bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anesthesia Analepsia Management Improves Postoperative Stress Reaction and Oxygenation in Elderly Patients Undergoing Lumbar Spine Surgery
Authors: Li Guifei , Chen Zhi , Tan Furong , Huang Qiang , Li Yizhen , Su Furong
Published: June 2021

Background: Developing a scientific and effective anesthesia analepsia management strategy is of great significance to reduce the risk of complications in elderly patients. This study aims to explore the effect of analepsia management on the postoperative stress reaction and oxygenation in elderly patients with lumbar spine surgery.Methods: In this randomized controlled study, 60 elderly patients who underwent lumbar spine surgery with general anesthesia in Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Shapingba District, Chongqing City were included. According to the random number table method, patients were randomly divided into test group (n=30) and control group (n=30). During the analepsia period, patients in the control group received routine management, while the test group received a new analepsia management strategy based on the control group. The analepsia quality, postoperative stress reaction, oxygenation function, and complication rates of the two groups were compared.Results: Compared with the control group, the extubation time, fully awake time, and resuscitation chamber residence time in test group were significantly shortened (P<0.05). At different times postoperatively, the test group had significantly lower epinephrine, cortisol, and blood sugar levels than the control group (P<0.001), and significantly higher or lower PaO2, oxygenation index (OI), and PaCO2 values ​​(P<0.01). Compared with the control group, the postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score in the test group was lower (P＜0.05), while the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score was higher (P＜0.05), and the test group had a lower incidence of restlessness, hypothermia and respiratory complications during the analepsia period (P<0.05).Conclusions: This study showed that the analepsia management strategy could improve the postoperative stress reaction and oxygenation function of elderly patients with lumbar spine surgery, which could promote the postoperative recovery of patients.
Where to Draw The Line?
Authors: Sheng Heping , Wilder John , Walther Dirk B.
Published: June 2021

We often take people’s ability to understand and produce line drawings for granted. But where should we draw lines, and why? We address fundamental principles that underlie efficient representations of complex information in line drawings. First, 58 participants with varying degree of artistic experience produced multiple drawings of a small set of scenes by tracing contours on a digital tablet. Second, 37 independent observers ranked the drawings by how representative they are of the original photograph. Overall, artists’ drawings ranked higher than non-artists’. Matching contours between drawings of the same scene revealed that the most consistently drawn contours tend to be drawn earlier. We generated half-images with the most-versus least-consistently drawn contours by sorting contours by their consistency scores. Twenty five observers performed significantly better in a fast scene categorization task for the most compared to the least consistent half-images. The most consistent contours were longer and more likely to depict occlusion boundaries. Using psychophysics experiments and computational analysis, we confirmed quantitatively what makes certain contours in line drawings special: longer contours mark occlusion boundaries and aid rapid scene recognition. They allow artist and non-artists to convey important information starting from the first few strokes in their drawing process.
Analog/RF Performance of Triple Material Gate Stack-Graded Channel Double Gate-Junctionless Strained-silicon MOSFET with Fixed Charges
Authors: Suddapalli Subba Rao , Joseph Rani Deepika Balavendran , Chintala Vijaya Durga , Saramekala Gopi Krishna , D Srikar , Nistala Bheema Rao
Published: June 2021

In this paper, analog/radio frequency (RF) electrical characteristics of triple material gate stack-graded channel double gate-Junctionless (TMGS-GCDG-JL) strained-silicon (s-Si) MOSFET with fixed charges is analyzed with the help of Sentaurus TCAD. By varying the various device parameters, the analog/RF performance of the proposed TMGS-GCDG-JL s-Si MOSFET is evaluated in terms of early voltage, transconductance generation factor (TGF), voltage gain, unity current gain frequency ( ft ), unity power gain frequency (fmax ), and gain transconductance frequency product (GTFP). The results confirm that the proposed TMGS-GCDG-JL s-Si MOSFET has superior analog/RF performance compared to the gate stack-graded channel double gate-junctionless (GS-GCDG-JL) s-Si MOSFET. However, the proposed device has less transconductance and less output conductance in comparison with the GS-GCDG-JL s-Si MOSFET in strong inversion region, and reverse trend follows in sub-threshold region.
Distribution, Sources and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Sediments of an Urban Water Supply Reservoir, China
Authors: Liu Yunzhao , Jiang Zhongguan , Wu Jiajun , Zhao Xianfu , Li Jing , Fang Ting , Liang Yangyang
Published: June 2021

In freshwater ecosystems, previous studies on microplastics have been mostly focused on natural rivers and lakes, with limited consideration of urban water source areas. Sediments, recording the steady process of microplastics accumulation during a long period of time, can act as an important sink for microplastics. In this study, we investigated the distribution, characteristics and ecological risks of microplastic contaminants in sediments of a water supply reservoir of Hefei City (the Dafangying Reservoir). Meanwhile, the differences of microplastic concentrations in sediments between the rural and urban areas were also compared. The average microplastics abundance of sediments in rural areas was 83.20 ± 32.99 n/100g dry weight (dw), and 182.67 ± 72.21 n/100g (dw) in urban areas. The total microplastic concentrations were significantly higher in sediments of urban sites than that in rural sites (p < 0.01), which can be ascribed to more complex and diverse microplastic sources triggered by intensive anthropogenic activity in cities. Specifically, we also demonstrated significantly higher microbead abundance (p < 0.01) in urban sites, which may result from the widespread use of microbead in personal care products. Our results detected five shapes (fibers, debris, films, foams and microbeads) and seven colors (white, black, transparency, red, blue, green and brown) of microplastics in sediments of the Dafangying Reservoir, with fibers and transparency accounting for the dominant shape and color, respectively. Given the complexity and diversity of microplastics in urban areas, we exhibited a relatively higher abundance of microplastics in the Dafangying Reservoir than that in other rural larger reservoirs. According to the index of geoaccumulation, the sedimentary microplastics were assessed as moderately polluted. Our study provides valuable references for microplastic contaminants in urban water supply reservoir, and highlights the importance of microplastics assessment in aquatic ecosystems.
Topographical Landmarks for Identification of Inferior Alveolar Nerve and its Surgical Implications - a Cadaveric Study
Authors: K Ariyanachi , P Sushma
Published: June 2021

Background: Inferior alveolar nerve, which arises from the posterior division of the mandibular nerve, contains both sensory and motor fibres. The intraosseous course of the nerve is variable. Mandibular foramen is situated on the medial surface of the mandibular ramus. It is an important anatomical landmark for procedures like sagittal split osteotomies and inferior alveolar nerve block.Methods: The precise location of mandibular foramen was studied by the dissection of formalin fixed cadavers available for undergraduate dissection for a period of two years fron 2014-2016. Results: The mandibular foramen was 21±3.33 mm superior to the gonion at an angle of 980±50 with the base of the mandible. The mandibular foramen was 20.13±3.1 mm inferior to the lowest point of the mandibular notch. Accessory mandibular foramen was observed in 9.37% of the samples dissected.Conclusion: The present study explains the position of mandibular foramen in relation to prominent bony landmarks and the knowledge about the mandibular foramen, helps dental surgeons during inferior alveolar nerve blocks and split osteotomies.Practical implications: Failure rate of the inferior alveolar nerve block has been reported to be approximately 20-25%. A thorough anatomical knowledge of the mandibular ramus is essential for inferior alveolar nerve blocks and sagittal split osteotomies, since they are technically difficult procedures and as they are also associated with a higher incidence of complications.
Plant Regeneration Through Somatic Embryogenesis in Two Cultivars of Pineapple (Ananas Comosus L.)
Authors: CACAÏ Gilles Habib Todjro , Ahokpossi Brunith A.M. , Houédjissin Serge S. , Houngue Jerome Anani , Badou Bienvenu T. , Ahanhanzo Corneille
Published: June 2021

Pineapple production is mostly constrained by unavailability of high-performance suckers. However, somatic embryogenesis (SE) have been revealed the most rapid and controllable method for Pineapple propagation than conventional sucker production methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the responses of two cultivars of pineapple regenerated through somatic embryogenesis. Calli were induced from crown leaf and plantlets leaf of Smooth Cayenne and Sugar Loaf cultivars. Murashige and Skoog base medium supplemented with vitamins B5 and different plant growth regulators combinations. BAP and / or 2,4-D have been added to base medium for calli maturation. BAP and GA3 have been added for plant elongation. The results indicated a significant influence of type of explant and copper on callus induction in pineapple cultivars. Likewise, the medium MS with NAA (0.5 mg/l) + BAP (1mg/l) has a highly significant influence with 8.8 mature somatic embryos per explant. Also, the growth regulator combinations and the cultivars have significantly influenced somatic embryos regeneration with a high rate of 55.25% plantlets using the hormonal combination BAP (3 mg/l) + GA3 (2 mg/l) for the smooth Cayenne. Leaves from plantlets constitute the explants to be used for callus induction in pineapple. The combination of BAP (1 mg/l) + copper (2 mg/l) + Picloram (6 mg/l or 12 mg/l) on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with vitamins B5 was favorable somatic embryos regeneration of pineapple. The protocol developed is a key study for successful mass propagation and genetics transformation of pineapple.
Beam Orientation Optimization for Coherent X-Ray Scattering From Distributed Deep Targets
Authors: Breedlove Sophya , Badano Aldo
Published: June 2021

BackgroundAmyloid deposits in the temporal and frontal lobes in patients with Alzheimer's disease make them potential targets to aid in early diagnosis. Recently, spectral small-angle x-ray scattering techniques have been proposed for interrogating deep targets such as amyloid plaques. ResultsWe describe an optimization approach for the orientation of beams for deep target characterization. The model predicts the main features of scattering profiles from targets with varying shape, size and location. We found that increasing target size introduced additional smearing due to location uncertainty, and incidence angle affected the scattering profile by altering the path length or effective target size. For temporal and frontal lobe targets, beam effectiveness varied up to 2 orders of magnitude. ConclusionBeam orientation optimization might allow for patient-specific optimal paths for improved signal characterization.
Conflict Detection In Affective Language Content: Affective Incongruency In Semantically Correct Sentences Describing Social Interactions Activates The Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Authors: Schauenburg Gesche , Aryani Arash , Hsu Chun-Ting , Schröder Tobias , Conrad Markus , von Scheve Christian , Jacobs Arthur M.
Published: June 2021

Neurocognitive studies on the emotion-language relation report a significant influence of affective content on the level of single words. However, it is rather difficult to investigate such influence on the sentence level – partly due to a missing theoretical approach to integrate multiple affective meanings. In a previous EEG study, we used impression formation equations based on Affect Control Theory to calculate affective congruency of sentences describing social interactions to successfully predict ERP effects. The current study was crucially motivated by the assumption that the reported early effect of affective incongruency was related to automatic conflict detection associated with activation in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). To test this hypothesis, we replicated the study as an event-related fMRI design: we visually presented the same sentences to 23 participants (12 f, 11 m) in a silent reading reading task while measuring differences in the hemodynamic response in two conditions of affective congruency. The ROI analysis results showed expected enhancement of neural activity for affectively incongruent sentences in left ACC, supporting the assumption that affective language content influences meaning making already at basic semantic processing stages. The reported results represent a replication of neuroscientific evidence for ACT's mathematical model of impression formation.
The Effect of Psychological Adaptation on Prevention Behavior of College Students during the Coronavirus Disease(COVID-19): A Moderated Mediating Model
Authors: Ren Jun , Yang Caihong , Huang Fei , Zhang Yan , Shi Hui
Published: June 2021

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 is an infectious disease. From January 2020 to now, the disease is still a public health event.Aims: Our aim in the present study was to examine the effects of psychological adaptation on preventive behavior, the mediating effect of risk cognition and the moderating effect of stress coping.Methods: We took colleges students in China as the survey subject; data were collected during the peak period of the COVID-19.Results: Psychological adaptation had a significant negative predictive effect on preventive behavior. Risk cognition had a partial mediating effect between psychological adaptation and preventive behavior. Stress coping plays a moderating effect in the first half of the mediating process of psychological adaptation → risk cognition → preventive behavior, and individuals with high stress coping are more vulnerable to the impact of psychological adaptation on risk cognition.Conclusions: The impact of psychological adaptation on preventive behavior can occur through the mediation variable of risk cognition. Reducing the risk cognition of college students helps to enhance the positive predictive effect of psychological adaptation on preventive behavior. Moreover, stress coping plays a moderating effect of the mediation model. improving the stress coping of colleges and universities students helps to better increase the negative predict effect of psychological adaptation on risk cognition.
miR-32-5p Inhibits the Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Thyroid Cancer Cells by Regulating Twist1
Authors: Liu Qing , Li Ouyang , Zhou Chi , Wang Yu , He Chunxue , Li Silei , Lu Lu , Chen Jidong
Published: June 2021

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Recent studies have revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in tumorigenesis in various cancer types by affecting the expression of its targets. However, the role of miR-32-5p in thyroid cancer remains limited. Methods: In this study, we attempt to explore the role of miR-32-5p in thyroid cancer and elucidate the underlying mechanism. Expression of miR-32-5p was determined by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Functional assays were performed by CCK-8 assay, cell colony assay, cell apoptosis assay, cell migration and invasion assays, cell cycle assay and luciferase assay. Protein expression was analyzed by Western blot.Results: In the present study, the role of miR-32-5p in thyroid cancer was firstly explored. It is found that miR-32-5p was downregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cells. Overexpression of miR-32-5p inhibited thyroid cancer cells proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition process; while suppression of miR-32-5p exhibited an opposite effect on thyroid cancer cells. In addition, In addition, a luciferase assay showed Twist1 was identified as a direct target of miR-32-5p in thyroid cancer, and further study showed that restoration of Twist1 attenuated the biological effect of miR-32-5p on thyroid cancer cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results demonstrated miR-32-5p functions as a tumor suppressor by targeting Twist1 in thyroid cancer, providing a novel insight into thyroid cancer therapy.
NEFAs Influence the NF-κB Inflammatory and Insulin Signaling Pathways Through TLR4 in Bovine Hepatocytes In Vitro
Authors: Deng Qinghua , Du Liyin , Zhang Yuming , Liu Guowen
Published: June 2021

Dairy cows are often in a state of negative energy balance (NEB), because of decreased dry matter intake and increased energy requirements, initiating lipid mobilization and leading to high serum β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels, which can induce ketosis and fatty liver in dairy cows. We all have known that inflammation and insulin resistance are also common diseases in perinatal period of dairy cows. So what is the relationship between negative energy balance, insulin resistance and inflammation in cow? In order to study the role of NEFAs in the NF-κB inflammatory and insulin signaling pathways through TLR4, we cultured bovine primary hepatocytes and added different concentrations of NEFAs to test the mRNA and protein levels of inflammatory and insulin signaling pathways. Our experiments indicated that NEFAs could activate the NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway and influence insulin resistance through TLR4. However, an inhibitor of TLR4 alleviated the inhibitory effects of NEFAs on the insulin pathway. In conclusion, all of these results indicate that high-dose NEFAs can activate the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway, and reduce the sensitivity of the insulin pathway through the TLR4/PI3K/AKT metabolic axis.
A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of Celecoxib Oral Solution (ELYXYB) in Acute Treatment of Episodic Migraine With or Without Aura
Authors: Lipton Richard B , Munjal Sagar , Tepper Stewart J , Iaconangelo Charles , Serrano Daniel
Published: June 2021

Background

Safe, effective, oral therapies are needed for acute treatment of migraine. This clinical trial assessed the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of celecoxib oral solution (ELYXYB) in a single migraine attack associated with moderate-to-severe pain.
Methods

This Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial treated adults with episodic migraine (with or without aura) with a single 4.8 mL dose of 120-mg celecoxib oral solution or placebo. Co-primary endpoints were the proportion of patients who were pain-free and free from the most bothersome migraine symptom (MBS) at 2 hours post-dose. The MBS was identified at screening from among nausea, photophobia, or phonophobia.
Results

Six hundred thirty-one patients were randomized (mean age 41 years, range 18–75; 84.3% female). One study site met prespecified outlier criteria and was excluded from efficacy analyses. This site had a mean 2-hour pain freedom placebo response rate of 75% vs 23.5% for all other sites. In subsequent analysis, 2-hour post-dose pain freedom response rates were significantly higher in the celecoxib oral solution group vs placebo (32.8%, [27.2%, 38.8%]) vs 23.5%, [18.5%, 29.2%]; P = 0.020). For 2-hour post-dose MBS freedom, response rates were significantly higher in the celecoxib oral solution group vs placebo (58.1% [51.4%, 64.5%] vs 43.9% [37.2%, 50.7%]; P = 0.003). A total of 10.7% (31/289) of patients treated with celecoxib oral solution and 9.9% (28/283) of placebo-treated patients reported a treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE). Study drug-related TEAEs were reported by 7.3% (21/289) and 7.4% (21/283) of celecoxib oral solution and placebo patients, respectively; the most common were nausea (celecoxib oral solution: 1.4% [4/289] vs placebo: 1.8% [5/283]) and dysgeusia (celecoxib oral solution: 1.7% [5/289] vs placebo: 1.1% [3/283]). No serious TEAEs, deaths, or drug-related TEAEs leading to withdrawal were reported.
Conclusions

Celecoxib oral solution is a safe, effective COX-2-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug for the treatment of acute migraine. In this analysis, celecoxib oral solution was significantly more effective than placebo and was also associated with a low rate of gastric TEAEs. Celecoxib oral solution may provide a convenient, alternate option to currently available treatments.
Trial registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03009019; Registered January 4, 2017; Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03009019
Estradiol Increases Risk of Topoisomerase Ⅱβ-Mediated DNA Strand Breaks to Initiate Xp11.2 Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Shi Qiancheng , Liu Ning , Yang Lei , Chen Yi , Lu Yanwen , Guo Hongqian , Han Xiaodong , Li Dongmei , Gan Weidong
Published: June 2021

Background: Xp11.2 translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) is defined by translocation of the transcription factor E3 (TFE3) gene located on chromosome Xp11.2. Due to the high incidence in women, 17β-estradiol (E2) may be a factor influencing TFE3 breaks, and the topoisomerase Ⅱ (TOP2) poison is considered one of the important risk factors in mediating DNA breaks. In this study, we investigated the potential pathogenesis of Xp11.2 tRCC using the renal epithelial cell line HK-2.Methods: Immunofluorescence assay was performed to analyze DNA breaks by quantifying phosphorylation of H2AX (γH2AX), and the micronuclei (MN) assay was designed for monitoring chromosome breaks. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) was used to detect whether proteins bound to specific DNA site, and the co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to confirm whether proteins bound to other proteins. In some experiments, siRNA and shRNA were transfected to knockdown target genes.Results: Our results demonstrated that DNA double-strand breaks were mediated by TOP2β in HK-2 cells, and this process could be amplified through estrogen receptor α (ERα)-dependent pathway induced by E2. After performing translocation site analysis using target region sequencing data in two Xp11.2 tRCC cell lines and ten Xp11.2 tRCC patients, we confirmed that TOP2β and ERα could both bind to TFE3 translocation sites directly to mediate DNA breaks in a E2-dependent manner. However, TOP2β and ERα were not observed to have direct interaction, indicating that their collaborative may be implemented in other ways. Besides, TFE3 was found to be upregulated through NRF1 with increasing E2 concentration, which could increase the risk of TFE3 breaks.Conclusion: Our results indicate that E2 amplifies TOP2β-mediated TFE3 breaks by ERα-dependent pathway, and E2 upregulates TFE3 by NRF1 to increase the risk of TFE3 breaks. This suggests that E2 is an important pathogenic factor for Xp11.2 tRCC pathogenesis.
Enhanced Cadaverine Production by Recombinant Corynebacterium Glutamicum with Response Regulator DR1558 at low pH Conditions
Authors: Kang Soong-bin , Choi Jong-Il
Published: June 2021

Background: Corynebacterium glutamicum is used industrially to produce various bio-based organic acids. However, it is often cultivated under abiotic stress conditions, such as low pH, which can reduce both cell growth and the yield of the target compound. Here, a response regulator from Deinococcus radiodurans, DR1558, was introduced into a recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing lysine decarboxylase (cadA) to enhance cadaverine production at acidic pHs.Results: During batch cultivation under acidic conditions, 6.4 g/L of cadaverine was produced by the recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing cadA and dr1558; this yield was 1.7-fold higher than that produced by a recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing only cadA. Transcriptional analysis revealed altered expression levels of stress defense- and cadaverine biosynthesis-related genes in the recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing dr1558. During fed-batch cultivation, the recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing cadA and dr1558 showed a 2.4-fold increase in cadaverine production compared to that produced by the recombinant C. glutamicum strain expressing only cadA. The cell growth of C. glutamicum expressing both cadA and dr1558 increased markedly during fed-batch cultivation at acidic pH.Conclusion: These results indicated that the response regulator dr1558 altered the expression of genes involved in metabolic pathways and stress defense mechanisms in C. glutamicum. Furthermore, C. glutamicum expressing the D. radiodurans dr1558 can be used to produce bio-based organic acids by fermentation in processes requiring acidic conditions.
Cross-Sectional Analysis of Sodium in Chinese Restaurants and Implications for Salt Reduction Initiatives
Authors: Du Wenwen , Wang Huijun , Zhang Jiguo , Zhang Xiaofan , Wei Nan , Li Yuan , Zhang Puhong , He Feng J
Published: June 2021

BackgroundSodium intake in China is extremely high. Given the increasing consumption of restaurant foods, and limited research has explored the sodium level of these foods. The present study aims to assess the content and sources of sodium in Chinese restaurants. MethodsCross-sectional data were obtained from the baseline survey of Restaurant-based Intervention Study (RIS) in 2019. 8131 best-selling restaurant dishes with detailed recipe information from 192 restaurants in China were selected. Sodium levels per 100g and per serving were calculated according to Chinese Food Composition Table. The proportions of serving-size restaurant dishes exceeding the daily sodium reference intake level and sodium contributions by major sources were also explored. ResultsIn total, the median values of sodium in restaurant dishes were 487.3mg per 100g, 3.4mg per kcal, and 2543.7mg per serving. 74.9% of dishes per serving exceeded Chinese adults’ daily sodium adequate intake (AI, 1500mg per day), while 62.6% of dishes exceeded the proposed intake for preventing non-communicable chronic diseases (PI, 2000mg per day). Cooking salt was the leading source of sodium in Chinese restaurant dishes, accounting for 45.8%, followed by monosodium glutamate (17.5%), food ingredients (17.1%), soy sauce (9.4%), and other condiments/seasonings (10.2%). More categories of salted condiments/seasonings usage were related to higher sodium level. ConclusionsThe sodium level in Chinese restaurants is high. Coordinated salt reduction initiatives are needed according to the major sources of sodium in restaurant foods.
The Value of Lateral Flow Urine Lipoarabinomannan Assay and Empirical Treatment in the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra Era: a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Kebede Wakjira , Abebe Gemeda , Gudina Esayas Kebede , Rie Annelies Van
Published: June 2021

Introduction: The value of Lateral Flow urine Lipoarabinomannan (LF-LAM) assay and the role of empiric tuberculosis (TB) treatment in the era of the highly sensitive Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) assay is unclear. This study aimed to assess the additional yield of Xpert Ultra compared to Xpert MTB/RIF, the yield of LF-LAM assay when used in combination with Xpert Ultra, and the role of empiric TB treatment in the Xpert Ultra era among patients with symptoms of TB admitted to a tertiary hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a cohort of hospitalized Xpert MTB/RIF-negative patients. Sputum samples were examined for Mycobacterium tuberculosis by culture and Xpert Ultra. In HIV positive and severely ill patients, a urine sample was collected for the LF-LAM assay. Treatment outcome was assessed six months after enrollment. Logistic regression was used to identify factors predictive of deaths among Xpert Ultra negative patients. Results: Of the 250 hospitalized Xpert MTB/RIF-negative patients, 35 (14.0%) had culture-confirmed TB. The Xpert Ultra assay diagnosed 31 of the 35 culture positive cases that had been missed by Xpert MTB/RIF. The LF-LAM assay did not identify any case that was not detected by Xpert Ultra. Empiric treatment did not improve survival among Xpert Ultra negative patients (OR 1.28, 95% CI: 0.3-5.3). Low body mass index (< 18.5kg/m2) was the only significant predictor of death in Xpert Ultra negative patients (OR 4.0, 95% CI: 1.12-16.5).Conclusions: In this prospective cohort, we observed that LF-LAM did not improve the diagnostic yield when used in combination with Xpert Ultra and did not find a survival benefit of empiric treatment among Xpert Ultra negative individuals. Research is needed to determine the optimal management of patients with presumptive TB and a negative Xpert Ultra assay in high TB burden settings.
3D QSAR Pharmacophore Based Virtual Screening, ADME Analysis and Estimation of MM/GBSA binding Free Energies of Azoles as a Potential Inhibitor of DprE1 for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Authors: Madhavi Madhavaram , Venkatesh Nampally , Parthasarathy Tigulla
Published: June 2021

Decaprenylphosphoryl - D – ribose – 2 –epimerase (DprE1) is a promising drug target to identify new anti- TB drugs against drug resistant tuberculosis. DprE1 helps in cell wall biosynthesis through Decaprenyl-phosphoryl d-arabinose pathway. Inhibition of DprE1 results in blocking of cell wall biosynthesis, causing death of mycobacterium tuberculosis. In current studies, a set of thirty triazole molecules having antitubercular activity were selected for pharmacophore 3D QSAR studies. The generated common pharmacophore hypothesis (AHRRR.172) consists of one acceptor (A), one hydrophobic (H), and three aromatic rings (R). The resulted pharmacophore model recorded with good statistical results, R2 = 0.71, Q2 = 0.54 and other parameters F = 45, RMSE = 0.41. This model further investigated to identify pharmacophoric features which are crucial for biological activity. The resultant pharmacophore model was used to screen ZINC chemical database molecules to identify potent lead molecules against DprE1 enzyme. The resultant hit molecules were recorded with dihydroquinonolin 2-one and Pyrazolo [1, 5] pyramidin 5-one scaffold and this information could be helpful to design new potent anti-tuberculosis agent. Further, these molecules along with co-crystal ligand were utilized for the estimation of physicochemical properties and followed by binding mode analysis.
Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake of New Medicines into Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review
Authors: Medlinskiene Kristina , Tomlinson Justine , Marques Iuri , Richardson Sue , Stirling Katherine , Petty Duncan
Published: June 2021

Background: Implementation and uptake of novel and cost-effective medicines can improve patient health outcomes and healthcare efficiency. However, the uptake of new medicines into practice faces a wide range of obstacles Earlier reviews provided insight into determinants for new medicine uptake (such as medicine, prescriber, patient, organization, and external environment factors), but the methodological approaches used had limitations (e.g., single author, narrative review, narrow search, no quality assessment of reviewed evidence).This systematic review aims to identify barriers and facilitators affecting the uptake of new medicines into clinical practice and identify areas for future research. Method: A systematic search was undertaken within seven databases. Eligible qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies focused on adult participants (18 years and older) requiring or taking new medicine(s) for any condition, in the context of healthcare organizations and identified factors affecting the uptake of new medicines. The methodological quality was assessed using QASTDD tool. A narrative synthesis of reported factors was conducted using framework analysis and conceptual framework was utilised to group them. Results: A total of 66 studies were included. Most studies (n=62) were quantitative and used secondary data (n=46) from various databases, e.g., insurance databases. The identified factors had a varied impact on the uptake of the different studied new medicines. Differently from earlier reviews, patient factors (patient education, engagement with treatment, therapy preferences), cost of new medicine, reimbursement and formulary conditions, and guidelines were suggested to influence the uptake. Also, the review highlighted that health economics, wider organizational factors, and underlying behaviours of adopters were not or under explored. Conclusion: This systematic review identifies additional factors affecting new medicine use not reported in earlier reviews, which included patient influence and education level, cost of new medicines, formulary and reimbursement restrictions, and guidelines. Further research employing determinant frameworks or implementation theories is needed to gain a better understanding of factors, especially patient, prescriber, and organizational, affecting the uptake of new medicines into clinical practice.Registration: PROSPERO database (CRD42018108536)
Development of High-Performance Air Purifier using Human Hair and Vetiver (Chrysopogan Zizanioides) as Filter Media
Authors: Varma.S Anand Kumar , A SUVALAKSHMI , R MANJULA K
Published: June 2021

Purpose-The global crisis of extreme air pollution is encountered nowadays due to the burning of fossil fuel, vehicular emission, modern sophistication and industrialization. These result infusions of high levels of Smoke, Particulate Matter (PM), Total volatile organic compounds (VOC), Hydrocarbons (HCHO), Nitrogen Oxides (NOX), Sulfur Oxides (SOX), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and other air pollutants into the atmosphere.Findings- Therefore, the development of a cost-saving air purifier is extremely essential with naturally occurring resources that are readily available throughout all the places at some point in time.A compact, flexible, modular and low-cost air purifier has designed employing a combination of porous plug and two filter media developed from natural resources.Methodology-The air purification unit is horizontal shaped and made with a simple PVC pipe. The first filter media was developed by mixing human hair with low-cost vegetable Mahua oil and the second one by wetting Vetiver (Chrysopogan zizanioides) with water. A mixture of human hair with Mahua oil can absorb the suspended particulate matter of size above 2.5 µm, and wet Vetiver shows the enormous capability of absorption of gases like NOx, SOx and Hydrocarbons and adsorption of particle size even less than 2.5 µm like PM1. Moreover, due to the pleasant smell, wet Vetiver can produce fresh air.Value-The cleaning and disposals of such naturally derived products are easy because of complete biodegradability and no negative impact on the environment. To restrict the filter media movement, porous plugs are coupled at the inlets and outlets of pipeline and filters. Due to the Joule-Thomson effect, the air coming out of the porous plug becomes 50oC cooler than the input air. The pollutant removal efficiency of indoor was found to be more than 60% were in the outdoor residential areas, it was more than 75%, and in the heavily crowded regions, it evaluated to be more than 65%. Amidst the alarming air pollution scenario throughout the world, such an invented device should be welcome due to the excellent performance as reflected in the production of pollutant-free fresh air at reduced temperature.
Architectures of contemporary digital platforms in education. Analysis of exclusion processes
Authors: Vidal Inés María González
Published: June 2021

The Internet is a wide, open and dynamic ecosystem of digital platforms where people and technologies contribute to the creation and consumption of digital information. The convergence of the Internet and the accelerated change of technological innovation have been the engines of society and its development, and all this has caused transformations in the social, economic and educational context. In this context, this work analyzes contemporary digital platform architectures and their influence on the processes of educational exclusion. To meet the objectives, the crucial changes brought about by digitally mediated life are studied; the conceptual and technological aspects that characterize contemporary digital platform architectures; and its influence on exclusion processes. This research is supported by qualitative research methodologies; the analysis and synthesis methods, the PRISMA model, and a meta-analysis of data extracted from the Scopus databases and the Web of Science-WOS is also carried out. The work shows changes in the social and educational context given the consolidation of the Internet through contemporary digital platform architectures and its influence on the processes of social, digital and educational exclusion. The need to promote equal opportunities, active participation and the capacity for professional insertion between women and men is visualized.
Mathematical modeling of COVID-19 spread and stabilization in Madhya Pradesh, India: A fundamental approach
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Kumar Vikash , Panchore Vijay , Mandava Ravi Kumar , Sarangi Somnath
Published: June 2021

The present study was performed to model a COVID-19 spread and stabilization constraints for the regional people of Madhya Pradesh, India, at the mid-time of the lockdown period. A novel mathematical model was developed to predict the number of days required to break the virus spread chain based on the chain breaking concept of the virus carriers. This model has predicted the very accurate COVID-19 results at a mid-time of the lockdown period. Unfortunately, a good recovery rate was not achieved in Madhya Pradesh as expected by the model to stop the chain of virus spread. Thus, this novel model failed to predict the COVID-19 spread for a large duration. Nevertheless, this novel model has much potential to model the other parallel situations similar to COVID-19 spread.
Obesity Paradox: Pulmonary Complications Rather than Mortality after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation?
Authors: Luo Zeng-Rong , Qiu Han-Fan , Chen Liang-wan
Published: June 2021

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) is considered a minimally invasive procedure. Body mass index (BMI) has been rarely evaluated for pulmonary complications after TAVI. This study aimed to assess the influence of BMI on the pulmonary complications and other related outcomes after TAVI. Methods: The clinical data of 109 patients who underwent TAVI in our hospital from May 2018 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups according to BMI: normal weight (BMI <24.0kg/m2, n=54), overweight (BMI 24.0-27.9kg/m2, n=41) and obesity (BMI >28kg/m2, n=14) and two groups according to vascular access: through femoral artery route (TF-TAVI) (n=94) and through the transapical route (TA-TAVI) (n=15). Procedure endpoints, procedure success, and adverse outcomes were evaluated according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 definitions. Results: Obese patients had higher proportion of older (p <0.01) and previous percutaneous coronary intervention patients (p <0.01) and higher percentage of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.016) and frailty (p = 0.024), lower level of glomerular filtration rate (p <0.01). Procedure success was found similar between the three groups. 30-day all-cause mortality of patients with normal weight, overweight, and obesity was 3.7% (2/54) vs 4.9% (2/41) vs 7.1% (1/14) , respectively. In the multivariable analysis, overweight and obese patients exhibited similar overall mortality (overweight vs normal, p = 0.550 and obese vs normal, p = 0.763) and similar intubation time compared to normal weight patients (9.3±5.2 hours vs 9.0±6.2 hours vs 8.8±4.3 hours in obesity, overweight, and normal weight patients, respectively, p = 0.699). Although obese patients had lower PaO2/FiO2 than the normal weight patients at baseline, transitional extubation and postextubation 12th hour (p=0.046, 0.036, 0.047 respectively), there was no difference at postextubation 24th hour, postextubation 48th hour and postextubation 72th hour ( p= 0.778, 0.866, 0.886 respectively). Chronic lung disease (OR=7.986, p=0.001) rather than obesity (OR=1.967, p=0.132) or overweight (OR=3.046, p=0.081) affected postoperative PaO2/FiO2 after TAVI. Conclusions: We did not found the existence of an obesity paradox after TAVI. BMI showed no effect on the postoperative intubation time. Patients with a higher BMI should be treated equally and do not need to deliberately extend the intubation time for TAVI.
Kidney Dysfunction And COVID-19: Characteristics, Predictive Factors, And Influence Of Age
Authors: Porta Edoardo La , Baiardi Paola , Fassina Lorenzo , Faragli Alessandro , Perna Simone , Tovagliari Federico , Tallone Ilaria , Talamo Giuseppina , Secondo Giovanni , Mazzarello Giovanni , Esposito Vittoria , Pasini Matteo , Lupo Francesca , Deferrari Giacomo , Bassetti Matteo , Esposito Ciro
Published: June 2021

Background COVID-19 severity and mortality are strongly influenced by age and comorbidities. Among comorbidities, kidney dysfunction seems to play a crucial role. Indeed, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent finding in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and seems to be associated to mortality and severity. On the other hand, the role of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in COVID-19 is more debated. Aims and Methods We performed a retrospective study in a cohort of 174 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Italy from March 3rd to May 21st 2020, to investigate the role of kidney dysfunction on COVID-19 severity and mortality. Moreover, we examined in depth the relationship between kidney function, age, and progression of COVID-19, also using different equations to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR) were obtained by logistic regression, while a predictive analysis was made through a machine learning approach.Results AKI and death occurred in 10.2 % and 19.5% respectively, in our population. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, neutrophils, lymphocytes, c-reactive protein and procalcitonin were significantly correlated to mortality and severity of the disease. The major risk factors for mortality in our cohort were age [adjusted HR, 6.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-21.4] and AKI [3.36 (1.44-7.87)], while, in these relationships, GFR at the baseline mitigated the role of age. The occurrence of AKI was influenced by baseline kidney function, D-dimer and procalcitonin and hypertension. Our predictive analysis for AKI and mortality reached an accuracy ≥ of 94% and 91%, respectively. In patients ≥ 70 years, MDRD and CKD-EPI showed a better performance in the prediction of AKI and mortality, compared to BIS-1 formula.Discussion Our study confirms the importance of AKI as a risk factor in COVID-19 disease, while it scales down the role of CKD, especially in elderly patients. BIS-1 formula demonstrated a worse performance to predict the outcomes in COVID-19 patients when compared to MDRD and CKD-EPI.
Synthesis and Characterization of PVA Assisted Sr-Hydroxyapatite Using Hydrothermal Coupled Microemulsion Method
Authors: IRUDHAYAM VENDA , VEERABATHIRAN THAMIZHARASI , VICTOR COLLINS ARUN PRAKASH
Published: June 2021

Hydroxyapatite is a bioceramic material and it is one of the most important inorganic compounds which are extensively used in several forms as a bone substitute material. Hydroxyapatite is chemically represented as (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2), and is chemically and crystallographically similar to the human hard tissue. The hydroxyapatite nanoparticle is mainly used in orthopaedic and dental applications due to its properties of bioactivity, osteoconduction, biocompatibility and non-toxicity. In this research work, poly vinyl alcohol assisted strontium substituted hydroxyapatite nano powders was synthesised by conventional hydrothermal coupled microemulsion method using dimethyl sulfoxide and hexane. It is well known that strontium stimulates bone formation, reduction bone resorption and it is also used to osteoporosis diseases, while poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) helps in controlling the morphology and it is beneficial for artificial bone formation and possess excellent bioactivities properties. The structure, chemical composition and morphology were investigated by different techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM and MTT assay. The results indicated that the poly vinyl alcohol assisted Sr substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticle has a uniform spherical morphology, smaller particle size and with no impurities. The biomedical application studies of the as-synthesised material are yet to be studied.
Effects of Composite Sintering Additives: Al(OH)3+Y2O3+CaF2 on the Performance of Porous Mullite Oxide-Bonded SiC Ceramics
Authors: Li Zihe , Chang Zixuan , Liu Xinran , Zhao Weimin , Zhang Xu , Xiao Shikang , Tian Yuhang , Li Aijun , Han Guifang , Li Jianzhang , Zhang J.D.
Published: June 2021

A composite sintering additive system: Al(OH)3+Y2O3+CaF2 was proposed for porous mullite oxide-bonded SiC ceramics. Small variations of sintering additives have significant influences on the phase composition, pore shape/size, density and flexural strength. Samples sintered at 1550 ℃ for 4 h in the air atmosphere realized both good mullite densification and no detectable cristobalite phase, which was difficult to be achieved at the same time. Besides, the composite sintering additive system also promoted the formation of columnar shape mullite, which acts as a reinforcement. Flexural strength as high as 108 MPa was achieved at an apparent porosity of 40.3 vol%, which is higher than that sintered by SPS technique. Moreover, those additives also act as pore formers determining the shape and size of pores. Around 8.9 µm strip-like, 11.8 µm continuous channel-like and 4.1 µm irregular pores were obtained for Al(OH)3, Al(OH)3-Y2O3 and Al(OH)3-Y2O3-CaF2 added samples, respectively. Corresponding phase evolution, sintering mechanisms and pore formation models were established. This work provides a simple way to modify the phase, pore size/shape, and strength of mullite oxide-bonded porous SiC ceramics by properly selecting sintering additives without any additional pore formers.