bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fragmentation of microspheres after bronchial artery injection: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Luo Wei , Hu Tongchen , Mao Yu , Yu Qi
Published: October 2021

Background

Massive hemoptysis due to aspergilloma is a rare but life-threatening complication. Bronchial artery embolization is recommended as a definitive treatment for massive hemoptysis. Polyvinyl alcohol is widely used in bronchial artery embolization. A very small number of studies have reported disrupted polyvinyl alcohol, which may cause ectopic embolism.

Case presentation

This case highlights an unusual phenomenon in which polyvinyl alcohol fragments appeared on pathological examination in a 61-year-old man, ethnic Han, with massive hemoptysis caused by aspergilloma for whom bronchial artery embolization failed. Lobectomy was carried out successfully. Hematoxylin and eosin stain provides clear images of polyvinyl alcohol fragments, while alpha-smooth muscle cell actin and cluster of differentiation-34 immunohistochemistry revealed their localization in bronchioles.

Conclusion

Thus far, only two cases of polyvinyl alcohol fragments in the lung have been reported, and the mechanism has not been elucidated. These two cases revealed no counter-indication for the use of polyvinyl alcohol. However, in some cases of off-target embolization causing fatal complications, such as stroke, paraplegia, and myocardial, polyvinyl alcohol fragmentation needs to be taken into consideration.
Oral health of the 65+ age group in Israel-2020
Authors: Berg-Warman Ayelet , Schiffman Ile Kermel , Zusman Shlomo P. , Natapov Lena
Published: October 2021

Background

In 2019, a reform of dental services for older adults was implemented in Israel to improve access and reduce barriers that stood in their way. The reform stipulated that preventive and restorative dentistry would be included in the basket of services of the National Health Insurance Law. The current study was conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute (MJB) and the Division of Dental Health of Israel’s Ministry of Health to examine the dental status and patterns of utilizations of dental services among the 65+ age group. This paper reports on the dental status of the 65+ age group in comparison with the same population two decades earlier.

Goals

To describe the dental status of Israel’s 65+ age group, and to identify the population at risk of dental morbidity.

Methodology

Telephone interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 512 older adults aged 65+, from February to April 2020.

Main findings

Some two-thirds of the 65+ age group assessed their oral health as good or very good. Twenty-four percent did not have natural teeth, while the rest had 19 teeth on average. Ten percent had not lost any teeth. In the 65–74 age group, 19% had no natural teeth and the rest had 20 teeth on average. In contrast, in the 85+ age group, 38% were edentulous and the rest had 13 teeth on average. Of the older adults who found it difficult to cover their monthly expenses, 39% were edentulous—twice the percentage of those who did manage to cover their monthly expenses (19%). Of the 65+ age group 44% had dentures—37% in the 65–74 age group, and 66% in the 85+ age group. Approximately 40% of the 65+ age group saw a dentist for preventive check-ups. The rest did not, mainly due to lack of awareness of the importance of doing so.

Conclusions and recommendations

The perceived status of oral health among the 65+ age group is currently better than it was 22 years ago. However, despite the improvement in oral health and health behavior, there are still barriers to the utilization of dental services. The main barriers are a lack of awareness of the importance of proper health behavior, and the cost of care for people with financial difficulty. This study provides decision-makers with data on the status of oral health, the utilization of dental services and the geographical disparities. The findings will help policy makers evaluate the effectiveness of the reform and fine tuning it in the future. Policies should be instated to increase awareness of constituencies and their access to the services, in addition to the entitlements the reform granted.
Conceptual causal framework to assess the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants on COVID-19 disease severity among hospitalized patients
Authors: Van Goethem Nina , Serrien Ben , Vandromme Mathil , Wyndham-Thomas Chloé , Catteau Lucy , Brondeel Ruben , Klamer Sofieke , Meurisse Marjan , Cuypers Lize , André Emmanuel , Blot Koen , Van Oyen Herman
Published: October 2021

Background

SARS-CoV-2 strains evolve continuously and accumulate mutations in their genomes over the course of the pandemic. The severity of a SARS-CoV-2 infection could partly depend on these viral genetic characteristics. Here, we present a general conceptual framework that allows to study the effect of SARS-CoV-2 variants on COVID-19 disease severity among hospitalized patients.

Methods

A causal model is defined and visualized using a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), in which assumptions on the relationship between (confounding) variables are made explicit. Various DAGs are presented to explore specific study design options and the risk for selection bias. Next, the data infrastructure specific to the COVID-19 surveillance in Belgium is described, along with its strengths and weaknesses for the study of clinical impact of variants.

Discussion

A well-established framework that provides a complete view on COVID-19 disease severity among hospitalized patients by combining information from different sources on host factors, viral factors, and healthcare-related factors, will enable to assess the clinical impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and answer questions that will be raised in the future. The framework shows the complexity related to causal research, the corresponding data requirements, and it underlines important limitations, such as unmeasured confounders or selection bias, inherent to repurposing existing routine COVID-19 data registries.

Trial registration

Each individual research project within the current conceptual framework will be prospectively registered in Open Science Framework (OSF identifier: 10.17605/OSF.IO/UEF29). OSF project created on 18 May 2021.
19-Hydroxybufalin inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Authors: Yu Wei , Zhang Xiao , Zhang Wei , Xiong Minggang , Lin Yuhan , Chang Ming , Xu Lin , Lu Yi , Liu Yun , Zhang Jian
Published: October 2021

Background

Bufadienolides derived from the skin of toads are often regarded as the main active components with antitumor effects. 19-Hydroxybufalin (19-HB) is a monomer of bufadienolides; however, its effects and underlying molecular mechanisms on tumor growth remain to be ascertained. In this report, we focused on the antitumor effects of 19-HB on non-small cell lung cancer to provide a scientific basis for its further development and utilization.

Methods

The antitumor effects of 19-HB on the human NSCLC cell lines NCI-H1299 and NCI-H838 were examined in vitro. The cells were treated with different concentrations of 19-HB, and the inhibition of cell growth was measured by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Furthermore, cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, JC-1 staining, and western blotting. The effects on migration and invasion were evaluated by wound-healing assay, transwell assay, and western blotting. Finally, the antitumor effects of 19-HB were evaluated in vivo using a xenograft mouse model.

Results

19-HB-treated NSCLC cells showed inhibited cell viability and increased apoptosis. The expression levels of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved-PARP, and Bax/Bcl-2 were upregulated, while the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased. In contrast, migration, invasion, as well as the expression of MMP2, MMP7, MMP9, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition-related proteins N-cadherin and Vimentin, and the transcription factors Snail and Slug were inhibited. Furthermore, the expression levels of the key molecules in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway (CyclinD1, c-Myc, and β-catenin) were decreased. In vivo, the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice was also significantly inhibited by 19-HB, and there were no significant changes in biochemical indicators of hepatic and renal function.

Conclusions

19-HB inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted the apoptosis of NSCLC cells via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In addition, 19-HB inhibited the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice with little toxicity to the liver and kidney. Thus, 19-HB may be a potential antitumor agent for treating NSCLC.
The relational, co-temporal, contemporaneous, and longitudinal dynamics of self-regulation for academic writing
Authors: Saqr Mohammed , Peeters Ward , Viberg Olga
Published: October 2021

Writing in an academic context often requires students in higher education to acquire a new set of skills while familiarising themselves with the goals, objectives and requirements of the new learning environment. Students’ ability to continuously self-regulate their writing process, therefore, is seen as a determining factor in their learning success. In order to study students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviour, research has increasingly been tapping into learning analytics (LA) methods in recent years, making use of multimodal trace data that can be obtained from students writing and working online. Nevertheless, little is still known about the ways students apply and govern SRL processes for academic writing online, and about how their SRL behaviour might change over time. To provide new perspectives on the use of LA approaches to examine SRL, this study applied a range of methods to investigate what they could tell us about the evolution of SRL tactics and strategies on a relational, co-temporal, contemporaneous and longitudinal level. The data originates from a case study in which a private Facebook group served as an online collaboration space in a first-year academic writing course for foreign language majors of English. The findings show that learners use a range of SRL tactics to manage their writing tasks and that different tactic can take up key positions in this process over time. Several shifts could be observed in students’ behaviour, from mainly addressing content-specific topics to more form-specific and social ones. Our results have also demonstrated that different methods can be used to study the relational, co-temporal, contemporaneous, and longitudinal dynamics of self-regulation in this regard, demonstrating the wealth of insights LA methods can bring to the table.
Etodolac improves collagen induced rheumatoid arthritis in rats by inhibiting synovial inflammation, fibrosis and hyperplasia
Authors: Feng Qin , Xia Wenkai , Wang Shenglan , Dai Guoxin , Jiao Weimei , Guo Na , Li Honghua , Zhang Guimin
Published: October 2021

Synovial hyperplasia is the main cause of chronic rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the mechanism of synovial hyperplasia is still unclear. Etodolac (ETD) is a selective COX-2 inhibitor for relieving pain and stiffness in RA, but the disease modifying effect is still lack of evidence. Proteomics method was used to study the differential proteome of synovial tissue in collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in rats. With the help of STRING analysis, the upregulated proteins enriched in the cluster of complement and coagulation cascades and platelet degranulation were highlighted, these proteins with fibrogenic factors Lum, CIV, CXI and Tgfbi participated in the synovial inflammation, fibrosis and hyperplasia in CIA. Based on KOG function class analysis, the proteins involved in the events of the central dogma was explored. They might be hyperplasia related proteins for most of them are related to the proliferation of cancer. ETD significantly attenuated synovial inflammation, fibrosis and hyperplasia in CIA rats by downregulating these proteins. Several proteins have not been observed in RA so far, such as Tmsb4x, Pura, Nfic, Ruvbl1, Snrpd3, U2af2, Srrm2, Srsf7, Elavl1, Hnrnph1, Wars, Yars, Bzw2, Mcts1, Eif4b, Ctsh, Lamp1, Dpp7, Ptges3, Cdc37 and Septin9, they might be potentials targets for RA. Blood biochemistry tests showed the safety of 7 months use of ETD on rats. In conclusion, present study displayed a comprehensive mechanism of synovial hyperplasia in CIA rats, on this basis, the clinical value of ETD in the treatment of RA was well confirmed.
Association Between HbA1c Levels on Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes During Pregnancy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Lemaitre Madleen , Ternynck Camille , Bourry Julien , Baudoux Florence , Subtil Damien , Vambergue Anne
Published: October 2021

Context

Despite optimization of metabolic balance during pregnancy in type 1 diabetes (T1D), maternal–fetal complications remain higher than in the background population.

Objective

We examined whether there is an association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and these complications.

Methods

Retrospective study of pregnancies in 678 T1D subjects at Lille Hospital (1997-2019). The association between variations in HbA1c levels and complications was examined. The composite criterion (CC) was defined as having at least 1 of the following complications: prematurity, pre-eclampsia, large for gestational age (LGA), small for gestational age (SGA), or cesarean section.

Results

Among the 678 births, median preconception HbA1c was 7.2% (55 mmol/mol), 361 were LGA (56%), 29 were SGA (4.5%), and 504 were births without preterm delivery (76.1%). The CC occurred in 81.8%. Higher HbA1c during the first trimester was associated with the CC (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.02-1.06 per 0.1% increase; P < .001). Higher HbA1c during the third trimester was associated with the CC (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.10 per 0.1% increase; P < .001). The group defined by a first trimester Hba1c >6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and a third trimester HbA1c <6% was associated with an increased rate of the CC (OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.01-7.86) and an increased rate of LGA (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.01- 4.78).

Conclusion

Elevated HbA1c is associated with maternal–fetal complications. Despite optimization of metabolic balance during the third trimester, for patients with early glycemic imbalance the risk of LGA persists.
Learning to Eat French
Authors: Westbrook John
Published: October 2021

Ferguson’s Accounting for Taste reveals a gap in our understanding: How did French culinary discourse move beyond the bourgeois sphere in which it emerged in the nineteenth century? Picking up on her comparison of the Proustian synthesis of regional and national culinary culture in the Recherche to the project of national identity creation in the Third Republic’s best-selling textbook, Le Tour de la France par deux enfants, this essay argues that the culinary model Ferguson describes was in fact widely disseminated through mass primary education under the Third Republic. Examining an overlooked corpus of primary school readers and textbooks, I show that food and cooking provided object lessons imparting practical and scientific knowledge to enlighten the masses, and textbooks canonized regional specialties as part of a new national geographic consciousness. At the same time, I underscore the limits of this consensual image of a national culinary culture, which collided with the class habits and horizons of the urban and rural masses attending l’école républicaine.
The Pregnancy-Related Mortality Impact of a Total Abortion Ban in the United States: A Research Note on Increased Deaths Due to Remaining Pregnant
Authors: Stevenson Amanda Jean
Published: October 2021

In this research note, I estimate one component of the mortality impact of denying all wanted induced abortions in the United States. This estimate quantifies the magnitude of an increase in pregnancy-related deaths that would occur solely because of the greater mortality risk of continuing a pregnancy rather than having a legal induced abortion. Using published statistics on pregnancy-related mortality ratios, births, and abortions, I estimate U.S. pregnancy-related deaths by race and ethnicity before and in the first and subsequent years of a hypothetical total abortion ban. The number of estimated deaths following a total abortion ban is determined by assuming three conditions: that all wanted induced abortions are denied, that each abortion denied leads to 0.8 births, and that there is a corresponding increase in exposure to pregnancy-related mortality. I find that in the first year of such a ban, estimated pregnancy-related deaths would increase from 675 to 724 (49 additional deaths, representing a 7% increase), and in subsequent years to 815 (140 additional deaths, for a 21% increase). Non-Hispanic Black people would experience the greatest increase in deaths (a 33% increase in subsequent years). Estimated pregnancy-related deaths would increase for all races and ethnicities examined. Overall, denying all wanted induced abortions in the United States would increase pregnancy-related mortality substantially, even if the rate of unsafe abortion did not increase.
Src family kinases inhibit differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells through the Hippo effector YAP1
Authors: Fallah Sepideh , Beaulieu Jean-François
Published: October 2021

Intestinal cell lineage differentiation is a tightly regulated mechanism that involves several intracellular signaling pathways affecting the expression of a variety of transcription factors, which ultimately regulate cell specific gene expression. Absorptive and goblet cells are the two main epithelial cell types of the intestine. Previous studies from our group using an shRNA knockdown approach have shown that YAP1, one of the main Hippo pathway effectors, inhibits the differentiation of these two cell types. In the present study, we show that YAP1 activity is regulated by Src family kinases (SFKs) in these cells. Inhibition of SFKs led to a sharp reduction in YAP1 expression at the protein level, an increase in CDX2 and the P1 forms of HNF4α and of absorptive and goblet cell differentiation specific markers. Interestingly, in Caco-2/15 cells which express both YAP1 and its paralog TAZ, TAZ was not reduced by the inhibition of SFKs and its specific knockdown rather impaired absorptive cell differentiation indicating that YAP1 and TAZ are not always interchangeable for regulating cell functions.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Local thermal environment and warming influence supercooling and drive widespread shifts in the metabolome of diapausing Pieris rapae butterflies
Authors: Mikucki Emily E. , Lockwood Brent L.
Published: October 2021

Global climate change has the potential to negatively impact biological systems as organisms are exposed to novel temperature regimes. Increases in annual mean temperature have been accompanied by disproportionate rates of change in temperature across seasons, and winter is the season warming most rapidly. Yet, we know relatively little about how warming will alter the physiology of overwintering organisms. Here, we simulated future warming conditions by comparing diapausing Pieris rapae butterfly pupae collected from disparate thermal environments and by exposing P. rapae pupae to acute and chronic increases in temperature. First, we compared internal freezing temperatures (supercooling points) of diapausing pupae that were developed in common-garden conditions but whose parents were collected from northern Vermont, USA, or North Carolina, USA. Matching the warmer winter climate of North Carolina, North Carolina pupae had significantly higher supercooling points than Vermont pupae. Next, we measured the effects of acute and chronic warming exposure in Vermont pupae and found that warming induced higher supercooling points. We further characterized the effects of chronic warming by profiling the metabolomes of Vermont pupae via untargeted LC-MS metabolomics. Warming caused significant changes in abundance of hundreds of metabolites across the metabolome. Notably, there were warming-induced shifts in key biochemical pathways, such as pyruvate metabolism, fructose and mannose metabolism, and β-alanine metabolism, suggesting shifts in energy metabolism and cryoprotection. These results suggest that warming affects various aspects of overwintering physiology in P. rapae and may be detrimental depending on the frequency and variation of winter warming events. Further research is needed to ascertain the extent to which the effects of warming are felt among a broader set of populations of P. rapae, and among other species, in order to better predict how insects may respond to changes in winter thermal environments.
Differences in Left Ventricular Function at Rest and during Isometric Handgrip Exercise in Elite Aquatic Sport Athletes
Authors: COATES ALEXANDRA M. , CHEUNG CHRISTIAN P. , CURRIE KATHARINE D. , KING TREVOR J. , MOUNTJOY MARGO L. , BURR JAMIE F.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

Elite swimmers (Sw) have lower diastolic function compared with elite runners, possibly as an adaptation to the aquatic training environment. Water polo players (WP) and artistic swimmers (AS) are exposed to the same hydrostatic pressures as Sw, but they are subject to different training intensities, postures, and hemodynamic stressors. Our purpose was to compare resting and exercising cardiac function in elite Sw, WP, and AS, to characterize the influence of training for aquatic sport on left ventricular (LV) adaptation.

Methods

Ninety athletes (Sw, 20M/17F; WP, 21M/9F; AS, 23F) at the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Natation World Championships volunteered for resting and stress (3 min 30% maximal isometric handgrip) echocardiographic assessment of LV global function and mechanics.

Results

Male Sw displayed greater resting systolic and diastolic function compared with WP; however, both groups maintained stroke volume under high-pressure handgrip stress (Sw, ∆−4% ± 12%; WP, ∆−1% ± 13%, P = 0.11). There were no differences between female Sw and WP resting LV function, but Sw demonstrated greater function over AS. During isometric handgrip, all female sport athletes maintained stroke volume (Sw, ∆3% ± 16%; WP, ∆−10% ± 11%; AS, ∆−2% ± 14%, P = 0.46), but WP had improved apical rotation (∆1.7° ± 4.5°), which was reduced in AS (∆−3.1° ± 4.5°) and maintained in Sw (∆−0.5° ± 3.8°, P = 0.04). Unlike Sw and WP, AS displayed a unique maintenance of early filling velocity during handgrip exercise (Sw, ∆−3.5 ± 14.7 cm·s−1; WP, ∆−15.1 ± 10.8 cm·s−1; AS, ∆1.5 ± 15.3 cm·s−1, P = 0.02).

Conclusions

Among male athletes, Sw display primarily volume-based functional adaptations distinct from the mixed volume–pressure adaptations of WP; however, both groups can maintain stroke volume with increased afterload. Female Sw and WP do not demonstrate sport-specific differences like males, perhaps owing to sex differences in adaptation, but have greater volume-based adaptations than AS. Lastly, AS display unique functional adaptations that may be driven by elevated pressures under low-volume conditions.
Six Days of Low Carbohydrate, Not Energy Availability, Alters the Iron and Immune Response to Exercise in Elite Athletes
Authors: MCKAY ALANNAH K. A. , PEELING PETER , PYNE DAVID B. , TEE NICOLIN , WHITFIELD JAMIE , SHARMA AVISH P. , HEIKURA IDA A. , BURKE LOUISE M.
Published: October 2021

Purpose

To quantify the effects of a short-term (6-d) low carbohydrate (CHO) high fat (LCHF), and low energy availability (LEA) diet on immune, inflammatory, and iron-regulatory responses to exercise in endurance athletes.

Methods

Twenty-eight elite male race walkers completed two 6-d diet/training phases. During phase 1 (Baseline), all athletes consumed a high CHO/energy availability (CON) diet (65% CHO and ~40 kcal·kg−1 fat-free mass (FFM)·d−1). In phase 2 (Adaptation), athletes were allocated to either a CON (n = 10), LCHF (n = 8; <50 g·d−1 CHO and ~40 kcal·kg−1·FFM−1·d−1), or LEA diet (n = 10; 60% CHO and 15 kcal·kg−1·FFM−1·d−1). At the end of each phase, athletes completed a 25-km race walk protocol at ~75% V˙O2max. On each occasion, venous blood was collected before and after exercise for interleukin-6, hepcidin, cortisol, and glucose concentrations, as well as white blood cell counts.

Results

The LCHF athletes displayed a greater IL-6 (P = 0.019) and hepcidin (P = 0.011) response to exercise after Adaptation, compared with Baseline. Similarly, postexercise increases in total white blood cell counts (P = 0.026) and cortisol levels (P < 0.001) were larger compared with Baseline after LCHF Adaptation. Decreases in blood glucose concentrations were evident postexercise during Adaptation in LCHF (P = 0.049), whereas no change occurred in CON or LEA (P > 0.05). No differences between CON and LEA were evident for any of the measured biological markers (all P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Short-term adherence to a LCHF diet elicited small yet unfavorable iron, immune, and stress responses to exercise. In contrast, no substantial alterations to athlete health were observed when athletes restricted energy availability compared with athletes with adequate energy availability. Therefore, short-term restriction of CHO, rather than energy, may have greater negative impacts on athlete health.
Μελέτη συσχέτισης επιδημιολογικών, κλινικών, δερματολογικών χαρακτηριστικών και ιστοπαθολογικών κριτηρίων του βασικοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος δέρματος
Authors: Σγούρος Δημήτριος
Published: October 2021

Εισαγωγή: Το βασικοκυτταρικό καρκίνωμα (ΒΚΚ) σχετικά συχνά εμφανίζεται σε ασθενείς με την μορφή πολλαπλών βλαβών. Κριτικής σημασίας για την θεραπευτική προσέγγιση φαίνεται να είναι οι παράγοντες κινδύνου του νεοπλάσματος για τοπική υποτροπή . Το βασικοακανθοκυτταρικό ή μετατυπικό καρκίνωμα (ΒΑΚ) είναι ένας σχετικά σπάνιος τύπος βασικοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος με χαρακτηριστικά τόσο βασικοκυτταρικού όσο και ακανθοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος. Είναι ένας επιθετικός τύπος βασικοκυτταρικού καρκινώματος με τάση κυρίως υποτροπών σε σύγκριση με αυτή των μεταστάσεων.Σκοπός: Η ανίχνευση παραγόντων κινδύνου σε ασθενείς με πολλαπλά ΒΚΚ (πΒΚΚ) και η περιγραφή των κλινικών και δερματοσκοπικών χαρακτηριστικών τόσο των χαμηλής όσο και υψηλής επικινδυνότητας όγκων. Δευτερεύων στόχος ήταν η περιγραφή των κλινικο-δερματοσκοπικών χαρακτηριστικών του ΒΑΚ, καθώς και η διερεύνηση ιστοπαθολογικών συσχετίσεων. Υλικά και Μέθοδοι: Η μελέτη μας συμπεριέλαβε 225 ασθενείς με ιστορικό 304 χειρουργικώς αφαιρεθέντων πρωτοπαθών ΒΚΚ. Το ατομικό αναμνηστικό και τα δημογραφικά στοιχεία καταγράφηκαν για το σύνολο των ασθενών. Αξιολογήθηκαν οι κλινικές και δερματοσκοπικές εικόνες των ΒΚΚ για προκαθορισμένα κριτήρια και πραγματοποιήθηκε στατιστική ανάλυση. Επιπλέον, μελετήθηκε ως υποανάλυση και πληθυσμός 22 ασθενών με ΒΑΚ, οι οποίοι συγκεντρώθηκαν παράλληλα και ως ξεχωριστό δείγμα σε σχέση με τον βασικό πληθυσμό ασθενών. Αποτελέσματα: Τα εγκάυματα 2ου -3ου βαθμού πριν την ενηλικίωση (OR 2.146, p=0.031) και το ατομικό αναμνηστικό ΒΚΚ (OR 3.403, p <0.001) ήταν οι σημαντικότεροι προδιαθεσικοί παράγοντες για την εμφάνιση πΒΚΚ . Από τα χαρακτηριστικά του όγκου, κλινικά το εμφανές (προεξάχον) λευκό χρώμα (OR 3.168, p<0.001) και δερματοσκοπικά οι λευκές λαμπερές γραμμές (OR 2.085, p=0.025) φαίνεται να αποτελούν ισχυρές προγνωστικές μεταβλητές για υψηλού κινδύνου ΒΚΚ. Αντίστοιχα, η εκτεταμένη κλινικο-δερματοσκοπική εξέλκωση (up-to 9.2-fold) και η οζώδης μορφολογία (3.6-fold) αυξάνουν την πιθανότητα για υψηλού κινδύνου ΒΚΚ. Αντιθέτως, η εμφανής δερματοσκοπικά μαυροκύανη χρώση είχε αρνητική προγνωστική αξία για νεοπλάσματα υψηλού κινδύνου. (light OR 0.269, p<0.001 / partial OR 0.198, p=0.001). Δερματοσκοπικά στα ΒΑΚ το 92% είχε εμφανή αγγεία κυρίως μονόμορφα διακλαδιζόμενα, διάχυτα διατεταγμένα, εξελκώσεις (88%), δερματοσκοπικά κριτήρια ΑΚΚ (56%), λευκές ταινιοειδείς γραμμώσεις / κηλίδες (56%) και μελαγχρωματικές δομές (40%).Συμπεράσματα: Η καταγραφή των χαρακτηριστικών των ασθενών με πΒΚΚ και η λεπτομερής ανάλυση της κλινικο-δερματοσκοπικής μορφολογίας των υψηλού κινδύνου όγκων μπορεί να αποβεί ένα χρήσιμο εργαλείο των κλινικών ιατρών για την πρόληψη του συγκριμένου νεοπλάσματος. Το πιο συνηθισμένο πρότυπο του BΑΚ είναι ένα εξελκωμένο οζίδιο προσώπου σε ηλικιωμένους άνδρες με φωτογηρασμένο δέρμα, εμφανίζοντας δερματοσκοπικά συνδυασμό χαρακτηριστικών κυρίως του οζώδους BΚΚ και λιγότερο του ΑΚΚ.
Common genetic signatures of Alzheimer’s disease in Down Syndrome
Authors: Sharma Ayati , Chunduri Alisha , Gopu Asha , Shatrowsky Christine , Crusio Wim E. , Delprato Anna
Published: October 2021

Background:People with Down Syndrome (DS) are born with an extra copy of Chromosome (Chr) 21 and many of these individuals develop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) when they age. This is due at least in part to the extra copy of the APP gene located on Chr 21. By 40 years, most people with DS have amyloid plaques which disrupt brain cell function and increase their risk for AD. About half of the people with DS develop AD and the associated dementia around 50 to 60 years of age, which is about the age at which the hereditary form of AD, early onset AD, manifests. In the absence of Chr 21 trisomy, duplication of APP alone is a cause of early onset Alzheimer’s disease, making it likely that having three copies of APP is important in the development of AD and in DS.

Methods:We investigate the relationship between AD and DS through integrative analysis of genesets derived from a MeSH query of AD and DS associated beta amyloid peptides, Chr 21, GWAS identified AD risk factor genes, and differentially expressed genes in individuals with DS.

Results: Unique and shared aspects of each geneset were evaluated based on  functional enrichment analysis, transcription factor profile and network interactions. Genes that may be important to both disorders in the context of direct association with APP processing, Tau post translational modification  and network connectivity are ACSM1, APBA2, APLP1, BACE2, BCL2L, COL18A1, DYRK1A, IK, KLK6, METTL2B, MTOR, NFE2L2, NFKB1, PRSS1, QTRT1, RCAN1, RUNX1, SAP18 SOD1, SYNJ1, S100B.

Conclusions:Our findings confirm that oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation and immune system processes likely contribute to the pathogenesis of AD and DS which is consistent with other published reports.
An examination of the structural linkages between households and community health services in realization of accelerated primary healthcare delivery in Kisumu County, Kenya: a systematic review
Authors: Wakiaga James M. , Nalugala Reginald
Published: October 2021

Background: The provision of community health services (CHS) is critical in accelerating primary health care delivery to vulnerable and deprived populations. However, the structural linkages between households and the CHS being provided by community health workers (CHWs) or volunteers in Kisumu County, Kenya, remains weak and inefffective.

Methods: This study applied a descriptive approach using a systematic review technique to provide context and substance to the two main research questions: (1) how does the interaction between households and CHWs affect utilization of CHS to promote equity and right to health? (2) How do health-seeking behaviours of households influence their decision-making regarding choices of CHS? We screened the literature from Google scholar, JSTOR, SAGE and EBSCO based on our inclusion criteria, resulting in 21 studies. These studies were assessed for quality and eligibility and data extracted based on relevance to the research study.

Results: Households place primacy on trust and confidentiality in the interaction with CHWs and this affects uptake of CHS. The social determinants of health are also critical in influencing the health-seeking behaviour of households and individuals and their choice of CHS. The successful models of CHS share the characteristic of community ownership and participation and provides for comprehensive health care teams.

Conclusion: CHS are critical for the acceleration of primary health care delivery. It forms an important pathway for the achievement of universal health coverage, which is an outcome required for Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health.
Case Report: Stem cell therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Hassan Ala'a A. , Elkins Jeananne , Hassan Hisham Y.
Published: October 2021

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease leading to loss of upper and lower motor neurons at both spinal and bulbar levels.   For patients with ALS rehabilitation is important to maintain functional independence, ensure safety and optimize quality of life but is not curative. Stem cell therapy (SCT) provides a new approach to treat previously incurable diseases although peer reviewed published evidence has shown no benefit in ALS for slowing disease progression or functional loss.  

This case report presents a patient with ALS who underwent SCT but deteriorated rapidly after the procedure. Whether the deterioration was due to the natural progress of the disease or expedited by SCT remains unknown. The ethical considerations of how marketing influences healthcare and individuals’ decisions in desperate situations along with reasons for taking desperate measures are discussed.  Patient education and open communication with ALS patients are imperative in gaining patient satisfaction and overcoming ill effects that marketing could have on unconventional methods of intervention. Raising awareness about the availability and access to multidisciplinary care, the timing of decisions with regards to symptom management and end of life care have proven to enhance the quality of life for such patients.
Methodological Conditions for Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Professional Training of International Students
Authors: Naumova O.
Published: October 2021

The article deals with the topical issue of effectiveness of information and communication technology implementation, which help enrich and diversify the educational process, professional training and teaching foreign languages to international students. The article describes the methodological conditions of educational technology application as a tool for the development of motivation and improvement of students' personality traits, the formation of students’ foreign language communicative competence, students’ professional competencies and the formation of students’ and teachers’ information and communication technology competence. The article considers the peculiarities of the educational process organization using information and communication technologies, since the competent use of information and communication technologies in teaching helps teachers to interact more effectively with students to achieve specific educational goals, manage, monitor and analyze their actions. The article identifies the problems that need to be solved for more effective learning process organization.
Synergies in mergers and acquisitions in the copper mining industry
Authors: Matuszewski Maciej
Published: October 2021

Motivation: The results of the research shall broaden the knowledge required for interpretation of synergy effects in the mineral mining sectors. The results obtained shall be used for further research when developing procedures for analysis and evaluation of the effects of mergers and acquisitions in the copper ore mining sector and may also be used by the management of an acquiring party involved in mergers and acquisitions in the copper mining sector.

Aim: The aim of the research, the results of which has been presented in this article, was to identify areas of processes concerning operations and costs as possible sources of synergies in the merger and acquisition processes in the copper ore mining sector. A critical review of literature about the subject as well as desk research have been used to make the study.

Results: The obtained results confirm the need for synergy effects, in the areas of both operations and costs, to be considered in the processes of mergers and acquisitions in the copper ore mining sector. Taking into account the strategy map and the cost structure in the copper mining sector, we may conclude that the costs of mining and milling are the key parameters of the cost structure (in relation to overheads) and they should be considered as the specific subject of due diligence, because apparently, this is the area where the greatest synergy value may be achieved.
SWJPCC Associate Editor Featured in Albuquerque Journal
Authors:   Arizona Chest and Sleep Medicine, Robbins Richard
Published: October 2021

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. Dr. Dona Upson forwarded an article from Sunday’s edition of the Albuquerque Journal featured Michel Boivin, a SWJPCC Associate Editor, in an article titled, “Exhaustion in the ICU: Doctors reflect on state’s nearly 5,000 COVID-19 deaths” (1). Boivin and his wife Teri Heynekamp, a married couple who were many years at the University of New Mexico, shared their thoughts last week on New Mexico nearing 5,000 COVID-19 deaths (Figure 1). Yesterday was Day 587 of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico, just another brief hospital scene amid 19 months of loneliness, fatigue and grief. “We feel exhausted,” Heynekamp said in an interview, “like a type of exhaustion that I’ve never experienced in my life.” Doctors and other health care providers say their workload has hardly let up. Even the arrival of safe, effective vaccines, some doctors say, has provided little relief, introducing a new dynamic instead — the knowledge that most …
Analytical model for transmission dips in self-assembled two-dimensional colloidal crystals
Authors: Abdellatif Sameh O. , Kirah Khaled , Marlow Frank
Published: October 2021

Self-assembled two-dimensional (2D) colloidal crystals (CCs) are utilized in various optical devices, lasers, biosensors, and light harvesting applications. Optical design tuning capabilities, in terms of sphere refractive index and diameter size, can influence the optical characteristics for the close-packed single-layer or multilayer structures. Often transmission dips in 2D CCs are observed, which cannot be explained by Bragg diffraction as it does for 3D photonic crystals. In this work, an analytical attempt to accurately model the transmission dips observed in the 2D CCs optical spectra is presented, aiming to explain the origin of these dips. The formation of a broad dip was studied experimentally as well. A less than 1% mismatching error was found between experiment and theory for the two blaze peak positions as well as for the transmission intensity ratio. Finally, the 2D CCs were integrated in mesostructured solar cells as light trapping structures.
Electromagnetically induced transparency-based metal dielectric metamaterial and its terahertz sensing application
Authors: Reena Reena , Kalra Yogita , Kumar Ajeet
Published: October 2021

In this paper, electromagnetically induced transparency has been reported in the metal–dielectric structure that provides the platform for high-quality factor Fano resonance in the terahertz region. The electric dipole in the metal ring provides a bright mode, while the electric and magnetic dipoles formed in the dielectric offer bright and dark modes, respectively. Two resonance dips have been obtained with a high-quality factor of 89.5 and 23 leads to a high figure of merit of sensor equal to 6 and 4 for the first and second resonance dips, respectively, which is useful for the design and development of metamaterial-based sensing devices and biosensors.
Sampling analysis for Fresnel diffraction fields based on phase space representation
Authors: Xiao Jiasheng , Zhang Wenhui , Zhang Hao
Published: October 2021

Numerical calculation of Fresnel diffraction is widely used in optical
applications where wave propagation is needed. Most cases for
simulating Fresnel diffraction only consider sampling of complex
amplitude fields, which lacks comprehensiveness when different
diffraction fields are of interest. In this study, from the
perspective of phase space optics, we provide systematical analysis on
the sampling of all Fresnel diffraction fields, including the complex
amplitude, intensity, amplitude, and phase. The space-bandwidth
product of each field is illustrated with the aid of a phase space
diagram, which is further demonstrated from a physical point of view.
Such comprehensive sampling analysis could provide practical
suggestions to the numerical calculations of various diffraction
fields according to the requirements. Numerical experiments with
discrete Fresnel diffraction are implemented to verify feasibility of
the analyses.
Brillouin-like amplification in rare-earth-doped optical fibers
Authors: Fotiadi A. A. , Korobko D. A. , Zolotovskii I. O. , Taylor J. R.
Published: October 2021

We present a theoretical formalism to describe the amplification of two monochromatic waves counter-propagating in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber amplifier. Interaction of the waves through a dynamical population inversion grating inscribed in the active fiber by the waves during their amplification results in a strong power transfer from one wave to another providing a preferable amplification of one wave at the expense of another. In this sense, the effect is similar to stimulated Brillouin scattering and is expected to be observed with both pumped and unpumped rare-earth-doped fibers possessing a finite polarizability difference between the excited and ground states.
Material contact sensor with 3D coupled waveguides
Authors: Ding Zhenming , Liu Zexu , Wu Lin , Zhang Ziyang
Published: October 2021

An evanescent field sensor to identify materials by contact has been demonstrated using a 3D coupled waveguide array. The array is formed by imbedding layered silicon nitride stripes as waveguide cores in polymer cladding and the top cladding layer is etched open for material sensing. When objects with different refractive indexes are placed on the surface of the sensor, the evanescent field is disturbed and both the local modal distribution and the coupling condition with the connecting segments are altered, leading to different interference patterns when light from the output facet is captured and focused onto a camera. We have chosen four conventional materials for test: polymer, silicon, aluminum and silver. The sensor is able to tell them apart with distinctive patterns. In addition, the sensor can identify the location of the contact, once the material is recognized. This simple and low-cost device, supported by the recent development of image recognition technology, may open up new possibilities in chip-based sensing applications.
Inhibition of protein N-myristoylation blocks Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development, egress and invasion
Authors: Schlott Anja C. , Knuepfer Ellen , Green Judith L. , Hobson Philip , Borg Aaron J. , Morales-Sanfrutos Julia , Perrin Abigail J. , Maclachlan Catherine , Collinson Lucy M. , Snijders Ambrosius P. , Tate Edward W. , Holder Anthony A.
Published: October 2021

We have combined chemical biology and genetic modification approaches to investigate the importance of protein myristoylation in the human malaria parasite,Plasmodium falciparum. Parasite treatment during schizogony in the last 10 to 15 hours of the erythrocytic cycle with IMP-1002, an inhibitor ofN-myristoyl transferase (NMT), led to a significant blockade in parasite egress from the infected erythrocyte. Two rhoptry proteins were mislocalized in the cell, suggesting that rhoptry function is disrupted. We identified 16 NMT substrates for which myristoylation was significantly reduced by NMT inhibitor (NMTi) treatment, and, of these, 6 proteins were substantially reduced in abundance. In a viability screen, we showed that for 4 of these proteins replacement of the N-terminal glycine with alanine to prevent myristoylation had a substantial effect on parasite fitness. In detailed studies of one NMT substrate, glideosome-associated protein 45 (GAP45), loss of myristoylation had no impact on protein location or glideosome assembly, in contrast to the disruption caused by GAP45 gene deletion, but GAP45 myristoylation was essential for erythrocyte invasion. Therefore, there are at least 3 mechanisms by which inhibition of NMT can disrupt parasite development and growth: early in parasite development, leading to the inhibition of schizogony and formation of “pseudoschizonts,” which has been described previously; at the end of schizogony, with disruption of rhoptry formation, merozoite development and egress from the infected erythrocyte; and at invasion, when impairment of motor complex function prevents invasion of new erythrocytes. These results underline the importance ofP.falciparumNMT as a drug target because of the pleiotropic effect of its inhibition.
NanoMethViz: An R/Bioconductor package for visualizing long-read methylation data
Authors: Su Shian , Gouil Quentin , Blewitt Marnie E. , Cook Dianne , Hickey Peter F. , Ritchie Matthew E.
Published: October 2021

A key benefit of long-read nanopore sequencing technology is the ability to detect modified DNA bases, such as 5-methylcytosine. The lack of R/Bioconductor tools for the effective visualization of nanopore methylation profiles between samples from different experimental groups led us to develop the NanoMethViz R package. Our software can handle methylation output generated from a range of different methylation callers and manages large datasets using a compressed data format. To fully explore the methylation patterns in a dataset, NanoMethViz allows plotting of data at various resolutions. At the sample-level, we use dimensionality reduction to look at the relationships between methylation profiles in an unsupervised way. We visualize methylation profiles of classes of features such as genes or CpG islands by scaling them to relative positions and aggregating their profiles. At the finest resolution, we visualize methylation patterns across individual reads along the genome using the spaghetti plot and heatmaps, allowing users to explore particular genes or genomic regions of interest. In summary, our software makes the handling of methylation signal more convenient, expands upon the visualization options for nanopore data and works seamlessly with existing methylation analysis tools available in the Bioconductor project. Our software is available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/NanoMethViz.