bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instead of ‘writing against’ and discarding ‘immigrants’ integration, why not reconceptualize integration as a wicked concept?
Authors: Kutor Senanu Kwasi , Arku Godwin , Bandauko Elmond
Published: April 2023

Over the years, some scholars have not only written against the concept of immigrant integration but have called for its rejection and abandonment. Critics argue that the concept is normative, objectifies others, mirrors outmoded imaginary of society, orients towards methodological nationalism, and a narrow emphasis on immigrants in the forces defining integration progression. Nonetheless, the concept continues to receive academic and policy attention. Against the backdrop of this polarized view, this paper raises an important question relating to the benefit or otherwise of writing against the concept of integration in the field of integration studies. Specifically, the paper asks: Is it appropriate to write against and reject the concept of integration? The paper responds to this question from a provocative conceptual perspective. Here, the paper argues that when the concept is purged of its inherent criticisms and rather reconceptualize as a wicked concept, it still offers a unique analytical spectrum with which scholars can approach several substantive critical questions regarding immigrants’ integration.
Relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and IGF1: a cross-sectional study of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants
Authors: Li Wei , Yu Tao
Published: April 2023

Background

25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) are crucial for bone health. Some studies have shown that they interact, whereas others have indicated no association. However, it remains inconclusive whether the interaction between the two is dose dependent. Herein, we explored the relationship between 25OHD and IGF1 by conducting a cross-sectional study.

Methods

This study involved 6,046 individuals from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). The dependent and independent variables were IGF1 and 25OHD levels, respectively. The covariates included age, sex, race, BMI, exercise, smoking behavior, alcohol intake, diabetes, and serum calcium level. Multiple linear regression and generalized additive model were employed to analyze the relationship between 25OHD and IGF1. Interaction and hierarchical analyses were also performed.

Results

The 25OHD and IGF1 levels positively correlated after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.04–0.29, P = 0.0103). Smooth curve fitting demonstrated a curvilinear relationship. When the 25OHD level was < 75 nmol/L, a positive correlation (β = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.25–0.62, P < 0.0001) was observed. When the 25OHD level was > 75 nmol/L, a negative correlation was observed (β = −0.53, 95% CI: −0.90 to −0.15, P = 0.0057).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between 25OHD and IGF1. It suggests that keeping the 25OHD level within a specific range may be more conducive to bone health. Additionally, when IGF1 is used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in growth hormone deficiency treatment, the effect of 25OHD on the actual IGF1 level should be taken into account.
Case of cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis with giant xanthomas and literature review
Authors: Eliaçık Sinan , Çil Gülsüm
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is a rare autosomal
recessive disease that occurs as result of mutation in the CYP27A1 gene. The
clinical presentation of the disease is quite wide. We planned to briefly
review the literature with this case diagnosed as a CTX.

Case

A 50-year-old male patient was admitted to the neurology
outpatient clinic complaining of progressive worsening of his walking, and
swelling in his legs. Mild mental retardation was detected in our patient. In
addition to the visual impairment that would be explained by cataracts, he had
xanthomas in both lower extremities. Signs related to bilateral cataract
surgery and intraocular lens were detected during an eye examination. There
were no abnormal findings in electroencephalography, electroneuromyography, and
brain magnetic resonance imaging of the patient, whom we learned that her
visual impairment started in childhood. The Mignarri Suscipion Index index was
calculated as 275. A genetic examination was requested and the CYP27A1 gene was
p.A216P (c.The mutation 646G>C) (CM044609) was detected as homozygous.

Conclusion

Due to the low
awareness of CTX and the variability of its clinical findings, its diagnosis may
be delayed for years, as in our patient. When diagnosed, most patients may have
severe, often irreversible neurological damage. With the early recognition of
the CTX and the start of treatment, patients can have a chance to quality life.
Pathogenic function of the natural variation of CP in WYMV and CWMV
Authors: Lei Jiajia , Liu Shuang , Ye Zhuangxin , Chen Zhiqing , Liu Hanhong , Zhong Kaili , Lu Qisen , Zhang Juan , Chen Jianping , Yang Jian , Liu Peng
Published: April 2023

The soil-borne viral disease, caused by wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) and Chinese wheat mosaic virus (CWMV), is one of the most destructive wheat diseases in China. Considering the large wheat growing area in China, the genetic diversity of WYMV and CWMV could be high in the country. However, studies on genetic diversity of WYMV and CWMV in China are limited, making it difficult to prevent and control viral diseases on wheat. During 2021–2022, the wheat leaves with typical yellow mosaic virus symptoms were randomly collected from wheat fields in seven provinces. Nine WYMV and one CWMV isolates were identified in the samples using small RNA sequencing and RACE technology. Sequence alignment showed that several amino acid substitutions were occurred in the coat protein (CP) from these isolates. Moreover, we replaced the CP of WYMV and CWMV infectious clones with CP of newly identified isolates and found that natural variation of CP is involved in the pathogenicity of WYMV. Moreover, the WYMV infectious clones containing CP of the WYMV isolates from Junan at Shandong Province or Yangzhou at Jiangsu Province have enhanced WYMV infection in several local wheat resistance cultivars. Taken together, our findings suggest that the distribution of WYMV and CWMV in wheat growing areas has expanded in these years and the natural variation of viral genome is involved in pathogenicity of WYMV. Our results also provide a theoretical basis to explain the real distribution of wheat viral resistance varieties in China.
From face detection to emotion recognition on the framework of Raspberry pi and galvanic skin response sensor for visual and physiological biosignals
Authors: Patil Varsha Kiran , Pawar Vijaya R. , Randive Shreiya , Bankar Rutika Rajesh , Yende Dhanashree , Patil Aditya Kiran
Published: April 2023

The facial and physiological sensor-based emotion recognition methods are two popular methods of emotion recognition. The proposed research is the first of its kind in real-time emotion recognition that combines skin conductance signals with the visual-based facial emotion recognition (FER) method on a Raspberry Pi. This research includes stepwise documentation of method for automatic real-time face detection and FER on portable hardware. Further, the proposed work comprises experimentation related to video induction and habituation methods with FER and the galvanic skin response (GSR) method. The GSR data are recorded as skin conductance and represent the subject's behavioral changes in the form of emotional arousal and face emotion recognition on the portable device. The article provides a stepwise implementation of the following methods: (a) the skin conductance representation from the GSR sensor for arousal; (b) gathering visual inputs for identifying the human face; (c) FER from the camera module; and (d) experimentation on the proposed framework. The key feature of this article is the comprehensive documentation of stepwise implementation and experimentation, including video induction and habituation experimentation. An illuminating aspect of the proposed method is the survey of GSR trademarks and the conduct of psychological experiments. This study is useful for emotional computing systems and potential applications like lie detectors and human–machine interfaces, devices for gathering user experience input, identifying intruders, and providing portable and scalable devices for experimentation. We termed our approaches "sensovisual" (sensors + visual) and "Emosense" (emotion sensing).
Spontaneous urinary bladder perforation presenting as bowel obstruction in a child: a case report
Authors: AlAbadla Abdallah , AlOmari Najeh , Al-Halaseh Salameh , Al Hanaqtah Dua’a , AlBalwa Mohammad
Published: April 2023

Background

Spontaneous perforation of the urinary bladder is a rare disease entity. Due to its rarity, it is often hard to diagnose.

Case presentation

We present a case of a 2-year-old patient who presented with bowel obstruction and renal failure after scheduled correctional vertebroplasty due to congenital kyphosis. During exploratory laparotomy, two perforations were found at the dome of the urinary bladder, and an idiopathic spontaneous perforation of the urinary bladder was diagnosed. Primary double repair of the perforations was done, and no primary or secondary cause of the perforation was found.

Conclusion

The constellation of an acute abdomen and abnormal kidney function tests should increase the index of suspicion towards urinary bladder perforation. Due to its rarity, exploratory laparotomy is the gold standard method of diagnosis and treatment.
Development of a machine-learning-based method for early fault detection in photovoltaic systems
Authors: Voutsinas Stylianos , Karolidis Dimitrios , Voyiatzis Ioannis , Samarakou Maria
Published: April 2023

In the process of the decarbonization of energy production, the use of photovoltaic systems (PVS) is an increasing trend. In order to optimize the power generation, the fault detection and identification in PVS is significant. The purpose of this work is the study and implementation of such an algorithm, for the detection as many as faults arising on the DC side of a photovoltaic system. A machine learning technique was chosen. The dataset used to train the algorithm was based on a year’s worth of irradiance and temperature data, as well as data from the PV cell used. The method uses logistic regression with cross validation as a new approach to detect and identify faults in PVS. It is applied to smart PV arrays, that can transmit voltage and current measurements from each PV cell of the array individually. The results are satisfactory since the algorithm can detect the majority of faults that occur on the DC side of a photovoltaic (open-circuit fault, short-circuit fault, mismatch faults). The accuracy of the algorithm (97.11%) is comparable to other methods presented by the literature. Moreover, the computational cost of the proposed method is significantly lower than the methods presented in the literature. In summary, the performance of the implemented algorithm is considered particularly satisfactory and can be easily applied to PVS.
Repeat aortic valve replacement (AVR) for pseudoaneurysm of mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) repair due to hemolytic anemia 6 years after AVR: a case report
Authors: Yamauchi Masanobu , Kanetsuki Kazuma , Hanada Tomoki , Kamihira Satoshi
Published: April 2023

Background

Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) after infective endocarditis and/or valve replacement is rarely reported, and transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac multidetector computed tomography are useful for diagnosis. Surgery is mostly recommended to prevent fatal complications.

Case presentation

A 61-year-old man underwent repeat aortic valve replacement (AVR) with repair of a P-MAIVF due to hemolytic anemia 6 years after AVR, and 4 months after treatment of sepsis and an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm. Two years after the surgery, the patient is alive and well with no recurrence.

Conclusions

The present case was considered to be a very rare case in which surgery was performed because the blood flow entering and leaving the P-MAIVF contacted the prosthetic valve ring, resulting in hemolysis, severe anemia, and heart failure.
Strong evidence of inter-layer optical phonons and low-temperature acoustic-phonon bunching in WS2/WSe2 hetero-structure
Authors: Sarmah Hemanga J. , Mohanta D.
Published: April 2023

The nature of inter-layer optical phonons observed in the

hetero-structure is being reported in this work. Additionally, phonon bunching between

modes of both

and

can be ascertained in the acoustic region. The second-order bunching factor,

, is seen to improve sharply upon reduction of temperature, below a critical temperature. Moreover, the integral intensity of the peaks increases almost exponentially with the applied power of the laser source. To a good approximation, the phonon frequency corresponding to most of the Raman active modes varies linearly with altered temperature (78–300 K). However, the

mixed mode located at

exhibits a non-linear temperature dependence over the working range of temperature. Prevailing phonon bunching aspects of the phonon replica discussed in terms of bunching factor, frequency correlation parameter, etc., are highlighted based on acquired low-temperature Raman data and theoretical analogy.
Gravitational lensing by Morris-Thorne–type wormhole space-time with cosmic strings
Authors: Ahmed Faizuddin
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we study the deflection angle of photon light in Morris-Thorne–type wormhole space-time with a cosmic string. It is shown that the angle of deflection of photon light as well as the effective potential (time-like or light-like geodesics) of the system is influenced by the cosmic string and is higher compared to the known result.
Superconductivity in the thorium nickel borocarbide ThNiBC
Authors: Li Bai-Zhuo , Ji Liang-Wen , Li Miao-Cong , Song Shi-Jie , Wu Si-Qi , Zhu Qin-Qing , Ren Zhi , Xu Zhu-An , Cao Guang-Han
Published: April 2023

We report on the synthesis, crystal structure, physical properties, and first-principles calculations of a new borocarbide ThNiBC. The new compound was synthesized by an arc-melting method, crystallizing in a tetragonal LuNiBC-type structure with an exceptionally low axial ratio of

. The physical property measurements indicate that it is a Pauli-paramagnetic metal with significant electron-electron scattering. Bulk superconductivity at T
c = 0.7 K is demonstrated with zero electrical resistivity, Meissner effect, and specific-heat jump. The first-principles calculations reveal a relatively low density of states at the Fermi level with multiple electron-type Fermi surfaces.
The Adverse Effects Profile of Teprotumumab
Authors: Stan Marius N , Krieger Christine C
Published: April 2023

Context

Teprotumumab therapy for thyroid eye disease (TED) patients represents a major step forward. It targets and inhibits the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), and its effectiveness is based on its interconnectedness with the thyrotropin receptor. However, IGF-1R has a ubiquitous expression and several adverse effects have been reported with teprotumumab use.

Objective

Describing these adverse effects for better understanding is the purpose of this review.

Methods

We reviewed the oncological studies in which teprotumumab was initially used. Subsequently we reviewed the clinical trials for TED and then the case series and case reports associated with teprotumumab use since it is US Food and Drug Administration approval (January 2020). We focused on common and/or serious adverse effects reported with the use of teprotumumab.

Results

We described the common occurrence of hyperglycemia (10%-30% incidence), its risk factors and suggested management. Hearing changes are described, a broad spectrum from mild ear pressure to hearing loss (sensorineural mechanism). Risk factors, suggested monitoring, and possible upcoming therapies are reviewed. We also reviewed data on fatigue, muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, gastrointestinal disturbances, menstrual changes, and infusion reactions. We noted some discrepancies between adverse effects in oncological studies vs studies focused on TED, and we aimed to explain these differences.

Conclusion

The use of teprotumumab should consider patient's values and preferences in balancing the expected benefit with these potential risks. Future drugs targeting IGF-1R should investigate these adverse effects for a possible class effect. Combination therapies with different agents hopefully will be identified that maximize benefits and minimize risks.
Purification of human β- and γ-actin from budding yeast
Authors: Haarer Brian K. , Pimm Morgan L. , de Jong Ebbing P. , Amberg David C. , Henty-Ridilla Jessica L.
Published: April 2023

Biochemical studies of human actin and its binding partners rely heavily on abundant and easily purified α-actin from skeletal muscle. Therefore, muscle actin has been used to evaluate and determine the activities of most actin regulatory proteins but there is an underlying concern that these proteins perform differently from actin present in non-muscle cells. To provide easily accessible and relatively abundant sources of human β- or γ-actin (i.e. cytoplasmic actins), we developed Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that express each as their sole source of actin. Both β- or γ-actin purified in this system polymerize and interact with various binding partners, including profilin, mDia1 (formin), fascin and thymosin-β4 (Tβ4). Notably, Tβ4 and profilin bind to β- or γ-actin with higher affinity than to α-actin, emphasizing the value of testing actin ligands with specific actin isoforms. These reagents will make specific isoforms of actin more accessible for future studies on actin regulation.
Going against the flow: bumblebees prefer to fly upwind and display more variable kinematics when flying downwind
Authors: Combes Stacey A. , Gravish Nick , Gagliardi Susan F.
Published: April 2023

Foraging insects fly over long distances through complex aerial environments, and many can maintain constant ground speeds in wind, allowing them to gauge flight distance. Although insects encounter winds from all directions in the wild, most lab-based studies have employed still air or headwinds (i.e. upwind flight); additionally, insects are typically compelled to fly in a single, fixed environment, so we know little about their preferences for different flight conditions. We used automated video collection and analysis methods and a two-choice flight tunnel paradigm to examine thousands of foraging flights performed by hundreds of bumblebees flying upwind and downwind. In contrast to the preference for flying with a tailwind (i.e. downwind) displayed by migrating insects, we found that bees prefer to fly upwind. Bees maintained constant ground speeds when flying upwind or downwind in flow velocities from 0 to 2 m s−1 by adjusting their body angle, pitching down to raise their air speed above flow velocity when flying upwind, and pitching up to slow down to negative air speeds (flying backwards relative to the flow) when flying downwind. Bees flying downwind displayed higher variability in body angle, air speed and ground speed. Taken together, bees' preference for upwind flight and their increased kinematic variability when flying downwind suggest that tailwinds may impose a significant, underexplored flight challenge to bees. Our study demonstrates the types of questions that can be addressed with newer approaches to biomechanics research; by allowing bees to choose the conditions they prefer to traverse and automating filming and analysis to examine massive amounts of data, we were able to identify significant patterns emerging from variable locomotory behaviors, and gain valuable insight into the biomechanics of flight in natural environments.
Biopsy-Guided Pathological Response Assessment in Breast Cancer is Insufficient: Additional Pathology Findings of the MICRA Trial
Authors: van Hemert Annemiek K. E. , van Duijnhoven Frederieke H. , van Loevezijn Ariane A. , Loo Claudette E. , Wiersma Terry , Groen Emilie J. , Peeters Marie-Jeanne T. F. D. Vrancken
Published: April 2023

Background

Neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) leads to pathologic complete response (pCR) in 10–89% of breast cancer patients depending on subtype. The added value of surgery is uncertain in patients who reach pCR; however, current imaging and biopsy techniques aiming to predict pCR are not accurate enough. This study aims to quantify the residual disease remaining after NST in patients with a favorable response on MRI and residual disease missed with biopsies.

Methods

In the MICRA trial, patients with a favorable response to NST on MRI underwent ultrasound-guided post-NST 14G biopsies followed by surgery. We analyzed pathology reports of the biopsies and the surgical specimens. Primary outcome was the extent of residual invasive disease among molecular subtypes, and secondary outcome was the extent of missed residual invasive disease.

Results

We included 167 patients. Surgical specimen showed residual invasive disease in 69 (41%) patients. The median size of residual invasive disease was 18 mm (interquartile range [IQR] 12–30) in hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2−) patients, 8 mm (IQR 3–15) in HR+/HER2-positive (HER2+) patients, 4 mm (IQR 2–9) in HR-negative (HR−)/HER2+ patients, and 5 mm (IQR 2–11) in triple-negative (TN) patients. Residual invasive disease was missed in all subtypes varying from 4 to 7 mm.

Conclusion

Although the extent of residual invasive disease is small in TN and HER2+ subtypes, substantial residual invasive disease is left behind in all subtypes with 14G biopsies. This may hamper local control and limits adjuvant systemic treatment options. Therefore, surgical excision remains obligatory until accuracy of imaging and biopsy techniques improve.
Nutritional status, nutrient imbalances, food-related behaviors and dietary supplements use among patients with celiac disease on a gluten free diet in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Hoteit Maha , Chamas Zeinab , Assaf Shaza , Bouhairie Malek Michael , Bahr Abbas , Daccache Romy , Matar Rami , Hallal Mahmoud , Hotayt Samer , Hotayt Bilal
Published: April 2023

Background: Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, that occurs in susceptible individuals and is associated with dietary restriction and subsequent nutritional deficiencies. This study investigated the diet quality, nutrition imbalances and nutrition status among young children,adolescents and adults with CD who were referred to several hospitals in Lebanon.

Methods:A cross-sectional study in 50 individuals (31.74 ± 15.64 years) with CD who follow a gluten free diet was conducted, using biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments.

Results: Of the 50 participants, 38% and 16% were presenting low serum levels of iron and vitamin B12, respectively. The majority of participants were physically inactive and around 40% of them had low muscle mass. A weight loss of 10% to 30% indicating mild to moderate malnutrition was shown in 14% of individuals. The assessment of food-related behaviors shows that 80% of participants were reading nutrition labels and 96% of them were following gluten-free diets (GFD). Some barriers including family ignorance (6%), language of the nutrition labels (20%) and expensive GF products (78%) were limiting the adherence to GFD. The inadequacy of the daily energy intake along with insufficient intakes of calcium and vitamin D were remarked among individuals with CD. However, protein and iron intake were exceeding the recommendations among all age groups, except in males aged 4-8 years and 19-30 years. Half the study participants were using dietary supplements where 38%, 10%, 46%, 18%, 16% and 4% used vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, folate and probiotics, respectively.

Conclusion: GFD is the key treatment for CD. However, it is not without inadequacies and may cause certain deficiencies such as calcium and vitamin D leading to reduced bone density. This underlines the critical role of dietitians in education and maintenance of healthy GFD among individuals with CD.
Community review: a robust and scalable selection system for resource allocation within open science and innovation communities
Authors: Graham Chris L.B. , Landrain Thomas E. , Vjestica Amber , Masselot Camille , Lawton Elliot , Blondel Leo , Haenal Luca , Greshake Tzovaras Bastian , Santolini Marc
Published: April 2023

Resource allocation is essential to the selection and implementation of innovative projects in science and technology. With large stakes involved in concentrating large fundings over a few promising projects, current “winner-take-all” models for grant applications are time-intensive endeavours that mobilise significant researcher time in writing extensive project proposals, and rely on the availability of a few time-saturated volunteer experts. Such processes usually carry over several months, resulting in high effective costs compared to expected benefits. Faced with the need for a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we devised an agile “community review” system, similar to distributed peer review (DPR) systems, to allocate micro-grants for the fast prototyping of innovative solutions. Here we describe and evaluate the implementation of this community review across 147 projects from the “Just One Giant Lab’s OpenCOVID19 initiative” and “Helpful Engineering” open research communities. The community review process uses granular review forms and requires the participation of grant applicants in the review process. We show that this system is fast, with a median duration of 10 days, scalable, with a median of 4 reviewers per project independent of the total number of projects, and fair, with project rankings highly preserved after the synthetic removal of reviewers. We investigate potential bias introduced by involving applicants in the process, and find that review scores from both applicants and non-applicants have a similar correlation of r=0.28 with other reviews within a project, matching previous observations using traditional approaches. Finally, we find that the ability of projects to apply to several rounds allows to both foster the further implementation of successful early prototypes, as well as provide a pathway to constructively improve an initially failing proposal in an agile manner.  This study quantitatively highlights the benefits of a frugal community review system for agile resource allocation.
Multiomic sequencing of paired primary and metastatic small bowel carcinoids
Authors: Postel Mackenzie D. , Darabi Sourat , Howe James R. , Liang Winnie S. , Craig David W. , Demeure Michael J.
Published: April 2023

Background: Small bowel carcinoids are insidious tumors that are often metastatic when diagnosed. Limited mutation landscape studies of carcinoids indicate that these tumors have a relatively low mutational burden. The development of targeted therapies will depend upon the identification of mutations that drive the pathogenesis and metastasis of carcinoid tumors.

Methods: Whole exome and RNA sequencing of 5 matched sets of normal tissue, primary small intestine carcinoid tumors, and liver metastases were investigated. Germline and somatic variants included: single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertions/deletions (indels), structural variants, and copy number alterations (CNAs). The functional impact of mutations was predicted using Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor.

Results: Large-scale CNAs were observed including the loss of chromosome 18 in all 5 metastases and 3/5 primary tumors. Certain somatic SNVs were metastasis-specific; including mutations in ATRX, CDKN1B, MXRA5 (leading to the activation of a cryptic splice site and loss of mRNA), SMARCA2, and the loss of UBE4B. Additional mutations in ATRX, and splice site loss of PYGL, leading to intron retention observed in primary and metastatic tumors.

Conclusions: We observed novel mutations in primary/metastatic carcinoid tumor pairs, and some have been observed in other types of neuroendocrine tumors. We confirmed a previously observed loss of chromosome 18 and CDKN1B. Transcriptome sequencing added relevant information that would not have been appreciated with DNA sequencing alone. The detection of several splicing mutations on the DNA level and their consequences at the RNA level suggests that RNA splicing aberrations may be an important mechanism underlying carcinoid tumors.
The utility of salivary CRP and IL-6 as a non-invasive measurement evaluated in patients with COVID-19 with and without diabetes
Authors: Bachtiar Endang , Bachtiar Boy M , Kusumaningrum Ardiana , Sunarto Hari , Soeroso Yuniarti , Sulijaya Benso , Apriyanti Efa , Theodorea Citra Fragrantia , Putra Pratomo Irandi , Yudhistira Yudhistira , Efendi Defi , Lestari Widya
Published: April 2023

Background: The available evidence suggests that inflammatory responses, in both systemic and oral tissue, contribute to the pathology of COVID-19 disease. Hence, studies of inflammation biomarkers in oral fluids, such as saliva, might be useful to better specify COVID-19 features.

Methods: In the current study, we performed quantitative real-time PCR to measure salivary levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in saliva obtained from patients diagnosed with mild COVID-19, in a diabetic group (DG; n = 10) and a non-diabetic group (NDG; n = 13). All participants were diagnosed with periodontitis, while six participants with periodontitis but not diagnosed with COVID-19 were included as controls.

Results: We found increases in salivary total protein levels in both the DG and NDG compared to control patients. In both groups, salivary CRP and IL-6 levels were comparable. Additionally, the levels of salivary CRP were significantly correlated with total proteins, in which a strong and moderate positive correlation was found between DG and NDG, respectively. A linear positive correlation was also noted in the relationship between salivary IL-6 level and total proteins, but the correlation was not significant. Interestingly, the association between salivary CRP and IL-6 levels was positive. However, a moderately significant correlation was only found in COVID-19 patients with diabetes, through which the association was validated by a receiver operating curve.

Conclusions: These finding suggest that salivary CRP and IL-6 are particularly relevant as potential non-invasive biomarker for predicting diabetes risk in mild cases of COVID-19 accompanied with periodontitis.
Assessment of the level of knowledge about diabetes mellitus among diabetic patients: A cross-sectional study from Nepal
Authors: Adhikari Divas , Dhonju Kiran , Aryal Egesh , Ghimire Sandip , Chapagain Suresh , Malla Bishnu , Sangroula Prativa , Lageju Nimesh
Published: April 2023

Background 

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) often associated with poor psychosocial and health outcomes. Available evidence suggests that patients’ knowledge about the disease is fundamental to its treatment and prevention or delaying of complications. Therefore, this study assessed the level of knowledge of diabetes patients on diabetes mellitus and its associated factors. 

Methods 

A descriptive cross-sectional study using a translated Nepalese version of the revised Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Scale was conducted among randomly selected patients with diabetes mellitus presenting to the outpatient department (OPD) of Madhyabindu Hospital, Nepal. Data were collected via an interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed with MS Excel 2016 and IBM SPSS version 25 software. 

Results 

Among the 360 participants, 27.2% had good knowledge of diabetes and 72.8% had poor knowledge. Age, level of education, occupation, family history of diabetes, duration of the disease, presence of comorbidity, complications and body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated with knowledge of diabetes mellitus (p-value ≤ 0.05). 

Conclusions 

Based on the study findings, it is important that diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) programs should be implemented and/or strengthened at the Madhyabindu Hospital and targeted communities to improve diabetes patient’s knowledge on their disease condition and self-care practices.
Preserved correlation matrices pinpoint extracellular matrix organization as a critical factor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Menyhart Otília , Bartha Áron , Győrffy Balázs
Published: April 2023

Background Gene co-expression correlations frequently signal shared biological functions with coordinated regulation. We hypothesized that maintained correlations might be essential for cellular survival, representing potential vulnerabilities of cancer cells. We aimed to reveal correlations preserved in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) across normal and tumor tissues.

Methods: We searched the NCBI GEO for raw microarray data and the TCGA project for RNA-seq data. The microarray dataset consisted of 248 tumors and 108 normal samples, allowing the analysis of 12,210 genes. The RNA-seq dataset incorporated 177 tumors, four normal samples from TCGA, and 248 normal samples from GTEx, enabling the analysis of 21,479 genes. Genes with an altered expression were identified with a Mann-Whitney U test at p<0.01, and a Pearson correlation was performed to identify preserved correlations.

Results: Altogether 371 significant correlations involving 262 genes were preserved across normal samples and tumors in both RNA-seq and gene chip platforms. The identified close-knit gene network is mainly responsible for extracellular matrix organization. Seven genes (SPARC, COL6A3, MMP2, HTRA1, FN1, PALLD, and COL3A1) were heavily overrepresented in maintained correlations, some of them participating in as many as 58 interactions. High expression of 28 genes was linked to poor disease outcome at FDR ≤ 10%,  out of which FN1, an extracellular matrix component, was both overrepresented in maintained correlations and associated with worse overall survival (p = 0.00097, FDR ≤  5%). The growing expression of two genes, MYL12A and MYL12B, across normal tissues, primary, and metastatic tumors may drive the acquisition of motility by cancer cells.

Conclusions: Our results propose novel prognostic biomarkers of PDAC and pinpoint fundamental cellular interactions as potential targets for combination therapies. Furthermore, the presence of significant correlations across different data platforms substantiates the validity of our findings.
Dietary knowledge assessment among the patients with type 2 diabetes in Madinah: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Alharbi Mashael , Alharbi Mansour , Surrati Amal , Alhilabi Mashael , alrashdi Ayed , Almokhalafi Majedah
Published: April 2023

Background: There is a huge burden of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, and diabetes is one of the leading chronic nutrition-related diseases affecting more than 500 million people globally. Collecting information regarding the awareness of dietary and nutrition knowledge among diabetic patients is the first step to developing a disease prevention program. Thus, this study primarily aims at assessing the dietary awareness of diabetes patients attending the diabetic centre in Madinah governorate, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The study was started in November 2020 and ended in October 2021. The study participants (315) were type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients attending a diabetic centre in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. A self-prepared dietary knowledge questionnaire (DKQ) was used in this research. The variables include balanced diet, food type, food choice, carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Knowledge score was, and the total score was leveled/categorized into ‘good’, ‘average’, and ‘poor’. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.26.

Results: The study results identified the current knowledge of T2DM patients about different dietary items. The knowledge score of 62.2% of participants showed an average level of dietary knowledge, which is statistically significant. When we separately evaluated their understanding of different dietary components, we found that T2DM patients had poor knowledge of carbohydrates (30.15%), fat, food choices (47.7%), and type (34.6%). However, they had acceptable knowledge of proteins (56.5%).

Conclusion: Our participants exhibited acceptable knowledge about proteins but poorer knowledge of other food groups. A healthy, well-balanced diet is essential for excellent glycaemic control. It is recommended to educate and arrange a health education program regarding dietary knowledge, specially designed for diabetic patients so that patients can opt for a healthier lifestyle.
Developing bird friendly transmission power lines in Kenya
Authors: Ngila Peggy , David Chiawo , Owuor Margaret , Wasonga Oliver , Ellwood Elizabeth , Mugo Jane , Masayi Nelly , Ikime Timothy , Chelelgo Stanley , Mugo Dominic
Published: April 2023

Background: Kenya's rich wildlife is an important natural resource and is vital to the country's economy. However, rapid infrastructure development in key wildlife areas has threatened the survival of numerous species including raptors.

Policy: The growing distribution of electricity grids in Kenya poses a significant risk to raptors and populations of other large birds. This research aimed to review the policy gaps in Kenya’s National Energy Policy (2018) examining the strategies for developing bird friendly transmission power lines in Kenya, with a goal to reduce the negative impact on raptor populations and improve their conservation. The findings indicate a high overlap between the ecological niche of raptors with medium and high voltage transmission power lines, with indication of high-risk hotspots for electrocution and collisions.

Recommendations: This policy brief therefore proposes the adoption of bird friendly power lines in new transmission infrastructure projects and retrofitting existing power lines with bird friendly devices. This can be achieved through strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks in the National Energy Policy. This will help prioritize avian conservation in power lines infrastructural development projects including the development of specific policies and guidelines for the placement, orientation, and marking of power lines to reduce the risk of electrocution and collisions of raptor species.

Conclusions: Kenya committed to protecting migratory bird species and their habitats by signing the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in 1999. However, the National Energy Policy of 2018 lacks guidelines for bird-friendly power lines. Addressing this requires collaboration from the government, power companies, research institutions, conservation groups, and local communities. A concerted effort involving public education, targeted funding for research, and stakeholder collaboration can help Kenya meet its conservation obligations and safeguard vital habitats for migratory birds.
Clinical Trial Risk Tool: software application using natural language processing to identify the risk of trial uninformativeness
Authors: Wood Thomas A , McNair Douglas
Published: April 2023

Background: A large proportion of clinical trials end without delivering results that are useful for clinical, policy, or research decisions. This problem is called “uninformativeness”. Some high-risk indicators of uninformativeness can be identified at the stage of drafting the protocol, however the necessary information can be hard to find in unstructured text documents.

Methods: We have developed a browser-based tool which uses natural language processing to identify and quantify the risk of uninformativeness. The tool reads and parses the text of trial protocols and identifies key features of the trial design, which are fed into a risk model. The application runs in a browser and features a graphical user interface that allows a user to drag and drop the PDF of the trial protocol and visualize the risk indicators and their locations in the text. The user can correct inaccuracies in the tool’s parsing of the text. The tool outputs a PDF report listing the key features extracted. The tool is focused HIV and tuberculosis trials but could be extended to more pathologies in future.

Results: On a manually tagged dataset of 300 protocols, the tool was able to identify the condition of a trial with 100% area under curve (AUC), presence or absence of statistical analysis plan with 87% AUC, presence or absence of effect estimate with 95% AUC, number of subjects with 69% accuracy, and simulation with 98% AUC. On a dataset of 11,925 protocols downloaded from ClinicalTrials.gov, the tool was able to identify trial phase with 75% accuracy, number of arms with 58% accuracy, and the countries of investigation with 87% AUC.

Conclusion: We have developed and validated a natural language processing tool for identifying and quantifying risks of uninformativeness in clinical trial protocols. The software is open-source and can be accessed at the following link: https://app.clinicaltrialrisk.org
The impact of social protection interventions on treatment and socioeconomic outcomes of people with tuberculosis and their households: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hudson Mollie , Todd Heather , Nalugwa Talemwa , Boccia Delia , Wingfield Tom , Shete Priya B.
Published: April 2023

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death due to infectious disease worldwide. People with TB and their households often suffer social and economic losses due to the cost of tuberculosis care. The World Health Organization 2015 End TB strategy called for socioeconomic support through social protection interventions. Social protection has the potential to enable people with TB and their households to break the cycle of TB and poverty, thereby improving both treatment and socioeconomic outcomes. This study aims to evaluate whether people with TB who are recipients of social protection interventions have better treatment and socioeconomic outcomes than those who are not recipients of social protection interventions.

Methods: We will systematically review literature published in English between 2012 and 2021 from PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, and grey literature from Google Scholar and selected, relevant databases. We will include studies that describe a social protection intervention (as defined by the World Bank) and report on TB treatment outcomes and/or socioeconomic outcomes. We will only include studies pertaining to populations in low-and-middle-income countries and/or countries with high TB burden. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Study quality will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias for randomized controlled trials and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for non-randomised controlled studies. If sufficient quantitative data are available, we will perform a meta-analysis of aggregated outcomes. Lastly, we will use the Grading Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to describe the overall quality of evidence.

Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review, as all data extraction and analysis will be conducted on published documents. We will disseminate this protocol through conference presentations. The systematic review has been registered prospectively in the PROSPERO database (registration number CRD42022382181).
An evaluation of the interproximal contacts of the permanent dentition - A study cast based classification
Authors: Kailasam Vignesh , Muthu MS , Rao Usha , C Krithika , Kirthiga M , Aarthi J , Warrier Sankara Aravind
Published: April 2023

Background:   A new classification called OXIS was proposed for categorizing the interproximal contacts of primary molars, modified for the primary canines and its prevalence was established. No such information is available for the permanent dentition. Hence, the aim was to establish the variations in interproximal contacts of the permanent dentition and thereby modify the OXIS classification of primary molars and primary canines to the permanent dentition.

Methods:  We propose a study-cast-based classification of interproximal contacts of the permanent dentition. Three hundred and forty-three pretreatment casts of patients based on an inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. Contacts of posterior teeth were classified based on OXIS classification of interproximal contacts, and its modification was used for anterior teeth.

Results: Among the posterior contacts, the ‘O’ type of contact was least prevalent, while  most prevalent was the ‘S’ type for second molar-first molar contact,  ‘I’ type for the first molar-second premolar contact, and ‘X’ type for the second premolar-first premolar contact. Among the anterior contacts, least prevalent was ‘S1’ type for the first premolar-canine contact, and I type for the canine-lateral incisor and the lateral incisor-central incisor contacts. There was no statistical significance between right- and left-side contacts (P > 0.05) while significance was seen between maxillary and mandibular contacts (P < 0.05). Similarity of contacts ranged from 5.17% to 10.05%.

Conclusion: The OXIS classification is applicable to posterior permanent teeth, and its modification is representative of anterior permanent teeth.
Barriers and enablers to local active travel during COVID-19: A case study of Streetspace interventions in two London boroughs
Authors: Lunetto Maria , Castro Oscar , Gericke Chiara , Hale Joanna
Published: April 2023

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, UK local authorities increased emergency active travel interventions. This study aimed to understand what aspects of temporary Streetspace for London schemes represent barriers or enablers to walking and cycling for short local journeys.

Methods: Focusing on two Inner London boroughs, we conducted 21 semi-structured stakeholder interviews and sampled 885 public comments about Streetspace schemes. We triangulated the data in a thematic analysis to identify barriers and enablers, which were categorised using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model.

Results: Opportunity and motivation factors were reflected in the barriers (accessibility and integration of the schemes; controversy, dissatisfaction, and doubt) and enablers (new routes and spaces; sustainability and health beliefs) and mixed themes (changes to traffic and appeal of the area; feelings of safety). Capability was not reflected in the main themes.

Conclusions: Although aspects of Streetspace schemes were seen to enable active travel, our findings suggest that additional processes to address the acceptability, fairness, and unintended consequences of emergency interventions will be important to their long-term success for health and sustainability.