bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Triglyceride Glucose-Body Mass Index is a Reliable Indicator of Bone Mineral Density and Risk of Osteoporotic Fracture in Middle-Aged and Elderly Nondiabetic Chinese Individuals
Authors: Wen Zhang-Xin , Li Yong-Fang , Xu Lu-Lu , Yue Chun , Wang Qin-Yi , Chen Rong , Ding Na , Qu Xiao-Li , Ou Yang-Na , Yang Yan-Yi , Sheng Zhi-Feng , Liu Hong
Published: October 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship of triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) with bone mineral density, femoral neck geometry, and risk of fracture in middle-aged and elderly Chinese individuals. Methods: A total of 832 nondiabetic individuals (474 men aged ≥50 years and 358 postmenopausal women) were selected from the prospective population-based HOPE cohort. All individuals underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip, as well as femoral neck geometry. The 10-year probabilities of major osteoporotic fractures (MOFs) and hip fractures (HFs) were calculated. Correlations of TyG-BMI with BMD at different sites, femoral neck geometry, and risk of fractures were examined in men and women. Results: Cortical thickness (CT), compression strength index (CSI), cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI), cross-sectional area (CSA), section modulus (SM), and 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in women (all P < 0.001). The presence of osteoporosis was related to age, BMI, BMD and femoral neck geometry, TyG-BMI index and TyG index, MOF and HF in both sex. TyG-BMI was positively correlated with BMD at femoral neck, lumber spine, and total hip and with femoral neck geometry parameters in men, Similar significant association was also present in women. In men, TyG-BMI showed significant negative correlation with HF but not with MOF. In women, TyG-BMI showed significant negative correlation with both factors only after adjusting for other variable. The various geometric indices of the femoral neck were 3 significantly impaired in individuals with low TyG-BMI. the TyG-BMI index was found to be significantly associated with osteoporosis after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: TyG-BMI is positively associated with BMD and femoral neck geometry, and negatively associated with risk of fracture in nondiabetic middle-aged and elderly Chinese men and women.
Analysis of Primary Metabolites of Morchella Fruit Bodies And Mycelium Based On Widely Targeted Metabolomics
Authors: Yang Yuhong , Yang Jian , Wang Hongling , Jin Yusong , Liu Jing , Jia Ranran , Wang Zhuo , kang zongli
Published: October 2021

Morchella is a kind of medicinal and edible homologous fungia that is rich in multiple metabolites. The metabolites from Morchella are a kind of essential substance because of their biological activities. In this study, Morchella fruit bodies and mycelium were selected to identify their metabolites. The primary metabolites of the two experimental group were analyzed using a method of widely targeted metabolome based on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. A total of 354 different metabolites, including 188 upregulated metabolites and 166 downregulated metabolites, were characterized. Further, the main 20 metabolic pathways of the metabolites were analyzed. The first 9 ones are tyrosine metabolites, thyroid hormone biosynthetic pathway, phenylalanine metabolites, linoleic metabolites synthetic pathway, glycerophosphate metabolic pathway, choline in tumors, methyl butyl metabolites, arginine synthetic pathway, arginine, arginine and proline metabolites. This study provides theoretical basis for the analysis of metabolic pathway of Morchella fruit bodies and mycelium that serving for further research of their medicinal mechanism and effective components.
Impact of mass vaccination on SARS-CoV-2 infections among the total multiple sclerosis population receiving immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies in England
Authors: Evangelou Nikos , Garjani Afagh , Patel Sameer , Bharkhada Dhiren , Rashid Waqar , Coles Alasdair , Law Graham
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to understand changes in the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among all people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving immunomodulatory disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in England, compared to the general population, following mass vaccination. Longitudinal data collected by the National Health Service (NHS) England on all MS DMT prescriptions and the UK Health Security Agency on all registered SARS-CoV-2 test results were analysed. The incidence rate ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection among people with MS taking DMTs compared to the general population was calculated before (November 2020-January 2021) and after (July-August 2021) mass vaccination. Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among people on ocrelizumab or fingolimod compared to the general population increased following liberalisation of COVID-19 restrictions (during March-July 2021) despite mass vaccination. No changes were found with other DMTs. These findings converge with the impaired immune response to vaccines observed with ocrelizumab and fingolimod.
Review of Artificial Intelligence Techniques inGreen/Smart Buildings.
Authors: Rodriguez-Gracia Diego , Capobianco-Uriarte Maria de las Mercedes , Teran-Yepez Eduardo , Piedra-Fernandez Jose , Iribarne Luis , Ayala Rosa
Published: October 2021

The many benefits offered by green or smart buildings have led to an increase in their construction. In turn, this growth has been accompanied by a rapid evolution of research on this topic. Thus, given the specialist interest, research on the use of artificial intelligence in this type of construction has been gaining space. This topic, although still novel, due to its current and future importance requires a literature review to identify the main actors, evaluate the past and establish future lines of research. The results based on 174 manuscripts detected in Web of Science and Scopus databases allow us to establish the main authors, institutions, countries and journals as well as the seminal papers in this field. Furthermore, through a keywords co-occurrence analysis this study identifies some of the topics that have received most interest in the past as well as some promising future research trends. This bibliometric study analyzes the relationship between the main clusters DML&B (Deep - Machine Learning and Building Constructions) by means of a detailed description of the fundamental concepts identified in the content analysis. It is complemented by a temporal keyword analysis focusing on the economic, social and environmental benefits obtained through green or intelligent buildings. Consequently, this research contributes to the literature by providing an overview of the past and current status of this field, as well as by opening future research lines.
Investigation of Improving The Pre-Training And Fine-Tuning of BERT Model For Biomedical Relation Extraction
Authors: Su Peng , Vijay-Shanker K.
Published: October 2021

Background: Recently, automatically extracting biomedical relations has been a significant subject in biomedical research due to the rapid growth of biomedical literature. Since the adaptation to the biomedical domain, the transformer-based BERT models have produced leading results on many biomedical natural language processing tasks. In this work, we will explore the approaches to improve the BERT model for relation extraction tasks in both the pre-training and fine-tuning stages of its applications. In the pre-training stage, we add another level of BERT adaptation on sub-domain data to bridge the gap between domain knowledge and task-specific knowledge. Also, we propose methods to incorporate the ignored knowledge in the last layer of BERT to improve its fine-tuning. Results: The experiment results demonstrate that our approaches for pre-training and fine-tuning can improve the BERT model performance. After combining the two proposed techniques, our approach outperforms the original BERT models with averaged F1 score improvement of 2.1% on relation extraction tasks. Moreover, our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance on three relation extraction benchmark datasets. Conclusions: The extra pre-training step on sub-domain data can help the BERT model generalization on specific tasks, and our proposed fine-tuning mechanism could utilize the knowledge in the last layer of BERT to boost the model performance. Furthermore, the combination of these two approaches further improves the performance of BERT model on the relation extraction tasks.
Assessment of Genetic Diversity Among Intra- and Interspecific Lowland Rice using Morpho-agronomic Traits and SSR Markers
Authors: Ogunbayo Ayoni , Sié Moussa , Gregorio Glenn B. , Ojo David Kolawole , Sanni Kayode Abiola , Akinyosoye Solomon Tayo , Afeez Shittu , Akinwale Moses Gbenga , Adetoro Najimu Adeniyi , Adetumbi Johnson Adedayo , Amusa Oluwafemi Daniel , Adekoya Modinat Adejoke , Obukosia Silas , Akinbo Olalekan
Published: October 2021

Rice is staple food in many countries of Africa and a major part of the diet in many others. However, Africa’s demand for rice exceeds production with the deficit of 40% being imported. One way to improve Africa’s rice production is through breeding high yielding varieties suitable for the different environment conditions. This study was conducted to assess the genetic variability and stability performance of 48 lowland rice genotypes including 37 interspecific (Oryza glaberrima × Oryza sativa ssp. indica) and 11 intraspecific (O. sativa ssp. indica × O. sativa ssp. indica) in 12 environments in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togo using Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and Genotype+ Genotype x Environment (GGE) biplot models. The combined analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P<0.01) among the genotypes, environments, and genotypes x environment interaction. Both the AMMI and GGE models identified NERICA-L8 and NERICA-LI2 as the best genotypes for cultivation across environments. Ouedeme environments in Benin Republic were the most stable and ideal for rice cultivation, while Ibadan sites were the most unstable. TOG 5681 had the least yield and was the most unstable across seasons. Genetic diversity was analyzed using 22 important morpho-agronomic traits and 50 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and the results were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA). The results revealed that the first eight PC axes (PC1–8) accounted for 75.13% of the total variation, while PC1–4 accounted for 50.39% of the total variation among rice genotypes. However, 10 of the 50 SSR markers were polymorphic and generated 49 alleles (average = 4.9 alleles per locus), suggesting moderate to substantial genetic diversity among the rice genotypes. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.24 to 0.65, with an average PIC value of 0.45. Two structured populations were observed which clustered into five heterotic groups and an outgroup, respectively. This suggests that heterosis could be exploited in the next hybridization program by crossing one of the genotypes in any SSR marker-defined cluster, with the rice accession TOG 5681 in cluster I. The results of this study suggest that morpho-agronomic traits should be used to compliment SSR data in rice diversity studies, especially if a few polymorphic SSR markers are to be used.
Analysis of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics in Solid Sample Matrices: A Contribution to Method Standardization
Authors: Schütze Berit , Thomas Daniela , Kraft Martin , Brunotte Joachim , Kreuzig Robert
Published: October 2021

Microplastics are the new emerging pollutants ubiquitously detectable in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Fate and behavior as well as ecotoxicity are of increasing environmental concern particularly in sediments and soils as natural sinks. For a global environmental risk assessment reliable and easy to apply analytical methods are mandatory to obtain comparable data. This is based on the isolation of microplastics out of the solid sample matrices prior to instrumental detection. Thus, this study provides a validated approach for density separation, which emerged from a comparative study using different salt solutions to isolate conventional and for the first time biodegradable microplastics from different solid sample matrices, i.e., sand, artificial soil, and compost. Four solutions (water, sodium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium bromide) of different densities were applied followed by oxidizing digestion. Finally, the impact of the procedures on size and surface properties of microplastics was tested. Dependent on the sample matrix, highest recovery rates of 87.3-100.3 % for conventional polymers and 38.2–78.2 % for biodegradable polymers were determined with sodium bromide. It could be shown that the type of solid sample matrix influences the recovery rates and has to be considered when choosing a sample preparation technique.
An Individualized Red Blood Cell Transfusion Strategy Using Pediatric Perioperative-Transfusion-Trigger Score Reduced Perioperative Blood Exposure for Children: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Luo Zhen , Li Yansong , Zuo Yunxia , Liao Ren , Liu Jin
Published: October 2021

Background
The optimal red blood cell transfusion strategy in children remains unclear. We developed an individualized pediatric red blood cell transfusion strategy, and postulated that red blood cell transfusion guided by this strategy in children would reduce blood exposure without compromising patients’ safety.
Methods
In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 99 children undergoing non-cardiac surgeries who had blood loss of more than 20% total blood volume were randomly assigned to an individualized-strategy group using Pediatric Perioperative-Transfusion-Trigger Score, or a control group. The amount of transfused red blood cells was counted, and patients were followed up for postoperative complications by day-30. This trial was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR-IRP-16007909, Date:07/02/2016).
Results
26 children (53.1%) in individualized-strategy group received transfusion perioperatively, as compared with 37 children (74%) in the control group (p<0.05). During surgery, children in individualized-strategy group were exposed to fewer transfusions than in the control group (0.87±1.03 vs. 1.33±1.20 red-blood-cell units per patient, p<0.05). The incidence of severe complications in individualized-strategy group had the lower trend compare to the control group (8.2% vs. 18%, p=0.160). No significant differences were found in the other outcomes.
Conclusion
This study proved that transfusion guided by the individualized strategy reduced perioperative blood exposure in children, without increasing the incidence of severe complications. This conclusion needs to be further confirmed by implementing multicenter, large-sample clinical trials.
Trial registration
The study was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=13361 (Registration number: ChiCTR-IRP-16007909, Date:07/02/2016).
The influencing factors of the willingness to screen for prostate cancer in middle-aged and elderly men:A qualitative study
Authors: Hao Shutao , Zheng Jin , Ju Min , Sun Longfeng
Published: October 2021

Objective

To explore the factors influencing the willingness to screen for prostate cancer in middle-aged and elderly men, and to provide a basis for improving the status of insufficient prostate cancer screening in my country, and to improve the overall prognosis and quality of life of prostate cancer patients in my country.
Methods

Using phenomenological research methods to conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews with 21 middle-aged and elderly men, using MAXQDA software and Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method for coding, analysis and subject extraction.
Results

Based on the theoretical framework of planned behavior, the influencing factors of the willingness to screen for prostate cancer in middle-aged and elderly men can be refined into three themes of behavior attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control, and 12 sub-themes of its sub-themes.
Conclusion

The willingness of middle-aged and elderly men to screen for prostate cancer is affected by many factors. Medical and health workers should adopt a variety of comprehensive interventions to guide the reasonable screening of middle-aged and old men to promote their prostate cancer screening behaviors.
Tear Film Stability After Primary Pterygium Excision Combined with Limbal Stem Cell Transplantation is Superior to Amniotic Membrane Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yin Chuanjie , Bao Yinlei , Kang Suifang , Zhang Qichen , Chen Guoling
Published: October 2021

Purpose To evaluate the tear film stability after primary pterygium excision combined with Limbal stem cell transplantation (LSCT) or amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT). Methods We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wan Fang and VIP databases for all studies on tear film stability after primary pterygium excision combined with LSCT or AMT. The mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for outcomes using the fixed effect or random effect model.Results Seven studies with a total of 531 eyes were enrolled in our meta-analysis, which revealed that comparison between the LSCT group and the AMT group: Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) 3 months postoperatively (MD=-5.16, 95%CI:-6.48,-3.85, P＜0.05), Tear break-up time (BUT) 1 or 3 months postoperatively (1 month: MD=0.30, 95%CI:-0.66,1.26, P=0.54; 3 months: MD=1.30, 95%CI:-0.13,2.72, P=0.07), Schirmer I test 1 or 3 months postoperatively (1 month: MD=0.05, 95%CI:-0.41,0.51, P=0.82; 3 months: MD=1.41, 95%CI:0.81,2.02, P＜0.05), Corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score 1 month postoperatively (MD=-0.49, 95%CI:-1.29,0.31, P=0.23).Conclusion Primary pterygium excision combined with LSCT is associated with better tear film stability changes than AMT.
The Changing Pattern of Bacterial and Fungal Respiratory Isolates in Patients with COVID-19 Admitted to Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Zuglian Gianluca , Ripamonti Diego , Tebaldi Alessandra , Cuntrò Marina , Riva Ivano , Farina Claudio , Rizzi Marco
Published: October 2021

Objectives Severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has had a heavy impact on national health system, especially in the first wave. That impact hit principally the Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The large number of patients requiring hospitalization in ICUs lead to a complete upheaval of intensive wards. The increase in bed, the fewer number of nurses per patient, the constant use of personal protective equipment, the new antimicrobial surveillance protocols could have had deeply effects on microbiological flora of these wards. Moreover, the overconsumption of antimicrobial therapy in COVID-19 patients, like several studies report, could have impact of this aspect. Aim of this study is to evaluate the changing pattern of microbiological epidemiology during and before COVID-19 pandemic in a tertirary hospital ICUs.Methods A retrospective, observational study was conducted in ICUs of “ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII”, a large tertiary referral hospital in Northern Italy. We have retrospectively collected the microbiological data from BAL and TA of patients hospitalized in ICUs from 22 nd February 2020 to 31 st May 2020 (Period 1) and from 22 nd February 2019 to 31 st May 2019 (Period 2). We compared the prevalence and the antibiotic profile of bacterial and fungal species in the two time periods.Results The prevalence of Pseudomonas spp. shows a statistically significant increase from period 2 to period 1, as well as the prevalence of Enterococcus spp. On the contrary, the prevalence of Gram negative non fermenting bacteria (GN-NFB), Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae showed a significant reduction between two periods. Therewas a statistically significant increase in resistance of Pseudomonas spp. to carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam and Enterobacterales spp. for piperacillin/tazobactam, in period 1 compared to period 2, respectively.Conclusions A changing pattern in prevalence and resistance profiles of bacterial and fungal species was observed during COVID-19 pandemic.
Assessment of Irrigation Water Quality in Menzel Habib Aquifer System – A Combined Geochemical and Fuzzy Logic Approaches
Authors: Dhaoui Oussama , Agoubi Belgacem , Antunes IMHR , Tlig Lotfi , Kharroubi Adel
Published: October 2021

Groundwater is an important source for irrigation uses in many arid and semi-arid regions such as Menzel Habib area. In this work, the groundwater quality for irrigation water was investigated based on conventional indices notably Electrical Conductivity (EC), Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP), Magnesium Adsorption ratio (MAR), Kelly Ratio (KR) and Permeability index (PI). The water quality for irrigation was also evaluated by Simsek method. However, a proposal fuzzy logic model has been developed to avoid uncertainties associated to the classical methods. The results obtained on thirty-six groundwater samples, indicated that 3% of these samples are classified as “good” for irrigation, 3% are “good to permissible”, 33% “permissible”, 36% “permissible to unsuitable” and 25% with an “unsuitable” quality. The application of fuzzy logic approaches has more reliable results with the definition of seven classes to evaluate the groundwater quality for agricultural irrigation.
Healthcare utilisation after discharge in patients admitted with gout in Western Australia
Authors: Kelty Erin , Robinson Philip , Hill Catherine , Nossent Johannes , Raymond Warren , Inderjeeth Charles , Preen David , Keen Helen
Published: October 2021

Objectives

Evidence suggests that gout is associated with high health care costs and that many inpatient admissions are preventable. Understanding the drivers of health care costs in patients with gout will allow more targeted intervention. The objective was to examine factors associated with high health service utilisation and costs in patients admitted to hospital with gout.
Methods

Hospital and emergency department data was obtained for patients who had been admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of gout for the first time between 2002 and 2009. The total number, cost and potentially preventable events for the follow-up period was calculated for up to five years post the initial gout hospitalisation. The association between patient characteristics with health service utilisation and health care costs was examined using generalised linear models.
Results

The cohort included 4,379 individuals, that had 22,222 ED attendances (median cost: $1,826 per patient, IQR: $433 - $4,414), and 58,920 hospital admissions (median cost: $25,009 per patient, IQR: $6,844 - $60,535). Gout was not a primary driver of ED attendances or hospitalisations. A history of smoking and comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health disorders were associated with an increase health service utilisation and costs.
Conclusion

The presence of comorbidities play an important role the risk of health service utilization in people with gout and represents an opportunity to both improve the health-related outcomes for these patients and reduce re-presentations and associated health care costs for the health care system.
Mercury Removal From Coal Combustion Flue Gas by Pyrite-Modified Fly Ash Adsorbent
Authors: QI Liqiang , WANG Xu , WANG Wen , LI Jingxin , HUANG Yan
Published: October 2021

Pyrite and fly ash have certain advantages in adsorption and mercury oxidation. The pyrite-modified fly ash (PY+AC-FA) mercury adsorbent was prepared by mixing pyrite (PY) with acid-modified fly ash (AC-FA), which has better mercury removal effect than AC-FA. The experimental results of mercury adsorption show: when the reaction temperature is 50°C, the best doping proportion of modified fly ash is 20wt%, the mass proportion of pyrite to acid modified fly ash is 4:1, and the flue gas flow rate is 1.0L/min, the adsorbent has the best performance, and the adsorption rate of mercury reaches 91.92%. BET, XRD, SEM, TG-DSG and XRF were used to characterize these adsorbents. And the mechanism of mercury removal of pyrite-modified fly ash adsorbent is inferred: Hg0 is first adsorbed on the surface of the adsorbent, and then oxidized to HgS by the active component FeS2 in pyrite-modified fly ash.
Three-level algorithm to control COVID-19 spreading
Authors: Dieguez Giovanni M. , Batistela Cristiane M. , Piqueira José Roberto C.
Published: October 2021

As the main ways of the coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading are air and physical contact, actions to mitigate and suppress its spreading must be developed in order to change population behavior, providing efficient control strategies. Here, these actions are described as a simple heuristic frame work to establish public policies. The possible effects of these actions are modeled as a stratified control algorithm applied to an extension of the Susceptible-Infected-Removed (SIR) compartmental model. The model dynamics is analyzed and validated with simulations considering parameters obtained from epidemiological data from Brazil and Uruguay. Model simulations allow the proposition of a three-level control strategy that, as the numerical experiment sshow, presents promising results for the development of strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
No Effects of Intra-Articular Injections of Sodium Hyaluronate, Corticosteroids, Platelet-Rich Plasma on Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis: a Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Xie Yuan , Zhao Kun , Ye Guanchen , Yao Xudong , Yu Mengfei , Ouyang Hongwei
Published: October 2021

Background

Intra-articular injections of corticosteroids (CCS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have often been used for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ OA). However, there is no guideline for the choice of pharmacological injections. The aim of this network meta-analysis (NMA) is to compare the efficacy of different intra-articular injectable treatments on TMJ OA.
Methods

Studies were identified from PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central with date up to December 2020. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) included were the studies of patients with TMJ OA who had intra-articular treatment with CCS, HA, PRP, placebo and follow-up assessing TMJ function in target outcome variables. The primary outcome was temporomandibular joint pain (VAS). The secondary outcomes were maximal mouth opening (mm), and lateral movement to the affected side (mm).
Results

Nine RCTs involving 316 patients were included. For primary pain outcome, no significance was detected when CCS, HA and PRP were compared with placebo by both short- (3-6 months) and long-term (>12 months) follow-up. In addition, these injectables did not significantly outperform placebo by evaluating secondary functional outcomes (maximal mouth opening and lateral movement) with the same follow-up. Subgroup analyses showed that the effect of CCS on subgroups with more than 70% women was statistically less effective compared with placebo.
Conclusion

Evidence suggested that intra-articular pharmacological injections of CCS, HA, and PRP had no effect on improving TMJ pain and functional outcomes compared with placebo injection.
Trial registration

This study is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42021270914.
Speciation and Bioaccessibility of Arsenic in Rice and Its Implication in Risk Assessment
Authors: Li Meihui , Guo Xiaoyuan , Wen Nihong , Gan Zijun , Huang Yanru , Zhang Yuanbo , Kang Yuan , Zeng Lixuan
Published: October 2021

Numerous studies have studied the health risk assessment of human exposure to As or bioaccessible As via rice intake, however, the bioaccessibility of different As species in rice is seldom reported. In the present study, 31 rice samples were collected from markets or individual growers to investigate the speciation and bioaccessibility of As. Five different species (AsⅢ, AsV, DMA, MMA and AsB) were detected in rice samples from different regions, among which AsⅢ accounted for the largest proportion (62.95% in average), followed by DMA and AsV. In addition, the cooking method could facilitate the release of As from rice into gastric and intestinal juice, and subsequently increase the bioaccessibility of As. The bioaccessibility of inorganic As in cooked rice ranged from 71.83% to 100%, and that of organic As ranged from 31.69% to 61.04%. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessment of children and adults exposure to As via rice intake considering the bioaccessibility of cooked rice was carried out. The hazard quotient (HQ) of iAs and total As for children ranged from 0.21 to 1.61 and 0.48 to 2.26, respectively, while those for adults ranged from 0.12 to 0.88 and 0.26 to 1.23, respectively. Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for children and adults ranged from 9.57 × 10-5 to 7.25 × 10-4 and 5.21 × 10-5 to 3.95 × 10-4, respectively. The results of risk assessment indicated that children would face a higher health risk than adults when they took the same type of rice as their staple food.
Assessment of Snowmelt Quality Discharging from a Cold-Climate Urban Landscape During Spring Melt
Authors: Popick Hayley , Brinkmann Markus , McPhedran Kerry
Published: October 2021

Stormwater results from precipitation events and melting snow running off urban landscapes and typically being released into receiving water bodies with little to no treatment. Despite evidence of its deleterious impacts, snowmelt (SM) management and treatment are limited, partly due to a lack of quality and loading data. This study examines snowmelt quality during the spring for a cold-climate, semi-arid Canadian city (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). Four snow storage facilities receiving urban snow plowed from roads in mixed-land-use urban catchments (228 km2) were sampled including snow piles (five events) and SM (twelve events) runoff in 2019 and 2020. Samples were analyzed for pH, EC, TDS, TSS, COD, DOC, metals, chloride, PAHs, and Raphidocelis subcapitata and Vibrio fischeri toxicity. Notable event-specific TSS spikes occurred on April 13th, 2019 (3,513 mg/L) and April 24th, 2019 (3,838 mg/L), and TDS, chloride, and manganese on March 26th, 2020 (15,000 mg/L, 5,800 mg/L, 574 mg/L), April 17th, 2020 (5,200 mg/L, 2,600 mg/L, 882 mg/L), and April 23rd, 2020 (5,110 mg/L, 2,900 mg/L, 919 mg/L), though chloride remained elevated through May 1st, 2020 samples (1,000 mg/L). Additionally, at two sites sampled April 13th, 2019 pulses of aluminum (401 mg/L) and PAHs (pyrene, phenanthrene, anthracene; 71 µg/L, 317 µg/L, 182 µg/L) were detected. The EC50 for R. subcapitata and V. fischeri was observed, if at all, above expected toxicity thresholds.
The Accuracy of Acetabular Cup Placement in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Using an Image-free Navigation System
Authors: Naito Yohei , Hasegawa Masahiro , Tone Shine , Wakabayashi Hiroki , Sudo Akihiro
Published: October 2021

Background: Intraoperative navigation systems have been shown to improve the accuracy of acetabular component insertion in total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of cup orientation in primary THA using an image-free navigation system.Methods: A total of 107 consecutive cementless THAs using an image-free navigation system were performed from February 2017 to March 2020 (the navigation group). As a control group, 77 retrospective consecutive cases who underwent THAs with manual implant-techniques between February 2012 and April 2017 were included. Postoperative cup radiographic inclination and radiographic anteversion relative to the functional pelvic plane were assessed using a 3D-template system after computed tomography (CT) examination.Results: The mean absolute errors of the postoperative measured angles from the target angles in inclination were 3.4°±3.0° in the navigation group and 8.4°±6.6° in the control group (p<0.001). The mean absolute errors in anteversion were 5.1° ± 3.6° in the navigation group and 10.8° ± 6.5° in the control group (p<0.001). The percentage of cups inside the Lewinnek safe zone was 93% in the navigation group and 44% in the control group (p<0.001). The mean absolute values of navigation error were 3.3° ± 2.8° in inclination and 5.8° ± 4.9° in anteversion. Among the cases of osteoarthritis, the inclination error was significantly higher in Crowe group 2 to 4 than in Crowe group 1 (5.1° ± 3.5° and 3.0° ± 2.5°, respectively, p<0.05). The percentage of hips with inclination error over 10° in Crowe group 2 to 4 was significantly higher than in Crowe group 1 (17% and 1%, respectively, p<0.05).Conclusions: The image-free navigation system improved the accuracy of cup orientation. The accuracy of cup position was less in Crowe group 2 to 4 than in Crowe group 1.
Can magnitude and days with fever predict urinary tract infection in infants with fever without source?
Authors: Buendía Jefferson Antonio , Bedoya Marisela , Benjumea-Bedoya Dione
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Fever continues to be the most frequent cause of care in the pediatric population. It is frequently the use of invasive and unnecessary tests which results in discomfort to the patients. The present study aims to describe the epidemiology of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children with fever without source aged 0–36 months and to evaluate if there are differences in the magnitude and days with fever in patients with and without urinary tract infection and fever without focus.MethodsWe included children aged 0–36 months presenting with fever without source in our emergency unit. Demographic and clinical characteristics, investigations, and management procedures were recorded at the time of inclusion. Potential predictors of SBI-UTI were compared between patients with and without SBI-UTI.ResultsBetween January 2015 to December 2017, 137 patients were included. Forty children (29.2%, CI 95% 21-36%) were diagnosed with SBI. A total of 32 children (43%) had a final diagnosis of SBI, which were all urinary tract infections (UTI). There were no differences statistically significantly between the groups in appearance in admission, magnitude and days with fever, white blood cell count, CPR levels.ConclusionsIn patients with FWS under 3 years of age, urinary tract infection is the main cause of SBI. A high degree of clinical suspicion should be maintained since neither symptoms, signs, CBC or CPR distinguish children with or without UTI in this population. Future studies should further validate, in a different setting and in a larger population, our results.
Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Expression of Anti-HBs in Children in Hunan Province
Authors: Tan Shan , Li Shizhou , Dong Jianxiang , Dai Hongmei , Yang Minghua , Sun Fang , Yang Yang , Jiang Jie , Zhao Mingyi
Published: October 2021

Background and objectives Vaccine is the most essential avenue to prevent hepatitis B infection in infants and preschool children in China, with the largest populations carrying hepatitis B virus in the world. This study aimed to evaluate the factors affecting the response level of anti-HBs in children, with a view to provide instructions for hepatitis B prevention clinically. MethodsThe children taking physical examinations in the Third Xiangya Hospital from January 2013 to April 2020 were recruited. Telephone follow-up were adopted to collect further information. Univariate logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between age and anti-HBs expression. After grouping by age and anti-HBs expression, we used chi-square test and T test to compare the difference between positive and negative antibody expression in each age subgroup. The meaningful variables (P<0.10) in chi-square test and T test were assessed with collinearity and chosen for univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis by the stepwise backward maximum likelihood method (αin=0.05, αout=0.10).ResultsA total of 5838 samples (3362 males, 57.6%) were enrolled. The outcomes showed that the expression of anti-HBs was associated with age [OR=1.037(1.022-1.051)] in whole sample. Anemia[OR=0.392(0.185-0.835)], age[OR=2.542(1.961-3.295)] and Vit D[OR=0.977(0.969-0.984)] in 0.5-2.99 years subgroup, Zinc deficiency[OR=0.713(0.551-0.923] and age[OR=1.151(1.028-1.289)] in 3-5.99 years subgroup, Vit D[OR=0.983(0.971-0.995)] in 12-18 years subgroup had significant effect on the expression of anti-HBs. Conclusions This retrospective study illustrated that age, anaemia status, zinc deficiency and vitamin D were associated with the expression of anti-HBs in different age groups children, which could serve as a reference for the prevention of hepatitis.
The Study of m6A, m5C, m1A, m7G, Adenosine-to-Inosine and Pseudouridine RNA Modification-related Molecules in Peripheral Blood of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Yu Ziqing , Tang Jifeng , Xia Jinfang , Xiao Yinfeng , He Yujue , Jiang Renquan , Chen Shuhui , Lin Jinpiao
Published: October 2021

Background

The overall situation of RNA epigenetics in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the expression level of m6A, m5C, m1A, m7G, adenosine-to-inosine, pseudouridine(ψ) modification-related molecules in peripheral blood of RA.
Methods

33 RA patients and 36 healthy donors (HD) were included in this study. Gene expression levels were detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Correlation analyses were performed by Pearson correlation test. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression (LASSO) regression and Logistic regression were used for seeking risk factors.
Results

The expression levels of METTL3, TET2, ADAR1 increased while ALKBH5, TRMT10C TRMT61B ALKBH3 ALYREF METTL1 decreased in RA patients. Analysis shown 47 weak correlations, 43 moderate correlations and 2 strong correlations existed among these molecules. Area under curve (AUC) of ALYREF and TET2 combined ROC was 0.976 which indicated them were the most valuable risk factors in RA. The expression of ALKBH3 and TRMT10C was higher in ESR-negative RA patients, while the expression of METTL1 and METTL3 was higher in RF-negative group or CRP-negative group respectively. Besides, the level of METTL3 and TRMT10C was increased in DAS-28-ESR. Furthermore, METTL3 level was negative related with the levels of RF and DAS28-ESR. The level of TRMT10C was negative with ESR and DAS-28-ESR levels, and ALKBH5 expression was positive related with CRP level. The differential expression genes were mostly correlated with PLT and MCHC of blood routine examination.
Conclusions

Our study constructed a network of six kinds of mRNA modifications in RA. We found multiple mRNA-modification-related genes were different expression between RA patients and HD. Complicated mutual relations existed among these genes. ALYREF and TET2 were the most valuable risk factors in RA. This work hopes to support a new perspective for clarifying pathogenic mechanism of RA.
Diabetes Mellitus Induced by Steroid Overtreatment in Adrenal Insufficiency: Is it Possible to Predict it?
Authors: Guarnotta Valentina , Tomasello Laura , Giordano Carla
Published: October 2021

Objective: To assess the differences between patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and prediabetes/diabetes mellitus (DM) in secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI). Design and patients: We retrospectively evaluated 102, out of a total of 140, patients with SAI, who were on hydrocortisone (HC) (n=50) and cortisone acetate (n=52) replacement therapy. Clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters were compared in patients with NGT (n=60) and DM (n=42).Results: Patients with prediabetes/DM have a more marked family history of DM (p=0.002), BMI (p<0.001), higher waist circumference (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p= 0.012), LDL-cholesterol (p=0.004), triglycerides (p=0.031), fasting glucose (p=0.002), fasting insulin (p=0.035), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (p= 0.018), HOMA-IR (p=0.039), area under curves of glucose (p=0.001) and insulin (p=0.002), HbA1c (p<0.001), Visceral adiposity index (VAI) (p=0.038) and lower ISI-Matsuda (p=0.008) and oral disposition index (p<0.001) than patients with NGT. Multivariate analysis showed that high doses of cortisone acetate, duration of conventional steroid replacement therapy, family history of diabetes mellitus and VAI are independent predictive factors for DM in patients with SAI.Conclusions: High doses of cortisone acetate replacement treatment, longer duration of steroid treatment, family history of DM and VAI may be predictors of the development of DM in patients with SAI.
Patterns of large-vessel lesions are associated with treatment outcomes in large-vessel giant cell arteritis
Authors: Sugihara Takahiko , Uchida Haruhito A , Yoshifuji Hajime , Maejima Yasuhiro , Naniwa Taio , Katsumata Yasuhiro , Okazaki Takahiro , Ishizaki Jun , Murakawa Yohko , Ogawa Noriyoshi , Dobashi Hiroaki , Horita Tetsuya , Tanaka Yoshiya , Furuta Shunsuke , Takeuchi Tsutomu , Komagata Yoshinori , Nakaoka Yoshikazu , Harigai Masayoshi
Published: October 2021

ObjectiveTo evaluate whether the distribution of large-vessel lesions (LVLs) in giant cell arteritis (GCA) is associated with poor treatment outcomes.MethodsIn a retrospective, multi-centric, nationwide registry of GCA patients treated with glucocorticoids between 2007 and 2014, 68 newly-diagnosed patients with LVLs were identified by imaging. Non-achievement of clinical remission by week 24 and/or relapse within 104 weeks were primarily evaluated. Factors influencing the poor treatment outcome were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard modeling. Cumulative rates and median time to the first event were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank testing.ResultsAortic lesions were detected in 72.1% of the 68 GCA patients with LVLs (defined as group 2). Patients without aortic lesions were classified as having large-vessel GCA with subclavian lesions (group 1) or atypical large-vessel GCA without subclavian lesions (group 3). The mean age and proportions of PMR in group 3 were higher than those in the other two groups. Cranial lesions were observed in 66.7%, 55.1%, and 80.0% of patients in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In group 2, 73.5% had lesions in both the aorta and aortic branches. Group 1 had axillary lesions in 33.3%, and carotid lesions in 44.4%. Atypical LVLs in group 3 included pulmonary, hepatic or mesenteric lesions in addition to carotid lesions. Baseline doses of GCs were not different across the groups. Mean time to achievement of low-dose GC treatment (prednisolone ≤5 mg/day) was also not significantly different between the groups. The cumulative rate of poor treatment outcome over the two years was 11.1%, 55.3% and 88.0% in the groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively; mean time to the events was significantly different among the groups. Multivariable analysis showed that the risk of poor treatment outcome was significantly higher in the group 3.ConclusionsThe distribution of LVLs was associated with treatment outcomes in large-vessel GCA. In addition to subclavian arteries, lesions in aorta and aortic branches other than subclavian arteries should be evaluated by imaging for large-vessel GCA. The pattern of LVLs determined by imaging should be considered when determining treatment strategies for GCA.
Improving the Transglycosylation Activity of α-glucosidase From Xanthomonas Campestris Through Semi-rational Design for the Synthesis of Ethyl Vanillin-α-glucoside
Authors: Chen Luyi , Liu Yi , Zhou Yaoyao , Zhu Linjiang , Chen Xiaolong
Published: October 2021

The α-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20) Agl2 produced by Xanthomonas campestris shows high α-glucosyl transfer activity toward alcoholic and phenolic hydroxyl groups. Ethyl vanillin-α-glucoside, a precursor-aroma compound with improved water solubility and thermal stability, can be synthesized through the transglycosylation of ethyl vanillin by Agl2. However, its low ethyl vanillin-α-glucoside yield and ability to hydrolyze ethyl vanillin-α-glucoside limits for industrial applications. Rational design and site-directed mutagenesis were employed to generate three variants of X. campestris α-glucosidase: L145I, S272T and L145I/S272T, which displayed improved transglycosylation activity toward EV The ethyl vanillin-α-glucoside yield of L145I/S272T is the highest and is up to yield 52.41%. Besides, L145I/S272T also remarkably diminished the hydrolysis activity toward the transglycosylation product EVG compared to Agl2. Our rational design based the catalytic mechanism of the α-glucosidase reaction proved to be effective for producing mutants with improved the ratio of transglycosylation/hydrolysis of α-glucosidase, which provides an important theoretical basis for further research on the reaction mechanism of α-glucosidase.
Prognostic Analysis of Patients with Breast Cancer Based on Tumor Mutational Burden, DNA Damage Repair Genes, and Immune Infiltration
Authors: Yang Tianshu , Liu Jiaxiang , Wang Xin , Ma Tianyu , Yin Xin , Yang Yunkai , Yuan Baowen , Teng Xu , Yu Hefen , Wang Shuang , Huang Wei
Published: October 2021

Background
Breast cancer has a high tumor-specific death rate and poor prognosis. In this study, we aimed to provide a basis for the prognostic risk in patients with breast cancer using significant gene sets selected by analyzing tumor mutational burden (TMB) and DNA damage repair (DDR).
Methods
Breast cancer genomic and transcriptomic data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas, and the breast tumor samples were grouped into high- and low-TMB groups based on the calculated TMB. The differentially expressed DDR genes between the two groups were used to construct the breast cancer prognosis model; they were also further analyzed, and 10 key prognostic genes were screened. Using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-Cox regression analysis, seven genes were selected to construct a linear risk assessment model related to survival, and the patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups.
Results
The ability of the model to predict the 5-year and 10-year survival was assessed by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The GSE26085 dataset was used to verify the prognostic risk model. Finally, immune cell abundance and infiltration between the high-and low-risk groups were compared.
Conclusions
We established a risk prognostic model based on the MDC1, PARP3, PSMB1, PSMB9, PSMD2, PSMD7, and PSMD14 genes, providing a basis for further exploration of a population-based prediction of prognosis and immunotherapy response in patients with breast cancer.