bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tandem Stenosis of the Cervical and Thoracic Spine ： A Systematic Review
Authors: Lin Yanze , Jinlei Zhou , Wang Xun , Yao Wenchao , Wu Ruiji , Feng Fabo
Published: June 2023

Background
Tandem spinal stenosis (TSS) is a condition where the spinal canal is narrowed in two or more regions of the spine. The most common locations of TSS are in the cervical and lumbar spine, but it can also occur in the cervical and thoracic spine. The simultaneous occurrence of cervical and thoracic spinal stenosis can result in complicated symptoms, which may cause missed and delayed diagnosis. Additionally, tandem cervical and thoracic stenosis (TCTS) may affect the decision-making process of surgeons when contemplating either one-staged or two-staged surgery. Currently, there is no agreed-upon strategy for surgical intervention of TCTS in the literature.
Methods
Medical databases in English (Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) and Chinese (CNKI, Wanfang Data, CMJD) were searched using Medical Subject Heading queries for the terms “tandem cervical and thoracic stenosis”,“cervical stenosis AND thoracic stenosis”, “tandem spinal stenosis” and “concomitant spinal stenosis” from January 1980 to March 2023. We included studies involving adult individuals with TCTS. Articles only focused on disorders in the single spine area or didn't mention spinal disorders were excluded.
Results
A total of 1625 literatures were initially considered for inclusion. After removing duplicates using EndNote, and screening literatures abstract and the full-texts, 23 clinical studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 2 studies solely focused on missed diagnosis, 19 studies exclusively discussed surgical strategy for TCTS, and 2 articles evaluated both surgical strategy and missed diagnosis.
Conclusion
Our study revealed a missed diagnosis rate of 7.2% in TCTS, with the thoracic stenosis being the most commonly overlooked area. Therefore, precise identification of TCTS is of utmost importance as the initial step in its management. Although both one-staged and two-staged surgeries have demonstrated effectiveness, the optimal surgical plan should be selected based on the patients' unique circumstances.
Elastic fiber alterations and calcifications in calcific uremic arteriolopathy Running head: Elastin alteration and calcifications in CUA
Authors: Colboc Hester , Moguelet Philippe , Bazin Dominique , Letavernier Emmanuel , Sun Chenyu , Chessel Anatole , Carvalho Priscille , Lok Catherine , Dillies Anne-Sophie , Chaby Guillaume , Maillard Hervé , Kottler Diane , Goujon Elisa , Jurus Christine , Panaye Marine , Tang Ellie , Courville Philippe , Boury Antoine , Monfort Jean-Benoit , Chasset François , Senet Patricia , Schanne-Klein Marie-Claire
Published: June 2023

Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) is a severely morbid disease, affecting mostly dialyzed end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, associated with calcium deposits in the skin. Calcifications have been identified in ESRD patients without CUA, indicating that their presence is not specific to the disease. The objective of this retrospective multicenter study was to compare elastic fiber structure and skin calcifications in ESRD patients with CUA to those without CUA using innovative structural techniques. Fourteen ESRD patients with CUA were compared to 12 ESRD patients without CUA. Analyses of elastic fiber structure and skin calcifications using multiphoton microscopy followed by machine-learning analysis and field-emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with coupled with energy dispersive X-ray were performed. Elastic fibers specifically appeared fragmented in CUA. Quantitative analyses of multiphoton images showed that they were significantly straighter in ESRD patients with CUA than without CUA. Interstitial and vascular calcifications were observed in both groups of ESRD patients, but vascular calcifications specifically appeared massive and circumferential in CUA. Unlike interstitial calcifications, massive circumferential vascular calcifications and elastic fibers straightening appeared specific to CUA. The origins of such specific elastic fiber’s alteration are still to be explored and may involve relationships with ischemic vascular or inflammatory processes.
Potential of Fucoidan From Myriogloea Major Asensi as Antiviral Against Herpes Simplex Type 1 and 2 and Bovine Coronavirus
Authors: Conesa Ana Lucía , Dellatorre Fernando Gaspar , Latour Ezequiel , Ponce Nora Marta Andrea , Stortz Carlos A. , Scolaro Luis Alberto , Álvarez Vera Alejandra , Lassalle Verónica Leticia , Ayala-Peña victoria Belen
Published: June 2023

Fucoidans are fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharides that display a wide array of biological properties and are found mainly in brown seaweeds. These compounds possess interesting pharmacological perspectives for antiviral and antioxidant drug development. Myriogloea major Asensi (Chordariaceae; Ectocarpales) is an endemic brown seaweed from Argentine Patagonia similar to other members of the Chordariaceae family used as a commercial fucoidan source. This alga is a potential resource and the fucoidans obtained from it have not been studied until now. In this work, we studied the chemical composition and the anti- HSV-1, HSV-2 and Bovine Coronavirus, and antioxidant activity of fucoidan extracts from M. major thalli. The dry weights from two pooled extracts represented 42% of the extracted dried biomass. Chemical analysis showed that the extracts contained between 15 and 20% of sulfates and approximately 80% of fucose constituents on their polysaccharides. The total phenolic content was lower than 1% (Gallic acid equivalents) and antioxidant activity was lower than 50% at a concentration of 1 mg/ml in both extracts. We demonstrated that in the presence of fucoidan extracts the viral attachment to the cell was reduced by up to 75%; applying its antiviral action to block the viral infection, this way the progeny virus released from host cells was significantly restricted, without affecting cell-to-cell spread or virus viability.
A Modal Conditional Mean Spectrum for Nonlinear Structural Response Time-History Analysis of Tall Buildings to Consider Higher Mode Effects
Authors: Du Ke , Gao Jiawei , Ji Kun , Bai Jiulin
Published: June 2023

Selection and scaling of an appropriate suite of earthquake ground motion records for consistency with a target spectrum are associated with nonlinear structural response time-history analysis. The commonly used target spectrum could be a uniform hazard spectrum (UHS), conditional (mean) spectrum (CMS or CS). The CMS (CS) overcomes the limitations of the “overly conservative” and “unrealistic spectral shape” of UHS and has been accepted as a more reasonable target spectrum recently. However, the CMS only selects a single conditional period (usually the first period T1 of the structure) ignoring the influence of the high-order vibration mode (other periods) on the structure. To address this, this paper proposes a modal conditional mean spectrum (MCMS) considering the influence of higher-order modes by weighted (measured using the modal participation mass ratio) averaging the CMS under each period of the structure. The MCMS matches CMS(T1) at a period T" (T"< T1). The spectrum values of MCMS are significantly higher than those of CMS(T1) for periods shorter than T" and slightly lower than those of CMS(T1) for periods longer than T". Then, two typical high-rise case structures (symmetric and asymmetric structures) with different elevations are designed, and the MCMS, CMS(T1) and UHS are used as target spectra for nonlinear structural response time-history analysis for comparison. Based on the analysis of four engineering demand parameters, namely peak floor acceleration (PFA), peak floor velocity (PFV), peak floor displacement (PFD), and maximum interstory drift ratio (IDR), it was found that the results of the UHS were consistently higher than those of the CMS(T1) and the MCMS. However, it was also observed that the PFA results of MCMS were higher than those of CMS(T1), whereas the PFD, PFV, and IDR results of MCMS were lower than those of CMS(T1). It should be noted that MCMS is a target spectrum that takes into account the influence of higher-order mode effects in CMS.
Existential distress and associated factors in advanced cancer patients: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Xu Guiru Xu , Lin Xiaodan , Xiao Huimin , wu Hong , Yang Shangwang , Lin Xiaoyan , Zheng Jianwei
Published: June 2023

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the current state of existential distress and identify its associated factors in advanced cancer patients.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 352 advanced cancer patients from three tertiary hospitals in Fujian, China. Participants were invited to finish Existential Distress Scale, Number Rating Scale, Self-perceived Burden Scale, Quality of Life Concerns in the End of Life Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Result: A total of 352 advanced cancer patients were recruited in this study. The average score of existential distress was 8.48±7.12 among advanced cancer patients. Multiple regression showed that its associated factors were depression (β= 0.32, P=0.000), self-perceived burden (β= 0.18, P=0.001), spouse (β= -0.10, P=0.050), and government subsidies (β= 0.17, P=0.001). The factors accounted for 30.1% of the total variance in existential distress (F=8.472, P＜0.001).
Conclusion: Existential distress is positively influenced by depression, self-perceived burden, and government subsidies, but negatively influenced by a spouse among advanced cancer patients. Depression is its most important risk factor, and future existential distress interventions could target at depression.
The expression and clinical significance of MATK in chronic hypoperfusion patients with white matter hyperintensity
Authors: Zhao Ming , Zhang Jiayue , Yang Qianqian , Shi Zhang , Shen Hongjian , Pu Yingyan , Han Yi
Published: June 2023

Background
Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) is one of the important causes of vascular cognitive impairment, and such people can often be found with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of MATK in CCH patients with WMH.
Methods
A total of 42 patients with CCH complicated with WMH were defined as the WMH group and 45 healthy volunteers as the control group. The peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) levels of MATK were separated and detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain (qPCR). A correlation analysis of MATK level and Fazekas scales in patients with WMH was also conducted.
Results
The qPCR results showed that the relative MATK expression was downregulated in the WMH group compared to the control group; the expression of MATK in the control group was 1.84 ± 0.87, while the expression of MATK in the WMH group was 1.20 ± 0.99, which was a statistically significant difference (t = 3.24, P < 0.01). Correlation analysis showed that the MATK level in the WMH group was negatively correlated with the Fazekas scale of WMH (R2 = 0.3405, P < 0.001). MOCA (OR, 0.766; 95% CI 0.594–0.986; P < 0.05) and MATK (OR, 0.498; 95% CI 0.268–0.927; P < 0.05) were independent high-risk factors to predict the clinical outcomes of WMH in patients with CCH.
Conclusions
The expression of MATK in the peripheral blood of CCH patients was negatively correlated with the severity of WMH, and it may help CCH patients identify the progression of WMH as early as possible.
High Fidelity Synthetic Face Generation for Rosacea Skin Condition from Limited Data
Authors: Mohanty Anwesha , Sutherland Alistair , Bezbradica Marija , Javidnia Hossein
Published: June 2023

Similar to the majority of deep learning applications, diagnosing skin diseases using computer vision and deep learning often requires a large volume of data. However, obtaining sufficient data for particular types of facial skin conditions can be difficult due to privacy concerns. As a result, conditions like Rosacea are often understudied in computer-aided diagnosis. The limited availability of data for facial skin conditions has led to the investigation of alternative methods for computer-aided
diagnosis. In recent years, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), mainly variants of StyleGANs, have demonstrated promising results in generating synthetic facial images. In this study, for the first time, a small dataset of Rosacea with 300 full-face images is utilized to further investigate the possibility of generating synthetic data. The preliminary experiments show how fine-tuning the model and varying experimental settings significantly affect the fidelity of the Rosacea features. It
is demonstrated that R1 Regularization strength helps achieve high-fidelity details. Additionally, this study presents qualitative evaluations of synthetic/generated faces by expert dermatologists and non-specialist participants. The quantitative evaluation is presented using a few validation metric(s). Furthermore a number of limitations and future directions are discussed.
The role of mesenchymal estrogen receptor 1 in mouse uterus in response to estrogen
Authors: Furuminato Keita , Minatoya Saki , Seno Eriko , Goto Tatsuki , Yamazaki Sho , Sakaguchi Moeka , Toyota Kenji , Iguchi Taisen , Miyagawa Shinichi
Published: June 2023

Estrogens play important roles in uterine growth and homeostasis through estrogen receptors (ESR1 and ESR2). To address the role of ESR1-mediated tissue events in the murine uterus, we analyzed mice with a mesenchymal tissue-specific knockout of Esr1. Isl1-driven Cre expression generated Esr1 deletion in the uterine stroma and endometrium (Isl-Esr1KO). We showed that overall structure of the Isl1-Esr1KO mouse uterus developed normally, but estrogen responsiveness and subsequent growth were defective, suggesting that mesenchymal ESR1 is necessary for both epithelial and mesenchymal cell proliferation. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis revealed that the majority of estrogen-induced genes were regulated by stromal ESR1. In control mice, E2 administration induced 9476 up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), whereas only 1801 up-regulated DEGs were induced by E2 in Isl1-Esr1KO mice. We further showed that stromal ESR1-regulated genes in the mouse uterus included several growth factors and cytokines, which are potential factors that regulate epithelial and stromal tissue interaction, and also genes involved in lipid homeostasis. Therefore, we infer that stromal ESR1 expression is indispensable for most estrogen actions in the mouse uterus and the current results provide new insights into estrogen-mediated homeostasis in female reproductive organs.
An Efficient and Eco-Friendly Tandem Approach for Spirooxindoles Synthesis
Authors: Verma Asha , Arya Dinesh Kumar , Kumar Sandeep , Pathak Gargi , Khatri Vineeta
Published: June 2023

The synthetic procedure of substantially diverse spiro[benzothiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-4,3'-indolines] was created via a highly potent and ecologically friendly tandem technique. The synthesis methodology uses L-proline to serve as a recoverable and recyclable catalyst for the reaction of isatin, and malononitrile, with 2-amino benzothiazole using an aqueous environment.
Comparing of EPDM/SIR insulation performance and mechanism analysis of the distribution cable accessories under moisture condition
Authors: Sun Weixin , Guo Kongying , Luo Wen , Li Guochang , Wei Yanhui , Liang Xiaojian , Nie Yongjie
Published: June 2023

Moisture in the insulation of distribution cable accessories is one of the important causes of insulation degradation and discharge failure of the accessories. The changes in the insulation properties of EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer) and SIR (Silicone Rubber) with the time of dampness are studied, and the mechanism of dampness is revealed by combining the surface water absorption characteristics and functional group analysis. The results show that the hydrophobicity of EPDM specimens is lower than that of SIR, resulting in the electrical properties of EPDM being significantly lower than those of SIR after water immersion. The resistivity and the flashover voltage of both specimens decrease significantly with the increase of moisture exposure time, and the decrease of EPDM is more obvious than that of SIR. The breakdown voltage of EPDM decreases by 26.6% and that of SIR decreased by 13.06%. Besides, the flashover voltage along the surface of both EPDM and SIR decreases with the increase of water immersion time, and the decreasing trend of both of them is basically the same. This work has guiding significance for the material selection of the cable accessories and the analysis of damp failure.
Utilizing Mobile Robotics for Pelvic Perturbations to Improve Balance and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Adeniyi Adedeji , Stramel Danielle M. , Rahman Danish , Rahman Montaha , Yadav Arihant , Zhou Jingzong , Kim Grace Y. , Agrawal Sunil K.
Published: June 2023

Late-life balance disorders remain a severe problem with fatal consequences. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT), a form of rehabilitation that intentionally introduces small, unpredictable disruptions to an individual's gait cycle, can improve balance. The Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (TPAD) is a cable-driven robotic trainer that applies perturbations to the user's pelvis during treadmill walking. Earlier work showcased improved gait stability and the first evidence of increased cognition acutely. The mobile Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (mTPAD), a portable version of the TPAD, applies perturbations to a pelvic belt via a posterior walker during overground gait, as opposed to treadmill walking. Forty healthy older adults were randomly assigned to a control group (CG, n = 20) without mTPAD PBT or an experimental group (EG, n = 20) with mTPAD PBT for a two-day study. Day 1 consisted of baseline anthropometrics, vitals, and functional and cognitive measurements. Day 2 consisted of training with the mTPAD and post-interventional cognitive and functional measurements. Results revealed that the EG significantly outperformed the CG in cognitive and functional tasks while showcasing increased confidence in mobility. Gait analysis demonstrated that the mTPAD PBT significantly improved mediolateral stability during lateral perturbations. To our knowledge, our study is the first randomized, large group (n = 40) clinical study exploring new mobile perturbation-based robotic gait training technology.
Integrating animal experiments, mass spectrometry and network-based approach to reveal the improving sleep quality of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and γ-aminobutyric acid mixture
Authors: Cui Guozhen , Ren Airong , Wu Tingbiao , Wang Yarong , Fan Qing , Yang Zhenhao , Zhang Shixun , Cao Yongjun
Published: June 2023

Background Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS) is a plant widely used as medicine and food in Asian countries due to its numerous health benefits. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a non-proteinaceous amino acid, is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters with a relaxant function. In this study, a systems pharmacology approach was employed to assess the effects of a mixture composed of ZSS and GABA (ZSSG) on sleep improvement.Methods Mice were divided into five groups (n = 10) and received either no treatment, sodium pentobarbital, or sodium barbital with diazepam or ZSSG. The effects of ZSSG on sleep quality were evaluated in mice, and differential metabolites associated with sleep were identified among the control, ZSS, GABA, and ZSSG groups. Additionally, a network-based ingredient-insomnia proximity analysis was applied to explore the major ingredients.Results ZSSG significantly improved sleep quality by decreasing sleep latency and prolonging sleep duration in sodium pentobarbital-induced sleeping mouse model (P < 0.05). ZSSG significantly enhanced the brain content of GABA in mice. Furthermore, ZSSG also significantly decreased sleep latency-induced by sodium barbital in mice (P < 0.05). Metabolic analysis revealed significant differences in 10 metabolites between ZSSG group and the groups administering ZSS or GABA. Lastly, using the network-based ingredient screening model, we discovered potential four active ingredients and three pairwise ingredient combinations with synergistic effect for insomnia from ZSSG among 85 ingredients identified by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. Also, we have constructed an online computation platform.Conclusion Our data demonstrated that ZSSG improved the sleeping quality of mice and help to balance metabolic disorders-associated with sleep disorders. Moreover, based on the network-based prediction method, the potential four active ingredients in ZSSG could serve as quality markers-associated with insomnia. The network-based framework may open up a new avenue for the discovery of active ingredients of herbal medicine for treating complex chronic diseases or symptom, such as insomnia.
Serum Biomarker Profile Explains Heterogenity in Patients With Takayasu Arteritis: An Exploratory Analysis
Authors: Goel Ruchika , Anantharaman Devasena , Prabhu Savit B. , Raghupathy Rekha , Prabhu Priya R. , Kabeerdoss Jayakanthan , Joseph George , Jeyaseelan L , Thomas Meera , Pillai M. Radhakrishna , Danda Debashish
Published: June 2023

The clinical presentation of patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK), a large vessel vasculitis, is heterogenous and absence on an ideal biomarker renders assessment of disease activity difficult. In the present study we determined the biomarker profile of patients with TAK and subclassified them based on the same. Methods: Serum of consecutive patients with TAK and 36 controls were subjected to bead-based-multiplex assay or ELISA to quantify cytokines or chemokines or growth factors representing various pathophysiological pathways in TAK. The concentration of analytes between patients and controls and among various subsets of patients were compared. Unbiased clustering of patients was performed by dimensionality reduction methods and correlation networks were constructed. The surgical arterial biopsies of a subset of patients were examined for the extent of inflammation, fibrosis and myxomatous changes in arterial wall and the changes were correlated with cytokine concentration. Results: 85 patients with TAK [66 females, mean age: 28.8 ± 8.9 years, symptom duration of 24 months (IQR: 8–48 months)] and 36 controls were recruited. Levels of B cell antigen (BCA-1) and Pentraxin-3 were higher in patients than controls after applying correction for multiple testing (p < 0.02 for both). IL18 levels were highest in type 5 subtype (p = 0.015) while angiopoietin-2 and BCA-1 levels were highest in type 4 disease (p = 0.015, 0.003 and 0.009 respectively). The level of angiopoietin-2 was higher in patients with active disease (n = 52) than stable disease at baseline (p = 0.007) while IL6 and MMP-2 were paradoxically lower in patients with active disease (p = 0.029 and 0.021 respectively). Serum IL18 and IL2Rα levels trended to correlate positively with intensity of inflammation in the studied samples of aortic tissues. Among treatment naïve patients, those with lower concentration serum IL15, IFNγ and IL12p70 separated into one cluster. The angiogenic factors, MMP-9 and pentraxin-3 demonstrated interconnectedness in patients with active disease and not in those with stable disease. Conclusions: Patients with TAK have varied biomarker profile that depends on angiographic type and intensity of inflammation. While BCA-1 and Pentraxin levels were higher in TAK as compared with controls, angiopoietin-2, Il-6 and MMP-2 levels differentiated active from stable TAK. The biomarkers interconnected among each other differently in active and stable patients.
Applying eye-fixation-related brain potentials for a concealed information test
Authors: Fuseda Kohei , Sugasawa Nao , Kobayashi Takefumi
Published: June 2023

A concealed information test (CIT) is a memory detection technique that is commonly used in criminal investigations. Although event-related brain potentials (ERPs) have been used as a measure in CIT studies, they are not typically measured in criminal investigations due to their susceptibility to noise resulting from eye movement. The present study focused on eye-fixation-related brain potentials (EFRPs), which are a type of brain potentials that are time-locked to the onset of eye-fixations, in order to avoid contamination from eye movement, and investigated whether EFRPs could be a useful measure for CIT. Nineteen participants selected a photograph of one person out of five and created a fictional story about a crime they committed with the person in the selected photograph. The participants provided information about the selected photograph to an experimenter in a no-secret condition, but they did not disclose any information about it in a concealed condition. After the story was created a photograph of a person and a target were presented continuously on alternating sides of the monitor and participants were asked to follow them with their eyes and to press a button when their eyes fixed on the target. The amplitude of P1 elicited by the selected photograph was significantly larger than that elicited by unselected ones only in the concealed condition. The result demonstrates that spatial attention to incoming visual information was modulated by the intent to conceal and indicates that EFRPs are a useful measure in CIT.
Restoring Natural Upper Limb Movement through a Wrist Prosthetic Module for Partial Hand Amputees
Authors: Choi Seoyoung , Cho Wonwoo , Kim Keehoon
Published: June 2023

Background
Most partial hand amputees experience limited wrist movement. The limited rotational wrist movement deteriorates natural upper limb system related to hand use and the usability of the prosthetic hand, which may cause secondary damage to the musculoskeletal system due to overuse of the upper limb affected by repetitive compensatory movement patterns. Nevertheless, partial hand prosthetics, in common, have only been proposed without rotational wrist movement because patients have various hand shapes, and a prosthetic hand should be attached to a narrow space.
Methods
We hypothesized that partial hand amputees, when using a prosthetic hand with a wrist rotation module, would achieve natural upper limb movement muscle synergy and motion analysis comparable to a control group. To validate the proposed prototype design with the wrist rotation module and verify our hypothesis, we compared a control group with partial hand amputees wearing hand prostheses, both with and without the wrist rotation module prototype. The study contained muscle synergy analysis through non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) using surface electromyography (EMG) and motion analyses employing a motion capture system during the reach-to-grasp task. Additionally, we assessed the usability of the prototype design for partial hand amputees using the Jebsen-Taylor hand function test (JHFT).
Results
The results showed that the number of muscle synergies identified through NMF remained consistent at 3 for both the control group and amputees using a hand prosthesis with a wrist rotation module. In the motion analysis, a statistically significant difference was observed between the control group and the prosthetic hand without the wrist rotation module, indicating the presence of compensatory movements when utilizing a prosthetic hand lacking this module. Furthermore, among the amputees, the JHFT demonstrated a greater improvement in total score when using the prosthetic hand equipped with a wrist rotation module compared to the prosthetic hand without this module.
Conclusion
In conclusion, integrating a wrist rotation module in prosthetic hand designs for partial hand amputees restores natural upper limb movement patterns, reduces compensatory movements, and prevent the secondary musculoskeletal. This highlights the importance of this module in enhancing overall functionality and quality of life.
Posterior lumbar fusion surgery doesn’t change sexual activities in patients with lumbar degenerative disease: an observational study
Authors: Shimamura Yukitoshi , Kanayama Masahiro , Horio Michiko , Yamaguchi Ai , Oha Fumihiro , Tsujimoto Takeru , Tanaka Masaru , Hasegawa Yuichi , Endo Tsutomu , Hashimoto Tomoyuki
Published: June 2023

Background: There are few studies about sexual function in the patient with posterior lumbar spinal fusion for degenerative lumbar disease. The aim of this study is to investigate sexual activities in patients with lumbar degenerative disease before and after lumbar fusion surgery.
Methods: We recruited 35 patients who underwent lumbar spinal fusion at the age of 55 years or younger. They were 17 men and 18 women with a mean age of 47.4 years. After informed consent, the patients were asked to complete anonymous questionnaire concerning sexual desire, activity, and satisfaction before and after surgery.
Results: In the presick period, 69% of the patients had sexual desire, and 79% achieved satisfaction during sexual activity. Lumbar degenerative disease decreased sexual desire and frequency of sexual activity in 40%, and 74% respectively. Before surgery, satisfaction in sexual activities decreased in 53%, and 55% of the patients felt discomfort during sexual activity. Adjustment in sexual position was required in 44% of man and 54% of woman. After surgery, Sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity and satisfaction did not regain after surgery in 94%, 93% and 92%, respectively.
Those who did not feel discomfort after surgery was significantly lower VAS in both low back pain and leg pain than the patients felt discomfort (low back pain; p=0.024, leg pain; p=0.046).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that lumbar degenerative diseases decreased sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity and satisfaction, and little of the patients regained their sexual activities after posterior lumbar fusion surgery in the middle-aged patients.
Impact of Compact TiO2 Interface Modification on the Crystallinity of Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Takahashi Saemi , Uchida Satoshi , Jayaweera Piyankarage , Kaneko Shoji , Segawa Hiroshi
Published: June 2023

The effect of TiO2 interfacial morphology on perovskite crystallinity was investigated by modifying the micro and nanoscale surface roughness of compact TiO2. The surface treatment of compact TiO2 layer is considered as an effective strategy to improve a photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells although there is little discussion about the crystallinity of perovskite on top of TiO2. In this research, we have examined the impact of micro and nano scale surface roughness and its influence on perovskite crystal as well as the device performance. Surprisingly, while any noticeable voids were not observed at the interface between the compact TiO2 and perovskite layer, the morphology of the perovskite crystal showed a remarkable improvement by either the micro or nano scale interfacial modification and eventually resulted in an enhancement in photoconversion efficiency and I-V hysteresis. This result pointed out the importance of an underlayer surface morphology in perovskite crystallization process and the possibility that grain boundaries existing in perovskite layer may also be a factor affecting I-V hysteresis in perovskite solar cells.
Automated classification of a new grading system for diabetic maculopathy based on optical coherence tomography by deep learninng
Authors: Cai Liwei , Wen Chi , Jiang Jingwen , Zheng Hongmei , Su Yu , Chen Changzheng
Published: June 2023

Purpose:
To develop a Vision Transformer model to detect different stages of diabetic maculopathy (DM) based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images.
Methods:
A total of 3319 OCT images were extracted from the department of ophthalmology renmin hospital of wuhan university and randomly split the dataset into training and validation sets in a 7:3 ratio. All macular cross-sectional scan OCT images were collected retrospectively from the eyes of DM patients from 2016 to 2022. One of the OCT stages of DM, including early diabetic macular edema (DME), advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy, was labeled on the collected images respectively. A deep learning (DL) model based on Vision Transformer was trained to detect four OCT grading of DM.
Results:
The model proposed in our paper can provide a detection results effectively. We achieved a mean accuracy of 82.00%, a mean F1 score of 83.11%, a mean AUC of 0.96. The AUC for the detection of four OCT grading (i.e., early DME, advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy) was 0.96, 0.95, 0.87 and 0.98, respectively, with a precision of 88.46%, 80.31%, 89.42% and 87.74%, respectively, a sensitivity of 87.03%, 88.18%, 63.39% and 89.42%, respectively, a specificity of 93.02%, 90.72%, 98.40%, 96.66%, respectively and a F1 score of 87.74%, 84.06%, 88.18% and 88.57%, respectively.
Conclusion:
Our DL model based on Vision Transformer demonstrated a relatively high accuracy in the detection of OCT grading of DM,, which can help with patients in early screening to obtain a good visual prognosis. These results emphasized the potential of artificial intelligence in assisting clinicians in developing therapeutic strategies with DM in the future .
Determinants of Puerperal Sepsis Among Post-partum Mothers in Mekelle City Public Hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2021: a Case Control Study
Authors: Sahle Solomon Gebretsion , Weldemariam Solomon , Mehari Mihret-ab , Abreha Tomas Amare
Published: June 2023

Background
puerperal sepsis is among the leading causes of preventable maternal death not only in developing countries but also in developed countries which is usually reported as the third or fourth common direct cause of maternal death. Although the prevalence of puerperal sepsis is low, it is the significant cause of maternal mortality, morbidities and other long term complications like secondary infertility. The aim of this study was to assess the determinants of puerperal sepsis among post-partum mothers at Mekelle city public hospitals.
Method
Institution based unmatched case control study was conducted among 444 total sample size (111 cases and 333 controls) in Mekelle city public hospitals from March 21, 2021 to April 20, 2021. Consecutive sampling for the cases and systematic sampling for the controls was used. Pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data and the data was entered into Epi data version 4.1 then cleaned, coded and edited and exported to SPSS version 23 statistical software for analysis. Logistic regression was done and variables with a P-value of < 0.25 on Binary logistic regression were taken to Multivariable analysis. At 95% confidence interval, a P-value of < 0.05 was used as cut-off point to declare the association with the dependent variable.
Results
Multivariable analysis revealed that rural residence (AOR: 3, 95% CI: 1.50–5.90), no ANC follow up (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.08–6.71), duration of rupture of membrane > 24 hours (AOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.60-10.58), duration of labor > 24 hours (AOR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.86–9.92), number of vaginal examination > = 5 (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.26–6.26), cesarean section mode of delivery (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI: 1.48–5.20) and no PNC follow up (AOR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.60–9.36) were the determinant factors of puerperal sepsis in this study.
Conclusion
the determinants of puerperal sepsis in this study were rural residence, not having antenatal care, prolonged duration of rupture of membrane, prolonged duration of labor, frequent number of vaginal examination, cesarean section and not having postnatal care. It is recommended that strengthening provision of health education on danger signs of pregnancy, parthograph utilization and avoiding of frequent vaginal examinations.
The effect of supplementation of vitamin D to the egg-yolk extender on cryopreservation of ram semen
Authors: aktar ahmet , Toker Mehmed Berk , Koca Davut , Uzun Umit Can , Alcay Selim
Published: June 2023

This study aimed to examine the effects of supplementation of vitamin D to the egg-yolk extender on characteristics of frozen-thawed ram semen. Semen samples obtained from adult rams were pooled and divided into five equal volumes. It was reconstituted with extenders containing different concentrations of vitamin D (0 (control), 12.5 (VITD 12.5), 25 (VITD 25), 50 (VITD 50), and 100 ng/ml (VITD 100)) and then they were frozen. Sperm motility, plasmamembrane functionalintegrity, acrosomal integrity, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial membrane potential of the groups were determined. Among motility values after thawing, the VITD50 group was found to be superior to the other groups (P < 0.05). When the plasma membrane integrity was evaluated, VITD25 and VITD50 groups were found better than the other groups (P < 0.05). Acrosomal integrity, DNA fragmentation, and mitochondrial membrane potential rates were found better in VITD25, VITD50 and VITD100 groups when compared to all other groups, but no significant difference was found among all groups (P > 0.05). In the study, it was observed that adding vitamin D to the extender had a beneficial effect on ram spermatological parameters. In addition, it was concluded that the use of the 50 ng/ml vitamin D in the extender provided more effective protection than the other doses.
Distribution characteristics and potential risks of bioaerosols during scattered farming
Authors: Yu Xuezheng , Han Yunping , Liu Jianguo , Cao Yingnan , Wang Ying , Wang Zixuan , Lyu Jinxin , Zhou Ziyu , Yan Ying
Published: June 2023

In most economically underdeveloped areas, scattered farming and cohabitation of humans and livestock are still common. However, the production and harm of bioaerosol in these areas have not received considerable attention. In this study, bioaerosol characteristics were analyzed in scattered farming in rural areas of Northwest China. The results showed that the highest concentrations of bacteria, fungi, and Enterobacteria were 125609 ± 467 CFU/m³, 25175 ± 10305 CFU/m³, and 4167 ± 592 CFU/m³, respectively; most of the bioaerosols had particle sizes larger than 3.3 µm. 71 bacterial genera and 16 fungal genera of the potential pathogen were identified, and some zoonotic potential pathogenic genera such as Bacillus, Campylobacter, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium were found among them. The potential exposure risk was estimated using the average daily dose rate assessment method. While the risk values are higher for adults, the potential exposure risks may be higher for left-behind children and the elderly. Moreover, our findings showed that the scattered farming pattern of human-animal coexistence can affect the indoor air environment in the surrounding area, leading to chronic respiratory diseases in the occupants. Therefore, the corresponding government departments and farmers should enhance their awareness of bioaerosol risks to reduce the incidence of infection.
The comprehensive analysis of m6A-associated anoikis genes in low-grade gliomas
Authors: Zheng Hui , Zhao Yutong , Zhou Hai , Tang Yuguang , Xie Zongyi
Published: June 2023

Background
The relationship between N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators and anoikis and their effects on low-grade glioma (LGG) are not clear yet.
Methods
The TCGA-LGG cohort, mRNAseq 325 dataset and GSE16011 validation set were separately gained via The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Chinese Glioma Genome Altas (CGGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. 27 m6A-related genes (m6A-RGs) and 508 anoikis-related genes (ANRGs) were extracted from published articles, individually. First, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LGG and Normal samples were sifted out by differential expression analysis. DEGs were respectively intersected with m6A-RGs and ANRGs to acquire differentially expressed m6A-RGs (DE-m6A-RGs) and differentially expressed ANRGs (DE-ANRGs). Correlation analysis of DE-m6A-RGs and DE-ANRGs was performed to obtain DE-m6A-ANRGs. Next, univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were performed on DE-m6A-ANRGs to sift out risk model genes, and risk score was gained according to them, then gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was implemented based on risk model genes. After that, we constructed an independent prognostic model, and performed immune infiltration analysis and drug sensitivity analysis. Finally, an mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA regulatory network was constructed.
Results
There were 6901 DEGs between LGG and Normal samples. six DE-m6A-RGs and 214 DE-ANRGs were gained through intersecting DEGs with m6A-RGs and ANRGs, respectively. 149 DE-m6A-ANRGs were derived after correlation analysis. 4 genes namely ANXA5, KIF18A, BRCA1 and HOXA10 composed the risk model, and they involved in apoptosis, fatty acid metabolism and glycolysis, etc.. The age and risk score were finally sifted out to construct independent prognostic model. Activated CD4 T cell, gamma delta T cell and natural killer T cell had the largest positive correlation with risk model genes, while activated B cell was significantly negatively correlated with KIF18A and BRCA1. AT.9283, EXEL.2280, Gilteritinib and Pracinostat had the largest correlation (Absolute value) with risk score. 4 risk model genes (mRNAs)_, 12 miRNAs and 21 lncRNAs formed mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA network, containing HOXA10-hsa-miR-129-5p-LINC00689, KIF18A-hsa-miR- 221-3p-DANCR, etc..
Conclusion
Through bioinformatics, we constructed a prognostic model of m6A-associated anoikis genes in LGG, providing new ideas for research related to prognosis and treatment of LGG.
Methodological Issues: Gender related Indices
Authors: Chakrabartty Satyendra
Published: June 2023

Gender related Index (GRI) is a singled valued function combining selected dimensions containing different number of components. Measurement of multidimensional GRIs involves measurement issues for meaningful aggregations and comparisons over time and space.
The paper proposes gender inequality through multiplicative aggregation (\({GRI}_{GM}\)) and gender similarity index (GSI) by cosine similarity, avoiding scaling, finding weights and satisfying desired properties. Inverse relationship derived between \({GRI}_{GM}\) and GSI.
Each proposed index reduces level of substitutability, effect of outliers. Each facilitates aggregation of country-wise scores to find world average, statistical testing of equality of mean of two countries or mean of a country at two time-periods using Y-scores obtained from each measure by linear transformations where Y\(\in\)[0, 100] and Y \(\sim\) N (\(\mu , {\sigma }^{2})\). Each index can be used for ranking and classification of countries. GSI can indicate current distance of a country from the goal of zero gender inequality. \({GRI}_{GM}\) can assess progress/decline in successive periods for women and separately for men. \({GRI}_{GM}\)is preferred for satisfaction of time-reversal test, easy identification of critical areas and contribution of the components or dimensions to the index.
Empirical verification of the proposed indices and their properties including robustness could be taken as future studies
JEL classification: D63, J16, O15
Effect of In-Utero Exposure to Air Pollution on Adulthood Hospitalizations
Authors: Bassols Nicolau Martin , Johnston David , Shields Michael , de New Sonja
Published: June 2023

Empirical analyses have demonstrated that individuals exposed to severe air pollution in-utero have worse health outcomes during childhood. However, there is little evidence on the long-term health impacts of air pollution exposure. The objective of this paper is to estimate the effect of in-utero exposure to the Great London Smog of 1952 (GLS) on five health outcomes identified through a scoping review to be those most likely affected: respiratory, circulatory, neoplasms, mental health, and nervous system conditions. We use the GLS, an extreme air pollution event in December 1952, as a quasi-natural experiment to estimate the effect of exposure to air pollution in-utero on adulthood health. Data from the UK Biobank is analyzed for a cohort of participants born from December 1952 to July 1956. Differences in health outcomes between adults exposed and not exposed to the GLS due to their birth dates, born inside and outside London, were explored. Our primary focus is hospitalization events between 1997 and 2020 (corresponding to ages 40 to 69), as recorded in linked administrative data from the National Health Service (NHS). Specifically, the five primary outcomes are binary variables indicating that the individual had at least one hospitalization where the main cause of hospitalization is related to respiratory, circulatory, neoplasms, mental health, or nervous system conditions. The analytical sample comprised 36,281 individuals. A positive effect on adulthood hospitalizations due to respiratory conditions was observed. If exposed to the GLS in-utero, the probability of at least one respiratory health-related hospitalization between 1997 to 2020 increased by 2.58 percentage points (95% CI 0.08, 4.30, p=0.03), a 23% increase relative to the sample mean. Small effects were found for all other outcomes, suggesting that these conditions were not affected by the GLS. We do not find heterogeneous effects by sex or childhood socioeconomic status.
Receptive Field Enhancement and Attention Feature Fusion Network for Underwater Object Detection
Authors: Xu Huipu , He Zegang , Cheng Shuo
Published: June 2023

Underwater environments have characteristics such as unclear imaging and complex backgrounds, which lead to poor performance when applying mainstream object detection models directly. To improve the accuracy of underwater object detection, we propose a novel object detection model RF-YOLO, which uses Receptive Field Enhancement Module(RFAM)in the backbone network to finish receptive field enhancement and extract more effective features. We design Free-channel iterative Attention Feature Fusion༈FAFF༉ module to reconstruct the neck network and fuse different scales of feature layers to achieve cross-channel attention feature fusion. We use SIoU as the loss function of the model, which makes the model converge to the optimal direction of training through angle cost, distance cost, shape cost, and IoU cost. The network parameters increase after adding modules, and the model is not easy to converge to the optimal state, so we propose a new training method, which effectively mines the performance of the detection network. Experiments show that the proposed RF-YOLO achieves mAP of 87.56% and 86.39% on URPC2019 and URPC2020 respectively. Through comparative experiments and ablation experiments, it was verified that the proposed network model has higher detection accuracy in complex underwater environments.
Inverse nodal problems for perturbed spherical schrödinger operators
Authors: Liu Yu , Shi Guoliang , Yan Jun
Published: June 2023

The inverse nodal problem for perturbed spherical Schrödinger operator defined on (0, 1) is studied. We prove that the potential on the whole interval can be uniquely determined in terms of a twin dense nodal subset known on the interior subinterval (a,1), a∈(0,1). Especially, when a∈(1/2,1), we need additional spectral information, which is associated with the derivatives of eigenfunctions at some known nodal points.
Optimizing LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode material via modification by polyphosphoric acid on the surface
Authors: Shao Yifeng , Xu Shoudong , Lu Zhonghua , Chen Liang , Chen Jiaqi , Yi Qun , Zhang Ding
Published: June 2023

Nickel-rich layered oxide LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM) cathode material is widely noticed because of its high energy density and low cost. The widely explored NCM often shows inferior surface stability and tends to generate residual lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) on the surface, deteriorating the cyclic stability. The work attempts an efficient procedure by adopting polyphosphoric acid (PPA) to generate lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) as the surface coating layer, increasing the capacity retention ratio, which is 84.2% and 72.5% for the modified cathode material NCM@LP-3 (with the addition of 3% PPA) for 300 cycles and 500 cycles at 1 C. Electrochemical impedance spectra results show that the contact resistance and charge transfer resistance of NCM@LP-3 are significantly less than that of NCM after 500 cycles. SEM further demonstrates that microcracks of NCM@LP-3 are less severe than NCM. This work provides an effective method for surface modification.