bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adopting Health Economic Research in Radiation Oncology: A Perspective From Low- or Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Sinha Shwetabh , Laskar Sarbani Ghosh , Wadasadawala Tabassum , Krishnatry Rahul , Lievens Yolande , Agarwal Jai Prakash
Published: July 2022

Establishing a new radiation therapy (RT) setup is resource-intensive as it involves substantial capital costs and the recruitment of a skilled workforce. It is essential to incorporate health economic analysis that estimates recurring and nonrecurring expenses on the basis of the national and local needs, infrastructure, and future projections. RT costing exercises can be especially relevant for low- or middle-income countries (LMICs) with more than 70% of the global cancer burden, with access to < 20% of the available resources. This review article summarizes the scope of RT costing exercises in LMICs, the hurdles in conducting them, and possible ways to circumvent them. The purpose of performing costing studies in RT lies in their utility to improve the efficiency of the investment while at the same time helping to address the issues of uniformity and equitable distribution of resources. This will help assess the net benefit from RT in terms of utility and outcome-linked parameters like Quality-Adjusted Life Years. There are numerous barriers to conducting economic evaluations in LMICs, including the lack of national costing values for equipment, data on manpower salary, cost for public and private setups, and indirect costs. The situation is further complicated because of the nonuniform pay structure, lack of an organizational framework, robust real-world data on outcomes, and nonavailability of country-specific reference utility values. Collaborative national efforts are required to collect all elements required to perform health technology assessments. Information from the national and hospital databases can be made available in the public domain to ease access and broader adoption of health economic end points in routine care. Although resource-intensive at the onset, costing studies and health economic assessments are essential for improving the coverage and quality of RT in LMICs.
Identification of Preanesthetic History Elements by a Natural Language Processing Engine
Authors: Suh Harrison S. , Tully Jeffrey L. , Meineke Minhthy N. , Waterman Ruth S. , Gabriel Rodney A.
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND:

Methods that can automate, support, and streamline the preanesthesia evaluation process may improve resource utilization and efficiency. Natural language processing (NLP) involves the extraction of relevant information from unstructured text data. We describe the utilization of a clinical NLP pipeline intended to identify elements relevant to preoperative medical history by analyzing clinical notes. We hypothesize that the NLP pipeline would identify a significant portion of pertinent history captured by a perioperative provider.

METHODS:

For each patient, we collected all pertinent notes from the institution’s electronic medical record that were available no later than 1 day before their preoperative anesthesia clinic appointment. Pertinent notes included free-text notes consisting of history and physical, consultation, outpatient, inpatient progress, and previous preanesthetic evaluation notes. The free-text notes were processed by a Named Entity Recognition pipeline, an NLP machine learning model trained to recognize and label spans of text that corresponded to medical concepts. These medical concepts were then mapped to a list of medical conditions that were of interest for a preanesthesia evaluation. For each condition, we calculated the percentage of time across all patients in which (1) the NLP pipeline and the anesthesiologist both captured the condition; (2) the NLP pipeline captured the condition but the anesthesiologist did not; and (3) the NLP pipeline did not capture the condition but the anesthesiologist did.

RESULTS:

A total of 93 patients were included in the NLP pipeline input. Free-text notes were extracted from the electronic medical record of these patients for a total of 9765 notes. The NLP pipeline and anesthesiologist agreed in 81.24% of instances on the presence or absence of a specific condition. The NLP pipeline identified information that was not noted by the anesthesiologist in 16.57% of instances and did not identify a condition that was noted by the anesthesiologist’s review in 2.19% of instances.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrated that utilization of NLP produced an output that identified medical conditions relevant to preanesthetic evaluation from unstructured free-text input. Automation of risk stratification tools may provide clinical decision support or recommend additional preoperative testing or evaluation. Future studies are needed to integrate these tools into clinical workflows and validate its efficacy.
Προσφυγικές και μεταναστευτικές κρίσεις και ο ρόλος του χωρικού σχεδιασμού
Authors: Δαμανάκης Εμμανουήλ
Published: July 2022

Οι μαζικές μεταναστεύσεις πληθυσμών λόγω οικονομικής ανέχειας, πολεμικών συρράξεων, πολιτικής και κοινωνικής αστάθειας και περιβαλλοντικών καταστροφών δεν είναι καινούργιο φαινόμενο. Η αναζήτηση ασφαλούς περιβάλλοντος επιβίωσης ενεργοποιεί μεγάλες μεταναστευτικές και προσφυγικές μετακινήσεις, η διαχείριση των οποίων φαίνεται να εμπλέκει και να αναδύει το χωρικό σχεδιασμό. Η διδακτορική διατριβή εμβαθύνει στη σχέση της μετανάστευσης με το χωρικό σχεδιασμό και αποκαλύπτει σε ποιο βαθμό οι παραγόμενες αλληλεξαρτήσεις αντανακλούν τις σύγχρονες διεθνείς τάσεις και τις ευρωπαϊκές επιλογές. Μέσω ευρείας ανάλυσης θεσμικών κειμένων και πρακτικών χωρικής διαχείρισης της μετανάστευσης σε δύο κράτη μέλη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης (Γερμανία και Ιταλία) διερευνά την επίσημη τοποθέτηση της ένωσης απέναντι στο φαινόμενο και αναδεικνύει εκείνα τα ζητήματα που άπτονται της χωρικής διαχείρισης των προσφυγικών συμβάντων. Τα ευρήματα ανοίγουν τη συζήτηση και τον προβληματισμό για την αναζήτηση αντίστοιχων πρακτικών οικιστικού και χωρικού περιεχομένου στη χώρα μας. Οδηγούν σε μια νέα θεώρηση της μετανάστευσης και των κρίσεων που προκαλεί, που τοποθετεί στο επίκεντρο της μελέτης τον ρόλο που διαδραματίζει ο χωρικός σχεδιασμός. Στην περίπτωση της Ελλάδας, η έρευνα επικεντρώνεται στην προσέγγιση των προσφυγικών κρίσεων εντός του πλαισίου εξέλιξης του χωρικού σχεδιασμού. Μελετώνται τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά κάθε μεταναστευτικής περιόδου και διερευνάται κατά πόσον οι οικιστικές και χωρικές επιλογές σε βάθος 100 ετών αποτέλεσαν επιλογές του χωρικού σχεδιασμού ή επιλογές διαχείρισης μεγάλων προσφυγικών κρίσεων υπό καθεστώς κινδύνου. Διερευνάται πως οι προσφυγικές ροές προς την Ελλάδα αποτέλεσαν αναπόσπαστο μέρος της μεταμόρφωσης της υπαίθρου και των πόλεων και πως οδήγησαν σε κρίσιμες οικιστικές μεταρρυθμίσεις και σε θεμελιώδεις αλλαγές στο βασικό σύστημα χωρικού σχεδιασμού. Η έρευνα αποκαλύπτει ένα κενό που δημιουργείται από την έλλειψη ενεργού τοποθέτησης του χωρικού σχεδιασμού της Ελλάδας απέναντι στη χωρική διαχείριση των προσφυγικών κρίσεων. Τα ευρήματα της έρευνας εμπλουτίζονται από απόψεις ειδικευμένων ατόμων σε θέματα χωρικού σχεδιασμού και μετανάστευσης, που επισημαίνουν την ανάγκη συμμετοχής του χωρικού σχεδιασμού σε πιο συνεκτικές διεργασίες χωρικής διαχείρισης των προσφυγικών συμβάντων. Υπό αυτό το πρίσμα, αναδεικνύεται η ικανότητα του χωρικού σχεδιασμού της Ελλάδας να διαχειριστεί προσφυγικές κρίσεις μέσα από σκέψεις και προτάσεις χρησιμοποίησης των υφιστάμενων μηχανισμών του χωρικού σχεδιασμού. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις δυνατότητες και τον τρόπο ενεργοποίησης των χωροταξικών και πολεοδομικών μηχανισμών απέναντι σε τέτοιου είδους κρίσεις, διαμορφώνονται συγκεκριμένες προτάσεις που καθιστούν πιο ικανό το χωρικό σχεδιασμό να τοποθετηθεί απέναντι στη μετανάστευση και το θέτουν στο επίκεντρο διαχείρισης του προσφυγικού ζητήματος.
Design and control of alternative fuel production systems utilizing renewable hydrogen
Authors: Μπαμπαού Μιχαήλ
Published: July 2022

Το αντικείμενο της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής είναι ο σχεδιασμός, η ανάπτυξη μαθηματικών προτύπων και ο έλεγχος συστημάτων παραγωγής ανανεώσιμων καυσίμων με αξιοποίηση ανανεώσιμου υδρογόνου που θα μπορούσαν να παρέχουν μία εναλλακτική λύση στα ορυκτά καύσιμα και ταυτόχρονα να συμβάλλουν στους τρέχοντες στόχους απανθρακοποίησης. Εξετάζονται δύο συστήματα ανανεώσιμων καυσίμων: τα βιοκαύσιμα και τα συνθετικά καύσιμα με την προσθήκη ανανεώσιμου υδρογόνου να αποτελεί ένα κοινό στοιχείο μεταξύ αυτών των συστημάτων. Το ανανεώσιμο υδρογόνο αποτελεί το ακριβότερο συστατικό των συγκεκριμένων συστημάτων και η αποδοτική, από πλευράς κόστους και ενέργειας, χρήση του θα διευκολύνει την μετέπειτα εδραίωση των συγκεκριμένων τεχνολογιών. Οι κύριες πτυχές που εξετάζονται σε αυτή τη διατριβή σχετίζονται με την ενεργειακή και οικονομική σκοπιμότητα αυτών των συστημάτων. Μέσω της χρήσης μαθηματικών προτύπων προσομοίωσης των διεργασιών, εξάγονται πολυάριθμα συμπεράσματα σχετικά με το σχεδιασμό και τη λειτουργία αυτών των συστημάτων και καθεμιάς από τις υπο-διεργασίες που τις αποτελούν. Σε κάθε σύστημα παραγωγής εντοπίζονται κρίσιμες παράμετροι λειτουργίας που επηρεάζουν την απόδοσή τους. Επιπλέον, εκτιμάται η οικονομική απόδοση των υπό διερεύνηση συστημάτων και προτείνεται ένα σύνολο συστάσεων που θα διευκολύνουν την βραχυ-, μεσο- και μακροπρόθεσμη καθιέρωσή τους.
Engineering the thin film characteristics for optimal performance of superconducting kinetic inductance amplifiers using a rigorous modelling technique
Authors: Tan Boon-Kok , Boussaha Faouzi , Chaumont Christine , Longden Joseph , Navarro Montilla Javier
Published: July 2022

Background: Kinetic Inductance Travelling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (KITWPAs) are a new variant of superconducting amplifier that can potentially achieve high gain with quantum-limited noise performance over broad bandwidth, which is important for many ultra-sensitive experiments. In this paper, we present a novel modelling technique that can better capture the electromagnetic behaviour of a KITWPA without the translation symmetry assumption, allowing us to flexibly explore the use of more complex transmission line structures and better predict their performance.

Methods: In order to design a KITWPA with optimal performance, we investigate the use of different superconducting thin film materials, and compare their pros and cons in forming a high-gain low-loss medium feasible for amplification. We establish that if the film thickness can be controlled precisely, the material used has less impact on the performance of the device, as long as it is topologically defect-free and operating within its superconducting regime. With this insight, we propose the use of Titanium Nitride (TiN) film for our KITWPA as its critical temperature can be easily altered to suit our applications. We further investigate the topological effect of different commonly used superconducting transmission line structures with the TiN film, including the effect of various non-conducting materials required to form the amplifier.

Results: Both of these comprehensive studies led us to two configurations of the KITWPA: 1) A low-loss 100 nm thick TiN coplanar waveguide amplifier, and 2) A compact 50 nm TiN inverted microstrip amplifier. We utilise the novel modelling technique described in the first part of the paper to explore and investigate the optimal design and operational setup required to achieve high gain with the broadest bandwidth for both KITWPAs, including the effect of loss.

Conclusions: Finally, we conclude the paper with the actual layout and the predicted gain-bandwidth product of our KITWPAs.
Deriving alpha angle from anterior-posterior dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans: an automated and validated approach
Authors: Faber Benjamin G. , Ebsim Raja , Saunders Fiona R. , Frysz Monika , Davey Smith George , Cootes Timothy , Tobias Jonathan H. , Lindner Claudia
Published: July 2022

Introduction: Alpha angle (AA) is a widely used imaging measure of hip shape that is commonly used to define cam morphology, a bulging of the lateral aspect of the femoral head. Cam morphology has shown strong associations with hip osteoarthritis (OA) making the AA a clinically relevant measure. In both clinical practice and research studies, AA tends to be measured manually which can be inconsistent and time-consuming.

Objective: We aimed to (i) develop an automated method of deriving AA from anterior-posterior dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans; and (ii) validate this method against manual measures of AA.

Methods: 6,807 individuals with left hip DXAs were selected from UK Biobank. Outline points were manually placed around the femoral head on 1,930 images before training a Random Forest-based algorithm to place the points on a further 4,877 images. An automatic method for calculating AA was written in Python 3 utilising these outline points. An iterative approach was taken to developing and validating the method, testing the automated measures against independent batches of manually measured images in sequential experiments.

Results: Over the course of six experimental stages the concordance correlation coefficient, when comparing the automatic AA to manual measures of AA, improved from 0.28 [95% confidence interval 0.13-0.43] for the initial version to 0.88 [0.84-0.92] for the final version. The inter-rater kappa statistic comparing automatic versus manual measures of cam morphology, defined as AA ³≥60°, improved from 0.43 [80% agreement] for the initial version to 0.86 [94% agreement] for the final version.

Conclusions: We have developed and validated an automated measure of AA from DXA scans, showing high agreement with manually measuring AA. The proposed method is available to the wider research community from Zenodo.
Educational Translation Internship: Project Approach
Authors:   Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Milova О. Ye. , Pavliuk N. V. ,   National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Published: July 2022

The study considers a project approach to organizing and carrying out the educational translation internship. The experience of applying the project methods to train future translators was analysed. The project method was defined as a system method based on the student-centred approach and encouraged students to take an active part in the educational process, helps shape the skills of critical thinking, solve problem situations, analyse and estimate information, work in teams and communicate efficiently. The study shows that the project method raises the motivation and develops a relevant attitude to studying and its results, enhances students’ creative potential. It has been proven that the educational translation internship is one of important stages of training students for an independent translation activity, includes the formation of professional translator’s, technical, constructive planning, communicative and research skills. The findings of the research made it possible to come to a conclusion that the project method within educational translation internships enhances deeper and more profound professional translation and general human skills, including, not only translation skills, but also technical, constructive planning, communicative and research skills, ability to work in teams and lead projects.
Capable groups of order p3q
Authors:   Islamic Azad University, Kalteh O. , Jafari S. Hadi ,   Islamic Azad University
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we study on the capability of groups of order p3q, where pandqare distinct prime numbers and p>2.
Ryser's conjecture under linear constraints
Authors:   Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Gallardo Luis H.
Published: July 2022

There are no nontrivial circulant Hadamard matrices provided that the entries satisfy some linear relations.
Distinction of Breast Masses from Benign to Malignant using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Taif, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study
Authors: L. Faizo Nahla , M. Raafat Bassem , Alamri Sultan , Alghamdi Ahmad Joman , Osman Hamid , Ahmed Rania Mohammed , Almahwasi Ashraf , S. Alamri Abdulhakeem , Ansari Mukhtar
Published: July 2022

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer among women throughout the world. A range of noninvasive techniques have been employed for early prevention. In health-care practice, however, quality and sensitivity remained critical. Objective: The aim of this study is to see how well Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs) and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) techniques can detect breast cancer and distinguish between malignant and benign lesions. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Taif Hospitals, Saudi Arabia. The Picture Archiving and Communication System was used to acquire medical records and data from 50 individuals with probable breast cancer, and breast MRI pictures were analyzed. Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) radiologist reports and DCE-MRI kinetic curves were evaluated. Excel was also used to test the sensitivity and specificity of breast MRI. Results: According to the BI-RADS results, biopsies, and breast MRI data, 52 percent of 50 patients were categorized as benign, 24 percent as malignant, and 24 percent had no abnormalities. Biopsy revealed that 61.5 percent of the malignant lesions were benign, whereas 38.5 percent were appropriately identified as cancerous. The majority of malignant tumors were discovered in patients over the age of 50. The washout curve correctly identified 60% of the malignant lesions and 40% of the benign lesions. Our data demonstrated the usefulness of MRI in detecting breast cancers by analyzing BI-RADS and utilizing DCE-MRI. False-positive, on the other hand, can lead to unnecessary biopsies. Conclusion: Breast cancer is more common among women of their fifties and beyond. Biopsies, breast MRIs, and kinetic curve analysis can all be utilized to differentiate between benign and malignant breast masses with high sensitivity and specificity.
HPTLC Profiling and Antibacterial Efficacy of Melia Azedarach Linn. Leaf Extracts Against Secondary Bacterial Pathogens of Dermatophytosis
Authors: Shanthi P Shanthi P , Sownthariya C Sownthariya C , Sundari U Thiripura
Published: July 2022

Medicinal plants are potential source of antimicrobial agents, used traditionally to treat various human microbial infections worldwide. The present study was aimed to determine the antibacterial efficacy of Melia azedarach Linn. leaf extracts against secondary bacterial pathogens of dermatophytosis such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and to investigate the presence of phytocompounds through High Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) method of the potential extract. The leaf extracts of the selected plants were tested for antibacterial potentiality using disc diffusion method and gentamicin (10µg/disc) was used as positive control. The results revealed that the positive control had more inhibitory effect than the solvent extracts used. Comparatively, acetone extract of M. azedarach leaves was more effective against two test pathogens, S. aureus (12.93±0.65 mm) at 150 µl/disc and P. aeruginosa (11.5±0.10 mm) at 100 µl/disc concentration with significant difference of p≤0.05 using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The varying degree of extract concentrations has a greater influence in the inhibitory effect against test pathogens. The different Rf values, maximum percentage concentration, area percentage of polyvalent chemical constituents was recorded in HPTLC profiling of acetone leaf extract, where the maximum percentage concentration was found to be 14.07% at 0.09 Rf. The HPTLC studies has confirmed that the compounds present in the acetone extract might be responsible for the inhibitory effect against the bacterial pathogens and are more soluble in semi-polar solvent. Therefore, the present investigation forms the basis as preliminary study of antibacterial efficacy of M. azedarach leaf extracts and phytocompound HPTLC profiling of potential extract, which could be used for quality evaluation of compound and standardisation of drug in future work.
Adverse Drug Monitoring in the Psychiatry Outpatient Department in a Tertiary Care Hospital-A Pilot Study
Authors: Gandhi Miti , Zaveri Harshit , Ray Ipseeta , Gildhiyal Rakesh
Published: July 2022

Background: Psychotropic medications, used at normal therapeutic or maintenance doses, have been associated with Adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Multiple studies have noted the high burden of ADRs caused by psychiatric medications. Hence, reporting of likely ADRs is warranted as pharmacovigilance data will help health care professionals to provide reliable, balanced information for the effective assessment of the risk/benefit profile of medicines. Methodology: Necessary approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee will be obtained before initiating the study. It is a prospective, observational, single centre pilot study. 30 patients attending the Psychiatry OPD in MGM Hospital, Kamothe, and experiencing ADRs were enrolled in the study. Results: People who experienced an ADR had a median age of 43±16.23 yrs. A total of 35 ADRs were noted in 30 patients on psychiatric medications. Therapeutic Failure (57%) was observed to be the most common ADR followed by gastric reflux (22%). Benzodiazepines (19%) and SSRIs (17%) seems to be the most common class of drugs, while Trihexyphenydyl (14%) was noted to be the most common drug, causing ADRs. Conclusion: Therapeutic Failure (57%) was observed to be the most common ADR and benzodiazepines (19%) seems to be the most common drug class causing ADR. Under reporting of ADRs is an issue that arises from the lack of awareness amongst patients as well as healthcare professionals. Hence, pharmacovigilance in psychiatry units alerts the physicians and protects the patients from ADRs that can be avoided.
Myristica Fragrans (Nutmeg) Extract Ameliorated Caffeine-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Anderson Enye Linus , Stephen Saka Olusola , Oghenetega Sajere Eric , Aderibigbe Komolafe Omobola , Zabdiel Abijo Ayodeji , Samson Ige Mokolade
Published: July 2022

Caffeine is the major constituent found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and chocolate bar among many others. Several studies have reported various effects of caffeine on the cardiovascular system, although there are inconsistencies in these findings. This study, based on these sought to investigate the role of Myristica fragrans on caffeine-induced cardiotoxicity in male Wistar rats. Twenty-five healthy Wistar rats, weighing 130-135 g were randomly assigned into groups (A-E) n=5 each. Group A received 2 mL/kg distilled water as placebo, group B was administered caffeine (40mg/kg), group C received Myristica fragrans only (200mg/kg), group D received caffeine (40mg/kg), and Myristica fragrans (100mg/kg), while group E received caffeine (40mg/kg) and Myristica fragrans (200mg/kg). The rats were orally-gavaged caffeine and Myristica fragrans with the aid of an oral cannula for 21 days. On the 22nd day after the last administration, rats were euthanized sacrificed and the heart tissues were obtained histological procedures. Percentage weight change was significantly decreased (p <0.05), and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was significantly increased (p <0.05) in group B relative to the control group. The heart, relative heart weights, and cardiac troponin I were not significantly different (p=0.05) across all experimental groups relative to the control. Assessment of the cardiac histoarchitecture revealed diverse alterations in the caffeine-only group which were ameliorated by administration of 100 and 200 mg/kg Nutmeg extract in groups D and E respectively. Caffeine administration resulted in alteration in cardiac histoarchitecture with 100 and 200mg/kg Myristica fragrans ameliorating these alterations. Nutmeg could serve as a drug lead in the management of cardiac-related conditions.
High-efficiency second-harmonic generation in coupled nano Fabry–Perot thin resonators
Authors: Matthia Tomasz , Fix Baptiste , Soun Léna , Dupuis Christophe , Bardou Nathalie , Bouchon Patrick
Published: July 2022

In this paper we experimentally demonstrate second-harmonic generation (SHG) enhancement in thin 1D periodic plasmonic nanostructures on GaAs in the infrared spectral range. Due to the properly designed coupling of horizontal Fabry–Perot nanoresonators that occurs inside these structures, the obtained conversion efficiencies go up to the 10−7 W−1 range. Moreover, we demonstrate that the engineering of the plasmonic nanoantenna dimensions on the same GaAs layer can lead to SHG enhancement for pump wavelengths ranging from 2.8 µm to 3.3 µm.
Experimental verification of a coherence factorization law for quantum states
Authors: Zheng Yi , Zhang Cheng-Jie , Liu Zheng-Hao , Shao Jian-Wei , Xu Jin-Shi , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: July 2022

As a quantum resource, quantum coherence plays an important role in modern physics. Many coherence measures and their relations with entanglement have been proposed, and the dynamics of entanglement has been experimentally studied. However, the knowledge of general results for coherence dynamics in open systems is limited. Here we propose a coherence factorization law that describes the evolution of coherence passing through any noisy channels characterized by genuinely incoherent operations. We use photons to implement the quantum operations and experimentally verify the law for qubits and qutrits. Our work is a step toward understanding of the evolution of coherence when the system interacts with the environment, and will boost the study of more general laws of coherence.
Spatially Resolved and Highly Multiplexed Protein and RNA In Situ Detection by Combining CODEX With RNAscope In Situ Hybridization
Authors: Cheng Yilun , Burrack Rachel K. , Li Qingsheng
Published: July 2022

Highly multiplexed protein and RNA in situ detection on a single tissue section concurrently is highly desirable for both basic and applied biomedical research. CO-detection by inDEXing (CODEX) is a new and powerful platform to visualize up to 60 protein biomarkers in situ, and RNAscope in situ hybridization (RNAscope) is a novel RNA detection system with high sensitivity and unprecedent specificity at a single-cell level. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, the combination of CODEX and RNAscope remained unreported until this study. Here, we report a simple and reproducible combination of CODEX and RNAscope. We also determined the cross-reactivities of CODEX anti-human antibodies to rhesus macaques, a widely used animal model of human disease.
Testing candidate genes linked to corolla shape variation of a pollinator shift in Rhytidophyllum (Gesneriaceae)
Authors: Poulin Valérie , Amesefe Delase , Gonzalez Emmanuel , Alexandre Hermine , Joly Simon
Published: July 2022

Floral adaptations to specific pollinators like corolla shape variation often result in reproductive isolation and thus speciation. But despite their ecological importance, the genetic bases of corolla shape transitions are still poorly understood, especially outside model species. Hence, our goal was to identify candidate genes potentially involved in corolla shape variation between two closely related species of the Rhytidophyllum genus (Gesneriaceae family) from the Antilles with contrasting pollination strategies. Rhytidophyllum rupincola has a tubular corolla and is strictly pollinated by hummingbirds, whereas R. auriculatum has more open flowers and is pollinated by hummingbirds, bats, and insects. We surveyed the literature and used a comparative transcriptome sequence analysis of synonymous and non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions to obtain a list of genes that could explain floral variation between R. auriculatum and R. rupincola. We then tested their association with corolla shape variation using QTL mapping in a F2 hybrid population. Out of 28 genes tested, three were found to be good candidates because of a strong association with corolla shape: RADIALIS, GLOBOSA, and JAGGED. Although the role of these genes in Rhytidophyllum corolla shape variation remains to be confirmed, these findings are a first step towards identifying the genes that have been under selection by pollinators and thus involved in reproductive isolation and speciation in this genus.
A randomised, prospective and head-to-head comparison of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [18F]PSMA-1007 for the detection of recurrent prostate cancer in PSMA-ligand PET/CT—Protocol design and rationale
Authors: Alberts Ian , Bütikofer Lukas , Rominger Axel , Afshar-Oromieh Ali
Published: July 2022

Background

A number of radiopharmaceuticals are available for the detection of recurrent prostate cancer (rPC), but few comparative imaging trials have been performed comparing them. In particular, there are no prospective head-to-head comparisons of the recently introduced [18F]PSMA-1007 to the existing standard of care [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11. The purpose of this trial is to establish the non-inferiority of the new radiopharmaceutical in terms of the rate of PET-positive findings and to obtain an intra-individual comparison of accuracy and radiopharmaceutical kinetics.

Methods

In this cross-over trial we will randomise 100 individuals to receive either first a standard-of-care PET/CT using [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 followed by an additional [18F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT within 2 weeks, or vice-versa. Inclusion criteria include patients 18 years and older with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer following radical prostatectomy, defined as two consecutive prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels > 0.2 ng/ml. Detection rate at the patient-based level is the primary end-point. Each scan will be interpreted by a panel of six independent and masked readers (three for [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and three for [18F]PSMA-1007) which consensus majority in cases of discrepancy. To confirm the PET-positivity rate at a patient based level, follow up at 6 months following the first scan will be performed to a composite standard of truth. Secondary endpoints shall include an intra-individual comparison of radiopharmaceutical-kinetics, per-region detection rate and positive predictive value.

Discussion

This is the first randomised prospective comparative imaging trial to compare the established [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 with [18F]PSMA-1007 and will determine whether the new radiopharmaceutical is non-inferior to the established standard-of-care in terms of patient-level detection rate.

Clinical trial registration

Registered with and approved by the regional ethics authority #2020–02903 (submitted 09.12.2020, approval 16.12.2021) and the regulatory authority SwissMedic 2020DR2103. Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05079828 and additionally in a national language in the Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (SNCTP).
Effects of day-to-day variation of Opisthorchis viverrini antigen in urine on the accuracy of diagnosing opisthorchiasis in Northeast Thailand
Authors: Worasith Chanika , Wongphutorn Phattharaphon , Homwong Chutima , Kopolrat Kulthida Y. , Techasen Anchalee , Thanan Raynoo , Eamudomkarn Chatanun , Wangboon Chompunoot , Khuntikeo Narong , Loilome Watcharin , Sithithaworn Jiraporn , Crellen Thomas , Sithithaworn Paiboon
Published: July 2022

Antigen detection in urine using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is more sensitive than fecal examination for diagnosis of opisthorchiasis and for assessment of the effects of drug treatment. It is not known whether day-to-day variation of urine composition, including levels of Opisthorchis viverrini antigen, influences the urine assay. We investigated this topic with the cooperation of participants from two localities in Northeast Thailand. Project participants were screened for parasite infections for three consecutive days using the quantitative formalin-ethyl acetate concentration technique (FECT) to detect O. viverrini eggs and the urine ELISA for detection of O. viverrini antigen. A subset of participants (n = 801) with matched fecal and urine samples were analyzed for comparison of inter-day prevalence estimates and the performance of the urine assay compared against FECT for diagnosis of opisthorchiasis. The daily prevalence measured by the urine assay ranged between 29.0%-30.2% while those by FECT ranged between 11.9%-20.2%. The cumulative three-day prevalence estimate determined by the urine antigen assay was 30.3%, which was significantly higher than that by FECT (20.2%, p < 0.05). A significant positive correlation was found between the concentration of antigen in urine and fecal egg counts (p < 0.001). Overall, the urine assay had better diagnostic performance for opisthorchiasis than fecal examination by FECT. The high sensitivity plus negligible daily variation of O. viverrini antigen in urine indicates the utility of the urine assay for diagnosis, as well as population screening, of opisthorchiasis.
De castillos a bastiones y retículas desfortificadas
Authors: Sánchez García Manuel
Published: July 2022

La Sierra Sur de Jaén es una región histórica de transición y frontera caracterizada por potentes sistemas de defensa articulados con extensiones agrícolas. Sus fortificaciones preceden a las innovaciones ingenieriles de finales del siglo XV que, enmarcadas en el conflicto granadino, hibridaban soluciones medievales y proto-modernas. El presente artículo se aproxima a su contexto territorial histórico a través de una descripción que incluye tanto las fortificaciones de la Sierra Sur, Santa Fe y Granada, como las cuatro nuevas poblaciones de planta ortogonal abierta que, entre 1508-1539, se fundaron en la Sierra Sur como enclaves estratégicos. El análisis conjunto de ambos géneros urbanos —castros fortificados y nuevas villas abiertas— basado en cartografía histórica, libros de fundación y un estudio historiográfico, contextualiza la relevancia del repartimiento de villas en el corazón del paisaje giennense como operación de postconflicto típica en la escena imperial española durante la modernidad temprana.
Book Review, Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-nationalist Society, by Gracia Liu-Farrer
Authors: Budianto Firman
Published: July 2022

Gracia Liu-Farrer’s Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-Nationalist Society is an intellectually stimulating invitation to rethink the traditional definition of immigrant country in an age of global mobility. The book provides the readers with rich narratives to understand how the immigration takes place in an immigrant society that emerged out of an ethno-nationalist one. Through the analysis of narratives of belonging and mobility, Liu-Farrer has shown how international migration occurs in non-traditional receiving countries, challenged the traditional definition of an immigrant country, and offered a promise of future Japan as an immigrant country. The book presents an essential addition to the literature on Japanese studies, area studies, and international migration and mobilities in Japan and beyond. It shows that micro-level individual narratives on mobility could pave the way to understanding transnationalism and connectivity at a larger scale as well as socio-cultural change taking place in a particular area. The book, finally, contributes to broadening the concept of an immigrant country, especially in the age of global mobility.
Pengembangan Ekonomi Lokal dan Peran Konektivitas Global Lokal dalam Peningkatan Wawasan Peternak Ayam Layer di Kabupaten Blitar
Authors: Srirahayu Dina , Adi Isbandi Rukminto
Published: July 2022

Dalam rangka meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat peternak layer, salah satu pendekatan yang cukup menonjol adalah dengan melakukan pengembangan ekonomi masyarakat di tingkat lokal (local economy development/LED). PEL memperhatikan aset yang dimiliki oleh masyarakat (community assets), seperti modal manusia, modal sosial dan modal finansial. Pembahasan terkait ketiga hal tersebut dalam artikel ini dapat dilihat pada proyek “kandang percontohan ayam petelur” yang responsif terhadap perubahan iklim. Yang merupakan langkah awal yang baik dalam mengembangkan ekonomi lokal melalui peternakan ayam petelur. Proyek ini merupakan hasil kerjasama jaringan organisasi global antara Paguyuban Peternak Rakyat Nasional (PPRN) dengan PT. Cargill Indonesia dan USAID APIK. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan proses dan bentuk interaksi antara organisasi global dan komunitas lokal dalam PEL dan dampaknya terhadap kesejahteraan sosial baik bagi peternak maupun masyarakat. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian deskriptif. Pengumpulan data primer melalui observasi dan wawancara mendalam. Informan dipilih secara purposif dan snowball serta menggunakan coding untuk analisis data. Dengan menggunakan kerangka The Hexagonal of Local Economic Development, diharapkan hasil penelitian ini dapat menggambarkan proses LED oleh komunitas peternak layer dan interaksi global-lokal yang terjadi pada LED melalui usaha peternakan ayam layer untuk pembangunan wilayah dan ekonomi Kabupaten Blitar serta dampak sosial ekonomi bagi komunitas peternak dan masyarakat sekitar.
The Modern Origins & Sources of China's Techtransfer
Authors: Pachankis Yang
Published: July 2022

The research identified the key element on P. R. China’s incentives in modern history on techtransfer practices. With reviewing on the state funding surrogacy in the natural sciences, the author identified the key militant coercive contracting clauses in the document of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. With its combined workings with the statutory & martial laws, the analysis takes a comparative culture approach that partially counteracts the work of the “United Front Working Group of the CPC”, which constitutes as the major cyber espionage organization that manifests upon the communication & information technologies. The “United Front”’s work has substabtially undermined the premices of market economy and eroded the markets’ self-organizing & self-regulating functionalities. With heterogenous semantic networks taken into consideration, the psychosociological elements were taken into consideration even with the psychological data codings in the semantic networks of P. R. China.
Exploring intergroup conflict and community-based participatory research partnerships over time
Authors: Ginzburg Shir Lerman , Dimitri Noelle C. , Brinkerhoff Cristina Araujo , England Sophia Angali , Haque Samiya , Martinez Linda Sprague
Published: July 2022

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a growing practice by which academics and community partners conduct collaborative health-based research. While CBPR fosters productive partnerships, there is increasing research on interpersonal group dynamics and the ways that intersecting factors, such as gender and ethnicity, affect the social interactions within CBPR. This paper explores the tensions inherent in large interdisciplinary community-based participatory research partnerships, through the examination of a long-standing community–academic partnership focused on advancing public health. Nine qualitative interviews were conducted between November 2019 and January 2020 with steering committee members from a long-standing collaborative partnership that conducts research to inform public health action. While the collaborative process was generally positive, we also uncovered less pleasant aspects of CBPR projects that are infrequently discussed in the literature, such as role confusion and power dynamics. Leadership style was seen as the driving force shaping how other team concerns were perceived. Not having structures in place to facilitate relationship development, or clear documentation of procedures, rules and norms, led to team complications. Team members suggested that a renewed focus on organisational structure would contribute to role clarity and organisation. The results highlight the complexity of working on interdisciplinary mixed community–academic teams, specifically the ways in which interdisciplinary, collaborative research can be a complicated, meandering process, often without clear-cut answers to sometimes simple questions.
TSH-рroducing pituitary microadenoma: diagnostic problems in the debut of the disease
Authors: Klimchuk A. V. , Yatskov I. A. , Bubley K. V. , Enzel D. A. , Sherbakov A. S.
Published: July 2022

Tumors of the pituitary gland producing thyrotropin hormone (TSH) are rare and account for about 1–3% of all pituitary adenomas, most frequently occurring in persons of young and working age. This article presents a clinical case of thyrotropinoma in a 44-year-old woman, which was diagnosed 6 years after her initial visit to an endocrinologist. At the debut of the disease, thyrotropinoma manifested as an isolated elevation of TSH, with normal levels of free T4 and free T3. The patient was constantly taking β-blockers due to her disturbing tachycardia. She was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism, for which she was periodically observed, controlling her TSH level and taking levothyroxine drugs in a dose of up to 175 mcg, which was accompanied by elevated TSH levels. After 6 years, there was an increase in free T3 and free T4 in addition to TSH. Magnetic resonance imaging with intravenous contrast enhancement revealed a pituitary microadenoma 4 mm in size, and laboratory examination of all tropic hormones revealed an isolated increase in TSH. Transsphenoidal adenomectomy was performed at the diagnosis of TSH-producing pituitary adenoma. During the three-year postoperative follow-up there was no adenoma recurrence, secondary hypothyroidism developed, the patient currently takes levothyroxine 75 mcg per day continuously
Effect of bone anabolic therapy on bone remodeling and bone density in geriatric patients with osteoporosis and falling syndrome
Authors: Khovasova N. O. , Dudinskaya E. N. , Naumov A. V. , Tkacheva O. N. , Machekhina L. V. , Onuchina Ju. S.
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND: Older adults with severe osteoporosis are the most vulnerable group of geriatric patients. They are shown the purpose of anti-osteoporotic therapy, which should be effective and safe. Teriparatide showed a decrease in the risk of fractures, an increase in BMD. In Russia, the use of teriparatide in the geriatric population is extremely scarce.

AIM: assess clinical course, bone metabolism parameters and efficacy of bone-anabolic therapy in elderly and senile patients with severe osteoporosis and falls.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The longitudinal prospective study included 100 patients 60 years and older with severe osteoporosis who had one or more falls within the last year. All patients were prescribed calcium and vitamin D preparations and bone-anabolic therapy (teriparatide 20 mg daily subcutaneously). The duration of follow-up was 24 months and included 3 visits: screening, at 12 and 24 months. The effectiveness of bone-anabolic therapy was carried out on the basis of assessing the frequency of new fractures, reduction of pain, changes in BMD according to X-ray densitometry, dynamics of bone metabolism markers.

RESULTS: All patients had severe osteoporosis and aggravated comorbidity status, suffered a fall within the last year, and also low-energy fractures in the past. One in three patients had a vertebral fracture, one in five had a proximal femoral fracture. Prior to the start of the study, 61 patients received antiosteoporotic therapy. During the follow-up, 4 patients died, 96 patients completed the study. Against the background of teriparatide therapy, a decrease in the number of new cases of low-energy fractures and the number of patients with chronic pain was obtained. An increase in BMD was noted in the lumbar spine after 24 months and in the femoral neck after 12 months. There was no negative dynamics of the BMD. Also after 12 months, an increase in P1NP and C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type 1 was noted, after 24 months — osteocalcin and C-terminal telopeptide.

CONCLUSION: The use of teriparatide can be recommended as an effective intervention to treat severe osteoporosis in geriatric patients with falls.
Features of steroidogenesis in men with hypogonadism and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Rozhivanov R. V. , Chernova M. O. , Ioutsi V. A. , Mel’nichenko G. A. , Shestakova M. V. , Mokrysheva N. G.
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in men is associated with a high incidence of hypogonadism. Testosterone is a steroid hormone and one of the final metabolites of steroidogenesis, which causes interest in assessing the content of key steroid hormones, their precursors and metabolites in hypogonadal and eugonadal men with T2DM.

AIMS: Assessment of the features of steroidogenesis in men with hypogonadism in T2DM using tandem mass spectrometry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A full-design, cross-sectional, screening, single-center, non-interventional study included men with T2DM, who were he was treated in Endocrinology Research Centre, Moscow. The study was conducted from October 2021 to January 2022. Medical history assessment, physical examination with determination of body mass index (BMI), measurement of key steroid hormones, their precursors and metabolites by isotope dilution liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were performed. The groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test for quantitative indicators and χ² with Yates’ correction for qualitative ones. Correlation analysis was performed by the Spearman correlation method. When determining the criterion of statistical significance, the Bonferroni correction was applied.

RESULTS: Patients with hypogonadism had statistically significantly more pronounced obesity compared with eugonadal men. In a comparative analysis of patients, depending on the presence of hypogonadism, there were statistically significantly lower levels of androgen precursors 17-hydroxypregnenolone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone in hypogonadal men. At the same time, a positive statistically significant correlation was found between total testosterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone. In addition, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, although to a lesser extent, but positively correlated with other androgens - androstenedione (r=0,328; p<0,001) and dehydroepiandrosterone (r=0,183; p=0,004). >< 0,001) and dehydroepiandrosterone (r=0,183; p=0,004).

CONCLUSIONS: In this investigation the prevalence of male hypogonadism in type 2 diabetes, determined by high-precision tandem mass spectrometry, was 69,5%. There was no effect of the disease on the mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid links of adrenal steroidogenesis. Hypogonadism was associated with decreased levels of a number of testosterone precursors. The most significant of them was 17-hydroxyprogesterone, which can be considered as a marker of testicular steroidogenesis.
Color Evaluation of Dry Vermicelli Made from Combination of Arenga Starch, Rice Flour and Sorghum
Authors: Utari Febiani Dwi , Hastuti Ririn Puji , Sasongko Setia Budi , Djaeni Mohamad
Published: July 2022

In Indonesia, vermicelli is usually produced using arenga starch. But the arenga starch has limited in the term of quantity and the nutritional quality. In order to improve the arenga starch vermicelli, the formulation was combined with rice flour and sorghum. Each single change in vermicelli formulation will be modifies the final product color. This research studied the effect of vermicelli formulation on the color change of dry vermicelli. During the production of vermicelli, arenga starch was mixed with 10-90% of rice flour. The color parameter was observed as L* (lightness), a* (redness and greenness), and b* (yellowness and blueness). The total color difference was also calculated. The procedure was repeated with addition of sorghum. Result showed that the addition of rice flour increased the L* value. Meanwhile, the addition of sorghum decreased the L* value. Total color difference was higher in addition of sorghum.