bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of medical students on their education environment: A quantitative study
Authors: Muganzi David Jolly , Kintu Timothy Mwanje , Nakandi Racheal Mukisaa , Atulinda Linda , Atim Immaculet Kaducu , Mwaka Francis , Kiiza Blair , Ngonzi Joseph
Published: March 2023

Background
Health care workforce is one of the six core components of a well-functioning and sufficient health system. The WHO highlights improving education and training of health workforce as one of the areas of focus for improving health. Medical education is a pillar of the health care workforce. Educational environment, the physical circumstances or conditions under which learning takes place is an important factor that determines the effectiveness of medical education. It’s academic and clinical effects are significant determinants of medical students’ attitudes, knowledge, skills, progression and behaviours. To ensure strong health systems, there is need for improvement in medical education. This has to be contextual and informed by locally relevant data. This study aimed at assessing Ugandan medical students’ perception of their learning environment.
Methods
This was a quantitative cross-sectional study among medical students across five medical schools in Uganda between December 2021 and February 2022. Participants filled an online questionnaire with a demographics section and the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) tool. The data was analyzed using R Studio version 2021.09.0 + 351. The average score for each of the DREEM sub-scales and total DREEM score were calculated in addition to their relationship with demographic characteristics
Results
The average total DREEM score of the 335 participants was 112.27/200 (56.12%). We found that 69% (231/335) of the students had a positive perception while 31% had a negative perception of their learning environment. The sub-scale mean scores were as follows; Perception of Atmosphere – 25.14/48(52%), Social Self-perception − 14.94/28 (53%), Perception of Teachers − 24.86/44 (56%), Perception of Learning − 28.8/48 (59%) and Academic Self-perceptions – 19.04/32 (60%). “There is a good support system for students who get stressed” was the item with the lowest mean score (1.41/5)
Conclusions
The perception of medical students on their learning environment is just above average. This could negatively impact the quality of the health workforce. To ensure training of a robust health workforce, there is need for improvement in learning environment especially the atmosphere and social support.
Effect of silica nanoparticles and modified silica nanoparticles on the mechanical and swelling properties of EPDM/SBR blend nanocomposites
Authors: Ragupathy K. , Prabaharan G. , Pragadish N. , Vishvanathperumal S.
Published: March 2023

The influences of nanosilica and modified nanosilica on cure, compression set, mechanical and swelling characteristics are studied in blends of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM)/styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). In EPDM/SBR composites, the nanosilica made from rice husk ash (RHA) was utilised as a reinforcing nanofiller. The interaction between the nanosilica and the EPDM/SBR matrix at the interface is crucial for the production of rubber composites. This study uses bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl] tetrasulfide (TESPT) and polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (TWEEN-20) as a silica modifier, with the ratio of TESPT to TWEEN-20 maintained at 2:1. The cure and mechanical characteristics, compression set, abrasion and swelling resistance increased with the incorporation of nanosilica and modified nanosilica. By interacting at the interface between silica nanoparticles and the EPDM/SBR rubber matrix, TESPT with the TWEEN-20 modifier exhibits a considerable effect on cure characteristics, mechanical qualities, and swelling resistance.
To Evaluate Impact on Detection Rate of Streptococcus Agalactiae in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy
Authors: Jiang Yaping , Zhou Jia , Li Zhiyan , Sun Liying
Published: March 2023

Background: The streptococcus agalactiae infectious leading to early neonatal morbidity and mortality,the streptococcus agalactiae screen became an important examination for pregnant women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends whole detection protocols of isolation and culture on streptococcus agalactiae.However, The essential factors including incubation time of agar plates, enrichment time of broth, and transport media storage conditions be ignored. This study was designed to understand above easy ignored point and to provide scientific proof for optimization detection method, revision of health standards and prevention and control of disease.
Methods: The transport medium without and with enrichment were directly inoculated onto Sheep blood agar plate for 24~48 hours. The positive detection rate of streptococcus agalactiae on different incubation time, with and without enrichment were compared,respectively. The transport medium with enrichment were inoculated for 24~48 hours.The positive detection rate of streptococcus agalactiae on different enrichment time were compared. The transport medium were respectively stored at 2℃~8℃ and 20℃~25℃. Interval 24 hours within 5 days, The recovery rate of streptococcus agalactiae on transport medium different storage temptature were compared. The growth of streptococcus agalactiae colonies were examined for pale pink to red, round and pearly colonies. The isolates colonies were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry to confirm negative or positive.
Results: The overall results shown that the detection rate were significantly higher at 48 hours with directly culture methods (P＜0.01)or after enrichment culture methods (P＜0.05). The detection rate have no difference after enrichment for 24 hours or 48 hours (P＞0.05). The recovery rate of streptococcus agalactiae transport medium (stored at 2℃~8℃) were 100% within 4 days and 83.33% at 5th day. However, the recovery rate of streptococcus agalactiae transport medium (stored at 20℃~25℃) were 100% within 2 days,97.22% at 3th day, 52.78% at 4th day and 33.33% at 5th day, respectively.
Conclusions: In conclusion, the results suggested that the enrichment culture time was 24 hours, the transport media stable best time is 2 days stored at 20℃~25℃ or 4 days stored at 2℃~8℃, and the best incubation time is 48 hours for streptococcus agalactiae clinical testing in pregnant women.
Loss of p53 function promotes DNA damage-induced formation of nuclear actin filaments
Authors: Torii Takeru , Sugimoto Wataru , Itoh Katsuhiko , Kinoshita Natsuki , Gessho Masaya , Goto Toshiyuki , Uehara Ikuno , Nakajima Wataru , Budirahardja Yemima , Miyoshi Daisuke , Nishikata Takahito , Tanaka Nobuyuki , Hirata Hiroaki , Kawauchi Keiko
Published: March 2023

Tumor suppressor p53 plays a central role in the DNA damage response. DNA-damaging agents modulate nuclear actin dynamics, influencing cell behaviors; however, it remains unclear whether p53 affects the structure of nuclear actin filaments. Here, we show that actin filament formation in the nucleus induced by the DNA-damaging agent doxorubicin (DOXO) treatment is suppressed by p53 via caspase-1 expression. In DOXO-treated cells, the nuclear actin filament formation was promoted by p53 depletion. Whilst the DOXO treatment caused an increase in caspase-1 expression, which was largely attenuated by p53 depletion, overexpression of caspase-1 reduced DOXO-induced formation of nuclear actin filaments in p53-depleted cells. By contrast, caspase-1 inhibition, together with DOXO treatment, induced nuclear actin filament formation even in cells bearing wild-type p53. These results suggest that p53-mediated expression of caspase-1 suppresses nuclear actin filament formation. In addition, we found that expression of nLifeact-GFP, which contains the filamentous actin (F-actin)-binding peptide and nuclear localization signal (NLS), promoted the bundling of nuclear actin filaments and strongly altered the chromatin structure in DOXO-treated, p53-depleted cells. Given that the loss of p53 is associated with cancer progression, the results of this study raised the possibility that artificial reinforcement of nuclear actin filaments by nLifeact-GFP may enhance the cytotoxicity effect of DNA-damaging agents in aggressive cancer cells.
Influence of Decentration of Plate-Haptic Toric Intraocular Lens on Postoperative Visual Quality
Authors: Diao Chunli , Lan Qianqian , Liao Jing , Lu Peng , Zhou Zhou , Li Lanjian , Zeng Siming , Yao Gang , Huang Wei , Chen Qi , Lv Jian , Tang Fen , Li Min , Xu Fan
Published: March 2023

Background: To evaluate the influence of decentration of plate-haptic toric intraocular lens (IOLs) on visual quality.
Methods: This study enrolled 78 eyes of 78 patients. Patients in group A were implanted with toric IOLs, and patients in group B were implanted with monofocal IOLs. All patients were divided into group A1 and B1 (decentration below 0.3mm) and group A2 and B2 (decentration above 0.3mm). The uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), modulation transfer function cutoff (MTF cutoff), objective scatter index (OSI), strehl ratio (SR), optical interference and patients’ satisfaction were measured in different pupils at three months postoperatively. The associations between decentration and visual quality were analyzed by Spearman correlation.
Results: There were no significant differences in decentration, UDVA, BCVA, MTF cutoff, OSI, SR, optical interference and patients’ satisfaction among subgroups. In group A2, the total higher order aberrations (tHOAs) at pupil sizes of 3 mm (P = 0.046), 5 mm (P = 0.014), spherical aberrations at pupil sizes of 3 mm (P = 0.011), 4 mm (P = 0.014), 5 mm (P = 0.000), secondary astigmatism at pupil sizes of 3 mm (P = 0.002), 4 mm (P = 0.005) were higher than in group B2. Compared to group A1, group A2 had higher spherical aberrations at pupil sizes of 4 mm (P = 0.042), 5mm (P = 0.001), 6 mm (P= 0.038), secondary astigmatism at pupil sizes of 3 mm (P = 0.013), 4mm (P = 0.005), 6 mm (P = 0.013). Group B2 has higher coma and secondary astigmatism than group B1 at 6-mm pupil (P = 0.014, P = 0.045). Significant positive correlations were found between spherical aberrations and the decentration of group A1 and A2 at 6-mm pupils.
Conclusion: The decentration negatively affected visual quality due to increased tHOAs, spherical aberrations, coma and secondary astigmatism aberrations, the influence become larger with increasing pupil diameter.
Can 3D Imaging Modeling Recognize Functional Tissue and Predict Liver Failure? A retrospective study based on 3D modelling of the major hepatectomies after hepatic modulation.
Authors: Vicente Emilio , Quijano Yolanda , Duran Hipolito , Diaz Eduardo , Fabra Isabel , Malave Luis , Ruiz Pablo , Pizzuti Giada , Naldini Chiara , De Nobili Giovanni , Caruso Riccardo , ferri valentina
Published: March 2023

Background: Thanks to the introduction of radiomics, 3d reconstruction can be able to analyse tissues and recognise true hypertrophy from non-functioning tissue in patients treated with major hepatectomies with hepatic modulation.The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of 3D Imaging Modelling in predict liver failure.
Methods: Patients submitted to major hepatectomies after hepatic modulation at Sanchinarro University Hospital from May 2015 to October 2019 were analysed.
Three dimensional reconstruction was realised before and after surgical treatment. The volumetry of Future Liver Remnant was calculated, distinguishing in Functional Future Liver Remnant (FRFx) i.e. true hypertrophy tissue and Anatomic Future Liver Remnant (FRL) i.e. hypertrophy plus no functional tissue (edema/congestion) These volumeswere analysed in patients with and without post hepatic liver failure.
Results: Twenty-four procedures were realised (11 ALPPS and 13 PVE followed by major hepatectomy). Post hepatic liver failure grade B and C occurred in 6 patients. The ROC curve showed a better AUC for FRFxV (74%) with respect to FRLV (54%) in prediction PHLF>B. The increase of anatomical FRL (iFRL) was superior in the ALPPS group (120%) with respect to the PVE group (73%) (p=0,041), while the increase of functional FRFX (iFRFx) was 35% in the ALLPS group and 46% in the PVE group (p>0,05), showing no difference in the two groups.
Conclusion: The 3D reconstruction model can allow optimal surgical planning, and through the use of specific algorithms, can contribute to differential functioning liver parenchyma of the FLR.
Successful Aging in Turkey: Psychometric properties of the Turkish adapted Successful Aging Scale
Authors: Haugan Gørill , Korukcu Oznur , Kabukcuoglu Kamile , Tufan Ismail , Helvik Anne-Sofie
Published: March 2023

Introduction: With better living conditions and medical advances globally, the longevity of people is increasing worldwide, demonstrating the importance of successful aging.
Aim: To investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish Successful Aging Scale (SAS) among older adults 60 years and older in Turkey.
Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 206 older individuals registered with an Active Senior Center between April and May 2019. Inclusion criteria were literate in Turkish, aged ≥60 years, no dementia, newly registered with the Active Senior Center, and volunteered to participate in the study.
Results: A low mean (SD) sum-score for the SAS 16.18 (5.15) revealed, with no significant association with age, income, marital status, working, and chronical illness. Principal Component Analysis indicated two factors explaining 54,75% of the variance. Confirmative Factor Analysis disclosed a poor fit, indicating misspecification. A model including 6 items and two dimensions was the most parsimonious and best fitting solution: χ2=14.487 (df=8), χ2/df=1.81, p=0.0001, RMSEA=0.063, p-value for test of close fit=0.0295, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.97, and SRMR 0.033. Composite reliability for the two dimensions were good and acceptable, respectively.
Conclusion: The validity and reliability of the Turkish SAS two-dimensional measurement-model is acceptable. However, some items seemed redundant plausibly due to translation and cultural aspects. Possibly, the SAS content developed in a western context is highly culturally sensitive; working further on the Turkish wording and validation is recommended. Moreover, Turkish health authorities should acknowledge a health promotion perspective supporting positive life behaviors among elderlies both at a system-oriented and an individual level.
A study on the direction of drug information service capacity development of Chinese medical staff: based on the perspective of drug information patients obtained and need
Authors: Huang Rong , Huang Yuankai , Liu Jiayuan , Chen Lei
Published: March 2023

Background
There are some gaps between the cultivation of drug information service competencies for medical staff and drug information patients need in China.
Objective
To investigate drug information patients obtained and need for further providing directions for the cultivation of drug information service competencies among medical staff in China from patients’ perspectives.
Methods
Adopted a stratified sampling method, a face-to-face survey was conducted nationwide to collect data on drug information patients obtained and need.
Results
A total of 1994 questionnaires from medical institutions in China were returned. Most of the drug information obtained by patients came from physicians, and different types of drug information were important to patients. Additionally, medical staff ignored the fact that patients had different needs for drug information due to age, gender, diagnosis and treatment status, and education level.
Conclusions
The cultivation of medical staff needs to increase the presence of nurses and pharmacists in drug information services, enhance the awareness of "patient-centered" services, and improve the ability to provide information services specific to the characteristics of patients.
Influence of exposure of customized dental implant abutments to different cleaning procedures: an in vitro study using AI-assisted SEM/EDS analysis
Authors: Hofmann Paul , Kunz Andreas , Schmidt Franziska , Beuer Florian , Duddeck Dirk
Published: March 2023

Purpose: Dental implant abutments are defined as medical devices by their intended use. Surfaces of custom-made CAD/CAM two-piece abutments may become contaminated during the manufacturing process in the dental lab. Inadequate reprocessing prior to patient care may contribute to implant-associated complications. Risk-adapted hygiene management is required to meet the requirements for medical devices.
Methods: A total of 49 CAD/CAM-manufactured zirconia copings were bonded to prefabricated titanium bases. One group was bonded, polished, and cleaned separately in dental laboratories throughout Germany (LA). Another group was left untreated (NC). Five groups received the following hygiene regimen: three-stage ultrasonic cleaning (CP and FP), steam (SC), argon-oxygen plasma (PL), and simple ultrasonic cleaning (UD). Contaminants were detected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and segmented and quantified using interactive machine learning (ML) and thresholding (SW). The data were statistically analysed using non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis test, Dunn's test).
Results: Significant differences in contamination levels with the different cleaning procedures were found (p ≤ 0.01). The FP-NC/LA groups showed the most significant difference in contamination levels for both measurement methods (ML, SW), followed by CP-LA/NC and UD-LA/NC for SW and CP-LA/NC and PL-LA/NC for ML (p ≤ 0.05). EDS revealed organic contamination in all specimens; traces of aluminum, silicon, and calcium were detected.
Conclusions: Chemothermal cleaning methods based on ultrasound and argon-oxygen plasma effectively removed process-related contamination from zirconia surfaces. Machine learning is a promising assessment tool for quantifying and monitoring external contamination on zirconia abutments.
Exosomes-mediated transfer LINC00691 regulates the formation of CAFs and promotes the progression of gastric cancer
Authors: Xia Bin , Gu Xiuyu , Xu Tingting , Yan Meina , Huang Lan , Jiang Chun , Li Meifen , Zhai Guanghua , Zhang Guoping , Wu Jian , Zhou Yu , Sun Chunrong , Liang Wei
Published: March 2023

Objective
To find the expression pattern of serum exosomal LINC00691 in GC patients and the correlation between the level of serum exosomal LINC00691 and the pathology and prognosis of gastric cancer patients.
Methods
We treated normal fibroblasts (NFs) with LINC00691-rich GC cell culture supernatant or exosomes and detected the activation markers and biological functions of the fibroblasts.
Results
It was found that the level of LINC00691 was significantly increased, the cell proliferation and migration were noticeably enhanced, and the ability to accelerate GC cell proliferation and invasion was promoted after treated with GC exosomes, which means that the induced fibroblasts gained the properties of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). In addition, we found that knockdown of LINC00691 and the use of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway inhibitor ruxolitinib effectively deprived the effects of exosome-containing GC cell supernatants on NFs.
Conclusion
Our study suggested that exosomal LINC00691 promoted the transformation from NFs to CAFs depending on JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway as a potential diagnostic biomarker for GC.
Association between preoperative C-reactive protein to albumin ratio and late arteriovenous fistula dysfunction in hemodialysis patients: A cohort study
Authors: Hu Shouliang , Wang Runjing , Ma Tean , Lei Qingfeng , Yuan Fanli , Zhang Yong , Wang Dan , Cheng Junzhang
Published: March 2023

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) dysfunction in hemodialysis (HD) patients is linked to high mortality and inflammation may play a role. We investigated the association between CAR and AVF dysfunction in a group of HD patients from China. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 695 adults with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving new AVF placement at a single center between 2011 and 2019. Multivariable Cox regression was used to examine the potential association between preoperative CAR and AVF dysfunction, defined as surgical or transluminal angioplasty intervention due to thrombosis or significant vessel diameter reduction. Among 695 HD patients with a new AVF, 212 (30.5%) experienced dysfunction during a median follow-up of 33 months. Adjusted multivariable Cox regression analysis found that a one-unit increase in CAR was associated with a 28% higher risk of AVF dysfunction. Those with CAR ≥ 0.146 had a 76% increased risk compared to those with CAR values between 0.035 and 0.146. The relationship between CAR and AVF dysfunction varied by placement site of internal jugular vein catheters, with significantly higher hazard ratios for ipsilateral placement. The interaction between CAR and catheter placement site was also significant (p-value: 0.004). Our study findings indicate that higher preoperative CAR is linked to an increased likelihood of AVF dysfunction in Chinese patients undergoing HD, especially when ipsilateral internal jugular vein catheters are placed. These results provide valuable insights for clinicians in identifying high-risk patients for AVF dysfunction.
SFA-GAN: Structure-frequency-aware generative adversarial network for underwater image enhancement
Authors: Zhang Yinghui , Liu Tingshuai , Zhao Bo , Ge Fengxiang
Published: March 2023

Influenced by light scattering, absorption and water impurities, the quality of underwater image is so poor that it poses a great challenge to underwater target detection, marine biological research and marine exploration. Thus, significant attention on underwater image enhancement (UIE) has been attracted for producing high quality visuality as if the underwater image was taken in-air without any structure, texture and color loss. To solve this issue, previous work mainly focus on supervised-learning with large amount of paired data, which is more demanding in practical application. Recent Cycle-GAN based UIE break through the dependence on paired data but easily trap in mapping ambiguity. Essentially, two-sided cycle-consistency is a bijection and only focuses on the pixel level, which is too restrictive and can not accurately express underwater scene structure. Besides, high frequencies in reference images tend to be eschewed by generator, making it difficult to synthesize authentic textures and colors of underwater images. We therefore propose a novel unconstrained UIE framework, structure-frequency-aware generative adversarial network (SFA-GAN), which not only accurately preserves the structure of low quality underwater images, but also captures the high frequencies of the reference images under unconstrained settings. Extensive experiments on datasets EUVP, UFO-120 and UIEB demonstrate that the proposed SFA-GAN can achieves state-of-art results on some metrics and produce more clear underwater images without sacrificing model complexity.
Textbook outcome in the surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis
Authors: Iseda Norifumi , Iguchi Tomohiro , Sasaki Shun , Itoh Shinji , Honboh Takuya , Yoshizumi Tomoharu , Sadanaga Noriaki , Matsuura Hiroshi
Published: March 2023

Background
Textbook Outcome (TO) is a novel composite measure of clinical outcomes that can be used to measure the quality of surgical outcomes. The aim of this cohort study was to propose TO criteria for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis and to identify reasons for TO failure and individual patient factors that predispose to failure.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed data for 189 consecutive patients with acute cholecystitis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. TO was defined as laparoscopic cholecystectomy without conversion to open cholecystectomy, intraoperative complications, postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo classification ≥ 2), prolonged length of stay (≥ 10 days), readmission within 30 days, or mortality. Demographic and clinical differences between patients with and without TO were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results
TO was achieved in 81% (n = 154) of 189 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Medical costs were lower in the TO-achieved group than in the TO-failure group. Factors associated with TO on univariate analysis were age, vascular disease, history of malignant tumor treatment, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, albumin, gallbladder perforation, and > 3 days since the onset of symptoms. Factors on multivariate analysis were age > 70 years, hemoglobin < 11.9 g/dl, and white blood cells > 18,000 / µl (all P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Applying TO to patients with acute cholecystitis allowed us to evaluate the overall quality of care related to hospitalization. TO may provide better assessment of the quality of care and help determine the treatment choice and reduce costs.
What touching you makes me feel - hedonic and autonomic responses in promoting an affective touch
Authors: Mazza Alessandro , Cariola Monia , Capiotto Francesca , Diano Matteo , Schintu Selene , Pia Lorenzo , Monte Olga Dal
Published: March 2023

Interpersonal touch is intrinsically reciprocal since it entails a person promoting and another receiving the touch. While several studies have investigated the beneficial effects of receiving an affective touch, the affective experience of caressing another individual remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the hedonic and autonomic responses (skin conductance and heart rate) of people when they promote an affective touch. We also examined whether interpersonal relationship, gender, and eye contact modulate these responses. As expected, caressing the partner was perceived more pleasant then caressing a stranger, especially if the affective touch occurred together with mutual eye contact. Promoting an affective touch to the partner also resulted in a decrease of both autonomic responses and anxiety levels, suggesting the occurrence of a calming effect. Additionally, these effects were more pronounced in females compared to males, indicating that hedonic and autonomic aspects of affective touch are modulated by social relationships as well as by gender. These findings show for the first time that caressing a beloved one is not only pleasant, but also reduces autonomic responses and anxiety in the person promoting the touch. This might suggest that affective touch has an instrumental role for romantic partners in promoting and reinforcing their affective bonding.
Toward an indoor lighting solution for social jet lag
Authors: Kuchenbecker James , Neitz Alex , Rice Alicia , Casiraghi Leandro , Bussi Ivana , Buhr Ethan , Neitz Maureen , Neitz Jay , Iglesia Horacio de la
Published: March 2023

There is growing interest in developing artificial lighting that stimulates intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) to entrain circadian rhythms to improve mood, sleep, and health. Efforts have focused on stimulating the intrinsic photopigment, melanopsin; however, recently, specialized color vision circuits have been elucidated in the primate retina that transmit blue-yellow cone-opponent signals to ipRGCs. We designed a light that stimulates color-opponent inputs to ipRGCs by temporally alternating short and longer wavelength components that strongly modulate short-wavelength sensitive (S) cones. Two-hour exposure to this S-cone modulating light produced an average circadian phase advance of one hour and twenty minutes in 6 subjects (mean age = 30 years) compared to no phase advance for the subjects after exposure to a 500-lux white light equated for melanopsin effectiveness. These results are promising for developing artificial lighting that is highly effective in controlling circadian rhythms by invisibly modulating cone-opponent circuits.
Cerebrospinal Fluid from Patients after Craniotomy with the Appearance of Interleukin-6 Storm can Activate Microglia to Damage the Hypothalamic Neurons
Authors: Huang Haorun , Liao Xixian , Zhang An , Qiu Binghui , Mei Fen , Liu Fan , Zeng Kai , Yang Chunen , Ma Haidie , Ding Wenjie , Qi Songtao , Bao Yun
Published: March 2023

Introduction: We monitored CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) for Th1/Th2 inflammatory cytokines in a patient with unexplained postoperative disturbance of consciousness after craniotomy and found that the level of IL-6 (Interleukin-6) concentrations was extremely high, meeting the traditional criteria for an inflammatory cytokine storm. Subsequently, the cerebrospinal fluid specimens of several patients were tested, and it was found that IL-6 levels were increased in different degrees after craniotomy. Previous studies have focused more on mild and long-term IL-6 elevation, but less on the effects of this short-term IL-6 inflammatory cytokine storm. Cerebrospinal fluid rich in IL-6 may play a significant role in patients after craniotomy.
Objective: To explore the degree of IL-6 elevation and the incidence of IL-6 inflammatory cytokine storm in patients after craniotomy, as well as the effect of IL-6 elevation on brain. In this study, the levels and clinical manifestations of inflammatory factors in cerebrospinal fluid after craniotomy were statistically classified, and the underlying mechanisms were discussed preliminarily.
Methods: CSF specimens of patients after craniotomy were collected, IL-6 level was measured at 1, 5 and 10 days after operation, and cognitive function was analyzed at 1, 10 and 180 days after surgery. Craniotomy mouse model, cerebrospinal fluid of patients with the appearance of IL-6 storm after craniotomy and IL-6 at the same concentration stimulation model were established. Behavioral tests, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), pathological means, western blot, Elisa (enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay) were performed for verification.
Results: CSF from patients after craniotomy caused disturbance of consciousness in mice, affected neuronal damage in the hypothalamus, activation of microglia in the hypothalamus, and decreased expression of barrier proteins in the hypothalamus and brain. The large amount of interleukin-6 in CSF after craniotomy was found to be mainly derived from astrocytes. The IL-6 level in CSF after craniotomy correlated inversely with patients’ performance in MoCA test.
Conclusion: High levels of IL-6 in the cerebrospinal fluid derived from astrocytes after craniotomy may lead to disruption of the brain-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, most notably around the hypothalamus, which might result in inflammatory activation of microglia to damage the hypothalamic neurons and impaired cognitive function/more gradual cognitive repairment in patients after craniotomy with the appearance of IL-6 storm.
Assessment of bacterial and viral gut communities in healthy and tumoral colorectal tissue using RNA and DNA deep-sequencing
Authors: Garcia-Serrano Ainhoa , Mukhedkar Dhananjay , Hultin Emilie , Rudsander Ulla , Wettergren Yvonne , Ure Agustín Enrique , Mühr Laila Sara Arroyo , Dillner Joakim
Published: March 2023

Human gut microbiome studies typically focus on 16S RNA analyses and bacterial identification at the genus level. We analyzed bacterial and viral communities in colorectal tissue using both DNA and RNA sequencing and improved taxonomy resolution to species level.
Specimens from 10 colorectal cancer patients and 10 matched control patients were DNA and RNA sequenced using Illumina Novaseq. Following taxonomy classification using Kraken 2, alpha and beta diversities (different metrics) as well as relative and differential abundance were calculated.
There were no viral differences, but P. nesessarius had a highly increased presence in tumors (p=0.001). RNA analyses showed that A. massiliensis had a highly decreased transcription in tumors (p=0.002) while F. nucleatum transcription was highly increased in tumors (p=0.002).
In conclusion, joint assessment of the metagenome (DNA) and the metatranscriptome (RNA) at the species level identifies specific bacterial species as tumor-associated.
Urban Environment and Health: a cross-sectional multiregional project based on Population Health Surveys in Spain (DAS-EP project), study protocol.
Authors: Bereziartua Ainhoa , Cabrera Andrés , Subiza-Pérez Mikel , García-Baquero Gonzalo , Gomez Salvador Delís , Ballester Ferran , Estarlich Marisa , Merelles Antonio , Esplugues Ana , Irles María Ángeles , Barona Carmen , Mas Rosa , Font-Ribera Laia , Bartoll Xavier , Pérez Katherine , Oliveras Laura , Binter Anne-Claire , Daponte Antonio , Mochon Leticia García , Cortés Helena García , Garrido Carmen Sanchez-Cantalejo , Navarro Marina Lacasaña , Cáceres Rocío , Rueda María del Mar , Saez Marc , Lertxundi Aitana
Published: March 2023

Background
The European Environment Agency estimates that 75% of the European population lives in cities. Despite the many advantages of city life, the risks and challenges to health arising from urbanization need to be addressed to tackle the growing burden of disease and health inequalities in the cities. This article presents the study protocol of the Urban Environment and Health: a cross-sectional multiregional project based on Population Health Surveys in Spain (DAS-EP project), that aims to investigate the complex association between the urban environmental exposures (UrbEE) and health.
Methods
DAS-EP is a Spanish multiregional cross-sectional project that combines Population Health Surveys (PHS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) allowing to collect rich individual level data from 17,000 adult citizens participating in the PHS conducted in the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and the city of Barcelona in years 2021–2023. This study focuses on the population living in cities or metropolitan areas with more than 100,000 inhabitants. UrbEE are described by objective estimates at participants’ home addresses by GIS and subjective indicators present in PHS. The health outcomes included in the PHS and selected for this study are self-perceived health (general and mental), prevalence of chronic mental disorders, health-related quality of life, consumption of medication for common mental disorders, and sleep quality. We aim to further understand the direct and indirect effect between UrbEE and health as well as to estimate the impact at the population level taking respondents’ socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and lifestyle into account.
Discussion
This study is a clear commitment to the generation of urban environment indicators within the field of public health with a health equity perspective. The results will be novel for the inclusion of objective & subjective UrbEE as well as the combination of PHS from different study areas and GIS estimates. This methodological approach will provide a large volume of information and a large sample size of the study. The results will ultimately help identify urban indicators, increasing the capacity to detect and intervene in community health, improving the routine surveillance and monitoring of the cities’ health information systems.
Modified Convolutional Neural Networks and Long Short-Term Memory for Host Utilization prediction in Cloud Data Center
Authors: Ullah Arif , Abbasi Irshad Ahmed , Rehman Muhammad Zubair , Alam Tanweer , Aznaoui Hanane
Published: March 2023

Infrastructure service model provides different kinds of virtual computing resources such as networking, storage service, and hardware as per user demands. Host load prediction is an important element in cloud computing for improvement in the resource allocation systems. Hosting initialization issues still exist in cloud computing due to this problem hardware resource allocation takes several minutes of delay in the response process. To solve this issue prediction techniques are used for proper prediction in the cloud data center to dynamically scale the cloud in order for maintaining a high quality of services. Therefore in this paper, we propose a hybrid convolutional neural network long with short-term memory model for host prediction. In the proposed hybrid model, vector auto regression method is firstly used to input the data for analysis which filters the linear interdependencies among the multivariate data. Then the enduring data are computed and entered into the convolutional neural network layer that extracts complex features for each central processing unit and virtual machine usage components after that long short-term memory is used which is suitable for modeling temporal information of irregular trends in time series components. In all process, the main contribution is that we used scaled polynomial constant unit activation function which is most suitable for this kind of model. Due to the higher inconsistency in data center, accurate prediction is important in cloud systems. For this reason in this paper two real-world load traces were used to evaluate the performance. One is the load trace in the Google data center, while the other is in the traditional distributed system. The experiment results show that our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance with higher accuracy in both datasets as compared with ARIMA-LSTM, VAR-GRU, VAR-MLP, and CNN models.
The Modified Scattering Vector Geometry Pre-Existing in Partial Wave Analysis
Authors: Bhanumoorthy P.
Published: March 2023

Spherical polar coordinate description cannot permit a substitute angle for polar angle.
We show that scattering angle as substitute for polar angle demonstrates pre-existing right angled scattering triangle in partial wave analysis.
The substitute angle requires a constant $90^\circ$ difference between the two angles for all vectors in the scattering field.
We call the scattering vector geometry with isosceles scattering triangle given in textbooks as the unmodified scattering vector geometry.
The incident and scattered wave vectors are equal in magnitude in the unmodified to explain wavelength invariance in elastic scattering.
We define the modified scattering vector geometry with a right angled scattering triangle with unequal magnitudes of incident and scattered wave vectors.
Vectors in the scattering triangle represent running waves in the unmodified and standing waves in the modified.
The incident vector magnitude in the modified becomes twice the same in the unmodified.
Standing wave description readily explains wavelength invariance in elastic scattering in the modified.
The Native Features of Plantar Pressure Distribution with Centers of Gravity and Foot Posture Among Indigenous Taiwanese
Authors: Chow Tong-Hsien
Published: March 2023

Background
Indigenous Taiwanese were generally considered to have excellent physical fitness and athletic ability. The correlation of these performances with their foot features has rarely been studied. The study aims to explore the static plantar pressure profiles associated with centers of gravity control abilities and foot posture among Indigenous Taiwanese to understand the native outline of unique foot characteristics.
Methods
A cross-sectional retrospective analysis from 165 indigenous college students and 183 healthy age-matched students is conducted. Bipedal static plantar pressure distributions (PPDs) along with arch index (AI) and centers of gravity balance are examined with the JC Mat. Foot posture is determined by estimating the rearfoot postural alignment.
Results
Findings of the study revealing the native outline of indigenous’ foot characteristics were presented as low-arched feet with higher relative loads at the medial and lateral longitudinal arches of the midfoot as well as the medial metatarsals of the forefoot. Footprint image was recognizable as cuboid and navicular dropped appearances. Both performances of balance abilities and rearfoot postural angles were unexpectedly well than the general population.
Conclusions
The native outline of foot features in Indigenous Taiwanese were low arches with navicular and cuboid drops for the midfoot, but their balance and rearfoot posture remained normal. Therefore, the relationships among indigenous foot characteristics, physical performance, sports ability and possible injuries deserve further investigation.
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic findings in functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed using the Rome IV criteria: a cross-sectional survey during a medical check-up in Japan
Authors: Otani Koji , Watanabe Toshio , Takahashi Kanae , Nadatani Yuji , Ominami Masaki , Fukunaga Shusei , Hosomi Shuhei , Kamata Noriko , Tanaka Fumio , Nagami Yasuaki , Taira Koichi , Kimura Tatsuo , Fukumoto Shinya , Fujiwara Yasuhiro
Published: March 2023

Background The Rome IV criteria have been established as an international standard for diagnosing disorders of gut–brain interaction. In this study, we aimed to examine the upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic findings and symptoms of subjects with functional constipation (FC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) of individuals undergoing a medical check-up.
Methods A total of 13,729 subjects underwent a medical check-up at Osaka City University-affiliated clinic, MedCity21, between April 2018 and March 2019. Among the 5,840 subjects who underwent screening upper GI endoscopy and completed a questionnaire based on the Rome IV criteria, 5,402 subjects were consecutively enrolled after excluding subjects with a large amount of gastric residue (n = 6), those who had previously undergone partial or total gastrectomy (n = 40), or those with continuous use of low-dose aspirin (n = 82), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 63), or acid secretion inhibitors (n = 308).
Results Robust Poisson regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, Helicobacter pylori infection status, alcohol intake, and smoking habits showed a significant association between FC and corpus erosion (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 2.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–5.67; p < 0.01) and red streaks (aPR, 3.83; 95% CI, 2.53–5.79; p < 0.01), whereas IBS was significantly associated with erosive gastritis (aPR, 8.46; 95% CI, 4.89–14.67; p< 0.01) and duodenitis (aPR, 7.28; 95% CI, 3.64–14.59; p < 0.01). Red streaks tended to be associated with IBS (aPR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.00–3.83; p= 0.05). Subjects with IBS were the most to complain of both upper and lower GI symptoms, followed by those with FC and controls. Furthermore, subjects with IBS were the most to complain of psychological symptoms, followed by those with FC and controls. IBS subjects with erosive gastritis or duodenitis had significantly more complaints of stomachache and feeling stressed than those without erosive gastritis or duodenitis.
Conclusions Subjects with FC and IBS had a variety of upper GI and psychological symptoms. In the upper GI endoscopic findings, corpus erosion and red streaks were associated with FC, and erosive gastritis, duodenitis, and possibly red streaks were associated with IBS.
The role of depressive symptoms and social support in the association of internet addiction with non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: a cohort study in China
Authors: Ma Ying , Li Yanqi , Xie Xinyi , Zhang Yi , Ammerman Brooke A. , Lewis Stephen P , Chen Ruoling , Yu Yizhen , Li Fenghua , Tang Jie
Published: March 2023

Background
Both internet addiction (IA) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are major public health concerns among adolescents, however, the association between IA and NSSI was not well understood. In this study we aim to investigate the association between IA and NSSI within a cohort study, and to explore the mediated effect of depressive symptoms and the moderating effect of social support in the association.
Methods
A total of 1530 adolescents aged 11–14 years who completed both the baseline (T1) and 14-month follow-up (T2) survey of the Chinese Adolescent Health Growth Cohort were included for the current analysis. IA, NSSI, depressive symptoms and social support were measured at T1; depressive symptoms and NSSI were measured again at T2. Structural equation models were employed to estimate the mediated effect of depressive symptoms and the moderating effects of social support in the association between IA and NSSI at T2.
Results
IA was independently associated with an increased risk of NSSI at T2, with the total effect of 0.113 (95%CI 0.055–0.174). Depressive symptoms mediated the association between IA and NSSI at T2, and social support moderated the indirect but not the direct effect of IA on NSSI at T2. Sex differences were found on the mediated effect of depressive symptoms and the moderated mediation effect of social support.
Conclusions
Interventions that target adolescents’ NSSI who also struggle with IA may need to focus on reducing depressive symptoms and elevating social support.
Long working hours and increased risks of lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Korean men and women
Authors: Lim Ga-Young , Chang Yoosoo , Kim Inah , Ryu Seungho , Kwon Ria , Song Jaechul
Published: March 2023

Despite the increasing prevalence of lean nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), its risk factors are not well established. We examined the association between long working hours and incident NAFLD in lean Korean workers with emphasis on sex-based effect modification. This cohort study involved 44,627 non-overweight (BMI < 23 kg/m2) and NAFLD-free Korean workers (mean age, 35.1 years). Working hours were categorized into 35–40 (reference), 41–52, and ≥ 53 hours. The presence of fatty liver and its severity were determined using ultrasonography and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), respectively. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using parametric proportional hazards models. Incident cases of 5,738 lean NAFLD developed over a median follow-up of 3.7 years. The incidence of lean NAFLD increased with increasing working hours with a stronger association in men than in women (P for interaction < 0.001). For men, multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for lean NAFLD in time-dependent models comparing working hours of 41–52 and ≥ 53 h compared to the reference category were 1.16 (1.06–1.28) and 1.25 (1.12–1.39), respectively. The excess relative risk of developing lean NAFLD with intermediate/high NFS was observed in working hours of 41–52 and ≥ 53 h with a corresponding HR of 1.87 (1.22–2.88) and 1.87 (1.09–3.22), respectively. Conversely, no significant associations were found between working hours and incidence of lean NAFLD in women. In conclusion, long working hours were significantly associated with an increased incidence of lean NAFLD and its severe form in men but not in women.
A multimodal omics framework to empower target discovery for cardiovascular regeneration
Authors: Li Ziwen , Mills Nicholas L. , Brittan Mairi
Published: March 2023

Ischaemic heart disease is a global healthcare challenge with high morbidity and mortality. Early revascularisation in acute myocardial infarction has improved survival, however, limited regenerative capacity and microvascular dysfunction often lead to impaired function and the development of heart failure. New mechanistic insights are required to identify robust targets for the development of novel strategies to promote regeneration. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has enabled profiling and analysis of the transcriptomes of individual cells at high resolution. Applications of scRNA-seq have generated single cell atlases for multiple species, revealed distinct cellular compositions for different regions of the heart, and defined multiple mechanisms involved in myocardial injury-induced regeneration. In this review, we summarise findings from studies of healthy and injured hearts in multiple species and spanning different developmental stages. Based on this transformative technology, we propose a multi-species, multi-omics, meta-analysis framework to drive the discovery of new targets to promote cardiovascular regeneration.