bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deciphering the protective effect of Buzhong Yiqi Decoction on osteoporotic fracture through network pharmacology and experimental validation
Authors: Hua Zhen , Dai Shijie , Li Shaoshuo , Wang Jianwei , Peng Hongcheng , Rong Yi , Yu Hao , Liu Mingming
Published: February 2023

Background

Osteoporotic fracture (OPF) is one of the most common skeletal diseases in an aging society. The Chinese medicine formula Buzhong Yiqi Decoction (BZYQD) is commonly used for treating OPF. However, the essential bioactive compounds and the underlying molecular mechanisms that promote fracture repair remain unclear.

Methods

We used network pharmacology and experimental animal validation to address this issue. First, 147 bioactive BZYQD compounds and 32 target genes for treating OPF were screened and assessed. A BZYQD-bioactive compound-target gene-disease network was constructed using the Cytoscape software. Functional enrichment showed that the candidate target genes were enriched in oxidative stress- and inflammation-related biological processes and multiple pathways, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. Furthermore, an OPF rat model was established and treated with BZYQD.

Results

The results revealed that BZYQD ameliorated OPF characteristics, including femoral microarchitecture, biomechanical properties, and histopathological changes, in a dose-dependent manner. Results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that BZYQD reduced the serum’s pro-inflammatory cytokines [Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6] and improved oxidative stress-related factors [glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)]. BZYQD significantly decreased the protein expression of NF-κB in OPF rat femurs, suppressed NF-κB activation, and activated the nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2-related factor (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and p38 MAPK as well ERK pathways.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that BZYQD could improve inflammation and oxidative stress during fracture repair by suppressing NF-κB and activating Nrf2/MAPK signaling pathways.
Vacuum-assisted closure versus conventional dressing in necrotizing fasciitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Rongli , Zhang Yahui , Hou Liyuan , Yan Chengyong
Published: February 2023

Background

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rapid and severe soft tissue infection that targets subcutaneous fat tissue, muscle, and fascia. This study compares the clinical outcomes of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) versus conventional dressing on necrotizing fasciitis.

Methods

We systematically searched Embase, Cochrane, and PubMed for clinical trials (published between January 1, 1995 and September 30, 2021), which compared VAC with conventional dressing for necrotizing fasciitis. The mortality rate of necrotizing fasciitis was the primary outcome of this study. The number of debridements, the total length of hospital stay, and the complication rate were secondary outcomes. A random effects model assessed all pooled data.

Results

A total of 230 identified studies and seven controlled clinical trials met the inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis (n = 249 participants). Compared to the conventional dressing, patients treated with VAC had a significantly lower mortality rate [OR = 0.27, 95% CI (0.09, 0.87)] (P = 0.03). Total length of hospital stays [MD = 8.46, 95% CI (− 0.53, 17.45)] (P = 0.07), number of debridements [MD = 0.86, 95% CI (− 0.58, 2.30)] (P = 0.24), and complication rate [OR = 0.64, 95% CI (0.07, 5.94)] (P = 0.69) were not significant. These results did not show significant differences between both groups treated with VAC or conventional treatment.

Conclusion

VAC could significantly decrease the death rate compared to conventional dressing. No significant impacts were found on the number of debridements, the total length of hospital stay, and the complication rate in this study.

Level of evidence Level-III.

Registration Research Registry (reviewregistry1246).
Effects of a locally administered risedronate/autogenous bone graft combination on bone healing in a critical-size rabbit defect model
Authors: Özer Taha , Guliyeva Vusala , Aktaş Alper , Barış Emre , Ocak Mert
Published: February 2023

Background

Risedronate is a bisphosphonate with poor oral absorption. An extremely hydrophilic molecule that has a high affinity for bone, risedronate also inhibits the farnesyl diphosphate synthase enzyme, inhibiting osteoclastic activity and reducing bone turnover and resorption. Autogenous bone grafts contain osteogenic cells and osteoinductive factors that are essential for bone regeneration and are therefore considered the gold standard. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the impact of local risedronate administered with autogenous bone grafts on the healing of defects in rabbit skulls using histological, histomorphometric, immunohistochemical, and three-dimensional radiological methods.

Methods

Two 10-mm-diameter critical-size defects were created in 16 rabbits and filled with autogenous bone graft and autogenous bone graft + 5 mg risedronate in the control (C) and risedronate (RIS) groups, respectively. Residual graft, new bone, soft tissue areas, and bone volume were evaluated in the 4- and 8-week study groups.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in bone graft, new bone, or soft tissue area between the groups at 4 weeks (p > 0.05). At 8 weeks, the new bone area was significantly higher in the RIS group than in the C group (p < 0.05). The h scores obtained from sialoprotein and osteopontin did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). The radiologically measured total bone volume was significantly higher in the RIS group than in the C group at both time points (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

In this study, risedronate enhanced the osteoconductive properties of autogenous bone grafts and rapidly created better-quality bone. This could improve future patient outcomes.
Development and verification of a 7-lncRNA prognostic model based on tumor immunity for patients with ovarian cancer
Authors: Feng Jing , Yu Yiping , Yin Wen , Qian Sumin
Published: February 2023

Background

Both immune-reaction and lncRNAs play significant roles in the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of ovarian cancer (OC). In this study, we aimed to construct an immune-related lncRNA risk model for patients with OC.

Method

Single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) algorithm was used to analyze the proportion of immune cells in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the hclust algorithm was used to conduct immune typing according to the proportion of immune cells for OC patients. The stromal and immune scores were computed utilizing the ESTIMATE algorithm. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analyses were utilized to detect immune cluster-related lncRNAs. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was conducted for lncRNA selection. The selected lncRNAs were used to construct a prognosis-related risk model, which was then validated in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and in vitro validation.

Results

We identify two subtypes based on the ssGSEA analysis, high immunity cluster (immunity_H) and low immunity cluster (immunity_L). The proportion of patients in immunity_H cluster was significantly higher than that in immunity_L cluster. The ESTIMATE related scores are relative high in immunity_H group. Through WGCNA and LASSO analyses, we identified 141 immune cluster-related lncRNAs and found that these genes were mainly enriched in autophagy. A signature consisting of 7 lncRNAs, including AL391832.3, LINC00892, LINC02207, LINC02416, PSMB8.AS1, AC078788.1 and AC104971.3, were selected as the basis for classifying patients into high- and low-risk groups. Survival analysis and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the signature pointed out that this risk model had high accuracy in predicting the prognosis of patients with OC. We also conducted the drug sensitive prediction and found that rapamycin outperformed in patient with high risk score. In vitro experiments also confirmed our prediction.

Conclusions

We identified 7 immune-related prognostic lncRNAs that effectively predicted survival in OC patients. These findings may offer a valuable indicator for clinical stratification management and personalized therapeutic options for these patients.
Expression of integrin β-7 is epigenetically enhanced in multiple myeloma subgroups with high-risk cytogenetics
Authors: Roy Choudhury Samrat , Byrum Stephanie D. , Alkam Duah , Ashby Cody , Zhan Fenghuang , Tackett Alan J. , Van Rhee Frits
Published: February 2023

Background

Oncogenic overexpression of integrin-β7 (ITGB7) in cases of high-risk multiple myeloma (MM) was reported to promote enhanced interactions between neoplastic plasma-B cells and stromal cells to develop cell-adhesion mediated drug resistance.

Methods

Expression profiles of adhesion related genes were analyzed in a cohort of MM patients containing major IgH translocations or hyperdiploidies (HY), diagnosed at the premalignant monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS; n = 103), smoldering multiple myeloma; (SMM; n = 190) or MM (MM; n = 53) stage. Differential expression was integrated with loci-specific alterations in DNA-methylation and chromatin marks in MM patients. A CRISPR-based targeted induction of DNA-methylation at the ITGB7 super-enhancer (SE) in MM.1S cells was employed to intersect the impact of cis-regulatory elements on ITGB7 expression.

Results

ITGB7 was significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated in patients with t(14;16) and t(14;20) subgroups in all MGUS, SMM and MM stages, but sporadically upregulated in t(4;14) subgroup at the MM stage. We demonstrate a predetermined enhancer state on ITGB7 in primary-B cells that is maintained under bivalent chromatin, which undergoes a process of chromatin-state alterations and develops into an active enhancer in cases of the t(4;14) subgroup or SE in cases of the t(14;16) subgroup. We also demonstrate that while targeted induction of DNA-methylation at the ITGB7-SE further upregulated the gene, inhibition of ITGB7-SE-associated transcription factor bromodomain-4 downregulated expression of the gene.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest an epigenetic regulation of oncogenic overexpression of ITGB7 in MM cells, which could be critical in MM progression and an attractive therapeutic target.
Predicting high health-cost users among people with cardiovascular disease using machine learning and nationwide linked social administrative datasets
Authors: Nghiem Nhung , Atkinson June , Nguyen Binh P. , Tran-Duy An , Wilson Nick
Published: February 2023

Objectives

To optimise planning of public health services, the impact of high-cost users needs to be considered. However, most of the existing statistical models for costs do not include many clinical and social variables from administrative data that are associated with elevated health care resource use, and are increasingly available. This study aimed to use machine learning approaches and big data to predict high-cost users among people with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods

We used nationally representative linked datasets in New Zealand to predict CVD prevalent cases with the most expensive cost belonging to the top quintiles by cost. We compared the performance of four popular machine learning models (L1-regularised logistic regression, classification trees, k-nearest neighbourhood (KNN) and random forest) with the traditional regression models.

Results

The machine learning models had far better accuracy in predicting high health-cost users compared with the logistic models. The harmony score F1 (combining sensitivity and positive predictive value) of the machine learning models ranged from 30.6% to 41.2% (compared with 8.6–9.1% for the logistic models). Previous health costs, income, age, chronic health conditions, deprivation, and receiving a social security benefit were among the most important predictors of the CVD high-cost users.

Conclusions

This study provides additional evidence that machine learning can be used as a tool together with big data in health economics for identification of new risk factors and prediction of high-cost users with CVD. As such, machine learning may potentially assist with health services planning and preventive measures to improve population health while potentially saving healthcare costs.
Science communication on the public health risks of air pollution: a computational scoping review from 1958 to 2022
Authors: Pfleger Elisabeth , Adrian Christoph , Lutz Regina , Drexler Hans
Published: February 2023

Background

Air pollutants are a health risk for the entire population. Particulate matter (PM) including the smallest fraction, ultra-fine particles (UFP), therefore continue to be the focus of scientific research in this area. To protect the population from the harmful effects of exposure to PM, communication and information of research results are of special relevance as individuals with heightened awareness of the harms of poor air quality are more likely to take action to improve their exposure.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of the scientific literature on science communication of public health information about risks associated with air pollutants to generate an initial over-view of existing research in this field. We searched the PubMed and Scopus databases and analyzed the data using a structured topic modeling (STM) approach.

Results

The existing scientific literature dates back to 1958 but increases significantly from the 1990s onwards. Publications are mainly found in the discipline of environmental research and are primarily concerned with health effects. It is often stated that adequate communication of the results to the public would be important, but specific approaches are rare. Overall, the topic of risk communication seems to be underrepresented for both air pollutants and UFP.

Conclusions

To protect public health, it is important to conduct more intensive science and risk communication related to scientific findings on the risks of air pollutants. For adequate communication and information, further research is needed to provide specific approaches that also involve the affected population and take different target groups into account. In addition, the effectiveness of communication efforts should also be analyzed.
Longitudinal DNA methylation analysis of adult-type IDH-mutant gliomas
Authors: Ferreyra Vega Sandra , Olsson Bontell Thomas , Kling Teresia , Jakola Asgeir Store , Carén Helena
Published: February 2023

Diffuse gliomas are the most prevalent malignant primary brain tumors in adults and remain incurable despite standard therapy. Tumor recurrence is currently inevitable, which contributes to a persistent high morbidity and mortality in these patients. In this study, we examined the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of primary and recurrent adult-type IDH-mutant gliomas to elucidate DNA methylation changes associated with tumor progression (with or without malignant transformation). We analyzed DNA methylation profiles of 37 primary IDH-mutant gliomas and 42 paired recurrences using the DNA methylation EPIC beadChip array. DNA methylation-based classification reflected the tumor progression over time. We observed a methylation subtype switch in a proportion of IDH-mutant astrocytomas; the primary tumors were subclassified as low-grade astrocytomas, which progressed to high-grade astrocytomas in the recurrent tumors. The CNS WHO grade 4 IDH-mutant astrocytomas did not always resemble methylation subclasses of higher grades. The number of differentially methylated CpG sites increased over time, and astrocytomas accumulated more differentially methylated CpG sites than oligodendrogliomas during tumor progression. Few differentially methylated CpG sites were shared between patients. We demonstrated that DNA methylation profiles are mostly maintained during IDH-mutant glioma progression, but CpG site-specific methylation alterations can occur.
Advances in the modeling of the Iberian thermal lithosphere and perspectives on deep geothermal studies
Authors: Torne M. , Jiménez-Munt I. , Negredo A. M. , Fullea J. , Vergés J. , Marzán I. , Alcalde J. , Gómez-Rivas E. , de la Noceda C. García
Published: February 2023

Renewable energy sources are key to achieve the transition toward clean energy system. Among them, the geothermal energy has a production whose effectiveness requires sufficient understanding of the temperature distribution and fluid circulation at depth, as well as of the lithological and petrophysical properties of the crust. The focus of this paper is twofold: first, we summarize the main advances in the development of new methodologies and numerical codes to characterize the properties of the thermal lithosphere in terms of its, temperature, density and composition; second, based on the compilation of available thermal modelling results, we present the depth of the thermal Lithosphere–Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) of the Iberian Peninsula and the temperature distribution at crustal depths of 5, 10, and 20 km, in addition to at Moho level. At 5 km depth, the temperature is above 110 °C with local anomalies (> 130 °C) located in the Iberian Massif and Cenozoic volcanic provinces. A similar pattern is observed at 10 and 20 km depth, where temperatures are above 190 °C and 350 °C, respectively. At 20 km depth, anomalies above > 500 °C, delineate the SE and NE Cenozoic volcanic provinces. At Moho depths, temperature ranges from 450 to 800 °C with hot regions mainly located along the Iberian Massif and the SE and NE volcanic provinces. The compiled results do not show any lithospheric anomaly that could give rise to high temperatures at shallow depths, but they do show an acceptable exploitation potential at intermediate depths. With regard to the direct use of district and greenhouse heating and for industrial processes, the potential is great throughout the Peninsula, the main challenges being the availability of groundwater and drilling costs.
Doping TiO2 with Fe from iron rusty waste for enhancing its activity under visible light in the Congo red dye photodegradation
Authors: Wahyuni Endang Tri , Lestari Novianti Dwi , Cinjana Ibanez Rosesya , Annur Syafriyanti , Natsir Taufik Abdillah , Mudasir Mudasir
Published: February 2023

An afford to enhance TiO2 activity under visible light as well as to utilize the iron rusty waste, has been conducted by doping Fe from the waste into TiO2. The doping was performed by sol-gel method of titania tetra isopropoxide with Fe3+ ions dissolved from the iron rust waste. In the doping, the concentration of Fe3+ was varied giving various mole ratios of TiO2:Fe. The doped TiO2 photocatalysts were characterized using FTIR, XRD, SRUV, and SEM-EDX instruments. The photocatalytic activity of the doped TiO2 was evaluated by photodegradation of Congo red under visible light. The effect of some parameters that govern the photodegradation process such as the amount of Fe dopant, reaction time, photocatalyst mass, solution pH, and initial concentration of dye was also studied. The characterization results reveal that Fe3+ ions from the rusty waste have been doped into TiO2 which can remarkably narrow the band gap energy (Eg), shifting into the visible zone. In accordance, the activity of TiO2 under visible light in the dye photodegradation is considerably enhanced. The Eg decreasing and actively improving the doped TiO2 are controlled by the amount of Fe dopant, and the most effective Eg decreasing is shown by TiO2–Fe (1:0.8), but the highest activity is observed for TiO2–Fe (1:0.4). It is also found that the highest photodegradation of Congo red 5 mg/L in 50 mL of the solution over TiO2–Fe (1:0.4) under visible light, that is about 99%, can be reached by applying 60 mg of the photocatalyst mass, in 60 min, and solution pH 5. It is implied that the rusty waste can be utilized to prepare the visible responsive photocatalyst that can be used for preventing dye pollution.
Geometries of Fractals and Power: Transnational Marriages, Translocal Marriages, and Asia's Global Ruralities
Authors: Nguyen Linh Khanh
Published: February 2023

In much of the mobilities literature, a dichotomy exists between the urban and rural. The bulk of studies view the urban as a receiving center, one that is cosmopolitan, diverse, and dynamic, while conflating the rural into its opposite: a backward, boring, and unchanging place that sends people away. This split ignores the similarities between the urban and the rural and the complexities of the modern rural. This study, based on twenty months of ethnographic fieldwork, uses a rural community in Vietnam as a node to explore the interconnecting transformations among Asia's rural areas. Findings reveal how rural changes in South Korea have created corresponding changes in rural areas in Vietnam through transnational and translocal rural marriages. Given the nuanced revelations of the ways in which the rural forms and changes, this article calls for its reconceptualization and demonstrates that, similar to the urban, the rural too can be global, heterogeneous, and transformative.
Foreign Bodies: Horror and Intimacy in Singapore's Migrant Labor Regimes
Authors: Johnson Andrew Alan
Published: February 2023

Singapore depends upon foreign bodies to maintain its hypermodern, sleek exterior. For many Singaporeans, a live-in foreign domestic worker (FDW) marks a milestone in achieving a certain kind of bourgeois lifestyle, but the incorporation of a stranger into the household gives rise to certain fears. Intimate labor evokes unexpected feelings, and anxieties about the boundaries of class, nation, gender. In tabloid articles, message boards, and everyday conversation, employers discuss the problem of witchcraft practiced by FDWs—stories such as the incorporation of bodily fluids into employers’ food, the unwanted generation of affection or warm feelings toward those who according to labor contracts should be employees, the surreptitious switching of FDWs’ facial features with those of the employer's children, or other concerns over boundaries and their violation. This article argues that the horror revealed by such stories is one that challenges Singaporean claims to ethnic and economic supremacy in the region, as it points to a return of a perceived threat from an allochronous rural world. Each presents a particular challenge to a sealed, prosperous, “first world” Singaporean self-imagining, a porosity that calls for magical and magico-bureaucratic interventions to set right.
Crazy English: Nation Strengthening and the Changing Politics of Neoliberal Selfhood in Reform-Era China
Authors: Iskra Anna
Published: February 2023

Since the late 1990s, China has experienced an explosion of popular interest in English language study. This nationwide “English fever” reflects how, with the global spread of neoliberal doctrines that were gradually adopted by Chinese governments, English was naturalized as the language of competitiveness and entrepreneurialism. While there is a growing body of literature examining the English-learning craze as a facet of the transnational neoliberalization processes, this anthropological study focuses on the frictions generated in the encounter of English, conceived as a neoliberal technology of the self, with the Chinese nation-state. It examines the understudied phenomenon of Crazy English, a language-teaching enterprise that received unprecedented state patronage among such edu-businesses in the decade of 1998–2008. Conceptualizing Crazy English as a self-cultivation method provides insights into how English study in turn-of-the-century China embodied tensions between key values that characterized the state's project of desirable citizenship: entrepreneurialism and patriotism. Through the idealization and promotion of the new exemplary model of the “wolf entrepreneur,” Chinese state agents, edu-entrepreneurs, and citizen-learners sought to reconcile their desires to simultaneously participate in neoliberal globalization and protect their cultural identities and national interests.
Working Worlds in Neoliberal Japan: Precarity, Imagination, and the “Other-World” Trope
Authors: Hack Brett
Published: February 2023

This article analyzes depictions of work in postmillennial Japanese media, particularly anime and manga, in order to theorize the function of imaginative responses to the social dislocations of neoliberalism. Critical studies of precarity in Japanese popular culture have tended to treat depictions of work as direct representations of actual socioeconomic conditions, overlooking the affective, experiential dimensions of mediated work images and their potential for imagining social relations beyond imposed precarity. The article explores this neglected potential by focusing on the anime and manga trope of isekai (other-world), which depicts life and work in a fantastic environment. These depictions are compared with analogues in live-action films and television during the period of Japan's neoliberalization. Invoking philosophical concepts of social imagination and drawing on autonomist theory for inspiration regarding the visualization of postcapitalist sociality, analysis will demonstrate how their imaginative responses can produce visions of collectivity amenable to postcapitalist projects without explicitly political content. The article hopes to draw out latent capacities within superficially escapist media forms and offer a possible counternarrative to pessimistic discourses about popular culture.
Hope without a Future: Conflicts between Time and Place in Japan after 3/11
Authors: Berman Michael
Published: February 2023

In Kamaishi, a city in the Tōhoku region of Japan, the aging of the population and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami changed people's relationships to time and place. For many people, “time stopped” when disaster struck. That stoppage compounded a weakening of the appeal of the future that had come with deindustrialization. Despite people's lack of expectations for the future, “hope,” which is most frequently conceptualized as an orientation toward a not-yet, was a recurring theme there. This article argues that the form of hope most prevalent among people who lost their homes in the 2011 disasters relied on repetition and the creation of places of refuge. In those particular places, people could use the stoppage of time to their advantage by avoiding the pain of the recent past and the foreseeable future. Ironically, reporters and academics have raised the activities of people in Kamaishi as an example of hope for Japan's future. That is, people closer to suffering focused on place-based hope, whereas people at a distance transformed the struggle to create those places into a vision of the future, which sometimes made it difficult for survivors’ hope to endure.
Clinical effects of Chemotherapy combined with Immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC and the effect on their nutritional status and immune function
Authors: Jiao Meng , Jiao Jin , Li Wen-wen , Shang Yan-hong , Li Xiao-fang
Published: February 2023

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical effects of chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the effect on their nutritional status and immune function.

Methods: Total 120 patients with advanced NSCLC admitted to Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from May 2019 to October 2021 were randomly divided into two groups (n= 60, respectively). Patients in the control group were treated by chemotherapy with cisplatin-paclitaxel (TP) alone: 120 mg/m2 paclitaxel was used on d1; and 25mg/m2 cisplatin (CDDP) was used for more than two hour, once every 14 days, for three consecutive three cycles. Patients in the study group were additionally given 200 mg sindilizumab by intravenous drip, once every three weeks. The contrastive analysis of clinical effects, the incidence of adverse reactions, improvement of the nutrient index and the changes in levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ in T-lymphocyte subsets was performed between the two groups.

Results: The overall response rate (ORR) was 80% and 61% in the study group and the control group, respectively; and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.03); the contrast analysis of the incidence of post-treatment adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in patients in the two groups suggested that the incidence of adverse reactions was 33.3% and 45% in the study group and the control group, respectively; and the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.19). After the treatment, the improvement of hemoglobin, albumin, serum iron and ferritin levels in the study group was more significant than that in the control group; and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). After the treatment, the levels of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the study group were much higher than those in the control group; and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy is effective in treating patients with advanced NSCLC without increasing the incidence of adverse reactions, and can significantly improve their nutritional status and T-lymphocyte function. This therapeutic regimen is of much higher clinical value than the chemotherapy-only regimen.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.2.6365

How to cite this: Jiao J, Li W, Shang Y, Li X, Jiao M. Clinical effects of Chemotherapy combined with Immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC and the effect on their nutritional status and immune function. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(2):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.2.6365

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
COVID-19 and the nutrition of children and adolescents
Authors: Mikulec Anna , Zborowski Marek , Cisoń-Apansewicz Urszula , Kowalski Stanisław
Published: February 2023

Introduction
During childhood and adolescence, a properly balanced diet is very important, as it has a direct impact on health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, care for the proper diet has become particularly important, especially due to the growing wave of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, observed especially in adolescence.
Aim
The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nutrition of children and adolescents.
Material and methods
The research tool was a questionnaire consisting of questions mainly related to the nutrition of children and adolescents. Adolescents are only included if they and their parents or legal guardians have given their informed consent to participate. If they expressed their willingness to participate in the study, the students received an electronic link to the questionnaire.
Results
Most of the respondents were girls / women living in the countryside. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating behavior was observed in 61% of respondents. Social isolation in 61% of people did not affect the regularity of eating meals. Most of the respondents (54%) did not observe an increase in their appetite during the lockdowns. The number of people consuming 1 and 5 meals has increased, and the number of people consuming 2 and 3 meals a day has decreased.
Conclusions
The time of social isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the nutrition of children and adolescents. The number of people eating 1 and 5 meals during social isolation has increased, and the number of people eating 2 and 3 meals has decreased. During social isolation, a decrease in the physical activity of children and adolescents was observed.
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed reports as a source of information on food hazards
Authors: Mikulec Anna , Zborowski Marek , Kowalski Stanisław
Published: February 2023

Introduction
Food safety is a major challenge worldwide and an important factor frequently taken into account by consumers when making food choices. Over the years, a number of unfavorable phenomena related to food adulteration and an increase in its contamination have been observed, which in turn translates into a lower level of food quality and safety and a decrease in consumer confidence.
Aim
The aim of this study was to analyze the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) reports from 2019-2021 in terms of types of hazards in food.
Materials and methods
The research material consisted of the annual reports of the RASFF for the years 2019-2021.
Results
The submissions to the RASFF per product type system were dominated by those related to food. In 2020 and 2021, the most notifications concerned fruits and vegetables, dietetic food, food supplements, and fortified foods. In the group of 10 products causing the most frequent notifications, there are products of animal origin: meat and meat products (other than poultry), fish and fish products, milk and milk products, poultry meat and poultry meat products. The main threats associated with food in the last three years were contamination with Salmonella in poultry meat and poultry meat products, herbs and spices, and nuts, nut products and seeds; aflatoxins, especially in nuts, nut products and seeds; and pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables.
Conclusion
The observed increase in the number of notifications in the RASFF reports in 2019-2021 shows that all EU Member States are involved in monitoring food safety risks. The functioning of the RASFF system enables immediate action to be taken in the EU countries in relation to the risk, and allows for quick information transfer and elimination of products that are hazardous to the health of the consumer.
Return to physical activity after recovering from COVID-19
Authors: Zborowski Marek , Mikulec Anna , Stawiarska Aleksandra , Baliga Cezary
Published: February 2023

Introduction
Physical activity is the basis of a healthy lifestyle. The COVID-19 pandemic and the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus seriously burden the human body, which is a direct cause of a long-term return to high physical fitness. Weakness after infection may persist for many weeks, which is associated with a decrease in the efficiency of athletes, both at the amateur level and characterized by a high level of training.
Aim
The aim of the study was to determine the occurrence of difficulties related to returning to physical activity after recovering from COVID-19.
Material and methods
The research tool was a questionnaire consisting of single and multiple-choice questions regarding issues related to practicing physical activity, being ill with COVID-19 and difficulties resulting from returning to fitness before the disease.
Results
The respondents were dominated by men aged 18-30 undertaking planned physical activity (runners). The analysis of the data showed that most of the participants were characterized by daily physical activity for which they spend 1-2 hours a day. Among the respondents, 69% declared being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Data analysis showed that 70% of the respondents suffered from COVID-19, which resulted in fatigue and increased body temperature. The time to return to physical activity after the infection cleared up took mainly 2 to 4 weeks.
Conclusions
Return to physical activity after recovering from COVID-19 should be skillfully planned, taking into account optimal regeneration and nutrition of the body. The intensity of aerobic training units should be increased gradually so as not to lead to hyperventilation of the lungs. Return to activity should be preceded by medical examinations.
Inverted Topp-Leone Distribution: Contribution to a Family of J-Shaped Frequency Functions in Presence of Random Censoring
Authors: Muhammed Hiba Zeyada , Muhammed Essam Abd Elsalam
Published: February 2023

In this paper, Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimation of the inverted Topp-Leone distribution shape parameter are studied when the sample is complete and random censored. The maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) and Bayes estimator of the unknown parameter are proposed. The Bayes estimates (BEs) have been computed based on the squared error loss (SEL) function and using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques. The asymptotic, bootstrap (p,t), and highest posterior density intervals are computed. The Metropolis Hasting algorithm is proposed for Bayes estimates. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to compare the performances of the proposed methods and one real data set has been analyzed for illustrative purposes.
Design of Improved EWMA Control Chart for Monitoring the Process Mean Using New Median Quartile Double Ranked Set Sampling
Authors: Yasin Wasif , Tayyab Muhammad , Hanif Muhammad
Published: February 2023

It is essential to monitor the mean of a process regarding quality characteristics for the ongoing production. For enhancement of mean monitoring power of the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) chart, a new median quartile double ranked set sampling (MQDRSS) based EWMA control chart is proposed and named as EWMA-MQDRSS chart. In order to study the performance of the developed EWMA-MQDRSS chart, performance measures; average run length, and the standard deviation of run length are used. The shift detection ability of the proposed chart has been compared with counterparts, under the simple random sampling and ranking based sampling techniques. The extensive simulation-based results indicate that the EWMA-MQDRSS chart performs better to trace all kinds of shifts than the existing charts. An illustrative application concerning monitoring the diameter of the piston ring of a machine is also provided to demonstrate the practical utilization of the suggested chart.
An Inferential Aptness of a Weibull Generated Distribution and Application
Authors: Singh Brijesh P. , Das Utpal Dhar
Published: February 2023

In this article an attempt has been made to develop a flexible single parameter continuous distribution using Weibull distribution. The Weibull distribution is most widely used lifetime distributions in both medical and engineering sectors. The exponential and Rayleigh distribution is particular case of Weibull distribution. Here in this study we use these two distributions for developing a new distribution. Important statistical properties of the proposed distribution is discussed such as moments, moment generating and characteristic function. Various entropy measures like Rényi, Shannon and cumulative entropy are also derived. The kth order statistics of pdf and cdf also obtained. The properties of hazard function and their limiting behavior is discussed. The maximum likelihood estimate of the parameter is obtained that is not in closed form, thus iteration procedure is used to obtain the estimate. Simulation study has been done for different sample size and MLE, MSE, Bias for the parameter λ has been observed. Some real data sets are used to check the suitability of model over some other competent distributions for some data sets from medical and engineering science. In the tail area, the proposed model works better. Various model selection criterion such as -2LL, AIC, AICc, BIC, K-S and A-D test suggests that the proposed distribution perform better than other competent distributions and thus considered this as an alternative distribution. The proposed single parameter distribution is found more flexible as compare to some other two parameter complicated distributions for the data sets considered in the present study.
Estimation R=Pr(Y>X) for a Family of Lifetime Distributions by Transformation Method
Authors: Kumar Surinder , Gautam Prem Lata
Published: February 2023

For a Family of lifetime distributions proposed by Chaturvedi and Singh (2008) [6]. The problem of estimating R(t) = P(X > t), which is dened as the probability that a system survives until time t and R = P(Y > X), which represents the stress-strength model are revisited. In order to obtain the maximum likelihood estimators (MLE'S), uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators (UMVUS'S), interval estimators and the Bayes estimators for the considered model. The technique of transformation method is used.
Wychowanie fizyczne w rzeczywistości pandemicznej – doświadczenia i wyzwania w opinii nauczycieli
Authors: Zajkowska-Magier Mariola
Published: February 2023

Pandemia Covid-19 zmieniła oblicze edukacji XXI wieku, przenosząc naukę z klas szkolnych do domów, a następnie wprowadzając szereg ograniczeń w dotychczasowym funkcjonowaniu uczniów i nauczycieli. Jednym z najbardziej problematycznych przedmiotów w pandemicznym świecie okazało się wychowanie fizyczne, którego forma i efektywność były uzależnione w bardzo dużym stopniu od kreatywności i zaangażowania nauczyciela. Celem badań była ocena procesu kształcenia prowadzonego przez nauczycieli wychowania fizycznego w okresie trwania pandemii Covid 19, obejmującego naukę zdalną, naukę w trybie hybrydowym oraz naukę stacjonarną z uwzględnieniem rygoru sanitarnego. Grupę badanych stanowiło 184 nauczycieli wychowania fizycznego z województw wschodniej Polski. W badaniach posłużono się metodą sondażu diagnostycznego z autorskim kwestionariuszem ankiety. W trakcie nauki zdalnej większość nauczycieli korzystała w procesie kształcenia z filmów dostępnych w sieci, zadań dla uczniów przesyłanych im drogą elektroniczną oraz udostępnianych uczniom linków internetowych do śledzenia. Badani pozytywnie oceniają to, iż odkryli wiele nowych form pracy, które mogą uatrakcyjnić proces edukacyjny nie tylko podczas kształcenia zdalnego. Nauczyciele wychowania fizycznego potrzebują jasnych, możliwych do zastosowania podczas lekcji wf wytycznych w związku z koniecznością zachowania środków ostrożności w obliczu ciągle istniejącego zagrożenia wirusem Sars-CoV 2 . Oczekują od organów prowadzących wsparcia w postaci oferty szkoleń i kursów, które podniosą ich kompetencje do pracy z uczniami w aktualnej sytuacji i wskażą możliwości wykorzystania środków oferowanych przez kulturę fizyczną nie tylko w procesie usprawniania ucznia ale również przygotowania go do radzenia sobie w sytuacjach trudnych, pojawiających się w życiu współczesnego człowieka.
Social work as memory of conflicts? Reflections on a historiographical figure of thought
Authors: Maurer Susanne Maria
Published: February 2023

The article revisits an idea developed and explicated by the author in the early 2000s: that social work can be understood as a (site of) memory concerning societal conflicts and, at the same time, as an open archive or storage that holds very different answers to social questions across time and space. The genesis of this figure of thought is reconstructed and contextualised theoretically, historically and politically. Thus, the idea of social work as memory of conflicts or open archive itself can be characterised as one specific answer to the dispute over history and memory (not only related to social work), while, at the same time, providing new approaches to understanding social work’s present(s) and future(s). Therefore, the article ends with reflections on ‘appropriate’ representations of social work’s history in social work education.
Music, Documentaries and Globalization
Authors: Poulakis Nick , Stamatatou Christina
Published: February 2023

This paper deals with the relationship between sound and image as expressed in the cinematic genre of music documentary. In particular, it tries to explore the way in which musical cultures are audiovisually expressed through filmic representation of music performances and artists/groups portraits. By applying a critical and comparative approach, the films Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and Café de los Maestros (2008) become vehicles to investigate images and sounds of music in everyday life, with an emphasis on the impact of globalization and commercialization during their creation and interpretation procedures. The focus is on the commercial exploitation of these films in the context of world capitalism and the way in which it influences the construction of visual representations of non-European musical cultures and identities, as cultural industry shares today a comparable postmodern situation through the concepts of “world music” and “world cinema”. In this light, the paper discusses Latin American (Cuban and Argentine) identities and local music cultures which spread internationally via films and gain a place in the global music scene. Consequently, it points towards issues of authenticity, nostalgia, exoticism, hybridity, folklorization, and the Western domination upon musics as well as films.
The Utilization of Organic Adjuvants to Increase the Effectiveness of Chlorpyrifos Insecticides Against Spodoptera litura
Authors: Hoesain Mohammad , Prastowo Sigit , Wagiyana  , Pradana Ankardiansyah Pandu , Alfarisy Fariz Kustiawan , Adiwena Muh
Published: February 2023

Public awareness of consuming healthy food with minimal pesticide residues has been on the rise. By contrast, farmers still rely on synthetic chemical pesticides to control pests. The shift from synthetic chemical insecticides to botanical insecticides or bioinsecticides is quite complex, especially in Indonesia. Farmers must have the appropriate technology to be independent of synthetic chemical insecticide. This study aims to test the effectiveness of organic adjuvants to increase the effectiveness of insecticides coupled with chlorpyrifos as an active ingredient. We tested the organic adjuvants containing sulfur, acetic acid, NaCl and aqueous extract of Azadirachta indica leaves. The test involved mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) plant on land with a high record of S. litura attacks. The study followed a randomized block design with 8 treatments and 5 blocks, with each block consisting of 20 test plants. The treatments involved water control, chlorpyrifos insecticide at recommended concentration, and a combination of chlorpyrifos insecticide and organic adjuvant. The results showed that the combination of insecticides and organic adjuvants did not have a negative impact on mustard growth, as evinced by the absence of significant difference in all treatments. Furthermore, the combination of insecticides and organic adjuvants reduced the rate of plant damage, the population of S. litura and the population of other insect pests. On the other hand, the combination of insecticides and organic adjuvants did not significantly affect the number of beneficial insects compared with treatment without insecticides. The study documented that the combination of 40 mL L-1 organic adjuvant + 1.8 mL L-1 insecticide chlorpyrifos led to the best results. This combination is found the most effective in reducing plant damage and pest population, without any negative impact on beneficial insects. This study has proven the value of organic adjuvants coupled with chlorpyrifos as the active ingredient to reduce the use of insecticides.