bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dead in the water: comment on “Development of an aquatic exposure assessment model for imidacloprid in sewage treatment plant discharges arising from use of veterinary medicinal products”
Authors: Perkins Rosemary , Whitehead Martin , Goulson Dave
Published: August 2021

Anthe et al. (Environ Sci Eur 32:147, 2020. 10.1186/s12302-020-00424-4) develop a mathematical model to calculate the contribution of veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) to the levels of imidacloprid observed in the UK water monitoring programme. They find that VMPs make only a very small contribution to measured pollution levels, and that the estimated concentrations do not exceed ecotoxicological thresholds. However, shortcomings in methodology—including the implicit assumption that imidacloprid applied to pets is available for release to the environment for 24 h only and failure to incorporate site-specific sewage effluent data relating to measured levels—raise questions about their conclusions. Adjusting for these and other deficiencies, we find that their model appears consistent with the conclusion that emissions from VMPs may greatly exceed ecotoxicological thresholds and contribute substantially to imidacloprid waterway pollution in the UK. However, the model utilises imidacloprid emissions fractions for animals undergoing the different scenarios (for example, bathing) that are extrapolated from unpublished studies that do not clearly resemble the modelled scenarios, with insufficient evidence provided to support their derivation. As a result, we find that the model presented by Anthe et al. provides no reliable conclusions about the contribution of veterinary medicinal products to the levels of imidacloprid in UK waterways.
Risk factors and outcomes of post-traumatic endophthalmitis: a retrospective single-center study
Authors: Watanachai Nawat , Choovuthayakorn Janejit , Chokesuwattanaskul Susama , Photcharapongsakul Chaipot , Wongsirimeteekul Praelada , Phinyo Phichayut , Chaikitmongkol Voraporn , Kunavisarut Paradee , Supreeyathitikul Pongsant , Patikulsila Direk
Published: August 2021

Background

To describe the epidemiology, characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of post-traumatic endophthalmitis.

Main body

Medical records of consecutive open globe injury patients admitted and primarily treated between January 2006 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were defined as having or not having associated endophthalmitis. Data of demographics, injury characteristics, clinical presentations, and visual outcomes were collected. The potential risks and significant factors for visual outcomes of post-traumatic endophthalmitis were determined. There were 591 patients included in this study. Among these, 118 patients were clinically diagnosed as having accompanied endophthalmitis. Higher proportions of intraocular foreign body (IOFB) (55.1% vs. 27.3%) and injury related to high-velocity objects (55.9% vs. 32.6%) were noted in patients with endophthalmitis compared to patients without endophthalmitis. Anterior wound location (odds ratio [OR], 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 3.7; P = 0.020), presence of IOFB (OR, 1.9; 95% CI 1.2 to 3.0; P = 0.005), and delayed presentation of > 24 h (OR, 3.9; 95% CI 2.3 to 6.4; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for associated endophthalmitis. Final visual acuity (VA) of the overall population improved significantly from 2.4 (0.6) logMAR to 1.4 (0.1) logMAR, P < 0.001, however, patients in the endophthalmitis group achieved a worse final VA than the non-endophthalmitis group (66.1% vs. 43.5%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

High proportions of post-traumatic endophthalmitis patients had subsequent poor visual outcomes. Therefore, safety and protective measurements, especially when performing activities related to high-velocity objects, and the institution of prophylactic antibiotics in high-risk groups should be promptly considered to reduce the incidence.
Fine mapping of the BnaC04.BIL1 gene controlling plant height in Brassica napus L
Authors: Yang Mao , He Jianbo , Wan Shubei , Li Weiyan , Chen Wenjing , Wang Yangming , Jiang Xiaomei , Cheng Pengfei , Chu Pu , Shen Wenbiao , Guan Rongzhan
Published: August 2021

Background

Plant height is an important architecture trait which is a fundamental yield-determining trait in crops. Variety with dwarf or semi-dwarf phenotype is a major objective in the breeding because dwarfing architecture can help to increase harvest index, increase planting density, enhance lodging resistance, and thus be suitable for mechanization harvest. Although some germplasm or genes associated with dwarfing plant type have been carried out. The molecular mechanisms underlying dwarfism in oilseed rape (Brassica napusL.) are poorly understood, restricting the progress of breeding dwarf varieties in this species. Here, we report a new dwarf mutantBndwarf2from ourB. napusgermplasm. We studied its inheritance and mapped the dwarf locusBnDWARF2.

Results

The inheritance analysis showed that the dwarfism phenotype was controlled by one semi-dominant gene, which was mapped in an interval of 787.88 kb on the C04 chromosome ofB. napusby Illumina Brassica 60 K Bead Chip Array. To fine-mapBnDWARF2, 318 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers were designed to uniformly cover the mapping interval. Among them, 15 polymorphic primers that narrowed down theBnDWARF2locus to 34.62 kb were detected using a F2:3family population with 889 individuals. Protein sequence analysis showed that only BnaC04.BIL1 (BnaC04g41660D) had two amino acid residues substitutions (Thr187Ser and Gln399His) between ZS11 andBndwarf2, which encoding a GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3 (GSK3-like). The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that theBnaC04.BIL1gene expressed in all tissues of oilseed rape. Subcellular localization experiment showed that BnaC04.BIL1 was localized in the nucleus in tobacco leaf cells. Genetic transformation experiments confirmed that theBnaC04.BIL1is responsible for the plant dwarf phenotype in theBndwarf2mutants. Overexpression ofBnaC04.BIL1reduced plant height, but also resulted in compact plant architecture.

Conclusions

A dominant dwarfing gene,BnaC04.BIL1, encodes an GSK3-like that negatively regulates plant height, was mapped and isolated. Our identification of a distinct gene locus may help to improve lodging resistance in oilseed rape.
The effect of marital and insurance status on the survival of elderly patients with stage M1b colon cancer: a SEER-based study
Authors: Zhou Chenghui , Zhang Yiwei , Hu Xi , Fang Min , Xiao Shuai
Published: August 2021

Background

Colon cancer is largely implicated in elderly patients (age ≥ 60 years). The prognosis of patients diagnosed with the M1b stage is vastly poor. Marital and insurance status has been considered important prognostic factors in various cancer types. However, how these factors influence elderly patients with stage M1b colon cancer remains to be explored. This study aims to uncover the role of marital and insurance status in the survival of elderly patients with stage M1b colon cancer.

Methods

We retrieved data for patients diagnosed with stage M1b colon cancer between 2010 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Our analysis of the clinicopathological features, overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) was based on the marital and insurance status, respectively.

Results

In sum, 5709 stage M1b colon cancer patients with complete information from SEER were enrolled for analysis. The OS and CSS of the Non-married group were poorer compared to that of the Married group. The OS and CSS of the Uninsured group were poorer than both of the Insured group and Medicaid group. However, OS was comparable between Uninsured group and Medicaid groups. The findings allude that marital and insurance status potentially impact the long-term survival of elderly patients with M1b colon cancer. The subgroup survival analyses revealed the lowest risk for death among the Insured Married group based on the comparison of the OS and CSS across all other groups. Moreover, Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed race, marital status, surgery, and chemotherapy as independent predictors for OS, whereas insurance status, surgery,and chemotherapy were independent predictors for CSS in elderly patients with M1b colon cancer.

Conclusion

The marital and insurance status greatly impact the survival of elderly patients with M1b colon cancer. Therefore, it is imperative to provide more support to this vulnerable patient group who are lonely and uninsured, particularly in the psychological and health insurance aspect.
Experiences of using a digital type 2 diabetes prevention application designed to support women with previous gestational diabetes
Authors: Ekezie Winifred , Dallosso Helen , Saravanan Ponnusamy , Khunti Kamlesh , Hadjiconstantinou Michelle
Published: August 2021

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is diagnosed during pregnancy, and women with a history of GDM are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Prevention strategies focused on lifestyle modification help to reduce long-term complications. Self-management technology-based interventions can support behaviour change and diabetes control. The Baby Steps programme, a randomised controlled trial intervention offering group education and access to a mobile web application, was evaluated to explore user experience of the app and barriers and facilitators to app usability.

Methods

Ten semi-structured interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with 23 trial participants between 2018 and 2019. Interviews and focus group discussions were audiotaped, transcribed and independently analysed. The analysis was informed by thematic analysis, with the use of the Nvivo 12 software.

Results

Themes identified were: (1) GDM and post-pregnancy support from healthcare services; (2) Impact of Baby Steps app on lifestyle changes; (3) Facilitators and barriers to the usability of the Baby Steps app. The Baby Steps app served as a motivator for increasing self-management activities and a tool for monitoring progress. Peer support and increased awareness of GDM and T2DM enhanced engagement with the app, while poor awareness of all the components of the app and low technical skills contributed to low usability.

Conclusions

This study documents experiences from existing GDM support, user experiences from using the Baby Steps app, and the barriers and facilitators to app usability. The app was both a motivational and a monitoring tool for GDM self-management and T2DM prevention. Peer support was a key trait for enhanced engagement, while barriers were low technical skills and poor awareness of the app components. A digital app, such as the Baby Steps app, could strengthen existing face-to-face support for the prevention of T2DM. The results also have wider implications for digital support technologies for all self-management interventions. Further research on the effect of specific components of apps will be required to better understand the long term impact of apps and digital interventions on self-management behaviours and outcomes.

Trial registration

ISRCTN, ISRCTN17299860. Registered on 5 April 2017.
Axillary Paget disease with a visible satellite: a case report and literature review
Authors: Ji Wu-Yang , Luo Bin , Wang Xue-Wei , Xiao Ying , Tian Jin-Yi
Published: August 2021

Background

Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is an uncommon malignancy affecting apocrine gland–bearing skin, such as vulvar, perianal, axillary and penoscrotal areas. Paget cells are sometimes detected outside clinical border in a phenomenon called subclinical extension. Satellite is one of the patterns of subclinical extension which is likely to be invisible. The standard management strategy for EMPD without distant metastasis is a complete surgical removal, sometimes called wide local excision. However, there is no consensus regarding surgical margin width to decrease the high recurrence rate. Here we describe the first macroscopically visible satellite of axillary EMPD and wide local excision of both main lesion and the satellite lesion with only 0.5 cm margin, succeeded by a short review of the literature.

Case presentation

A 48-year-old female with a red macule in the right axilla was presented to our clinic. A well-demarcated 4 cm × 3 cm erythematous plaque was observed in the right axilla, and a similar lesion measuring 0.5 cm × 0.3 cm was found 3.5 cm away from the primary site. Breast and axillary node examination was unremarkable. Biopsy of the large plaque revealed Paget disease, then we performed a local extended excision of both lesions with a 0.5 cm margin, all margins negative indicated, by frozen pathology. Pathology revealed the nature of the satellite beside the main lesion also as Paget disease. The patient is currently followed-up for 20 months and has shown no signs of recurrence, with normal shoulder motor function.

Conclusion

We have report the first visible satellite of extramammary Paget disease, indicating the necessity of an extended local resection of both the main leision and the satellite lesion. Considering the anatomical structure of axillary Paget disease, a 0.5 cm negative surgical margin indicated by frozen pathology might be sufficient to sustain the shoulder motor function.
IL-1β primed mesenchymal stromal cells moderate hemorrhagic shock-induced organ injuries
Authors: Aussel Clotilde , Baudry Nathalie , Grosbot Marion , Caron Cécile , Vicaut Eric , Banzet Sébastien , Peltzer Juliette
Published: August 2021

Background

Organ damages following hemorrhagic shock (HS) have been partly attributed to an immunological dysfunction. The current challenge in the management of HS patients is to prevent organ injury-induced morbidity and mortality which currently has not etiological treatment available. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are used in clinical cell therapy for immunomodulation and tissue repair. In vitro priming is often used to improve the immunomodulation efficiency of MSC before administration.

Objective

Assess the effect of naive MSC (MSCn) or interleukin (IL)-1β primed (MSCp) treatment in a context of HS-induced organ injury.

Methods

Rats underwent fixed pressure HS and were treated with allogenic MSCn or MSCp. Liver and kidney injuries were evaluated 6h later by histological and biochemical analysis. Whole blood was collected to measure leukocytes phenotypes. Then, in vitro characterization of MSCn or MSCp was carried out.

Results

Plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and cystatin C were decrease by MSCp infusion as well as kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1 on histological kidney sections. Transaminases, GGT, and liver histology were normalized by MSCp. Systemic cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6, and IL-10) as well as CD80, 86, and PD-1/PDL-1 axis were decreased by MSCp on monocytes and granulocytes. In vitro, MSCp showed higher level of secreted immunomodulatory molecules than MSCn.

Conclusion

An early administration of MSCp moderates HS-induced kidney and liver injury. IL-1β priming improves MSC efficiency by promoting their immunomodulatory activity. These data provide proof of concept that MSCp could be a therapeutic tool to prevent the appearance of organs injury following HS.
Spatial point-pattern analysis as a powerful tool in identifying pattern-process relationships in plant ecology: an updated review
Authors: Ben-Said Mariem
Published: August 2021

Background

Ecological processes such as seedling establishment, biotic interactions, and mortality can leave footprints on species spatial structure that can be detectable through spatial point-pattern analysis (SPPA). Being widely used in plant ecology, SPPA is increasingly carried out to describe biotic interactions and interpret pattern-process relationships. However, some aspects are still subjected to a non-negligible debate such as required sample size (in terms of the number of points and plot area), the link between the low number of points and frequently observed random (or independent) patterns, and relating patterns to processes. In this paper, an overview of SPPA is given based on rich and updated literature providing guidance for ecologists (especially beginners) on summary statistics, uni-/bi-/multivariate analysis, unmarked/marked analysis, types of marks, etc. Some ambiguities in SPPA are also discussed.

Results

SPPA has a long history in plant ecology and is based on a large set of summary statistics aiming to describe species spatial patterns. Several mechanisms known to be responsible for species spatial patterns are actually investigated in different biomes and for different species. Natural processes, plant environmental conditions, and human intervention are interrelated and are key drivers of plant spatial distribution. In spite of being not recommended, small sample sizes are more common in SPPA. In some areas, periodic forest inventories and permanent plots are scarce although they are key tools for spatial data availability and plant dynamic monitoring.

Conclusion

The spatial position of plants is an interesting source of information that helps to make hypotheses about processes responsible for plant spatial structures. Despite the continuous progress of SPPA, some ambiguities require further clarifications.
Model fusion of deep neural networks for anomaly detection
Authors: AlDahoul Nouar , Abdul Karim Hezerul , Ba Wazir Abdulaziz Saleh
Published: August 2021

Network Anomaly Detection is still an open challenging task that aims to detect anomalous network traffic for security purposes. Usually, the network traffic data are large-scale and imbalanced. Additionally, they have noisy labels. This paper addresses the previous challenges and utilizes million-scale and highly imbalanced ZYELL’s dataset. We propose to train deep neural networks with class weight optimization to learn complex patterns from rare anomalies observed from the traffic data. This paper proposes a novel model fusion that combines two deep neural networks including binary normal/attack classifier and multi-attacks classifier. The proposed solution can detect various network attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS), IP probing, PORT probing, and Network Mapper (NMAP) probing. The experiments conducted on a ZYELL’s real-world dataset show promising performance. It was found that the proposed approach outperformed the baseline model in terms of average macro Fβ score and false alarm rate by 17% and 5.3%, respectively.
Patient-reported outcome measures and clinical outcomes following peri-implant vestibuloplasty with a free gingival graft versus xenogeneic collagen matrix: a comparative prospective clinical study
Authors: Fu Xiaojiao , Wang Ying , Chen Bo , Tian Jiehua , Lin Ye , Zhang Yu
Published: August 2021

Background

The objective of this study was to compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and clinical outcomes after augmentation with xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) or free gingival graft (FGG) during different postoperative phases.

Methods

Forty-two patients (21 per group) with keratinized mucosa width (KMW) of < 2 mm at buccal implant sites in the posterior mandible were enrolled. All underwent vestibuloplasty and were allocated to either FGG (control) or XCM (test) group. Intraoperative morbidity of pain, stress, nausea, tolerance to time, and acceptance of surgery were evaluated immediately after surgery. The severity and duration of subjective pain, swelling, and bleeding were compared within a 2-week postoperative period. The willingness to retreat and satisfaction were assessed at 6 months. All PROMs were obtained using questionnaires and visual analog scales. The buccal KMW and other peri-implant parameters were also evaluated.

Results

No significant between-group differences were observed in PROMs immediately after surgery, except acceptance of surgery (0, 0–30.0 vs. 30, 0–50.0, p = 0.025). At 2 weeks, pain severity (46.7 ± 25.9 vs 61.9 ± 20.2, p = 0.040) and duration (5.52 ± 3.57 vs 8.48 ± 2.80, p = 0.005) were significantly lower in the test group, and pain perception during speaking and chewing was significantly higher for FGG, with no significant between-group differences in swelling and bleeding. At 6 months, the test group showed a higher willingness to retreat (76% vs 43%, p = 0.021); however, satisfaction with treatment outcomes was similar in both groups. At 6 months, the gain of KMW was significantly higher in FGG than in XCM (XCM: 1.57 ± 1.69 mm, FGG: 2.68 ± 1.80 mm, p = 0.003). Other peri-implant parameters did not show significant differences.

Conclusions

Within the limitation of the present nonrandomized study, XCM demonstrated more positive PROMs than FGG during different postoperative phases, mainly for less pain perception during the early healing stage, but was inferior to FGG in terms of gain of KMW. For KMW augmentation in the posterior mandible, XCM may be indicated when patients can bear little pain.

Clinical trial registration

ChiCTR1900022575, date of registration: 17/4/2019, retrospectively registered,
Breakfast characteristics, perception, and reasons of skipping among 8th and 9th-grade students at governmental schools, Jenin governance, West Bank
Authors: Badrasawi Manal , Anabtawi Ola , Al-Zain Yaqout
Published: August 2021

Background

There is growing recognition of the important role of breakfast in children’s nutrition, and the potential harms related to skipping breakfast, including its contribution to obesity and non-communicable diseases. The patterns associated with skipping breakfast may be related to the nutrition transition. This study aimed at exploring the composition of breakfast consumed by Palestinian school children and their perceptions toward this meal. It also aimed at exploring skipping breakfast prevalence, reasons, and its association with selected schoolchildren’s sociodemographic variables and behavioral patterns.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 12- to 14-year-old schoolchildren from 4 governmental schools in urban and rural areas of the Jenin district in Palestine. The questionnaire included information about children and parents sociodemographic and behaviours, breakfast patterns and composition, reasons for skipping breakfast, and items on schoolchildren’s perception toward breakfast. Statistical analysis of the relevant factors was undertaken using SPSS software.

Results

In a sample of 193 schoolchildren, only 32% reported consuming breakfast all year round. The main reasons reported for skipping breakfast were not feeling hungry, not having the time, and lack of appetite. The vast majority (79%) believed breakfast was beneficial for general health. Sleeping before 10 pm, regular exercise (p value < 0.05). and shorter screen time were all significantly associated with a higher level of breakfast consumption (p value < 0.01).

Conclusion

Understanding the reasons for missing or skipping breakfast factors which make skipping it more likely, should inform public health strategies to promote breakfast consumption. For example, our findings suggest that awareness of the importance of breakfast was not a significant contributor to skipping breakfast, compared to other structural and cultural factors.
Multi-omics approach to precision medicine for immune-mediated diseases
Authors: Ota Mineto , Fujio Keishi
Published: August 2021

Recent innovation in high-throughput sequencing technologies has drastically empowered the scientific research. Consequently, now, it is possible to capture comprehensive profiles of samples at multiple levels including genome, epigenome, and transcriptome at a time. Applying these kinds of rich information to clinical settings is of great social significance. For some traits such as cardiovascular diseases, attempts to apply omics datasets in clinical practice for the prediction of the disease risk have already shown promising results, although still under way for immune-mediated diseases. Multiple studies have tried to predict treatment response in immune-mediated diseases using genomic, transcriptomic, or clinical information, showing various possible indicators. For better prediction of treatment response or disease outcome in immune-mediated diseases, combining multi-layer information together may increase the power. In addition, in order to efficiently pick up meaningful information from the massive data, high-quality annotation of genomic functions is also crucial. In this review, we discuss the achievement so far and the future direction of multi-omics approach to immune-mediated diseases.
Machine learning for intrusion detection in industrial control systems: challenges and lessons from experimental evaluation
Authors: M. R. Gauthama Raman , Ahmed Chuadhry Mujeeb , Mathur Aditya
Published: August 2021

Gradual increase in the number of successful attacks against Industrial Control Systems (ICS) has led to an urgent need to create defense mechanisms for accurate and timely detection of the resulting process anomalies. Towards this end, a class of anomaly detectors, created using data-centric approaches, are gaining attention. Using machine learning algorithms such approaches can automatically learn the process dynamics and control strategies deployed in an ICS. The use of these approaches leads to relatively easier and faster creation of anomaly detectors compared to the use of design-centric approaches that are based on plant physics and design. Despite the advantages, there exist significant challenges and implementation issues in the creation and deployment of detectors generated using machine learning for city-scale plants. In this work, we enumerate and discuss such challenges. Also presented is a series of lessons learned in our attempt to meet these challenges in an operational plant.
Etiology of diarrheal disease among children under 5 years in Egypt: a high incidence of human bocavirus
Authors: Rizk Neveen M. , Abd-Elmaksoud Sherif , Farid Tarek M. , Abohashish Maha M. A. , Al-Herrawy Ahmad Z. , Hamza Ibrahim A.
Published: August 2021

Background

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is globally distributed and associated with respiratory and enteric infections. Limited data are available about the incidence of HBoV in Egyptian children. We aimed to investigate the association of HBoV genotypes in children with diarrheal disease and also to determine the possibility of HBoV co-infections with other human enteric pathogens.

Methods

A total of 102 stool samples were collected from children under five years old with diarrhea. Samples were analyzed for the presence of HBoV by real-time PCR. HBoV positive samples were tested for adenovirus (AdV), rotavirus (RoV), parasitic helminths, and enteric protozoa.

Results

HBoV was detected in 58% of examined cases. HBoV-3 was the most prevalent genotype observed (44%; 45 of 102), followed by HBoV-2/4 (33%; 34 of 102) and HBoV-1 (30%; 31 of 102). Although the incidence of HBoV was higher in males (66.6%; 34 of 51) than females (49%; 25 of 51), the analysis showed no significant difference for HBoV between genders. The average HBoV concentrations were 5.3 × 104 GC/g in males and 1.03 × 105 GC/g in females. Among the HBoV-positive samples, the single infection of HBoV was 52.5% (31/59), while the co-infections with multiple viruses were found in 1.7% (1/59) for HBoV and AdV, 33.9% (20/59) for HBoV and RoV, and 11.9% (7/59) for HBoV, and RoV and AdV. No co-infection with parasitic helminths or enteric protozoa was found.

Conclusions

The single infection of HBoV in some children suffering from acute gastroenteritis indicated that HBoV could be the main etiologic agent of the disease. The study highlights the high incidence of HBoVs genotypes with remarkable multiple co-infections in the pre-school children in Egypt.
Value of sonographic pseudogestational sac sign in the diagnosis of Meckel diverticulum in children presenting with bleeding per rectum: a 15-year prospective study
Authors: El-Maadawy Samar M. , Alaaeldin Nesreen , Zefov Vassil N.
Published: August 2021

Background

Meckel diverticulum is the most common congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal bleeding is the most common complication of Meckel diverticulum in the paediatric population; the bleeding mostly occurs in the first 2 years of life. Because the diverticulum is seldom seen in clinical practice, misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis are not uncommon. CT and nuclear studies are the most used diagnostic tools in clinical practice. However, radiation and sensitivity concerns remain an issue. Ultrasound has been suggested as an alternative diagnostic tool in diagnosing Meckel diverticulum with mixed results. The aim of our study is to assess the value of using a new sonographic sign, the pseudogestational sac sign in diagnosing Meckel diverticulum in children presenting with bleeding per rectum. Ultrasound was performed for all children. Results were correlated with nuclear studies, histopathology and clinical follow-up findings.

Results

Seventy-three children were included in our study. The pseudogestational sac sign was present in 46 (63%) and absent in 27 (37%) cases. Forty-five children were ultimately diagnosed as Meckel diverticulum. The age ranged from 2 months to 9 years with a mean of 2.3 years. The boy-to-girl ratio was 4.6:1 with 60% of children presenting during their first 2 years of life. The ultrasound performance using the pseudogestational sac sign revealed a sensitivity of 91.1%, specificity of 82.1%, positive predictive value of 89.1%, negative predictive value of 85.2%, positive likelihood ratio of 5.1, negative likelihood ratio of 0.11 and accuracy of 87.7%.

Conclusion

The sonographic pseudogestational sac sign is a reliable diagnostic tool for diagnosing Meckel diverticulum in children presenting with bleeding per rectum. The sonographic diagnosis of Meckel diverticulum complies with the international standards of “Image Gently”.
Investigating the impact of quarantine on mental health: insights from the COVID-19 international border surveillance study in Canada
Authors: Regehr Cheryl , Goel Vivek , De Prophetis Eric , Jamil Munaza , Mertz Dominik , Rosella Laura C. , Bulir David , Smieja Marek
Published: August 2021

Background

Nations throughout the world are imposing mandatory quarantine on those entering the country. Although such measures may be effective in reducing the importation of COVID-19, the mental health implications remain unclear.

Aims

This study sought to assess mental well-being and factors associated with changes in mental health in individuals subject to mandatory quarantine following travel.

Method

Travellers arriving at a large, urban international airport completed online questionnaires on arrival and days 7 and 14 of mandated quarantine. Questionnaire items, such as travel history, mental health, attitudes toward COVID-19, and protection behaviours, were drawn from the World Health Organization Survey Tool for COVID-19.

Results

There was a clinically significant decline in mental health over the course of quarantine among the 10 965 eligible participants. Poor mental health was reported by 5.1% of participants on arrival and 26% on day 7 of quarantine. Factors associated with a greater decline in mental health were younger age, female gender, negative views toward quarantine measures and engaging in fewer COVID-19 prevention behaviours. For instance, travellers who stated that they rarely wore masks had nearly three times higher odds of developing poor mental health.

Conclusions

Although the widespread use of quarantine may be effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19, the mental health implications are profound and have largely been ignored in policy decisions. Psychiatry has a role to play in contributing to the public policy debate to ensure that all aspects of health and well-being are reflected in decisions to isolate people from others.
Prognostic Model for De Novo and Recurrent Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Barcenas Carlos H. , Song Juhee , Murthy Rashmi K. , Raghavendra Akshara S. , Li Yisheng , Hsu Limin , Carlson Robert W. , Tripathy Debu , Hortobagyi Gabriel N.
Published: August 2021

PURPOSE

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has a heterogeneous clinical course. We sought to develop a prognostic model for overall survival (OS) that incorporated contemporary tumor and clinical factors for estimating individual prognosis.

METHODS

We identified patients with MBC from our institution diagnosed between 1998 and 2017. We developed OS prognostic models by Cox regression using demographic, tumor, and treatment variables. We assessed model predictive accuracy and estimated annual OS probabilities. We evaluated model discrimination and prediction calibration using an external validation data set from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

RESULTS

We identified 10,655 patients. A model using age at diagnosis, race or ethnicity, hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 subtype, de novo versus recurrent MBC categorized by metastasis-free interval, Karnofsky performance status, organ involvement, frontline biotherapy, frontline hormone therapy, and the interaction between variables significantly improved predictive accuracy (C-index, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.724 to 0.739) compared with a model with only hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status (C-index, 0.617; 95% CI, 0.609 to 0.626). The extended Cox regression model consisting of six independent models, for < 3, 3-14, 14-20, 20-33, 33-61, and ≥ 61 months, estimated up to 5 years of annual OS probabilities. The selected multifactor model had good discriminative ability but suboptimal calibration in the group of 2,334 National Comprehensive Cancer Network patients. A recalibration model that replaced the baseline survival function with the average of those from the training and validation data improved predictions across both data sets.

CONCLUSION

We have generated and validated a robust prognostic OS model for MBC. This model can be used in clinical decision making and stratification in clinical trials.
Making External Validation Valid for Molecular Classifier Development
Authors: Wu Yilin , Huang Huei-Chung , Qin Li-Xuan
Published: August 2021

PURPOSE

Accurate assessment of a molecular classifier that guides patient care is of paramount importance in precision oncology. Recent years have seen an increasing use of external validation for such assessment. However, little is known about how it is affected by ubiquitous unwanted variations in test data because of disparate experimental handling and by the use of data normalization for alleviating such variations.

METHODS

In this paper, we studied these issues using two microarray data sets for the same set of tumor samples and additional data simulated by resampling under various levels of signal-to-noise ratio and different designs for array-to-sample allocation.

RESULTS

We showed that (1) unwanted variations can lead to biased classifier assessment and (2) data normalization mitigates the bias to varying extents depending on the specific method used. In particular, frozen normalization methods for test data outperform their conventional forms in terms of both reducing the bias in accuracy estimation and increasing robustness to handling effects. We make available our benchmarking tool as an R package on GitHub for performing such evaluation on additional methods for normalization and classification.

CONCLUSION

Our findings thus highlight the importance of proper test-data normalization for valid assessment by external validation and call for caution on the choice of normalization method for molecular classifier development.
Reactive Amphiphilic Aprotic Ionic Liquids Based on Functionalized Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes
Authors: Shevchenko Valery V , Gumenna Mariana , Lee Hansol , Klimenko Nina , Stryutsky Oleksandr , Trachevsky Vladimir , Korolovych Volodymyr , Tsukruk Vladimir V
Published: August 2021

This paper discusses a method for the synthesis of ionic liquids which are mixtures of oligomeric silsesquioxanes (OSS) of polyhedral structure and their analogs with open chains containing aprotic cationic ionic groups with different lengths of alkyl substituents and reactive hydroxyl groups in the organic shell (OSS-ILs). This method includes the quaternization reaction of OSS with tertiary amine and primary and secondary hydroxyl groups by n-bromopropane or n-bromodecane. Obtained compounds were amorphous with glass transition temperature below 0 °C. The ionic conductivity of OSS-ILs increases with decreasing the alkyl substituent length and reaches 1.4·10−3 S/cm at 120 °C.

Dynamic light scattering reveals that the length of alkyl substituent of OSS-ILs affects the assembly behavior in aqueous solutions. According to atomic force microscopy images, the surface morphology of the film of OSS-IL with short substituents showed disk-like flat micelles with an average diameter of 229 ± 92 nm and height of 2 nm. OSS-IL with long substituents formed polydisperse micellar morphologies, of which a majority showed elongated, worm-like structures with an average height of 2 nm. The ability to endow ionic conductivity and to tune morphology makes these materials promising as potential polymer electrolytes for various electrochemical applications, in particular ionic sensors and energy storage devices.
Archäologische und baugeschichtliche Untersuchungen in der Deutschritterkapelle in Basel
Authors: Helmig Guido , Jaggi Bernard , Baur Esther , Jacoment Stefanie , Schärli Beatrice , Weder Marcus
Published: August 2021

Unscheinbar und versteckt in der rheinseitigen Zeile palaisartiger Stadthäuser steht an der höchsten Erhebung der Rittergasse die Deutschritterkapelle. Bei der archäologischen Untersuchung konnten Hinweise zur römerzeitlichen Besiedlung im Vorgelände des Münsterhügels (vicus), zur Baugeschichte der Deutschritterkapelle und zur Bebauungsgeschichte des Areals dokumentiert werden.
Beobachtungen an der Rheinterrasse des Ramsteinerhofes, Rittergasse 17, 1988/6
Authors: Helmig Guido
Published: August 2021

Rutschungen und dadurch entstandene Risse in der Stützmauer der rheinseitigen Gartenterrasse des Ramsteinerhofes machten eine umfangreiche Sanierung der gesamten Terrasse notwendig.
Renovation des Casinos am Steinenberg
Authors: D'Aujourd'hui Rolf , Eichin Hansjörg
Published: August 2021

Durch die archäologischen Sondierungen war es möglich, verschiedene Fragen zur Entwicklung der Stadtbefestigung, der Klosteranlagen und der neuzeitlichen Bauten am Steinenberg zu präzisieren bzw. zu beantworten.
Vorbericht über die Grabungen 1988/1989 in der spätkeltischen Siedlung Basel-Gasfabrik
Authors: Jud Peter
Published: August 2021

Berichte zu den archäologischen Untersuchungen in der Fundstelle «Basel-Gasfabrik» in den Jahren 1988 und 1989.
Petersgraben 45 (1989/3): Ein Schalenturm an der Inneren Stadtmauer
Authors: Matt Christoph Ph.
Published: August 2021

1989 wurden Untersuchungen an einem Stadtmauerstück möglich, bei denen man auch auf die Fundamente eines Schalenturmes stiess. Dabei ergab sich erstmals die Gelegenheit, einen Stadtmauerturm des Inneren Mauerrings erforschen zu können.
Zur Baugeschichte der Altstadtliegenschaft Gerbergasse 66 (1990/17)
Authors: Reicke Daniel , Matt Christoph Ph.
Published: August 2021

Die Untersuchung der Liegenschaft Gerbergasse 66 erbrachte trotz der fragmentarischen Erhaltung der Befunde weitere wertvolle Hinweise über Entstehung und Wachstum des frühen Steinbaus. Dies ist insbesondere für das Gebiet am Fusse des Talhangs und am oberen Ende der Talstadt von Bedeutung.
Vorbericht über die Grabungen 1990 in der spätkeltischen Siedlung Basel-Gasfabrik
Authors: Jud Peter , Spichtig Norbert
Published: August 2021

Berichte zu den archäologischen Untersuchungen in der Fundstelle «Basel-Gasfabrik» im Jahr 1990.
Ein Aufschluss der Inneren Stadtmauer am St. Alban-Graben
Authors: Helmig Guido
Published: August 2021

Am St. Alban-Graben sind, trotz grossflächiger Neubauten des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, noch grössere, zusammenhängende Abschnitte der Inneren Stadtmauer erhalten geblieben; die Tore eingangs der Freien Strasse und der Rittergasse hingegen sind bereits im 19. Jahrhundert abgebrochen worden.

Die Südfassade des nach 1758 erbauten barocken Gartenflügels des Ritterhofes (Rittergasse 20) ruht wie auch die westlich angrenzenden Gebäude des Antikenmuseums (Nrn. 5 und 7) auf der Abbruchkrone der Inneren Stadtmauer am St. Alban-Graben. Die beiden Befunde werden im Bericht vorgestellt.
Archäologische Befunde bei der St. Jakobskirche
Authors: Helmig Guido , Schön Udo
Published: August 2021

Wohl schon bald nach dem Bau der St. Jakobskirche - eine Wegkapelle war an dieser Stelle wohl schon im 11 . Jahrhundert gestanden - und insbesondere seit der Verlegung des Siechenhauses in den 126Oer Jahren vom Leonhardsberg in der Stadt Basel an die wichtige Brückenstelle über die Birs unterhalb von Münchenstein bei Brüglingen wurde hier bestattet.
Die in der neuen Haupttrasse der Kanalisation partiell freigelegten Bestattungen können zwei verschiedenen Bestattungshorizonten oder Belegungsphasen zugewiesen werden.
Die auf den ersten Blick unscheinbaren Beobachtungen von Mauerresten in der Kanalisationstrasse im Kirchhof der St. Jakobskirche haben gezeigt, dass auf diesem Gelände noch Spuren von Bauten vorhanden sind, die zur Geschichte dieses historischen Ortes wohl einen Beitrag liefern können.
Leitungsgrabungen zwischen Spalenberg und Stadthausgasse
Authors: Matt Christoph Ph. , Bing Christian
Published: August 2021

Am Fusse des Spalenbergs, zwischen Rümelinsplatz und Stadthausgasse, wurden zwischen 1979 und 1990 zwei grössere Tiefbauprojekte und eine kleinere Leitungsgrabung durchgeführt.

Bei der Grabung Schneidergasse/Stadthausgasse (A), bei der eine neue, tiefliegende Kanalisationsleitung verlegt wurde, konnten mehrere Mauerzüge und Gehhorizonte nachgewiesen werden, bei der Leitungsgrabung an der Stadthausgasse 10 (A) ein möglicherweise zu einem romanischen Kernbau gehörender Mauerzug eingemessen und eine romanische Wandsäule als Streufund geborgen werden. An der Stelle des romanischen Kernbaus (erbaut wohl um 1100 oder wenig danach) stand später die erstmals 1349 genannte Trinkstube, das sog. Haus zum Seufzen.

Bei der Grabung von 1990 wurden anlässlich des Ausbaus des Fernheizungsnetzes die Fassaden der älteren Überbauung im Bereich Münzgasse/Schneidergasse freigelegt. Ausserdem wurde eine Reihe weiterer, kleinerer Leitungsgrabungen aus der unmittelbaren Umgebung in die Auswertung miteinbezogen.
Tätigkeitsbericht des Kantonsarchäologen für das Jahr 1991
Authors: D'Aujourd'hui Rolf
Published: August 2021

Der erste Teil des Jahresberichts umfasst den Tätigkeitsbericht des Kantonsarchäologen, der die im Berichtsjahr erfolgten Aktivitäten des Amtes vorstellt und kommentiert, sowie eine Fundchronik mit einem Kurzbeschrieb sämtlicher im Laufe eines Jahres registrierter Fundstellen.
Die baugeschichtliche Untersuchung in der Liegenschaft «zum Frösch»
Authors: Reicke Daniel
Published: August 2021

Die Untersuchungen haben ergeben , dass an der Schützenmattstrasse 11 ein Gebäude - aufgrund der äusserlichen Bausubstanz ins 19. Jahrhundert datiert - von 1545 erhalten war. Im oberen Geschoss waren die Innenwände dieses Hauses bis 1992 - nur geringfügig verändert - in Gebrauch; von der ehemaligen Einrichtung konnten noch interessante Reste freigelegt werden.
Vor 1545 stand hier wahrscheinlich ein Ökonomiegebäude von grösserer Tiefe, das nicht vollständig erfasst werden konnte. Dieser Bau ist in den historischen Quellen des späteren 14. Jahrhunderts erwähnt.
Die älteste Bebauung auf der untersuchten Parzelle wird im Beitrag von Ch. Matt und Ch. Bing beschrieben.
Gerbergasse 78/Lohnhofgässlein 6 (1992/12)
Authors: Matt Christoph Ph. , Bing Christian
Published: August 2021

Die ältesten mittelalterlichen Funde und Befunde legen eine Begehung bereits im 12. Jahrhundert nahe. Hinweise auf Holzbauten lassen sich nur indirekt aus wenigen Spuren rot verbrannten Lehms erschliessen. Ein in Gassennähe gelegenes Holzhaus wurde im Laufe des zweiten und dritten Viertels des 13. Jahrhunderts erbaut und fiel danach einem Brand zum Opfer. 

Die ersten Steinbauten auf der Parzelle Nr. 78 dürften nach Ausweis der Befunde nicht vor dem späten 13. Jahrhundert entstanden sein; erste schriftliche Nachrichten über ein (zweifellos steinernes) Haus stammen aus der Zeit um 1300.

Die archäologische Untersuchung auf der Parzelle Nr. 78 ergänzt das bisher bekannte Bild von der frühen Besiedlung der oberen Talstadt. Die ersten Steinbauten im Gebiet der oberen Talstadt sind an verschiedenen Fundstellen gefasst worden. Die Bauweise in Stein erfolgte hier etwas später als in der unteren Talstadt.
Archäologische Untersuchungen im Hause Webergasse 25, 1990/34
Authors: Matt Christoph Ph. , Bing Christian
Published: August 2021

An der Webergasse in Kleinbasel stehen noch zahlreiche alte Häuser. Das kleine Gärtchen (Hinterhof) hinter dem Haus an der Webergasse 25 liegt über dem zugeschütteten Abschnitt des Hinteren Teichs, eines Hauptarms der drei innerhalb der Stadtmauern gelegenen Kleinbasler Gewerbekanäle, der am 3. September 1917 aufgehoben und trockengelegt worden ist.

Im hinteren Teil des Hauses konnten zwei Zimmer vollständig ausgegraben werden. Verschiedene im Laufe der Zeit im Haus ausgeübte Gewerbe haben Spuren im Boden hinterlassen. Eine grosse, innen mit Holz verkleidete, quadratische Grube, bei der unter Anrechnung des nicht erhaltenen Splintholzes mit einem Fälldatum frühestens nach 1560 gerechnet werden darf, gehörte wohl zu einer Gerberei, wie der damals unmittelbar hinter dem Haus vorbeiführende Gewerbekanal nahelegt. Zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt wurden zwei runde Gerbgruben eingegraben, die als gemauerte Negative mit Abdrücken von Holzbottichen und Resten von horizontalen Rutenbündeln (zum zusammenhalten der Dauben) erhalten waren. Als dritte Generation von Gerb- oder Färbeinrichtungen sind zwei rechteckige, aus Backsteinen gemauerte Becken zu bezeichnen.
Tätigkeitsbericht des Kantonsarchäologen für das Jahr 1992
Authors: D'Aujourd'hui Rolf
Published: August 2021

Der erste Teil des Jahresberichts umfasst den Tätigkeitsbericht des Kantonsarchäologen, der die im Berichtsjahr erfolgten Aktivitäten des Amtes vorstellt und kommentiert, sowie eine Fundchronik mit einem Kurzbeschrieb sämtlicher im Laufe eines Jahres registrierter Fundstellen.
Die archäologischen Untersuchungen im Bereich des Energieleitungstunnels (ELT) Gerbergasse - Barfüsserplatz- Steinenberg, 1991/2
Authors: Matt Christoph Ph. , Bing Christian
Published: August 2021

Zu den hervorragendsten Befunden der Ausgrabungen im Bereich des ELT gehört die Freilegung von zwei Teilstücken der Inneren Stadtmauer aus der 1. Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts, u.a. auch der Eselturm. Ältere Stadtbefestigungen kamen hingegen nicht zum Vorschein.

Im Bereich des ELT-Tunnels am Barfüsserplatz konnten am Rande der Baugrube noch Reste der ehemaligen mittelalterlichen Bebauung gefasst werden, die Hinweise auf die vorklosterzeitliche Überbauung im Westen des Barfüsserplatzes lieferten.