bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
US Embassy air-quality tweets led to global health benefits
Authors: Jha Akshaya , Nauze Andrea La
Published: October 2022

The World Health Organization estimates that over 90% of the world’s population is exposed to hazardous levels of local air pollution. Air pollution is markedly worse in low- and middle-income countries, yet air-quality monitoring is typically sparse. In 2008, the US Embassy in Beijing began tweeting hourly air-quality information from a newly installed pollution monitor, dramatically improving the information on air quality available to Beijing residents. Since then, the United States has installed over 50 monitors around the world, tweeting real-time reports on air quality in those locations. Using spatially granular measurements of local air pollution from satellite data that span the globe, we employ variation in whether and when US embassies installed monitors to evaluate the impact of air-quality information on pollution. We estimate that embassy monitors led to reductions in fine particulate concentration levels in host countries of 2 to 4 µg/m
3
. Our central estimate of the annual monetized benefit of the decrease in premature mortality due to this reduction in pollution is $127 million for the median city in 2019. Our findings point to the substantial benefits of improving the availability and salience of air-quality information in low- and middle-income countries.
Modular DAS demodulation system based on ultra-weak fibre Bragg grating
Authors: Luo Z.H. , Yang Z. , Lu B. , Xu B. , Huang J.L.
Published: October 2022

Aiming at the requirements of low power consumption,
miniaturization, and massive data processing, a modular distributed
optical fibre acoustic sensing (DAS) demodulation system based on
ultra-weak fibre Bragg grating (UW-FBG) is proposed. A highly
integrated circuit and embedded system is used for the time-domain
positioning and data acquisition of the gratings. Field programmable
gate array (FPGA) demodulates the phase changes of each sensing
section in real time. The demodulation outputs are uploaded through
a Gigabit Ethernet connection. Through innovative software and
hardware design, the demodulation system power consumption is less
than 20 W, and the device volume is
250 mm× 180 mm× 45 mm, and the output
data size is about 2.6% of the conventional methods. All the
outputs are then tested on a piezoelectric transducer (PZT)
platform. Results show that the background noise within
5 Hz–1280 Hz range is 2.16 pε/√(Hz), and
the strain sensitivity reaches
484 pε/√(Hz)@200 Hz. The correlation
coefficient of voltage and phase is 0.9991, which shows good
linearity. Combined with a common commercial laptop to demodulate
the micro-vibration signals, this system could provide a
cost-effective scheme for acquiring acoustic-level micro-vibration
signals and on-line field monitoring.
Boosts in leaf-level photosynthetic capacity aid Pinus ponderosa recovery from wildfire
Authors: Bryant Kelsey N , Stenzel Jeffrey , Mathias Justin , Kwon Hyojung , Kolden Crystal A , Lynch Laurel , Hudiburg Tara
Published: October 2022

Forests mitigate climate change by sequestering massive amounts of carbon, but recent increases in wildfire activity are threatening carbon storage. Currently, our understanding of wildfire impacts on forest resilience and the mechanisms controlling post-fire recovery remains unresolved due to a lack of empirical data on mature trees in natural settings. Here, we quantify the physiological mechanisms controlling carbon uptake immediately following wildfire in mature individuals of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), a wide-spread and canopy-dominant tree species in fire-prone forests. While photosynthetic capacity was lower in burned than unburned trees due to an overall depletion of resources, we show that within the burned trees, photosynthetic capacity increases with the severity of damage. Our data reveal that boosts in the efficiency of carbon uptake at the leaf-level may compensate for whole-tree damage, including the loss of leaf area and roots. We further show that heightened photosynthetic capacity in remaining needles on burned trees may be linked with reduced water stress and leaf nitrogen content, providing pivotal information about post-fire physiological processes. Our results have implications for Earth system modeling efforts because measurements of species-level physiological parameters are used in models to predict ecosystem and landscape-level carbon trajectories. Finally, current land management practices do not account for physiological resilience and recovery of severely burned trees. Our results suggest premature harvest may remove individuals that may otherwise survive, irrevocably altering forest carbon balance.
Mapping global hotspots and trends of water quality (1992–2010): a data driven approach
Authors: Desbureaux Sebastien , Mortier Frederic , Zaveri Esha , van Vliet Michelle T H , Russ Jason , Rodella Aude Sophie , Damania Richard
Published: October 2022

Clean water is key for sustainable development. However, large gaps in monitoring data limit our understanding of global hotspots of poor water quality and their evolution over time. We demonstrate the value added of a data-driven approach (here, random forest) to provide accurate high-frequency estimates of surface water quality worldwide over the period 1992–2010. We assess water quality for six indicators (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, nitrate-nitrite, phosphorus) relevant for the sustainable development goals. The performance of our modeling approach compares well to, or exceeds, the performance of recently published process-based models. The model’s outputs indicate that poor water quality is a global problem that impacts low-, middle- and high-income countries but with different pollutants. When countries become richer, water pollution does not disappear but evolves. Water quality exhibited a signif icant change between 1992 and 2010 with a higher percentage of grid cells where water quality shows a statistically significant deterioration (30%) compared to where water quality improved (22%).
CoaDTI: multi-modal co-attention based framework for drug–target interaction annotation
Authors: Huang Lei , Lin Jiecong , Liu Rui , Zheng Zetian , Meng Lingkuan , Chen Xingjian , Li Xiangtao , Wong Ka-Chun
Published: October 2022

Motivation

The identification of drug–target interactions (DTIs) plays a vital role for in silico drug discovery, in which the drug is the chemical molecule, and the target is the protein residues in the binding pocket. Manual DTI annotation approaches remain reliable; however, it is notoriously laborious and time-consuming to test each drug–target pair exhaustively. Recently, the rapid growth of labelled DTI data has catalysed interests in high-throughput DTI prediction. Unfortunately, those methods highly rely on the manual features denoted by human, leading to errors.

Results

Here, we developed an end-to-end deep learning framework called CoaDTI to significantly improve the efficiency and interpretability of drug target annotation. CoaDTI incorporates the Co-attention mechanism to model the interaction information from the drug modality and protein modality. In particular, CoaDTI incorporates transformer to learn the protein representations from raw amino acid sequences, and GraphSage to extract the molecule graph features from SMILES. Furthermore, we proposed to employ the transfer learning strategy to encode protein features by pre-trained transformer to address the issue of scarce labelled data. The experimental results demonstrate that CoaDTI achieves competitive performance on three public datasets compared with state-of-the-art models. In addition, the transfer learning strategy further boosts the performance to an unprecedented level. The extended study reveals that CoaDTI can identify novel DTIs such as reactions between candidate drugs and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-associated proteins. The visualization of co-attention scores can illustrate the interpretability of our model for mechanistic insights.

Availability

Source code are publicly available at https://github.com/Layne-Huang/CoaDTI.
Interaction-based transcriptome analysis via differential network inference
Authors: Leng Jiacheng , Wu Ling-Yun
Published: October 2022

Gene-based transcriptome analysis, such as differential expression analysis, can identify the key factors causing disease production, cell differentiation and other biological processes. However, this is not enough because basic life activities are mainly driven by the interactions between genes. Although there have been already many differential network inference methods for identifying the differential gene interactions, currently, most studies still only use the information of nodes in the network for downstream analyses. To investigate the insight into differential gene interactions, we should perform interaction-based transcriptome analysis (IBTA) instead of gene-based analysis after obtaining the differential networks. In this paper, we illustrated a workflow of IBTA by developing a Co-hub Differential Network inference (CDN) algorithm, and a novel interaction-based metric, pivot APC2. We confirmed the superior performance of CDN through simulation experiments compared with other popular differential network inference algorithms. Furthermore, three case studies are given using colorectal cancer, COVID-19 and triple-negative breast cancer datasets to demonstrate the ability of our interaction-based analytical process to uncover causative mechanisms.
An Adaptive MAC Protocol Based on Time-Domain Interference Alignment for UWANs
Authors: Zhao Nan , Yao Nianmin , Gao Zhenguo
Published: October 2022

The spatial and temporal uncertainty caused by large propagation delays is a fundamental feature of Underwater Acoustic Networks (UWANs), which seriously affects the performance of the UWANs and also brings challenges to the design of MAC protocols. In this paper, we develop an adaptive MAC protocol based on deep reinforcement learning for UWANs, called ARL-MAC protocol, to intelligently allocate time slots for nodes. Firstly, we design a reward mechanism based on the idea of Time-Domain Interference Alignment (TDIA). We determine the reward according to the combination of the node action and the feedback corresponding to the action. Then, we propose a flexible training mechanism to deal with the ever-changing underwater environment, which improves the fairness of time slot allocation. In addition, we introduce the Deep Recurrent Q-Network (DRQN) algorithm to solve the partially observable information issue. Finally, we evaluate the ARL-MAC protocol with the different number of nodes and changing network environment. Simulation results reveal that the ARL-MAC protocol outperforms other MAC protocols for UWANs in terms of throughput, collision rate and service fairness.
Unexpected false-negative result in a traveller’s malaria diagnosis
Authors: Perez-Ugarte Arantxa , Rubio Maturana Carles , Silgado Aroa , Zarzuela Serrat Francesc , Goterris Lidia , Paredes-Carmona Fernando , Sulleiro Elena
Published: October 2022

A 4-year-old traveller returned from Senegal with symptoms compatible with malaria. Plasmodium falciparum HRP-2 antigen detection was negative, whereas panmalarial aldolase was positive. Microscopy confirmed the presence of P. falciparum trophozoites with parasitaemia of 16%. Discarding other causes of false-negative antigen detection, this is a rare case of prozone effect.
Relationships and resilience at work and at home
Authors: Ali Hebatallah Naim , Gittell Jody Hoffer , Deng Sien , Stults Cheryl D. , Martinez Meghan , Pertsch Suzanne , Weger Lauren , Dillon Ellis C.
Published: October 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unusually comprehensive crisis that has taken a toll on people in their roles both at work and at home, giving rise to a new normal.

Purpose

Relational coordination theory shows how communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration drives positive outcomes for workers, their clients, and their employers. The ecological theory of work–family spillover shows how relational dynamics from work spillover into family life, and vice versa. We build upon these two theories to understand how relationships at work impact work–life balance and worker well-being, especially in times of crisis.

Methodology

This study was based on surveys of clinicians affiliated with a large California health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mediation and multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess how relational coordination among colleagues impacts well-being (job satisfaction and lack of burnout) through its effects on work–life balance (schedule control and personal time).

Results

A 1-point increase in relational coordination tripled clinician odds of having schedule control (OR = 3.33, p < .001) and nearly doubled the odds of having adequate personal time (OR = 1.83, p < .001). A 1-point increase in relational coordination nearly quadrupled odds of being satisfied with their job (OR = 3.92, p < .001) and decreased odds of burnout by 64% (OR = 0.36, p < .001). The impact of relational coordination on worker well-being was mediated by greater schedule control and personal time.

Conclusion

Relational coordination among colleagues impacts worker well-being by enabling greater control over one’s schedule and more personal time, thus creating a positive spillover from work to home in times of crisis.

Practice Implications

In times of crisis, leaders should prioritize relational coordination among colleagues in order to support their resilience both at work and at home.
PER3 plays anticancer roles in the oncogenesis and progression of breast cancer via regulating MEK/ERK signaling pathway
Authors: Liu Yinfeng , Wu Zizheng , Li Yanli , Zhang Jing , Gao Yang , Yuan Guanli , Han Meng
Published: October 2022

Background:

The study aimed at exploring the expression of period circadian regulator 3 (PER3), a major member of the circadian clock gene family, and its biological function in breast cancer.

Methods:

PER3-silencing and PER3-overexpression cell lines were established by transfecting with pGenesil1-PER3 and Lenti-blast-PER3 vector, respectively.

Results:

The results showed that the expression of PER3 was downregulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines (p < 0.001), and its low expression was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage (p = 0.031) and advanced T stage (p = 0.018). Cell functional experiments indicated that the silencing of PER3 elevated the ability of breast cancer cells to proliferate, invade, and metastasize in vitro (p < 0.05), whereas overexpression of PER3 had an inhibitory effect on these malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells (p < 0.05). Moreover, the activation of MEK/ERK signaling pathway was evidently inhibited by silencing of PER3, as evidenced by decreased expression levels of p-MEK and p-ERK1/2 proteins in breast cancer cells (p < 0.05). PER3-silencing and PER3-overexpression cells were treated with PD98059 (an inhibitor of MEK/ERK signaling) and TPA (an activator of MEK/ERK signaling), respectively. It was observed that PER3 silencing-mediated malignant phenotype in breast cancer cells was markedly suppressed by PD98059 treatment. Instead, TPA exposure reversed the inhibitory effects of PER3 overexpression on DNA synthesis, proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells.

Conclusion:

These findings suggested that PER3 function as a tumor suppressor in the development and progression of breast cancer and its anticancer roles might be dependent on the MEK/ERK signaling pathway.
The strategy of diminishing age gap effect on different donor-recipient combinations in living donor kidney transplantation
Authors: Kuo Fang-Cheng , Wu Tsai-Hun , Loong Che-Chuan , Lin Niang-Cheng , Ou Shuo-Ming , Chen Cheng-Yen
Published: October 2022

Background:

The disparity between kidney donation and the number of uremic patients on the waiting list has increased the demand for older live-donor kidneys (OLK). However, the donor-recipient age gap may have an impact on the recipient’s outcome.

Methods:

Patients who underwent living donor kidney transplantation at our institute between 2005 and 2019 were enrolled and categorized into four donor-recipient groups according to age (≥50 years and <50 years). The Estimated Post-Transplant Survival (EPTS) score was used to quantify the recipient’s condition. Adjusted models analyzed recipient outcomes and related risks among the four groups.

Results:

Of the 154 pairs of live donors and recipients, OLK did not influence overall or death-censored graft survival. The four donor-recipient combinations had similar recipient outcomes, except it slightly worsened in the “old donor to young recipient” group. The EPTS score (adjusted HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04; p = 0.014) and rejection (adjusted HR, 4.26; 95% CI, 1.36-13.37; p = 0.013) were significant risk factors for overall and death-censored graft survival, respectively. Recipients with pretransplant diabetes or prior solid organ transplantation could have amplified risk effects. The main causes of graft loss were death in older recipients and chronic rejection in younger recipients.

Conclusion:

OLK is safe for young recipients. Nevertheless, adequate immunosuppression should be maintained to prevent rejection and subsequent graft loss, especially for those receiving second kidney transplantation. In contrast, older recipients should avoid overt immunosuppression and control their comorbidities, such as diabetes-related complications to improve their long-term outcomes.
Eptifibatide-induced acute profound thrombocytopenia: A case report
Authors: Alamin Mohammed A. , Al-Mashdali Abdulrahman , Al Kindi Dawoud I. , Elshaikh Elkhansa A. , Othman Fahmi
Published: October 2022

Rationale:

Eptifibatide is an antiplatelet agent used in the medical management of acute coronary syndrome. Although multiple studies did not reveal a significant association between eptifibatide and the development of thrombocytopenia, recent case reports brought attention to this relatively rare side effect.

Patient concerns:

We report a 61 years old male with acute coronary syndrome who underwent primary coronary intervention.

Diagnosis and intervention:

The patient developed acute profound thrombocytopenia following eptifibatide administration. Following prompt offending drug discontinuation, the platelet counts recovered, without clinical sequelae or the need for platelet transfusion. Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel was resumed after platelet count normalization.

Outcomes:

The patient had a normal platelet count and no bleeding events on follow-up after three months upon discharge.

Conclusion:

Eptifibatide, a glycoprotein IIa/IIIb inhibitor used in the management of acute coronary syndrome, can induce acute, profound thrombocytopenia that can have significant morbidity in patients. This case highlights this relatively rare side effect and the importance of monitoring blood counts and observing for any signs of bleeding or thrombosis that might occur in such patients.
IL2RA is a prognostic indicator and correlated with immune characteristics of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Fan Liwen , Wang Xinyu , Chang Qing , Wang Yue , Yang Wenjie , Liu Linlin
Published: October 2022

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive and incurable cancer with a dismal prognosis. In this study, we aimed to explore potential predictors for the prognosis and immunological characteristics of PDAC.

Estimation of stromal and immune cells in malignant tumors, using expression data (ESTIMATE) method was applied to calculate the immune and stromal scores of 206 PDAC samples from GSE71729. R package of “limma” was utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were conducted for functional exploration. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and Univariate Cox analysis were conducted to select key prognostic genes of PDAC. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied to investigate the roles of IL2RA in PDAC. Single sample GSEA (ssGSEA) was performed to evaluate the immunological characteristics of PDAC samples. Wilcoxon rank sum test was conducted to compare the difference of immunological characteristics of PDAC samples between low IL2RA and high IL2RA. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlations of IL2RA expression and immune checkpoint genes.

A total of 747 DEGs were identified between low and high immune/stromal groups. Functional exploration revealed upregulated DEGs were associated with immune-related activities, whereas downregulated DEGs were involved in inflammatory-related activities. IL2RA was selected as the critical gene by overlapping the hub genes in PPI network and prognostic genes. Significantly, IL2RA expression was significantly elevated in PDAC and patients with higher IL2RA expression had worse prognoses. The immunological and oncogenic roles of IL2RA in PDAC were evidenced by GSEA. Furthermore, PDAC samples with high IL2RA expression exhibited increased immune infiltration and better immunotherapy responses. IL2RA expression was positively correlated with PDCD1, CD274, CTLA4, IDO1, TDO2, and TIGT.

Higher expression of IL2RA predicts worse survival outcomes and increased immune infiltration in PDAC. PDAC patients with high IL2RA expression might potentially benefit from immunotherapy.
Is there a relationship between 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium and mental health in migraine patients?: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Arab Arman , Zabibah Rahman S. , Alshahrani Shadia Hamoud , Karimi Elham , Askari Gholamreza , Khorvash Fariborz
Published: October 2022

There is a lack of evidence and consensus in terms of the association between dietary intake of sodium (Na) and potassium (K) with mental health. By using 24-hours urinary samples as the gold standard method, we conducted a study to explore the association between dietary intake of Na and K with parameters of mental health including depression, anxiety, and stress among an Iranian population diagnosed with migraine. In the present study, 262 subjects (20–50 years old), with a confirmed diagnosis of migraine were enrolled. Mental health was investigated by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) questionnaire. Dietary intake of Na and K was estimated by means of a 24-hour urine sample. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was implemented and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was stated. After controlling for potential confounders, the 24-hour urinary Na was associated significantly with the risk of depression (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.30, 1.00; P = .053). After adjustment for confounders, those in the highest tertile of the 24-hour urinary Na/K ratio had lower odds for having depression (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.93; P = .027), and marginally significantly lower risk of anxiety (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.06; P = .079) and stress (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.31, 1.02; P = .061). In conclusion, higher 24-hour urine Na was associated with a significantly lower risk of depression. Moreover, the 24-hour Na/K ratio was significantly associated with lower risk of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Surgical operation combined with bronchoscopy in the treatment of fungal empyema: 5 cases report
Authors: Xin Shunxin , Wu Yongyong , He Zhongliang , He Xueming , Wang Lei , Qi Yaoli
Published: October 2022

Rationale:

Fungal empyema is a chronic refractory disease. It is difficult to control thoracic infection, and it is faced with the problem of recurrence. How to control the infection and reduce the probability of recurrence is a difficult problem. Surgical operation combined with endobronchial therapy was used to control infection, seal the fistula and eliminate residual cavity and achieved good results.

Patient concerns:

A total of 5 patients with fungal empyema were treated from 2019 to 2021, aged 27 to 72 years, with an average age of 54.8 ± 7.6 years. Two cases were on the left side and 3 cases on the right side.

Diagnosis:

While meeting the diagnostic criteria of empyema, the diagnosis of fungus in pus culture or the discovery of fungus in deep tissue pathology confirmed the diagnosis of fungal empyema in the 5 cases.

Interventions:

Through surgical operations combined with bronchoscopy and individualized treatment, the infection was controlled, the fistulas were blocked, and the pus cavity was filled.

Outcomes:

After 11 to 30 months of follow-up, the muscle flap in the abscess cavity was mildly atrophied, and there was no recurrence of empyema. Three patients who completed the second-stage operation had their chest tubes removed and returned to normal life. The 2 patients who did not complete the second-stage operation had no recurrence of thoracic infection and no recurrence of cough or fever, and their quality of life was greatly improved.

Lessons:

Surgical operation combined with bronchoscopy is a reliable method for the treatment of fungal empyema, which can find and plug the fistula more efficiently and eliminate the residual cavity by surgery to avoid recurrence. Therefore, it is a recommended treatment method.
Vitamin D supplementation for patients with alopecia areata: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhu Baohua , Zhang Lan , Wang Jun , Tan Guiyuan
Published: October 2022

Background:

Several studies have reported an association between low Vitamin D (VD) levels and Alopecia areata (AA), and suggested VD preparations as a potential therapy. VD has immunomodulatory function closely associated with a variety of skin diseases, but there is no conclusive evidence to support VD supplementation for patients with AA. Therefore, we will conduct a meta-analysis to collect and evaluate the efficacy and safety of VD supplementation in the treatment of AA.

Methods:

We will search the following databases according to the developed strategy: Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, Google scholar for Randomized controlled trials related to VD supplementation for AA. The retrieval time is from the establishment of each database to July 2022. Two reviewers will independently complete the literature search and screening, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. Severity of Alopecia Tool, Alopecia Density and Extent, Lesional area and senstivity (score) will be the primary results. RevMan V.5.3 will be used for data analysis and synthesis. For dichotomous outcomes and the continuous outcomes, we will calculate risk ratio with 95% Confidence intervals and mean differences or standardized mean differences with 95% Confidence intervals respectively. The reporting bias will be investigated using funnel plots, and the asymmetry of the funnel plots will be explained using the Harbord modified test or the Egger’s regression test.

Results:

The results of the study expect to provide a high-quality, evidence-based recommendation on VD supplementation in the treatment of AA for clinicians.

Conclusions:

The study will provide scientific and useful evidence for better use of VD supplementation in treating AA.
Hematocrit elevation after SGLT2 inhibitor administration may be associated with the degree of proximal tubular damage
Authors: Shikuma Jumpei , Sakakura Keiichi , Sugiyama-Takahashi Miyu , Nakamura Yukiko , Nagai Yoshiyuki , Suwanai Hirotsugu , Ito Rokuro , Miwa Takashi , Suzuki Ryo
Published: October 2022

The renal protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors are known to be due to the elimination of glomerular hypertension and improvement of hypoxia and oxidative stress in the proximal tubule. Therefore, this increased hematocrit (ΔHct) level has been hypothesized to indicate restored tubular function and improved renal prognosis. To analyze the relationship between ΔHct and decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after SGLT2 inhibitor administration backward from medical record data. Data from 206 patients who continued SGLT2 inhibitors for >3 years were analyzed. The decreased eGFR after administration of SGLT2 inhibitors was defined as Slope B. Factors statistically significantly associated with Slope B in multiple regression analysis were systolic blood pressure (sBP) (β −.211, P = .03), short-term decreased eGFR after SGLT2 inhibitor administration (initial dip) (β −.235, P = .003), ΔHct (β −.185, P = .026), and urine protein (β −.204, P = .015). These findings were the opposite of our hypothesis. ΔHct was not a marker indicating improved renal prognosis and may reflect the extent of the proximal tubular disorder before administering SGLT2 inhibitors.
Telephone follow-up by clinical pharmacists can improve treatment outcomes in patients with peptic ulcers: A prospective randomized study
Authors: Weng Aibin , Su Xiaoyue , Yang Changqing , Zheng Bijin , Zheng Lili , Jian Chenxing , Fang Jianying
Published: October 2022

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of pharmaceutical care by clinical pharmacists through telephone follow-up on the treatment outcomes in patients with peptic ulcers who had been discharged from the hospital.

Methods:

A total of 120 patients with peptic ulcers discharged from the hospital were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 60 patients in each group. The patients in the two groups received different services.

Results:

A total of 108 patients with peptic ulcers were enrolled in this study, including 53 in the intervention group and 55 in the control group. This study showed that the Helicobacter pylori eradication rate (19/23, 82.61% vs 13/29, 44.83%), awareness of peptic ulcer disease, medication compliance, diet compliance, and life compliance in the patients in the intervention group were higher than those in the patients in the control group. The H pylori eradication group had higher follow-up scores than the noneradication group. Sex and body mass index (BMI) did not affect the results in either group, but age did. In the control group, younger patients scored higher than older patients, whereas in the intervention group, this difference disappeared for diet compliance and life compliance, and significant differences remained for awareness of basic knowledge regarding peptic ulcer (AOKPU) and medication compliance.

Conclusion:

As a form of clinical pharmaceutical care, telephone follow-up by clinical pharmacists is recommended for discharged patients with peptic ulcers because it can improve treatment outcomes after discharge.
Red blood cell indices as an effective marker for the existence and severity of endometriosis (STROBE)
Authors: Cho Hye-Yon , Park Sung-Taek , Park Sung-Ho
Published: October 2022

To evaluate the association between red blood cell (RBC) indices (mean corpuscular volume [MCV], mean corpuscular hemoglobin [MCH], MCH concentration [MCHC], red cell distribution width [RDW], hemoglobin [Hb], hematocrit [Hct], and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR]) and the severity of endometriosis.

Data were obtained from the medical records of 200 patients with endometriosis (stage I/II and stage III/IV groups), and 100 patients with benign ovarian tumors (control group), treated between September 2011 and April 2021.

The mean Hb and Hct were significantly lower in the stage III/IV group compared to those in the control and stage I/II group (P = .015 and P = .004, respectively). The mean MCV, MCH, and Hb at postoperative day (POD)#1 were significantly lower in the stage III/IV group compared to those in the control and stage I/II group (P = .007, P = .032, and P < .0001, respectively). In addition, NLR at POD#1 was significantly higher in stage III/IV group compared to that in the control and stage I/II group. Multivariate analysis revealed that younger age (≤38 years old), lower preoperative MCV (≤88.5 fL), lower POD#1 Hb (<11.6g/dL), and higher POD#1 NLR (>2.5) were independent risk factors of stage III/IV endometriosis.

Lower levels of RBC indices, including preoperative MCV and postoperative Hb, and higher postoperative NLR were significantly associated with the severity of endometriosis, which is potentially derived from a dysregulation in iron metabolism and inflammation.
Cardiac CTA image quality of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V versus deep learning reconstruction “TrueFidelity” in children with congenital heart disease
Authors: Hee Kim Kun , Choo Ki Seok , Jin Nam Kyoung , Lee Kyeyoung , Hwang Jae-Yeon , Park ChanKue , Jung Yang Woo
Published: October 2022

Background:

Several recent studies have reported that deep learning reconstruction “TrueFidelity” (TF) improves computed tomography (CT) image quality. However, no study has compared adaptive statistical repeated reconstruction (ASIR-V) using TF in pediatric cardiac CT angiography (CTA) with a low peak kilovoltage.

Objective:

This study aimed to determine whether ASIR-V or TF CTA image quality is superior in children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Materials and methods:

Fifty children (median age, 2 months; interquartile range, 0–5 months; 28 men) with CHD who underwent CTA were enrolled between June and September 2020. Images were reconstructed using 2 ASIR-V blending factors (80% and 100% [AV-100]) and 3 TF settings (low, medium, and high [TF-H] strength levels). For the quantitative analyses, 3 objective image qualities (attenuation, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio [SNR]) were measured of the great vessels and heart chambers. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was also evaluated between the left ventricle and the dial wall. For the qualitative analyses, the degree of quantum mottle and blurring at the upper level to the first branch of the main pulmonary artery was assessed independently by 2 radiologists.

Results:

When the ASIR-V blending factor level and TF strength were higher, the noise was lower, and the SNR was higher. The image noise and SNR of TF-H were significantly lower and higher than those of AV-100 (P < .01), except for noise in the right atrium and left pulmonary artery and SNR of the right ventricle. Regarding CNR, TF-H was significantly better than AV-100 (P < .01). In addition, in the objective assessment of the degree of quantum mottle and blurring, TF-H had the best score among all examined image sets (P < .01).

Conclusion:

TF-H is superior to AV-100 in terms of objective and subjective image quality. Consequently, TF-H was the best image set for cardiac CTA in children with CHD.
Diagnostic performance of dual-energy computed tomography for HCC after transarterial chemoembolization: Utility of virtual unenhanced and low keV virtual monochromatic images
Authors: Hur Joonho , Lee Eun Sun , Park Hyun Jeong , Choi Woosun , Park Sung Bin
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of virtual unenhanced (VUE) and low keV virtual monochromatic images (VMI) for diagnosing viable hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). This retrospective study included 53 patients with suspected viable HCC after TACE who underwent multiphasic liver computed tomography including true unenhanced (TUE) phase and conventional (CV) enhanced phases on a dual-energy scanner. VUE images, 40 keV and 55 keV VMIs of enhanced phases were reconstructed using dual-energy computed tomography data. For every patient, six combination image sets (TUE-CV; TUE-55; TUE-40; VUE-CV; VUE-55; VUE-40) were evaluated by two readers and compared with the reference standard.There was no statistically significant difference (P > .05) in sensitivity or specificity among all image combinations. In most combinations, interobserver agreements were almost perfect. The diagnostic odds ratio showed a higher trend in combinations with conventional images. Currently, with regards to diagnostic performance, liver computed tomography including TUE and CV enhanced phases is recommended for tumor surveillance after TACE because VUE and VMIs do not have a distinct advantage compared to conventional images.
Refractory Behçet’s disease treated with low-dose interleukin-2: A case report
Authors: Zhou Wenyan , Liu Tian , Xiao Xian , He Jing
Published: October 2022

Rationale:

Behçet’s disease (BD) is an autoimmune disease presented with recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, uveitis and skin lesions. The cutaneous manifestations are often refractory and more resistant to conventional therapy. This report provides a new treatment of low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) with refractory BD patient.

Patient concerns:

A 37-year-old female patient experienced oral ulcer and erythema nodosum on the right leg for over 12 months and resisted to Methylprednisolone and Thalidomide.

Diagnoses:

The patient suffered from recurrent painful oral ulceration and an erythema nodosum. Pathergy test is also positive. Thus, we diagnosed her as BD according to the International Criteria for Behçet’s Disease (ICBD).

Interventions:

The patient took Methylprednisolone 8 mg qd, Thalidomide 50 mg qn and Hydroxychloroquine 200 mg bid successively as treatment. However, the medicine didn’t take effect. Finally, this patient was given low-dose IL-2 intramuscular injection qod for 3 months.

Outcomes:

Oral ulcers and the erythema disappeared and the patient has been symptom-free for 6 months.

Lessons:

low-dose IL-2 is a safe and effective treatment for refractory BD.
Meta analysis of aerobic exercise improving intelligence and cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Zhou Xin-Pei , Zhang Li-Mei , Chen Guo-Qiang , Wang Shen-Wu , He Jin-Fen , Li Zhuang , Zhang Ben-Si
Published: October 2022

Objective:

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease. This study aims to explore the intervention and treatment effects of aerobic exercise and different exercise modes on AD through meta-analysis.

Methods:

Using the set inclusion and exclusion criteria, retrieve the China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, China Science and Technology Journal Database, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. Cochrane risk bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included articles, and ReMan5.4.1 was used for forest plot analysis of mini-mental state exam (MMSE) score indicators included in the included articles.

Results:

Twelve randomized controlled trials and 795 samples were included. Meta analysis of all articles: I2 = 91%, P ≤ .00001, (MD = 2.95, 95%CI [2.49, 3.40], P ≤ .00001). Meta analysis of 5 fit aerobics groups: I2 = 4%, P = .38, (MD = 1.53, 95%CI [0.72, 2.33], P = .0002); meta-analysis of three spinning groups: I2 = 3%, P = .36, (MD = 1.79, 95%CI [0.29, 3.29], P = .02).

Conclusion:

Aerobic exercise can effectively improve intellectual and cognitive impairment in AD patients, and for different forms of aerobic exercise, the therapeutic effect of spinning aerobic exercise is better than that of fit aerobics.
Continuous glycemia monitoring in perioperative period in patients undergoing total knee or hip arthroplasty: A protocol for a prospective observational study
Authors: Adamska Olga , Mamcarz Artur , Łapiński Marcin , Radzimowski Kuba , Stępiński Piotr , Szymczak Jakub , Świercz Maciej , Żarnovsky Krystian , Maciąg Bartosz M. , Stolarczyk Artur
Published: October 2022

In every surgical subspecialty surgical site infection (SSI) or implant infections, although occur seldom, pose a threat to patients’ health. Risk factors of such states is diabetes mellitus (DM), considered one of the most widespread health-related problems of the 21st century. Orthopedists perform big joint replacements that usually concern older adults and therefore often deal with patients suffering from comorbidities. DM is frequently one of them and can furthermore often remain underdiagnosed. The other risk for complication is a rapid beginning of the rehabilitation which starts on the day following the surgery. To eliminate the debilitating impact of DM and hypoglycemia on surgical patients, we aim to investigate the relationship between the glycemia values and the postoperative outcomes in certain periods of time in patients undergoing orthopedic surgeries. Participants meeting inclusion criteria will have inserted a glycemia measuring device (Dexcom G5, Inc., San Diego, CA) in the periods of time. First time it will take place 14 days prior to the surgery and right after the surgery for the second time for the period of another 14 days. All patients will undergo standard total knee arthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty procedures. Patients will be assessed preoperatively and 14 days, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. The assessment of the joint condition will consist of: patient-reported outcomes (The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Harris Hip Score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC]); assessment of potential SSI and cardiovascular complications (the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score [FINDRISC], the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation [SCORE]) and the clinical examination. To investigate the influence of orthopedic surgery (anesthesia) on glycemia and the significance and safety of early patients mobilization after the big joints surgeries. To investigate changes of glycemia in patients with normal glycemia metabolism, potentially protecting them from hypoglycemia during hospital stay and increasing their awareness of potential development of DM in the future. Additionally, this study will correlate perioperative glycemic levels with risk of cardiovascular events in one year follow-up, and its influence on SSI and implant complications.
Clinical efficacy and safety of low-dose doxepin in Chinese patients with generalized anxiety disorder: A before–after study
Authors: Zhang Mengqi , Huang Fengmin , Jiang Feiyu , Mai Meiting , Guo Xiaorou , Zhang Ying , Xu Ying , Zu Hengbing
Published: October 2022

Clinical and animal studies have reported that low-dose doxepin may have positive effects on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); however, its effectiveness and clinical safety are less well understood. This study is a before-after study and aims to investigate the effectiveness and side effects of low-dose doxepin by evaluating Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores, hormones, blood glucose, serum lipids, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) in patients with GAD. Forty-nine patients (20 males and 29 females) with GAD were randomly assigned to receive low-dose doxepin (6.25 mg–12.5 mg per day) for 12 weeks between February 2015 and March 2016. HAMA scores, fasting blood glucose (FBG) body weight, BMI, and some serum biochemical indexes, such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), and FBG, were assessed during pretreatment and post-treatment. Mean scores of HAMA decreased from 19.50 ± 1.22 to 8.50 ± 3.61 after low-dose doxepin treatment (P < .01). The serum levels of ACTH (4.33 ± 2.14 vs 6.12 ± 3.02 pmol/L), FT3 (4.78 ± 0.51 vs 5.15 ± 0.52 pg/mL), TC (4.55 ± 1.01 vs 5.93 ± 1.66 mmol/L), TG (1.69 ± 1.51 vs 3.39 ± 2.86 mmol/L), and LDLC (2.43 ± 0.88 vs 3.76 ± 1.25 mmol/L), and FBG (5.06 ± 0.43 vs 5.78 ± 0.81 mmol/L) were higher than that pretreatment with a significant difference (P < .01). Bodyweight (62.00 ± 7.45 vs 64.00 ± 6.44 kg, P = .23) and BMI (23.70 ± 2.35 vs 24.48 ± 2.11 kg/m2, P = .14) had no difference after treatment. These results suggest that low-dose doxepin has beneficial clinical efficacy and safety. Low-dose doxepin can ameliorate anxiety in GAD patients and has some effects on neuroendocrine systems and the metabolic activity of serum glucose and lipid.
Provider uptake of extragenital screening for gonorrhea and chlamydia in a cohort of Air Force members with incident HIV diagnosis
Authors: Yabes Joseph , Lamb Christian C. , Hakre Shilpa , Scott Paul T. , Mika Walter , Okulicz Jason F.
Published: October 2022

The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is higher at extragenital anatomic sites among men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV infection. Although national guidelines recommend that all MSM with HIV infection undergo screening for extragenital sexually transmitted infections (EG-STIs), uptake is low in many primary care settings. We evaluated EG-STI screening by primary care providers (PCPs) for US Air Force (USAF) members with incident HIV infection. All USAF members with incident HIV infection who received initial HIV specialty care with Infectious Disease (ID) providers at Brooke Army Medical Center from 2016 to 2018 (n = 98) were included. A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate STI screening performed by PCPs within 1 week of HIV diagnosis compared to screening at entry into ID care. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and behavioral risk data were collected. STI screening included GC/CT EG-STIs, urethral GC/CT, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C. Patients were predominantly male (98%) with a median age of 26 (IQR 23, 32) years at HIV diagnosis. A previous history of STIs was reported in 53 (54%) patients and the majority of males self-identified as MSM (66%) or bisexual (23%). The median time from HIV diagnosis to ID evaluation was 26 days (IQR 9, 33). PCPs performed any STI screening in 61 (62%) patients. EG-STI screening was conducted in 3 (3%) patients overall and in (3%) MSM/bisexuals. A total of 31 (32%) patients had missed STIs; the majority due to EG-STIs of the rectum (59%) and pharynx (19%). All EG-STIs would have been missed by urethral GC/CT screening alone. EG-STI screening uptake was low among PCPs evaluating USAF members with incident HIV infection. Underutilization of EG-STI screening can result in missed infections and forward transmission of GC/CT. Barriers to low uptake need to be explored.
Prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in the diabetes mellitus population: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Sicheng , Xie Huidi , Shi Yang , Liu Hongfang
Published: October 2022

Background:

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease worldwide, placing enormous pressure on healthcare systems and creating a heavy socioeconomic burden. It is urgent to comprehensively study the epidemiological characteristics of DN in diabetic patients and to analyze the related factors to its incidence in order to implement effective prevention and control measures.

Methods and analysis:

Computer-aided searches of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases will be performed for prospective cohort studies reporting the prevalence of DN in diabetic populations. Studies will be pooled using a generalized linear mixed model, and a single proportion of included studies will be calculated to derive the overall incidence of DN in the diabetic population, and to analyze the effect of different factors on the incidence of DN. Publication bias will be assessed using a funnel plot combined with Begg test. Sensitivity analyses will be performed using the separation method, the exclusion of low-quality studies, and the trim and fill method.

Results:

The primary outcome will be the prevalence of DN in the diabetic population; secondary outcomes will be the influence of factors such as age, gender, region, ethnicity, duration of diabetes, type of diabetes, baseline body mass index, baseline glycated hemoglobin level, baseline blood pressure, quality of included studies, and follow-up time on the prevalence of DN in diabetic patients.

Conclusion:

Through this systematic review and meta-analysis, the study will more comprehensively obtain the prevalence of DN in diabetic populations worldwide, and gain a deeper understanding of the differences in the prevalence of DN in diabetic populations with different characteristics, so as to provide evidence for the management of diabetes and the prevention of DN.