bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers to weight management in pregnant mothers with obesity: a qualitative study on mothers with low socioeconomic background
Authors: Mehrabi Fahimeh , Ahmaripour Najva , Jalali-Farahani Sara , Amiri Parisa
Published: November 2021

Background

Maternal obesity is a public health issue that could affect both women’s and children’s health. This qualitative study aimed to identify barriers to weight management of pregnant women with obesity and low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Methods

The current qualitative study has been conducted using a grounded theory approach by analyzing data collected from in-depth interviews with clients of Tehran’s public health care centers for prenatal care. The criteria for selecting participants were excessive weight gain during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, low socioeconomic status, and willingness to share their experiences. A semi-structured guide consisting of open-ended questions was asked in a private room. Open, axial, and selective coding were applied to the data.

Findings

Four main themes emerged from data, each of which has some subcategories: 1) personal factors (unpleasant emotions and feelings, personal tastes/hobbies, workload and responsibilities, and history of diseases), 2) pregnancy status (unintended and high-risk pregnancy), 3) interpersonal relationships and support (lack of a spouse’s support and unhealthy role modeling of relatives), 4) socio-cultural factors/influences (social norms and values, lack of access to health services, and unreliable information channels).

Conclusions

This study provides an overview of the barriers to the weight management of pregnant women from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The results could help develop appropriate health strategies for low socioeconomic women with obesity. Also, health care providers for this group of women could use these findings as a guide to consider their conditions and background.
Changes in fatty acid levels (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) during pregnancy
Authors: Aparicio Estefania , Martín-Grau Carla , Hernández-Martinez Carmen , Voltas Nuria , Canals Josefa , Arija Victoria
Published: November 2021

Background

During pregnancy a high amount of fatty acids (FA) is necessary to meet foetus demands, which vary during gestation. The present study describes the changes in maternal fatty acid concentrations during pregnancy in a sample of pregnant women.

Methods

This is a longitudinal study of 479 pregnant women who were monitored from the first trimester to third trimester of pregnancy. Data on maternal characteristics were recorded and a serum sample was collected in each trimester. The fatty acid profile (saturated (SFA: total, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid), monounsaturated (MUFA: total, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA: total omega-6 (n-6), linoleic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid (AA), total omega-3 (n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) was analysed with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combination.

Results

From the first trimester to third trimester of pregnancy, a significant increase in total SFA, total MUFA and total n-6 PUFA was found. (p < 0.001). Nevertheless, the serum concentration of arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and total n-3 PUFA decreased during gestation (p < 0.001). A statistically non-significant result was observed for the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) serum concentration between the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. Significant correlations were observed between each total fatty acid concentrations of the first and third trimesters.

Conclusion

The circulating serum concentration of SFA, MUFA and n-6 PUFA increases during pregnancy, whereas essential fatty acids such as AA and EPA decrease, and DHA remains unchanged. Further research is necessary to understand the role played by FA throughout gestation.
Determinants of the type of health care sought for symptoms of Acute respiratory infection in children: analysis of Ghana demographic and health surveys
Authors: Danquah Leslie , Amegbor Prince Michael , Ayele Dawit Getnet
Published: November 2021

Background

Globally, acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a leading cause of infant and childhood morbidity and mortality. Currently, it is estimated that 50 million cases of childhood ARI are untreated. In this study, we identified determinants of the type of treatment sought for symptoms of childhood acute respiratory infection (ARI), including non-treatment, amongst a nationally representative sample of children under five years in Ghana.

Methods

In total, 1 544 children were studied by a secondary analysis of pooled survey data from the 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS). Cross-tabulations, chi-square, multinomial logistic regression, and Bayesian hierarchical spatial logistic regression analyses were used to identify relationships between the type of treatment sought and maternal socio-economic and household characteristics.

Results

Seeking medical care was significantly associated with child age (RRR= 1.928, 95 % CI 1.276 – 2.915), maternal employment status (RRR = 1.815, 95 % CI 1.202 – 2.740), maternal health insurance status, (RRR = 2.618, 95 % CI 1.801 – 3.989), children belonging to middle (RRR = 2.186, 95 % CI 1.473 – 3.243), richer (RRR = 1.908, 95 % CI 1.145 – 3.180) and richest households (RRR = 2.456, 95 % CI 1.363 – 4.424) and the 1998 survey period (RRR = 0.426, 95 % CI 0.240 – 7.58). Seeking self-care or visiting a traditional healer was significantly associated with maternal educational status (RRR = 0.000, 95 % CI 0.000 – 0.000), and the 1998 (RRR= 0.330, 95 % CI 0.142 – 0.765), 2003 (RRR= 0.195, 95 % CI 0.071 – 0.535), 2008 (RRR= 0.216, 95 % CI 0.068 – 0.685) and 2014 (RRR= 0.230, 95 % CI 0.081 – 0.657) GDHS periods. The probability that the odds ratio of using medical care exceeded 1 was higher for mothers/caregivers in the Western, Ashanti, Upper West, and Volta regions.

Conclusions

Government policies that are aimed at encouraging medical care-seeking for children with ARI may yield positive results by focusing on improving maternal incomes, maternal NHIS enrolment, and maternal household characteristics. Improving maternal education could be a positive step towards addressing challenges with self-care or traditional healing amongst children with ARI.
Incomplete homicide-suicide in Hunan China from 2010 to 2019: characteristics of surviving perpetrators
Authors: Sun Qiaoling , Zhou Jiansong , Guo Huijuan , Gou Ningzhi , Lin Ruoheng , Huang Ying , Guo Weilong , Wang Xiaoping
Published: November 2021

Background

The mental and psychological conditions of the individuals involved in homicide followed by suicide (H-S) are still unclear, especially in China. Information on these aspects cannot be accurately obtained due to the death of perpetrators. This study aims to demonstrate the characteristics of incomplete H-S with surviving perpetrators, which provide the possibility to obtain detailed mental and psychological information.

Methods

This study explores incomplete H-S events occurred in Hunan, China from 2010 to 2019, in which the surviving perpetrators received a forensic psychiatric assessment. Three aspects of information, i.e., the subject’s demographic, clinical and criminal information, were recorded and analysed.

Results

125 incomplete H-S incidents involved 166 victims were found in the current study. A total of 112 (89.6%) perpetrators were diagnosed with mental disorders, but only 56 of them had a history of consultation due to mental problems, and only one of them adhered to treatment. In most cases, the motivation is related to the psychopathological states, with the most common diagnosis being major depression, followed by schizophrenia. Gender difference was significant among the subjects: females were more likely to have a suicidal history, to be diagnosed as major depression and to be motivated by delirious altruism and family problems.

Conclusions

This study indicated that psychopathology might be a predisposing factor, which highlighted the importance of mental state assessment for the population involved in incomplete H-S. A clearer understanding of the role of mental disorders might be helpful for the intervention of H-S.
Factors associated with the consumption of chlorine dioxide to prevent and treat COVID-19 in the Peruvian population: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Soriano-Moreno David R. , Fernandez-Guzman Daniel , Ccami-Bernal Fabricio , Rojas-Miliano Cristhian , Nieto-Gutierrez Wendy
Published: November 2021

Background

Chlorine dioxide has been promoted as an alternative for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, especially in Peru, despite the lack of evidence to support its efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with chlorine dioxide consumption in the Peruvian population.

Methods

Analytical cross-sectional study. An adult Peruvian population was evaluated where chlorine dioxide consumption was divided into two groups according to the purpose of use: as prevention (individuals without COVID-19 history) and as treatment (individuals with COVID-19 history). The associated factors in each group were evaluated using Poisson regressions with the bootstrapping resampling method.

Results

Of 3610 participants included, 3213 reported no history of COVID-19, and 397 had been infected. The prevalence of chlorine dioxide consumption to prevent or treat COVID-19 was 8 and 16%, respectively. Factors either positively or negatively associated with chlorine dioxide consumption for prevention were male sex (aPR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.09–1.71), being an adult or older adult (aPR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.35–0.82), having a health sciences student within the family unit (aPR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.02–1.87), using medical information as the main source of information of COVID-19 (aPR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.40–0.80), having comorbidities for COVID-19 (aPR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.01–1.82), considering COVID-19 dangerous and deadly (aPR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.45–0.74), using medications (aPR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.25–2.06) and plants to prevent COVID-19 (aPR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.21–2.36), considering chlorine dioxide ineffective (aPR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.18–0.24), and being uninformed of its efficacy (aPR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.16–0.28). In addition, factors associated with chlorine dioxide consumption for treatment were considering COVID-19 dangerous and deadly (aPR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.33–0.96), considering chlorine dioxide ineffective (aPR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.12–0.42), and being uninformed of its efficacy (aPR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.07–0.32).

Conclusions

The prevalence of chlorine dioxide consumption to treat COVID-19 was higher than prevent. It is important to apply information strategies, prioritizing population groups with certain characteristics that are associated with a higher consumption pattern.
RNAseq of TGF-β receptor type I kinase-dependent genes in oral fibroblast exposed to milk
Authors: Panahipour Layla , Moghaddam Dariush Mehdipour , Nasirzade Jila , Kargarpour Zahra , Gruber Reinhard
Published: November 2021

Background

Milk is a rich source of natural growth factors that may support oral tissue homeostasis and wound healing. We had shown earlier that blocking TGF-β receptor type I kinase with the inhibitor SB431542 abolished the expression of IL11 and other genes in human gingival fibroblasts exposed to the aqueous fraction of milk. Our aim was to identify the entire signature of TGF-β receptor type I kinase-dependent genes regulated by the aqueous fraction of human milk.

Result

RNAseq revealed 99 genes being strongly regulated by milk requiring activation of the SB431542-dependent TGF-β receptor type I kinase. Among the SB431542-dependent genes is IL11 but also cadherins, claudins, collagens, potassium channels, keratins, solute carrier family proteins, transcription factors, transmembrane proteins, tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily members, and tetraspanin family members. When focusing on our candidate gene, we could identify D609 to suppress IL11 expression, independent of phospholipase C, sphinosine-1 phosphate synthesis, and Smad-3 phosphorylation and its nuclear translocation. In contrast, genistein and blocking phosphoinositide 3-kinases by wortmannin and LY294002 increased the milk-induced IL11 expression in gingival fibroblasts.

Conclusion

Taken together, our data revealed TGF-β receptor type I kinase signaling to cause major changes of the genetic signature of gingival fibroblasts exposed to aqueous fraction of human milk.
Ethanolic extract of Mucuna pruriens leaves ameliorates carbon tetrachloride and rifampicin-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in wistar albino rat
Authors: Ogunmoyole Temidayo , Ola-Awe Ayomide Micheal , Fatile Omotola Grace
Published: November 2021

Background

Mucuna pruriens(L.) has been used for the treatment of several ailments in folkloric medicine. The present study therefore investigates the hepatoprotective and nephroprotective potentials of its leaves extract with a view to providing a potent alternative in the management of liver and kidney diseases.

Methodology

Forty male albino rats were randomly placed into eight groups comprising five animals each. Animals in group I were administered with the distilled water, while groups II and VI were exposed to CCl4and rifampicin respectively. Animals in groups III and IV were initially exposed CCl4and treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg bwM. pruriensrespectively. Similarly, groups VII and VIII animals were exposed to rifampicin and treated with 50 and 100 mg/kg bwM. pruriensrespectively. Animals in group V were treated with 100 mg/kg bw silymarin by oral gavage after an initial exposure to CCl4. Selected biomarkers of liver and kidney damage were determined in the serum and organs homogenate. Liver and kidney slices of experimental animals were also stained for histopathological examination.

Results

Exposure to CCl4and rifampicin respectively resulted in marked distortion in lipid profile, inhibition of antioxidant enzymes and a surge in ALT, AST, ALP, urea, uric acid, bilirubin and creatine kinase. Treatment withM. pruriensextract reversed all deranged biochemical and histopathological parameters in a dose-dependent manner.

Conclusion

Extract ofM. pruriensleaves restored deranged biochemical and histopathological parameters in the liver and kidney with similar potency to silymarin. Hence, leaf extract ofM. pruriensis a potential hepatoprotective and nephroprotective agent that can be exploited in the management of liver and kidney diseases.
Impact of COVID-19 on post graduate medical education and training
Authors: Enujioke Sharon C. , McBrayer Kimberly , Soe Katherine C. , Imburgia Teresa M. , Robbins Cynthia
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The novel Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) has had a significant impact worldwide that led to changes in healthcare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on trainee’s mental health and educational preparedness.

Methods

Trainees at the Indiana University School of Medicine were surveyed regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their training. Using a Likert scale, participants were asked questions pertaining to educational preparedness, mental health, and clinical work during the pandemic. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 27. The study was approved as exempt by the Institutional review Board (IRB).

Results

324 of the 1204 trainees responded to the survey. The respondents were 76% white with an equal distribution of males and females. A majority of the respondents were first year residents with an equal distribution of second, third, and fourth year residents. Twenty-three percent of respondents were in a procedural residency or fellowship program. Better perceived educational preparedness was associated with an improved home-work balance during COVID-19 (β = 0.506, p < 0.0001) and having a department that advocated/supported focus on mental health during COVID-19 (β = 0.177, p < 0.0001). Worse perceived educational preparedness was associated with being in procedural vs. non-procedural dominant training program (β = − 0.122, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the training experience of residents and fellows. Departmental support increased mental well-being and perceived education preparedness in trainees. Trainees that felt they had a better home-work life balance had better educational preparedness compared to their peers. Also, trainees in procedural programs had less educational preparedness compared to their peers in non-procedural programs. This study highlights the importance for programs to find avenues to increase educational preparedness in their trainees while being attuned to the mental health of their trainees.
Combining data augmentation and domain information with TENER model for Clinical Event Detection
Authors: Zhang Zhichang , Liu Dan , Zhang Minyu , Qin Xiaohui
Published: November 2021

Background

In recent years, with the development of artificial intelligence, the use of deep learning technology for clinical information extraction has become a new trend. Clinical Event Detection (CED) as its subtask has attracted the attention from academia and industry. However, directly applying the advancements in deep learning to CED task often yields unsatisfactory results. The main reasons are due to the following two points: (1) A great number of obscure professional terms in the electronic medical record leads to poor recognition performance of model. (2) The scarcity of datasets required for the task leads to poor model robustness. Therefore, it is urgent to solve these two problems to improve model performance.

Methods

This paper proposes a combining data augmentation and domain information with TENER Model for Clinical Event Detection.

Results

We use two evaluation metrics to compare the overall performance of the proposed model with the existing model on the 2012 i2b2 challenge dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model achieves the best F1-score of 80.26%, type accuracy of 93% and Span F1-score of 90.33%, and outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.

Conclusions

This paper proposes a multi-granularity information fusion encoder-decoder framework, which applies the TENER model to the CED task for the first time. It uses the pre-trained language model (BioBERT) to generate word-level features, solving the problem of a great number of obscure professional terms in the electronic medical record lead to poor recognition performance of model. In addition, this paper proposes a new data augmentation method for sequence labeling tasks, solving the problem of the scarcity of datasets required for the task leads to poor model robustness.
Health promoting lifestyle behaviors and associated predictors among clinical nurses in China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Zeng Wen , Shang Shaomei , Fang Qian , He Shan , Li Juan , Yao Yuanrong
Published: November 2021

Background

Nurses play a core role and encompass the main workforce in health care systems. Their role model of health promoting lifestyle behaviors (HPLB) would directly or indirectly affect their clients’ beliefs or attitudes of health promotion. There is limited evidence on HPLB in clinical registered nurses. The current study aimed to explore the HPLB and associated influencing factors among clinical registered nurses in China.

Methods

A multi-center cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted in 2020. Participants were asked to complete social demographic information as well as the revised Chinese edition of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Independent-Sample T-Test, One-Way ANOVA, and categorical regression (optimal scaling regression) were the main methods to analyze the relationship between demographic data and the score of HPLB.

Results

19,422 nurses were included in the study. The mean score of self-actualization, health responsibility/physical activity, nutrition, job safety, interpersonal support, and overall Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile were, 27.61(5.42) out of a score of 36, 22.71(7.77) out of a score of 44, 10.43(2.97) out of a score of 16, 22.05(3.97) out of a score of 28, 20.19(4.67) out of a score of 28, and 102.99 (19.93) out of a score of 144, respectively. There was a significant relationship among Hospital levels, working years, nightshift status, and monthly income per person, and mean score of all subscales and the overall HPLP (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Nurses who participated in the study presented a moderate level of health promoting lifestyle behaviors. Hospital levels, working years, nightshift status, and monthly income per person were predictors for all subscales and overall HPLP.
Artificial exosomes mediated spatiotemporal-resolved and targeted delivery of epigenetic inhibitors
Authors: Li Huan , Li Songpei , Lin Yinshan , Chen Sheng , Yang Langyu , Huang Xin , Wang Hao , Yu Xiyong , Zhang Lingmin
Published: November 2021

Background

Malignant tumor is usually associated with epigenetic dysregulation, such as overexpression of histone deacetylase (HDAC), thus HDAC has emerged as a therapeutic target for cancer. Histone deacetylase inhibitor has been approved for clinical use to treat hematological cancers. However, the low solubility, short circulation lifetime, and high cytotoxicity partially limited their applications in solid tumor.

Methods

The upconversion nanoparticles (UC) modified with mesoporous silica (SUC) was used to load an HDACI, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), and further camouflaged with M1 macrophage-derived exosome membranes (EMS). EMS was characterized in size and compositions. We also analyzed the epigenetic regulation induced by EMS. Furthermore, we evaluate the biodistribution and in vivo tumor inhibition after the systemic administration of EMS.

Results

This novel style spatiotemporal-resolved drug delivery system, EMS showed a high loading efficiency of SAHA. EMS could be taken up by lung cancer cells and lead to efficient epigenetic inhibition. We found that the integrin α4β1 on M1-EM, was crucial for the homing of EMS to tumor tissues for the first time. In tumor-bearing mice, EMS showed spatiotemporal-resolved properties and facilitated the drug accumulation in the tumors, which induced superior anti-tumor effects.

Conclusion

This novel style of spatiotemporal-resolved nanoparticles can be used as a theranostic platform for lung cancer therapy.

Graphical Abstract
Dye-loaded mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles for multimodal tumor theranostics with enhanced immunogenic cell death
Authors: Tian Ying , Younis Muhammad Rizwan , Tang Yuxia , Liao Xiang , He Gang , Wang Shouju , Teng Zhaogang , Huang Peng , Zhang Longjiang , Lu Guangming
Published: November 2021

Background

Tumor phototherapy especially photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photothermal therapy (PTT), has been considered as an attractive strategy to elicit significant immunogenic cell death (ICD) at an optimal tumor retention of PDT/PTT agents. Heptamethine cyanine dye (IR-780), a promising PDT/PTT agent, which can be used for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence/photoacoustic (PA) imaging guided tumor phototherapy, however, the strong hydrophobicity, short circulation time, and potential toxicity in vivo hinder its biomedical applications. To address this challenge, we developed mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA) with excellent biocompatibility, PTT efficacy, and PA imaging ability, facilitating an efficient loading and protection of hydrophobic IR-780.

Results

The IR-780 loaded MPDA (IR-780@MPDA) exhibited high loading capacity of IR-780 (49.7 wt%), good physiological solubility and stability, and reduced toxicity. In vivo NIR fluorescence and PA imaging revealed high tumor accumulation of IR-780@MPDA. Furthermore, the combined PDT/PTT of IR-780@MPDA could induce ICD, triggered immunotherapeutic response to breast tumor by the activation of cytotoxic T cells, resulting in significant suppression of tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the as-developed compact and biocompatible platform could induce combined PDT/PTT and accelerate immune activation via excellent tumor accumulation ability, offering multimodal tumor theranostics with negligible systemic toxicity.

Graphical Abstract
A randomized, double-blind clinical trial of a herbal formulation (GlycaCare-II) for the management of type 2 diabetes in comparison with metformin
Authors: Majeed Muhammed , Majeed Anju , Nagabhusahnam Kalyanam , Mundkur Lakshmi , Paulose Shaji
Published: November 2021

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health concern with growing prevalence with multiple debilitating complications. GlycaCare-II is a proprietary herbal formulation supplement for T2DM containing extracts of Cinnamomum cassia, Momordica charantia, Pterocarpus marsupium, Gymnema sylvestre, Salacia reticulata, Eugenia jambolana, and a bioavailability enhancer piperine from Piper nigrum.

Objective

The antihyperglycemic potential of GlycaCare-II was compared against metformin in a double-blind study.

Design

It was a randomized, two-arm design on prediabetic (N = 29; 12 in metformin and 17 in GlycaCare-II arm, respectively) and newly diagnosed diabetic (N = 40; 16 in metformin and 24 in GlycaCare-II) patients for 120 days.

Outcome measures

Changes in diabetic panel glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and postprandial blood sugar (PBS) were the primary endpoints. Lipid profile, liver profile, thyroid-stimulating hormone, bilirubin and creatinine were the secondary endpoints.

Result

Twice a day treatment for 120 days with GlycaCare-II led to a statistically significant change in HbA1c (p < 0.001), FBS (p < 0.001), PBS (p < 0.001) on both prediabetic and newly diagnosed diabetic patients. GlycaCare-II showed a similar potential as metformin in the treatment of T2DM. In the prediabetic group, both GlycaCare-II and metformin were comparable for all the hyperglycemic index parameters. In the case of newly diagnosed diabetic patients, GlycaCare-II showed a significantly better reduction for PBS (p = 0.026) as compared to metformin, while all other parameters in the diabetic panel were comparable. No adverse events were reported throughout the trial period.

Conclusion

These results suggest that GlycaCare-II is effective in managing T2DM in both newly diagnosed diabetic and prediabetic patients.
Ethnic disparity in metabolic syndrome and related obesity and health behavior: a community study in Taiwan
Authors: Lin Chih-Ying , Hung Hui-Jung , Chung Chi-Jung , Huang Chia-Ti , Wu Trong-Neng , Chen Chiu-Ying
Published: November 2021

Background

As studies on ethnic disparities in metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Taiwan are still rare, the aims of this study were: (1) to detect the differences in the rates of metabolic syndrome, obesity and health behaviors between two ethnic groups (indigenous Tsou and nonindigenous Han) living in the same area and with similar age and sex distributions; (2) to examine whether ethnicity per se plays a significant role in the occurrence of metabolic syndrome, while taking other risk factors including sociodemographic characteristics, obesity and health behaviors into consideration.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study using data from a community survey conducted in Chiayi County in southwestern Taiwan. A frequency matching strategy by age and sex with a ratio of 1 (Tsou) to 3 (Han) was applied to select a comparable sample between both ethnic groups (667 Tsou and 2001 Han) from among the survey participants. Furthermore, participants with cardiometabolic diseases diagnosed before the surveyed day were excluded to avoid confounding any associated risk factors for developing metabolic syndrome (MS). A final analytic sample of 1482 remained. The used information included sociodemographic characteristics, medical histories, health behaviors, and the concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and glucose.

Results

Indigenous Tsou had significantly higher rates of metabolic syndromes, obesity and unhealthy behaviors than their Han counterparts (MS: 54.0% vs. 29.1%, obesity: 54.0% vs. 23.2%, drinking alcohol: 17.5% vs. 13.6%, and higher intake of fried food: 6.4% vs. 4.4%), even though they were similar in age and sex distributions. The significant risk factors for subsequently developing MS included being indigenous Tsou (adjusted POR = 2.62, P < 0.001), older, single, and obese. Stratified analyses on the risk factors for developing MS by health behaviors and by obese problems also indicated increased risks of being indigenous Tsou.

Conclusions

There existed ethnic differences in the rates of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and health behaviors. Ethnicity per se did play a significant role in developing MS; in particular indigenous Tsou people had increased risks, suggesting possible biological reasons rooted in their origins that need further exploration. In addition, unhealthy behaviors may potentially have an indirect effect on developing MS via their effect on obesity.
Sexually dimorphic patterns in maternal circulating microRNAs in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction
Authors: Baker Bernadette C. , Lui Sylvia , Lorne Isabel , Heazell Alexander E. P. , Forbes Karen , Jones Rebecca L.
Published: November 2021

Background

Current methods fail to accurately predict women at greatest risk of developing fetal growth restriction (FGR) or related adverse outcomes, including stillbirth. Sexual dimorphism in these adverse pregnancy outcomes is well documented as are sex-specific differences in gene and protein expression in the placenta. Circulating maternal serum microRNAs (miRNAs) offer potential as biomarkers that may also be informative of underlying pathology. We hypothesised that FGR would be associated with an altered miRNA profile and would differ depending on fetal sex.

Methods

miRNA expression profiles were assessed in maternal serum (> 36 weeks’ gestation) from women delivering a severely FGR infant (defined as an individualised birthweight centile (IBC) < 3rd) and matched control participants (AGA; IBC = 20–80th), using miRNA arrays. qPCR was performed using specific miRNA primers in an expanded cohort of patients with IBC < 5th (n = 15 males, n = 16 females/group). Maternal serum human placental lactogen (hPL) was used as a proxy to determine if serum miRNAs were related to placental dysfunction. In silico analyses were performed to predict the potential functions of altered miRNAs.

Results

Initial analyses revealed 11 miRNAs were altered in maternal serum from FGR pregnancies. In silico analyses revealed all 11 altered miRNAs were located in a network of genes that regulate placental function. Subsequent analysis demonstrated four miRNAs showed sexually dimorphic patterns. miR-28-5p was reduced in FGR pregnancies (p < 0.01) only when there was a female offspring and miR-301a-3p was only reduced in FGR pregnancies with a male fetus (p < 0.05). miR-454-3p was decreased in FGR pregnancies (p < 0.05) regardless of fetal sex but was only positively correlated to hPL when the fetus was female. Conversely, miR-29c-3p was correlated to maternal hPL only when the fetus was male. Target genes for sexually dimorphic miRNAs reveal potential functional roles in the placenta including angiogenesis, placental growth, nutrient transport and apoptosis.

Conclusions

These studies have identified sexually dimorphic patterns for miRNAs in maternal serum in FGR. These miRNAs may have potential as non-invasive biomarkers for FGR and associated placental dysfunction. Further studies to determine if these miRNAs have potential functional roles in the placenta may provide greater understanding of the pathogenesis of placental dysfunction and the differing susceptibility of male and female fetuses to adverse in utero conditions.
DockStream: a docking wrapper to enhance de novo molecular design
Authors: Guo Jeff , Janet Jon Paul , Bauer Matthias R. , Nittinger Eva , Giblin Kathryn A. , Papadopoulos Kostas , Voronov Alexey , Patronov Atanas , Engkvist Ola , Margreitter Christian
Published: November 2021

Recently, we have released the de novo design platform REINVENT in version 2.0. This improved and extended iteration supports far more features and scoring function components, which allows bespoke and tailor-made protocols to maximize impact in small molecule drug discovery projects. A major obstacle of generative models is producing active compounds, in which predictive (QSAR) models have been applied to enrich target activity. However, QSAR models are inherently limited by their applicability domains. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a structure-based scoring component for REINVENT. DockStream is a flexible, stand-alone molecular docking wrapper that provides access to a collection of ligand embedders and docking backends. Using the benchmarking and analysis workflow provided in DockStream, execution and subsequent analysis of a variety of docking configurations can be automated. Docking algorithms vary greatly in performance depending on the target and the benchmarking and analysis workflow provides a streamlined solution to identifying productive docking configurations. We show that an informative docking configuration can inform the REINVENT agent to optimize towards improving docking scores using public data. With docking activated, REINVENT is able to retain key interactions in the binding site, discard molecules which do not fit the binding cavity, harness unused (sub-)pockets, and improve overall performance in the scaffold-hopping scenario. The code is freely available at https://github.com/MolecularAI/DockStream.
New perspectives on cytoskeletal dysregulation and mitochondrial mislocalization in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Theunissen Frances , West Phillip K. , Brennan Samuel , Petrović Bojan , Hooshmand Kosar , Akkari P. Anthony , Keon Matt , Guennewig Boris
Published: November 2021

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective, early degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons have long axonal projections, which rely on the integrity of neuronal cytoskeleton and mitochondria to regulate energy requirements for maintaining axonal stability, anterograde and retrograde transport, and signaling between neurons. The formation of protein aggregates which contain cytoskeletal proteins, and mitochondrial dysfunction both have devastating effects on the function of neurons and are shared pathological features across several neurodegenerative conditions, including ALS, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington’s disease and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that cytoskeletal integrity and mitochondrial function are intricately linked. Therefore, dysregulations of the cytoskeletal network and mitochondrial homeostasis and localization, may be common pathways in the initial steps of neurodegeneration. Here we review and discuss known contributors, including variants in genetic loci and aberrant protein activities, which modify cytoskeletal integrity, axonal transport and mitochondrial localization in ALS and have overlapping features with other neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, we explore some emerging pathways that may contribute to this disruption in ALS.
Individual tracking reveals first breeding of Oriental Storks at age 2 years in the wild
Authors: Sasin Anton , Serdyuk Anna , Zhu Baoguang , Zhao Qingshan
Published: November 2021

In this study, we report the first ever documented instances of attempted and successful reproduction (rearing two offspring) of Oriental Storks (Ciconia boyciana) at age 2 years in a wild population in the middle Heilongjiang-Amur River Basin in Russia, using a combination of GPS-GSM tracking, DNA sex identification and field verification.
Effect of Different Sports Practice on Sleep Quality and Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents: Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Rosa Camila Cassemiro , Tebar William Rodrigues , Oliveira Crystian Bittencourt Soares , Farah Breno Quintella , Casonatto Juliano , Saraiva Bruna Thamyres Ciccotti , Christofaro Diego Giulliano Destro
Published: November 2021

Background

Sports practice can promote several health benefits in pediatric populations; nonetheless, most of the studies that investigated these benefits are of cross-sectional design. Thus, our objective was to verify the effectiveness of two types of physical activities through sports, judo and ball games (soccer, volleyball, handball, and basketball) on the quality of sleep and life of Brazilian children and adolescents.

Methods

The study is a randomized clinical trial, conducted with 65 participants of both sexes (6–15 years old) in a philanthropic institution in Brazil. The variables investigated were the quality of sleep and life, using the mini-sleep questionnaire and KidsCreen-52 questionnaires (this instrument has a scale ranging from 0 to 100, where 100 is the best value for each domain), respectively. The interventions carried out during 12 weeks (twice a week) were judo and ball games. In the statistical analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures was used and the level of statistical significance used was 5%.

Results

Judo (P = 0.032) and ball games (P = 0.005) contributed to improving the quality of sleep in the participants. Considering the score of the domains of quality of life, judo and ball games significantly increased the perception of health and physical activity [mean = 6.9 (8.3%) and 8.91 (12.2%) points, respectively], autonomy [mean = 5.81 (7.3%) and 5.00 (6.9%) points], friends and social support (mean = 2.83 (3.8%) and 12.00 (15.9%) points), provocation and bullying [mean = 10.21 (18.1%) and 2.14 (4.1%) points].

Conclusion

It is concluded that both judo and ball games brought benefits to the quality of sleep and life of children and adolescents. Health promotion actions should encourage the increase in sports practice in children and adolescents to improve sleep and quality of life.
Predictors of stress among a sample of Egyptian healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Shaker Nermin Mahmoud , Sabry Noha , Alkasaby Muhammad Abdullatif , Rabie Menan
Published: November 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous effect on people’s mental health. Healthcare workers were on the front lines in response to this crisis; therefore, they were among the most affected by the pandemic. The study aims to assess the stress perceived by healthcare workers and possible factors contributing to it, hoping that more efforts will be exerted to support the well-being of healthcare workers during public health emergencies. A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted. Data were collected from 118 healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients during the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Most of the respondents (75.2%) scored much higher stress levels than average, and 19.5% had slightly higher levels of stress. Most respondents were afraid of infecting their family and close ones (77.1 %), and about half of the respondents were afraid of getting infected (47.5%). Regression analysis revealed that the only significant independent variable predicting developing higher stress levels among the participants was assigning them to tasks outside their specialty.

Conclusions

Healthcare workers are at high risk of developing mental health problems during public health emergencies. Their well-being is essential for the quality of services they provide. More efforts are needed to ensure the well-being of healthcare workers and to prepare them for such emergencies. Preparing healthcare workers before redeployment through training and providing PPEs will help to reduce the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their physical and mental health.
Role of magnetic resonance imaging on fingers in diagnosis of post-traumatic tendon and ligament injuries
Authors: Abdellatif Hayam Abdelmonsif , El Aziz Maaly Mohammed Abd , Soltan Belal Said Hefny Ibrahim , Abduallah Mohammed Shawky
Published: November 2021

Background

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a powerful method for evaluating acute and chronic lesions of the stabilizing articular elements (volar plate and collateral ligaments) of the fingers and thumbs, the condition of tendons, the presence of a tear, the number of affected tendons, the extent of tendon retraction, and the presence of associated lesions. This study was done to clarify the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in assessment of trauma-related injuries of the tendons and ligaments of the fingers and subsequently positively affect the surgical decisions in such cases.

Results

This study included 42 patients (33 males and 9 females) with a mean age of 35 years. All of them had history of trauma. Male affection was 78.5%, while females constituted only 21.5%, striking right-sided-hand affection (92.9%). The most affected finger was the thumb. The most common affected sites were extending from the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) till the proximal interphalangeal (PIP). The tendons were affected in 42.9%; meanwhile, ligamentous affection represented 57.2%. The flexor tendon tear represented by 28.6%%, while extensor tendon tear occurred in 14.3%. The study also showed that partial thickness tear is represented by 66.7%, while complete thickness tear occurred in about 33.3%. Bone marrow edema and post-traumatic tenosynovitis occurred in about 14% of cases.

Conclusions

Magnetic resonance imaging is an essential technique to obtain a correct pre-surgical diagnosis. It is of utmost importance to possess an in-depth knowledge of finger radiological anatomy in detail, as well as the appearance of the different pathologic entities on MRI. It provides a great assessment of the tendons and ligaments tear by whether partial or complete, any associated marrow edema or bony fragment avulsion and the extent of retraction in cases of complete tear.
A novel approach of a dynamic multi objective optimization of a power distribution system
Authors: Ndjependa Patrik Roger , Boum Alexandre Teplaira , Essiane Salomé Ndjakomo
Published: November 2021

A new dynamic multi objective optimization approach is covered in this paper. The technique for optimizing the power distribution system is dynamic reconfiguration. The goal is to propose an optimal dynamic reconfiguration which minimizes the active power losses and the voltage deviation of the nodes of the power distribution system according to the energy available at the source, while constantly guaranteeing the supply of the electrical energy to priority consumers. The reliability indices considered in this paper are the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) and the system average interruption duration index (SAIDI) and are used to check the reliability of the optimal configurations obtained. This study subdivides a day into periods. The variations in the available power of the source and the power requested by the load, cause a new optimal configuration of the network at each period. In this work, the load adapts to the source and the optimal network topology evolves according to the maximum available power of the source. A mathematical formulation of the dynamic optimization problem by period or piece is proposed. The dynamic approach consists in acquiring the power of the load and of the source by period or piece and to compare them. When the available energy is sufficient, an optimal configuration that minimizes the power losses and voltage deviation while ensuring the supply of electrical energy to all consumers in the network is proposed. On the other hand, when the available energy is insufficient, an optimal topology of the power system minimizing the power losses and voltage deviation while guaranteeing the supply of electrical energy to priority consumers of the network is proposed. The optimal solutions per period are obtained using the MIP and MINLP methods. The approach is implemented on standard IEEE 15, 33 and 69 node power distribution system. The results obtained are satisfactory and prove the effectiveness of this new vision for the conduct of the power distribution system.
Research on SARS-COV-2 pandemic: a narrative review focused on the Italian contribution
Authors: De Cassai Alessandro , Longhini Federico , Romagnoli Stefano , Cavaliere Fabio , Caroleo Antonio , Foti Lorenzo , Furlani Elisa , Gianoli Sara , Monteleone Francesco , Saraco Giuseppe , Villa Gianluca , Conti Giorgio , Navalesi Paolo
Published: November 2021

Background

Since late 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread with overwhelming speed causing over 214 million confirmed infections and more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide. In this framework, Italy had the second highest number of SARS-CoV-2 infections worldwide, and the largest number of deaths. A global effort of both the scientific community and governments has been undertaken to stem the pandemic. The aim of this paper is to perform a narrative review of the Italian contribution to the scientific literature regarding intensive care management of patients suffering from COVID-19, being one of the first western countries to face an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main body

We performed a narrative review of the literature, dedicating particular attention and a dedicated paragraph to ventilatory support management, chest imaging findings, biomarkers, possible pharmacological interventions, bacterial superinfections, prognosis and non-clinical key aspects such as communication and interaction with relatives.

Conclusions

Many colleagues, nurses and patients died leaving their families alone. To all of them, we send our thoughts and dedicate these pages.
The impact of equilibrium optimal flux deviation on traffic dynamics in lattice hydrodynamic model under V2X environment
Authors: Li Xiaoqin , Peng Guanghan
Published: November 2021

In this work, the equilibrium optimal flux deviation is explored as a control signal under the V2X environment via traffic modeling of the lattice hydrodynamic model. According to the control theory, the sufficient stable condition can be deduced. In addition, numerical simulation is implemented for the early time impact, the steady-state effect, and the hysteresis phenomenon of traffic flow with the increase of the feedback gain response to the equilibrium optimal flux deviation. The result demonstrates that the equilibrium optimal flux deviation effect has significantly positive influence on the stability of the traffic flow.
Women living with their mothers-in-law
Authors: Bietsch Kristin E , LaNasa Katherine H , Sonneveldt Emily
Published: November 2021

Background

Many studies have documented the impacts mothers-in-law have on daughters-in-law living in the same household, but few have quantified the scale of this co-residence.  This study aims to estimate the proportion of married women living with their mothers-in-law across countries and time. 

Methods

Using household rosters from 250 Demographic and Health Surveys in 75 countries, this paper uses the “relationship to head of household” question to identify households where married women live with their mothers-in-law.  For select countries with large changes, we decompose changes in rates into changes in the age structure of married women and the rate of women living with their mothers-in-law by age.

Results

This paper finds large variation in family structure around the globe, from 1% of married women in Rwanda to 49% in Tajikistan living with their mother-in-law.  Many countries with high co-residence in the 1990s continue to see high and increasing numbers today, especially in Central and Southern Asia, while some North and sub-Saharan African countries experienced substantial declines.  Decomposing changes by age and rates shows that changes in the age structure of married women is not driving changes in co-residence, but rather the rates are changing across age groups. 

Conclusions

These findings show the large variation in women living with their mothers-in-law across the globe.  The authors provide publicly available code and future research ideas to encourage others to further our understanding of the impact of living with her mother-in-law on a woman’s life.