bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Value of transesophageal echocardiography in device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects in children via ultraminimal intercostal incision
Authors: Yu Jin , Ye Jingjing , Zhang Zewei , Yang Xiuzhen , Jin Jie , Ma Lianglong , Qian Jingjing , Zhao Lei
Published: April 2020

Background

Investigate the value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in pediatric perimembranous ventricular septal defect (PmVSD) closure which via a left parasternal ultra-minimal intercostal incision.
Methods

190 children with PmVSD were performed device occlusion via ultraminimal intercostal incision. TEE is used throughout the perioperative period, including preoperative accurate TEE assessment, TEE-guided localization of the puncture site, intraoperative TEE guidance, and postoperative immediate TEE assessment.
Results

186 children with PmVSD underwent successfully device closure and operation success rate is 97. 89%. The average size of PmVSDs was 3.98 ± 1.14 mm, and the average device size was 5 ± 1 mm. Preoperative TEE revealed 127 patients had single-orifice PmVSDs and 59 patients had multiple orifices shunts PmVSDs. During the operation, the surgeon readjusted the device or replaced the larger device in 17 cases due to TEE displayed abnormal indications, and all other children went smoothly. After operation, there are 17 cases of slight residual shunts, 13 cases of pericardial effusion and 4 cases of pleural effusion, and all were back to normal during the 4- month follow-up period. Mild mitral regurgitation was reported in 1 patient and remained the same during the follow-up period. Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction in a patient significantly improved. No other complications were found.
Conclusions

Under the guidance of TEE, PmVSDs can be successfully closed via ultraminimal intercostal incision in children. TEE can effectively guide the device occlusion of PmVSD. The role of TEE is very important and it act as the surgeon’s eyes.
IGF2 loss of imprinting enhances colorectal cancer stem cells pluripotency by promoting tumor autophagy
Authors: Gao Tianyi , Liu Xiangxiang , He Bangshun , Pan Yuqin , Wang Shukui
Published: April 2020

Background
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be the driving force behind the tumor growth. So we conducted an in depth study to explore the role of IGF2 epigenetic on CRC stem cells pluripotency aiming to boarder our understanding of the mechanism on CSCs formation.
Methods
IGF2 imprint status was detected by PCR-RFLP and bisulfite sequencing. Flow cytometry analysis, Immunofluorescence(IF) and sphere-formation assay were performed to investigate the correlation between IGF2 LOI and CSCs. IF and mRFP-eGFP-LC3 fluorescence assay were further used to confirm IGF2 regulation in CSCs autophagy. Finally, RNA interference and CO-IP were conducted in vivo and vitro and the related factors involved were detected by western-blot/real-time PCR.
Results
The results showed that IGF2 LOI CRC cells usually had a higher CD133 expression and sphere forming efficiency than MOI cells. Then IGF2 LOI CSCs were also found to have a higher autophagy than MOI CSCs which further affect CSCs sphere forming efficiency. Moreover, IGF2/IR-A signal was determined to play a more important role in CSCs formation than IGF2/IGF1R. At last, by using miRNA-195 mimics, we fortunately found the up-regulated IR-A expression might be due to the degradation of miRNA-195 in CRC.
Conclusion
our results suggested IGF2 LOI promoted CRC stem cells pluripotency by promoting CSCs autophagy. For the degradation of miRNA-195, IGF2 showed a higher ability in interacting with overexpressed IR-A rather than IGF1R which would further modulate CSCs autophagy. All these findings might provide a novel mechanistic insight into the CRC diagnosis and treatment.
Validation of novel patient-centred juvenile idiopathic arthritis-specific patient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROMs/PREMs)
Authors: Lunt Laura E , Shoop-Worrall Stephanie , Smith Nicola , Cleary Gavin , McDonagh Janet , Smith Andrew D , Thomson Wendy , McErlane Flora
Published: April 2020

Background:
Measuring the outcomes that matter to children and young people (CYP) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is a necessary precursor to patient-centred improvements in quality of clinical care. We present a two-centre validation of novel JIA patient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROM and PREM) developed as part of the CAPTURE-JIA project.
Methods:
CYP with JIA were recruited from paediatric rheumatology clinics, completing the CAPTURE-JIA PROM and PREM, CHAQ and CHU 9D. A subset participated in face-to-face interviews and completed the PROM/PREM one week later. The OMERACT filter was applied and the three domains of validation assessed. Truth assessments included cognitive interviewing, sensitivity analysis and Spearman’s correlations. Discrimination assessments included specificity and reliability testing. Feasibility was assessed using time to form completion and proportion of missing data.
Results:
Eighty-two CYP and their families were recruited; ten cognitive interviews and fifteen PROM/PREM test/retests were conducted. Truth: CYP and parents understood the PROM/PREM and felt important areas were covered. PROM criteria had high sensitivities (> 70%) against similar items on the CHU 9D, with the exception of fatigue (58%). Correlations between similar PROM and CHU 9D criteria were moderate to very strong (coefficients 0.40–0.82.) Discrimination: high specificities (> 70%) on corresponding PROM and CHU 9D domains. Feasibility: median completion times for PROM sixty seconds (IQR 38–75) and PREM forty-nine seconds (IQR 30–60) respectively.
Conclusion:
The CAPTURE-JIA PROM and PREM are valid and feasible in UK paediatric rheumatology clinics. Embedding routine collection into clinical care would be a major step towards improving quality of care.
The views of health guideline developers on the use of automation in health evidence synthesis
Authors: Arno Anneliese Downey , Elliott Julian , Wallace Byron , Turner Tari , Thomas James
Published: April 2020

Background The increasingly rapid rate of evidence publication has made it difficult for evidence synthesis – systematic reviews and health guidelines -- to be continually kept up-to-date maintain the most up-to-date data. One proposed solution for this is the use of automation in health evidence synthesis. Guideline developers are key gatekeepers in the acceptance and use of evidence, and therefore their opinions on the potential use of automation are crucial. Methods The objective of this study was to analyse the attitudes of guideline developers towards the use of machine learning and crowd-sourcing in evidence. The Diffusion of Innovations framework was chosen as an initial analytical framework because it encapsulates some of the core issues which are thought to affect the adoption of new innovations in practice. This well-established theory posits five dimensions which affect the adoption of novel technologies: Relative Advantage , Compatibility , Complexity , Trialability , and Observability . Eighteen interviews were conducted with individuals who were currently working, or had previously worked, in guideline development. After transcription, a multiphase mixed deductive and grounded approach was used to analyse the data. First, transcripts were coded with a deductive approach using Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation as the top-level themes. Second, sub-themes within the framework were identified using a grounded approach. Results Participants were consistently most concerned with the extent to which an innovation is in line with current values and practices (ie. Compatibility in the Diffusion of Innovations framework. Participants were also concerned with Relative Advantage and Observability , which were discussed in approximately equal amounts. For the latter, participants expressed a desire for transparency in methodology of automation software. Participants were noticeably less interested in Complexity and Trialability , which were discussed infrequently. These results were reasonably consistent across all participants. Conclusions If machine learning and other automation technologies are to be used more widely and to their full potential in systematic reviews and guideline development, it is crucial to ensure new technologies are in line with current values and practice. It will also be important to maximize the transparency of the methods of these technologies to address the concerns of guideline developers.
Application of diffusion tensor imaging in detecting microstructural alteration of the trigeminal nerve root in patients with classical trigeminal neuralgia without neurovascular compression
Authors: Wu Min , Qiu Jun , Jiang Xiaofeng , Li Mingwu , Wang Si-De , Dong Qingsheng , Fu Xianming , Niu Chaoshi
Published: April 2020

Background

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to detect microstructural alteration and influence of surgical intervention of the trigeminal nerve root (TR) in patients with classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) without neurovascular compression (woNVC) who had undergone internal neurolysis (IN).
Methods

Overall, 21 patients with CTN woNVC who underwent IN and 20 healthy controls were included prospectively. The differences in the means, kurtosis and skewness of each of the diffusivity metrics between the affected and unaffected nerves in patients and both nerves in controls, were then analyzed using the independent t test. Data from the affected side and the unaffected side before and 1 years after IN were compared.
Results

There were significantly different mean and kurtosis values for both FA and ADC of the affected side TR, compared to the unaffected side and control group respectively before IN. 1 year after surgery, most of these differences significantly reduced in comparison between the affected side and unaffected side, the affected side and control group, and these trends were also in accordance with the relief of pain. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed a strong negative correlation between decrease of ADC in the affected side compared to the surgical outcome in BNI total score.
Conclusions

The changes of diffusive property of TR could explain the efficiency of IN. The pretreatment DTI metrics could be an effective prognostic factor for providing potential noninvasive, brain-based biomarkers to support an optimal treatment selection for individual patients with CTN woNVC.
How Can We Improve Knowledge and Perceptions of Menstruation? A Mixed-methods Research Study
Authors: Moon Gayoung , Kim Inkyung , Kim Habhin , Choe Suwan , Jeon Soyeon , Hong Sujeong , Cho Jeonghun , Lee Jisan
Published: April 2020

Background Traditionally, menstrual education has been conducted in the form of lectures directed mainly towards women. This study aimed to design an innovative menstrual education (ME) program that reflects the needs of both young women and men, and to verify its effectiveness.Methods A mixed-method design was used to determine the requirements of an ME program and to assess young adults’ knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. Focus group interviews were conducted with 17 young adults, and 150 young adults participated in an online survey. After developing the ME program, 10 young adults participated in an experiment to verify its effectiveness.Results The interview results showed that young adults wanted more knowledge of various types of menstrual products. The online survey revealed significant differences in knowledge based on participants’ general characteristics and experience; exposure to menstruation and menstrual products had a positive impact on knowledge and perception. In addition, the results indicated that young adults would like ME content to be available on mobile devices and via in-person methods, to be designed for both genders, to draw on menstrual experts’ knowledge, and to incorporate multi-experimental methods. Considering the results, a multi-experimental menstrual education (MEME) program was designed, utilizing hands-on exposure to 60 menstrual products, simulations of the products’ use with a female perineal model, a YouTube video created by the researchers, a true-or-false quiz, and question-and-answer sessions with menstrual experts.Conclusions This study clarified the requirements of an innovative menstrual education program. Consequently, the MEME program not only led to high satisfaction among participants, but also helped to improve knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. In the online survey, results showed a correlation between the extent of received ME, and respondents’ perception of menstrual products. This implies that MEME could change perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products when conducted systematically; by extension, it would contribute to addressing the cause of menstruation-related problems attributed to poverty. Future research could further verify the effectiveness of the MEME program, using a larger sample, for the program’s incorporation into official ME curricula, such as at universities and companies.Trial registration This trial was registered in a Clinical Research Information Service in Korea that was linked with the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO’s ICTRP) (no. KCT0004715), Registered 07 Feb 2020, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=15855
Acceptability of quality indicators for the management of endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancer: results of an online survey
Authors: Luyckx Annemie , Wyckmans Leen , Bonte Anne-Sophie , Trinh Xuan Bich , Dam Peter van
Published: April 2020

Background: Measuring quality indicators (QI’s) is a tool to improve the quality of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of 36 QI’s, defined after a literature search (doi.org/10.1016/j.ejso.2018.10.051) for the management of endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancer. Relevant specialists in the field of interest were surveyed.

Methods: To quantify the opinions of these specialists, an online survey was sent out via mailing to members of gynaecological or oncological societies. The relevance of each QI was questioned on a scale from one to five (1 = irrelevant, 2 = less relevant, 3 = no opinion/neutral, 4 = relevant, 5 = very relevant). If a QI received a score of 4 or 5 in 65% or more of the answers, we state that the respondents consider this QI to be sufficiently relevant to use in daily practice.

Results: The survey was visited 238 times and resulted in 53 complete responses (29 Belgian, 24 other European countries). The majority of the specialists were gynaecologists (45%). Five of the 36 QI’s (13,9%) did not reach the cut-off of 65%: referral to a tertiary center, preoperative staging of endometrial cancer by MRI, preoperative staging of cervical cancer by positron-emission tomography, incorporation of intracavitary brachytherapy in the treatment of cervical cancer, reporting ASA and WHO score for each patient. After removing the 5 QI’s that were not considered as relevant by the specialists and 3 additional 3 QI’s that we were considered to be superfluous, we obtained an optimized QI list.

Conclusion: As QI’s gain importance in gynecological oncology, their use can only be of value if they are universally interpreted in the same manner. We propose an optimized list of 28 QI’s for the management of endometrial, cervical and ovarian cancer which responders of our survey found relevant. Further validation is needed to finalize and define a set of QI’s that can be used in future studies, audits and benchmarking .
Relationship of chronic endometritis with chronic deciduitis in cases of miscarriage.
Authors: Kaku Shoji , Kubo Takuro , Kimura Fuminori , Nakamura Akiko , Kitazawa Jun , Morimune Aina , Takahashi Akimasa , Takebayashi Akie , Takashima Akiko , Kushima Ryoji , Murakami Takashi
Published: April 2020

Background: The presence of chronic deciduitis (CD) was determined in patients diagnosed with or without chronic endometritis (CE) before pregnancy to study the effect of CE on decidua in cases of miscarriage.Methods: Decidual tissue was obtained from the patients who miscarried at the first pregnancy within a year after the diagnosis of the presence or absence of CE. The number and distribution pattern of plasma cells stained with CD138 in decidual tissue in 10 high-power fields (HPFs) was examined. The prevalence of CD diagnosed with four different grade; grade 0, no plasma cell in 10 HPFs, thus Non-CD ;grade 1, rare single plasma cells; grade 2, rare clusters or more than 5 single cells total; and grade 3, many plasma cells with more than 5 clusters, were examined and compared between Non-CE and CE.Results: The incidence rate of CD of grade2+3 was significantly higher in CE than Non-CE (53.8%; 7/13 vs. 0%; 0/13, P<0.01). Presence of clusters or a number of plasma cells in 10 HPFs of decidua showed a sensitivity of 53.8%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 68.4% for the diagnosis of CE.Conclusion: Presence of clusters of plasma cells or five or more of plasma cells in decidua was found in more than half of CE, but not found in Non-CE. When CD with cluster or five or more of plasma cells is confirmed histologically in miscarriage decidual tissue, the presence of CE before the pregnancy should be suspected.
Expression and Potential Role of MMP-9 in Intrauterine Adhesion
Authors: Li Congqing , Cong Lin , Xu Youjiang , Wang Wenyan
Published: April 2020

Background: Intrauterine adhesions will affect the amount of menstrual and fertility, endometrial fibrosis is the last manifestation of the IUA. MMP-9 is closely related to fibrosis. The purpose of the study was to assess the role of MMP-9 in intrauterine adhesion (IUA) rats and patients.Methods:40 female rats and 24 patients were enrolled in this study. We used immunohistochemistry to detect the MMP-9 expression in rats and human endometrial tissues, as well as detected their protein levels with western blot. In addition, we detected their mRNA expression levels with qRT-PCR.Results: The expression of MMP-9 in the IUA rats was reduced compared with the Sham group and Ctrl group (P< 0.05), and the expression of MMP-9 was also reduced in the IUA patients compared with the Ctrl group (P< 0.05). The mRNA levels of MMP-9 in endometrium were presenting similar results (P< 0.05). Conclusions: Our study suggests that MMP-9 may play an important role in fibrosis of the IUA. It may provide a new reference for the treatment of IUA in the future.
An Epidemiological Study of Cervical and Breast Screening in India: District-Level Analysis
Authors: Monica Monica , Mishra Raman
Published: April 2020

Background: Breast cancer and cervical cancer, the most common forms of cancer in women worldwide, are on a fast and steady rise, accounting for more deaths in women than any other cancer in the developing world. Cancer screening tests are an important tool to combat cancer-related morbidity and mortality. The World Health Assembly, in its agenda for cancer prevention and control in the context of an integrated approach, urges governments and the WHO to accelerate action to achieve Goal 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.4) in order to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases including cancer by one-third by 2030 (WHO, 2016). Methods: Until recently, there was no evidence pertaining to screening for cervical and breast cancers at the national level. The National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 (NFHS-4), for the first time in the NFHS series, collected information on examination of the breast and the cervix from over 699,000 women in the age group 15-49 years. For the present study, the data was aggregated for all 640 districts in India. Moran’s Index was calculated to check for spatial autocorrelation. Univariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) maps were plotted to look for spatial dependence associated with the uptake of screening practices. The spatial error model was employed to check for spatial magnitude and direction.Results: The factors associated with uptake of cervical and breast screening at the district level were: belonging to a general caste, residing in rural areas, being currently married, and being well-off economically. The study provides spatial inference by showing geographical disparities in screening, this study highlights the importance of ensuring a region-specific and organ-specific approach toward control and prevention of cancer.Conclusions: As part of the National Health Mission, the Indian government for the first time has launched population-based prevention, screening, and control programs for cancers of the cervix and the breast. The spatial analysis presented here may add essential information in policy-making. By showing geographical disparities in screening, this study highlights the importance of ensuring a region-specific and organ specific approach toward control and prevention of cancer.
Stringency in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) criteria and application in clinical study
Authors: Schneider Catherine , Huddleston Heather , Masharani Umesh , Mason Ashley E. , Frassetto Lynda
Published: April 2020

Background: In this manuscript, we review the various criteria used to diagnosis PCOS, and discuss how the specific diagnostic criteria used can impact recruitment for PCOS studies. PCOS is a common diagnosis, but with a number of differing definitions. We were interested in addressing these differing stringencies and application in clinical trial, such as our group’s PCOS diet study. Methods: For our study on the effects of diets to alter insulin resistance, we adopted the one using more stringent criteria, consisting of biochemical abnormalities, menstrual abnormalities, insulin resistance and abnormal ovarian size and structure. Our study actively recruits from PCOS clinics in the Bay Area. We reported number of women successfully recruited using our PCOS diagnosis stringency, and how these numbers differ from women referred to PCOS clinics in the Bay Area. We also report the reasons patients did not fit our diagnosis criteria to shed insight into how diagnosis differ between healthcare professionals. Results: To our surprise, the vast majority of subjects seen in the tertiary referral PCOS center at UCSF did not qualify for the study. Conclusion: The definition of PCOS may be important in study design, and can impact the ability to recruit for the study.
Is caffeine intake a risk factor leading to infertility? -An epidemiological systematic review of controlled clinical studies
Authors: Fanlong Bu , Feng Xue , Yang Xiao-Ying , Ren Jun , Cao Hui-juan
Published: April 2020

Background: Previous studies showed that high dose of caffeine intake may induce some specific human reproductive system diseases, even lead to infertility. This review is aimed to systematically review the evidence from all controlled clinical studies of caffeine intake for infertility. Methods: Relevant randomized/quasi-randomized controlled trials, non-randomized clinical studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies were included. Participants were either those without a history of infertility who are willing to have a baby (for prospective studies) or infertile patients with confirmed diagnosis (for retrospective studies). Caffeine or caffeine-containing beverage was observed as the exposure factor. The key outcome was the diagnosis of infertility. Results: Four studies (one cohort study and three case-control studies) involving 12912 participants were included. According NOS, the average score of case-control studies was 6, and the cohort study achieved 9. Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted. The results showed that low (OR 0.95, 95%CI 0.78-1.16), medium (OR 1.14, 95%CI 0.69-1.86) and high doses (OR 1.86, 95%CI 0.28-12.22) of caffeine intake may not increase the risk of infertility. The GRADE method was used to assess the certainty of the evidence and the results showed that the quality of the three evidence bodies were all low. Conclusion: Our study provides low quality evidence that regardless of low, medium and high doses of caffeine intake do not appear increase the risk of infertility. But the conclusion should be treated with caution. We suggest high-risk population of infertility may consider to control the dose of caffeine intake (less than 200mg/d). Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015015714
Impact of maternal periodontitis on preterm birth and low birth weight in babies: results of a scoping review
Authors: UWAMBAYE Peace , MUNYANSHONGORE Cyprien , RULISA Stephen , SHIAU Harlan J , NUHU Assuman , KERR Michael S
Published: April 2020

Background : World wide, numerous studies have shown a significant association between periodontitis and prematurity and/ or low birth weight particularly in developing countries. Periodontitis has been documented as public health concern but its association with preterm and /or low birth weight remains uncertain, thus the objective of this scoping review is to summarize the most recent published evidence related to the effect of periodontitis on preterm birth and low birth weight. Methods Hinari, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched to acquire the published literature. The retrieved studies included cross-sectional, case control studies and randomized controlled trials with available full text published in English from 2008 to 2019. The key words used to identify relevant articles for review included the following: periodontitis, periodontal disease, pregnancy, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Results : 333 articles were identified initially after combining all the key words, with only 133 eligible articles published from 2008 to 2019. After review of the available 50 full text articles, duplicates were removed and 15 studies fully met the inclusion criteria. 13 articles supported the association between maternal periodontitis and preterm and/ or low birth weight while 2 found no evidence to support the association. Although we did not appraise methodological quality or risk of bias of the selected studies, as per the guidelines for scoping reviews, good quality and up to date studies were selected. However, there were some inconsistencies in the findings due to differed case definitions, study settings and sample. Conclusion : The results of this scoping review are consistent with a previous review of case-control studies only, thereby contributing to an increasing body of evidence to support the hypothesis that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for preterm delivery and low birth weight. More rigorous studies with larger prospective cohorts are needed to provide more conclusive frameworks for testing the suspected clinical association between maternal periodontitis and perinatal outcomes.
A qualitative study on the implementation of Family Health Team: the perspectives of providers and patients
Authors: Hanafiah Ainul Nadziha Mohd , Johari Mohammad Zabri , Azam Syafinas
Published: April 2020

Background: Malaysia has committed to the global call to achieve universal health coverage, and with the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals, is further strengthening the health system through the primary health care services, particularly the family doctor concept (FDC). The Enhanced Primary Health Care (EnPHC) initiative was implemented to address the worrying upward trend of NCD prevalence, and incorporates the Family Health Team (FHT) concept. The aim of this paper is to describe the implementation of the FHT as part of the EnPHC intervention. Methods: In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with the intervention design team, healthcare providers and patients in two rounds during the implementation period. We explored their views on the design and plans for the intervention, the process, acceptance, adoption, feasibility and sustainability of the intervention, as well as patients’ awareness and understanding of the FHT implementation. Results: Themes that emerged from the data were around the process of FHT implementation and the advantages of the FHT, which included continuity of health care and improved quality of care. Patients and health care providers were receptive to the FHT concept, and took the effort to adapt the concept in the local settings. Conclusions: The FHT concept implemented at 20 public primary health clinics has benefits appreciated by HCPs and patients. Addressing the viable shortcomings would better prepare the current primary healthcare system to scale up the FHT concept nationwide and enhance its feasibility and sustainability. Trial registration: The study is registered with the National Medical Research Register, Ministry of Health Malaysia (NMRR-17-295-34771).
Innovation Development of Public Administration: Management and Legislation Features
Authors: Kondratenko Vitalii , Okopnyk Olena , Ziganto Linda , Kwilinski Aleksy
Published: April 2020

The paper deals with the analysis of the impact of public administration on the innovation development. With purposes to identify the main scientific directions of analysis among the scientific community, the authors did the bibliometric study. For the reviews, the authors selected 1167 papers which indexing in Scopus. For the visualising the findings of bibliometric analysis, the VOSviewer was used. The results allow allocating 10 clusters of scientific directions which analysed the issues of innovations and public administrations. The first most significant clusters could «innovation» analysed the efficiency of the public administration through the effectiveness of innovation implementation. The second clusters connected with the government innovation policy and located close to the first clusters. The third cluster «public administration» involved 40 items and 4699 links. The scientists with Italian and American affiliations had the most significant shares of papers. At the same time, the European funding allocated the most significant share of financing such research. The hypothesis of the investigation was checking the linking between levels of innovation development and countries’ rating on the efficiency of public administration using the correlation analysis and least square model. For the checking hypothesis, the authors used the software EViews11. The authors analysed the Worldwide Governance Indicators as the base indicators for the assessment of public administration efficiency. For the analysis, the authors used data for EU countries and Ukraine. As Ukraine has started the integration process, the Ukrainian policy should be synchronised with the EU. The findings proved the correlation between variables. Thus, the increasing of government efficiency and the rule of law lead to increasing by 0,094 and 0,043 points the level of innovation development of the country corresponding. At the same time, the increasing regulation policy provoke the increase of innovation development by 0,08 points. The less impact had the variables as follows: sustainability competitiveness of the country and volume of expenditure on research and development. After analysis of the empirical data, the reviews of the management and legal instruments was done. Considering the EU experience, the authors identified the system of tools which lead to increasing of public administration efficiency as follows: legislation on property rights, anti-corruption directives, digitalisation of government authorities at all levels. For the future investigation, the time and range of the countries should be extended. Keywords governance, management, law, property right, innovation.
Innovations in HR Management: a Content Analysis Approach
Authors: Elmortada Asmaa , Mokhlis Chams-Eddoha , Mokhlis Ahmed , Elfezazi Said
Published: April 2020

One of the objectives of human resource management (HRM) is to promote the satisfaction of both managers and employees regarding HRM practices. Since promoting satisfaction begins by assessing its current level, this study aims to analyse the challenges faced by industrial companies' managers within developing countries – such as Morocco- in terms of implementing human resource (HR) function practices. This paper presents then a practice-oriented study conducted using a qualitative method based on the content analysis approach. Thus, data collection was based mainly on semi-structured interviews to which 30 managers had participated. Indeed, this study aims to measure managers' satisfaction regarding the HR function while highlighting, at the same time, the practices used in motivation, documentation process, etc., and in terms of locating weaknesses and obstacles to better HRM. The validity of inquiry was tested and proven by two validation strategies: member checking and external audits strategies. The results found, revealed genuinely remarkable weaknesses. Indeed, it turned out to be a lack consistent in terms of the proper structuring of the HR function. In addition to the poor mastery and application of basic HRM practices, namely the primitivity of documentation processes, and the job-person inadequacy, especially in the scarcity of adoption of developed management methods such as the implementation of provisional management of jobs and skills, the establishment of an occupational health system, and maturity in terms of carrying out the tasks of the control system, or even as regards the weaknesses linked to the lack of active communication, to the clarity of the objectives targeted for all the members, and to the sharing of private information, in addition to those arising from the irrelevance of the training received by the staff. As for proposing solutions, the integration of IT tools could improve the performance of HR management processes. Indeed, information systems promote active communication, different storage data that develop the quality of the decision. They also facilitate managing administrative issues, communicating and applying procedures, programming relevant training and motivating employees. The study has important implications for HR professionals and strategic leaders that are especially interested in developing countries. Keywords human resources management, HR function, content analysis, industrial companies, Morocco, job satisfaction, the performance of HR function, IT tools integration, information systems, knowledge-based systems, human-computer interaction.
First report of southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, infecting pomegranate, Punica granatum, in Peru
Authors: Vega-Callo Ricardo Andreé , Mendoza-Lima María Yaquelin , Mamani-Mendoza Nataly Ruth , Lozada-Villanueva Leslie Sharon , Tamo-Zegarra Juan José , Casa-Ruiz Teodocia Gloria , Bellé Cristiano
Published: April 2020

Punica granatum plants showing symptoms caused by root-knot nematodes were detected in the municipality of Majes, Arequipa, Peru. Based on the morphological, esterase phenotypes, and molecular analyses of the mitochondrial DNA region between the cytochome oxidase subunit II and 16 S rRNA genes (mtDNA) and species-specific sequence characterized amplified region, the causal agent of the observed symptoms was identified as Meloidogyne incognita. Pathogenicity was confirmed by fulfilling a modified version of Koch’s postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. incognita infecting P. granatum in Peru.
Desenvolvimento e Educação: alguns apontamentos críticos sobre o desenvolvimento em interface com o campo educacional
Authors: Rodrigues Rogério
Published: April 2020

O tema deste ensaio insere-se na discussão sobre as relações entre o desenvolvimento e o campo educacional, que se encontram hegemonicamente estabelecidas na noção de causalidade. O nosso objetivo é analisar criticamente a contradição presente na concepção de desenvolvimento que limita o sujeito a um instrumento na competência técnica, sendo esta um elemento condicionante para a ampliação dos indicadores desse desenvolvimento. A nossa pergunta central é se teríamos a possibilidade de outras formas de relações entre desenvolvimento e educação que pudessem resultar na gestão e planejamento do Estado, numa concepção crítica para além da relação de causa e efeito. O método utilizado tem como proposição investigativa o campo da teoria crítica, na análise do conceito de desenvolvimento em interface com o campo educacional. Conclui-se que, ao se pensar o desenvolvimento e o processo de/formação do sujeito em relação ao campo educacional, dever-se-iam encontrar elementos que pudessem romper com a concepção da competência técnica e neutra para uma posição de igualdade que o implica como ponto de partida para se analisar a questão da qualidade do desenvolvimento da sociedade.
Influences of stormwater concentration infiltration on the heavy metal contents of soil in rain gardens
Authors: Guo Chao , Li Jiake , Li Huaien , Li Yajiao
Published: April 2020

Many studies have been conducted on water volume reduction and pollutants purification of rain gardens. However, the pollutant variations in rain gardens are rarely explored. Seven soil sampling events were conducted from April 2017 to February 2019 to investigate the influences of stormwater concentration infiltration on soil heavy metals in two rain gardens. The results show that: (1) Cu, Zn, and Cd contents in rain garden soil are greater than those of the control soil. They vary with seasons and are trapped in the top layer of 0–30 cm; (2) Cu, Zn, and Pb exist as iron–manganese oxide combined form (S3), organic bound (S4) and residual forms (S5). However, Cd exists in exchangeable (S1) and carbonate bound (S2) forms, whereas Cr is in the S2, S3, and S4 forms. (3) According to the Soil Environmental Quality Standard in China, rain gardens, running for 8–9 years, are relatively clean and, within level II. However, compared with the background content of Shaanxi Province and the world, they are moderately or even heavily polluted by Cd and Zn and slightly polluted by Cu. It indicates that rain gardens have the risk of heavy metal pollution from stormwater concentration infiltration.
Effective degradation of tetracycline by magnetic palygorskite synthesized with different dosages of NaOH
Authors: Lian Jintao , Yi Yunqiang , Zhang Nuanqin , Fang Zhanqiang
Published: April 2020

In the process of preparing magnetic palygorskite from waste pickling liquor of the steel industry, the dosage of NaOH will affect the properties of the magnetic palygorskite. The experimental results showed that magnetic palygorskite can be effectively prepared when NaOH dosage is between 255 and 330 g/L. Vibration sample magnetometry proved that different NaOH dosages can affect the saturation magnetization of magnetic palygorskite. The catalytic performance of five catalysts synthesized with different NaOH dosages hardly changed after five cycles of Fenton-like catalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC). The magnetic palygorskite prepared by this method had good catalytic performance even when the catalyst preparation conditions were magnified ten times, which can provide a reference for large-scale preparation of magnetic palygorskite.
Activated carbon embedded alginate beads for removing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen from wastewater: equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, desorption, and reusability
Authors: Ozcan Nazli , Saloglu Didem
Published: April 2020

In the present study, activated carbon/alginate (AC/ALG) beads were successfully synthesized with different AC:ALG ratios of 1.0–3.0 (w/v) and used for the adsorption of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen from wastewater. The beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and adsorbent dosage, initial pH, initial naproxen concentration, and contact time in removal efficiency were investigated. Maximum naproxen removal percentage was achieved using 350 mg of AC/ALG beads with a ratio of 3.0% (w/v) within six hours and naproxen removal performance was determined to be 98.0%. Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models were fitted to the equilibrium data better than the Langmuir model. According to kinetics results, the equilibrium time for the AC/ALG beads was reached in four hours and the kinetic model was determined by the pseudo-second-order equation. The thermodynamic parameters were calculated and enthalpy of naproxen adsorption was found to be positive for all AC/ALG beads. After the adsorption process the beads can easily be regenerated by ethanol and reused within seven cycles.
Los procesos migratorios como expresión de integración territorial de México y Centroamérica
Authors: Mosquera Aguilar Antonio
Published: April 2020

Este documento presenta algunas consideraciones acerca de la migración guatemalteca a México como expresión demográfica de un proceso de integración, en todos los planos de la realidad, entre dos países vecinos. Cuando el flujo migratorio ha crecido en magnitud adquiriendo un carácter de movimiento de masas, se enfrenta con dificultades en su conceptualización. Esta migración no es un proceso que enfrente a dos poblaciones con características culturales diferentes, sino que se trata de un mayor grado de relaciones entre las poblaciones de Guatemala y el estado mexicano de Chiapas, donde sus habitantes poseen en muchos sentidos, rasgos culturales iguales y se enfrentan, en su desarrollo social a contradicciones sociales similares. Después de conocer las corrientes migratorias se sitúa el ámbito del problema haciendo una regionalización que ubique geográficamente el fenómeno. La aceptación de las regiones fronterizas que se proponen en este estudio será de utilidad para el acopio futuro de datos.
On the selection of suitable operate durations for injection tests in low permeability reservoirs
Authors: Asalkhuzina Guzyal F. , Davletbaev Alfred Ya. , Khabibullin Ildus L. , Akhmetova Rina R.
Published: April 2020

The article discusses the aspects of conducting and analyzing the results of hydrodynamic studies of wells (well test) at steady-state injection modes conducted in injection wells in order to assess reservoir pressure and injectivity. The main goal of this work is to determine the necessary duration of injection modes at which reservoir pressure will be determined at the maximum research radius. In view of the considerable duration of the study, in low-permeability reservoirs, the work of the environment wells is taken into account, which, in the process of well research, should have a minimal impact on the results of data interpretation. To this end, we simulated the dynamics of pressure changes for this type of well test for various parameters of the reservoir and the duration of injection modes, taking into account the influence of the work of the surrounding production wells.
To solve this problem, we used a numerical model of fluid filtration in an element of a nine-point development system in a low-permeable reservoir. The production and injection of fluid is carried out in wells with main technogenic fractures of hydraulic fracturing. During the simulation, the filtration parameters of the “fracture-formation” system and the duration of the well operating modes were varied, and synthetic data on the change in pressure in the wells were reproduced. Pressure and flow rates at the well operating modes were analyzed by plotting the indicator diagram (ID). Estimates of the extrapolated pressure from the ID graphs were compared with the pressures in the numerical model, in particular, the pressure on the supply circuit and on the study radius.
It is shown that for low-permeability formations when studying injection wells using the steady-state injection method, it is necessary to take into account the research radius, which depends on the permeability of the formation and the duration of the injection regimes. Also, the research radius must be taken into account when constructing isobar maps along with the reservoir pressure value.
Antithrombotic Therapy in Lower Extremity Artery Disease
Authors: Vrsalovic Mislav , Aboyans Victor
Published: April 2020

Lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) is a marker of a more advanced atherosclerotic process
often affecting multiple vascular beds beyond the lower limbs, with a consequent increased risk for
all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Antithrombotic therapy is the cornerstone of management of
these patients to prevent ischaemic cardiovascular and limb events and death. In patients with symptomatic
LEAD, the efficacy of aspirin has been established long ago for the prevention of cardiovascular
events. In the current guidelines, clopidogrel may be preferred over aspirin following its incremental
ability to prevent cardiovascular events, while ticagrelor is not superior to clopidogrel in reducing cardiovascular
outcomes. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT, aspirin with clopidogrel) is currently recommended
for at least 1 month after endovascular interventions irrespective of the stent type. Antiplatelet
monotherapy is recommended after infra-inguinal bypass surgery, and DAPT may be considered in
below-the-knee bypass with a prosthetic graft. In symptomatic LEAD, the addition of anticoagulant
(vitamin K antagonists) to antiplatelet therapy increased the risk of major and life-threatening bleeding
without benefit regarding cardiovascular outcomes. In a recent trial, low dose of direct oral anticoagulant
rivaroxaban plus aspirin showed promising results, not only to reduce death and major cardiovascular
events, but also major limb events including amputation. Yet, this option should be considered especially
in very high risk patients, after considering also the bleeding risk. Despite all the evidence accumulated
since >40 years, many patients with LEAD remain undertreated and deserve close attention and
implementation of guidelines advocating the use of antithrombotic therapies, tailored according to their
level of risk.
Zidovudine Glycosylation by Filamentous Fungi Leads to a Better Redox Stability and Improved Cytotoxicity in B16F10 Murine Melanoma Cells
Authors: Arruda Evilanna L. , Japiassu Kamila B. , de Melo Souza Paula L. , Araújo Kelly C.F. , Thomaz Douglas V. , Cortez Alane P. , Garcia Luane F. , Valadares Marize C. , de Souza Gil Eric , de Oliveira Valéria
Published: April 2020

Background:

The strategic development of therapeutic agents, capable of being targeted at their
active sites, has been a major goal in treatment of cancer. The delivery of drugs for tumors has as its main challenge
the development of safe and effective drugs, since the goal of chemotherapy is to eliminate the tumor
completely without affecting healthy cells. The aim of present study was to investigate the antioxidant, anticancer
activities of zidovudine and its α-O-glycosylated derivative obtained by biosynthesis of a filamentous fungi,
Cunninghamela echinulata.

Methods:

An evaluation of the cytotoxic potential of zidovudine and its α-O-glycosylated was performed in
fibroblasts and melanoma cells by the tetrazolium reduction method (MTT) and the antioxidant activity of this
derivative was observed.

Results:

The antioxidant activity of zidovudine demonstrated an electrochemical oxidation potential of 0.91V,
while the α-O-glycosylated derivative did not exhibit any antioxidant activity. The zidovudine exhibited low
cytotoxicity for melanoma and fibroblast cells, while the α-O-glycosylated derivative presented better cytotoxicity
on melanoma cells at a concentration of 10mg. mL-1.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates the specific cytotoxicity of the glycoconjugate and suggests that glycosylation
by biosynthesis can be a useful strategy for obtaining new anticancer compounds.