bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Resistance in Clinical Isolates of
Ureaplasma
spp. from Samples in Germany
Authors: Dumke Roger
Published: February 2021

Ureaplasma urealyticum
and
Ureaplasma parvum
are mollicutes species that colonize the urogenital tract of many asymptomatic people but are also thought to be associated with symptomatic infections. Using 170 strains isolated between 2016 and 2019 in a German university hospital, resistance was tested by a combination of commercial tests, molecular methods, and determination of MICs.
Metagenomes and Assembled Genomes from Diarrhea-Affected Cattle (Bos taurus)
Authors: Ateba Tshepiso Pleasure , Alayande Kazeem Adekunle , Mwanza Mulunda
Published: February 2021

The
de novo
metagenome assembly for C1-TPA is 68,577,389 bp long spread over 10,108 contigs, while that of C3-TPA is 55,517,929 bp distributed over 9,415 contigs. A total of 8 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were extracted from C1-TPA, and 10 were extracted from C3-TPA. Both samples have a
Flavobacterium
sp. and a
Pseudomonas
sp. in common among their bacterial communities.
Assembly of Bacterial Genome Sequences from Metagenomes of Spacecraft Assembly Cleanrooms
Authors: Ilieva Velislava , Steel Bruce , Pratscher Jennifer , Olsson-Francis Karen , Macey Michael C.
Published: February 2021

Characterizing the microbiome of spacecraft assembly cleanrooms is important for planetary protection. We report two bacterial metagenome-assembled genome sequences (MAGs) reconstructed from metagenomes produced from cleanroom samples from the Kennedy Space Center’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (KSC-PHSF) during the handling of the Phoenix spacecraft. Characterization of these MAGs will enable identification of the strategies underpinning their survival.
Supplemental Material: The age of dust—A new hydrological indicator in arid environments?
Authors: Turner Simon , al. et
Published: February 2021

Analytical techniques and all data (Tables S1–S4).
Unilateral submandibular gland aplasia with contralateral hypertrophy: an unusual neck mass
Authors: Lokesh Lokesh , Manchanda Smita , Bhalla Ashu Seith , Bagga Barun
Published: February 2021

The congenital absence of major salivary glands is an infrequent disorder, in which several glands are usually involved at the same time. Aplasia of unilateral submandibular (SM) gland is a very rare finding. Clinical presentation is variable. While some patients have no symptoms, others report difficulty in chewing and swallowing due to dry mouth, and even dental caries. Diagnosis of salivary gland aplasia can be made with a variety of imaging techniques, which include sonography, CT or MRI, sialography or isotope scans (technetium T99m-pertechnetate). We report the case of a 30-year-old man presenting with a gradually progressive neck mass, because of unilateral SM gland hypertrophy associated with contralateral SM gland aplasia.
Estimates of the minimal important difference to evaluate the clinical significance of antidepressants in the acute treatment of moderate-to-severe depression
Authors: Hengartner Michael P , Plöderl Martin
Published: February 2021

The efficacy of antidepressants in the acute treatment of moderate-to-severe depression remains a controversial issue. The minimal important difference (MID) is relevant to judge the clinical significance of treatment effects. In this analysis paper, we discuss estimates of the MID for common depression outcome measures.

For the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item Version (HDRS-17), according to both anchor-based and distribution-based approaches, MID estimates range from 3 to 8 points, and the most accurate values are likely between 3 and 5 points. For the 6-item version (HDRS-6), MID estimates range between 2 and 4 points. For both the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), MID estimates range between 3 and 9 points, with estimates of 3–6 points likely being the most accurate. Quality of life appears to be more important to patients than core depression symptoms. We thus also evaluated the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) mental component score, a popular mental-health-related quality of life measure. Its MID estimate is likely about 5 points. By contrast, the average treatment effects of antidepressants on the HDRS-17, HDRS-6, MADRS, BDI-II and SF-36 are 2 points, 1.5 points, 3 points, 2 points and 3–5 points, respectively.

In conclusion, the efficacy of antidepressants in the acute treatment of moderate-to-severe depression consistently fails to exceed the lower bound of the MID estimates for common depression outcome measures. The clinical significance of antidepressants thus remains uncertain and we call for more research on quality of life measures, which are the patients’ most valued outcome domains.
Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the placebo response in treatment-resistant depression: comparison of multiple treatment modalities
Authors: Jones Brett D M , Weissman Cory R , Razza Lais B , Husain M Ishrat , Brunoni Andre R , Daskalakis Zafiris J
Published: February 2021

Introduction

The high placebo response in depression treatment trials is a major contributing factor for randomised control trial failure to establish efficacy of novel or repurposed treatments in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and major depressive disorder in general. Though there have been a number of meta-analyses and primary research studies evaluating the placebo response in non-TRD, placebo response in TRD is poorly understood. It is important to understand the placebo response of TRD as treatments are only moderately effective and up to 1/3 of patients will experience TRD.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a search of electronic databases (MEDLINE and PsychINFO) from inception to 24th January 2020 including randomised, placebo-controlled trials of pharmacological, somatic and psychological interventions for adults with TRD. TRD will be defined as a failure to respond to at least two interventions of adequate dose or duration. We will also search reference lists from review articles. We will perform several meta-analyses to quantify the placebo response for each treatment modality. Regression analysis will explore potential contributing demographic and clinical variables to the placebo response. We will use Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Ethics and dissemination

There is no research ethics board approval required. The dissemination plan is to publish results in a peer-reviewed academic journal.

PROSPERO registration number

190 465.
Psychometric evaluation of the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale in Chinese adults with rheumatic diseases: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Tsai Tzung-Yi , Lu Ming-Chi , Livneh Hanoch , Lin Miao-Chiu , Lai Ning-Sheng , Guo How-Ran
Published: February 2021

Objective

The Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) was designed to assess the degree of self-efficacy among patients with arthritis. Though the original English version of this instrument has shown a high degree of reliability and validity, a Chinese version of this scale has yet to be validated. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Chinese version of ASES (C-ASES) in a population of Chinese adults with rheumatic diseases (RDs).

Methods

After completing backward translation and expert validity, a convenient sample of 258 qualified participants with RDs from a hospital in Taiwan were recruited to explore the content validity, concurrent validity, construct validity, internal consistency reliability and test–retest reliability of C-ASES.

Results

The C-ASES has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test–retest reliability, with a Cronbach α of 0.91 and intraclass correlation coefﬁcient of 0.89, respectively. Concurrent validity was acceptable, with significant correlation between the subscales of the C-ASES and perceived depressive symptoms, as measured by the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire (p<0.05). The exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution (physical function, experienced pain and other symptoms) corresponding to the structure of the original instrument, which accounted for 59.78% of the total variance.

Conclusion

Empirical data support the assertion that C-ASES is a reliable and valid screening instrument to assess self-efficacy in Chinese-speaking patients with RDs. C-ASES may be useful as a reference guide in providing appropriate interventions for bolstering self-efficacy among Chinese-speaking patients with RDs.
How does general practitioner discontinuity affect healthcare utilisation? An observational cohort study of 2.4 million Norwegians 2007–2017
Authors: Skarshaug Lena Janita , Kaspersen Silje Lill , Bjørngaard Johan Håkon , Pape Kristine
Published: February 2021

Objectives

Patients may benefit from continuity of care by a personal physician general practitioner (GP), but there are few studies on consequences of a break in continuity of GP. Investigate how a sudden discontinuity of GP care affects their list patients’ regular GP consultations, out-of-hours consultations and acute hospital admissions, including admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC).

Design

Cohort study linking person-level national register data on use of health services and GP affiliation with data on GP activity and GP characteristics.

Setting

Primary care.

Participants

2 409 409 Norwegians assigned to the patient lists of 2560 regular GPs who, after 12 months of stable practice, had a sudden discontinuity of practice lasting two or more months between 2007 and 2017.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Monthly GP consultations, out-of-hours consultations, acute hospital admissions and ACSC admissions in periods during and 12 months after the discontinuity, compared with the 12-month period before the discontinuity using logistic regression models.

Results

All patient age groups had a 3%–5% decreased odds of monthly regular GP consultations during the discontinuity. Odds of monthly out-of-hours consultations increased 2%–6% during the discontinuity for all adult age groups. A 7%–9% increase in odds of ACSC admissions during the period 1–6 months after discontinuity was indicated in patients over the age of 65, but in general little or no change in acute hospital admissions was observed during or after the period of discontinuity.

Conclusions

Modest changes in health service use were observed during and after a sudden discontinuity in practice among patients with a previously stable regular GP. Older patients seem sensitive to increased acute hospital admissions in the absence of their personal GP.
Australia IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study: protocol for a multicentre longitudinal prospective cohort study
Authors: Williams Astrid-Jane , Paramsothy Ramesh , Wu Nan , Ghaly Simon , Leach Steven , Paramsothy Sudarshan , Corte Crispin , O"Brien Claire , Burke Catherine , Wark Gabrielle , Samocha-Bonet Dorit , Lambert Kelly , Ahlenstiel Golo , Wasinger Valerie , Dutt Shoma , Pavli Paul , Grimm Michael , Lemberg Daniel , Connor Susan , Leong Rupert , Hold Georgina
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are common chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which cause considerable morbidity. Although the precise mechanisms of disease remain unclear, evidence implicates a strong multidirectional interplay between diet, environmental factors, genetic determinants/immune perturbations and the gut microbiota. IBD can be brought into remission using a number of medications, which act by suppressing the immune response. However, none of the available medications address any of the underlying potential mechanisms. As we understand more about how the microbiota drives inflammation, much interest has focused on identifying microbial signals/triggers in the search for effective therapeutic targets. We describe the establishment of the Australian IBD Microbiota (AIM) Study, Australia’s first longitudinal IBD bioresource, which will identify and correlate longitudinal microbial and metagenomics signals to disease activity as evaluated by validated clinical instruments, patient-reported surveys, as well as biomarkers. The AIM Study will also gather extensive demographic, clinical, lifestyle and dietary data known to influence microbial composition in order to generate a more complete understanding of the interplay between patients with IBD and their microbiota.

Methods

The AIM Study is an Australian multicentre longitudinal prospective cohort study, which will enrol 1000 participants; 500 patients with IBD and 500 healthy controls over a 5-year period. Assessment occurs at 3 monthly intervals over a 24-month period. At each assessment oral and faecal samples are self-collected along with patient-reported outcome measures, with clinical data also collected at baseline, 12 and 24 months. Intestinal tissue will be sampled whenever a colonoscopy is performed. Dietary intake, general health and psychological state will be assessed using validated self-report questionnaires. Samples will undergo metagenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and culturomic analyses. Omics data will be integrated with clinical data to identify predictive biomarkers of response to therapy, disease behaviour and environmental factors in patients with IBD.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval for this study has been obtained from the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Research Ethics Committee (HREC 2019/ETH11443). Findings will be reported at national and international gastroenterology meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12619000911190.
How can the uptake of preventive behaviour during the COVID-19 outbreak be improved? An online survey of 4827 Chinese residents
Authors: Mao Yimeng , Chen Hao , Wang Yi , Chen Suhong , Gao Junling , Dai Junming , Jia Yingnan , Xiao Qianyi , Zheng Pinpin , Fu Hua
Published: February 2021

Objectives

The aims of this study were to assess the uptake of preventive behaviour during the COVID-19 outbreak and to investigate the factors influencing the uptake of preventive behaviour based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB）.

Design, setting and participants

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Chinese residents aged ≥18 years and 4827 participants from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were included in the current study. Uptake of preventive behaviour, attitude towards the spread of COVID-19 and preventive behaviour, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, demographic characteristics and the information attention and processing mode were measured. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associations between the potential influencing factors and uptake of preventive behaviour.

Results

There were 2393 (52.8%) respondents reported high uptake of preventive behaviour. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were significantly correlated with uptake of preventive behaviour, and perceived behavioural control was the strongest influencing factor (OR=4.09, 95% CI 3.57 to 4.69). Furthermore, systematic information processing mode was positively associated with high uptake of preventive behaviour compared with heuristic information processing mode (OR=2.16, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.81).

Conclusions

These findings are helpful for developing education and interventions to promote high uptake of preventive behaviour and enhance public health outcomes during pandemic.
Help-seeking behaviours among older adults: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Teo Kelly , Churchill Ryan , Riadi Indira , Kervin Lucy , Cosco Theodore
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Despite evidence that illustrates the unmet healthcare needs of older adults, there is limited research examining their help-seeking behaviour, of which direct intervention can improve patient outcomes. Research in this area conducted with a focus on ethnic minority older adults is also needed, as their help-seeking behaviours may be influenced by various cultural factors. This scoping review aims to explore the global literature on the factors associated with help-seeking behaviours of older adults and how cultural values and backgrounds may impact ethnic minority older adults’ help-seeking behaviours in different ways.

Methods and analysis

The scoping review process will be guided by the methodology framework of Arksey and O’Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The following electronic databases will be systematically searched from January 2005 onwards: MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Scopus. Studies of various designs and methodologies consisting of older adults aged 65 years or older, who are exhibiting help-seeking behaviours for the purpose of remedying a physical or mental health challenge, will be considered for inclusion. Two reviewers will screen full texts and chart data. The results of this scoping review will be summarised quantitatively through numerical counts and qualitatively through a narrative synthesis.

Ethics and dissemination

As this is a scoping review of published literature, ethics approval is not required. Results will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Discussion

This scoping review will synthesise the current literature related to the help-seeking behaviours of older adults and ethnic minority older adults. It will identify current gaps in research and potential ways to move forward in developing or implementing strategies that support the various health needs of the diverse older adult population.

Registration

This scoping review protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/69kmx).
Monitoring, implementation and reporting of interventions in a selection of trials assessing exercise therapy for the management of shoulder subacromial pain: a cross-sectional investigation
Authors: Ribeiro Daniel C , Spiers Kate , Thomas Laura , Leilua Kiriffi , Wilkes Matthew , Norton Shontal , Lamb Sarah E
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To review the reporting of monitoring and implementation of interventions in a selection of trials that assessed the effectiveness of manual therapy and exercise in the management of shoulder subacromial pain.

Design

A review of trials assessing the effectiveness of manual therapy and exercise in the management of patients with shoulder subacromial pain.

Methods

We included in our review a selection of 10 trials that were included in a Cochrane review and compared manual therapy and exercise intervention with another intervention. Trials were assessed independently by two reviewers using two checklists: the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) and the Health Behavior Change Consortium treatment fidelity (National Institutes of Health Behaviour Change Consortium/NIHBCC).

Results

TIDieR overall scores for individual trials ranged from 11.1% to 45% and fidelity scores ranged from 7% to 50%. On average, trials scored the following within each domain of NIHBCC: study design 51%; training of providers 8%; treatment delivery 15%; treatment receipt 14% and treatment enactment 2.5%.

Conclusions

Little information about the monitoring, implementation and reporting of interventions was provided by trials and that is a barrier for implementing or replicating these interventions. The lack of information regarding the implementation of interventions needs to be taken into account when assessing whether effectiveness of interventions was impacted by their design or due to deviations from the protocol within trials.
Paediatric attendances of the emergency department in a major Irish tertiary referral centre before and after expansion of free GP care to children under 6: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Korotchikova Irina , Al Khalaf Sukainah , Sheridan Ewa , O'Brien Rory , Bradley Colin P , Deasy Conor
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To examine the characteristics of paediatric attendances to the emergency department (ED) in Cork University Hospital (CUH) before and after the expansion of free general practitioner (GP) care to children under the age of 6 years.

Design

This is a retrospective observational study that used a large administrative dataset.

Setting

The study was conducted in major Irish tertiary referral centre that serves a total population of over 1.1 million. It is a public hospital, owned and managed by the health service executive.

Participants

Children aged 0–15 years who attended CUH ED during the study period of 6 years (2012–2018) were included in this study (n=76 831).

Interventions

Free GP care was expanded to all children aged 0–5 years in July 2015.

Main outcome measures

Paediatric attendances to CUH ED were examined before (Time Period 1: July 2012–June 2015) and after (Time Period 2: July 2015–June 2018) the expansion of free GP care to children under 6. Changes in GP referral rates and inpatient hospital admissions were investigated.

Results

Paediatric presentations to CUH ED increased from 35 819 during the Time Period 1 to 41 012 during the Time Period 2 (14.5%). The proportion of the CUH ED attendances through GP referrals by children under 6 increased by over 8% in the Time Period 2 (from 10 148 to 14 028). Although the number of all children who attended CUH ED and were admitted to hospital increased in Time Period 2 (from 8704 to 9320); the proportion of children in the 0–5 years group who attended the CUH ED through GP referral and were subsequently admitted to hospital, decreased by over 3%.

Conclusion

The expansion of free GP care has upstream health service utilisation implications, such as increased attendances at ED, and should be considered and costed by policy-makers.
Fatigue among children with a chronic disease: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Nap-van der Vlist Merel M , Dalmeijer Geertje W , Grootenhuis Martha A , van der Ent Kors , van den Heuvel-Eibrink Marry M , Swart Joost F , van de Putte Elise M , Nijhof Sanne L
Published: February 2021

Objective

To determine: (1) which biological/lifestyle, psychological and/or social factors are associated with fatigue among children with a chronic disease and (2) how much each of these factors contributes to explaining variance in fatigue.

Design and setting

This was a cross-sectional study across two children’s hospitals.

Patients

We included children aged 8–18 years who visited the outpatient clinic with cystic fibrosis, an autoimmune disease or postcancer treatment.

Main outcome measures

Fatigue was assessed using the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale. Generic biological/lifestyle, psychological and social factors were assessed using clinical assessment tools and questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the associations between these factors and fatigue. Finally, a multivariable regression model was used to determine which factor(s) have the strongest effect on fatigue.

Results

A total of 434 out of 902 children were included (48% participation rate), with a median age of 14.5 years; 42% were male. Among these 434 children, 21.8% were severely fatigued. Together, all biopsychosocial factors explained 74.6% of the variance in fatigue. More fatigue was uniquely associated with poorer physical functioning, more depressive symptoms, more pressure at school, poorer social functioning and older age.

Conclusions

Fatigue among children with a chronic disease is multidimensional. Multiple generic biological/lifestyle, psychological and social factors were strongly associated with fatigue, explaining 58.4%; 65.8% and 50.0% of the variance in fatigue, respectively. Altogether, almost three-quarters of the variance in fatigue was explained by this biopsychosocial model. Thus, when assessing and treating fatigue, a transdiagnostic approach is preferred, taking into account biological, psychological and social factors.
NECPAL prognostic tool: a palliative medicine retrospective cohort study
Authors: Turrillas Pamela , Peñafiel Judith , Tebé Cristian , Amblàs-Novellas Jordi , Gómez-Batiste Xavier
Published: February 2021

Objective

To develop and validate a prognostic model to assess mortality risk at 24 months in patients with advanced chronic conditions.

Methods

Retrospective design based on a previous population cohort study with 789 adults who were identified with the surprise question and NECPAL tool from primary and intermediate care centres, nursing homes and one acute hospital of Spain. A Cox regression model was used to derive a mortality predictive model based on patients’ age and six previously selected NECPAL prognostic factors (palliative care need identified by healthcare professionals, functional decline, nutritional decline, multimorbidity, use of resources, disease-specific criteria of severity/progression). Patients were split into derivation/validation cohorts, and four steps were followed: descriptive analysis, predictors’ assessment, model estimation and model assessment.

Results

All predictive variables were independently associated with increased risk of mortality at 24 months. Performance model including age was good; discrimination power by area under the curve (AUC) was 0.72/0.67 in the derivation/validation cohorts, and correlation between expected and observed (E/O) mortality ratio was 0.74/0.70. The model showed similar performance across settings (AUC 0.65–0.74, E/O 1.00–1.01), the best performance in oncological patients (AUC 0.78, E/O 0.76) and the worst in dementia patients (AUC 0.58, E/O 0.85). Based on the number of factors affected, three prognostic stages with significant differences and a median survival of 38, 17.2 and 3.6 months (p<0.001) were defined.

Conclusion

The NECPAL prognostic tool is accurate and eventually useful at the clinical practice. Stratification in risk groups may enable early intervention and enhance policy-making and service planning.
Aortitis: recent advances, current concepts and future possibilities
Authors: Pugh Dan , Grayson Peter , Basu Neil , Dhaun Neeraj
Published: February 2021

Broadly defined, aortitis refers to inflammation of the aorta and incorporates both infectious and non-infectious aetiologies. As advanced imaging modalities are increasingly incorporated into clinical practice, the phenotypic spectrum associated with aortitis has widened. The primary large vessel vasculitides, giant cell arteritis and Takayasu arteritis, are the most common causes of non-infectious aortitis. Aortitis without systemic disease or involvement of other vascular territories is classified as clinically isolated aortitis. Periaortitis, where inflammation spreads beyond the aortic wall, is an important disease subset with a distinct group of aetiologies. Infectious aortitis can involve bacterial, viral or fungal pathogens and, while uncommon, can be devastating. Importantly, optimal management strategies and patient outcomes differ between aortitis subgroups highlighting the need for a thorough diagnostic workup. Monitoring disease activity over time is also challenging as normal inflammatory markers do not exclude significant vascular inflammation, particularly after starting treatment. Additional areas of unmet clinical need include clear disease classifications and improved short-term and long-term management strategies. Some of these calls are now being answered, particularly with regard to large vessel vasculitis where our understanding has advanced significantly in recent years. Work extrapolated from temporal artery histology has paved the way for targeted biological agents and, although glucocorticoids remain central to the management of non-infectious aortitis, these may allow reduced glucocorticoid reliance. Future work should seek to clarify disease definitions, improve diagnostic pathways and ultimately allow a more stratified approach to patient management.
Nanoencapsulated rituximab mediates superior cellular immunity against metastatic B-cell lymphoma in a complement competent humanized mouse model
Authors: Wen Jing , Wang Lan , Ren Jie , Kranz Emiko , Chen Shilin , Wu Di , Kanazawa Toshio , Chen Irvin , Lu Yunfeng , Kamata Masakazu
Published: February 2021

Background

Despite the numerous applications of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in cancer therapeutics, animal models available to test the therapeutic efficacy of new mAbs are limited. NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice are one of the most highly immunodeficient strains and are universally used as a model for testing cancer-targeting mAbs. However, this strain lacks several factors necessary to fully support antibody-mediated effector functions—including antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC)—due to the absence of immune cells as well as a mutation in the Hc gene, which is needed for a functional complement system.

Methods

We have developed a humanized mouse model using a novel NSG strain, NOD.Cg−Hc1Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG−Hc1), which contains the corrected mutation in the Hc gene to support CDC in addition to other mechanisms endowed by humanization. With this model, we reevaluated the anticancer efficacies of nanoencapsulated rituximab after xenograft of the human Burkitt lymphoma cell line 2F7-BR44.

Results

As expected, xenografted humanized NSG−Hc1 mice supported superior lymphoma clearance of native rituximab compared with the parental NSG strain. Nanoencapsulated rituximab with CXCL13 conjugation as a targeting ligand for lymphomas further enhanced antilymphoma activity in NSG−Hc1 mice and, more importantly, mediated antilymphoma cellular responses.

Conclusions

These results indicate that NSG−Hc1 mice can serve as a feasible model for both studying antitumor treatment using cancer targeting as well as understanding induction mechanisms of antitumor cellular immune response.
Delay in ICU transfer is protective against ICU readmission in trauma patients: a naturally controlled experiment
Authors: Ranney Stephen E , Amato Stas , Callas Peter , Patashnick Lloyd , Lee Tim H , An Gary C , Malhotra Ajai K
Published: February 2021

Background

Unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) readmission—ICU bounce back (ICUbb)—is associated with worse outcomes. Patients not requiring organ system support or intensive nursing are deemed ‘ICU discharge ready’ and transfer orders are placed. However, actual transfer only occurs when an appropriate, non-ICU bed is available. This is dependent on inherent system inefficiencies resulting in a naturally controlled experiment between when patients actually transfer: Early (<24 hours) or Delayed (>24 hours) transfers, after order placement. This study leverages that natural experiment to determine if additional ICU time is protective against ICUbb. We hypothesize that Delayed transfer is protective against ICUbb.

Methods

Using a retrospective, cohort design, we queried a trauma research repository and electronic medical record during a 10-year period to capture traumatized patients admitted to the ICU. Patients were categorized into Early (<24 hours) or Unintended-Delayed (>24 hours) groups based on actual transfer time after order placement. Patient characteristics (age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI)) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare ICUbb rates among Early and Unintended-Delayed groups.

Results

Of the 2004 patients who met the criteria, 1690 fell into the Early group, and 314 fell into the Delayed. The Early group was younger (mean age 52±23 vs. 55±22 years), had fewer comorbidities (median CCI score 1 (0, 3) vs. 2 (1, 3)), and was less injured (median ISS 17 (10–22) vs. 17 (13–25)), all p<0.05. Overall, 113 (5.6%) patients experienced ICUbb: Early 109 (6.5%) versus Unintended-Delay 4 (1.3%), p<0.05. By regression analysis, age, CCI, and ISS were independently associated with ICUbb while Delayed transfer was protective.

Discussion

Despite higher age, CCI score, and ISS, the Unintended-Delayed group experienced fewer ICUbb. After controlling for age, CCI and ISS, Delayed transfer reduced ICUbb risk by 78%. Specific care elements affording this protection remain to be elucidated.

Level of evidence

Level III.

Study type

Therapeutic study.
Study of KNO-G scaling in neutrino interactions
Authors: Kamışcıoğlu Çağın
Published: February 2021

KNO scaling was put forward by Koba, Nielsen, and Olesen (KNO) in 1972. Although it is an important tool for explaining multiplicity distributions and formulated for the asymptotic energies, it has been applied at a finite energy range where its formulation is not self-consistent. A consistent generalization, known as KNO-G scaling, was done by Golokhvastov in 1977 to make it self-consistent. Then, KNO-G scaling has been successfully applied in many experiments and its validity has been reported. In this study, KNO-G scaling is tested in neutrino interactions. The charged hadron multiplicity of CHORUS, OPERA, NOMAD and DONUT, which are neutrino experiments, is compared and tested the KNO-G scaling. It is observed that neutrino data are consistent with KNO-G scaling. A fit is superimposed on the data sets and fit parameters are compared.
Finite Element Study of Mixed Fracture: Velocity-Dependent Insertion Of Pointed Blades Into Soft Material
Authors: Gzaiel Marwa , Triki Ennouri , Barkaoui Abdelwahed , Chafra Moez
Published: February 2021

This study concerns the effect of applied velocity on the energy state and stress state related to the puncture-cutting of soft material. A finite element modeling (FEM) of combined puncture and cutting of neoprene rubber by a pointed blade was established at 17 velocities (from 10[Formula: see text]mm/min to 1500[Formula: see text]mm/min). The proposed FEM takes into consideration, the nonlinear material behavior of the elastomeric substrate. First, puncture-cutting tests are conducted and the evolution of puncture-cutting force with increased velocity is investigated. Second, the commonly used puncture-cutting energy criterion, including the fracture toughness of material and the friction energy occurring between the material and the pointed blade, are summarized and analyzed. Finally, an analysis of the stress state in the fracture process zone is proposed. Results show that the puncture-cutting force increases significantly with increasing insertion velocity. A low velocity of the pointed blade is dominated by a uniaxial tension with a constant energy, while a medium velocity causes a dominant biaxial tension with increasing energy, which may be the source of the viscoelastic deformation involved around the crack tip. However, an increase of the velocity increases the shear stress up to a maximum value and, therefore, shows a toughening of material.
A Mid-Node Mass Lumping Scheme for Accurate Structural Vibration Analysis with Serendipity Finite Elements
Authors: Hou Songyang , Li Xiwei , Wang Dongdong , Lin Zhiwei
Published: February 2021

A mid-node mass lumping scheme is proposed to formulate the lumped mass matrices of serendipity elements for accurate structural vibration analysis. Since the row-sum technique leads to unacceptable negative lumped mass components for serendipity elements, the diagonal scaling HRZ method is frequently employed to construct lumped mass matrices of serendipity elements. In this work, through introducing a lumped mass matrix template that includes the HRZ lumped mass matrix as a special case, an analytical frequency accuracy measure is rationally derived with particular reference to the classical eight-node serendipity element. The theoretical results clearly reveal that the standard HRZ mass matrix actually does not offer the optimal frequency accuracy in accordance with the given lumped mass matrix template. On the other hand, by employing the nature of non-negative shape functions associated with the mid-nodes of serendipity elements, a mid-node lumped mass matrix (MNLM) formulation is introduced for the mass lumping of serendipity elements without corner nodal mass components, which essentially corresponds to the optimal frequency accuracy in the context of the given lumped mass matrix template. Both theoretical and numerical results demonstrate that MNLM yields better frequency accuracy than the standard HRZ lumped mass matrix formulation for structural vibration analysis.
Recent Advances in Promoting Chondrogenesis of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Physically and Chemically Modified Hydrogels
Authors: Jayasinghe Hasani G. , Madihally Sundararajan V.
Published: February 2021

Tissue engineering strategies for regenerating damaged cartilage using hydrogels have garnered significant attention due to the limited self-healing capacity of damaged cartilage tissue and the restrictions of current medical treatment methods. In particular, using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as the cell source has shown the potential to differentiate along a chondrogenic lineage. Hydrogels, whether made of synthetic polymers, natural polymers, or combinations, are widely explored as scaffolding materials mimicking the natural cartilage environment. Based on the understanding of the importance of surface nanotopographies and mechanical stiffness, hydrogels have been presented in various forms and tested for the differentiation of hMSCs. The primary focus of this review is to provide a summary of recent advances in physically and chemically modified hydrogels promoting the chondrogenesis of hMSCs. Advances in micromachining have helped in forming surfaces with the required roughness or an array of micropillars of defined architecture. Hydrogels have been combined with various stimulants such as small peptides, growth factors, and many modified matrix elements. Creating anisotropic hydrogels mimicking the extracellular matrix of cartilage has also been reported. These studies show promising results and identify a niche for in-vitro differentiation of chondrocytes from hMSCs.
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859): early high-altitude explorer and renowned plant naturalist
Authors: West John B.
Published: February 2021

Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was one of the most distinguished German scientists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His fame came chiefly from his extensive explorations in South America and his eminence as a plant naturalist. He attempted to climb the inactive volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador, which was thought to be the highest mountain in the world at the time, and he reached an altitude of about 5,543 m, which was a record height for humans. During the climb, he had typical symptoms of acute mountain sickness, which he correctly attributed to the low level of oxygen, and he was apparently the first person to make this connection. His ability as a naturalist enabled him to recognize the effect of high altitude on the distribution of plants, and by comparing his observations on Chimborazo with those in the European Alps and elsewhere, he inferred that the deleterious effects of high altitude were universal. During his return trip to Europe, he called on President Thomas Jefferson in Washington, where he was given a warm reception, and discussed conservation issues. He then returned to Paris, where he produced 29 volumes over a period of 31 years describing his travels. Here the effects of high altitude on the distribution of plants compared with animals are briefly reviewed. Following Humboldt’s death in 1859, there was extensive coverage of his contributions, but curiously, his fame has diminished over the years, and inexplicably, he now has a lower profile in North America.
Preimmune Recognition and Response to Microbial Metabolites
Authors: Neish Andrew S.
Published: February 2021

It is now well understood that the eukaryotic host has evolved multiple mechanisms to monitor and respond to the diverse and biochemically active microbiota that thrives in a symbiotic fashion in the gut and other tissues. Generally, these mechanisms are based on traditional notions of innate and adaptive immune processes, which are mediated by recognition of, and response to, microbially derived macromolecules. Microbes themselves are metabolically active and contribute a vast array of small molecules, not present in germ-free model systems, with diverse putative and unknown biological function, and intensive work is ongoing to unravel their roles in physiological systems. Metazoans have evolved and maintain distinct gene regulatory networks to detect and respond to environmental, non-self-molecules (xenobiotics), and interestingly, recent investigation has shown that these pathways are operational in the detection and response to microbiota-derived small metabolites. These processes likely represent a general mechanism of host-microbe crosstalk, and they have clinical implications in drug and xenobiotic metabolism.
Enhancing Digital Certificate Usability in Long Lifespan IoT Devices by Utilizing Private CA
Authors: Yamakawa Daiki , Okimoto Takashi , Teerakanok Songpon , Inomata Atsuo , Uehara Tetsutaro
Published: February 2021

Today, smart devices and services have become a part of our daily life. These devices and services offer a richer user experience with a much higher quality of services than before. Many of them utilize sensing functions via cloud architecture to perform remote device controls and monitoring. Generally, the security of the communication between these devices and the service provider (e.g., cloud server) is achieved by using the TLS protocol via PKI standard. In this study, we investigate the risk associating with the use of public certificate authorities (CAs) in a PKI-based IoT system. An experiment is conducted to demonstrate existing vulnerabilities in real IoT devices available in the market. Next, the use of a private CA in the cloud-centric IoT architecture is proposed to achieve better control over the certificate issuing process and the validity period of the certificate. Lastly, the security analysis pointing out the strengths and drawbacks of the proposed method is discussed in detail.
NPQ‐RRT ∗: An Improved RRT ∗ Approach to Hybrid Path Planning
Authors: Yu Zihan , Xiang Linying
Published: February 2021

In recent years, the path planning of robot has been a hot research direction, and multirobot formation has practical application prospect in our life. This article proposes a hybrid path planning algorithm applied to robot formation. The improved Rapidly Exploring Random Trees algorithm PQ‐RRT ∗ with new distance evaluation function is used as a global planning algorithm to generate the initial global path. The determined parent nodes and child nodes are used as the starting points and target points of the local planning algorithm, respectively. The dynamic window approach is used as the local planning algorithm to avoid dynamic obstacles. At the same time, the algorithm restricts the movement of robots inside the formation to avoid internal collisions. The local optimal path is selected by the evaluation function containing the possibility of formation collision. Therefore, multiple mobile robots can quickly and safely reach the global target point in a complex environment with dynamic and static obstacles through the hybrid path planning algorithm. Numerical simulations are given to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed hybrid path planning algorithm.
A Semiopportunistic Task Allocation Framework for Mobile Crowdsensing with Deep Learning
Authors: Xie Zhenzhen , Hu Liang , Huang Yan , Pang Junjie
Published: February 2021

The IoT era observes the increasing demand for data to support various applications and services. The Mobile Crowdsensing (MCS) system then emerged. By utilizing the hybrid intelligence of humans and sensors, it is significantly beneficial to keep collecting high‐quality sensing data for all kinds of IoT applications, such as environmental monitoring, intelligent healthcare services, and traffic management. However, the service quality of MCS systems relies on a dedicated designed task allocation framework, which needs to consider the participant resource bottleneck and system utility at the same time. Recent studies tend to use a different solution to solve the two challenges. The incentive mechanism is for resolving the participant shortage problem, and task assignment methods are studied to find the best match of participants and system utility goal of MCS. Thus, existing task allocation frameworks fail to consider the participant’s expectations deeply. We propose a semiopportunistic concept‐based solution to overcome this issue. Similar to the “shared mobility” concept, our proposed task allocation framework can offer the participants routing advice without disturbing their original travel plan. The participant can accomplish the sensing request on his route. We further consider the system constraints to determine a subgroup of participants that can obtain the utility optimization goal. Specifically, we use the Graph Attention Network (GAT) to produce the target sensing area’s virtual representation and provide the participant with a payoff‐maximized route. Such a method makes our solution adapt to most of MCS scenarios’ conditions instead of using fixed system settings. Then, a reinforcement learning‐ (RL‐) based task assignment is adopted, which can help the MCS system towards better performance improvements while support different utility functions. The simulation results on various conditions demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed solution.
Cemented Backfilling Mining Technology for Gently Inclined Coal Seams Using a Continuous Mining and Continuous Backfilling Method
Authors: Lu Bin , Li Yongliang , Fang Shizheng , Lin Hai , Zhu Ye
Published: February 2021

To improve the efficiency and reduce costs of cemented‐fill mining, we propose a continuous mining and continuous backfilling (CMCB) method based on the coal resources at the Yuxing mine in Inner Mongolia, China, and constructed a complete filling material transportation system. The new technology is suitable for cemented‐fill mining of gently inclined coal seams. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the dynamic migration law of surrounding rock stress using CMCB cemented‐fill mining technology, and similar simulations were conducted to analyze the movement characteristics of the coal overburden. The results show that the coal pillars and filling body alternately bear and support each other during the CMCB process, which resolves the contradiction between mining and filling, achieves parallel mining and filling operations, and improves mining efficiency. The new mining mode exerts minimal disturbance to the overlying rock and effectively controls surface deformation. The engineering application of this technique is promising and provides theoretical guidance and technical support for safe and efficient mining of the same type of coal resources.