bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What’s in a name? Revisiting medicinal and religious plants at an Amazonian market
Authors: Geertsma Isabela Pombo , Françozo Mariana , van Andel Tinde , Rodríguez Mireia Alcántara
Published: February 2021

Background

In spite of an increasing number of ethnobotanical market surveys in the past decades, few studies compare changes in plant species trade over time. The open-air market Ver-o-Peso (VOP) in Belém, located near the mouth of the Amazon River in the state of Pará, Brazil, is known for its wide variety of medicinal plants. A survey of VOP was published in 1984, but it remains unknown to what extent its botanical composition changed over 34 years. Furthermore, in northern Brazil, little attention has been given to the origins of the vernacular names of these plants. Our aim is to give an up-to-date overview of the VOP medicinal plant market, concentrating on changes in species composition and vernacular names over time.

Methods

We collected medicinal plants and vernacular names at VOP in August 2018. We identified most plants at the Museo Paraense Emilio Goeldi Herbarium, where we also deposited vouchers and specimen labels. We compared our species composition data to the 1984 inventory by Van den Berg. Furthermore, we investigated the etymologies of the vernacular plant names.

Results

We recorded 155 plant specimens and 165 corresponding vernacular names, and collected 146 specimens from the medicinal and ritual stalls of VOP reporting 86 species formerly not recorded at this market. Vernacular names had mostly Portuguese roots, followed by Tupi and African ones. We found 30 species also documented in 1984, and vernacular names that overlapped between both surveys were used for the same botanical species or genus, indicating that vernacular names have changed little in the past decades. Lastly, we found 26 more introduced species sold at VOP compared to 1984.

Conclusions

Forest degradation and deforestation, prevalence of diseases, and methodological factors may play a role in the differences we found in our survey compared to 1984. Of the plants that did overlap between the two surveys, vernacular names of these plants were hardly different. Lastly, the lingual origins of the vernacular names in our survey and the origins of the plant species reflect the history of the intricate syncretism of medicinal plant practices of indigenous, Afro-Brazilian and European origins in Belém.
The seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) in the Dutch Wadden Sea: investigation of vector-borne pathogens
Authors: Hirzmann Jörg , Ebmer David , Sánchez-Contreras Guillermo J. , Rubio-García Ana , Magdowski Gerd , Gärtner Ulrich , Taubert Anja , Hermosilla Carlos
Published: February 2021

Background

Belonging to the anopluran family Echinophthiriidae, Echinophthirius horridus, the seal louse, has been reported to parasitise a broad range of representatives of phocid seals. So far, only a few studies have focused on the vector function of echinophthiriid lice, and knowledge about their role in pathogen transmission is still scarce. The current study aims to investigate the possible vector role of E. horridus parasitising seals in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

Methods

E. horridus seal lice were collected from 54 harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and one grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) during their rehabilitation period at the Sealcentre Pieterburen, The Netherlands. DNA was extracted from pooled seal lice of individual seals for molecular detection of the seal heartworm Acanthocheilonema spirocauda, the rickettsial intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and the cell wall-less bacteria Mycoplasma spp. using PCR assays.

Results

Seal lice from 35% of the harbour seals (19/54) and from the grey seal proved positive for A. spirocauda. The seal heartworm was molecularly characterised and phylogenetically analysed (rDNA, cox1). A nested PCR was developed for the cox1 gene to detect A. spirocauda stages in seal lice. A. phagocytophilum and a Mycoplasma species previously identified from a patient with disseminated ‘seal finger’ mycoplasmosis were detected for the first time, to our knowledge, in seal lice.

Conclusions

Our findings support the potential vector role of seal lice in the transmission of A. spirocauda and reveal new insights into the spectrum of pathogens occurring in seal lice. Studies on vector competence of E. horridus, especially for bacterial pathogens, are essentially needed in the future as these pathogens might have detrimental effects on the health of seal populations. Furthermore, studies on the vector role of different echinophthiriid species infecting a wide range of pinniped hosts should be conducted to extend the knowledge of vector-borne pathogens.

Graphical Abstract
Late testicular relapse two decades after primary extragonadal germ cell tumor with uncommon metastases: a case report
Authors: Tobiume Motoi , Aoki Shigeyuki , Nishikawa Genya , Muramatsu Hiroyuki , Ono Kenzo , Morinaga Shingo , Hara Koji , Ando Natsuko , Ono Keiko , Nishibata Chie , Hidano Ayumi , Nakagawa Makiko , Takahashi Ikumi , Matsubara Kanae , Yamada Yoshiaki
Published: February 2021

Background

Extragonadal germ cell tumor (EGCT) is a relatively rare condition, reportedly representing 3–7% of all germ cell tumors. We report a patient who had metachronous testicular tumor with uncommon metastases 20 years after primary retroperitoneal EGCT treatment, along with a corresponding literature review.

Case presentation

A 49-year-old Japanese man visited our department in November 2017 with chief complaints of indolent right scrotum enlargement and a right inguinal mass. History showed that the patient visited our department of gastroenterology with chief complaints of blackish feces and ill complexion in February 1997. Computed tomography (CT) showed a right retroperitoneal tumor, which was removed in the same month. Histopathological examination showed a teratoma and yolk sac tumor. He was diagnosed with primary retroperitoneal EGCT and received three courses of chemotherapy (bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin; BEP). Periodic imaging and the determination of tumor markers (alpha-fetoprotein [AFP], human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG], and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH]) showed no recurrence or metastasis during the 5 years postoperatively. Subsequently, he did not visit the outpatient ward. In August 1999, he underwent surgery of right hydrocele. Contrast-enhanced CT showed a 35-mm contrast effect with uneven content in the right testicle and enlarged nodes that raised suspicion for metastases in the right inguinal and right external iliac lymph nodes. All tumor markers were within normal ranges. He underwent right high orchiectomy and resection of the right inguinal lymph nodes in the same month. Histopathological findings revealed seminoma (pT1, pN2, M0, S0, and TNM stage IIB). He received postoperative chemotherapy, one course of BEP therapy, and three courses of etoposide and cisplatin therapy. Post-chemotherapy CT confirmed a complete clinical response at the right external iliac lymph nodes, and this response continued 12 months later. No recurrence or metastasis has been found so far.

Conclusions

We report a patient in whom a testicular tumor with uncommon metastases occurred 20 years after primary retroperitoneal EGCT treatment. After EGCT treatment, testicular relapses tend to occur after relatively long-term follow-up. After EGCT treatment, such patients must be closely monitored for testicular recurrences and onset of testicular tumor.
Exosomal microRNA-22-3p alleviates cerebral ischemic injury by modulating KDM6B/BMP2/BMF axis
Authors: Zhang Yamei , Liu Junying , Su Mi , Wang Xin , Xie Chenchen
Published: February 2021

Background

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, the most common form of stroke, has high mortality and often brings persistent and serious brain dysfunction among survivors. Administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) has been suggested to alleviate the I/R brain injury, but the mechanism remains uncharacterized. Here, we aimed at investigating the mechanism of ASCs and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the repair of or protection from I/R injury.

Methods

We established the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/RP) neuron model. ASCs or ASC-derived EVs (ASC-EVs) were co-cultured with neurons. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses determined microRNA (miRNA)-22-3p, BMP2, BMF, and KDM6B expression in neurons upon treatment with ASC-EVs. Bioinformatics analysis predicted the binding between miR-22-3p and KDM6B. Using gain- and loss-of-function methods, we tested the impact of these molecules on I/R injury in vivo and in vitro.

Results

Treatment with ASCs and ASC-derived EVs significantly alleviated the I/R brain injury in vivo, elevated neuron viability in vitro, and decreased apoptosis. Interestingly, miR-22-3p was upregulated in ASC-EVs, and treatment with EV-miR-22-3p inhibitor led to increased apoptosis and decreased neuronal. Of note, miR-22-3p bound to and inhibited KDM6B, as demonstrated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blot assay. Overexpression of KDM6B enhanced apoptosis of neurons in the OGD/RP model, and KDM6B bound to BMB2 and promoted its expression by binding to BMP2. Silencing of BMF reduced infarct volume and apoptosis in the stroke model.

Conclusion

Results support a conclusion that ASC-EV-derived miR-22-3p could alleviate brain ischemic injury by inhibiting KDM6B-mediated effects on the BMP2/BMF axis. These findings compelling indicate a novel treatment strategy for cerebral ischemic injury.
Novel live cell fluorescent probe for human-induced pluripotent stem cells highlights early reprogramming population
Authors: Sriram Sandhya , Kang Nam-Young , Subramanian Subha , Nandi Tannistha , Sudhagar Samydurai , Xing Qiaorui , Tong Gerine Jin-Ling , Chen Allen Kuan-Liang , Srijaya Thekkeparambil Chandrabose , Tan Patrick , Loh Yuin-Han , Chang Young-Tae , Sugii Shigeki
Published: February 2021

Background

Despite recent rapid progress in method development and biological understanding of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, there has been a relative shortage of tools that monitor the early reprogramming process into human iPS cells.

Methods

We screened the in-house built fluorescent library compounds that specifically bind human iPS cells. After tertiary screening, the selected probe was analyzed for its ability to detect reprogramming cells in the time-dependent manner using high-content imaging analysis. The probe was compared with conventional dyes in different reprogramming methods, cell types, and cell culture conditions. Cell sorting was performed with the fluorescent probe to analyze the early reprogramming cells for their pluripotent characteristics and genome-wide gene expression signatures by RNA-seq. Finally, the candidate reprogramming factor identified was investigated for its ability to modulate reprogramming efficiency.

Results

We identified a novel BODIPY-derived fluorescent probe, BDL-E5, which detects live human iPS cells at the early reprogramming stage. BDL-E5 can recognize authentic reprogramming cells around 7 days before iPS colonies are formed and stained positive with conventional pluripotent markers. Cell sorting of reprogrammed cells with BDL-E5 allowed generation of an increased number and higher quality of iPS cells. RNA sequencing analysis of BDL-E5-positive versus negative cells revealed early reprogramming patterns of gene expression, which notably included CREB1. Reprogramming efficiency was significantly increased by overexpression of CREB1 and decreased by knockdown of CREB1.

Conclusion

Collectively, BDL-E5 offers a valuable tool for delineating the early reprogramming pathway and clinically applicable commercial production of human iPS cells.
A review of infant cry analysis and classification
Authors: Ji Chunyan , Mudiyanselage Thosini Bamunu , Gao Yutong , Pan Yi
Published: February 2021

This paper reviews recent research works in infant cry signal analysis and classification tasks. A broad range of literatures are reviewed mainly from the aspects of data acquisition, cross domain signal processing techniques, and machine learning classification methods. We introduce pre-processing approaches and describe a diversity of features such as MFCC, spectrogram, and fundamental frequency, etc. Both acoustic features and prosodic features extracted from different domains can discriminate frame-based signals from one another and can be used to train machine learning classifiers. Together with traditional machine learning classifiers such as KNN, SVM, and GMM, newly developed neural network architectures such as CNN and RNN are applied in infant cry research. We present some significant experimental results on pathological cry identification, cry reason classification, and cry sound detection with some typical databases. This survey systematically studies the previous research in all relevant areas of infant cry and provides an insight on the current cutting-edge works in infant cry signal analysis and classification. We also propose future research directions in data processing, feature extraction, and neural network classification fields to better understand, interpret, and process infant cry signals.
Shortened LDPC codes accelerate OSD decoding performance
Authors: Watanabe Kohtaro , Kaguchi Ryusei , Shinoda Toshiya
Published: February 2021

Medium-length LDPC codes are in demand in certain areas such as mobile environment (Wi-Fi and Mobile WiMAX) and in telecommand links from the ground to space because of their lower latency properties. However, because of the length of these codes is rather short, decoding error rates are worse than those of long-length codes. In this paper, we show that the combination of shortened LDPC codes, whose shortened positions are properly selected, and ordered statistic decoding (OSD) significantly improves the decoding error. For the best choice of shortening positions, we used the integer programming approach. In particular, we utilized Feldman–Wainwright–Karger code polytope for this purpose. Some studies have independently reported the efficiency of shortened LDPC codes and OSD methods. This paper emphasizes that their combination results in multiplicative effectiveness.
Effects of SP600125 and hypothermic machine perfusion on livers donated after cardiac death in a pig allograft transplantation model
Authors: Zhang Yijie , Pan Qi , Cheng Ying , Liu Yongfeng
Published: February 2021

Background

Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) improves the quality of donor livers for transplantation, both in animal models and in clinical practice. Treatment with SP600125, an inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), can suppress the JNK signaling pathway to alleviate donor liver ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI). We performed the present study with the objective of exploring the protective effects exerted by a combination of HMP and SP600125 on liver xenograft viability for donation after cardiac death (DCD) in a porcine model.

Methods

54 adult BAMA mini-pigs were randomly assigned to 5 groups, including sham, cold storage for 4 h (CS 4 h), CS 4 h + SP600125, CS 2 h + HMP 2 h, and CS 2 h + HMP 2 h + SP600125 groups. Donor livers in the CS 4 h and CS 4 h + SP600125 groups were conventionally cold preserved for 4 h, whereas donor livers in the CS 2 h + HMP 2 h and CS 2 h + HMP 2 h + SP600125 groups were cold preserved for 2 h and then treated with HMP for 2 h. The preservation and perfusion solutions contained SP600125 (20 µM). Follow-up was conducted for 5 days after liver transplantation to compare the surgical outcomes by means of serological examination, pathological results, and survival rate.

Results

The most satisfactory outcome after liver transplantation was observed in the CS 2 h + HMP 2 h + SP600125 group, which presented with minimal damage of donor livers during 5 days’ follow-up. Additionally, serological examination, pathological results, and survival rate concurred in showing better results in the CS 2 h + HMP 2 h ± SP600125 group than in the CS 4 h ± SP600125 group.

Conclusion

HMP in combination with SP600125 has hepatoprotective properties and improves the quality and viability of porcine livers collected after DCD, thus improving prognosis after liver transplantation.
The effect of GPS refresh rate on measuring police patrol in micro-places
Authors: Hutt Oliver K. , Bowers Kate , Johnson Shane D.
Published: February 2021

With the increasing prevalence of police interventions implemented in micro hot-spots of crime, the accuracy with which officer foot patrols can be measured is increasingly important for the robust evaluation of such strategies. However, it is currently unknown how the accuracy of GPS traces impact upon our understanding of where officers are at a given time and how this varies for different GPS refresh rates. Most existing studies that use GPS data fail to acknowledge this. This study uses GPS data from police officer radios and ground truth data to estimate how accurate GPS data are for different GPS refresh rates. The similarity of the assumed paths are quantitatively evaluated and the analysis shows that different refresh rates lead to diverging estimations of where officers have patrolled. These results have significant implications for the measurement of police patrols in micro-places and evaluations of micro-place based interventions.
Correction to: Effect of salicylic acid foliar application on growth, glandular hairs and essential oil yield in Salvia officinalis L. grown under zinc stress
Authors: Es-sbihi Fatima Zohra , Hazzoumi Zakaria , Joutei Khalid Amrani
Published: February 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
A novel experimental porcine model to assess the impact of differential pulmonary blood flow on ischemia–reperfusion injury after unilateral lung transplantation
Authors: Frick Anna Elisabeth , Orlitová Michaela , Vanstapel Arno , Ordies Sofie , Claes Sandra , Schols Dominique , Heigl Tobias , Kaes Janne , Saez-Gimenez Berta , Vos Robin , Verleden Geert M. , Vanaudenaerde Bart , Verleden Stijn E. , Van Raemdonck Dirk E. , Neyrinck Arne P.
Published: February 2021

Background

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) remains a major obstacle after lung transplantation. Ischemia–reperfusion injury is a known contributor to the development of PGD following lung transplantation. We developed a novel approach to assess the impact of increased pulmonary blood flow in a large porcine single-left lung transplantation model.

Materials

Twelve porcine left lung transplants were divided in two groups (n = 6, in low- (LF) and high-flow (HF) group). Donor lungs were stored for 24 h on ice, followed by left lung transplantation. In the HF group, recipient animals were observed for 6 h after reperfusion with partially clamping right pulmonary artery to achieve a higher flow (target flow 40–60% of total cardiac output) to the transplanted lung compared to the LF group, where the right pulmonary artery was not clamped.

Results

Survival at 6 h was 100% in both groups. Histological, functional and biological assessment did not significantly differ between both groups during the first 6 h of reperfusion. injury was also present in the right native lung and showed signs compatible with the pathophysiological hallmarks of ischemia–reperfusion injury.

Conclusions

Partial clamping native pulmonary artery in large animal lung transplantation setting to study the impact of low versus high pulmonary flow on the development of ischemia reperfusion is feasible. In our study, differential blood flow had no effect on IRI. However, our findings might impact future studies with extracorporeal devices and represent a specific intra-operative problem during bilateral sequential single-lung transplantation.
Design framework for a seamless smart glove using a digital knitting system
Authors: Song Yewon , Lee Seulah , Choi Yuna , Han Sora , Won Hyuna , Sung Tae-Hyun , Choi Youngjin , Bae Jihyun
Published: February 2021

The wearable electronics integrated with textile-based devices is a promising strategy to meet the requirements of human comfort as well as electrical performances. This research presents a design and development framework for a seamless glove sensor system using digital knitting fabrication. Based on the performance requirements of glove sensors for controlling a prosthetic hand, desirable design components include electrical conductivity, comfort, formfit, electrical sensitivity, and customizable design. These attributes are determined and achieved by applying appropriate materials and fabrication technologies. In this study, a digital knitting CAD/CAM system is utilized to meet the desired performance criteria, and two prototypes of the seamless glove sensor systems are successfully developed for the detection of both human and robotic finger motions. This digital knitting system will provide considerable potential for customized design development as well as a sustainable production process. This structured, systematic approach could be adapted in the future development of wearable electronic textile systems.
IgG4-related gastric disease with plasma cell-rich obliterative arteritis accompanied by early-stage gastric cancer: a case report
Authors: Obatake Masayoshi , Sato Koichi , Yagi Shigehiko , Ohtani Hiromi , Kito Katsumi
Published: February 2021

Background

Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that can involve multiple organs. It is characterized by IgG4-positive plasma cell-rich storiform fibrosis and obliterative phlebitis associated with a high serum IgG4 level. There are few reports of gastric IgG4-RD, especially those detected prior to systemic or other organ involvement.

Case presentation: A 70-year-old man was diagnosed with type 0–IIc gastric cancer at the anterior wall of the gastric corpus by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. In addition, a submucosal tumor (SMT) 7 mm in diameter was found at the greater curvature of the angulus. Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed. Pathology revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in the type 0–IIc lesion and storiform fibrosis with infiltration of a large number of IgG4-positive plasma cells in the SMT. Postoperative laboratory testing showed elevation of serum IgG4 levels; thus, we diagnosed the SMT as IgG4-RD. Intriguingly, the gastric IgG4-RD lesion demonstrated IgG4-positive plasma cell-rich arteritis as well as typical obstructive phlebitis. The patient has been followed for 2 years after surgery without recurrence of cancer, but skin lesions of IgG4-RD have appeared.

Conclusion

We report a rare case of IgG4-RD presenting as a gastric SMT, accompanied by early-stage gastric cancer. Our case may support a newly proposed relationship between IgG4-RD and malignancies. The gastric IgG4-RD lesion showed arteritis as well as obliterative phlebitis, potentially providing novel insight into IgG4-related vascular lesions.
Stock prices and economic activity nexus in OECD countries: new evidence from an asymmetric panel Granger causality test in the frequency domain
Authors: Yilanci Veli , Ozgur Onder , Gorus Muhammed Sehid
Published: February 2021

This study investigates the stock price–economic activity nexus in 12 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by employing monthly data over the period 1981:1–2018:3. For this purpose, the study uses Granger causality in the frequency domain in the panel setting by decomposing the symmetric and asymmetric fluctuations. This methodology determines whether the predictive power of interested variables is concentrated on quickly, moderately, or slowly fluctuating components. Our findings show that the stock prices have predictive power for future long-term economic activity in the panel setting. However, economic activity has more reliable information for stock prices for negative components. Additionally, empirical findings for asymmetric shocks are not fully consistent with those of symmetric ones. Besides, the country-specific results provide different causal linkages across members and frequencies. These findings may provide valuable information for policymakers to design proper and effective policies in OECD countries regarding the stock market and economic activity nexus.
Effect of Ag nanoparticles on viability of MCF-7 and Vero cell lines and gene expression of apoptotic genes
Authors: Sangour Maryam Hassan , Ali Iftikhar M. , Atwan Zeenah Weheed , Al Ali Ali Abd Al Lateef A.
Published: February 2021

Background

The newly emerged technology, nanotechnology, represents a promising solution for many medical and industrial problems. Random targeting, resistance, and side effects are the main disadvantages of the available cancer chemotherapy which are critical aspects needed to be managed. So the aim of the study was to suggest the nanoparticles as an alternative therapy for the available therapies through detecting the cytotoxic effect of Ag nanoparticles against cancer and normal cell lines and how they affect the apoptotic function and the genes involved.

Results

Ag NPs exhibited a killing rate of 40% in MCF-7 cells (the cancer cell model) at a concentration of 100 μg/ml with almost no effect on Vero cells (the normal cell model). Concerning the phenotypic apoptotic changes that were analyzed by Acridine orange and eosin and hematoxylin, Ag NPs caused the apoptosis and Vacuole degeneration as well as cell formation and the emergence of Necrotic cells in MCF-7 cells, whereas in the normal cell line Vero, no change appears in its phenotype.

Treating MCF-7 and Vero cells with Ag NPs upregulated the P53 and P21 gene expression in Vero cells, but their expression was downregulated in MCF-7 cells. PTEN was augmented in both MCF-7 and Vero cells compared to the control.

Conclusions

The AgNPs displayed selective effect in their cytotoxicity and both induced the apoptosis effect and might be suggested as a potential therapy since an increase in PTEN expression (up to 250-fold more compared to the control) due to the treatment with AgNPs augments the tumor suppressor effects of the PTEN.
Outcomes versus complications in patients undergoing different modalities of injection laryngoplasty
Authors: Darweesh Mohamed E. , El-Gazzar Aml F. Y. , Sarag Shaimaa M. , Sheikhany Ayat-Allah Raouf
Published: February 2021

Background

Glottal insufficiency results in glottal gap between the two vocal folds, which in turn might cause dysphonia, dysphagia, and breathing problems. Vocal fold injection is considered a safe, reliable, and highly effective method of treatment.

The purpose of the present study was to assess voice outcomes and complication rates in patients with glottal insufficiency undergoing injection laryngoplasty (IL) under local versus general anesthesia before, 1 week then 1 month after IL.

Results

Examined patients were 13 males and 12 females, suffering from dysphonia due to glottal insufficiency with mean age 43.68 ± SD 14.55. Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) was diagnosed in seventeen cases, vocal fold scarring in six cases, presbylarynx in one case, and sulcus vocalis in one case. IL was performed in 18 cases under local anesthesia, and 7 under general anesthesia. Hyaluronic acid was injection material in 23 cases and calcium hydroxylapatite in two cases. IL by either local or general anesthesia has improved the patients’ auditory perceptual analysis of voice quality as assessed by “GRBAS” scale and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). There were four (16% of all injections) minor and self-limited complications (12% under local and 4% under general anesthesia).

Conclusion

Injection laryngoplasty performed under local and general anesthesia offers similar voice outcomes, but with slightly higher self-limited complications in IL under local anesthesia.
Comparative study between fat plug and inlay butterfly cartilage grafts for myringoplasty in adults
Authors: Khafagy Ahmed Gamal , El-Begermy Mohamed , El-Begermy Marwa Mohamed , Afifi Pretty O.
Published: February 2021

Background

This study aims to compare the graft uptake rate and hearing improvement of fat graft versus inlay butterfly tragal cartilage in the repair of perforations in chronic otitis media mucosal in adults.

In this retrospective study, twenty-eight patients were included with small dry anteroinferior tympanic membrane perforations (less than 1/3 of the tympanic membrane). The age range was 18 to 44 years old. Myringoplasty was done under general anesthesia for 8 patients with a fat graft (FG) and 20 patients with inlay butterfly cartilage graft (IBCG). Six months postoperatively, a follow-up evaluation was done for successful graft uptake and hearing outcomes.

Results

The success rate of graft uptake in the first group (fat graft) was 6/8 cases (75%) while in the second group (IBCG) was 19/20 (95%) with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.0148). Also, there was no statistical difference between the two groups as regards postoperative ABG, improvement changes in ABG, and number of patients with improved hearing.

Conclusions

Inlay butterfly cartilage graft is a useful graft in repairing small tympanic membrane perforations as regard graft take and hearing outcomes.
Allergic rhinitis patients associated with migraine: effect of treatment of allergic rhinitis on migrainous attack
Authors: Zittoon Reham Farouk , Ahmed Dina Ibrahim , Iskander Nagy Michael , Madian Yasser Taha
Published: February 2021

Background

Allergy immunology specialists frequently encounter with diagnosis of migraine headache; this is a prospective study to assess the ability of the treatment of allergic rhinitis in patients having migraine to decrease the attacks of migraine.

Results

Between June 2016 and Feb. 2019, 58 patients suffer from migraine and having positive allergic symptoms for all patients. CBC with differential, nasal smear and IgE test assessment of migraine disability assessment score, and complete otorhinology examination were done pretreatment and 3 months post treatment score to know the effect of the treatment of allergic rhinitis on the attack of migraine. The mean age of patients was 40 years old. Age distribution was between 18 and 59 years old. Sex was also distributed and found 21 males and 37 females, showing more presented in females. Hemoglobin was found between 10.8 and 12.4 mg/dl, with mean 11.37 mg/dl; IgE test was between 5 and 800 IU/ml, with mean 171.29 IU/ml; no patients were included in grade I while the majority were included in grade III. We noticed that patients improved from allergic rhinitis and migranous attack at the same time had 43.1% while patients improved allergic rhinitis but migraine became less frequent and less sever were 15.52% (partially improved). Patients improved allergic rhinitis. Grade I no pain showed statistically significant difference, also grade III moderate pain showed statistically significant difference. IgE level in improved cases around 88.4.

Conclusion

There is strong relation between migraine and allergic rhinitis; the use of intranasal corticosteroid sprays and oral antihistaminic for 3 months for treatment of migraine associated with allergic rhinitis which led to decrease in the prevalence and frequency.
On the spectral changes of seismic wave energy by a partially saturated crack due to the hysteresis of liquid bridges phenomenon
Authors: Rozhko Alexander Y.
Published: February 2021

Low-frequency shadows are frequently interpreted as attenuation phenomena due to partial saturation with free gas. However, several researchers have argued that shadows are not necessarily a simple attenuation phenomenon because low-frequency energy must have been added or amplified by some physical or numerical process. Attenuation alone should attenuate higher frequencies, not boost lower frequencies. The physical or numerical effects explaining this phenomenon are still debatable in the literature. To better understand the elastic wave energy’s spectral changes in partially saturated rock, we have considered the hysteresis of liquid bridges phenomena inside the crack. We determine that liquid bridges’ hysteresis leads to the nonlinear energy exchange between frequencies, explaining the wave energy boost at lower frequencies. We find that the energy exchange between different frequencies depends on the wave amplitude and the seismic wave spectrum. The low-frequency energy boost is stronger for a continuous spectrum of seismic waves, smaller for the discrete spectrum, and zero for the monochromatic spectrum of seismic waves. In addition, we find that at seismic frequencies, the attenuation 1/ Q-factor due to the friction of the contact line can be much larger than the attenuation due to viscous fluid flow inside the partially saturated crack. Our model depends on the wave amplitude and weakly depends on the wave frequency. The suggested model can help interpret the low-frequency shadows, bright spots, and attenuation anomalies frequently observed around hydrocarbon fields.
Old Dreams Retold
Authors: Wang Ban
Published: February 2021

As a champion of May Fourth enlightenment and a critic of Chinese tradition, Lu Xun is less understood as a prescient critic of the myth of science and technological rationality. Walter Benjamin invoked the utopian reconciliation of humans and nature from premodern culture in critiques of modernity. Similarly, Lu Xun conjured up images of the ancient world where rural folks lived in reciprocity with nature, worshiped supernatural beings, and observed time-honored rituals. Lu Xun linked the myth of progress and technology to a destructive chorus of “malevolent voices” by a hypocritical gentry, a technocratic elite that sought power, status, and profit in the name of enlightenment and rationality. He proclaimed that it is urgent to “rid of ourselves of this hypocrite gentry; ‘superstition’ may remain.” Invoking Benjamin's insight and affinity with Lu Xun, this article explores the Chinese writer's recovery of the mythical and ecological images from the past in the critique of modernity. Confronted with the fetishism of progress and technology in China's early modernization, Lu Xun sought to uncover and redeem primordial images from archaic traditions.
Reinventing “Nature”
Authors: Yee Winnie L. M.
Published: February 2021

The often-heated debates concerning Hong Kong's literary representations all take as a premise that Hong Kong has an urban identity, defined by its mythic transformation from a fishing village to a metropolis. On the return of the sovereignty to mainland China in 1997, the discourse stresses Hong Kong's exceptional status, reflecting a general anxiety that Hong Kong could be replaced by or even become just another Chinese city. This anxiety for the future is evident in an ecocritical turn, manifested in both the social realm (popular movements and organic communities) and artistic circles (independent cinema and literature). This article looks at Hong Kong literature—Wu Xubin's 吳煦斌 (1949–) stories, Dung Kai-cheung's 董啟章 (1967–) literary experiments, and a recent edited volume about plants—to determine how ecotopian imaginaries and cultural identities are closely linked to different moments in Hong Kong history. The author finds that the ecocritical turn in Hong Kong literature has opened a new space for Hong Kong's postcolonial identity.
“A New Species”
Authors: Rojas Carlos
Published: February 2021

Taking as its starting point Michel Foucault's use of the biological species metaphor in his claim that, in nineteenth-century Europe, “the homosexual was now a new species,” this article considers the sudden explosion of homoerotic activities and cultural representations in Greater China beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The article focuses in particular on four literary works dating from around 1994 that examine queer individuals in relation modern institutional structures associated with disciplines of biology/science, reportage/media, medicine/activism, and policing/psychiatry. At the same time, however, through attention to the role played by these institutional structures in shaping new queer subjectivities, each of these four works emphasizes the subject's ability to intervene in the discursive formations within which those same subjectivities are positioned and thereby to narrativize the subject's own identity.
Looking, Reading, and Intertextuality in Ding Ling's “Shafei nüshi de riji” 莎菲女士的日記 (Miss Sophia's Diary)
Authors: Cai Keru
Published: February 2021

This article examines Ding Ling's 丁玲 (1904–86) practice of intertextuality in her famous 1927 story “Shafei nüshi de riji” 莎菲女士的日記 (Miss Sophia's Diary) by means of the Bakhtinian concept of dialogism. Sophia's diary is in dialogue with a plethora of texts she has read or encountered before. Ding Ling uses these intertexts to shed light on Sophia's negotiations with the New Woman's identity, as well as with the medium of the written word. At the same time, Sophia's diary is perennially in dialogue with anticipated readers or interlocutors. The story's thematization of reading is inseparable from the motifs of looking and gazing: just as Sophia is constantly preoccupied with how people look at her, she is anxious about how her diary will be read. Thus, her diary has an inherently dialogical stance as Sophia flirts with different intertextual ways of defining herself, always implicitly in contention with others who might view or read her otherwise. The article ends by reflecting on the resonances between Sophia's textual flirtations and the story's depictions of erotic desire, suggesting that the idea of promiscuity emerges as a figure for the practice of intertextuality during the May Fourth period.
“The Orient” versusDongfang
Authors: Ma Xiaolu
Published: February 2021

Since Edward Said published his seminal study on Orientalism, the notion of the Orient has been heavily discussed and hotly debated in both the Eastern and Western worlds. While early studies of Orientalism mainly underline Western fantasies of an exotic East as the West's “other,” Chinese scholars have also been inspired to reconceptualize the notion of the Orient in recent decades. By examining the formation of the notion of dongfang 東方 (the Orient) through journal publications, academic disciplinary construction, and the writing of oriental history, this article observes how the Chinese world of letters identified China with the Orient when China attempted to accommodate itself to a Eurocentric historical narrative in the 1920s. The article further investigates how the Chinese achieved a strategic alliance with Soviet Russia in the 1950s to confront the Western cultural centers of Europe and the United States and how Chinese academia repositioned itself in response to the adoption of Western criticism on Orientalism in the 1980s. This article also traces the institutionalization of oriental literature studies in modern China under the influence of both Soviet Russian and Western European academia to investigate how reimagining the Orient has enabled Chinese scholars to reorient Chinese literature within the genealogy of world literature. This article thus aims to shed light on the Chinese reconfiguration of Chinese cultural identity in an ongoing negotiation between East and West.
Hormone receptor 4 is required in muscles and distinct ovarian cell types to regulate specific steps of Drosophila oogenesis
Authors: Weaver Lesley N. , Drummond-Barbosa Daniela
Published: February 2021

The conserved nuclear receptor superfamily has crucial roles in many processes, including reproduction. Nuclear receptors with known roles in oogenesis have been studied mostly in the context of their ovary-intrinsic requirement. Recent studies in Drosophila, however, have begun to reveal new roles of nuclear receptor signaling in peripheral tissues in controlling reproduction. Here, we identified Hormone receptor 4 (Hr4) as an oogenesis regulator required in the ovary and muscles. Global Hr4 knockdown leads to increased germline stem cell (GSC) loss, reduced GSC proliferation, early germline cyst death, slowed follicle growth and vitellogenic follicle degeneration. Tissue-specific knockdown experiments uncovered ovary-intrinsic and peripheral tissue requirements for Hr4. In the ovary, Hr4 is required in the niche for GSC proliferation and in the germline for GSC maintenance. Hr4 functions in muscles to promote GSC maintenance and follicle growth. The specific tissues that require Hr4 for survival of early germline cysts and vitellogenic follicles remain unidentified. These results add to the few examples of muscles controlling gametogenesis and expand our understanding of the complexity of nuclear receptor regulation of various aspects of oogenesis.
Βιβλιοκρισία: E. C. Bourbouhakis (έκδ.), Not Composed in a Chance Manner: The Epitaphios for Manuel I Komnenos by Eustathios of Thessalonike [Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Studia Byzantina Upsaliensia 18], Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala 2017
Authors: ΜΕΡΙΑΝΟΣ Γεράσιμος
Published: February 2021

Βook Review: E. C. Bourbouhakis (έκδ.), Not Composed in a Chance Manner: The Epitaphios for Manuel I Komnenos by Eustathios of Thessalonike [ActaUniversitatis Upsaliensis, Studia Byzantina Upsaliensia 18], Uppsala 2017,
Genetic engineering and gene manipulation: the right (of future generations) to surprise
Authors: Chorianopoulou Maria K.
Published: February 2021

Genetic engineering is currently at the forefront of biotechnological innovation and aspires to change once and for ever the way we understand and handle human nature. Especially the growth of Eugenics makes us visualise a different world, where humanity will not only dispense itself from the detrimental gene mutations that are accountable for fatal illnesses, but will also ameliorate through prenatal gene manipulation. In the first part of this paper, I will introduce the responsibility-oriented morality of Hans Jonas, who supports vividly all efforts of negative Eugenics but seems sceptical about genetic enhancement, since on the one hand we have no right to decide on behalf of our descendants on what is best for them, and on the other due to his view that the abundance of our genetic stock should not hang on parents’ desires. In the second part, I will correlate these oppositions with Hannah Arendt’s concept of “natality”. Not only do Jonas and Habermas invoke it with applause; “natality” also discloses the very essence of birth, namely that each newborn epitomises total unpredictability and promises to renew human affairs. So, gene manipulation for enhancement purposes seems to encroach on “natality’s” dominion and diminish future autonomy. Finally, I will argue that, if Arendt’s conceptual frame consolidates objections to positive Eugenics, each unborn child holds a right to surprise, the content of which is not limited to an individual level but touches society and humanity.
The best interests of the child in medically assisted reproduction: A moral-constitutional overview
Authors: Panagopoulou - Koutnatzi Fereniki
Published: February 2021

The infinite and constantly developing options of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) reasonably raise the issue of its permitted range. Proponents of human rights fight for the strengthening of the reproductive right, the access to it by even more people, such as single parents, same-sex couples, elderly women, HIV carriers etc. Still concerning, however, is the fact that the defenders of human rights often forget the rights of the fetus or the child, which cannot be expressed with the same intensity. In the framework of the present study, we investigate the true interests of the child in MAR, in relation to the reproductive right in the light of some borderline cases.
In the quest of a novel BTI (bio-technical identity) Beyond the ontology of the human person
Authors: Theologou Kostas
Published: February 2021

The intuitions and imagination of human visionaries about the infinite possibilities of scientific research and technology are creatively haunting the quest of our species to expand knowledge in the micro-cosmos and the vast space. Since 19th century French writer Jules Verne (1828-1905) and English writer Mary Shelley (1797-1851) had already traced the path to our days and beyond.They were followed by an infinite series of great intuitionists, who were not mere futurists like H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Isaac Asimov, Arthur Clarke, John Brunner and many more. Scientific endeavors and achievements transform the qualities of life and foster social institutions in various ways. The paper deals with a prevailing technological phenomenon, the scientific capacity of gene-editing, promoting thus the emergence of a virtual novel identity. The new achievements in sciences encourage the expression of human free-will allowing for physical and other enhancements or alterations, in reference to biological and technological features that may lead to a new bio-techno-identity (let us call it BTI). The paper reflects on the issue of “enhancing” the established concepts for defining a human being and a human person; it also puts forward the possibility of conducting a theoretical and field researchexamining -and evaluating- the issue and the mechanisms of BTI formation,reassessing all traditional qualities and novel characteristics attributed to humans by the applications of Biotechnology.The issue is eventually approached under the standpoints of Ethical Philosophy, Sociology, Biology, Orthodox Theology and Law. The analysis discusses intuitions in sci-fi literature and cinematography in comparison to reality i.e. the multitude of assisted reproduction technologies, embryonic and genetic labs, implants and even cloning in Western Societies.
Prevalence of pre-operative anxiety and associated factors among a group of women undergoing gynaecological surgeries at a single unit in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka
Authors: Jayawardane Madura , Gankanda Wedisha , Gunathilake Malsha
Published: February 2021

Background:Surgery-related anxiety is universal, leading to complications. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of pre-operative anxiety levels among a group of patients.

Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study of 64 women was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, Sri Lanka. Patients who underwent emergency surgeries, those with mental illnesses or those aged <18 years were excluded. Pre-operative assessment was done one day prior to the surgery using a self-administered Sinhala validated Amsterdam-Preoperative-Anxiety-and-Information-Scale (APAIS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Visual-Analogue-Scale (VAS). The APAIS consists of six questions which assess three anxiety components: anesthesia-related-anxiety (Sum A), surgery-related-anxiety (Sum S) and information-desire-component (Sum IDC). The combined score (Sum C) is given by the total of Sum A and Sum S. A Sum C of ≥11 indicates significant anxiety.

Results:The mean age of participants was 38.03 years (SD=13.53 years). The mean total score of APAIS was 10.36 (4.06), of HADS was 5.734 (4.487) and of VAS was 3.156 (2.773). All scores were higher in participants <50 years. There were negative correlations between age and anxiety levels in VAS and APAIS scales; the Sum IDC inAPAIS (r=-0.416, p=0.001) and VAS scores (r=-246, p=0.050) showed significant negative correlations. Excepting Sum IDC all APAIS, HADS and VAS scores were higher among the group without insurance; despite free healthcare. However only Sum S (t=-3.716, p=0.000) and Sum C (t=-2.281, p=0.026) in APAIS, HADS (t=-3.412, p=0.001) and VAS (t=-2.135, p=0.037) had statistically higher values. Anxiety scores were higher in the group that underwent minor surgeries but where not significantly related to education level, marital status, income, employment or living status.

Conclusions:Pre-operative anxiety is common. Age <50 years, lacking insurance cover and undergoing minor surgeries are associated with increased pre-operative anxiety levels. Screening and appropriate interventions would be beneficial.