bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
As long as (I think) my husband agrees…: role of perceived partner approval in contraceptive use among couples living in military camps in Kinshasa, DRC
Authors: Hernandez Julie H. , Babazadeh Saleh , Anglewicz Philip A. , Akilimali Pierre Z.
Published: January 2022

Background

Male partner’s approval is a key determinant of contraceptive use for women living in Sub-Saharan Africa and improving men’s support and couple communication is a cornerstone of family planning programs. However, approval is often only measured through the women’s perception of their partner’s opinion.

Methods

This study conducted in Kinshasa compares contraceptive approval variables from matched male and female partners (n = 252 couples) to establish the frequency of (in)accurate perceptions by the woman, then test their association with modern contraceptive use. Additional regressions estimate individual and couple variables associated with (in)correct perceptions.

Results

Results confirm women are poorly aware of their partner’s opinion but indicate that perceived approval or disapproval by the woman is a much stronger determinant of modern contraceptive use than her partner’s actual opinion. Higher educational achievement from the woman is the strongest driver of misunderstanding her partner’s approval.

Conclusions

Women’s perceptions of partner’s approval are much stronger determinant of contraceptive use than the latter’s actual opinion, and stereotyping men’s opinion of family planning is a common error of appreciation. However, findings also suggest these misunderstandings might serve women’s capacity to negotiate contraceptive use.
Pollinating fig wasps’ simple solutions to complex sex ratio problems: a review
Authors: Greeff Jaco M. , Kjellberg Finn
Published: January 2022

Local mate competition (LMC) favours female biased clutch sex ratios because it reduces competition between brothers and provides extra mating opportunities for sons. Fig wasps seem to fit LMC model assumptions and lay female-biased sex ratios as predicted. These female biased sex ratios increase fitness greatly. In line with predictions, their sex ratios become less female-biased as the number of mothers laying in the same fig increases. However, this variation results in comparatively small fitness benefits compared to just biased ratios and data suggest substantial mismatches with LMC theory. The mismatches are due to several factors. (1) Multiple foundresses typically lay too many daughters. (2) Single foundress sex ratios are explained by sequential oviposition and ladies-last models. (3) Mortality that typically exceeds 10% may decouple the link between primary sex ratios, the focus of model predictions, and secondary sex ratios of adult wasps that are counted by researchers. (4) Model assumptions are frequently violated: (a) clutch sizes are unequal, (b) oviposition may not be simultaneous (c) cryptic/multiple wasp species inhabit the same host, (d) foundress numbers are systematically undercounted, (e) inbreeding coefficient calculations are inaccurate, and (f) male wasps sometimes disperse. These data and calculations suggest that alternative explanations must be considered seriously. Substantial data show that wasps typically lay most of their male eggs first followed by mostly female eggs require a new approach. These “slope” strategies result in more accurate sex ratios that are automatically adjusted to foundress number, own and relative clutch sizes and to sequential clutches. This effect will alter sex ratios in all species once the egg capacity of a fig is crossed or when interference reduces clutch sizes. In addition to this passive response, the females of about half the studied species have a conditional response that reduces female bias under higher foundress numbers by laying more sons. Therefore, wasps seem to use a very simple strategy that increases their fitness. Natural selection could have optimized parameters of the slope strategy and possibly the existence of the slope strategy itself. Variation in the slope strategy that is the result of natural selection is adaptive. Research should therefore focus on quantifying variables of this slope strategy. Currently, it is unclear how much of the variation is adaptive as opposed to being coincidental by-products.

Graphical Abstract
Characterization of stroke-related upper limb motor impairments across various upper limb activities by use of kinematic core set measures
Authors: Schwarz Anne , Bhagubai Miguel M. C. , Nies Saskia H. G. , Held Jeremia P. O. , Veltink Peter H. , Buurke Jaap H. , Luft Andreas R.
Published: January 2022

Background

Upper limb kinematic assessments provide quantifiable information on qualitative movement behavior and limitations after stroke. A comprehensive characterization of spatiotemporal kinematics of stroke subjects during upper limb daily living activities is lacking. Herein, kinematic expressions were investigated with respect to different movement types and impairment levels for the entire task as well as for motion subphases.

Method

Chronic stroke subjects with upper limb movement impairments and healthy subjects performed a set of daily living activities including gesture and grasp movements. Kinematic measures of trunk displacement, shoulder flexion/extension, shoulder abduction/adduction, elbow flexion/extension, forearm pronation/supination, wrist flexion/extension, movement time, hand peak velocity, number of velocity peaks (NVP), and spectral arc length (SPARC) were extracted for the whole movement as well as the subphases of reaching distally and proximally. The effects of the factors gesture versus grasp movements, and the impairment level on the kinematics of the whole task were tested. Similarities considering the metrics expressions and relations were investigated for the subphases of reaching proximally and distally between tasks and subgroups.

Results

Data of 26 stroke and 5 healthy subjects were included. Gesture and grasp movements were differently expressed across subjects. Gestures were performed with larger shoulder motions besides higher peak velocity. Grasp movements were expressed by larger trunk, forearm, and wrist motions. Trunk displacement, movement time, and NVP increased and shoulder flexion/extension decreased significantly with increased impairment level. Across tasks, phases of reaching distally were comparable in terms of trunk displacement, shoulder motions and peak velocity, while reaching proximally showed comparable expressions in trunk motions. Consistent metric relations during reaching distally were found between shoulder flexion/extension, elbow flexion/extension, peak velocity, and between movement time, NVP, and SPARC. Reaching proximally revealed reproducible correlations between forearm pronation/supination and wrist flexion/extension, movement time and NVP.

Conclusion

Spatiotemporal differences between gestures versus grasp movements and between different impairment levels were confirmed. The consistencies of metric expressions during movement subphases across tasks can be useful for linking kinematic assessment standards and daily living measures in future research and performing task and study comparisons.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03135093. Registered 26 April 2017,https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03135093.
The follicular lymphoma epigenome regulates its microenvironment
Authors: Amin Rada , Braza Mounia S.
Published: January 2022

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma of germinal center (GC) origin with a distinctive tumor microenvironment (TME) and a unique spectrum of mutations. Despite the important therapeutic advances, FL is still incurable. During B-cell development, the GC reaction is a complex multistep process in which epigenetic regulators dynamically induce or suppress transcriptional programs. In FL, epigenetic gene mutations perturb the regulation of these programs, changing GC B-cell function and skewing differentiation towards tumor cells and altering the microenvironment interactions. FL pathogenesis and malignant transformation are promoted by epigenetic reprogramming of GC B cells that alters the immunological synapse and niche. Despite the extensive characterization of FL epigenetic signature and TME, the functional consequences of epigenetic dysregulation on TME and niche plasticity need to be better characterized. In this review, first we describe the most frequent epigenomic alterations in FL (KMT2D, CREBBP and EZH2) that affect the immunological niche, and their potential consequences on the informational transfer between tumor B cells and their microenvironment. Then, we discuss the latest progress to harness epigenetic targets for inhibiting the FL microenvironment. Finally, we highlight unexplored research areas and outstanding questions that should be considered for a successful long-term treatment of FL.
Using synthetic chromosome controls to evaluate the sequencing of difficult regions within the human genome
Authors: Reis Andre L. M. , Deveson Ira W. , Madala Bindu Swapna , Wong Ted , Barker Chris , Xu Joshua , Lennon Niall , Tong Weida , Mercer Tim R. ,   on behalf of the SEQC2 Consortium
Published: January 2022

Background

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify mutations in the human genome that cause disease and has been widely adopted in clinical diagnosis. However, the human genome contains many polymorphic, low-complexity, and repetitive regions that are difficult to sequence and analyze. Despite their difficulty, these regions include many clinically important sequences that can inform the treatment of human diseases and improve the diagnostic yield of NGS.

Results

To evaluate the accuracy by which these difficult regions are analyzed with NGS, we built an in silico decoy chromosome, along with corresponding synthetic DNA reference controls, that encode difficult and clinically important human genome regions, including repeats, microsatellites, HLA genes, and immune receptors. These controls provide a known ground-truth reference against which to measure the performance of diverse sequencing technologies, reagents, and bioinformatic tools. Using this approach, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of short- and long-read sequencing instruments, library preparation methods, and software tools and identify the errors and systematic bias that confound our resolution of these remaining difficult regions.

Conclusions

This study provides an analytical validation of diagnosis using NGS in difficult regions of the human genome and highlights the challenges that remain to resolve these difficult regions.
The SMARTscreen Trial: a randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of a GP-endorsed narrative SMS to increase participation in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program
Authors: Wood Anna , Emery Jon D. , Jenkins Mark , Chondros Patty , Campbell Tina , Wenkart Edweana , O’Reilly Clare , Cowie Tony , Dixon Ian , Toner Julie , Khalajzadeh Hourieh , Gutierrez Javiera Martinez , Govan Linda , Buckle Gemma , McIntosh Jennifer G.
Published: January 2022

Background

Increasing participation in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) is the most efficient and cost-effective way of reducing mortality associated with colorectal cancer by detecting and treating early-stage disease. Currently, only 44% of Australians aged 50–74 years complete the NBCSP. This efficacy trial aims to test whether this SMS intervention is an effective method for increasing participation in the NBCSP. Furthermore, a process evaluation will explore the barriers and facilitators to sending the SMS from general practice.

Methods

We will recruit 20 general practices in the western region of Victoria, Australia to participate in a cluster randomised controlled trial. General practices will be randomly allocated with a 1:1 ratio to either a control or intervention group. Established general practice software will be used to identify patients aged 50 to 60 years old who are due to receive a NBCSP kit in the next month. The SMS intervention includes GP endorsement and links to narrative messages about the benefits of and instructions on how to complete the NBCSP kit. It will be sent from intervention general practices to eligible patients prior to receiving the NBCSP kit. We require 1400 eligible patients to provide 80% power with a two-sided 5% significance level to detect a 10% increase in CRC screening participation in the intervention group compared to the control group. Our primary outcome is the difference in the proportion of eligible patients who completed a faecal occult blood test (FOBT) between the intervention and control group for up to 12 months after the SMS was sent, as recorded in their electronic medical record (EMR). A process evaluation using interview data collected from general practice staff (GP, practice managers, nurses) and patients will explore the feasibility and acceptability of sending and receiving a SMS to prompt completing a NBCSP kit.

Discussion

This efficacy trial will provide initial trial evidence of the utility of an SMS narrative intervention to increase participation in the NBCSP. The results will inform decisions about the need for and design of a larger, multi-state trial of this SMS intervention to determine its cost-effectiveness and future implementation.

Trial registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620001020976. Registered on 17 October 2020.
A lepidic gene signature predicts patient prognosis and sensitivity to immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Nguyen Thinh T. , Lee Hyun-Sung , Burt Bryan M. , Wu Jia , Zhang Jianjun , Amos Christopher I. , Cheng Chao
Published: January 2022

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, has a high level of morphologic heterogeneity and is composed of tumor cells of multiple histological subtypes. It has been reported that immune cell infiltration significantly impacts clinical outcomes of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. However, it is unclear whether histologic subtyping can reflect the tumor immune microenvironment, and whether histologic subtyping can be applied for therapeutic stratification of the current standard of care.

Methods

We inferred immune cell infiltration levels using a histological subtype-specific gene expression dataset. From differential gene expression analysis between different histological subtypes, we developed two gene signatures to computationally determine the relative abundance of lepidic and solid components (denoted as the L-score and S-score, respectively) in lung adenocarcinoma samples. These signatures enabled us to investigate the relationship between histological composition and clinical outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma using previously published datasets.

Results

We found dramatic immunological differences among histological subtypes. Differential gene expression analysis showed that the lepidic and solid subtypes could be differentiated based on their gene expression patterns while the other subtypes shared similar gene expression patterns. Our results indicated that higher L-scores were associated with prolonged survival, and higher S-scores were associated with shortened survival. L-scores and S-scores were also correlated with global genomic features such as tumor mutation burdens and driver genomic events. Interestingly, we observed significantly decreased L-scores and increased S-scores in lung adenocarcinoma samples with EGFR gene amplification but not in samples with EGFR gene mutations. In lung cancer cell lines, we observed significant correlations between L-scores and cell sensitivity to a number of targeted drugs including EGFR inhibitors. Moreover, lung cancer patients with higher L-scores were more likely to benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

Conclusions

Our findings provided further insights into evaluating histology composition in lung adenocarcinoma. The established signatures reflected that lepidic and solid subtypes in lung adenocarcinoma would be associated with prognosis, genomic features, and responses to targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The signatures therefore suggested potential clinical translation in predicting patient survival and treatment responses. In addition, our framework can be applied to other types of cancer with heterogeneous histological subtypes.
Computed tomography in traumatic orbital emergencies: a pictorial essay—imaging findings, tips, and report flowchart
Authors: Cellina Michaela , Cè Maurizio , Marziali Sara , Irmici Giovanni , Gibelli Daniele , Oliva Giancarlo , Carrafiello Gianpaolo
Published: January 2022

Computed tomography (CT) is considered the gold standard technique for the assessment of trauma patients with suspected involvement of the eye and orbit. These traumas can result in dramatic consequences to visual function, ocular motility, and aesthetics. CT is a quick and widely available imaging modality, which provides a detailed evaluation of the orbital bony and soft tissue structures, an accurate assessment of the globes, and is used to guide the patients’ treatment planning. For a timely and accurate diagnosis, radiologists should be aware of fracture patterns and possible associated complications, ocular detachments and hemorrhages, and different appearances of intraorbital foreign bodies. This educational review aims to describe all post-traumatic orbital abnormalities that can be identified on CT, providing a list of tips and a diagnostic flowchart to help radiologists deal with this complex condition.
Peripheral neuropathy as a very rare symptom in a patient with Niemann–Pick type C with negative enzymatic evaluation: a case report
Authors: Barzegar Mohammad , Valaee Fatemeh , Ghoreishizadeh Shadi
Published: January 2022

Background

Niemann–Pick is a rare metabolic disease distinguished by lysosomal storage defects. This disease is characterized by sphingomyelinase acid deficiency, causing its accumulation in various organs such as the kidneys, spleen, liver, brain, and nerves. Niemann–Pick disease is categorized into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Peripheral neuropathy is an extremely rare complication in patients with Niemann–Pick type C, which certainly leads to neurologic deterioration.

Case presentation

We report a case of Niemann–Pick type C disease in a 3-year-old Iranian Azeri female patient who was hospitalized twice. The first time was at 1 month of age with symptoms of splenomegaly, jaundice, and elevated liver enzymes, and the second time was at around age 2 for loss of mental and physical abilities. The patient presented with failure to thrive. According to paraclinical examinations, mildly delayed myelination along with a nonspecific periventricular hypersignal intensity was seen. Interestingly, the patient’s Niemann–Pick type C enzymatic function was evaluated twice and was negative on both occasions, while she was positive for NPC1 and NPC2 gene examinations.

Conclusions

In this study, despite the enzymatic study being negative, Niemann–Pick type C disease was finally confirmed, revealing the importance of mutations in Niemann–Pick type C pathogenesis. Besides, peripheral neuropathy was diagnosed in this patient as a very rare symptom of Niemann–Pick type C.
Concurrent myasthenia gravis-related cervical thymoma in a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a case report
Authors: Kunacheewa Chutima , Wongwiangjunt Sattawut , Sukpanichnant Sanya
Published: January 2022

Background

Cervical thymoma is a rare thymic epithelial neoplasm. Evidence supports an increased risk of second primary malignancies in patients with thymoma. We report a rare case of a patient with synchronous cervical thymoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Case presentation

An 81-year-old Thai woman was referred for further treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. While waiting for a review of the original pathological examination of a mass in the left neck and a mass in the left arm, the attending physician noticed ptosis of the upper eyelids, which was proven to be caused by myasthenia gravis. The final pathology review confirmed that the arm mass was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but the neck mass was cervical thymoma, type B1, not diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Interestingly, the patient reported that the arm mass had been present for 2 years, while the neck mass had grown rapidly in the past month. A diagnostic challenge had arisen when the initial morphological evaluation was not performed with care, causing the first pathologist to misinterpret that the neoplastic cells in both masses were the same.

Conclusion

Concurrent cervical thymoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were proven after a careful pathology review, leading to better clinical management.
Reduced reference image and video quality assessments: review of methods
Authors: Dost Shahi , Saud Faryal , Shabbir Maham , Khan Muhammad Gufran , Shahid Muhammad , Lovstrom Benny
Published: January 2022

With the growing demand for image and video-based applications, the requirements of consistent quality assessment metrics of image and video have increased. Different approaches have been proposed in the literature to estimate the perceptual quality of images and videos. These approaches can be divided into three main categories; full reference (FR), reduced reference (RR) and no-reference (NR). In RR methods, instead of providing the original image or video as a reference, we need to provide certain features (i.e., texture, edges, etc.) of the original image or video for quality assessment. During the last decade, RR-based quality assessment has been a popular research area for a variety of applications such as social media, online games, and video streaming. In this paper, we present review and classification of the latest research work on RR-based image and video quality assessment. We have also summarized different databases used in the field of 2D and 3D image and video quality assessment. This paper would be helpful for specialists and researchers to stay well-informed about recent progress of RR-based image and video quality assessment. The review and classification presented in this paper will also be useful to gain understanding of multimedia quality assessment and state-of-the-art approaches used for the analysis. In addition, it will help the reader select appropriate quality assessment methods and parameters for their respective applications.
Experimental Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements
Authors: Liang Ninghui , You Xiufei , Yan Ru , Miao Qingxu , Liu Xinrong
Published: January 2022

To explore the effect of multi-scale polypropylene fiber (PPF) hybridization on the mechanical properties of roller-compacted concrete (RCC), the early-age (3, 7, 14, 28 days) compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and uniaxial tensile test of RCC reinforced with micro-, macro- and hybrid polypropylene fibers were investigated. Then, the tensile stress–strain curve of polypropylene fiber-reinforced roller-compacted concrete (PFRCC) and the corresponding tensile parameters were obtained. The uniaxial tensile constitutive equation of PFRCC and fiber hybrid effect function was also proposed. Finally, the enhancement mechanism of fiber hybridization on mechanical properties of RCC was analyzed. The results indicated that the strength and toughness of PFRCC improved with the incorporation of PPF, showing obvious plastic failure characteristics of PFRCC. Before curing the concrete for 7 days, micro-PPF played a major role in strengthening RCC, while macro-PPF played a major role in reinforcing concrete after that. Moreover, the tensile strength and toughness indexes of multi-scale PFRCC performed the best, indicating the positive hybridization of three types of PPF. The proposed PFRCC uniaxial tensile constitutive equation and fiber hybrid effect function based on existing researches were also well matched with the experimental results.
Multidetector CT findings of primary pleural angiosarcoma : a systematic review, an additional cases report
Authors: Gil Bo Mi , Chung Myung Hee , Lee Ki-Nam , Jung Jung Im , Yoo Won Jong , Kwon Soon Seog , Lee Heejeong
Published: January 2022

Background

To demonstrate and analyze the relatively common imaging findings in this rare primary pleural angiosarcoma (PPA).

Case presentation

Three cases of PPA, proven by video-assisted thoracic surgery biopsies are retrospectively reviewed. Patients were all male. Age ranges from 65 to 75 years old age (mean; 69). Major chief complaints were dyspnea and chest pain. One has a history of colon cancer, the other has a tuberculosis history and the other has no known history. Multidetector chest CT and PET CT were all done. Immunohistochemical studies were performed including CD31, CD34, or factor VIII-related antigen, vimentin, and cytokeratin. We also review the literatures on recently published PPA. All masses were from 1 to 10 cm. All three patients had multiple pleural based masses, which were ovoid in shape with relatively sharp margin in unilateral hemithorax. Multiple small circumscribed pleural masses are limited in the pleural space in two patients, whereas two, huge lobulated masses about up to 10 cm were present with pleural and extrapleural involvement in one patient. In two patients with pleural mass only, multiple pleural masses were only seen in parietal pleura in one patient and were in both visceral and parietal pleura in one patient. Pleural effusion were found in one side in one patient and in both sides in one patient. One angiosarcoma was arised from chronic tuberculotic pleurisy sequelae. All pleural masses are heterogenous with irregular internal low densities in all patients. Hematogenous metastases were found in liver, vertebra, rib in one patient, and were in lungs with mediastinal lymph node metastases in the other patient. Three patients survived for longer than 3months after diagnosis, but continued to deteriorate rapidly. Two patients underwent chemotherapy after surgical excision, and the other one with multiple metastases treated chemotherapy after CT-guided biopsy, but eventually all died. As a result of comparative analysis of a total of 13 patients’ images including 10 cases previously published, there was pleural effusion in all except 2 cases.

Conclusions

PPA were all necrotic without any vascularized enhancing nature, and manifested as unilateral circumscribed or localized pleural-based masses.
A study of composition and diversity variation of avifauna along with different types of agroforestry system in Kibet town, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Yasin Hussen , Tekalign Wondimagegnehu
Published: January 2022

Background

Agroforestry is an integrated land-use system that plays a great role in the conservation of landscape biodiversity. The study aimed to assess the composition and diversity of avian species along with different habitat types of agroforestry in Kibet Town, Southern Ethiopia.

Methods

Four habitat types of agroforestry system which are home gardens, live fences, parkland, and eucalyptus woodlot were identified. Line transects were used for bird surveys. The Shannon diversity index (H′) and species evenness index (E) were used to compare diversity among habitat types. A similarity percentages (SIMPER) test was carried out to identify the main species and feeding guild that typified each habitat type. The overall significance was assessed with the ANOSIM test using PAST (version 4.03).

Results

A total of 50 bird species belonging to 28 families and 10 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes (67.3%) had the highest number of species. Bird community composition differed among habitat types. The dissimilarity was mainly due to White-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini), Streaky seed-eater (Serinus striolatus), Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis), and Black-Headed Paradise Flycatcher (T. rufiventer). The finding also revealed that insectivore was the dominant feeding guild.

Conclusions

The present study shows evidence that more insectivore bird species use different types of agroforestry as habitat and foraging sites. So, any concerned bodies who have engaged in avian conservation should give special consideration to this modified landscape.
Honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity and aversive conditioning following aluminum trichloride exposure
Authors: Chicas-Mosier A. M. , Black T. E. , Hester K. P. , Belzunces L. P. , Abramson C. I.
Published: January 2022

Background

Aluminum is the third most prevalent element in the earth’s crust. In most conditions, it is tightly bound to form inaccessible compounds, however in low soil pH, the ionized form of aluminum can be taken up by plant roots and distributed throughout the plant tissue. Following this uptake, nectar and pollen concentrations in low soil pH regions can reach nearly 300 mg/kg. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been demonstrated following aluminum exposure in mammal and aquatic invertebrate species. In honey bees, behaviors consistent with AChE inhibition have been previously recorded; however, the physiological mechanism has not been tested, nor has aversive conditioning.

Results

This article presents results of ingested aqueous aluminum chloride exposure on AChE as well as acute exposure effects on aversive conditioning in an Apis mellifera ligustica hive. Contrary to previous findings, AChE activity significantly increased as compared to controls following exposure to 300 mg/L Al3+. In aversive conditioning studies, using an automated shuttlebox, there were time and dose-dependent effects on learning and reduced movement following 75 and 300 mg/L exposures.

Conclusions

These findings, in comparison to previous studies, suggest that aluminum toxicity in honey bees may depend on exposure period, subspecies, and study metrics. Further studies are encouraged at the moderate-high exposure concentrations as there may be multiple variables that affect toxicity which should be teased apart further.
DWI-related texture analysis for prostate cancer: differences in correlation with histological aggressiveness and data repeatability between peripheral and transition zones
Authors: Tsuruta Chie , Hirata Kenji , Kudo Kohsuke , Masumori Naoya , Hatakenaka Masamitsu
Published: January 2022

Background

We investigated the correlation between texture features extracted from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps or diffusion-weighted images (DWIs), and grade group (GG) in the prostate peripheral zone (PZ) and transition zone (TZ), and assessed reliability in repeated examinations.

Methods

Patients underwent 3-T pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before radical prostatectomy with repeated DWI using b-values of 0, 100, 1,000, and 1,500 s/mm2. Region of interest (ROI) for cancer was assigned to the first and second DWI acquisition separately. Texture features of ROIs were extracted from comma-separated values (CSV) data of ADC maps generated from several sets of two b-value combinations and DWIs, and correlation with GG, discrimination ability between GG of 1–2 versus 3–5, and data repeatability were evaluated in PZ and TZ.

Results

Forty-four patients with 49 prostate cancers met the eligibility criteria. In PZ, ADC 10% and 25% based on ADC map of two b-value combinations of 100 and 1,500 s/mm2 and 10% based on ADC map with b-value of 0 and 1,500 s/mm2 showed significant correlation with GG, acceptable discrimination ability, and good repeatability. In TZ, higher-order texture feature of busyness extracted from ADC map of 100 and 1,500 s/mm2, and high gray-level run emphasis, short-run high gray-level emphasis, and high gray-level zone emphasis from DWI with b-value of 100 s/mm2 demonstrated significant correlation, excellent discrimination ability, but moderate repeatability.

Conclusions

Some DWI-related features showed significant correlation with GG, acceptable to excellent discrimination ability, and moderate to good data repeatability in prostate cancer, and differed between PZ and TZ.
Does grip strength correlate with rotator cuff strength in patients with atraumatic shoulder instability?
Authors: Turabi Ruqayyah , Horsely Ian , Birch Helen , Jaggi Anju
Published: January 2022

Aim

To investigate if there is a correlation between grip strength (GS) and rotator cuff (RC) strength in patients with atraumatic shoulder instability (ASI) and to compare the relationship between these two measures with that previously published for a healthy population. Moreover, to determine if testing GS could be incorporated as a surrogate clinical assessment for RC strength in these patients.

Methods

A total of 20 subjects with ASI were included. Out of the 20 patients, eight presented with bilateral instability, which constituted a total of 28 atraumatic unstable shoulders (N = 28). GS was measured using a Jamar hand-dynamometer. External rotation (ER) and internal rotation (IR) strength was tested in inner and outer ranges using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD). Pearson’s correlation test was computed to investigate the relationship. Multiple linear regression was conducted to predict GS based on RC strength.

Results

Significant and strong positive correlations were found between GS and inner-range IR (r = 0.764, P < 0.001), inner-range ER (r = 0.611, P = 0.001), outer-range IR (r = 0.817, P < 0.001), and outer-range ER (r = 0.736, P < 0.001). A significant regression equation was found (F (4, 23) = 13.254, P < 0.001), with an R2 of 0.697 indicating that RC strength explained 69.7% of the variance in GS.

Conclusions

The results support the hypothesis showing that GS is strongly associated with RC strength in ASI patients. The simplicity of handgrip testing allows it to be used in clinical scenarios where sophisticated assessment tools are not available. GS is a convenient means to monitor patient progress during shoulder rehabilitation programs.
Liquid-crystal metasurfaces: Self-assembly for versatile optical functionality
Authors: Kasyanova Irina V. , Gorkunov Maxim V. , Palto Serguei P.
Published: January 2022

Liquid crystals subjected to modulated surface alignment assemble into metasurface-type structures capable of various flat-optical functionalities, including light diffraction and focusing, deflection and splitting. Remaining in a fluid phase, they are susceptible to external stimuli, and, in particular, can be efficiently controled by low voltages. We overview the existing approaches to the design and fabrication of liquid-crystal metasurfaces, highlight their realized optical functions and discuss the applied potential in emerging photonic devices.
Made by cells for cells – extracellular vesicles as next-generation mainstream medicines
Authors: Phan Thanh Huyen , Kim Sally Yunsun , Rudge Christopher , Chrzanowski Wojciech
Published: January 2022

Current medicine has only taken us so far in reducing disease and tissue damage. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are membranous nanostructures produced naturally by cells, have been hailed as a next-generation medicine. EVs deliver various biomolecules, including proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, which can influence the behaviour of specific target cells. Since EVs not only mirror composition of their parent cells but also modify the recipient cells, they can be used in three key areas of medicine: regenerative medicine, disease detection and drug delivery. In this Review, we discuss the transformational and translational progress witnessed in EV-based medicine to date, focusing on two key elements: the mechanisms by which EVs aid tissue repair (for example, skin and bone tissue regeneration) and the potential of EVs to detect diseases at an early stage with high sensitivity and specificity (for example, detection of glioblastoma). Furthermore, we describe the progress and results of clinical trials of EVs and demonstrate the benefits of EVs when compared with traditional medicine, including cell therapy in regenerative medicine and solid biopsy in disease detection. Finally, we present the challenges, opportunities and regulatory framework confronting the clinical application of EV-based products.
GABA receptors in the olfactory epithelium of the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)
Authors: Costa Rita A. , Velez Zélia , Hubbard Peter C.
Published: January 2022

Exposure to high PCO2/low pH seawater induces behavioural alterations in fish; a possible explanation for this is a reversal of Cl−/HCO3− currents through GABAA receptors (the GABAA receptor theory). However, the main evidence for this is that gabazine, a GABAA receptor antagonist, reverses these effects when applied to the water, assuming that exposure to systems other than the CNS would be without effect. Here, we show the expression of both metabotropic and ionotropic GABA receptors, and the presence of GABAA receptor protein, in the olfactory epithelium of gilthead seabream. Furthermore, exposure of the olfactory epithelium to muscimol (a specific GABAA receptor agonist) increases or decreases the apparent olfactory sensitivity to some odorants. Thus, although the exact function of GABAA receptors in the olfactory epithelium is not yet clear, this may complicate the interpretation of studies wherein water-borne gabazine is used to reverse the effects of high CO2 levels on olfactory-driven behaviour in fish.
Resting costs too: the relative importance of active and resting energy expenditure in a sub-arctic seabird
Authors: Tremblay Fred , Whelan Shannon , Choy Emily S. , Hatch Scott A. , Elliott Kyle H.
Published: January 2022

Breeding is costly for many animals, including birds that must deliver food to a central place (i.e. nest). Measuring energy expenditure throughout the breeding season can provide valuable insight into physiological limitations by highlighting periods of high demand, and ultimately allows improvement of conservation strategies. However, quantifying energy expenditure in wildlife can be challenging, as existing methods do not measure both active (e.g. foraging) and resting energy costs across short and long time scales. Here, we developed a novel method for comparing active and resting costs in 66 pre-breeding and breeding seabirds (black-legged kittiwakes, Rissa tridactyla) by combining accelerometry and triiodothyronine (T3) as proxies for active and resting costs, respectively. Active energy costs were higher during incubation (P=0.0004) and chick rearing (P<0.0001) than during pre-laying, because of an increase in the time spent in flight of 11% (P=0.0005) and 15% (P<0.0001), respectively. Levels of T3, reflecting resting costs, peaked marginally during incubation with a mean (±s.d.) concentration of 4.71±1.97 pg ml−1 in comparison to 2.66±1.30 pg ml−1 during pre-laying (P=0.05) and 3.16±2.85 pg ml−1 during chick rearing (P=0.11). Thus, although chick rearing is often assumed to be the costliest breeding stage by multiple studies, our results suggest that incubation could be more costly as a result of high resting costs. We highlight the importance of accounting for both active and resting costs when assessing energy expenditure.
Particle Adsorption on Polymer Gel Surface Driven by van der Waals Attraction
Authors: Aoyama Yurina , Sato Naoko , Toyotama Akiko , Okuzono Tohru , Yamanaka Junpei
Published: January 2022

Adsorption of particles on soft hydrogels, which plays an important role in various scientific and industrial fields, has often been studied using interactions such as hydrogen bonding. Here, we demonstrate that submicron-sized colloidal particles can be adsorbed onto gels, solely by van der Waals (vdW) attraction, without any special interaction. We investigated the adsorption of silica, polystyrene, and titania particles on polyacrylamide (PAAm) and polydimethylacrylamide (PDMA) hydrogels. The vdW force was tuned by the refractive index of media. Previously, we studied the particle adsorption on gels (N. Sato et al., Sci. Rep. 7(1), 2017) and concluded that the vdW force is a strong driving force. However, the influence of the medium viscosity on the adsorption rate and the contribution of interactions other than the vdW force needed to be clarified. The PDMA linear polymer adsorbed strongly on the silica particles, but the PAAm polymer did not. On the other hand, both PDMA and PAAm hydrogels strongly adsorbed silica and all other particles in water. The amount of adsorption varied with the magnitude of Hamaker constant. These results indicate that the vdW force is a sufficiently strong driving force for the particle adsorption to polymer hydrogel surfaces in water.
Lactam Strategy Using Amide-Selective Nucleophilic Addition for Quick Access to Complex Amines: Unified Total Synthesis of Stemoamide-Type Alkaloids
Authors: Sugiyama Yasukazu , Soda Yasuki , Yoritate Makoto , Tajima Hayato , Takahashi Yoshito , Shibuya Kana , Ogihara Chisato , Yokoyama Takashi , Oishi Takeshi , Sato Takaaki , Chida Noritaka
Published: January 2022

Our research group has been exploring a lactam strategy for the concise total synthesis of complex alkaloids. In this article, we report full details of the unified total synthesis of stemoamide-type alkaloids by chemoselective assembly of five-membered rings based on the lactam strategy. First, the concise and gram-scale synthesis of tricyclic stemoamide was achieved by vinylogous Michael addition-reduction sequence of an unsaturated γ-lactam with an unsaturated γ-lactone, followed by N-alkylation to form the seven-membered ring. From stemoamide as a common intermediate, chemoselective nucleophilic addition of unsaturated lactone derivatives provides tetracyclic natural products. While stemonine is obtained by an Ir-catalyzed lactam-selective reductive Mannich reaction, saxorumamide and isosaxorumamide are produced through the lactone-selective nucleophilic addition of the lithiated 2-silyl furan. The developed conditions for the lactam-selective nucleophilic reactions are highly general, and were found to be applicable to the total synthesis of pentacyclic stemocochinin and isostemocochinin. The strategy enables the concise and unified total synthesis of tricyclic, tetracyclic and pentacyclic stemoamide-type alkaloids within 12 steps from a commercially available compound.
Triple Surfactant Assisted Synthesis of Novel Core-Shell Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with High Surface Area for Drug Delivery for Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tiburcius Steffi , Krishnan Kannan , Patel Vaishwik , Netherton Jacob , Sathish CI , Weidenhofer Judith , Yang Jae-Hun , Verrills Nicole M , Karakoti Ajay , Vinu Ajayan
Published: January 2022

Core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) have recently emerged as a promising drug delivery system that can be used for loading large quantities of different types of drugs or creating a stimuli responsive system. However, achieving this unique core-shell morphology with smaller size, high specific surface area, and large pore volume is highly challenging. In this study, we report the synthesis of core-shell MSN using a triple surfactant assisted soft-templating approach. We show that the size, morphological and textural properties of the core-shell structures can be easily modified by controlling the amount of fluorocarbon-4 surfactant. The optimised core shell MSN showed the highest surface area of 1496 m2/g that helped in achieving a high drug loading of model drugs doxorubicin (34%) or docetaxel (50%). The small size of core-shell MSN facilitated its rapid uptake within the PC-3 cells within 12 h. The cytotoxicity data using drug loaded MSN showed high cytotoxicity in both PC-3 and LNCaP cell lines suggesting that this versatile platform is efficient in delivering different drugs to various cell types. This unique triple surfactant assisted synthesis of core-shell MSN will open the door for multifaceted applications in imaging and drug delivery.
Family Dog Ownership and Youth Physical Activity Levels: A Scoping Review
Authors: Chase Colleen J. , Mueller Megan K. , Garvey Caroline , Potter Katie
Published: January 2022

Higher youth physical activity (PA) is associated with favorable health outcomes. The PA Guidelines for Americans recommend school-aged children complete at least 60 minutes of daily PA. Only one in three children meet these guidelines. Dog walking and play are potential strategies to increase youth PA. This scoping review summarizes the existing literature on familial dog ownership and youth PA levels and identifies gaps in the literature to inform future studies. Of nine studies that compared PA levels among youth with and without dogs, 77.8% reported a positive association between dog ownership and PA. The majority of studies investigating dog ownership and youth PA are cross-sectional and suggest dog ownership is associated with increased youth PA. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether the relationship is causal. Interventions to increase dog-facilitated PA in youth also are needed. Future studies should examine the dog ownership-PA relationship in low-income and minority youth.
CT-based radiomics model for preoperative prediction of hepatic encephalopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
Authors: Cheng Sihang , Yu Xiang , Chen Xinyue , Jin Zhengyu , Xue Huadan , Wang Zhiwei , Xie Ping
Published: January 2022

Objective:

To develop and evaluate a machine learning-based CT radiomics model for the prediction of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).

Methods:

A total of 106 patients who underwent TIPS placement were consecutively enrolled in this retrospective study. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on unenhanced, arterial phase, and portal venous phase CT images, and radiomics features were extracted, respectively. A radiomics model was established to predict the occurrence of HE after TIPS by using random forest algorithm and 10-fold cross-validation. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to validate the capability of the radiomics model and clinical model on the training, test and original data sets, respectively.

Results:

The radiomics model showed favorable discriminatory ability in the training cohort with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.899 (95% CI, 0.848 to 0.951), while in the test cohort, it was confirmed with an AUC of 0.887 (95% CI, 0.760 to 1.00). After applying this model to original data set, it had an AUC of 0.955 (95% CI, 0.896 to 1.00). A clinical model was also built with an AUC of 0.649 (95% CI, 0.530 to 0.767) in the original data set, and a Delong test demonstrated its relative lower efficiency when compared with the radiomics model (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Machine learning-based CT radiomics model performed better than traditional clinical parameter-based models in the prediction of post-TIPS HE.

Advances in knowledge:

Radiomics model for the prediction of post-TIPS HE was built based on feature extraction from routine acquired pre-operative CT images and feature selection by random forest algorithm, which showed satisfied performance and proved the advantages of machine learning in this field.
Maglev-Cobra: da Universidade para a Sociedade
Authors: Costa Felipe dos Santos , Stephan Richard , Lacerda Rogério , Ferney Rodriguez Velandia Elkin
Published: January 2022

Mais de 80% da população brasileira vive em cidades. Como resposta para osgraves problemas de mobilidade urbana, a UFRJ desenvolveu o MagLev-Cobra, umveículo que utiliza a técnica de levitação magnética (MagLev) baseada emsupercondutores de elevada temperatura crítica e imãs de terras-raras, viabilizadaapenas no final do século XX e início do século XXI. O artigo apresenta oselementos essenciais para o entendimento do sistema, comparando-o com outrasalternativas de transporte urbano e com outras técnicas de levitação magnética.Inúmeras oportunidades para inovação e crescimento tecnológico são oferecidas. Aproposta respeita os preceitos de transporte sustentável, sem a emissão de gasespoluentes e ruído, menor consumo energético e custo operacional, além de forteapelo visual futurista. Detalha-se a passagem do projeto MagLev-Cobra pelas quatroetapas evolutivas (prova de conceito, protótipo funcional, protótipo operacional eindustrialização) enquadradas na escala TRL (Technology Readiness Level)proposta pela NASA. O artigo finaliza com uma discussão sobre os caminhos para oestabelecimento de um empreendimento tecnológico comercial, o esperado retornopara a sociedade.