bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcranial Electromagnetic Treatment “Rebalances” Blood and Brain Cytokine Levels in Alzheimer’s Patients: A New Mechanism for Reversal of Their Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Cao Chuanhai , Abulaban Haitham , Baranowski Rob , Wang Yanhong , Bai Yun , Lin Xiaoyang , Shen Ning , Zhang Xiaolin , Arendash Gary W.
Published: May 2022

Background

The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, there is disagreement as to whether development/progression of AD involves an over-activation or an under-activation of the immune system. In either scenario, the immune system’s cytokine levels are abnormal in AD and in need of rebalancing. We have recently published a pilot clinical trial (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02958930) showing that 2 months of daily in-home Transcranial Electromagnetic Treatment (TEMT) was completely safe and resulted in reversal of AD cognitive impairment.

Methods

For the eight mild/moderate AD subjects in this published work, the present study sought to determine if their TEMT administration had immunologic effects on blood or CSF levels of 12 cytokines. Subjects were given daily in-home TEMT for 2 months by their caregivers, utilizing first-in-class MemorEM™ devices.

Results

For eight plasma cytokines, AD subjects with lower baseline cytokine levels always showed increases in those cytokines after both a single treatment or after 2-months of daily TEMT. By contrast, those AD subjects with higher baseline cytokine levels in plasma showed treatment-induced decreases in plasma cytokines at both time points. Thus, a gravitation to reported normal plasma cytokine levels (i.e., a “rebalancing”) occurred with both acute and long-term TEMT. In the CSF, TEMT-induced a similar rebalancing for seven measurable cytokines, the direction and extent of changes in individual subjects also being linked to their baseline CSF levels.

Conclusion

Our results strongly suggest that daily TEMT to AD subjects for 2-months can “rebalance” levels for 11 of 12 cytokines in blood and/or brain, which is associated with reversal of their cognitive impairment. TEMT is likely to be providing these immunoregulatory effects by affecting cytokine secretion from: (1) blood cells traveling through the head’s vasculature, and (2) the brain’s microglia/astrocytes, choroid plexus, or neurons. This rebalancing of so many cytokines, and in both brain and systemic compartments, appears to be a remarkable new mechanism of TEMT action that may contribute substantially to it’s potential to prevent, stop, or reverse AD and other diseases of aging.
Non-Invasive Prediction of Survival Time of Midline Glioma Patients Using Machine Learning on Multiparametric MRI Radiomics Features
Authors: Deng Da-Biao , Liao Yu-Ting , Zhou Jiang-Fen , Cheng Li-Na , He Peng , Wu Sheng-Nan , Wang Wen-Sheng , Zhou Quan
Published: May 2022

Objectives

To explore the feasibility of predicting overall survival (OS) of patients with midline glioma using multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features.

Methods

Data of 84 patients with midline gliomas were retrospectively collected, including 40 patients with OS > 12 months (28 cases were adults, 14 cases were H3 K27M-mutation) and 44 patients with OS < 12 months (29 cases were adults, 31 cases were H3 K27M-mutation). Features were extracted from the largest slice of tumors, which were manually segmented on T2-weighted (T2w), T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2 FLAIR), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1c) images. Data were randomly divided into training (70%) and test cohorts (30%) and normalized and standardized using Z-scores. Feature dimensionality reduction was performed using the variance method and maximum relevance and minimum redundancy (mRMR) algorithm. We used the logistic regression algorithm to construct three models for T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images as well as one combined model. The test cohort was used to evaluate the models, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, areas under the curve (AUCs), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated. The nomogram of the combined model was built and evaluated using a calibration curve. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the four models.

Results

A total of 1,316 features were extracted from T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images, respectively. And then the best non-redundant features were selected from the extracted features using the variance method and mRMR. Finally, five features were extracted each from T2w, T2 FLAIR, and T1c images, and 12 features were extracted for the combined model. Four models were established using the optimal features. In the test cohort, the combined model performed the best out of all models. The AUCs of the T2w, T2 FLAIR, T1c, and combined models were 0.73, 0.78, 0.74, and 0.87, respectively, and accuracies were 0.72, 0.76, 0.72, and 0.84, respectively. The ROC curves and DCA showed that the combined model had the highest efficiency and most favorable clinical benefits.

Conclusion

The combined radiomics model based on multi-parameter MRI features provided a reliable non-invasive method for the prognostic prediction of midline gliomas.
Pre-stimulus Alpha Activity Modulates Face and Object Processing in the Intra-Parietal Sulcus, a MEG Study
Authors: Dehaghani Narjes Soltani , Maess Burkhard , Khosrowabadi Reza , Lashgari Reza , Braeutigam Sven , Zarei Mojtaba
Published: May 2022

Face perception is crucial in all social animals. Recent studies have shown that pre-stimulus oscillations of brain activity modulate the perceptual performance of face vs. non-face stimuli, specifically under challenging conditions. However, it is unclear if this effect also occurs during simple tasks, and if so in which brain regions. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and a 1-back task in which participants decided if the two sequentially presented stimuli were the same or not in each trial. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of pre-stimulus alpha oscillation on the perception of face (human and monkey) and non-face stimuli. Our results showed that pre-stimulus activity in the left occipital face area (OFA) modulated responses in the intra-parietal sulcus (IPS) at around 170 ms after the presentation of human face stimuli. This effect was also found after participants were shown images of motorcycles. In this case, the IPS was modulated by pre-stimulus activity in the right OFA and the right fusiform face area (FFA). We conclude that pre-stimulus modulation of post-stimulus response also occurs during simple tasks and is therefore independent of behavioral responses.
Structural and Functional Characterization of Gray Matter Alterations in Female Patients With Neuropsychiatric Systemic Lupus
Authors: Su Li , Zhuo Zhizheng , Duan Yunyun , Huang Jing , Qiu Xiaolu , Li Mengtao , Liu Yaou , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: May 2022

Objective

To investigate morphological and functional alterations within gray matter (GM) in female patients with neuropsychiatric systemic lupus (NPSLE) and to explore their clinical significance.

Methods

54 female patients with SLE (30 NPSLE and 24 non-NPSLE) and 32 matched healthy controls were recruited. All subjects received a quantitative MRI scan (FLAIR, 3DT1, resting-state functional MRI). GM volume (GMV), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree of centrality (DC) were obtained. Between-group comparison, clinical correlation, and discrimination of NPSLE from non-NPSLE were achieved by voxel-based analysis, cerebellar seed-based functional connectivity analysis, regression analysis, and support vector machine (SVM), respectively.

Results

Patients with NPSLE showed overt subcortical GM atrophy without significantly abnormal brain functions in the same region compared with controls. The dysfunction within the left superior temporal gyri (L-STG) was found precede the GM volumetric loss. The function of the nodes in default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) were weakened in NPSLE patients compared to controls. The function of the cerebellar posterior lobes was significantly activated in non-NPSLE patients but attenuated along with GM atrophy and presented higher connectivity with L-STG and DMN in NPSLE patients, while the variation of the functional activities in the sensorimotor network (SMN) was the opposite. These structural and functional alterations were mainly correlated with disease burden and anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPLs) (r ranges from -1.53 to 1.29). The ReHos in the bilateral cerebellar posterior lobes showed high discriminative power in identifying patients with NPSLE with accuracy of 87%.

Conclusion

Patients with NPSLE exhibit both structural and functional alterations in the GM of the brain, which especially involved the deep GM, the cognitive, and sensorimotor regions, reflecting a reorganization to compensate for the disease damage to the brain which was attenuated along with pathologic burden and cerebral vascular risk factors. The GM within the left temporal lobe may be one of the direct targets of lupus-related inflammatory attack. The function of the cerebellar posterior lobes might play an essential role in compensating for cortical functional disturbances and may contribute to identifying patients with suspected NPSLE in clinical practice.
Establishing Minimal Clinically Important Differences for the Quality of Life Instrument in Patients With Breast Cancer QLICP-BR (V2.0) Based on Anchor-Based and Distribution-Based Methods
Authors: Li Fei , Liu Yuxi , Wan Chonghua , Zhou Jiali , Tan Jianfeng , Chen Huanwei
Published: May 2022

Objective

To determine the minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for the breast cancer scale QLICP-BR (V2.0) among the Quality of Life Instruments system for cancer patients (QLICP), which consist of the general module of 32 items classifying into 4 domains and the specific module of 10 items.

Methods

According to the scoring rule of QLICP-BR (V2.0), the scores of each domain and the overall scale were calculated. The MCIDs of this scale were established by anchor-based and distribution-based methods. The anchor method used the Q29 item in the EORTC QLQ-C30 scale as anchors and defined the treatment effectiveness of the anchor-based method using criteria A (one level improvement after treatment) and B (at least one level improvement after treatment), while methods of effect size (ES), standard error of measurement (SEM), and reliability change index (RCI) were used in distribution-based methods.

Results

Using the anchor-based method, according to standard A, the MCIDs of the physical domain (PHD), psychological domain (PSD), social domain (SOD), common symptoms and side effect domain (SSD), core/general module (CGD), specific domain (SPD), and the total score (TOT) were 16.24, 11.37, 11.31, 12.07, 11.49, 10.69, and 11.23 respectively; according to standard B, the MCIDs of PHD, PSD, SOD, SSD, CGD, SPD, and TOT were 18.88, 15.14, 14.10, 14.50, 13.93, 12.17, and 14.23 respectively. In the distribution-based MCID study, when ES = 0.8, the MCID values of each domain and the total score of the scale were 9.14, 10.34, 8.34, 10.54, 6.79, 9.73, and 6.96 respectively. The MCIDs calculated when a SEM of 1.96 was used as the intermediary index were 8.38, 11.04, 8.67, 10.00, 7.44, 9.83, and 7.81. The MCIDs calculated when a RCI of 1.96 was used as the intermediary index were 11.84, 15.61, 12.27, 14.14, 10.52, 13.90, and 11.05. Additionally, the MCID value calculated by the two standards of the anchor method was similar to 0.8 ES, 1.96 SEM, and 1.96 RCI.

Conclusion

Using the anchor-based method, 0.8ES, 1.96SEM, and 1.96RCI have a better effect on the minimal clinically important difference of breast cancer scale and were recommended to be the preferred methods for establishing MCID.
Effects of Dexmedetomidine on Immune Cells: A Narrative Review
Authors: Chen Rui , Sun Yan , Lv Jing , Dou Xiaoke , Dai Maosha , Sun Shujun , Lin Yun
Published: May 2022

As we all know, dexmedetomidine (DEX), as a highly selective α2 adrenergic receptor agonist, exerts sedative, anti-anxiety and hypnotic effects by inhibiting the discharge of norepinephrine neurons in locus coeruleus and GABA-related hypnotic pathways. However, the role of DEX in anti-inflammatory and immune regulation has gradually attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. The α2 adrenergic receptor is one of the members of the adrenergic receptor family, which is widely present in a variety of immune cells and mediates the biological behavior of the inflammatory immune system. At present, there have been more and more studies on the effects of DEX on immune cells and inflammatory responses, but few studies have systematically explored the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of DEX. Here, we comprehensively review the published human and animal studies related to DEX, summarize the effects of DEX on immune cells and its role in related diseases, and propose potential research direction.
Naringenin is a Potential Anabolic Treatment for Bone Loss by Modulating Osteogenesis, Osteoclastogenesis, and Macrophage Polarization
Authors: Zhou Xin , Zhang Zheng , Jiang Weiwei , Hu Miao , Meng Yichen , Li Wenfang , Zhou Xuhui , Wang Ce
Published: May 2022

Bone undergoes constant remodeling of formation by osteoblasts and resorption by osteoclasts. In particular, macrophages have been reported to play an essential role in the regulation of bone homeostasis and regeneration. Naringenin, the predominant flavanone in citrus fruits, is reported to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoclastic, and osteogenic effects. However, whether naringenin could modulate the crosstalk between macrophages and osteoblasts/osteoclasts remains to be investigated. In this study, we confirmed that naringenin enhanced osteogenesis and inhibited osteoclastogenesis directly. Naringenin promoted M2 transition and the secretion of osteogenic cytokines including IL-4, IL-10, BMP2, and TGF-β, while suppressing LPS-induced M1 polarization and the production of proinflammatory factors such as TNF-α and IL-1β. In addition, the coculture of primary bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)/bone marrow monocytes (BMMs) with macrophages showed that the naringenin-treated medium significantly enhanced osteogenic differentiation and impeded osteoclastic differentiation in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory environment. Moreover, in vivo experiments demonstrated that naringenin remarkably reversed LPS-induced bone loss and assisted the healing of calvarial defect. Taken together, naringenin serves as a potential anabolic treatment for pathological bone loss.
Therapeutic Potential of Astrocyte Purinergic Signalling in Epilepsy and Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Nobili Paola , Shen Weida , Milicevic Katarina , Bogdanovic Pristov Jelena , Audinat Etienne , Nikolic Ljiljana
Published: May 2022

Epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (MS), two of the most common neurological diseases, are characterized by the establishment of inflammatory environment in the central nervous system that drives disease progression and impacts on neurodegeneration. Current therapeutic approaches in the treatments of epilepsy and MS are targeting neuronal activity and immune cell response, respectively. However, the lack of fully efficient responses to the available treatments obviously shows the need to search for novel therapeutic candidates that will not exclusively target neurons or immune cells. Accumulating knowledge on epilepsy and MS in humans and analysis of relevant animal models, reveals that astrocytes are promising therapeutic candidates to target as they participate in the modulation of the neuroinflammatory response in both diseases from the initial stages and may play an important role in their development. Indeed, astrocytes respond to reactive immune cells and contribute to the neuronal hyperactivity in the inflamed brain. Mechanistically, these astrocytic cell to cell interactions are fundamentally mediated by the purinergic signalling and involve metabotropic P2Y1 receptors in case of astrocyte interactions with neurons, while ionotropic P2X7 receptors are mainly involved in astrocyte interactions with autoreactive immune cells. Herein, we review the potential of targeting astrocytic purinergic signalling mediated by P2Y1 and P2X7 receptors to develop novel approaches for treatments of epilepsy and MS at very early stages.
Beam Manipulations With Compact Planar Dielectric Pancharatnam–Berry Phase Devices
Authors: Liu Yachao , Wang Guo Ping
Published: May 2022

The growth spurt of novel planar optical devices in recent years has been greatly facilitated by the rapid development of artificial material designing and nanoprocessing technology. Traditional optical phase gradient devices cannot be scaled down to sub-wavelength size due to the confinement of the optical path difference required for versatile phase manipulation, so new strategies are urgently needed to design compact planar devices. Here, we develop a series of novel compact planar devices that break the thickness limitation by taking advantage of the superpositionable, polarization-dependent properties of the Pancharatnam–Berry phase. Among them, representative compact devices are fabricated using well-designed dielectric glass plates. Our compact devices therefore offer a novel and simple scheme to circumvent the accumulation of transmission loss in a cascade system of phase gradient devices.
Estrogen Metabolite 2-Methoxyestradiol Attenuates Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Rats by Downregulating Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor
Authors: Zhang Yong , Ogola Benard O. , Iyer Laxmi , Karamyan Vardan T. , Thekkumkara Thomas
Published: May 2022

The therapeutic potential of 2-Methoxyestradiol (2ME2) is evident in cardiovascular disease. Our laboratory has previously demonstrated the mechanism involved in the 2ME2 regulation of angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) in vitro. However, 2ME2 regulation of angiotensin receptors and its effects on blood pressure (BP) and resting heart rate (RHR) are uncertain. In this study, male and female Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats infused with angiotensin II (65 ng/min) and male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were surgically implanted with telemetric probes to continuously assess arterial BP and RHR. In both male and female WKY rats, 2ME2 treatment (20 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks) resulted in a significant reduction of Ang II-induced systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial BP. Moreover, significant weight loss and RHR were indicated in all groups. In a separate set of experiments, prolonged 2ME2 exposure in male SHR (20 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks) displayed a significant reduction in diastolic and mean arterial BP along with RHR. We also found downregulation of angiotensin receptors and angiotensinogen (AGT) in the kidney and liver and a reduction of plasma Ang II levels. Collectively, we demonstrate that 2ME2 attenuated BP and RHR in hypertensive rats involves downregulation of angiotensin receptors and body weight loss.
Mechanical Interaction of the Pericardium and Cardiac Function in the Normal and Hypertensive Rat Heart
Authors: Mendiola Emilio A. , Sacks Michael S. , Avazmohammadi Reza
Published: May 2022

The pericardium is a thin connective tissue membrane that surrounds the heart and is an integral regulatory component of cardiopulmonary performance. Pathological growth and remodeling of the right ventricle (RV) stemming from structural heart diseases are thought to include a significant role of the pericardium, but its exact role remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate potential biomechanical adaptations of the pericardium in response to pulmonary hypertension and their effects on heart behavior. Integrated computational-experimental modeling of the heart offers a robust platform to achieve this objective. We built upon our recently developed high-fidelity finite-element models of healthy and hypertensive rodent hearts via addition of the pericardial sac. In-silico experiments were performed to investigate changes in pericardium reserve elasticity and their effects on cardiac function in hypertensive hearts. Our results suggest that contractile forces would need to increase in the RV and decrease in the left ventricle (LV) in the hypertensive heart to compensate for reductions in pericardium reserve elasticity. The discrepancies between chamber responses to pericardium addition result, in part, from differences in the impact of pericardium on the RV and LV preload. We further demonstrated the capability of our platform to predict the effect of pericardiectomy on heart function. Consistent with previous results, the effect of pericardiectomy on the chamber pressure-volume loop was the largest in the hypertensive RV. These insights are expected to motivate further computational investigations of the effect of pericardiectomy on cardiac function which remains an important factor in surgical planning of constrictive pericarditis and coronary artery bypass grafting.
The Root Hair Development of Pectin Polygalacturonase PGX2 Activation Tagging Line in Response to Phosphate Deficiency
Authors: Zhang Qing , Deng Aiwen , Xiang Min , Lan Qiuyan , Li Xiaokun , Yuan Shuai , Gou Xin , Hao Shuang , Du Juan , Xiao Chaowen
Published: May 2022

Pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose constitute the primary cell wall in eudicots and function in multiple developmental processes in plants. Root hairs are outgrowths of specialized epidermal cells that absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Cell wall architecture influences root hair development, but how cell wall remodeling might enable enhanced root hair formation in response to phosphate (P) deficiency remains relatively unclear. Here, we found that POLYGALACTURONASE INVOLVED IN EXPANSION 2 (PGX2) functions in conditional root hair development. Under low P conditions, a PGX2 activation tagged line (PGX2AT) displays bubble-like root hairs and abnormal callose deposition and superoxide accumulation in roots. We found that the polar localization and trafficking of PIN2 are altered in PGX2AT roots in response to P deficiency. We also found that actin filaments were less compact but more stable in PGX2AT root hair cells and that actin filament skewness in PGX2AT root hairs was recovered by treatment with 1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), an auxin transport inhibitor. These results demonstrate that activation tagging of PGX2 affects cell wall remodeling, auxin signaling, and actin microfilament orientation, which may cooperatively regulate root hair development in response to P starvation.
Structural Variation of Plastomes Provides Key Insight Into the Deep Phylogeny of Ferns
Authors: Du Xin-Yu , Kuo Li-Yaung , Zuo Zheng-Yu , Li De-Zhu , Lu Jin-Mei
Published: May 2022

Structural variation of plastid genomes (plastomes), particularly large inversions and gene losses, can provide key evidence for the deep phylogeny of plants. In this study, we investigated the structural variation of fern plastomes in a phylogenetic context. A total of 127 plastomes representing all 50 recognized families and 11 orders of ferns were sampled, making it the most comprehensive plastomic analysis of fern lineages to date. The samples included 42 novel plastomes of 15 families with a focus on Hymenophyllales and Gleicheniales. We reconstructed a well-supported phylogeny of all extant fern families, detected significant structural synapomorphies, including 9 large inversions, 7 invert repeat region (IR) boundary shifts, 10 protein-coding gene losses, 7 tRNA gene losses or anticodon changes, and 19 codon indels (insertions or deletions) across the deep phylogeny of ferns, particularly on the backbone nodes. The newly identified inversion V5, together with the newly inferred expansion of the IR boundary R5, can be identified as a synapomorphy of a clade composed of Dipteridaceae, Matoniaceae, Schizaeales, and the core leptosporangiates, while a unique inversion V4, together with an expansion of the IR boundary R4, was verified as a synapomorphy of Gleicheniaceae. This structural evidence is in support of our phylogenetic inference, thus providing key insight into the paraphyly of Gleicheniales. The inversions of V5 and V7 together filled the crucial gap regarding how the “reversed” gene orientation in the IR region characterized by most extant ferns (Schizaeales and the core leptosporangiates) evolved from the inferred ancestral type as retained in Equisetales and Osmundales. The tRNA genes trnR-ACG and trnM-CAU were assumed to be relicts of the early-divergent fern lineages but intact in most Polypodiales, particularly in eupolypods; and the loss of the tRNA genes trnR-CCG, trnV-UAC, and trnR-UCU in fern plastomes was much more prevalent than previously thought. We also identified several codon indels in protein-coding genes within the core leptosporangiates, which may be identified as synapomorphies of specific families or higher ranks. This study provides an empirical case of integrating structural and sequence information of plastomes to resolve deep phylogeny of plants.
Promotion of Internet Users’ Aggressive Participation via the Mediators of Flow Experience and Identification
Authors: Chang Kuei-Feng , Huang Yu-Huang , Li Wei-Chin , Luo Shunjun , Yang Dong-Jenn
Published: May 2022

Social media users have increased rapidly in recent years; however, most are “silent users” who rarely share information online. To maintain social media companies’ stable operation and development, this research explored the effects of flow experience and identity formation on users’ intrinsic motivation to facilitate aggressive, spontaneous, and habitual participation in virtual communities. A total of 487 valid questionnaires were collected and underwent regression analysis. The results revealed that all three intrinsic motivations had a significant impact on social media participation, with social interaction exerting the strongest influence. Flow experience and identification had significant, partial mediating effects on the relationship between motivation and participation. Several suggestions were provided based on the results to help social media enterprises increase user participation. It is hoped that this research could facilitate in transforming users into habitual participants to keep the operations of the virtual community stable and enduring.
Status Competition and Implicit Coordination: Based on the Role of Knowledge Sharing and Psychological Safety
Authors: Xiao Jiuling , Xue Yushan , Peng Yichen , Wang Jiankang
Published: May 2022

Implicit coordination is an important research topic in the field of social cognition. Previous studies have studied implicit coordination behavior from the perspective of team mental model but ignored the internal mechanism of individual status competition motivation on implicit coordination behavior. Based on the differences of status competition motivation, the individual status competition motivation is divided into prestige-type and dominant-type. With knowledge sharing as the mediating variable and psychological safety as the moderating variable, this research constructed a process model of the influence of status competition motivation on implicit coordination behavior. The empirical study was carried out with a sample of 367 employees of 44 enterprises. The research results show the following findings: (1) Status competition has a differentiated impact on implicit coordination. Prestige-type status competition has a significant positive impact on implicit coordination behavior, while dominant-type status competition has a significant negative impact on implicit coordination behavior. (2) Knowledge sharing plays a mediating role between status competition (prestige-type status competition and dominant-type status competition) and implicit coordination. (3) Psychological safety positively moderates the relationship between prestige-type status competition, dominant-type status competition, and knowledge sharing. The research results provide a new perspective for the field of implicit coordination; reveal the mechanism of status competition motivation in implicit coordination, which is of great significance to the practice of enterprise team management and human resource management.
Turnover at the Top: The Digital Transformation and Dismissal of Chairman and CEO
Authors: Qi Jipeng , Zhou Yaxian , Lv Wendai , Du Qiyue , Liu Ran , Liu Caixing
Published: May 2022

Companies increasingly implement digital transformation strategies to promote efficiency. Nevertheless, there are few concerns about employees’ acceptance of the changes, especially the executives’ adaptability, which is an important part of digital transformation strategy implementation. By utilizing the “searching-matching” in keywords of the annual reports of public listed companies in China, we measured the degree of corporate digital transformation to analysis its influence on the turnover rate of the Chairman and CEO. We found that digital transformation decreases the possibility of Chairman and CEO’s turnover. Derived from the dynamic managerial capital theory, we demonstrated that executives’ social network and political connections both have a moderate effect on the relationship between digital transformation and the turnover rate of executives. These findings will contribute to the digital transformation research by integrating with executives’ dynamic managerial capital which is attained through social networks and political connections.
Mental Health Literacy Programs for Parents of Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kusaka Sakurako , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Foo Jerome Clifford , Togo Fumiharu , Sasaki Tsukasa
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Many mental illnesses begin during adolescence. Parents of adolescents need to have sufficient mental health literacy (MHL) to recognize mental health problems in their children and to assist them with help-seeking. Although several educational programs have been developed to enhance parental MHL, their effectiveness has not been established. This study provides a systematic review for the effectiveness of MHL programs in parents of adolescents.

Methods

PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC and Web of Science were searched from the earliest date possible until February 2022; references of studies which met eligibility criteria were also screened. Studies that assessed quantitative change in at least one of the following components of parental MHL were included: knowledge of mental health/illnesses; stigma toward people with mental health problems; confidence in helping children with mental health problems, and intention, knowledge or behavior of helping children with mental health problems. Risk of bias (ROB) for each outcome within the included studies was rated using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies for nonrandomized studies.

Results

Nine studies (four RCTs, three controlled before-and-after studies, and two case series), reported in 10 articles, were included. Mental health knowledge and/or confidence was significantly improved in several studies, while no studies observed significant improvement in stigma and/or intention/behavior of helping children. ROB was high in five out of nine studies (10 out of 18 outcomes) and unclear in the others.

Conclusions

A limited number of studies have evaluated effects of MHL program in parents and inconsistent quality contributes to difficulty in establishing their overall effectiveness. More studies with appropriate methods of recruitment, measurement and analysis, and transparent reporting are needed.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020193072, Identifier: CRD42020193072.
Policy Goals of Contract Arrangements in Primary Care in Jeopardy: A Cross-Sectional Consumer Satisfaction Survey of Community Residents in Hangzhou, China
Authors: Ren Lixian , Ren Jianping , Liu Chaojie , He Mengyan , Qiu Xiantao
Published: May 2022

Objective

China is attempting to establish a voluntary contracting system in primary care. This study aimed to determine the degree of consumer satisfaction with the entitlements of contract arrangements and its associated factors.

Methods

A stratified cluster sampling strategy was adopted to recruit study participants from three administrative districts of Hangzhou municipality, each containing six residential communities. In each community, 50 households were recruited. A questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews with members of the households who signed a contract with community health centers, to collect data regarding their sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, and knowledge of and attitudes toward the contract entitlements. Consumer satisfaction was measured using six items rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from “1=very dissatisfied” to “5=very satisfied” and a summed score was calculated. A mixed linear regression model was established to identify individual predictors of consumer satisfaction after adjustment of the random (intercept) effect of household clusters.

Results

Overall, the respondents reported low levels of awareness and understanding of the contract entitlements, with an average knowledge score of 8.21 (SD = 3.74) out of a maximum possible of 19. The respondents had relatively lower levels of satisfaction (satisfied or very satisfied) with their prioritized entitlements (51.5%) and hospitals at home and telemedicine services (31.3%), compared with the contract and insurance policies (85.5%) and medical services provided (87.0%). Female gender, older age, chronic conditions, and perceived better health were associated with higher levels of satisfaction, while poor awareness and knowledge were associated with lower levels of satisfaction.

Conclusion

The study participants perceived limited benefits from the contract arrangements in primary care, which may jeopardize the policy purpose of the arrangements to encourage patients to use primary care as the first contact point in accessing health care services. It is evident that consumer satisfaction with the contract entitlements varies by healthcare needs. Lower levels of satisfaction are associated with poor awareness and knowledge of the entitlements.
Trends of Hypercholesterolemia Change in Shenzhen, China During 1997–2018
Authors: Peng Ke , Cai Weicong , Liu Xiaoying , Liu Yishu , Shi Yu , Gong Jessica , Lei Lin , Peng Ji , Xie Yuxin , Zhao Honglei , Si Lei , Ouyang Menglu
Published: May 2022

To demonstrate the trends of hypercholesterolemia change in Shenzhen, China from 1997 to 2018. Participants were residents aged 18 to 69 years in Shenzhen, China, and were recruited using multi-stage cluster sampling. All participants were surveyed about their socio-demographics, lifestyle, occupation, mental health, and social support. Physical measurements and blood samples for subsequent measurements were collected according to a standardized protocol. A total of 26,621 individuals participated in the three surveys with 8,266 in 1997, 8,599 in 2009, and 9,756 in 2018. In both women and men, there was a significant downward linear trend in age-adjusted mean high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) from 1997 to 2018 (women: 0.17 ± 0.06, p = 0.008 vs. men: 0.21 ± 0.04, p < 0.001). In contrast, the age-adjusted total triglycerides and total cholesterol in both sexes have demonstrated an increasing trend in the past two decades. However, no significant changes in age-adjusted low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in both men and women between 2009 and 2018 were found (women: 0.00 ± 0.02, p = 0.85 vs. men 0.02 ± 0.03, p = 0.34). The age-adjusted prevalence of hypercholesterolemia observed a rapid rise from 1997 to 2009 and appeared to be stabilized in 2018, which was similar to the trend of the prevalence of high total triglycerides in women. Changes in trends were varied by different types of lipids traits. Over the observed decades, there was a clear increasing trend of prevalence of low HDL-C (<1.04 mmol/L) in both sexes (women: 8.8% in 1997 and doubled to reach 17.5% in 2018 vs. men was 22.1% in 1997 and increased to 39.1% in 2018), particularly among younger age groups. Hence, a bespoke public health strategy aligned with the characteristics of lipids epidemic considered by sex and age groups needs to be developed and implemented.
Toward Sharing Brain Images: Differentially Private TOF-MRA Images With Segmentation Labels Using Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Kossen Tabea , Hirzel Manuel A. , Madai Vince I. , Boenisch Franziska , Hennemuth Anja , Hildebrand Kristian , Pokutta Sebastian , Sharma Kartikey , Hilbert Adam , Sobesky Jan , Galinovic Ivana , Khalil Ahmed A. , Fiebach Jochen B. , Frey Dietmar
Published: May 2022

Sharing labeled data is crucial to acquire large datasets for various Deep Learning applications. In medical imaging, this is often not feasible due to privacy regulations. Whereas anonymization would be a solution, standard techniques have been shown to be partially reversible. Here, synthetic data using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) with differential privacy guarantees could be a solution to ensure the patient's privacy while maintaining the predictive properties of the data. In this study, we implemented a Wasserstein GAN (WGAN) with and without differential privacy guarantees to generate privacy-preserving labeled Time-of-Flight Magnetic Resonance Angiography (TOF-MRA) image patches for brain vessel segmentation. The synthesized image-label pairs were used to train a U-net which was evaluated in terms of the segmentation performance on real patient images from two different datasets. Additionally, the Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) was calculated between the generated images and the real images to assess their similarity. During the evaluation using the U-Net and the FID, we explored the effect of different levels of privacy which was represented by the parameter ϵ. With stricter privacy guarantees, the segmentation performance and the similarity to the real patient images in terms of FID decreased. Our best segmentation model, trained on synthetic and private data, achieved a Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) of 0.75 for ϵ = 7.4 compared to 0.84 for ϵ = ∞ in a brain vessel segmentation paradigm (DSC of 0.69 and 0.88 on the second test set, respectively). We identified a threshold of ϵ <5 for which the performance (DSC <0.61) became unstable and not usable. Our synthesized labeled TOF-MRA images with strict privacy guarantees retained predictive properties necessary for segmenting the brain vessels. Although further research is warranted regarding generalizability to other imaging modalities and performance improvement, our results mark an encouraging first step for privacy-preserving data sharing in medical imaging.
Left or Right? How Attention and Reading Develop Together
Authors: Hoyos Patricia Maria , Kim Na Yeon , Kastner Sabine
Published: May 2022

When you are playing catch or I Spy, your brain helps you focus on one location and ignore the rest. Did you know that most people are slightly better at focusing on one side of space, either left or right? This is called a focusing bias. The focusing bias is usually so small that you do not notice it in your daily life. This slight bias can be measured with a simple task: crossing a horizontal line at its center. If you have a slight bias, you will cross the horizontal line a little to the left or right of its actual center. In this article, we will tell you about our recent discovery that children in grades 1–3 have a bias toward the left that gets smaller as they get older. This leftward bias may be related to the development of reading skills.
Multi-Variate LSTM Prediction of Alaska Magnetometer Chain Utilizing a Coupled Model Approach
Authors: Blandin Matthew , Connor Hyunju K. , Öztürk Doğacan S. , Keesee Amy M. , Pinto Victor , Mahmud Md Shaad , Ngwira Chigomezyo , Priyadarshi Shishir
Published: May 2022

During periods of rapidly changing geomagnetic conditions electric fields form within the Earth’s surface and induce currents known as geomagnetically induced currents (GICs), which interact with unprotected electrical systems our society relies on. In this study, we train multi-variate Long-Short Term Memory neural networks to predict magnitude of north-south component of the geomagnetic field (|BN|) at multiple ground magnetometer stations across Alaska provided by the SuperMAG database with a future goal of predicting geomagnetic field disturbances. Each neural network is driven by solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field inputs from the NASA OMNI database spanning from 2000–2015 and is fine tuned for each station to maximize the effectiveness in predicting |BN|. The neural networks are then compared against multivariate linear regression models driven with the same inputs at each station using Heidke skill scores with thresholds at the 50, 75, 85, and 99 percentiles for |BN|. The neural network models show significant increases over the linear regression models for |BN| thresholds. We also calculate the Heidke skill scores for d|BN|/dt by deriving d|BN|/dt from |BN| predictions. However, neural network models do not show clear outperformance compared to the linear regression models. To retain the sign information and thus predict BN instead of |BN|, a secondary so-called polarity model is utilized. The polarity model is run in tandem with the neural networks predicting geomagnetic field in a coupled model approach and results in a high correlation between predicted and observed values for all stations. We find this model a promising starting point for a machine learned geomagnetic field model to be expanded upon through increased output time history and fast turnaround times.
Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota Between Healthy and Diarrheic Horses
Authors: Li Yaonan , Lan Yanfang , Zhang Shuang , Wang Xiaoli
Published: May 2022

Increasing evidence reveals the importance of gut microbiota in animals for regulating intestinal homeostasis, metabolism, and host health. The gut microbial community has been reported to be closely related to many diseases, but information regarding diarrheic influence on gut microbiota in horses remains scarce. This study investigated and compared gut microbial changes in horses during diarrhea. The results showed that the alpha diversity of gut microbiota in diarrheic horses decreased observably, accompanied by obvious shifts in taxonomic compositions. The dominant bacterial phyla (Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Kiritimatiellaeota) and genera (uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiraceae, uncultured_bacterium_f_p-251-o5, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group, and Treponema_2) in the healthy and diarrheic horses were same regardless of health status but different in abundances. Compared with the healthy horses, the relative abundances of Planctomycetes, Tenericutes, Firmicutes, Patescibacteria, and Proteobacteria in the diarrheic horses were observably decreased, whereas Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Fibrobacteres were dramatically increased. Moreover, diarrhea also resulted in a significant reduction in the proportions of 31 genera and a significant increase in the proportions of 14 genera. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the gut bacterial diversity and abundance of horses changed significantly during diarrhea. Additionally, these findings also demonstrated that the dysbiosis of gut microbiota may be an important driving factor of diarrhea in horses.
Tissue-Specific Responses of Cereals to Two Fusarium Diseases and Effects of Plant Height and Drought Stress on Their Susceptibility
Authors: Su Zhouyang , Zheng Zhi , Zhou Meixue , Shabala Sergey , Liu Chunji
Published: May 2022

Multiple species of Fusarium can infect wheat and barley plants at various stages of development. Fusarium head blight (FHB) refers to the infection of spikes and developing kernels by these pathogens, and crown rot (FCR) infers to infection of the root, crown, and basal stem by Fusarium pathogens. Interestingly, most of the host genes conferring resistance to these two diseases are different in both wheat and barley, and plants’ susceptibility to these two diseases are oppositely affected by both plant height and reduced water availability. Available results do not support the hypothesis that reduced height genes have different effects on biotrophic and necrotrophic diseases. Rather, differences in temperature and humidity in microenvironments surrounding the infected tissues and the difference in the physical barriers originating from the difference in cell density seem to be important factors affecting the development of these two diseases. The fact that genes conferring resistance to Type I and Type II of FHB are different indicates that it could be feasible to identify and exploit genes showing resistance at the three distinct stages of FCR infection for breeding varieties with further enhanced resistance. The strong association between FCR severity and drought stress suggests that it should be possible to exploit some of the genes underlying drought tolerance in improving resistance to FCR.
Effect of Humic Acids on Soybean Seedling Growth under Polyethylene-Glycol-6000-Induced Drought Stress
Authors: Matuszak-Slamani Renata , Bejger Romualda , Włodarczyk Małgorzata , Kulpa Danuta , Sienkiewicz Mariola , Gołębiowska Dorota , Skórska Elżbieta , Ukalska-Jaruga Aleksandra
Published: May 2022

Humic substances (HS) are the most important natural biostimulant of plants. However, the relationship between their structure and biological activity in plants is still not well recognized. The objective of this paper was to assess the influence of molecular fractions of humic acids (HA) (HA < 30 kDa and HA > 30 kDa) on reducing negative effects of drought stress in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seedlings of Progres and Nawiko cultivars. Drought stress was induced in laboratory conditions by the addition of polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) to make a water potential of −0.5 MPa. HA were extracted according to the International Humic Substances Society procedure, and then were separated into two molecular fractions by membrane filtration. The following physiological and biometric parameters were determined: chlorophyll content, photosynthesis activity, electrical conductivity, fresh and dry mass of overground and roots, and plant length. The enzyme activity and ion contents were also measured. Differences in response to drought stress with the addition of HA < 30 kDa and HA > 30 kDa or not to the Hoagland’s solution were observed among studied cultivars. Drought stress caused a decrease in the most physiological parameters and increase in peroxidase activity in the case of both studied cultivars. However, the results of biometric measurements showed that the Progres cultivar appears to have better tolerance to drought stress. The significant influence of water deficit on most macroelement content in dry matter leaves of both studied cultivars was not observed, while its effect on microelement uptake by soybean plants was concluded. In the case of the Progres cultivar, the results showed a significant decrease in microelement content in the dry matter of leaves, whereas in the leaves of Nawiko cultivar there was a significant increase. The influence of HA > 30 kDa and HA < 30 KDa fractions on physiological features of both studied cultivars was varied. HA > 30 kDa fraction better up-regulated the antioxidant defense system. Unfortunately, no effect of either HA fraction on the macro- and micronutrients uptake system of both studied cultivars was observed.