bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RETRACTED ARTICLE: HDAC1-Mediated MicroRNA-124-5p Regulates NPY to Affect Learning and Memory Abilities in Rats with Depression
Authors: Tang Chunling , Hu Jian
Published: February 2021

Researches pivoting on histone deacetylases (HDACs) in depression have been excessively conducted, but not much on HDAC1. Therein, the present study is launched to disclose the mechanism of HDAC1/microRNA (miR)-124-5p/neuropeptide Y (NPY) axis in depression. Sprague Dawley rats were stimulated by chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish depression models. Depressed rats were injected with inhibited HDAC1 or suppressed miR-124-5p to explore their roles in body weight, learning and memory abilities, oxidative stress and inflammation in serum and neurotransmitter expression in hippocampal tissues. MiR-124-5p, HDAC1 and NPY expression in the hippocampus were tested. The interactions of miR-124-5p, HDAC1 and NPY expression were also confirmed. Higher miR-124-5p and HDAC1 and lower NPY expression levels were found in the hippocampus of depressed rats. Inhibited miR-124-5p or suppressed HDAC1 attenuated learning and memory abilities and increased body weight of depressed rats. Knockdown of miR-124-5p or inhibition of HDAC1 suppressed oxidative stress and inflammation and promoted neurotransmitter expression of depressed rats. HDAC1 mediated miR-124-5p to regulate NPY. Knockdown of NPY abolished the protective effects of inhibited miR-124-5p on depressed rats. Our study illustrates that suppression of either miR-124-5p or HDAC1 up-regulates NPY to improve memory and learning abilities in depressed mice, which may update the existed knowledge of depression and provide a novel reference for treatment of depression.
A mixed-methods analysis of mobility behavior changes in the COVID-19 era in a rural case study
Authors: König Alexandra , Dreßler Annika
Published: February 2021

Background

As a reaction to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), countries around the globe have implemented various measures to reduce the spread of the virus. The transportation sector is particularly affected by the pandemic situation. The current study aims to contribute to the empirical knowledge regarding the effects of the coronavirus situation on the mobility of people by (1) broadening the perspective to the mobility rural area’s residents and (2) providing subjective data concerning the perceived changes of affected persons’ mobility practices, as these two aspects have scarcely been considered in research so far.

Methods

To address these research gaps, a mixed-methods study was conducted that integrates a qualitative telephone interview study (N = 15) and a quantitative household survey (N = 301). The rural district of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel in Northern Germany was chosen as a model region.

Results

The results provide in-depth insights into the changing mobility practices of residents of a rural area during the legal restrictions to stem the spread of the virus. A high share of respondents (62.6%) experienced no changes in their mobility behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. However, nearly one third of trips were also cancelled overall. A modal shift was observed towards the reduction of trips by car and bus, and an increase of trips by bike. The share of trips by foot was unchanged. The majority of respondents did not predict strong long-term effects of the corona pandemic on their mobility behavior.
Spatial transmission network construction of influenza-like illness using dynamic Bayesian network and vector-autoregressive moving average model
Authors: Qiu Jianqing , Wang Huimin , Hu Lin , Yang Changhong , Zhang Tao
Published: February 2021

Background

Although vaccination is one of the main countermeasures against influenza epidemic, it is highly essential to make informed prevention decisions to guarantee that limited vaccination resources are allocated to the places where they are most needed. Hence, one of the fundamental steps for decision making in influenza prevention is to characterize its spatio-temporal trend, especially on the key problem about how influenza transmits among adjacent places and how much impact the influenza of one place could have on its neighbors. To solve this problem while avoiding too much additional time-consuming work on data collection, this study proposed a new concept of spatio-temporal route as well as its estimation methods to construct the influenza transmission network.

Methods

The influenza-like illness (ILI) data of Sichuan province in 21 cities was collected from 2010 to 2016. A joint pattern based on the dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model and the vector autoregressive moving average (VARMA) model was utilized to estimate the spatio-temporal routes, which were applied to the two stages of learning process respectively, namely structure learning and parameter learning. In structure learning, the first-order conditional dependencies approximation algorithm was used to generate the DBN, which could visualize the spatio-temporal routes of influenza among adjacent cities and infer which cities have impacts on others in influenza transmission. In parameter learning, the VARMA model was adopted to estimate the strength of these impacts. Finally, all the estimated spatio-temporal routes were put together to form the final influenza transmission network.

Results

The results showed that the period of influenza transmission cycle was longer in Western Sichuan and Chengdu Plain than that in Northeastern Sichuan, and there would be potential spatio-temporal routes of influenza from bordering provinces or municipalities into Sichuan province. Furthermore, this study also pointed out several estimated spatio-temporal routes with relatively high strength of associations, which could serve as clues of hot spot areas detection for influenza surveillance.

Conclusions

This study proposed a new framework for exploring the potentially stable spatio-temporal routes between different places and measuring specific the sizes of transmission effects. It could help making timely and reliable prediction of the spatio-temporal trend of infectious diseases, and further determining the possible key areas of the next epidemic by considering their neighbors’ incidence and the transmission relationships.
Cognitive functioning in Deaf children using Cochlear implants
Authors: Almomani Fidaa , Al-momani Murad O. , Garadat Soha , Alqudah Safa , Kassab Manal , Hamadneh Shereen , Rauterkus Grant , Gans Richard
Published: February 2021

Background

Cognitive abilities like language, memory, reasoning, visualization, and perceptual functioning shape human action and are considered critical to the successful interaction with the environment. Alternatively, hearing loss can disrupt a child’s ability to communicate, and negatively impact cognitive development. Cochlear implants (CI) restore auditory input thereby supporting communication and may enhance cognitive performance. This study compares general cognitive development after cochlear implantation (2017–2019) in two groups of Jordanian children implanted earlier (age:4–6 years,N = 22) and later (7–9 years,N = 16) to the development of randomly selected normal hearing peers (N = 48).

Design

Visualization, reasoning, memory, and attention were assessed using the Leiter-R scale at baseline (before implantation), 8 months and 16 months post implantation for children with hearing loss. Same times of testing (baseline, 8 months and 16 months) were used for normal hearing peers.

Results

Over the 16-month period, the cognitive improvement of 4–6-year-old deaf children was greater than that of their normal hearing peers on the scales of visualization (5.62 vs. 4.40), reasoning (2.53 vs. 2.38) and memory (17.19 vs. 11.67). while the improvement of 7–9-year-old was less major than that of their normal hearing peers on all scales.

Conclusions

These results suggest that CI not only enhances communication skills but may improve cognitive functioning in deaf children. However, the extent of this improvement was dependent on age at intervention; current results demonstrated that the children received CI at young ages had better cognitive improvements.
Assessment of assumptions underlying models of prokaryotic pangenome evolution
Authors: Sela Itamar , Wolf Yuri I. , Koonin Eugene V.
Published: February 2021

Background

The genomes of bacteria and archaea evolve by extensive loss and gain of genes which, for any group of related prokaryotic genomes, result in the formation of a pangenome with the universal, asymmetrical U-shaped distribution of gene commonality. However, the evolutionary factors that define the specific shape of this distribution are not thoroughly understood.

Results

We investigate the fit of simple models of genome evolution to the empirically observed gene commonality distributions and genome intersections for 33 groups of closely related bacterial genomes. A model with an infinite external gene pool available for gene acquisition and constant genome size (IGP-CGS model), and two gene turnover rates, one for slow- and the other one for fast-evolving genes, allows two approaches to estimate the parameters for gene content dynamics. One is by fitting the model prediction to the distribution of the number of genes shared by precisely k genomes (gene commonality distribution) and another by analyzing the distribution of the number of genes common for k genome sets (k-cores). Both approaches produce a comparable overall quality of fit, although the former significantly overestimates the number of the universally conserved genes, while the latter overestimates the number of singletons. We further explore the effect of dropping each of the assumptions of the IGP-CGS model on the fit to the gene commonality distributions and show that models with either a finite gene pool or unequal rates of gene loss and gain (greater gene loss rate) eliminate the overestimate of the number of singletons or the core genome size.

Conclusions

We examine the assumptions that are usually adopted for modeling the evolution of the U-shaped gene commonality distributions in prokaryote genomes, namely, those of infinitely many genes and constant genome size. The combined analysis of genome intersections and gene commonality suggests that at least one of these assumptions is invalid. The violation of both these assumptions reflects the limited ability of prokaryotes to gain new genes. This limitation seems to stem, at least partly, from the horizontal gene transfer barrier, i.e., the cost of accommodation of foreign genes by prokaryotes. Further development of models taking into account the complexity of microbial evolution is necessary for an improved understanding of the evolution of prokaryotes.
Hidden genomic features of an invasive malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi, revealed by a chromosome-level genome assembly
Authors: Chakraborty Mahul , Ramaiah Arunachalam , Adolfi Adriana , Halas Paige , Kaduskar Bhagyashree , Ngo Luna Thanh , Jayaprasad Suvratha , Paul Kiran , Whadgar Saurabh , Srinivasan Subhashini , Subramani Suresh , Bier Ethan , James Anthony A. , Emerson J. J.
Published: February 2021

Background

The mosquito Anopheles stephensi is a vector of urban malaria in Asia that recently invaded Africa. Studying the genetic basis of vectorial capacity and engineering genetic interventions are both impeded by limitations of a vector’s genome assembly. The existing assemblies of An. stephensi are draft-quality and contain thousands of sequence gaps, potentially missing genetic elements important for its biology and evolution.

Results

To access previously intractable genomic regions, we generated a reference-grade genome assembly and full transcript annotations that achieve a new standard for reference genomes of disease vectors. Here, we report novel species-specific transposable element (TE) families and insertions in functional genetic elements, demonstrating the widespread role of TEs in genome evolution and phenotypic variation. We discovered 29 previously hidden members of insecticide resistance genes, uncovering new candidate genetic elements for the widespread insecticide resistance observed in An. stephensi. We identified 2.4 Mb of the Y chromosome and seven new male-linked gene candidates, representing the most extensive coverage of the Y chromosome in any mosquito. By tracking full-length mRNA for > 15 days following blood feeding, we discover distinct roles of previously uncharacterized genes in blood metabolism and female reproduction. The Y-linked heterochromatin landscape reveals extensive accumulation of long-terminal repeat retrotransposons throughout the evolution and degeneration of this chromosome. Finally, we identify a novel Y-linked putative transcription factor that is expressed constitutively throughout male development and adulthood, suggesting an important role.

Conclusion

Collectively, these results and resources underscore the significance of previously hidden genomic elements in the biology of malaria mosquitoes and will accelerate the development of genetic control strategies of malaria transmission.
Socioeconomic inequalities in primary-care and specialist physician visits: a systematic review
Authors: Lueckmann Sara Lena , Hoebel Jens , Roick Julia , Markert Jenny , Spallek Jacob , von dem Knesebeck Olaf , Richter Matthias
Published: February 2021

Background

Utilization of primary-care and specialist physicians seems to be associated differently with socioeconomic status (SES). This review aims to summarize and compare the evidence on socioeconomic inequalities in consulting primary-care or specialist physicians in the general adult population in high-income countries.

Methods

We carried out a systematic search across the most relevant databases (Web of Science, Medline) and included all studies, published since 2004, reporting associations between SES and utilization of primary-care and/or specialist physicians. In total, 57 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria.

Results

Many studies found socioeconomic inequalities in physician utilization, but inequalities were more pronounced in visiting specialists than primary-care physicians. The results of the studies varied strongly according to the operationalization of utilization, namely whether a physician was visited (probability) or how often a physician was visited (frequency). For probabilities of visiting primary-care physicians predominantly no association with SES was found, but frequencies of visits were higher in the most disadvantaged. The most disadvantaged often had lower probabilities of visiting specialists, but in many studies no link was found between the number of visits and SES.

Conclusion

This systematic review emphasizes that inequalities to the detriment of the most deprived is primarily a problem in the probability of visiting specialist physicians. Healthcare policy should focus first off on effective access to specialist physicians in order to tackle inequalities in healthcare.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019123222.
The burden of cycling-related trauma to the orthopaedic and trauma department of a level 1 trauma hospital in Adelaide, South Australia
Authors: Abrahams John M. , Sagar Christopher , Rickman Mark
Published: February 2021

Background

With the fourth largest metropolitan population density, motor vehicle drivers in Adelaide, South Australia, record the most number of motor vehicle insurance claims in Australia. Previous studies have shown a rise in cycling-related emergency department presentations from 2005 to 2010. There is no specific data available specifically related to South Australia. Our institution is the largest level 1 trauma centre in South Australia and Northern Territory and has a local geographic pool of the central metropolitan region of Adelaide.

The aims of this study were to establish the demographics of cycling-related presentations to our institution that involved the admission of a patient under the Orthopaedic and Trauma service. Secondary aims were to investigate whether there were any common variables among these presentations that could be modified to prevent or reduce the morbidity of cycling-related trauma.

Methods

A prospective study was performed at our institution from 1 March 2018 until 31 December 2019 of all inpatient admissions under the Orthopaedics and Trauma department, where the patient was injured as a cyclist. We collated patient-reported information about the accident and their cycling habits.

Results

One hundred and ten patients were included in the study. One hundred and thirty-one injuries were recorded, requiring 89 surgical procedures. Eighty were upper limb injuries (61%), 49 were lower limb (37%), and 2 injuries occurred in either the spine or ribs. The most common reason for the accident was excessive cyclist speed.

Conclusions

The majority of cyclists admitted to our unit with orthopaedic injuries were male patients who assessed themselves as experienced riders, and yet still were involved in accidents that resulted predominantly from episodes of poor judgement. Speed is a common and avoidable factor involved in the presentation of orthopaedic-related trauma to the public system. Involvement of other vehicles was relatively uncommon, as was poor weather; upper limb injuries predominate in this group.
Factors affecting thyroid nodule fine needle aspiration non‐diagnostic rates: a retrospective association study of 1975 thyroid biopsies
Authors: Houdek Devon , Cooke-Hubley Sandra , Puttagunta Lakshmi , Morrish Donald
Published: February 2021

Background

Thyroid nodules are common in clinical practice, and it is important to distinguish benign nodules, the vast majority, from malignant ones. Non-diagnostic (ND) samples have the potential to delay or mis-diagnose or lead to unnecessary surgeries, and it is important to examine what factors influence the ND rate. Prior literature has suggested that the impact of bedside cytology on ND rate is dependent on the initial adequacy rate, whereby higher ND rates benefit most from bedside cytology. We aim to compare the impact of bedside adequacy review between specialist groups who perform high volume thyroid biopsies with low initial ND rates.

Methods

We reviewed the cytopathology results of 1975 thyroid nodule FNAs performed between January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 in a multi-centre Canadian city, and the corresponding histopathology reports of 340 resected nodules. Descriptive variables were used to describe the data along with chi-squared testing and univariate logistic regression.

Results

The FNA biopsies were performed by three different speciality groups, which differed by procedural volume: radiology performed the most at 1171, pathology performed 655 and surgery performed 103. We could not define the operator for 45 of the nodules. The ND rate was lowest in the speciality groups with highest procedural volume, 3.4 % in pathology and 8.3 % in radiology, compared to 37.9 % in surgery (p < 0.001). Completion of bedside cytology rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) significantly reduced the ND rate from 16.7 to 4.2 % for all samples (p < 0.001). When ROSE was compared with non-ROSE within a high procedural group (radiology), it further reduced the ND rate from 12.5 to 5.1 % (p < 0.001). Of the 340 resected nodules, 10.7 % (18) were in the ND category, of which 28 % (5/18) of these were found to be malignant (4 papillary carcinoma and 1 lymphoma).

Conclusions

The results from this study demonstrate that thyroid FNAs performed with bedside ROSE can significantly reduce the ND rate compared with non-ROSE, even in experienced groups with low initial ND rates. It is therefore imperative that care providers managing patients with thyroid nodules ensure that thyroid FNAs are referred to specialized individuals/groups who do high volume, and ideally with the use of bedside ROSE, whether provided by a cytotechnologist or a pathologist.
Molecular analyses of triple-negative breast cancer in the young and elderly
Authors: Aine Mattias , Boyaci Ceren , Hartman Johan , Häkkinen Jari , Mitra Shamik , Campos Ana Bosch , Nimeus Emma , Ehinger Anna , Vallon-Christersson Johan , Borg Åke , Staaf Johan
Published: February 2021

Background

Breast cancer in young adults has been implicated with a worse outcome. Analyses of genomic traits associated with age have been heterogenous, likely because of an incomplete accounting for underlying molecular subtypes. We aimed to resolve whether triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in younger versus older patients represent similar or different molecular diseases in the context of genetic and transcriptional subtypes and immune cell infiltration.

Patients and methods

In total, 237 patients from a reported population-based south Swedish TNBC cohort profiled by RNA sequencing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) were included. Patients were binned in 10-year intervals. Complimentary PD-L1 and CD20 immunohistochemistry and estimation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were performed. Cases were analyzed for differences in patient outcome, genomic, transcriptional, and immune landscape features versus age at diagnosis. Additionally, 560 public WGS breast cancer profiles were used for validation.

Results

Median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range 26–91). Age was not associated with invasive disease-free survival or overall survival after adjuvant chemotherapy. Among the BRCA1-deficient cases (82/237), 90% were diagnosed before the age of 70 and were predominantly of the basal-like subtype. In the full TNBC cohort, reported associations of patient age with changes in Ki67 expression, PIK3CA mutations, and a luminal androgen receptor subtype were confirmed. Within DNA repair deficiency or gene expression defined molecular subgroups, age-related alterations in, e.g., overall gene expression, immune cell marker gene expression, genetic mutational and rearrangement signatures, amount of copy number alterations, and tumor mutational burden did, however, not appear distinct. Similar non-significant associations for genetic alterations with age were obtained for other breast cancer subgroups in public WGS data. Consistent with age-related immunosenescence, TIL counts decreased linearly with patient age across different genetic TNBC subtypes.

Conclusions

Age-related alterations in TNBC, as well as breast cancer in general, need to be viewed in the context of underlying genomic phenotypes. Based on this notion, age at diagnosis alone does not appear to provide an additional layer of biological complexity above that of proposed genetic and transcriptional phenotypes of TNBC. Consequently, treatment decisions should be less influenced by age and more driven by tumor biology.
CRISPRi screens reveal genes modulating yeast growth in lignocellulose hydrolysate
Authors: Gutmann Friederike , Jann Cosimo , Pereira Filipa , Johansson Andreas , Steinmetz Lars M. , Patil Kiran R.
Published: February 2021

Background

Baker’s yeast is a widely used eukaryotic cell factory, producing a diverse range of compounds including biofuels and fine chemicals. The use of lignocellulose as feedstock offers the opportunity to run these processes in an environmentally sustainable way. However, the required hydrolysis pretreatment of lignocellulosic material releases toxic compounds that hamper yeast growth and consequently productivity.

Results

Here, we employ CRISPR interference in S. cerevisiae to identify genes modulating fermentative growth in plant hydrolysate and in presence of lignocellulosic toxins. We find that at least one-third of hydrolysate-associated gene functions are explained by effects of known toxic compounds, such as the decreased growth of YAP1 or HAA1, or increased growth of DOT6 knock-down strains in hydrolysate.

Conclusion

Our study confirms previously known genetic elements and uncovers new targets towards designing more robust yeast strains for the utilization of lignocellulose hydrolysate as sustainable feedstock, and, more broadly, paves the way for applying CRISPRi screens to improve industrial fermentation processes.
Differences in circulating fatty acid-binding protein 4 concentration in the venous and capillary blood immediately after acute exercise
Authors: Numao Shigeharu , Uchida Ryota , Kurosaki Takashi , Nakagaichi Masaki
Published: February 2021

Background

Circulating fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a marker for various diseases. It would be highly useful to have simple and less invasive techniques for the assessment of FABP4 concentrations in the clinical research setting. The purpose of the present study was to assess the concordance of circulating FABP4 concentrations in venous and capillary blood both at rest and immediately after acute exercise in healthy young males.

Results

Thirty-eight healthy young male adults aged from 19 to 25 years (mean age, 20.8 ± 1.2 years) were recruited. Paired blood samples were taken from the cubital vein (venous) and fingertip (capillary) blood at rest (resting state) and immediately after incremental exercise (exercising state). Blood samples were analyzed to determine the circulating FABP4 concentration using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pearson’s correlation coefficients for circulating FABP4 concentrations between venous and capillary blood samples indicated a strong positive correlation in both the resting and exercising state (resting state: r = 0.982, exercising state: r = 0.989, both p < 0.001). The mean FABP4 concentration was similar between venous and capillary blood in the resting state (p = 0.178), whereas it was significantly higher in capillary blood than in venous blood in the exercising state (p < 0.001). Furthermore, Bland–Altman plots showed a non-significant bias (− 0.07 ± 0.61 ng/mL, p = 0.453) in the resting state, whereas a significant bias (− 0.45 ± 0.61 ng/mL, p < 0.001) was observed in the exercising state.

Conclusions

These results indicate that capillary blood sampling can slightly overestimate circulating FABP4 concentrations under a physiologically dynamic state. However, the association between the venous and capillary blood in terms of FABP4 concentration was very strong, suggesting that capillary blood sampling can detect changes in FABP4 concentration in both physiologically steady and dynamic states.
Aspergillus awamori ameliorates the physicochemical characteristics and mineral profile of mung bean under salt stress
Authors: Ali Raid , Gul Humaira , Hamayun Muhammad , Rauf Mamoona , Iqbal Amjad , Shah Mohib , Hussain Anwar , Bibi Hamida , Lee In-Jung
Published: February 2021

Background

In the list of abiotic stresses, salt stress is a main growth retarding factor which affects 7% of rain-fed while 30% worldwide irrigated agriculture. However, various strategies are assumed to manage this problem, but the use of endophytes is cheap and eco-friendly. The goal of this study was to evaluate the behavior of endophyticAspergillus awamori(EWF) in creating salt tolerance in mung bean in terms of its seedling growth, biochemical indices, antioxidant enzymes, endogenous IAA, and ionic status of the plant.

Results

The results revealed that the 150 mM of NaCl reduced seedling growth (seedlings’ weight and length; leaves number), chlorophyll contents, and IAA. On the other hand, proline, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannin, lipid peroxidation, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase were increased. Inoculation of EWF had promoted the mung bean growth under all tested conditions. EWF enhanced the biomass and IAA contents of the mung bean plants under salt stress. Moreover, EWF-associated mung bean seedlings exhibited low accumulation of stress markers, and Cl, Na, Na/K, and Ca/K ratio, whereas higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, N, and P in mung bean seedlings.

Conclusion

The results provided a sustainable approach in using endophytic EWF under salt stress, thus concluded that this fungus can be very handy in mung bean as well as other important crop production in saline areas.
Comparative study of bone regeneration using fibrin sealant with xenograft in rabbit sinus: pilot study
Authors: Choi Won-Hyuk , Kim Yong-Deok , Song Jae-Min , Shin Sang-Hun
Published: February 2021

Background

Stability of the grafted bone volume is one of the important factors to the success of alveolar bone grafts. For this, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or fibrin sealant is mixed with the bone graft material. Bio-Oss® is a protein-free bovine mineral commonly used in bone graft procedures. The grafting particles are commonly combined with a standard fibrin sealant (Tisseel®) to fabricate a plastic implantable product. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the efficacy of fibrin sealant (Tisseel®) in bone regeneration performance in a rabbit maxillary sinus model.

Methods

A total of five 3.5 kg weight New Zealand white rabbits were used for the study. After elevating the sinus membrane in both maxillary sinus cavities, Bio-Oss® mixed with normal saline (group 1) was filled into the right side, and Tisseel® mixed Bio-Oss® (group 2) was inserted into the other side. The bone mineral density and bone volume were analyzed with microscopic computed tomography (micro-CT) and histomorphometric 12 weeks after application.

Results

Histologically, new bone formation rate was 14.8%, and grafted bone rate was 70.5% in group 1. In group 2, they were 18.5% and 60.4%, respectively. According to micro-CT analysis, bone mineral density (mg/cm3, BMD) was 2.5% larger in group 1.

Conclusions

The findings from this study suggest that, although the difference in the bone formation between group 1 and group 2 appears to be insignificant, group 2 had an advantage in using smaller amount of bone substances to achieve the reliable bone formation.
Simultaneous assessment of colon motility in children with functional constipation by cine-MRI and colonic manometry: a feasibility study
Authors: Vriesman M. H. , de Jonge C. S. , Kuizenga-Wessel S. , Adler B. , Menys A. , Nederveen A. J. , Stoker J. , Benninga M. A. , Di Lorenzo C.
Published: February 2021

Background

Colonic manometry is the current reference standard for assessing colonic neuromuscular function in children with intractable functional constipation (FC). Recently, cine magnetic resonance imaging (cine-MRI) has been proposed as a non-invasive alternative. We compared colonic motility patterns on cine-MRI with those obtained by manometry in children, by stimulating high-amplitude propagating contractions (HAPCs) with bisacodyl under manometric control while simultaneously acquiring cine-MRI.

Methods

After Institutional Review Board approval, adolescents with FC scheduled to undergo colonic manometry were included. A water-perfused 8-lumen catheter was used for colonic manometry recordings. After an intraluminal bisacodyl infusion, cine-MRI sequences of the descending colon were acquired for about 30 min simultaneously with colonic manometry. Manometry recordings were analysed for HAPCs. MRI images were processed with spatiotemporal motility MRI techniques. The anonymised motility results of both techniques were visually compared for the identification of HAPCs in the descending colon.

Results

Data regarding six patients (three males) were analysed (median age 14 years, range 12–17). After bisacodyl infusion, three patients showed a total of eleven HAPCs with colonic manometry. Corresponding cine-MRI recorded high colonic activity during two of these HAPCs, minimal activity during seven HAPCs, while two HAPCs were not recorded. In two of three patients with absent HAPCs on manometry, colonic activity was recorded with cine-MRI.

Conclusions

Simultaneous acquisition of colonic cine-MRI and manometry in children with FC is feasible. Their motility results did not completely overlap in the identification of HAPCs. Research is needed to unravel the role of cine-MRI in this setting.
Determination of residual solvents in paclitaxel by headspace gas chromatography
Authors: Noorbasha Khaleel , Shaik Abdul Rahaman
Published: February 2021

Background

A simple and sensitive gas chromatographic method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, dichloromethane, N-hexane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, and N,N-diisopropyl ethyl amine in Paclitaxel. A chromatographic separation was done on DB-624 column, 30 m length × 0.53 mm ID, and film thickness 3 μm, using a flame ionization detector (FID) with gradient column oven temperature program. The injection was carried out in split mode, with a split ratio of 5:1. A mixture of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (contains 1% piperazine) and water in the ratio of 80:20 (v/v) was selected as a diluent to obtain good sensitivity along with the recovery.

Results

The developed gas chromatographic method offers symmetric peak shape, good resolution of more than 2.0 between the solvent peaks, and the relative standard deviation for replicate injections of all the solvents were found to be not more than 15.0% with reasonable retention time for all the solvents. The limit of detection for methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, dichloromethane, N-hexane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, and N,N-diisopropyl ethyl amine was found to be 304.69 ppm, 497.98 ppm, 498.99 ppm, 504.49 ppm, 61.81 ppm, 30.07 ppm, 505 ppm, 73.05 ppm, and 2.09 ppm, respectively. Limit of quantitation of methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropyl alcohol, dichloromethane, N-hexane, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, and N,N-diisopropyl ethyl amine was found to be 89.62 ppm, 146.47 ppm, 146.76 ppm, 148.38 ppm, 18.18 ppm, 8.84 ppm, 148.53 ppm, 21.49 ppm, and 0.62 ppm, respectively. Precision was found to be satisfactory. Linear in the range of LOQ to 150% level for all the solvents, and accuracy along with robustness, is performed, and acceptable results were obtained.

Conclusion

The proposed method was demonstrated to be simple, sensitive, specific, linear, precise, accurate, and robust, hence can be used to determine the residual organic solvents in Paclitaxel drug substance and drug product.
Bayesian magnetotelluric inversion using methylene blue structural priors for imaging shallow conductors in geothermal fields
Authors: Ardid Alberto , Dempsey David , Bertrand Edward , Sepulveda Fabian , Tarits Pascal , Solon Flora , Archer Rosalind
Published: February 2021

In geothermal exploration, magnetotelluric (MT) data and inversion models are commonly used to image shallow conductors typically associated with the presence of an electrically conductive clay cap that overlies the main reservoir. However, these inversion models suffer from nonuniqueness and uncertainty, and the inclusion of useful geologic information is still limited. We have developed a Bayesian inversion method that integrates the electrical resistivity distribution from MT surveys with borehole methylene blue (MeB) data, an indicator of conductive clay content. The MeB data were used to inform structural priors for the MT Bayesian inversion that focus on inferring with uncertainty the shallow conductor boundary in geothermal fields. By incorporating borehole information, our inversion reduced nonuniqueness and then explicitly represented the irreducible uncertainty as estimated depth intervals for the conductor boundary. We used the Markov chain Monte Carlo and a 1D three-layer resistivity model to accelerate the Bayesian inversion of the MT signal beneath each station. Then, inferred conductor boundary distributions were interpolated to construct pseudo-2D/3D models of the uncertain conductor geometry. We compare our approach against deterministic MT inversion software on synthetic and field examples, and our approach has good performance in estimating the depth to the bottom of the conductor, a valuable target in geothermal reservoir exploration.
Deep learning for multitrace sparse-spike deconvolution
Authors: Chai Xintao , Tang Genyang , Lin Kai , Yan Zhe , Gu Hanming , Peng Ronghua , Sun Xiaodong , Cao Wenjun
Published: February 2021

Sparse-spike deconvolution (SSD) is an important method for seismic resolution enhancement. With the wavelet given, many trace-by-trace SSD methods have been proposed for extracting an estimate of the reflection-coefficient series from stacked traces. The main drawbacks of trace-by-trace methods are that they neither use the information from the adjacent seismograms nor do they take full advantage of the inherent spatial continuity of the seismic data. Although several multitrace methods have been consequently proposed, these methods generally rely on different assumptions and theories and require different parameter settings for different data applications. Therefore, traditional methods demand intensive human-computer interaction. This requirement undoubtedly does not fit the current dominant trend of intelligent seismic exploration. Therefore, we have developed a deep learning (DL)-based multitrace SSD approach. The approach transforms the input 2D/3D seismic data into the corresponding SSD result by training end-to-end encoder-decoder-style 2D/3D convolutional neural networks (CNN). Our key motivations are that DL is effective for mining complicated relations from data, the 2D/3D CNN can take multitrace information into account naturally, the additional information contributes to the SSD result with better spatial continuity, and parameter tuning is not necessary for CNN predictions. We determine the significance of the learning rate for the training process’s convergence. Benchmarking tests on the field 2D/3D seismic data confirm that the approach yields accurate high-resolution results that are mostly in agreement with the well logs, the DL-based multitrace SSD results generated by the 2D/3D CNNs are better than the trace-by-trace SSD results, and the 3D CNN outperforms the 2D CNN for 3D data application.
Improvement in A1c Levels in Early Adulthood in the T1D Exchange: Impact of Racial, Socioeconomic, and Clinical Factors
Authors: Toschi Elena , Bailey Ryan J , Miller Kellee M , Calhoun Peter M
Published: February 2021

Context

Glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes is poor; yet, it typically improves during early adulthood. Factors related to improvement of glycemic control are unclear.

Objective

This work examines how demographic and clinical variables may affect trajectories of glycemic control over time.

Methods

This retrospective, observational study comprised 1775 participants ages 18 to 30 years at enrollment in the T1D Exchange clinic registry. Latent class trajectory modeling was used to determine subgroups following a similar glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) trajectory over time.

Results

Five distinct trajectories of HbA1c classes were identified: “low-decline” and “moderate-decline” groups had low or moderate HbA1c with a gradual decline, the “high-stable” group had high HbA1c and remained stable, and the “very high-rapid decline” and “very high-slow decline” groups had very high HbA1c with rapid or gradual decline. Compared with the “high-stable” group, the “low-decline” and “moderate-decline” groups were more likely to be male (P = .009), White non-Hispanic (P = .02), nonsmokers (P < .001), check self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) more frequently (P < .001), and have higher education (P < .001), lower body mass index (P = .02), and lower daily insulin dose (P < .001). Compared with the “very high-rapid decline” and “very high-slow decline” groups, the “low-decline” and “moderate-decline” groups were more likely to be male (P = .02), have higher education (P < .001), use insulin pumps (P = .01), be nonsmokers (P < .001), and have a higher number of SMBG checks per day at enrollment (P < .001).

Conclusion

We determined 5 distinct patterns of glycemic control from early adulthood into adulthood. Further evaluation into the modifiable factors associated with a declining HbA1c trajectory would aid in the development of targeted interventions.
Use of Ulipristal Acetate and Risk of Liver Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Yoon Eileen L , Yuk Jin-Sung
Published: February 2021

Context

Large-scale clinical trials on the hepatotoxicity of ulipristal acetate (UPA) are lacking.

Objective

This work aimed to determine the incidence of liver disease with UPA vs gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in South Korea of women with uterine fibroids from the Korean Health Insurance Data 2010 to 2018. Women with uterine fibroids were divided into 2 treatment groups: the UPA (5 mg/day) and GnRH agonist groups. Main outcome measures included the presence or absence of severe liver disease, mild liver disease, and liver transplantation.

Results

Among the patients with uterine fibroids,17 207 patients were treated with GnRH agonists and 20 926 patients with UPA. After 1:1 propensity score matching for each group, there were 11 445 individuals. Neither group had a liver transplantation case. In the conditional logistic regression analysis, the incidence of total liver diseases (relative risk [RR] 1.111; 95% CI, 1.015-1.216) and mild liver diseases (RR 1.094; 95% CI, 1-1.196) was higher in the UPA group than in the GnRH agonist group, but that of severe liver diseases (RR 0.07; 95% CI, 0.001-4.412) and toxic liver disease (RR 1.256; 95% CI, 0.845-1.867) did not differ between the groups.

Conclusion

The incidence of severe liver disease, hepatic failure, and toxic liver disease was not different between the UPA and GnRH agonist groups. However, the incidence of mild liver disease was higher in the UPA group than in the GnRH agonist group. The incidence of hepatic damage with UPA was very low.
Motherhood Penalties and Fatherhood Premiums: Effects of Parenthood on Earnings Growth Within and Across Firms
Authors: Yu Wei-hsin , Hara Yuko
Published: February 2021

Despite much interest in how parenthood contributes to the gender pay gap, prior research has rarely explored firms' roles in shaping the parenthood pay penalty or premium. The handful of studies that investigated parenthood's effects within and across firms generally compared parents and their childless peers at a given time and failed to account for unobserved heterogeneity between the two groups. Such comparisons also cannot inform how having children may alter individuals' earnings trajectories within and across firms. Using 26 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and fixed-effects models, we examine how being a mother or father is linked to earnings growth within and across firms. We find that women's pay decreases as they become mothers and that the across-employer motherhood penalty is larger than the within-employer penalty. By contrast, fatherhood is associated with a pay premium, and the within-employer fatherhood premium is considerably greater than the across-employer one. We argue that these results are consistent with the discrimination explanation of the motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium. Because employers are likely to trust women who become mothers while working for them more than new recruits who are mothers, their negative bias against mothers would be more salient when evaluating the latter, which could result in a larger between-organizational motherhood penalty. Conversely, employers' likely greater trust in existing workers who become fathers than fathers they hire from elsewhere may amplify their positive bias favoring fathers in assessing the former, which could explain the greater within-firm fatherhood premium.
Παροχή ψυχολογικών υπηρεσιών στο σχολείο: Η "υποβαθμισμένη" συμβολή του σχολικού ψυχολόγου στο ελληνικό εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα
Authors: Σ. Νικολόπουλος Δημήτρης
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Η επαγγελματική εξουθένωση σε επαγγελματίες ψυχικής υγείας και η σχέση της με δημογραφικές μεταβλητές και την ψυχική υγεία
Authors: Παπαθανασίου Μαρία
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
The investigation of planning on neuropsychology: from the Tower of Hanoi and Tower of London paradigms to Virtual Reality
Authors: Kotitsa Maria
Published: February 2021

THE ABSTRACT IS AVAILABLE IN THE PDF
Ο ρόλος της παραγωγικής μορφολογίας στην ανάπτυξη της ορθογραφικής ικανότητας: μια διαγλωσσική προσέγγιση
Authors: Τσεσμελή Στυλιανή
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Ψυχολογία της Υγείας και Δημόσια Υγεία: Συνάντηση και συνεισφορές στην Ευρώπη και στην Ελλάδα
Authors: Κουλιεράκης Γεώργιος
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Ο προσανατολισμός στο στόχο και ο φόβος αποτυχίας ως προβλεπτικοί παράγοντες του στρες και της συναισθηματικής κατάστασης κατά τη διάρκεια παρουσιάσεων
Authors: Μάρου Βαία , Δ. Σιδερίδης Γεώργιος
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Μαθησιακό ύφος και εκμάθηση ξένης γλώσσας: Η επίδραση του φύλου, της προτίμησης χεριού και της κατεύθυνσης σπουδών
Authors: Ανδρέου Ελένη , Ανδρέου Γεωργία , Βλάχος Φίλλιπος
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Πραγματολογικές δεξιότητες σε παιδιά με αυτισμό
Authors: Βογινδρούκας Ιωάννης
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Ένα πρόγραμμα γνωσιακής-συμπεριφοριστικής παρέμβασης για την ενίσχυση της αυτοαποτελεσματικότητας σε παιδιά με προβλήματα μάθησης στο σχολείο
Authors: Καρμπά-Σχοινά Χρυσούλα , Ζαφειροπούλου Μαρία
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Παράγοντες και αντιλήψεις που επηρεάζουν την αξιολόγηση της ηρωικής συμπεριφοράς από τους εφήβους
Authors: Πλατσίδου Μαρία , Μεταλλίδου Παναγιώτα
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Προσαρμογή σε σοβαρά προβλήματα υγείας και ικανότητα διάκρισης ως προς την αντίληψη ελέγχου και την αντιμετώπιση στρεσογόνων καταστάσεων
Authors: Ρούσση Πάτζια , Κούτρη Ιφιγένεια
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Παράγοντες πρόβλεψης της προληπτικής συμπεριφοράς υγιών γυναικών σχετικά με τον καρκίνο του μαστού
Authors: Βλαβιανού Μ. , Αναγνωστόπουλος Φ. , Καρυδά Ε. , Καλαντζή-Αζίζι Α.
Published: February 2021

The abstract is available in the PDF
Análisis comparativo sobre nativos, migrantes digitales y brecha digital profunda en México y Uruguay, 2016
Authors: Sánchez-Zárate Alejandro , García-Morales Karina
Published: February 2021

La brecha digital es concebida como la desigualdad en el acceso, habilidades, uso y disponibilidad de dispositivos o plataformas digitales. En el contexto actual de digitalización de muchas de las tareas cotidianas, esta desigualdad está cobrando cada vez más relevancia. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar las dimensiones de accesibilidad, motivación y uso de internet en México y Uruguay desde el marco interpretativo de la brecha digital profunda propuesto por Van Dijk (2005). Este análisis se enfoca en los factores socioeconómicos asociados a esta desigualdad, tales como el estrato socioeconómico, el grupo generacional (nativos o migrantes digitales) y el sexo. Como principales hallazgos se tiene que en ambos países continúan algunas brechas digitales, por ejemplo: en México el uso de internet es equitativo entre sexos, pero no así entre estratos socioeconómicos; mientras que en Uruguay la brecha digital es menor, aunque sobresale una mayor proporción de usuarios mayores de 45 años (catalogados como migrantes digitales) y que en estratos altos hay un grupo de personas que no usa internet por falta de interés. Estos resultados avanzan en el estudio de la brecha digital desde una perspectiva más detallada y de corte internacional para la región de América Latina.