bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact Of Teacher-Student Writing Conferences On Frequency And Accuracy Of Using Cohesive Devices In Efl Students’ Writing
Authors: Alfalagg Abdullah Rajab
Published: May 2020

While the bulk of feedback studies have focused on written corrective feedback, oral feedback in teacher-student writing conferences in EFL context has been underexplored. This article investigated teacher oral feedback based on the tenets of sociocultural theory. It examined the impact of teacher-student writing conferences on students’ accuracy and frequency of cohesive devices employment. The study followed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, intervention and post-test. Data were collected from an intensive writing course for intermediate students at the college level. Based on guided-free writing prompts, the students had to write argumentative paragraphs of about 150-180 words followed by individual conference sessions to offer them oral feedback. The findings showed that oral feedback in writing conferences statistically impacted the students’ writing performance with huge effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.19). Moreover, the result demonstrated empirical evidence that writing conferences positively impacted the students’ frequency of employing referential markers (t value = -3.011; p= .006 < 0.05) and conjunctions (t value=-2.200; p= .039 < 0.05). Further, oral feedback statistically impacted the students’ accuracy of utilizing referential markers (t value= -6.874; p= .000. < 0.05) and conjunctions (t value= -7.253; p= .000 < 0.05). The oral feedback assisted the students to decrease the overuse of the first, second person pronouns and the definite article ‘the’ with generic meaning in their writing. Instead, they depended on noun phrases and the third person pronouns which contributed to the text overall cohesion by creating explicit chains of references to the antecedents within the textual environment. Also, oral feedback helped the students to use conjunctions appropriately and accurately, so their texts were written densely cohesive. Pedagogical implications were discussed at the end of the article.
Different hypothermic and cerebral perfusion strategies in extended arch replacement for acute type A aortic dissection: a retrospective comparative study
Authors: Dong Song-Bo , Xiong Jian-Xian , Zhang Kai , Zheng Jun , Xu Shang-Dong , Liu Yong-Min , Sun Li-Zhong , Pan Xu-Dong
Published: May 2020

Background: The optimal hypothermic level in total arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation for acute type A aortic dissection (aTAAD) was uncertain, and the superiority of unilateral or bilateral cerebral perfusion remained a controversial topic. We evaluated the application of moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest (MHCA) with a core temperature of 29℃ and bilateral selective antegrade cerebral perfusion in aTAAD treated by total arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation. Methods: From July 2019 to January 2020, 25 aTAAD patients underwent total arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation via MHCA (29℃) and bilateral selective antegrade cerebral perfusion (modified group). Thirty-six patients treated by the same procedure with MHCA (25℃) and unilateral selective antegrade cerebral perfusion during this period were selected as controls. Results: No difference existed among patients in both groups in terms of age, gender, incidence of hypertension, malperfusion, and pericardial effusion, except a higher incidence of cardiac tamponade in modified group (control 2.8%, modified 20%; P = 0.038). Lowest mean circulatory arrest temperature was 24.6±0.9℃ in control group, and 29±0.8℃ in modified group (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was 4.9% (3/61) for the entire cohort (control 8.3%, modified 0; P = 0.262). The incidence of permanent neurologic deficit was 4.9% (control 8.3%, modified 0; P = 0.262). There were no significant differences in the occurrence of temporary neurological deficit, renal failure, and paraplegia between groups. The rate of major adverse events in the modified group was lower (30.6% vs. 4%, P = 0.019). A shorter duration of ventilation and ICU stay was identified in the modified group, as well as a reduced volume of drainage within the first 48 h and red blood cell transfusion.Conclusions: The early results of MHCA (29℃) and bilateral selective antegrade cerebral perfusion applied in total arch replacement with stented elephant trunk implantation for aTAAD were acceptable, providing similar inferior cerebral and visceral protection compared with that of the conventional strategy. A higher core temperature may account for the shorter duration of ventilation and ICU stay, as well as a reduced volume of drainage and red blood cell transfusion.
Activated microglia-induced neuroinflammatory cytokines lead to photoreceptor apoptosis in age-related macular degeneration-like mice model
Authors: Wu Jing , Gao Ge , Shi Fanjun , Zhang Chaoyang , Xie Hai , Yang Qian , Liu Dandan , Qu Sichang , Qin Haifeng , Liu Fang , Zhang Jingfa
Published: May 2020

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is mainly characterized by progressive deposits of drusen and photoreceptor apoptosis. Due to amyloid β (Aβ) is the main component of drusen, there is a great possibility that Aβ-induced activated microglia leads to inflammation, and plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of AMD. However, the relationship between activated microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory cytokines and photoreceptor apoptosis still remains unclarified.Results: In this study, we demonstrated that subretinal injection of Aβ1-42 induced the microglia activation and increased inflammatory cytokines, gave rise to photoreceptor apoptosis in mice. Our results were verified in vitro by co-culture of Aβ1-42 activated primary microglia and photoreceptor cell line 661W, and we also performed that p38 MAPK signaling pathway was involved in Aβ1-42 induced microglia activation and inflammatory cytokines release.Conclusions: Overall, our findings indicated that activated microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory cytokines contributed to photoreceptor apoptosis under the stimulation of Aβ1-42. Moreover, this study will provide a potential preventive and therapeutic approach for AMD treatment.
Cardiac involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis: a retrospective study in Chinese population
Authors: Chen Yingying , Zhou Jiaxin , Li Jing , Wu Qingjun , Yang Hongxian , Zhang Shangzhu , Fei Yunyun , Zhang Wen , Zhao Yan , Zhang Fengchun , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: May 2020

Background: Cardiac involvement in EGPA indicates poor prognosis and high mortality, while few data about cardiac involvement of EGPA in Chinese population are available. We conducted this study to figure out the clinical characteristics and overall outcome of EGPA patients with cardiac involvement in Chinese population.Methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of 83 patients diagnosed with EGPA and analyzed the differences between patients with and without cardiac involvement.Results: The prevalence of cardiac involvement of EGPA in this cohort was 27.7%. Compared with those who without cardiac involvement, EGPA patients with cardiac involvement tended to have younger onset age (mean ± SD, 38.4 ± 10.5 vs. 42.1 ± 15.9 years, p=0.039), higher eosinophil count [median (IQR), 5810 (4020-11090) vs. 2880 (1530-6570) n/μL , p=0.004)], higher disease activity [median (IQR), 20 (16-28) vs. 15 (12-18), p=0.001)] and poorer prognosis (FFS≥1, 100% vs. 38.3%, p=0.001). The most common cardiac manifestation was chest pain (56.5%), and 43.5% of patients were asymptomatic but cardiac abnormalities could be detected by cardiac examinations. With appropriate treatment, the overall outcome of EGPA patients with cardiac involvement in our cohort turned out to be good, with 3 ( 13% ) patients died at acute phase and no patient died during follow-up.Conclusions: Cardiac involvement was common in EGPA and was associated with younger onset age, higher eosinophil count, higher disease activity and poorer prognosis. Comprehensive cardiac examinations and appropriate treatment are essential to improve the prognosis of cardiac involvement.
A 14 transcription factors-associated nomogram predicts the recurrence-free survival of gastric cancer
Authors: Ma Xianxiong , Chen Hengyu , Yang Ming , Ke Zunxiang , Zhao Peng , Li Lei , Tao Kaixiong
Published: May 2020

Background: We aimed to construct and validate a novel transcription factors (TFs) signature for the prediction of gastric cancer (GC) patient’s recurrence-free survival (RFS) from TCGA and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and improve the predictive ability of RFS in GC patients.Methods: We searched TCGA database and GEO database to obtain gene expression data and related clinical information for GC. In total, 722 TFs and 384 GC patients with intact clinical information were identified to develop a novel TF signature. All TFs were included in a univariate Cox regression model. We then used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model which included only TFs with P < 0.05 in the univariate model to identify candidate TFs related to RFS. After further adjustment, multivariate Cox regression was performed based on the candidate TFs for the identification of TF signatures in the RFS evaluation of GC patients.Results: We successfully confirmed the high ability of the 14-TF panel for predicting GC patients’ RFS by receiver operating characteristic (ROC). AUCs at 1, 3, 5 years in internal validation dataset were 0.827, 0.817, 0.811, respectively. Some similar results were calculated in external validation dataset (0.808, 0.907, 0.813, respectively) and entire dataset (0.815, 0.849, 0.801, respectively). Besides, our model makes a good distinction between the high-risk group and the low-risk group. Furthermore, a nomogram was developed via risk score, sex, cancer status and tumor grade, and C-index, ROC, the calibration plots as well as decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated good ability and clinical application of the nomogram.Conclusions: We successfully established and validated a novel 14-TF-associated nomogram for predicting the RFS of GC.
Atraumatic Restorative Treatment compared to the Hall Technique for occluso-proximal carious lesions in primary molars; 36-month follow-up of a randomised control trial in a school setting
Authors: Araujo Mariana Pinheiro , Innes Nicola Patricia , Bonifácio Clarissa Calil , Hesse Daniela , Olegário Isabel Cristina , Mendes Fausto Medeiros , Raggio Daniela Prócida
Published: May 2020

Background: Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) and the Hall Technique (HT) are both minimally invasive, non-aerosol generating procedures (non-AGPs). They seem to have never been directly compared, nor has the HT been studied in a non-clinical setting. This study compared the HT and ART restorations placed in a school setting after 36 months.Methods: Children (5-10 yo) who had a primary molar with an occluso-proximal carious lesion were allocated to the ART or HT arms. Primary outcome: restoration survival over 36-months (using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, log rank test, and Cox regression). Secondary outcomes: 1) occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) (1, 2, 3, 4 weeks) and 2) child self-reported discomfort; 3) treatment acceptability (immediately following interventions); 4) Child Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL), before treatment and after 6 months and 5) a post-hoc analysis of time to tooth exfoliation (1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 months).Results: One-hundred and thirty-one children (ART=65; HT=66) were included (mean age=8.1±1.2). At 36 months, 112 (85.5%) children were followed-up. Primary outcome: restoration survival rates ART=32.7% (SE=0.08; 95%CI=0.17-0.47); HT=93.4% (0.05; 0.72-0.99), p<0.001; Secondary outcomes: 1) OVD returned to pre-treatment state within 4 weeks; 2) treatment discomfort was higher for the HT (p=0.018); 3) over 70% of children and parents showed a high acceptability for treatments, with crown aesthetics being a concern for around 23% of parents; 4) Child OHRQoL improved after six months; and 5) teeth treated with the HT exfoliated earlier than those in the ART group (p=0.007).Conclusions: Both ART and the HT were acceptable to child participants and their parents and all parents thought both restorations protected their child’s tooth. However, the crown appearance concerned almost a quarter of parents in the HT arm. Children experienced less discomfort in the ART group. Although both treatments can be performed in a non-clinical setting and have the advantage of being non-aerosol generating procedures (non-AGPs), the HT had almost three times higher survival rates (93.4%) for restoring primary molar occluso-proximal cavities compared to ART (32.7%).
Effect of Acetylsalicylic Acid on Angiogenesis Through Assessment of Microvascular Density, VEGF-A, Interleukin-1 and PDGF-B Receptors on Rat Myocardium that Undergo Hypobaric Hypoxia Exposure
Authors: Martha Januar Wibawa , Hilmanto Dany , Soelaeman M. Rachmat , Setiawan  , Febrianora Mega
Published: May 2020

Background Myocardial hypoxia in coronary artery disease (CAD) may induce angiogenic response by activating proangiogenic mediators; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) and Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-B), and proinflammatory mediator Interleukin-1 (Il-1). Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was known could reduce tumor growth by inhibiting angiogenesis process. Objective The study aimed to assess the effect of ASA on the angiogenesis in myocardial tissue which induced by hypobaric hypoxia exposure.Methods This was an experimental study with double interventions: hypobaric hypoxia exposure and ASA administration. The subjects were divided equally and randomly into four groups: I) control group without any intervention, II) hypobaric hypoxia exposure only, III) hypobaric hypoxia with low dose of ASA (2mg/kgs), and IV) hypobaric hypoxia with high dose of ASA (10 mg/kgs) for 14 days. Hypobaric hypoxia exposure was performed intermittently in a hypobaric chamber. At the end of the study, rats’ myocardial walls were extracted and examined for their microvascular density with Hematoxylin-Eosin and anti-CD34 immunostaining. The hearts were also studied for the expression of VEGF-A, Interleukin-1 (Il-1), and PDGF-B receptors by immunohistochemistry, and were assessed by histopathology sections using histoscore. Results The study subjects were 32 Wistar rats, aged 18-20 weeks weighing 250-350 grams. There were significant differences in microvascular density in both HE (median 4 vs. 2, p=0.021) and anti CD34 stainings (median 3 vs. 1, p=0.028), as well as VEGF A (median 10.5 vs. 3, p=0.002) and Il-1 (median 10.5 vs 3.5, p=0.004) receptors expressions between ASA and without ASA groups. Furthermore, there were differences in microvascular density using anti-CD34 (median 3 vs. 1, p=0.035) and VEGF-A receptor expression (median 6 vs. 2, p=0.022) between low dose and high dose of ASA group. Conclusion The administration of ASA may decrease angiogenic response of hypobaric hypoxia exposure. High dose of ASA may reduce angiogenesis process stronger than low dose of ASA.
Phytoestrogenic Effects of Various Levels of Soy Isoflavones in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Authors: Mazhar Nishaf , Nisa Mehr Un , Arshad Muhammad Sajid
Published: May 2020

Background: Soy isoflavones (SI) has estrogenic effect in tissues by binding to estrogen receptors and might be beneficial for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) by reduction in testosterone, cholesterol , Insulin , weight gain, inflammatory markers and oxidative stress. Methods: The study was plane to examine the effect of various levels of SI on nutrient intake, digestibility, lipid profile, insulin and reproductive hormones of estradiol-valerate (4mg/rat/IM) PCOS induced rat models. Thirty-Six Wistar 45 days old rats weighing 95 ± 5g were divided into 4 groups, each having 9 rats: C (control: without SF), SF10 (SF 0.10g/Kg BW), SF15 (SF 0.15g/Kg BW) and SF20 (SF 0.20g/Kg BW). SF was given through the oral gavage. Food and water were offered ad libitum and intake was recorded daily. Body weight was recorded on weekly basis. During last week of trial, collected feces by total collection method and blood samples were used to calculate nutrient digestibility and biochemical analysis respectively. The Completely Randomized Design and LSD test were used to analyze the data. Results: The significant results were observed in female rats fed SF10, SF15 and SF20 compared to C. Estrogen, progesterone and prolactin were (P<0.05) high in rats fed SF diet that was 4 and 30% increase from C respectively. Insulin, Testosterone, FSH and LH were lowest in rats fed diet SF20. Significant (P<0.05) reduction in cholesterol was observed in rats fed SF15 and SF20 as compared to C. Serum HDL was improved (P<0.05) in all SIF 0.10 , SIF 0.15 and SIF 0.20 as 26.88±1.59 (mg/dl), 32.40±1.42 (mg/dl) and 53.44±1.50 (mg/dl) in comparison to PC. Serum LDL was significantly reduced to 68.89±4.36 (mg/dl) in SIF 0.20 , and to 108.20±4.14 (mg/dl) in SIF 0.15 whereas, insignificant reduction was observed in SIF 0.10 (127.75±4.62 mg/dl) as compared to PC. Highly significant reduction was noted in triglycerides level in SIF 0.20 as 115.00±2.04 (mg/dl), however, significant reduction was observed in both SIF 0.10 and SIF 0.15 as compared to PC after three months of treatment with soy isoflavones.Conclusions: It is concluded that soy isoflavones have potential role on reproductive hormones, insulin levels, weight, lipid profile and nutrient digestibility in PCOS induced rats.
A simple Risk-Based Strategy for Hepatitis C virus Screening Among Incarcerated People in a Low- to Middle-Income Setting
Authors: Hariri Sanam , Sharafkhah Maryam , Alavi Maryam , Roshandel Gholamreza , Fazel Abdolreza , Amiriani Taghi , Motamed-Gorji Nazgol , Bazazan Abolfazl , Merat Shahin , Poustchi Hossein , Malekzadeh Reza
Published: May 2020

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the highest priority diseases in custodial settings; however, the diagnosis remains suboptimal among people in custody. This study aimed to validate a short survey for identifying people with HCV infection in a provincial prison in Iran.Methods: Between July and December 2018, residents and newly admitted inmates of Gorgan central prison completed a questionnaire, including data on the history of HCV testing, drug use, injecting drug use, sharing injecting equipment, and imprisonment. Participants received rapid HCV antibody testing, followed by venipuncture for RNA testing (antibody-positive only). Each enrollment question (yes/no) was compared with the testing results (positive/negative).Results: Overall, 1892 people completed the questionnaire, including 621 (34%) who were currently on opioid agonist therapy (OAT); 30% of participants had been tested for HCV previously. About 71% had a history of drug use, of whom 13% had ever injected drugs; 56% had ever shared injecting equipment. Prevalence of HCV antibody and RNA was 6.9% (n=130) and 4.8% (n=90), respectively. The antibody prevalence was higher among people on OAT compared to those with no history of OAT (11.4% vs. 4.0%). History of drug use was the most accurate predictor of having a positive HCV antibody (sensitivity: 95.2%, negative predictive value: 98.9%) and RNA testing (sensitivity: 96.7%, negative predictive value: 99.5%). Sensitivity of the drug use question was lowest among people with no OAT history and new inmates (87% and 89%, respectively). Among all participants, sensitivity and negative predictive value of the other questions were low and ranged from 34% to 54% and 94% to 97%, respectively.Conclusions: In resource-limited settings, HCV screening based on having a history of drug use could replace universal screening in prisons to reduce costs. Developing tailored screening strategies together with further cost studies are crucial to address the current HCV epidemic in low- to middle-income countries.
Suppressive Effect of Genistein on Childhood Cell Lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia by Inducing Dicer and AGO2
Authors: Piroozian Fatemeh , Varkiyani Hoda Bagheri , Samiei Afshin , Najar Amirhosein Bradaran , Afsa Masoumeh , MalekZadeh Kianoosh
Published: May 2020

Background Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is one of the most prevalent malignancies. Dysregulation of microRNAs in some cancers suggests their role in pathogenesis of the disease. Dicer and AGO2, two factors participate in biogenesis of miRNAs can exert a crucial function in development of the cancers. On the other hand, it has been proved that, genistein has anticancer effects against some cancer cells. Methods In the present study, it was attempted to assess alteration in the mRNA expression of the Dicer and AGO2 genes, and then evaluating inhibitory effect of genistein on Dicer and AGO2 genes. Up-regulation of Dicer and down-regulation of AGO2 were observed in 40 patients with childhood ALL compared to 35 healthy controls. Results Alteration in the expression of these genes directed to a correlation with progression of the disease. Genistein had anti-proliferative effect against ALL cancer cells through increasing mortality rate via induction of apoptosis and decreasing growth rate of malignant cells. The genistein significantly increased the mRNA level of Dicer particularly in two cells (Molt-17 and Nalm-6). Up-regulation of AGO2 that occurred as a result of genistein administration was significant in the 4 cell lines compared to non-treated cells. Conclusions The concordance in alteration of AGO2 and Dicer mRNA expressions in B-ALL cell lines caused by genistein administration suggests existence of another mechanism of this compound as chemotherapeutic agent against ALL cell line.
Differences of Interest in Human Body Structures Among Paramedics from Various Specialized Fields: A Study Aiming at an Effective Anatomical Instruction
Authors: Sakamoto Noboru , Komiyama Masatoshi , Miyaso Hidenobu , Sugata Yota , Mori Chisato , Shimizu Eiji , Matsuno Yoshiharu
Published: May 2020

This study aimed to identify human body areas in which paramedical students are particularly eager to observe and that are of interest in relation to the type of healthcare profession by means of a questionnaire after anatomical observation. A total of 840 students from 27 schools who visited Chiba University School of Medicine for anatomical tours, were examined after responding to the open questionnaire along with their consent. Terms of the human body structure that were of high interest were abstracted from the responses, and the frequency was analyzed according to individual specialized field. As a result, 1746 words were abstracted overall, and a high level of interest was identified in the nervous system (482 words), digestive system (425 words), cardiovascular system (305 words), musculoskeletal system (254 words), and respiratory system (183 words) sequentially. When considering individual specialized fields, the highest interest was found in the nervous system by nurses, acupuncturists, and emergency medical technicians, the digestive system by pharmacists and nutritionists, and the musculoskeletal system by rehabilitationists. When providing instruction during the observation, explanation should focus on areas of higher interest, as clarified in this study. At the same time, instruction in less interesting but are still important areas for the students in their specialized field must be provided with ingenuity to cultivate interest.Mini-abstract: Highly interesting human body structures were the nervous system, digestive system, and musculoskeletal system, for nurses, acupuncturists, and emergency medical technicians; pharmacists and nutritionists; and the rehabilitation field, respectively.
Resveratrol attenuates cigarette smoke induced endothelial apoptosis by activating Notch1 signaling mediated autophagy
Authors: Zong Dandan , Liu Xiang-ming , Li Jin-hua , Ouyang Ruo-yun , Long Ying-jiao , Chen Ping , Chen Yan
Published: May 2020

Background Endothelial apoptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our previous studies have validated Notch1 as an anti-apoptotic signaling in cigarette smoke (CS)-induced endothelial apoptosis. Resveratrol (RESV) is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits an anti-apoptotic activity in endothelial cells that exposed to many kinds of destructive stimulus. However, the effects of resveratrol on Notch1 signaling in CS-induced endothelial apoptosis have not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether RESV can protect endothelial cells from cigarette smoke induced apoptosis via regulating Notch1 signaling. Methods HUVECs were pretreated with RESV for 2 h, followed by cotreatment with 2.5%CSE for 24h to explore the role of RESV in CSE induced endothelial apoptosis. 3-MA or rapamycin was used to alter autophagic levels. Lentivirus Notch1 intracellular domain (LV-N1ICD) or γ-secretase inhibitor (DAPT) were used to change Notch1 expression. The expression of Notch1, autophagic and apoptotic markers were examined by Western blot and the apoptosis rate was detected by Flow cytometry analysis. Results Our results showed that activating autophagy reduced CSE-induced endothelial apoptosis, while blocking autophagy promoted cell apoptosis in HUVECs. RESV pretreatment attenuated the CSE-induced endothelial apoptosis and activated Notch1 signaling. RESV pretreatment also increased LC3b-II and Beclin1 production, decreased p62 and mTOR expression. 3-MA treatment inhibited autophagy and aggravated CSE induced apoptosis, while rapamycin promoted autophagy, led to a decrease in cell apoptosis. LV-N1ICD transfection upregulated autophagy and reduced apoptosis. However, this protective effect was abolished by 3-MA treatment. In cells treated with DAPT, autophagy was decreased, while apoptosis was increased. RESV partly rescued the DAPT induced apoptosis by activating Notch1 signaling. Conclusion In HUVECs, RESV attenuates CSE induced endothelial apoptosis by inducing autophagy in a Notch1-dependent manner.
Can dorzolamide/timolol-fixed combination effectively treat primary open-angle glaucoma? A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Qi Yan-Xiu , Liu Hong-wei , Su Xing-jie , Han Lin
Published: May 2020

Background: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a very common disorder, and it is the second leading reason that leads to blindness worldwide after cataracts. Previous studies have reported that dorzolamide/timolol-fixed combination (DTFC) can be used to treat patients with POAG. However, there are still inconsistent results. Thus, this study will systematically investigate the efficacy and safety of DTFC for the treatment of patients with POAG.Methods: A comprehensive search will be carried out in the electronic databases of Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHI, ACMD, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data from origin to the March 1, 2020. There are no limitations related to the language and publication status. Only randomized controlled trials that assessed the efficacy and safety of DTFC for the treatment of POAG will be included. Two researchers will independently undertake record selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment. Any divisions will be solved by discussion with a third researcher. We will perform statistical analysis using RevMan 5.3 softwareDiscussion: This study will summarize present evidence to identify the efficacy and safety of DTFC for the treatment of POAG through mean intraocular pressure, best corrected visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, bioelectric activity of the retina, rate of progression of glaucoma, quality of life, and adverse events. The results of this study will help to determine whether DTFC is effective and safety for the treatment of POAG.Systematic review registration: INPLASY202040120.
Objective Assessment of Spasticity by Pendulum Test: A Systematic Review on Methods of Implementation and Outcome Measures
Authors: Rahimi Fariborz , Eyvazpour Reza , Salahshour Nazila , Azghani Mahmood Reza
Published: May 2020

Background:Instrumented pendulum test is an objective and repeatable biomechanical method of assessment for spasticity. However, multitude of sensor technologies and plenty of suggested outcome measures, confuse those interested in implementing this method in practice. Lack of a standard agreement on the definition of outcome measures adds to this ambiguity. In this systematic review of studies, we aim to reduce the confusion by providing pros and cons of the available choices, and also by standardizing the definitions.Methods:A literature search was conducted for the period of 1950 to the end of 2019 on PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and IEEE explore; with keywords of “pendulum test” and “Spasticity”.Results:Twenty-eight studies with instrumented pendulum test for assessment of spasticity met the inclusion criteria. All the suggested methods of implementation were compared and advantages and disadvantages were provided for each sensor technology. An exhaustive list categorized outcome measures in three groups of angle-based, angular velocity-based, and angular acceleration-based measures with all different names and definitions. Conclusions:From a critical point of view, sources of ambiguity were found and explained with the help of graphical representation of pendulum movement stages and corresponding parameters on the angular waveforms. We hope using the provided tables simplify the choices when implementing pendulum test for spasticity evaluation, improve the consistency when reporting the results, and disambiguate inconsistency in the literature.
WITHDRAWN: Employing Blended Learning Health Sciences Graduates in Saudi Arabia: Community Preceptors’ Evaluation of Interns
Authors: Bugis Bussma
Published: May 2020

Background

Studies about internships are mostly done on the internship experiences of interns who received traditional face-to-face education, but limited studies were done on interns who studied under a blended learning educational style. Similarly, most studies on the professional competencies of health sciences graduates are done on the graduates of traditional schools. This study aims to describe the professional competencies of blended learning health sciences graduates through community preceptors’ evaluations of interns in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This study is a secondary analysis of existing data that are available from the College of Health Sciences at the Saudi Electronic University. The study population consists of 96 community preceptors who evaluated 90 health sciences undergraduate interns during the last six months of 2019.

Results

Data analysis is a descriptive method that provides simple statistics related to evaluation variables. The study tested the technical competencies, nontechnical competencies, and employment perceptions of interns. The mean scores for technical and nontechnical competencies represent positive evaluations of health sciences interns who graduated from undergraduate programs. The standard deviations indicate that most responses are fairly close to the mean scores. The modes for all competences are excellent. Of the 96 evaluations, more than 90% answered “YES” to hiring blended learning health sciences graduates.

Conclusions

From the perception of community preceptors, blended learning graduates who majored in health sciences are competent and well prepared to be employed in the health sector in Saudi Arabia and globally.
New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation after Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: Predictors and In-hospital Complications
Authors: Xu Hao , Fan Guangpu , Chen Yu
Published: May 2020

Objective

To explore risk factors and in-hospital complications of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB).

Methods

In this study of 1344 patients who underwent isolated OPCAB from 2012 to 2015, patients were divided into AF and non-AF group according to whether new-onset postoperative AF occurred.

Results

The incidence of new-onset AF after OPCAB was 28.57%, mainly appeared within the first 4 days after surgery. After binary logistic regression analysis, age, peripheral vascular disease, median-sternotomy OPCAB, mechanical ventilation time, IABP were independent predictors of AF( p <0.001,OR 1.039,95%CI 1.023-1.055; p =0.007,OR 2.450,95%CI 1.282-4.684; p =0.044,OR 0.589,95%CI 0.351-0.987; p =0.013,OR 1.006,95%CI 1.001-1.011; p =0.007,OR 3.001,95%CI 1.356-6.642, respectively). Patients with AF have a significant higher risk of reoperation, re-entry into ICU, re-intubation, postoperative myocardial infarction, renal failure, and death ( p =0.013, p =0.015, p <0.001, p =0.037, p <0.001, p <0.001, respectively), also a longer re-ICU time ( p =0.014).

Conclusion

Advanced age, peripheral vascular disease, median-sternotomy OPCAB, mechanical ventilation time, IABP were independent predictors for new-onset AF after OPCAB. Postoperative AF was clearly associated with more in-hospital complications.
New onset of loss of smell or taste in household contacts of home-isolated SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects
Authors: Boscolo-Rizzo Paolo , Borsetto Daniele , Spinato Giacomo , Fabbris Cristoforo , Menegaldo Anna , Gaudioso Piergiorgio , Nicolai Piero , Tirelli Giancarlo , Mosto Maria Cristina Da , Rigoli Roberto , Polesel Jerry , Hopkins Claire
Published: May 2020

Purpose To estimate the prevalence of smell or taste impairment in household contacts of mildly symptomatic home-isolated SARS-CoV-2 positive patients.Methods Cross sectional study based on ad hoc questions.Results Of 214 mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients managed at home under self-isolation, 179 reported to have at least one household contact, with the total number of no study participants contacts being 296. Among 175 household contacts not tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection, 67 (38.3%) had SARS-CoV-2 compatible symptoms, 39 (22.3%) had loss of smell or taste with 7 (4.0%) having loss of smell or taste in the absence of other symptoms. The prevalence of smell or taste impairment was 1.5% in patients tested negative compared to 63.0% of those tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (p<0.001).Conclusion Smell or taste impairment are quite common in not-tested household contacts of mildly symptomatic home-isolated SARS-CoV-2 positive patients. This should be taken into account when estimating the burden of loss of sense of smell and taste during COVID-19 pandemic, and further highlights the value of loss of sense of smell and taste as a marker of infection.
Clinical Evaluation of Fever-Screening Thermography: Impact of Consensus Guidelines and Facial Measurement Location
Authors: ZHOU YANGLING , GHASSEMI PEJMAN , CHEN MICHELLE , MCBRIDE DAVID , CASAMENTO JON P. , PFEFER T. JOSHUA , WANG QUANZENG
Published: May 2020

Infrared thermographs (IRTs) have been used for fever screening during infectious disease epidemics, including SARS, EVD and COVID-19. Although IRTs have significant potential for human body temperature measurement, the literature indicates inconsistent diagnostic performance, possibly due to wide variations in implemented methodology. A standardized method for IRT fever screening was recently published, but there is a lack of clinical data demonstrating its impact on IRT performance. We have performed a clinical study of 596 subjects to assess the diagnostic effectiveness of standardized IRT-based fever screening and evaluate the effect of facial measurement location. Temperatures from 17 facial locations were extracted from thermal images and compared with oral thermometry. Statistical analyses included calculation of receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve (AUC) values for detection of febrile subjects. Pearson correlation coefficients for IRT- based and reference temperatures were found to vary strongly with measurement location. Approaches based on maximum temperatures in either inner canthi or full-face regions indicated stronger discrimination ability than maximum forehead temperature (AUC values of 0.95-0.97 vs. 0.86-0.87, respectively) and other specific facial locations. These values are markedly better than the vast majority of results from in prior human studies of IRT- based fever screening. Thus, our findings provide clinical confirmation of the utility of consensus approaches for fever screening, including the use of inner canthi temperatures, while also indicating that full-face maximum temperatures may provide an effective alternate approach.
Higher Alcohol Consumption Is Not Linked To Higher SARS COVID-19 Infection and Death
Authors: Mohanta Yugal Kishore , Hashem Abeer , Abd-Allah Elsayed Fathi , Mohanta Tapan Kumar
Published: May 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) corona virus mediated COVid19 pandemic is a global concern. At the present, almost all countries of the world are home to the CoVid19 infection with varying rate. To understand the role of alcohol consumption and rate of CoVid19 infection, we conducted a comparative statistical analysis using the top CoVid19 infected countries of the world and compared them with per capita alcohol consumption per year. We found that higher alcohol consumption is not directly proportional to the higher number of CoVid19 infection and deaths. Google trend analysis for search of alcohol for last 12 months was found highest for Australia followed by New Zealand, Ireland, United States, and South Africa, suggesting sentiment of higher alcohol search also not related to the SARS CoV-2 infection and deaths.
Variation of positiveness to enhance testing of specimens during an epidemic
Authors: Kadri Usama
Published: May 2020

Rapid testing of appropriate specimens from patients suspected for a disease during an epidemic, such as the current Coronavirus outbreak, is of a great importance for the disease management and control. We propose a method to enhance processing large amounts of collected samples. The method is based on mixing samples in testing tubes in a specific configuration, as opposed to testing single samples in each tube, and accounting for natural virus amounts in infected patients from variation of positiveness in test tubes. To illustrate the efficiency of the suggested method we carry out numerical tests for actual scenarios under various tests. Applying the proposed method enhances the number of tests by order of magnitudes, where all positives are identified with no false negatives, and the effective testing time can be reduced drastically even when the uncertainty in the test is relatively high.
Identification of pulmonary comorbid diseases network based repurposing effective drugs for COVID-19
Authors: Patel Jai Chand , Tulswani Rajkumar , Khurana Pankaj , Sharma Yogendra Kumar , Ganju Lilly , Kumar Bhuvnesh , Sugadev Ragumani
Published: May 2020

The number of hospitalization of COVID-19 patients with one or more comorbid diseases is highly alarming. Despite the lack of large clinical data and incomplete understanding of virus pathology, identification of the COVID-19 associated diseases with clinical precision are highly limited. In this regard, our text mining of 6238 PubMed abstracts (as on 23 April 2020) successfully identified broad spectrum of COVID-19 comorbid diseases/disorders (54), and their prevalence on the basis of the number of occurrence of disease terms in the abstracts. The disease ontology based semantic similarity network analysis revealed the six highly comorbid diseases of COVID-19 namely Viral Pneumonia, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Pulmonary Edema, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma. The disease gene bipartite network revealed 15 genes that were strongly associated with several viral pathways including the corona viruses may involve in the manifestation (mild to critical) of COVID-19. Our tripartite network- based repurposing of the approved drugs in the world market revealed six promising drugs namely resveratrol, dexamethasone, acetyl cysteine, Tretinoin, simvastatin and aspirin to treat comorbid symptoms of COVID-19 patients. Our animal studies in rats and literatures strongly supported that resveratrol is the most promising drug to possibly reduce several comorbid symptoms associated with COVID-19 including the severe hypoxemia induced vascular leakage. Overall, the anti-viral properties of resveratrol against corona virus could be readily exploited to effectively control the viral load at early stage of COVID-19 infection through nasal administration.
Validación de un instrumento para medir estados afectivos y compromiso organizacional en profesores universitarios
Authors: May Guillermo Erika Guadalupe , Barroso Tanoira Francisco Gerardo , Hernández Triano Leonardo
Published: May 2020

Introducción: El objetivo del estudio fue validar un instrumento integrado por la escala de afecto positivo y afecto negativo (PANAS) elaborada por Watson, Clark y Tellegen (1988), así como la escala de compromiso organizacional (OCS) desarrollada por Meyer, Allen, y Smith (1993), para medir la relación entre los estados afectivos (EA) y el compromiso organizacional (CO) de profesores adscritos a instituciones de educación superior (IES) en el sureste de México.Método: Se realizó una investigación descriptiva con enfoque cuantitativo y diseño no experimental transversal, en la cual se seleccionó una muestra no probabilística de 140 profesores adscritos a una IES ubicada en el sureste de México. La fiabilidad del instrumento se verificó mediante el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach, la validación de contenido fue por juicio de expertos y la de constructo se realizó por medio de un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE).Resultados: Los jueces que participaron en la verificación en el juicio de expertos consideraron que el instrumento cumple con los criterios de suficiencia, claridad, coherencia y relevancia. La fiabilidad obtenida para la escala PANAS fue de 0.76 y para la OCS de 0.83. En el AFE se identificó que los EA se agruparon en dos factores que explicaron el 43% de la varianza, mientras que para el CO se identificaron tres factores, los cuales explicaron el 49% de la varianza.Conclusión: Se confirmaron la consistencia interna y la validez del instrumento, tanto de contenido como de constructo, para medir la relación entre los EA y el CO en educación superior.
Hypervalent Iodine-mediated/Catalyzed Oxidative Cycloisomerization/Annulation of Alkynes for Metal-free Synthesis of Oxazoles
Authors: Saito Akio
Published: May 2020

Since oxazoles have found widespread applications not only as synthetic intermediates but also as biologically active compounds, much effort has been focused on developing novel and efficient methods for the synthesis of this heterocycle. From the viewpoint of green and sustainable chemistry, hypervalent iodine and other halogen reagents have gained increasing popularity in metal-free oxidative transformation due to their low toxicity, transition-metal-like reactivity, high stability, easy handling and other benefits. In this account, our two approaches to the metal-free synthesis of oxazoles by means of a peculiar activation of alkynes by iodine species are described with the related contexts. One is iodine(III)-mediated/catalyzed oxidative cycloisomerization reactions of N-propargyl amides for the preparation of oxazoles bearing various functional groups at their side chains. In these reactions, iodine(III) species works as a donor of various heteroatomic functional groups as well as an activator of carbon-carbon triple bonds in a single step. Furthermore, this methodology can be extended to iodine(III)-mediated/catalyzed oxidative annulation of alkynes and nitriles as another approach, in which heteroatoms on iodine(III) species are incorporated in the azole rings.
Computational Identification of Lysine Glutarylation Sites Using Positive- Unlabeled Learning
Authors: Ju Zhe , Wang Shi-Yun
Published: May 2020

Background:

As a new type of protein acylation modification, lysine glutarylation has been
found to play a crucial role in metabolic processes and mitochondrial functions. To further explore the
biological mechanisms and functions of glutarylation, it is significant to predict the potential glutarylation
sites. In the existing glutarylation site predictors, experimentally verified glutarylation sites are
treated as positive samples and non-verified lysine sites as the negative samples to train predictors.
However, the non-verified lysine sites may contain some glutarylation sites which have not been experimentally
identified yet.

Methods:

In this study, experimentally verified glutarylation sites are treated as the positive samples, whereas
the remaining non-verified lysine sites are treated as unlabeled samples. A bioinformatics tool named
PUL-GLU was developed to identify glutarylation sites using a positive-unlabeled learning algorithm.

Results:

Experimental results show that PUL-GLU significantly outperforms the current glutarylation
site predictors. Therefore, PUL-GLU can be a powerful tool for accurate identification of protein glutarylation
sites.

Conclusion:

A user-friendly web-server for PUL-GLU is available at http://bioinform.cn/pul_glu/.
Melatonin Modulates Lactation by Regulating Prolactin Secretion Via Tuberoinfundibular Dopaminergic Neurons in the Hypothalamus- Pituitary System
Authors: Li Hongyang , Wei Jingya , Ma Fengtao , Shan Qiang , Gao Duo , Jin Yuhang , Sun Peng
Published: May 2020

In-depth studies have identified many hormones important for controlling mammary growth
and maintaining lactation. One of these is melatonin, which is synthesized and secreted by the pineal
gland to regulate circadian rhythms, improve antioxidant capacity, and enhance immunity. Prolactin is
secreted by the pituitary gland and is associated with the growth and development of mammary glands
as well as initiation and maintenance of lactation. The hypothalamus-pituitary system, the most important
endocrine system in the body, regulates prolactin secretion mainly through dopamine released
from tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons. This review provides a reference for further study and
describes the regulation of lactation and prolactin secretion by melatonin, primarily via the protection
and stimulation of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons.
Protein and Antibody Engineering: Suppressing Degranulation of the Mast Cells and Type I Hypersensitivity Reaction
Authors: Rajani Huda Fatima , Shahidi Solmaz , Gomari Mohammad Mahmoudi
Published: May 2020

With an increase in atopic cases and owing to a significant role of mast cells in type I hypersensitivity, a therapeutic need to inhibit degranulation of mast cells has risen. Mast cells are notorious for IgE-mediated allergic response. Advancements have allowed researchers to improve clinical outcomes of already available therapies. Engineered peptides and antibodies can be easily manipulated to attain desired characteristics as per the biological environment. A number of these molecules are designed to target mast cells in order to regulate the release of histamine and other mediators, thereby controlling type I hypersensitivity response. The aim of this review paper is to highlight some of the significant molecules designed for the purpose.