accurate shot times. Here, we tackle the long-standing issue of the shot times being inaccurate or unavailable during iterative inversion by proposing a joint inversion framework to simultaneously separate the blended sources and invert for the shot time. We formulate a nonlinear inverse problem that contains two unknowns, i.e., the unblended data and the shot-time vector, and we develop a Gauss-Newton method to iteratively invert the shot-time vector given an estimate of the unblended data. Then, the estimated shot-time vector is fixed for iterative source separation following a traditional deblending framework. The two aforementioned steps are recursively implemented until they converge or reach a maximum number of iterations. We examine the proposed method through several synthetic and field data examples. Results indicate that the proposed joint inversion framework is effective and the low-frequency component matters during the nonlinear inversion of the shot-time vector.
Biochemical Failure Is Not a Surrogate End Point for Overall Survival in Recurrent Prostate Cancer: Analysis of NRG Oncology/RTOG 9601
Authors: Jackson William C. , Tang Ming , Schipper Matthew J. , Sandler Howard M. , Zumsteg Zachary S. , Efstathiou Jason A. , Shipley William U. , Seiferheld Wendy , Lukka Himanshu R. , Bahary Jean-Paul , Zietman Anthony L. , Pisansky Thomas M. , Zeitzer Kenneth L. , Hall William A. , Dess Robert T. , Lovett Richard D. , Balogh Alexander G. , Feng Felix Y. , Spratt Daniel E.
Published: June 2022

PURPOSE

Metastasis-free survival (MFS), but not event-free survival, is a validated surrogate end point for overall survival (OS) in men treated for localized prostate cancer. It remains unknown if this holds true in biochemically recurrent disease after radical prostatectomy. Leveraging NRG/RTOG 9601, we aimed to determine the performance of intermediate clinical end points (ICEs) as surrogate end points for OS in recurrent prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

NRG/RTOG 9601 randomly assigned 760 men with recurrence after prostatectomy to salvage radiation therapy with 2 years of placebo versus bicalutamide 150 mg daily. ICEs assessed were biochemical failure (BF) per NRG/RTOG 9601 (prostate-specific antigen nadir + 0.3-0.5 ng/mL or initiation of salvage hormone therapy; [BF1]) and NRG/RTOG 0534 (prostate-specific antigen nadir+2 ng/mL; [BF2]), distant metastasis (DM), and MFS (DM or death). Surrogacy was assessed by the Prentice criteria and a two-stage meta-analytic approach (condition one assessed at the patient level with Kendall's τ and condition two assessed by randomly dividing the entire trial cohort into 10 pseudo trial centers and calculating the average R2 between treatment hazard ratios for ICE and OS).

RESULTS

BF1, BF2, DM, and MFS satisfied the four Prentice criteria. However, with the two-condition meta-analytic approach, there was strong correlation between MFS and OS (τ = 0.86), moderate correlation between DM and OS (τ = 0.66), and weaker correlation between BF1 (τ = 0.25) or BF2 (τ = 0.40) and OS. Similarly, for condition two, the treatment effect of antiandrogen therapy on MFS and OS were correlated ( R2 = 0.67), but this was not true for BF1 ( R2 = 0.09), BF2 ( R2 = 0.12), or DM ( R2 = 0.18) and OS.

CONCLUSION

MFS is also a strong surrogate for OS in men receiving salvage radiation therapy for recurrence after prostatectomy. Caution should be used when inferring survival benefit from effects on BF in biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. Lack of comorbidity data did not allow us to assess whether BF in men with no/minimal comorbidity could serve as a surrogate for OS.
Attention-mechanism–based network characteristic analysis for major depressive disorder detection
Authors: Yu Hong-Shi , Yang Zhuo-Yi , Dang Wei-Dong
Published: June 2022

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a very serious mental illness that spreads all over the world and affects patients of all ages. Constructing an efficient and accurate MDD detection system is an urgent research task. In this paper, we develop an EEG-based multilayer brain network and an attention-mechanism–based convolutional neural network (AM-CNN) model to study MDD. In detail, based on mutual information theory, we first construct a multilayer brain network, in which each layer corresponds to a specific frequency band. The experimental results show that such a design can effectively reveal the brain physiological changes of MDD patients, from the perspective of network topology analysis. On this basis, multi-branch AM-CNN model is then designed, which uses multilayer brain network as input and can well achieve feature extraction and detection of MDD. On the publicly available MDD dataset, the proposed method achieves an identification accuracy of 97.22%. Our approach and analysis provide novel insights into the physiological changes of MDD patients and a reliable technical solution for MDD detection.
Obesity and Hyperphagia With Increased Defective ACTH: A Novel POMC Variant
Authors: van der Valk Eline S , Kleinendorst Lotte , Delhanty Patric J D , van der Voorn Bibian , Visser Jenny A , van Haelst M M , de Graaff Laura C G , Huisman Martin , White Anne , Ito Shosuke , Wakamatsu Kazumasa , de Rijke Yolanda B , van den Akker Erica L T , Iyer Anand M , van Rossum Elisabeth F C
Published: June 2022

Objective

Patients with pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) defects generally present with early-onset obesity, hyperphagia, hypopigmentation and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) deficiency. Rodent models suggest that adequate cleavage of ACTH to α-melanocortin–stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and desacetyl-α-melanocortin–stimulating hormone (d-α-MSH) by prohormone convertase 2 at the KKRR region is required for regulating food intake and energy balance.

Methods

We present 2 sisters with a novel POMC gene variant, leading to an ACTH defect at the prohormone convertase 2 cleavage site, and performed functional studies of this variant.

Results

The patients had obesity, hyperphagia and hypocortisolism, with markerly raised levels of ACTH but unaffected pigmentation. Their ACTH has reduced potency to stimulate the melanocortin (MC) 2 receptor, explaining their hypocortisolism.

Conclusion

The hyperphagia and obesity support evidence that adequate cleavage of ACTH to α-MSH and d-α-MSH is also required in humans for feeding control.
Predicting and Validating 30-day Hospital Readmission in Adults With Diabetes Whose Index Admission Is Diabetes-related
Authors: Soh Jade Gek Sang , Mukhopadhyay Amartya , Mohankumar Bhuvaneshwari , Quek Swee Chye , Tai Bee Choo
Published: June 2022

Objective

The primary objective is to develop a prediction model of 30-day hospital readmission among adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) whose index admission was DM-related. The secondary aims are to internally and externally validate the prediction model and compare its performance with 2 existing models.

Research Design and Setting

Data of inpatients aged ≥ 18 years from 2008 to 2015 were extracted from the electronic medical record system of the National University Hospital, Singapore. Unplanned readmission within 30 days was calculated from the discharge date of the index hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression and 10-fold cross-validation were performed. For external validation, simulations based on prevalence of 30-day readmission, and the regression coefficients provided by referenced papers were conducted.

Results

Eleven percent of 2355 patients reported 30-day readmission. The prediction model included 4 predictors: length of stay, ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and number of drugs. C-statistics for the prediction model and 10-fold cross-validation were 0.68 (95% CI 0.66, 0.70) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.63 to 0.70), respectively. Those for the 3 simulated external validation data sets ranged from 0.64 to 0.68.

Conclusion

The prediction model performs well with good internal and external validity for identifying patients with DM at risk of unplanned 30-day readmission.
Dynamic profiling and functional interpretation of histone lysine crotonylation and lactylation during neural development
Authors: Dai Shang-Kun , Liu Pei-Pei , Li Xiao , Jiao Lin-Fei , Teng Zhao-Qian , Liu Chang-Mei
Published: June 2022

Metabolites such as crotonyl-CoA and lactyl-CoA influence gene expression by covalently modifying histones, known as histone lysine crotonylation (Kcr) and lysine lactylation (Kla). However, the existence patterns, dynamic changes, biological functions and associations of these modifications with histone lysine acetylation and gene expression during mammalian development remain largely unknown. Here, we find that histone Kcr and Kla are widely distributed in the brain and undergo global changes during neural development. By profiling the genome-wide dynamics of H3K9ac, H3K9cr and H3K18la in combination with ATAC and RNA sequencing, we reveal that these marks are tightly correlated with chromatin state and gene expression, and extensively involved in transcriptome remodeling to promote cell-fate transitions in the developing telencephalon. Importantly, we demonstrate that global Kcr and Kla levels are not the consequence of transcription and identify the histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1-3 as novel ‘erasers’ of H3K18la. Using P19 cells as an induced neural differentiation system, we find that HDAC1-3 inhibition by MS-275 pre-activates neuronal transcriptional programs by stimulating multiple histone lysine acylations simultaneously. These findings suggest that histone Kcr and Kla play crucial roles in the epigenetic regulation of neural development.
Peak Muscle and Joint Contact Forces of Running with Increased Duty Factors
Authors: BONNAERENS SENNE , VAN ROSSOM SAM , FIERS PIETER , VAN CAEKENBERGHE INE , DERIE RUD , KANEKO YASUNORI , FREDERICK EDWARD , VANWANSEELE BENEDICTE , AERTS PETER , DE CLERCQ DIRK , SEGERS VEERLE
Published: June 2022

Purpose

Running with increased duty factors (DF) has been shown to effectively reduce external forces during running. In this study, we investigated whether running with increased DF (INCR) also reduces internal musculoskeletal loading measures, defined as peak muscle forces, muscle force impulses, and peak joint contact forces compared with a runners’ preferred running pattern (PREF).

Method

Ten subjects were instructed to run with increased DF at 2.1 m·s−1. Ground reaction forces and three-dimensional kinematics were simultaneously measured. A musculoskeletal model was used to estimate muscle forces based on a dynamic optimization approach, which in turn were used to calculate muscle force impulses and (resultant and three-dimensional) joint contact forces of the ankle, knee, and hip joint during stance.

Results

Runners successfully increased their DF from 40.6% to 49.2% on average. This reduced peak muscle forces of muscles that contribute to support during running, i.e., the ankle plantar flexors (−19%), knee extensors (−18%), and hip extensors (−15%). As a consequence, peak joint contact forces of the ankle, knee, and hip joint reduced in the INCR condition. However, several hip flexors generated higher peak muscle forces near the end of stance.

Conclusions

Running with increased DF lowers internal loading measures related to support during stance. Although some swing-related muscles generated higher forces near the end of stance, running with increased DF can be considered as a preventive strategy to reduce the occurrence of running-related injuries, especially in running populations that are prone to overuse injuries.
Predictive Simulations of Human Sprinting: Effects of Muscle–Tendon Properties on Sprint Performance
Authors: LIN YI-CHUNG , PANDY MARCUS G.
Published: June 2022

Purpose

We combined a full-body musculoskeletal model with dynamic optimization theory to predict the biomechanics of maximum-speed sprinting and evaluate the effects of changes in muscle–tendon properties on sprint performance.

Methods

The body was modeled as a three-dimensional skeleton actuated by 86 muscle–tendon units. A simulation of jogging was used as an initial guess to generate a predictive dynamic optimization solution for maximum-speed sprinting. Nominal values of lower-limb muscle strength, muscle fascicle length, muscle intrinsic maximum shortening velocity (fiber-type composition), and tendon compliance were then altered incrementally to study the relative influence of each property on sprint performance.

Results

Model-predicted patterns of full-body motion, ground forces, and muscle activations were in general agreement with experimental data recorded for maximum-effort sprinting. Maximum sprinting speed was 1.3 times more sensitive to a change in muscle strength compared with the same change in muscle fascicle length, 2.0 times more sensitive to a change in muscle fascicle length compared with the same change in muscle intrinsic maximum shortening velocity, and 9.1 times more sensitive to a change in muscle intrinsic maximum shortening velocity compared with the same change in tendon compliance. A 10% increase in muscle strength increased maximum sprinting speed by 5.9%, whereas increasing muscle fascicle length, muscle intrinsic maximum shortening velocity, and tendon compliance by 10% increased maximum sprinting speed by 4.7%, 2.4%, and 0.3%, respectively.

Conclusions

Sprint performance was most sensitive to changes in muscle strength and least affected by changes in tendon compliance. Sprint performance was also more heavily influenced by changes in muscle fascicle length than muscle intrinsic maximum shortening velocity. These results could inform training methods aimed at optimizing performance in elite sprinters.
Toward Personalized Exercise Medicine: A Cautionary Tale
Authors: BRENNAN ANDREA M. , DAY ANDREW G. , CLARKE JOHN , ROSS ROBERT
Published: June 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to examine individual exercise response rates across a range of cardiometabolic variables, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition in adults.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of data from three randomized controlled trials was used in this study. Participants include those who completed the given trial (control, n = 87; intervention, n = 251). Anthropometric (weight, body mass index, waist circumference), cardiorespiratory fitness (V̇O2peak), MRI-measured total adipose tissue (AT), abdominal subcutaneous AT, and visceral AT and common cardiometabolic variables were assessed pre- and postintervention using standard methodologies. The technical error (TE), which includes both the day-to-day variability and instrument error, was calculated using pre- and postintervention data from the time-matched control group.

Results

On average, all anthropometric, MRI, and V̇O2peak variables improved significantly after intervention compared with the control group (P < 0.05). With the exception of glucose disposal rate (37%), after intervention less than 13% of participants improved cardiometabolic outcome measures beyond the day-to-day variability of measurement. In other words, the individual response for 63%–96% of participants fell within the uncertain range (2 TE). Similarly, for absolute V̇O2peak (L·min−1), only 45% of participants improved beyond 2 TE. By comparison, for MRI-derived variables, the majority of participants (77%, 58%, and 51% for total AT, abdominal subcutaneous AT, and visceral AT, respectively) improved beyond 2 TE. The observed reductions beyond 2 TE for WC and body weight were 53% and 63%, respectively.

Conclusions

The findings suggest extreme caution when inferring that the cardiometabolic and cardiorespiratory fitness response for a given individual is attributable to the exercise dose prescribed.
Νεοελληνική ποίηση και ανδρική ομοφυλοφιλία (1830-2020)
Authors: Οταμπάσης Χαράλαμπος
Published: June 2022

Στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η καταγραφή και η αποτίμηση του ομοερωτικού ποιητικού λόγου στην Ελλάδα από το 1830 έως το 2020. Μέριμνά μας η ανάδειξη ενός σώματος κειμένων που εκθέτουν την ανδρική ομοφυλοφιλία, με την κειμενική της απόδοση να αποτελεί σχόλιο αναφορικά με την ομοσεξουαλική πρακτική, την ανδρική ομοερωτική επιθυμία και την αποκάλυψη του ανδρικού σώματος. Να σημειώσουμε ότι ο αποκλεισμός της γυναικείας ομοφυλόφιλης εμπειρίας και του γυναικείου ομοφυλόφιλου λόγου δεν έγινε τυχαία. Ο λεσβιακός έρωτας ανταποκρίνεται σε μια ξεχωριστή εικονογραφία, γύρω από την οποία εγείρονται διαφορετικά ζητήματα. Αυτό δεν σημαίνει, όμως, ότι η λεσβιακή λογοτεχνία δεν εντάσσεται μέσα στα ευρύτερα ερωτήματα που αφορούν ετεροκανονιστικές πρακτικές και ιδεολογίες ενάντια σε επιθυμίες και ροές που δεν ανταποκρίνονται στο ετεροκανονικό μοντέλο. Η εν λόγω διατριβή συνδυάζει την ιστορικοφιλολογική μελέτη με μια ερμηνευτική και κοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση. Το ερευνητικό πεδίο καλύπτει ένα είδος γραφής ελάχιστα μελετημένο, με αποτέλεσμα η σχετική βιβλιογραφία να είναι σήμερα ελλιπής. Ερωτήματα που αφορούν τις απαρχές του σύγχρονου ομοερωτικού ποιητικού λόγου στην Ελλάδα, τον τρόπο κριτικής και ερμηνευτικής επεξεργασίας κειμένων με προφανές ομοσεξουαλικό περιεχόμενο, καθώς και τον πολιτικό και κοινωνικό αντίκτυπο ενός σώματος κειμένων με αναφορές στην ανδρική ομοσεξουαλικότητα, απαντώνται ξεχωριστά, προς ενίσχυση της ακαδημαϊκής και θεωρητικής συζήτησης που αφορά τη λογοτεχνική αναπαράσταση της ανδρικής ομοφυλοφιλίας.
Case Report: Detailed Clinical Course and Management Plan for Status Epilepticus Pediatric Patient with Resected Choroid Plexus Papilloma: A Case Report and a Single Center Experience
Authors: Muthaffar Osama , Alyazidi Anas , Alotibi Fahad
Published: June 2022

Choroid plexus papilloma (CPP) is a benign but rare central nervous system (CNS) neoplasm of the choroid plexus. The onset of symptoms is usually in the first decade and may occur at birth (i.e., congenital). It accounts for 0.4–0.6% of all brain tumors. Usually seen in patients who are young children. The object of this clinical case to highlight early surgical intervention, intensive and multidisciplinary care, and pharmaceutical prescriptions can enhance the patient's condition and quality of life. We herein report a rare presentation of CPP in a 6-year-old Sudanese female child with seizures. Who suffered from obstructive hydrocephalus with lateral ventricular choroid plexus papilloma. The patient underwent resection at the age of 6 months in our center's neurosurgery department. Intensive and multidisciplinary follow-up managed to maintain positive outcome and better quality of life in a relatively benign neoplasm. In spite of a wide range of therapeutic options for the management of CPP described in the literature, studies demonstrated that patients with CPP alone and underwent a surgical procedure can live independently as adults and work full-time with uncommon recurrences.
Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of dairy waste: effect of temperature and initial acidity on the composition and quality of solid and liquid products
Authors: Khalaf Nidal , Shi Wenxuan , Kwapinski Witold , Leahy J.J.
Published: June 2022

Background: Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of dairy processing waste was performed to investigate the effect of temperature and initial pH on the yield and composition of the solid (hydrochar) and liquor produced. All hydrochars met the EU requirements of organo-mineral solid fertilizers defined in the Fertilizing Products Regulation in terms of phosphorus (P) and mineral content.

Methods: Laboratory scale HTC was performed using pressurized reactors, and the products (solid and liquid) were collected, stored and analyzed for elemental composition and nutrient content using Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and other analytic techniques.

Results: Maximum hydrochar yield (60.67%) was observed at T=180℃ and pH=2.25, whereas the maximum P-recovery was 80.38% at T=220℃ and pH=4.6. The heavy metal content of the hydrochars was mostly compliant with EU limitations, except for Ni at T=220℃ and pH=8.32. Meanwhile, further study of Chromium (Cr) species is essential to assess the fertilizer quality of the hydrochars. For the liquid product, the increase in temperature beyond 200℃, coupled with an increase in initial acidity (pH=2.25) drove P into the liquor. Simultaneously, increasing HTC temperature and acidity increased the concentration of NO3- and NH4+ in the liquid products to a maximum of 278 and 148 mg/L, respectively, at T=180℃ and pH=4.6. Furthermore, no direct relation between final pH of liquor and NH4+ concentration was observed.

Conclusions: HTC improved the nutrient content of dairy waste, allowing for the production of potential solid organo-mineral fertilizers requiring additional treatment to ensure safe fertilizer application.