bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy
Authors: Thompson Clarissa A. , Mielicki Marta K. , Rivera Ferdinand , Fitzsimmons Charles J. , Scheibe Daniel A. , Sidney Pooja G. , Schiller Lauren K. , Taber Jennifer M. , Waters Erika A.
Published: August 2022

Rational numbers (i.e., fractions, percentages, decimals, and whole-number frequencies) are notoriously difficult mathematical constructs. Yet correctly interpreting rational numbers is imperative for understanding health statistics, such as gauging the likelihood of side effects from a medication. Several pernicious biases affect health decision-making involving rational numbers. In our novel developmental framework, the natural-number bias—a tendency to misapply knowledge about natural numbers to all numbers—is the mechanism underlying other biases that shape health decision-making. Natural-number bias occurs when people automatically process natural-number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. Math-cognition researchers have identified individual differences and environmental factors underlying natural-number bias and devised ways to teach people how to avoid these biases. Although effective interventions from other areas of research can help adults evaluate numerical health information, they circumvent the core issue: people’s penchant to automatically process natural-number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. We describe the origins of natural-number bias and how researchers may harness the bias to improve rational-number understanding and ameliorate innumeracy in real-world contexts, including health. We recommend modifications to formal math education to help children learn the connections among natural and rational numbers. We also call on researchers to consider individual differences people bring to health decision-making contexts and how measures from math cognition might identify those who would benefit most from support when interpreting health statistics. Investigating innumeracy with an interdisciplinary lens could advance understanding of innumeracy in theoretically meaningful and practical ways.
Computational Scientific Discovery in Psychology
Authors: Bartlett Laura K. , Pirrone Angelo , Javed Noman , Gobet Fernand
Published: August 2022

Scientific discovery is a driving force for progress involving creative problem-solving processes to further our understanding of the world. The process of scientific discovery has historically been intensive and time-consuming; however, advances in computational power and algorithms have provided an efficient route to make new discoveries. Complex tools using artificial intelligence (AI) can efficiently analyze data as well as generate new hypotheses and theories. Along with AI becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives and the services we access, its application to different scientific domains is becoming more widespread. For example, AI has been used for the early detection of medical conditions, identifying treatments and vaccines (e.g., against COVID-19), and predicting protein structure. The application of AI in psychological science has started to become popular. AI can assist in new discoveries both as a tool that allows more freedom to scientists to generate new theories and by making creative discoveries autonomously. Conversely, psychological concepts such as heuristics have refined and improved artificial systems. With such powerful systems, however, there are key ethical and practical issues to consider. This article addresses the current and future directions of computational scientific discovery generally and its applications in psychological science more specifically.
System reliability analysis of a lamp problem by simulation
Authors: Feng Zilong , Dohi Tadashi , Yun Won Young
Published: August 2022

The paper proposes a simulation-based procedure to determine the system reliability of a lamp problem. Suppose we have k lamps to light up a room, and each lamp can light a circular area of radius r. The system reliability is the probability that there is no dark area in the room during time t. We obtain the system reliability function and the expected system lifetime through a simulation when the reliability and the coverage radius of the lamps are given. A Monte Carlo test method and an Intersection test method are used to check the system state (working or failure) for different situations. In numerical examples, Kaplan–Meier and Nelson estimators determine the system reliability function from system failure times generated by the simulation. Additionally, we compare the two methods with numerical examples.
Extraintestinal manifestations in irritable bowel syndrome: A systematic review
Authors: Ohlsson Bodil
Published: August 2022

Background:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Further, IBS patients experience a high degree of extraintestinal symptoms.

Objectives:

The aim of this review was to describe the relation between IBS and extraintestinal manifestations and mechanisms and treatments of these extraintestinal manifestations.

Design:

The study was performed as a systematic review.

Data Sources and Methods:

Search terms including extraintestinal manifestations or somatization and IBS were used to scrutinize for publications in Pubmed. In total, 630 publications were identified and 80 were finally included in this review.

Results:

About 50% of all IBS patients have extraintestinal manifestations in addition to gastrointestinal symptoms. Somatic pain, fatigue, and sleeping disturbances are most common, and most often described in women. Both extraintestinal manifestations and psychological distress are associated with exaggerated gastrointestinal symptoms, impaired quality of life, and difficulties to treat IBS symptoms. The extraintestinal manifestations render an excess of healthcare costs. Varying etiology and pathophysiology to IBS are discussed, and many patients express a general hypersensitivity. Extraintestinal symptoms are seldom documented at clinical healthcare or included in the assessment of treatment outcomes. A good patient-physician relationship and strengthening of coping mechanisms have rendered less gastrointestinal symptoms, psychological distress, and somatization. Altered lifestyle habits may improve both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms. Pharmacological treatment, including antidepressant drugs, should be considered when lifestyle advice fails. Teamwork between different specialists and healthcare providers may be of importance in the wide range of symptoms and extraintestinal manifestations.

Conclusion:

Extraintestinal manifestations are common in IBS patients and is associated with worse suffering and difficulties to treat symptoms. Evaluation and treatment of IBS patients should consider also extraintestinal manifestations and their treatment outcome. Establishment of good relationship, strengthening of coping mechanisms, and education in healthier lifestyle habits are crucial in the management of these patients.
A broad look into the future of systemic sclerosis
Authors: Riemekasten Gabriela , Distler Jörg H.W.
Published: August 2022

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease with the key features of inflammation, vasculopathy and fibrosis. This article focussed on emerging fields based on the authors’ current work and expertise. The authors provide a hierarchical structure into the studies of the pathogenesis of SSc starting with the contribution of environmental factors. Regulatory autoantibodies (abs) are discussed, which are parts of the human physiology and are specifically dysregulated in SSc. Abs against the angiotensin II receptor subtype 1 (AT1R) and the endothelin receptor type A (ETAR) are discussed in more detail. Extracellular vesicles are another novel player to possess disease processes. Fibroblasts are a key effector cell in SSc. Therefore, the current review will provide an overview about their plasticity in the phenotype and function. Promising nuclear receptors as key regulators of transcriptional programmes will be introduced as well as epigenetic modifications, which are pivotal to maintain the profibrotic fibroblast phenotype independent of external stimuli. Fibroblasts from SSc patients exhibit a specific signalling and reactivate developmental pathways and stem cell maintenance such as by employing hedgehog and WNT, which promote fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition and extracellular matrix generation. Pharmacological interventions, although for other indications, are already in clinical use to address pathologic signalling.
“Play with me or I’ll break your arm”: Giant babies, philosophy, and images
Authors: Myers Casey Y
Published: August 2022

With the Donald Trump Baby Balloon as a provocation, this work utilizes philosophy as a method and cinema-as/in-philosophy to multi-modally interrogate the particular images of giant babies. Deleuze and Guattari’s conceptions of molarity and molecularity and Bakhtin’s conception of grotesque bodily images are put to work alongside several cinematic portrayals of giant babies and their social material contexts, including the animated fantasy Spirited away, the family comedy Honey, I blew up the kid, the independent short Las Palmas, and the Disney-Pixar superhero franchise Incredibles. Within this constellation of images and texts, the giant baby emerges as a specific entanglement of developmentalism, humanism, and neoliberalism. Furthermore, the ways in which images of giant babies materialize particular notions of monstrosity, consumption, and destruction might disrupt some commonsense notions of time and bodies. This kind of destabilization of concepts furthers the argument for employing a philosophical, cinematic axiology within the realm of childhood studies.
Narrating Chinese Occidentalism: American Migrants’ Experiences of Everyday Otherness in China
Authors: Liu Yang
Published: August 2022

Despite the growth in numbers of Westerners in China, research focusing on this body of international migrants remains scarce. This article focuses on Chinese Occidentalism’s mundane manifestations by examining Americans’ experiences of everyday Otherness in China as an illuminating case. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 37 Americans, this article elucidates how they experienced the perceived stereotyping manifested in fantasization, underestimation, and stigmatization during their interactions with ordinary Chinese people at the everyday level. The perceived stereotyping, triggered by Americans’ phenotype and nationality, was fabricated at the intersection of various factors in the Chinese context. Ultimately, these Americans experienced the perceived stereotyping as an exclusionary discourse of Othering that permanently confined them to the conceptual box marked “the foreign Other,” a blurry social construct contingent upon specific facets of Occidentalism in the Chinese context.
Calculating ex-ante Utilities From the Neck Disability Index Score: Quantifying the Value of Care For Cervical Spine Pathology
Authors: Jiang Eric X. , Castle Joshua P. , Fisk Felicity E. , Taliaferro Kevin , Pahuta Markian A.
Published: August 2022

Study Design

General population utility valuation study.

Objective

To develop a technique for calculating utilities from the Neck Disability Index (NDI) score.

Methods

We recruited a sample of 1200 adults from a market research panel. Using an online discrete choice experiment (DCE), participants rated 10 choice sets based on NDI health states. A multi-attribute utility function was estimated using a mixed multinomial-logit regression model (MIXL). The sample was partitioned into a training set used for model fitting and validation set used for model evaluation.

Results

The regression model demonstrated good predictive performance on the validation set with an AUC of .77 (95% CI: .76-.78). The regression model was used to develop a utility scoring rubric for the NDI. Regression results also revealed that participants did not regard all NDI items as equally important. The rank order of importance was (in decreasing order): pain intensity = work; personal care = headache; concentration = sleeping; driving; recreation; lifting; and lastly reading.

Conclusions

This study provides a simple technique for converting the NDI score to utilities and quantify the relative importance of individual NDI items. The ability to evaluate quality-adjusted life-years using these utilities for cervical spine pain and disability could facilitate economic analysis and aid in allocation of healthcare resources.
Revisiting Auditory Profiling: Can Cognitive Factors Improve the Prediction of Aided Speech-in-Noise Outcome?
Authors: Wu Mengfan , Christiansen Stine , Fereczkowski Michal , Neher Tobias
Published: August 2022

Hearing aids (HA) are the most common type of rehabilitation treatment for age-related hearing loss. However, HA users often obtain limited benefit from their devices, particularly in noisy environments, and thus many HA candidates do not use them at all. A possible reason for this could be that current HA fittings are audiogram-based, that is, they neglect supra-threshold factors. In an earlier study, an auditory-profiling method was proposed as a basis for more personalized HA fittings. This method classifies HA users into four profiles that differ in terms of hearing sensitivity and supra-threshold hearing abilities. Previously, HA users belonging to these profiles showed significant differences in terms of speech recognition in noise but not subjective assessments of speech-in-noise (SIN) outcome. Moreover, large individual differences within some profiles were observed. The current study therefore explored if cognitive factors can help explain these differences and improve aided outcome prediction. Thirty-nine older HA users completed sets of auditory and SIN tests as well as two tablet-based cognitive measures (the Corsi block-tapping and trail-making tests). Principal component analyses were applied to extract the dominant sources of variance both within individual tests producing many variables and within the three types of tests. Multiple linear regression analyses performed on the extracted components showed that auditory factors were related to aided speech recognition in noise but not to subjective SIN outcome. Cognitive factors were unrelated to aided SIN outcome. Overall, these findings provide limited support for adding those two cognitive tests to the profiling of HA users.
Assessing Emotional Expressions During a Cycling-Based Initiative for Older Care Home Residents Using Video-Based Recordings
Authors: Gray Ryan , Faraghat Shana , Gow Alan J.
Published: August 2022

Objective: Through Cycling Without Age, trained volunteers use specially designed trishaws to provide rides for older adults living in care homes and other supported living environments. Qualitative and quantitative research suggests benefits in terms of improvements in mood and wellbeing. Those studies have predominantly been interviews with participants reflecting on previous rides, or as pre-/post-assessments. The current study assessed emotional experiences using video recordings acquired during participants’ rides. Methods: Twelve older adults (50% female; 67-92 years old (M = 81.8, SD = 7.4)) living in care homes or supported living environments were recruited. During a Cycling Without Age ride, participants were filmed using an action camera mounted on the trishaw. Recordings were rated using the Facial Expression Coding System by two researchers to assess the frequency, duration and intensity of positive and negative emotions. Results: On average, 23.7 positive emotional expressions were observed per ride, significantly higher than negative emotions (0.4). As well as more frequent, positive emotions were observed over a longer duration in total (139.5 seconds vs. 1.3) and rated as more intense (1.9 out of 5 vs. 0.3). Conclusion: The study supported the value of directly assessing emotional responses during this cycling-based initiative, including minimising the input required from participants. The predominantly positive emotional expressions observed were consistent with both qualitative and quantitative assessments of Cycling Without Age, and suggests a potential pathway by which those benefits manifest. Future studies might adopt a triangulated approach, using in-activity monitoring, quantitative assessments and participant reflections.
Nurses’ Lived Experiences of Caring for Patients with COVID-19 in Nigeria
Authors: Popoola Tosin , Popoola Victor , Nelson Katherine
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have been on the frontline providing care for patients with COVID-19. Caring for patients with COVID-19 can be a rewarding experience for nurses, but research also suggests that nurses experience numerous challenges on the frontline.

Objectives

This study aims to explore the experiences of frontline nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Nigeria

Methods

Ten nurse volunteers working in a COVID-19 isolation center were purposively recruited. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview guide, and a template analysis approach was used to analyze the transcribed interviews.

Results

The participants volunteered at the isolation center for safety reasons, professional gain, and concern for humanity. Working at the isolation center was accompanied by changes in working hours, work dynamics, care context and care tools. These changes resulted in personal, professional, and work-related challenges for nurses. However, team spirit, positive patient outcomes, gratitude and family support helped the nurses cope with the challenges.

Conclusions

This research highlighted that working on the frontline of COVID-19 is associated with multiple and complex challenges that can impact nurses’ personal and professional life. Thus, a tailored approach to support is needed to address the challenges faced by frontline nurses.
Intergenerational Queer Method(ologie)s: Dialogues in Literacy Research
Authors: Coleman James Joshua , Schey Ryan , Blackburn Mollie V. , Brochin Carol , Cooper-Novack Gemma , Crawley S. Adam , Cruz Cindy , Dutro Elizabeth , Helton Jack , Islam Abdul-Qadir , Jiménez Ileana , Lizárraga José Ramón , Shrodes Addie , Simon Rob , Wickens Corrine Marie , Young Craig A.
Published: August 2022

Comprised of seven intergenerational dialogues, this article brings together emerging and established scholars to query into the future of queer literacy research. Addressing generational shifts in queer method(ologie)s, these dialogues advance epistemological, ontological, and ethical research quandaries related to queer and trans studies today. Holding implications for literacy research broadly, this article presents queer futurity as a research approach for addressing some of our field's most pressing concerns.
Correlation between Carotid Artery Mean Intima-Media Thickness and brain Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Psoriasis
Authors: Niknezhad Nasim , Shahidi-Dadras Mohammad , Rajabi Fateme , Khah Hamidreza Haghighat , Niknejad Nakisa , Younespour Shima
Published: August 2022

Background

Numerous studies have documented an association between psoriasis and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Objective

We aimed to investigate the effects of psoriasis on the levels of N-terminal prohormone B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and clarify whether this factor correlates with the evaluations of subclinical atherosclerosis, measured with mean intima-media thickness (MIMT) of the carotid artery.

Methods

Sixty-one psoriatic patients and sixty-one healthy, age and sex-matched volunteers were enrolled. MIMT was assessed via ultrasonography and serum NT-proBNP level were measured by electrochemiluminescence.

Results

Both NT-proBNP and MIMT were significantly higher in psoriasis patients. This remained true even after controlling for the effects of age and gender. MIMT was positively correlated with age and serum NT-proBNP level in both groups.

Conclusions

In conclusion, NT-proBNP levels may be used as a predictor of subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with psoriasis.
Clinical profile of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19- and BBV152-vaccinated individuals among hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a pair-matched study
Authors: Keri Vishakh C. , Arunan Bharathi , Kodan Parul , Soneja Manish , Nischal Neeraj , Varadarajan Ashwin , Didwania Akansha , R.L. Brunda , Aggarwal Anivita , Jorwal Pankaj , Kumar Arvind , Ray Animesh , Sethi Prayas , Meena Ved Prakash , Khanna Puneet , Singh Akhil Kant , Aggarwal Richa , Soni Kapil Dev , Goyal Alpesh , Das Animesh , Trikha Anjan , Wig Naveet
Published: August 2022

Background:

COVID-19 infections among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-vaccinated individuals are of clinical concern, especially in those requiring hospitalization. Such real-world data on ChAdOx1 nCoV-19- and BBV152-vaccinated individuals are scarce. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand their clinical profile and outcomes.

Methods:

A 1:1 pair-matched study was performed among vaccinated and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients admitted between March 2021 and June 2021 at a tertiary care centre in New Delhi, India. The vaccinated group (received at least one dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or BBV152) was prospectively followed till discharge or death and matched [for age (±10 years), sex, baseline disease severity and comorbidities] with a retrospective group of unvaccinated patients admitted during the study period. Paired analysis was done to look for clinical outcomes between the two groups.

Results:

The study included a total of 210 patients, with 105 in each of the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. In the vaccinated group, 47 (44.8%) and 58 (55.2%) patients had received ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BBV152, respectively. However, 73 patients had received one dose and 32 had received two doses of the vaccine. Disease severity was mild in 36.2%, moderate in 31.4% and severe in 32.4%. Two mortalities were reported out of 19 fully vaccinated individuals. All-cause mortality in the vaccinated group was 8.6% (9/105), which was significantly lower than the matched unvaccinated group mortality of 21.9% (23/105), p = 0.007. Vaccination increased the chances of survival (OR = 3.8, 95% CI: 1.42–10.18) compared to the unvaccinated group.

Conclusion:

In the second wave of the pandemic predominated by delta variant of SARS CoV-2, vaccination reduced all-cause mortality among hospitalized patients, although the results are only preliminary.
Vitamin D Supplementation Could Enhance the Effectiveness of Glibenclamide in Treating Diabetes and Preventing Diabetic Nephropathy: A Biochemical, Histological and Immunohistochemical Study
Authors: Atia Tarek , Iqbal Mohammad Zahidul , Fathy Ahmed Hassan , Sakr Hader I. , Abdelzaher M. H. , Morsi Deaa Fekri , Metawee Mostafa E.
Published: August 2022

Diabetes mellitus is an oxidative stress-related disease characterized by hyperglycemia and a variety of complications, including nephropathy. Vitamin D has variable functions extending beyond the calcium metabolism to prevent oxidative tissue damage. We aimed to investigate whether vitamin D supplements could enhance Glibenclamide's effectiveness in treating diabetes and minimize the risk of associated pathology. Wistar rats were divided into normal control (n = 10) and diabetic (n = 30), where animals received two low doses of Streptozotocin 30 mg/kg/BW intraperitoneally to develop diabetes. The diabetic rats were then randomly divided into three equal groups: untreated, treated with Glibenclamide (0.6 mg/kg), and treated with Glibenclamide and Vitamin D3 (500 IU/kg). After eight weeks, the animals were sacrificed, and blood samples and kidney tissues were collected to evaluate biochemical, anti-oxidant, and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and histological and immunohistochemical changes. Diabetic animals had significantly increased fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, blood urea, serum creatinine, and Malondialdehyde levels, whereas serum insulin, albumin, and the anti-oxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly decreased compared to normal control (p < 0.01). Furthermore, some renal histological changes were observed together with significantly increased immunoreactivity of anti-p53, anti-TNF-α, and anti-IL-6 antibodies when compared to the normal control. All abnormal parameters improved significantly with Glibenclamide therapy (p < 0.01), but combination therapy with vitamin D produced a much better result. In conclusion, vitamin D supplementation along with anti-diabetic medication can help prevent or reduce the severity of diabetic nephropathy due to its potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.
Value-based analysis of a Singaporean post-ED discharge support program for older adults
Authors: Ong Colin Eng Choon , Phan Phillip , Wu Christine Xia , Chen Zhaoqi , Quek Lit Sin
Published: August 2022

Objective

We evaluated the effectiveness of a post emergency department (ED) discharge intervention for frail, older adult patients in reducing hospital admissions.

Methods

9-month retrospective real-world evaluation of a quality improvement intervention comparing frail adults 65-years and older who received a post-ED discharge intervention program (SAFE-Lite) with those who were eligible but declined and received usual care instead. The primary outcomes were the differences in rates of first acute hospital admission at 30- and 60-days post-ED discharge. The difference in primary outcome between the two groups was compared using the Cox proportional hazards model. We report adjusted hazards ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs for age, gender, Triage Risk Screening Tool (TRST) scores, as well as baseline ED utilization and acute hospital admission rates in the past year.

Results

There were 66 patients in the intervention group and 46 patients in the control group. There was no significant difference in risk of acute hospital admission at both 30 days (15 vs. 13%, HR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.35–2.41) and 60 days (21 vs. 16%, HR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.42–2.21) for the intervention and control groups.

Conclusion

Compared to usual post-ED discharge care, SAFE-Lite showed no difference in reducing 30- and 60-day admissions of frail, older patients.
Management of Failed Latarjet Procedure Using a Distal Clavicular Autograft
Authors: Abihssira Sharon , Housset Victor , Le Hanneur Malo , Nourissat Geoffroy
Published: August 2022

Background:

Latarjet procedure is the gold standard surgery in cases of shoulder instability with substantial bone loss. Recurrence is scarce but its management may be challenging. Numerous revision techniques, based on soft tissue repairs with autograft or allograft augmentations, have been developed. Autografts are associated with potential donor-site morbidity while allografts may generate additional costs. We present here the use of the ipsilateral distal clavicular osteochondral autograft in the setting of failed Latarjet procedure.

Indication:

The indication is a failed coracoid bone block procedure with recurrent instability and preoperative imaging demonstrating intact acromioclavicular (AC) joint with preserved coracoclavicular (CC) ligaments. This technique should not be used if there was a previous lesion of the CC ligaments during coracoid harvest.

Technique Description:

A delto-pectoral approach is used and extended superiorly to access the distal clavicle end as well as the glenohumeral (GH) joint anterior aspect. A distal clavicular osteochondral autograft is harvested with an oscillating saw after identifying the AC joint with a needle to prevent any resection medial to the CC ligament insertions, which would compromise distal clavicle stability. The GH joint anterior aspect is exposed, similar to the Latarjet procedure, to first remove the coracoid graft remnants along with any scar tissues surrounding the joint anterior aspect. Distal clavicular autograft is predrilled and fixed to the scapula using 2 cortical screws. The clavicular articular surface may be used to replace the glenoid cartilage defect. In this case, the anatomy of the distal clavicle did not allow us to perform such articular replacement.

Results:

Return to daily activities was authorized after 3 weeks postoperatively. After 6 weeks, shoulder pain lowered and no clavicle instability or donor-site complication was reported. Return to sport is expected in 50% of cases, compared with other revision procedures. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed an adequate positioning of the bone block and its fusion at 3 months postoperatively.

Conclusion:

In the setting of a failed Latarjet procedure with recurrent shoulder instability, distal clavicular autograft appears to be a reliable option to reduce donor-site morbidity and avoid additional costs. A prospective clinical study is needed to evaluate this technique in the long term.
Neutrophil trogocytosis during their trans-endothelial migration: role of extracellular CIRP
Authors: Takizawa Satoshi , Lee Yongchan , Jacob Asha , Aziz Monowar , Wang Ping
Published: August 2022

Background

Neutrophils are the most abundant innate immune cells in the circulating blood, and they act as the first responder against bacterial and fungal infection. However, accumulation of activated neutrophils can cause severe inflammation and tissue damage. Recently, neutrophil trogocytosis or membrane transfer with neighboring cells was reported to modulate immune responses. Extracellular cold-inducible RNA binding protein (eCIRP) is a newly identified damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP). eCIRP can activate neutrophils to be more pro-inflammatory. This study aimed to identify the role of eCIRP in neutrophil trogocytosis during their trans-endothelial migration.

Methods

A trans-endothelial migration (TEM) assay using bone marrow neutrophils and mouse primary lung vascular endothelial cells was conducted using transwell chambers and neutrophil trogocytosis was assessed in vitro. In an in vivo mouse model of acute lung injury, neutrophil trogocytosis was assessed from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Results

In TEM assay, the trogocytosis of neutrophils occurred during trans-endothelial migration and eCIRP significantly increased the percentage of these neutrophils. The trogocytosed neutrophils acquired the endothelial membrane containing junctional adhesion molecule-C (JAM-C) and VE-cadherin, and these membrane patches were polarized by Mac-1 binding. Furthermore, eCIRP-induced JAM-C positive trogocytosed neutrophils are more pro-inflammatory than the JAM-C negative counterpart. JAM-C positive trogocytosed neutrophils were also observed in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a mouse model of acute lung injury.

Conclusion

These data suggest that during the paracellular trans-endothelial migration of neutrophils in response to inflammation, eCIRP induces trogocytosis of neutrophils, and the trogocytosed neutrophils exhibit an exaggerated pro-inflammatory phenotype promoting acute lung injury.
HYAL3 as a potential novel marker of BLCA patient prognosis
Authors: Liu Jun-peng , Fang Yu-tong , Jiang Yi-fan , Lin Hao
Published: August 2022

Background

It has been previously demonstrated that hyaluronan (HA) potentially regulates the initiation and propagation of bladder cancer (BLCA). HYAL3 encodes hyaluronidase and is a potential therapeutic target for BLCA. We aimed to explore the role that HYAL3 plays in BLCA pathogenesis.

Methods

HYAL3 expression in BLCA specimens was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohort as well as confirmed in cell lines and The Human Protein Atlas. Then, associations between HYAL3 expression and clinicopathological data were analyzed using survival curves and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The functions of HYAL3 were further dissected using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and the protein–protein interaction network. Finally, we harnessed the Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis to obtain correlations between HYAL3 expression, infiltrating immunocytes, and the corresponding immune marker sets.

Results

HYAL3 expression varied greatly between many types of cancers. In addition, a higher HYAL3 expression level predicted a poor overall survival (OS) in both TCGA-BLCA and GEO gene chips (P < 0.05). HYAL3 also exhibited an acceptable diagnostic ability for the pathological stage of BLCA (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve = 0.769). Furthermore, HYAL3 acted as an independent prognostic factor in BLCA patients and correlated with the infiltration of various types of immunocytes, including B cells, CD8+ T cells, cytotoxic cells, T follicular helper cells, and T helper (Th) 2 cells.

Conclusion

HYAL3 might serve as a potential biomarker for predicting poor OS in BLCA patients and correlated with immunocyte infiltration in BLCA.
Chitinolytic enzymes contribute to the pathogenicity of Aliivibrio salmonicida LFI1238 in the invasive phase of cold-water vibriosis
Authors: Skåne Anna , Edvardsen Per Kristian , Cordara Gabriele , Loose Jennifer Sarah Maria , Leitl Kira Daryl , Krengel Ute , Sørum Henning , Askarian Fatemeh , Vaaje-Kolstad Gustav
Published: August 2022

Background

Aliivibrio salmonicida is the causative agent of cold-water vibriosis in salmonids (Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo salar L.) and gadidae (Gadus morhua L.). Virulence-associated factors that are essential for the full spectrum of A. salmonicida pathogenicity are largely unknown. Chitin-active lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) have been indicated to play roles in both chitin degradation and virulence in a variety of pathogenic bacteria but are largely unexplored in this context.

Results

In the present study we investigated the role of LPMOs in the pathogenicity of A. salmonicida LFI238 in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). In vivo challenge experiments using isogenic deletion mutants of the two LPMOs encoding genes AsLPMO10A and AsLPMO10B, showed that both LPMOs, and in particular AsLPMO10B, were important in the invasive phase of cold-water vibriosis. Crystallographic analysis of the AsLPMO10B AA10 LPMO domain (to 1.4 Å resolution) revealed high structural similarity to viral fusolin, an LPMO known to enhance the virulence of insecticidal agents. Finally, exposure to Atlantic salmon serum resulted in substantial proteome re-organization of the A. salmonicida LPMO deletion variants compared to the wild type strain, indicating the struggle of the bacterium to adapt to the host immune components in the absence of the LPMOs.

Conclusion

The present study consolidates the role of LPMOs in virulence and demonstrates that such enzymes may have more than one function.
Comparative effect of transforaminal injection of Magnesium sulphate versus Ozone on oxidative stress biomarkers in lumbar disc related radicular pain
Authors: Fathy Wael , Hussein Mona , Ibrahim Raghda E. , Abdel-Aziz Manar M. , Adel Shaden , Soliman Shaimaa H. , Elmoutaz Hatem , Abdelkader Mohamed
Published: August 2022

Background

We aimed to investigate the effect of transforaminal injection of Magnesium sulphate versus Ozone on pain intensity, functional disability and the oxidative stress biomarkers; superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione (GSH) in patients with lumbar disc prolapse.

Methods

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 135 patients having symptomatic lumbar disc prolapse, received either transforaminal injection of Magnesium sulphate with steroids, Ozone with steroids, or steroids alone. Assessment of pain severity and functional disability were done before intervention, 2 weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention. Serum SOD and GSH were measured for all included patients before and 2 weeks after intervention.

Results

There was a statistically significant improvement in pain intensity and functional disability 2 weeks after intervention in the three groups, but at 1-month and 3-months after intervention, the significant improvement was in Mg sulphate and Ozone groups only. At 6-months follow up, Mg sulphate group only showed a significant improvement. There was a statistically significant increase in SOD and GSH serum levels, 2-weeks after intervention in both Magnesium sulphate (P-value = 0.002, 0.005 respectively) and ozone groups (P-value < 0.001, < 0.001), but there was no statistically significant change in SOD and GSH serum levels in control group.

Conclusion

Transforaminal injection of Mg sulphate in patients with lumbar disc prolapse causes significant long-term improvement (up to 6 months) in pain intensity and functional disability. The serum levels of SOD and GSH were significantly increased at 2 weeks following both transforaminal injection of Mg sulphate and ozone.
Urinary tract infections in children: building a causal model-based decision support tool for diagnosis with domain knowledge and prospective data
Authors: Ramsay Jessica A. , Mascaro Steven , Campbell Anita J. , Foley David A. , Mace Ariel O. , Ingram Paul , Borland Meredith L. , Blyth Christopher C. , Larkins Nicholas G. , Robertson Tim , Williams Phoebe C. M. , Snelling Thomas L. , Wu Yue
Published: August 2022

Background

Diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children in the emergency department (ED) is challenging due to the variable clinical presentations and difficulties in obtaining a urine sample free from contamination. Clinicians need to weigh a range of observations to make timely diagnostic and management decisions, a difficult task to achieve without support due to the complex interactions among relevant factors. Directed acyclic graphs (DAG) and causal Bayesian networks (BN) offer a way to explicitly outline the underlying disease, contamination and diagnostic processes, and to further make quantitative inference on the event of interest thus serving as a tool for decision support.

Methods

We prospectively collected data on children present to ED with suspected UTIs. Through knowledge elicitation workshops and one-on-one meetings, a DAG was co-developed with clinical domain experts (the Expert DAG) to describe the causal relationships among variables relevant to paediatric UTIs. The Expert DAG was combined with prospective data and further domain knowledge to inform the development of an application-oriented BN (the Applied BN), designed to support the diagnosis of UTI. We assessed the performance of the Applied BN using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Results

We summarised patient background, clinical and laboratory characteristics of 431 episodes of suspected UTIs enrolled from May 2019 to November 2020. The Expert DAG was presented with a narrative description, elucidating how infection, specimen contamination and management pathways causally interact to form the complex picture of paediatric UTIs. Parameterised using prospective data and expert-elicited parameters, the Applied BN achieved an excellent and stable performance in predictingEscherichia coliculture results, with a mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 and a mean log loss of 0.48 based on 10-fold cross-validation. The BN predictions were reviewed via a validation workshop, and we illustrate how they can be presented for decision support using three hypothetical clinical scenarios.

Conclusion

Causal BNs created from both expert knowledge and data can integrate case-specific information to provide individual decision support during the diagnosis of paediatric UTIs in ED. The model aids the interpretation of culture results and the diagnosis of UTIs, promising the prospect of improved patient care and judicious use of antibiotics.
Could widespread use of antiviral treatment curb the COVID-19 pandemic? A modeling study
Authors: Matrajt Laura , Brown Elizabeth R. , Cohen Myron S. , Dimitrov Dobromir , Janes Holly
Published: August 2022

Background

Despite the development of safe and effective vaccines, effective treatments for COVID-19 disease are still urgently needed. Several antiviral drugs have shown to be effective in reducing progression of COVID-19 disease.

Methods

In the present work, we use an agent-based mathematical model to assess the potential population impact of the use of antiviral treatments in four countries with different demographic structure and current levels of vaccination coverage: Kenya, Mexico, United States (US) and Belgium. We analyzed antiviral effects on reducing hospitalization and death, and potential antiviral effects on reducing transmission. For each country, we varied daily treatment initiation rate (DTIR) and antiviral effect in reducing transmission (AVT).

Results

Irrespective of location and AVT, widespread antiviral treatment of symptomatic adult infections (20% DTIR) prevented the majority of COVID-19 deaths, and recruiting 6% of all adult symptomatic infections daily reduced mortality by over 20% in all countries. Furthermore, our model projected that targeting antiviral treatment to the oldest age group (65 years old and older, DTIR of 20%) can prevent over 30% of deaths. Our results suggest that early antiviral treatment (as soon as possible after inception of infection) is needed to mitigate transmission, preventing 50% more infections compared to late treatment (started 3 to 5 days after symptoms onset). Our results highlight the synergistic effect of vaccination and antiviral treatment: as the vaccination rate increases, antivirals have a larger relative impact on population transmission. Finally, our model projects that even in highly vaccinated populations, adding antiviral treatment can be extremely helpful to mitigate COVID-19 deaths.

Conclusions

These results suggest that antiviral treatments can become a strategic tool that, in combination with vaccination, can significantly reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths and can help control SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Cancer-Net SCa: tailored deep neural network designs for detection of skin cancer from dermoscopy images
Authors: Lee James Ren Hou , Pavlova Maya , Famouri Mahmoud , Wong Alexander
Published: August 2022

Background

Skin cancer continues to be the most frequently diagnosed form of cancer in the U.S., with not only significant effects on health and well-being but also significant economic costs associated with treatment. A crucial step to the treatment and management of skin cancer is effective early detection with key screening approaches such as dermoscopy examinations, leading to stronger recovery prognoses. Motivated by the advances of deep learning and inspired by the open source initiatives in the research community, in this study we introduce Cancer-Net SCa, a suite of deep neural network designs tailored for the detection of skin cancer from dermoscopy images that is open source and available to the general public. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, Cancer-Net SCa comprises the first machine-driven design of deep neural network architectures tailored specifically for skin cancer detection, one of which leverages attention condensers for an efficient self-attention design.

Results

We investigate and audit the behaviour of Cancer-Net SCa in a responsible and transparent manner through explainability-driven performance validation. All the proposed designs achieved improved accuracy when compared to the ResNet-50 architecture while also achieving significantly reduced architectural and computational complexity. In addition, when evaluating the decision making process of the networks, it can be seen that diagnostically relevant critical factors are leveraged rather than irrelevant visual indicators and imaging artifacts.

Conclusion

The proposed Cancer-Net SCa designs achieve strong skin cancer detection performance on the International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC) dataset, while providing a strong balance between computation and architectural efficiency and accuracy. While Cancer-Net SCa is not a production-ready screening solution, the hope is that the release of Cancer-Net SCa in open source, open access form will encourage researchers, clinicians, and citizen data scientists alike to leverage and build upon them.
Nomogram prediction for the prediction of clinical pregnancy in Freeze-thawed Embryo Transfer
Authors: Zhang Qian , Wang Xiaolong , Zhang Yuming , Lu Haiou , Yu Yuexin
Published: August 2022

Background

This study aimed to identify multiple endometrial receptivity related factors by applying non-invasive, repeatable multimodal ultrasound methods. Combined with basic clinical data, we further established a practical prediction model for early clinical outcomes in Freeze-thawed Embryo Transfer (FET).

Methods

Retrospective analysis of clinical data of infertility patients undergoing FET cycle in our Center from January 2017 to September 2019. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analyses were performed by 500 bootstrap resamplings to assess the determination and clinical value of the nomogram, respectively.

Results

A total of 2457 FET cycles were included. We developed simple nomograms that predict the early clinical outcomes in FET cycles by using the parameters of age, BMI, type and number of embryos transferred, endometrial thickness, FI, RI, PI and number of endometrial and sub-endometrial blood flow. In the training cohort, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) showed statistical accuracy (AUC = 0.698), and similar results were shown in the subsequent validation cohort (AUC = 0.699). Decision curve analysis demonstrated the clinical value of this nomogram.

Conclusions

Our nomogram can predict clinical outcomes and it can be used as a simple, affordable and widely implementable tool to provide guidance and treatment recommendations for FET patients.
Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on T1N0M0 breast cancer patients: a propensity score matching study based on SEER database and external cohort
Authors: Shen Kaiwen , Yao Longdi , Zhu Jingyuan , Gu Ximing , Wang Jie , Qian Wei , Zheng Zhijian , Fu Deyuan , Wu Song
Published: August 2022

Background

There is no clear consensus on the benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy for tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage T1 (T1N0M0) breast cancer (BC). Our study investigated the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on T1N0M0 BC patients.

Methods

Seventy-five thousand one hundred thirty-nine patients diagnosed with T1N0M0 BC were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariate Cox analyses were performed to investigate the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on T1a, T1b, and T1cN0M0 BC, including various tumor grades, and four molecular subtypes. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to eliminate confounding factors and further compare the results between adjuvant chemotherapy and no adjuvant chemotherapy. Additionally, 545 T1N0M0 BC patients treated at the Northern Jiangsu People’s Hospital were included as an independent external validation cohort. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to confirm the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy in T1a, T1b, and T1cN0M0 BC. Survival curves for the different tumor grades and molecular subtypes were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Adjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS) in T1b and T1c BC, but not in T1a BC. Within T1b BC, adjuvant chemotherapy was found to have effects on grade III, and hormone receptor + (HoR +)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 + (HER2 +), HoR-/HER2 + , and HoR-/HER2- molecular subtypes, respectively. Adjuvant chemotherapy was beneficial to OS for grade II/III and T1c BC. Identical results were obtained after PSM. We also obtained similar results with external validation cohort, except that adjuvant chemotherapy made a difference in grade II and T1b BC of the external validation dataset.

Conclusions

Partial T1N0M0 BC patients with grade III T1bN0M0, patients with tumor grade II and III T1cN0M0, and excluding those with HoR + /HER2- subtype tumors, could obtain OS benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy.