bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feedback search algorithm for multi-particle quantum walks over a ring based on permutation groups
Authors: Jiang Yao-Yao , Zhang Wen-Bin , Chu Peng-Cheng , Ma Hong-Yang ,   School of Science, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266033, China,   School of Information and Control Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266033, China
Published: January 2022

In quantum computing science, much attention has been paid to how to construct quantum search algorithms better, moreover, searching for new search algorithms based on quantum walk is still attracting scholars' continuous in-depth research and exploration. In this paper, a multi-particle quantum walk search algorithm based on permutation group is proposed by considering many aspects, such as reducing time consumption and increasing the accuracy and controllability of algorithm search. Firstly, the permutation group can be regarded as a closed loop in space, and the permutation set is defined. The data set of data points is mapped to the defined permutation set by isomorphism mapping, which makes the element data points in the permutation set form a one-to-one correspondence. Secondly, according to the given initial state and coin operator, the target data search is carried out on the ring by using the quantum walk of multiple particles in the search space of the data point set and the permutation set. Finally, the target data is found according to the function \begin{document}$\varPhi(w)=1 $\end{document}, and the value is stored by the quantum state, which is used to form the feedback control of the search algorithm. At the same time, the direction of quantum walking on the ring is controlled by controlling the coin operator, thus increasing the operability and accuracy of the search. In this paper, the quantum walk of multiple particles is used to search, and the analysis shows that the particle number parameter j is negatively correlated with the time complexity, but not negatively linear. The proposed quantum walk search algorithm conforms to the zero condition and the lower bound condition, and is not affected by the variable parameter j. Through numerical analysis, it is found that the time complexity of the quantum walk search algorithm is equivalent to \begin{document}$O(\sqrt[3]{N})$\end{document}, which improves the search efficiency compared with the Grover search algorithm.
Open-source, Python-based, hardware and software for controlling behavioural neuroscience experiments
Authors: Akam Thomas , Lustig Andy , Rowland James M , Kapanaiah Sampath KT , Esteve-Agraz Joan , Panniello Mariangela , Márquez Cristina , Kohl Michael M , Kätzel Dennis , Costa Rui M , Walton Mark E
Published: January 2022

Laboratory behavioural tasks are an essential research tool. As questions asked of behaviour and brain activity become more sophisticated, the ability to specify and run richly structured tasks becomes more important. An increasing focus on reproducibility also necessitates accurate communication of task logic to other researchers. To these ends, we developed pyControl, a system of open-source hardware and software for controlling behavioural experiments comprising a simple yet flexible Python-based syntax for specifying tasks as extended state machines, hardware modules for building behavioural setups, and a graphical user interface designed for efficiently running high-throughput experiments on many setups in parallel, all with extensive online documentation. These tools make it quicker, easier, and cheaper to implement rich behavioural tasks at scale. As important, pyControl facilitates communication and reproducibility of behavioural experiments through a highly readable task definition syntax and self-documenting features. Here, we outline the system’s design and rationale, present validation experiments characterising system performance, and demonstrate example applications in freely moving and head-fixed mouse behaviour.
Fusobacterium nucleatum exacerbates chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in elastase‐induced emphysematous mice
Authors: Suzuki Ryuta , Kamio Noriaki , Kaneko Tadayoshi , Yonehara Yoshiyuki , Imai Kenichi
Published: January 2022

Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with disease progression and increased mortality. Periodontal disease is a risk factor for exacerbation of COPD, but little is known about the role of periodontopathic bacteria in this process. Here, we investigated the effects of intratracheal administration of Fusobacterium nucleatum, a periodontopathic bacteria species, on COPD exacerbation in elastase‐induced emphysematous mice. The administration of F. nucleatum to elastase‐treated mice enhanced inflammatory responses, production of alveolar wall destruction factors, progression of emphysema, and recruitment of mucin, all of which are symptoms observed in patients with COPD exacerbation. Hence, we propose that F. nucleatum may play a role in exacerbation of COPD.
Tomographic Volumetric Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Oxycarbide Ceramics
Authors: Kollep Max , Konstantinou Georgia , Madrid-Wolff Jorge , Boniface Antoine , Hagelüken Lorenz , Sasikumar Pradeep Vallachira Warriam , Blugan Gurdial , Delrot Paul , Loterie Damien , Brugger Juergen , Moser Christophe
Published: January 2022

Ceramics are highly chemically, thermally, and mechanically resistant. These remarkable propertiers make them useful across multiple industries; but also, difficult to mold into complex shapes. A possibility to make convoluted ceramic parts is to use preceramic polymers (PCPs) in liquid form. The PCP resin is first solidified in a desired geometry and then transformed into ceramic compounds through a pyrolysis step that preserves the shape. Light‐based additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising route to achieve solidification of the PCP resin. Different approaches, such as stereolithography, have already been proposed but they all rely on a layer‐by‐layer printing process which limits printing speed and object geometry. Herein, the fabrication of complex 3D centimeter‐scale ceramic parts by using tomographic volumetric printing is presented, which is fast and offers a high‐resolution and geometrical design freedom. First, a photosensitive polysiloxane preceramic resin that is solidified by projecting light patterns from multiple angles is formulated. Then, the obtained 3D printed parts are converted into ceramics by pyrolysis. The strength of this approach is demonstrated through the fabrication of smooth, dense microcomponents exhibiting overhangs and hollow geometries without the need of supporting structures. Their resistance to thermal stress and harsh chemical treatments is characterized.
Subdivision of Dynamic Recrystallization Mechanism in the Transition Zone and Microstructure Evolution of Incoloy825 Alloy
Authors: Liu Shuang , Feng Jing , Luo Xi , Chen Xi , Tu Yiyou , Jiang Jianqing
Published: January 2022

The hot deformation behavior of Incoloy825 alloy is investigated by isothermal compression test at the temperature range of 950–1150 °C with strain rates of 0.001–10 s−1. The dynamic recrystallization (DRX) mechanism in the transition zone is subdivided and clearly revealed. The results show that the instability domain is mainly located in the low temperature with high strain rate region (950–1050 °C, 1–10 s−1). The feasible domain can be divided into two parts: the first is located in the temperature range of 1000–1150 °C with a strain rate of 0.001 s−1, the second is located in strain rate of 0.01–1 s−1 at 1150 °C, and the optimum processing parameters is the temperature of 1150 °C with a strain rate of 1 s−1. A transition zone of the DRX mechanism appears during hot deformation, in which three DRX mechanisms occur, discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) mechanism, continuous dynamic recrystallization mechanism (CDRX), and twin dynamic recrystallization (TDRX) mechanism. The formation of a DRX grain is the comprehensive effect of multiple mechanisms, which can promote and transform each other. Each mechanism contributes a different role.
Recent Progress in Microneedles‐Mediated Diagnosis, Therapy, and Theranostic Systems
Authors: Yang Jian , Yang Jingbo , Gong Xia , Zheng Ying , Yi Shengzhu , Cheng Yanxiang , Li Yanjun , Liu Bin , Xie Xi , Yi Changqing , Jiang Lelun
Published: January 2022

Theranostic system combined diagnostic and therapeutic modalities is critical for the real‐time monitoring of disease‐related biomarkers and personalized therapy. Microneedles, as a multifunctional platform, are promising for transdermal diagnostics and drug delivery. They have shown attractive properties including painless skin penetration, easy self‐administration, prominent therapeutic effects, and good biosafety. Herein, an overview of the microneedles‐based diagnosis, therapies, and theranostic systems is given. Four microneedles‐based detection methods are concluded based on the sensing mechanism: i) electrochemistry, ii) fluorometric, iii) colorimetric, and iv) Raman methods. Additionally, robust microneedles are suitable for implantable drug delivery. Microneedles‐assisted transdermal drug delivery can be primarily classified as passive, active, and responsive drug release, based on the release mechanisms. Microneedles‐assisted oral and implantable drug delivery mechanisms are also presented in this review. Furthermore, the key frontier developments in microneedles‐mediated theranostic systems as the major selling points are emphasized in this review. These systems are classified into open‐loop and closed‐loop theranostic systems based on the indirectness and directness of feedback between the transdermal diagnosis and therapy, respectively. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives for next‐generation microneedles‐mediated theranostic systems are also discussed. Taken together, microneedle‐based systems are promising as the new avenue for diagnosis, therapy, and disease‐specific closed‐loop theranostic applications.
Phase‐Field Simulations of Tunable Polar Topologies in Lead‐Free Ferroelectric/Paraelectric Multilayers with Ultrahigh Energy‐Storage Performance
Authors: Liu Yiqian , Liu Junfu , Pan Hao , Cheng Xiaoxing , Hong Zijian , Xu Ben , Chen Long‐Qing , Nan Ce‐Wen , Lin Yuan‐Hua
Published: January 2022

Dielectric capacitors are emerging energy‐storage components that require both high energy‐storage density and high efficiency. The conventional approach to energy‐storage enhancement is polar nanodomain engineering via chemical modification. Here, a new approach of domain engineering is proposed by exploiting the tunable polar topologies that have been observed recently in ferroelectric/paraelectric multilayer films. Using phase‐field simulations, it is demonstrated that vortex, spiral, and in‐plane polar structures can be stabilized in BiFeO3/SrTiO3 (BFO/STO) multilayers by tailoring the strain state and layer thickness. Various switching dynamics are realized in these polar topologies, resulting in relaxor‐ferroelectric‐, antiferroelectric‐, and paraelectric‐like polarization behaviors, respectively. Ultrahigh energy‐storage densities above 170 J cm−3 and efficiencies above 95% are achievable in STO/BFO/STO trilayers. This strategy should be generally implementable in other multilayer dielectrics and offers a new avenue to enhancing energy storage by tuning the polar topology and thus the polarization characteristics.
Multivariate Analysis Identifying [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+ Design and Device Architecture Enables First‐Class Blue and White Light‐Emitting Electrochemical Cells
Authors: Cavinato Luca M. , Wölfl Sarah , Pöthig Alexander , Fresta Elisa , Garino Claudio , Fernandez‐Cestau Julio , Barolo Claudia , Costa Rubén D.
Published: January 2022

White light‐emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) comprising only [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+ have not been reported yet, as all the attempts toward blue‐emitting complexes failed. Multivariate analysis, based on prior‐art [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+‐based thin‐film lighting (>90 papers) and refined with computational calculations, identifies the best blue‐emitting [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+ design for LECs, that is, N^N: 2‐(4‐(tert‐butyl)phenyl)‐6‐(3,5‐dimethyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridine and P^P: 4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐9,9‐dimethylxanthene, to achieve predicted thin‐film emission at 490 nm and device performance of 3.8 cd A−1@170 cd m−2. Validation comes from synthesis, X‐ray structure, thin‐film spectroscopic/microscopy/electrochemical characterization, and device optimization, realizing the first [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+‐based blue‐LEC with 3.6 cd A−1@180 cd m−2. This represents a record performance compared to the state‐of‐the‐art tricoordinate Cu(I)‐complexes blue‐LECs (0.17 cd A−1@20 cd m−2). Versatility is confirmed with the synthesis of the analogous complex with 2‐(4‐(tert‐butyl)phenyl)‐6‐(3,5‐dimethyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyrazine (N^N), showing a close prediction/experiment match: λ = 590/580 nm; efficiency = 0.55/0.60 cd A−1@30 cd m−2. Finally, experimental design is applied to fabricate the best white multicomponent host:guest LEC, reducing the number of trial‐error attempts toward the first white all‐[Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+‐LECs with 0.6 cd A−1@30 cd m−2. This corresponds to approximately ten‐fold enhancement compared to previous LECs (<0.05 cd A−1@<12 cd m−2). Hence, this work sets in the first multivariate approach to design emitters/active layers, accomplishing first‐class [Cu(N^N)(P^P)]+‐based blue/white LECs that were previously elusive.
Super Water‐Extracting Gels for Solar‐Powered Volatile Organic Compounds Management in the Hydrological Cycle
Authors: Zhang Panpan , Zhao Fei , Shi Wen , Lu Hengyi , Zhou Xingyi , Guo Youhong , Yu Guihua
Published: January 2022

Water‐soluble volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are widely spread in the natural hydrological cycle, contaminating potential water sources, and leading to unexpected ecological hazards. However, water‐purification technologies toward VOCs are energy‐intensive and present unsatisfactory purity of the obtained water. The fundamental challenge is to differentiate the motion of water and VOC molecules by separators. Here, the concept of a super water‐extracting gel (SWEG) for VOC‐management and water purification via direct solar distillation is proposed. The strong hydrogen bonding effect in the hypercrosslinked hydrophilic polymeric networks enables the SWEG to extract water from VOC‐containing water, which rejects the VOC solutes while allowing water through for interfacial evaporation. The obtained SWEG achieves a VOCs removal ratio up to 99.99% by solar distillation under 1 sun. A solar water‐purification system is also demonstrated to produce clean water, which surpasses other competitive technologies based on electricity.
Meeting expectations: An exploration of academic emergency medicine faculty experiences and preferences in the virtual meeting environment by age, gender and parental status
Authors: Goldflam Katja , Crichton Ian C. , Coughlin Ryan F. , Bod Jessica , Agrawal Pooja , Bradby Cassandra , Tsyrulnik Alina
Published: January 2022

Background

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, virtual meetings became the norm in academic emergency medicine (EM) departments. This study explores the experiences of academic EM faculty within this environment.

Methods

In 2021, authors surveyed a cross‐sectional convenience sample of EM faculty using a mixed‐methods approach to explore perceptions of the virtual meeting environment. Authors reported data on a five‐point Likert scale, summarized as percentages, and calculated differences using Pearson’s chi‐squared test, where p < 0.05 was significant. Free text responses were analyzed qualitatively.

Results

Two‐hundred‐fifty‐nine responses were collected, (female [55.6%], ≤40 years old, [39.8%]) of which 33.2% had children ≤7 years old. Most respondents felt the total number of virtual meetings had increased and were more likely to happen outside of regular business hours compared to in‐person meetings. Most faculty preferred meetings during regular hours and liked the virtual format overall. Younger faculty respondents were more polarized in their preferences of timing of meetings and reported more pressure to accept meetings outside of regular hours. Female respondents with young children were more likely to dislike meetings outside regular hours and to have declined them. Women faculty, younger faculty, and women faculty with young children were significantly more likely to agree that women had been “more impacted by the new virtual work environment.” Qualitative themes highlighting the flexibility provided by the virtual work environment and decreased commuting time, though many felt communication was limited in virtual meetings.

Conclusions

Academic EM faculty mostly preferred keeping meetings during regular business hours and in a virtual format. Experiences varied by age but not by gender overall. Women with young children reported greater challenges than women without. Men did not differ by parental status. The virtual format provided increased flexibility but limited communication and engagement. Academic EM departments may use this data to inform future meeting practices.
A guide for single‐particle chromatin tracking in live cell nuclei
Authors: Zhang Mengdi , Seitz Clayton , Chang Garrick , Iqbal Fadil , Lin Hua , Liu Jing
Published: January 2022

The emergence of labeling strategies and live cell imaging methods enables the imaging of chromatin in living cells at single digit nanometer resolution as well as milliseconds temporal resolution. These technical breakthroughs revolutionize our understanding of chromatin structure, dynamics and functions. Single molecule tracking algorithms are usually preferred to quantify the movement of these intranucleus elements to interpret the spatiotemporal evolution of the chromatin. In this review, we will first summarize the fluorescent labeling strategy of chromatin in live cells which will be followed by a systematic comparison of live cell imaging instrumentation. With the proper microscope, we will discuss the image analysis pipelines to extract the biophysical properties of the chromatin. Finally, we expect to give practical suggestions to broad biologists on how to select methods and link to the model properly according to different investigation purposes.
Paneth cells and their multiple functions
Authors: Barreto e Barreto Laylla , Rattes Isadora C. , da Costa Aline V. , Gama Patrícia
Published: January 2022

The small intestine mucosa is lined by specialized cells that form the crypt‐villus axis, which expands its surface. Among the six intestinal epithelial cell types, the Paneth cell is located at the base of the crypt, and it contains numerous granules in its cytoplasm, composed of antimicrobial peptides, such as defensins and lysozyme, and growth factors, such as epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor‐α, and Wnt ligands. Together, these elements act in the defense against microorganisms, regulation of intestinal microbiota, maintenance, and regulation of stem cell identity. Pathologies that target Paneth cells can disturb such defense activity, but they also affect the maintenance of the stem cell niche. In that way, Crohn's disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, and graft‐versus‐host disease promote a reduction of Paneth cell population, and, consequently, secretion of their products into the lumen of the crypts, making the affected organism predisposed to infections and dysbiosis. Additionally, the emergence of new intestinal cells is also decreased. This review aims to address the main characteristics of Paneth cells, highlighting their multiple functions and the importance of their preservation to ensure bowel homeostasis.
SLCO1B1*5 Allele Is Associated With Atorvastatin Discontinuation and Adverse Muscle Symptoms in the Context of Routine Care
Authors: Voora Deepak , Baye Jordan , McDermaid Adam , Narayana Gowda Smitha , Wilke Russell A. , Nicole Myrmoe Anna , Hajek Catherine , Larson Eric A.
Published: January 2022

The SLCO1B1 genotype is known to influence patient adherence to statin therapy, in part by increasing the risk for statin‐associated musculoskeletal symptoms (SAMSs). The SLCO1B1*5 allele has previously been associated with simvastatin discontinuation and SAMSs. Prior analyses of the relationship between SLCO1B1*5 and atorvastatin muscle side effects have been inconclusive due to insufficient power. We now quantify the impact of SLCO1B1*5 on atorvastatin discontinuation and SAMSs in a large observational cohort using electronic medical record data from a single health care system. In our study cohort (n = 1,627 patients exposed to atorvastatin during the course of routine clinical care), 56% (n = 912 of 1,627 patients) discontinued atorvastatin and 18% (n = 303 of 1,627 patients) developed SAMSs. A univariate model revealed that SLCO1B1*5 increased the likelihood that patients would stop atorvastatin during routine care (odds ratio 1.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1–1.5; P = 0.04). A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model further demonstrated that this same variant was associated with time to atorvastatin discontinuation (hazard ratio 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1–1.4; P = 0.004). Additional time‐to‐event analyses also revealed that SCLO1B1*5 was associated with SAMSs (hazard ratio 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1–1.7; P = 0.02). Atorvastatin discontinuation was associated with SAMSs (odds ratio 1.67; P = 0.0001) in our cohort.
Can Innovative Trial Designs in Orphan Diseases Drive Advancement of Treatments for Common Neurological Diseases?
Authors: Stephenson Diane , Ollivier Cecile , Brinton Roberta , Barrett Jeffrey
Published: January 2022

Global regulatory agencies have transformed their approach to approvals in their processes for formal review of the safety and efficacy of new drugs. Opportunities for innovation have expanded because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Several regulatory‐led initiatives have progressed rapidly during the past year, including patient‐focused drug development, model‐informed drug development, real‐world evidence, and complex innovative trial designs. Collectively, these initiatives have accelerated the rate of approvals. Despite demands to focus on urgent needs imposed by the COVID‐19 pandemic, the number of new drug approvals over the past year, particularly for rare diseases, has outpaced expectations. Advancing therapeutics for nervous system disorders requires adaptive strategies that align with rapid developments in the field. Three relentlessly progressive diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease are in urgent need of new treatments. Herein, we propose new regulatory initiatives, including innovative trial designs and patient‐focused drug development that accelerate clinical trial conduct while meeting critical regulatory requirements for therapeutic approval.
Carbonylation Chemistry Applied to the Synthesis of Benzimidazo[2,1‐b]quinazolin‐12‐ones
Authors: Vangrunderbeeck Sarah , Balcaen Tim , Veryser Cedrick , Steurs Gert , De Borggraeve Wim M.
Published: January 2022

A carbonylative route towards the synthesis of benzimidazo[2,1‐b]quinazolin‐12‐ones was developed. The key step in this strategy consists of an intramolecular carbonylative lactam formation, starting from N‐(2‐bromophenyl)‐1H‐benzimidazol‐2‐amines. These precursor molecules were synthesized by two different methods to introduce a variety of substituents on the aromatic ring systems. Interestingly, only near‐stoichiometric amounts of carbon monoxide were required in the ring‐closing aminocarbonylation reaction, rendering the developed strategy also suitable for late‐stage 13C‐isotopic labelling.
Quality by design‐assisted development of a capillary electrophoresis method for the enantiomeric purity determination of tenofovir
Authors: Krait Sulaiman , Schneidmadel Felix R. , Scriba Gerhard K. E.
Published: January 2022

A CE method was developed and validated for the assessment of the chiral purity of the drug tenofovir applying a quality by design approach. Following selection of a quaternary ammonium β‐CD as chiral selector, a fractional factorial resolution V+ design was employed for identification of the critical process parameters, while a central composite design served for method optimization. The final method used a 40/50.2 cm, 50 μm id fused‐silica capillary, a BGE composed of a 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.4, containing 45 mg/mL quaternary ammonium β‐CD, an applied voltage of 18 kV, and a capillary temperature of 22°C. Robustness was assessed by a Plackett–Burman design. The method was validated according to guideline Q2(R1) of the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and enabled the determination of the (S)‐enantiomer of tenofovir at the 0.1% level.
Machine learning algorithms for predicting direct‐acting antiviral treatment failure in chronic hepatitis C: An HCV‐TARGET analysis
Authors: Park Haesuk , Lo‐Ciganic Wei‐Hsuan , Huang James , Wu Yonghui , Henry Linda , Peter Joy , Sulkowski Mark , Nelson David R.
Published: January 2022

Background and Aims

We aimed to develop and validate machine learning algorithms to predict direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) treatment failure among patients with HCV infection.

Approach and Results

We used HCV‐TARGET registry data to identify HCV‐infected adults receiving all‐oral DAA treatment and having virologic outcome. Potential pretreatment predictors (n = 179) included sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and virologic data. We applied multivariable logistic regression as well as elastic net, random forest, gradient boosting machine (GBM), and feedforward neural network machine learning algorithms to predict DAA treatment failure. Training (n = 4894) and validation (n = 1631) patient samples had similar sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (mean age, 57 years; 60% male; 66% White; 36% with cirrhosis). Of 6525 HCV‐infected adults, 95.3% achieved sustained virologic response, whereas 4.7% experienced DAA treatment failure. In the validation sample, machine learning approaches performed similarly in predicting DAA treatment failure (C statistic [95% CI]: GBM, 0.69 [0.64–0.74]; random forest, 0.68 [0.63–0.73]; feedforward neural network, 0.66 [0.60–0.71]; elastic net, 0.64 [0.59–0.70]), and all four outperformed multivariable logistic regression (0.51 [0.46–0.57]). Using the Youden index to identify the balanced risk score threshold, GBM had 66.2% sensitivity and 65.1% specificity, and 12 individuals were needed to evaluate to identify 1 DAA treatment failure. Over 55% of patients with treatment failure were classified by the GBM in the top three risk decile subgroups (positive predictive value: 6%–14%). The top 10 GBM‐identified predictors included albumin, liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase), total bilirubin levels, sex, HCV viral loads, sodium level, HCC, platelet levels, and tobacco use.

Conclusions

Machine learning algorithms performed effectively for risk prediction and stratification of DAA treatment failure.
Health services for non‐communicable diseases have been severely disrupted by COVID‐19 based on an analysis of MicroBlog rescue data in Wuhan, China
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyan , Sun Fenghua , Wang Qianyan
Published: January 2022

Diagnostic and treatment services for non‐communicable diseases (NCDs) face significant challenges in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. We used the Python programing language to extract and classify messages for help posted on the social networking platform microblog by NCD patients in the early stage of the COVID‐19 epidemic in Wuhan, China. We found of all NCD patients, the most frequently recorded conditions were basic chronic diseases (42.50%), acute critical diseases (35.53%), malignant tumours (15.10%), and patients requiring haemodialysis (6.79%). Regarding COVID‐19, 54.70% of patients reported suspected symptoms of infection, 32.01% were diagnosed with comorbidities, and 13.29% were non‐COVID‐19 patients. According to the analysis of the needs of the patients, 82.46% of the patients reported “No beds were available in the hospital”, 25.31% of patients needed nucleic acid tests. Our results confirmed it is difficult to meet the regular needs in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with NCDs. Effective prevention and management of NCDs in public health emergencies has become an urgent issue to be addressed. During the COVID‐19 epidemic, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the prevention and control of NCD patients, especially those with chronic disease. Governments and medical and health institutions at all levels should improve treatment mechanisms during major epidemics and ensure the uninterrupted treatment of patients with NCDs.
Diagnostic and prognostic value of serum Chitinase 3‐like protein 1 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wang Shuwei , Chen Shixiang , Jin Ming , Hu Mengyuan , Huang Weiguang , Jiang Zhenluo , Yang Jianuo , Zhang Yecheng , Wu Haoming , Hu Yaoren , He Weixin , Fu Liyun
Published: January 2022

The serum Chitinase 3‐like protein 1 (CHI3L1) protein level can distinguish the stages of liver fibrosis to a great extent. However, the diagnostic and prognostic significance of serum CHI3L1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not clarified. To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of CHI3L1 in HCC, a total of 128 HCC patients treated in the HwaMei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, from December 2018 to April 2020 were collected retrospectively. Matched age and gender subjects, 40 patients with liver cirrhosis, 40 patients with chronic hepatitis, and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in the control group. The relevant clinical laboratory and examination data and the overall survival time (OS) of the HCC patients were collected. The serum CHI3L1 expression level is related to α‐fetoprotein (AFP), tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) stage, maximum tumor diameter, liver cirrhosis, and HCC patient's OS (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of CHI3L1 was 0.7875 with the cutoff value of 91.36 ng/ml. Combining the serum CHI3L1 and α‐fetoprotein (AFP) by a binary logistic regression model can increase the diagnostic sensitivity to 97.5%. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that CHI3L1 is an independent prognostic factor in patients with HCC.
Diagnostic value of Lipoarabinomannan antigen for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in adults and children with or without HIV infection
Authors: Yin Xin , Ye Qi‐Qing , Wu Ke‐Fan , Zeng Ji‐Yuan , Li Nan‐Xi , Mo Jun‐Jian , Huang Pei‐Ying , Xie Li‐Min , Xie Li‐Ying , Guo Xu‐Guang
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Even today, tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading public health problem; yet, the current diagnostic methods still have a few shortcomings. Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) provides an opportunity for TB diagnosis, and urine LAM detection seems to have a promising and widely applicable prospect.

Design or methods

Four databases were systematically searched for eligible studies, and the quality of the studies was evaluated using the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies‐2 (QUADAS‐2). Graphs and tables were created to show sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), the area under the curve (AUC), and so on.

Results

Based on the included 67 studies, the pooled sensitivity of urine LAM was 48% and specificity was 89%. In the subgroup analyses, the FujiLAM test had higher sensitivity (69%) and specificity (92%). Furthermore, among patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 50% of TB patients were diagnosed using a urine LAM test. Besides, the CD4+ cell count was inversely proportional to the sensitivity.

Conclusions

Urine LAM is a promising diagnostic test for TB, particularly using the FujiLAM in HIV‐infected adults whose CD4+ cell count is ≤100 per μl. Besides, the urine LAM test shows various sensitivities and specificities in different subgroups in terms of age, HIV infection status, CD4+ cell count, and testing method.
Plateletcrit for predicting prognosis in patients with hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloid
Authors: Tu Hongfei , Li Miao , Chen Zhiyuan , Zhao Jiamin , Wang Huali , Qian Jingjing , Wei Cheng , Yang Yang , Zhu Yue , Zuo Lingyun
Published: January 2022

Background

Platelet index was reported to be used as a potential prognostic marker in patients with liver fibrosis. We aimed to explore the association between plateletcrit (PCT) and severity of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS).

Methods

Seventy consecutive patients who diagnosed as HSOS by CT and medical history during January 2017‐November 2021 were included. All patients were divided into two groups which confirmed as favorable prognosis and poor prognosis on the basis of Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh score system. The clinical manifestation and laboratory parameters of two groups were retrospectively selected. PCT was evaluated within two groups, and the diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results

The significant difference between the two groups not only in diarrhea, abdominal pain, abdominal distention, urine volume, and skin ecchymosis (p < 0.005), but also in WBC count, NE count, PLT count, TBIL, and D‐Dimer (p < 0.005) were found. The PCT level was significantly higher in HSOS patients with poor prognosis (0.169Â ± 0.060) than favorable prognosis patients (0.110Â ± 0.047). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of RDW in predicting poor prognosis was 0.781, with 67.70% sensitivity and 79.5%specificity.

Conclusions

The PCT level was correlated positively with the poor prognosis in HSOS patients. PCT can be a promising indicator for predicting prognosis in HSOS
Coping with COVID‐19 at the community level: Testing the predictors and outcomes of communal coping
Authors: Kim Youllee , Tian Xi , Solomon Denise H.
Published: January 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a socially shared health issue that has had profound impacts on all aspects of community life and requires collaborative coping responses. Drawn from the extended theoretical model of communal coping, we examined (a) factors that promote community members' communal coping and (b) the influence of communal coping on perceived stress and positive adaptation in the context of COVID‐19. An empirical test based on the survey of participants (N = 256) living in the state of New York showed that strong community identity, but not the length of residency in the same community and integrated connectedness to communication resources of the community, was positively associated with communal coping orientation. Having a higher communal coping orientation was not related to perceived stress, but it was positively related to engagement in COVID‐19 preventive behaviors. The implications of these findings for understanding communal coping at the community level and future directions are discussed.
Association Between Exposure to Effervescent Paracetamol and Hospitalization for Acute Heart Failure: A Case‐Crossover Study
Authors: Perrin Germain , Arnoux Armelle , Berdot Sarah , Katsahian Sandrine , Danchin Nicolas , Sabatier Brigitte
Published: January 2022

We investigated whether effervescent paracetamol, as an important source of nondietary sodium and fluid load, is associated with a transient increase in the risk of hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF). We conducted a unidirectional case‐crossover study using data from the 1 in 97th representative sample from the French health care database. Subjects aged ≥18 years, hospitalized for AHF during the 2014‐2016 period, were included. Exposure to effervescent paracetamol was compared between a risk period (ie, 15 days immediately before admission for AHF) and 3 earlier 15‐day control periods, to test a possible trigger effect of effervescent paracetamol intake on AHF. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were estimated with a conditional logistic regression. We identified 4301 patients hospitalized for AHF. We found that 5.7% of AHF subjects were exposed to effervescent paracetamol during the risk period, as compared with 4.1% during the control periods (aOR, 1.56 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27‐1.90]; P < .001). This association was also found in the subgroup of subjects with hypertension (aOR, 1.45 [95%CI, 1.13‐1.87]; P = .004, n = 2648) and in the subgroup of subjects aged ≥83 years (aOR, 1.70 [95%CI: 1.28‐2.24], P < .001, n = 2238). A similar analysis, considering exposure to noneffervescent paracetamol, did not support the existence of an indication bias likely to explain the association observed for effervescent paracetamol. This study suggests an association between effervescent paracetamol and admission for AHF and should be confirmed with other complementary study designs.
Thoracic ultrasound competence for ultrasound guided pleural procedures: The creation and validation of an assessment tool for use in the certification of basic thoracic ultrasound competence
Authors: McCracken David J. , Bedawi Eihab O. , Stevenson Michael , Cullen Kathy M. , Stanton Andrew E. , Rahman Najib M.
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Focused thoracic ultrasound (TUS) provides an increased safety profile when undertaking invasive pleural procedures. This has led to the requirement for defined curricula, high quality teaching and robust, validated assessment tools among physicians to ensure patient safety and clinical excellence.

Current UK practice is based almost exclusively on expert consensus, but assessment methods employed have been shown to have low reliability and validity and are potentially open to bias. As a result, several assessment tools have been developed, although each has its own limitations.

Methods

This study aimed to develop and validate an assessment tool corresponding to those skills associated with the most basic level of practice, defined recently as an emergency level operator in the British Thoracic Society Training Standards for Thoracic Ultrasound.

Results

A total of 27 candidates were enrolled by two examiners based in Belfast and Oxford over a 10‐month period between February and November 2019. Mean score of the inexperienced group was 44.3 (95% CI 39.2–49.4, range 28–54) compared with 74.9 (95% CI 72.8–77, range 64–80) in the experienced group providing an estimated mean difference of 30.7 between the two groups (95% CI 24.7–36.7; p < .001).

Conclusions

This tool appears to discriminate between trainees with limited experience of TUS performance and those with no experience. It has the potential to form part of the assessment strategy for trainees in the United Kingdom and beyond, alongside well established assessment tools in postgraduate training.
Daratumumab combined with dexamethasone and lenalidomide or bortezomib in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients: Report from the multiple myeloma GIMEMA Lazio group
Authors: Fazio Francesca , Franceschini Luca , Tomarchio Valeria , Rago Angela , Garzia Maria Grazia , Cupelli Luca , Bongarzoni Velia , Andriani Alessandro , Gumenyuk Svitlana , Tafuri Agostino , Siniscalchi Agostina , Piciocchi Alfonso , De Fabritiis Paolo , De Rosa Luca , Caravita di Toritto Tommaso , Annibali Ombretta , Cantonetti Maria , Petrucci Maria Teresa
Published: January 2022

The multiple myeloma (MM) treatment has changed over the last years due to the introduction of novel drugs. Despite improvements in the MM outcome, MM remains an incurable disease. Daratumumab is a human IgGK monoclonal antibody targeting CD38 with tumor activity associated with immunomodulatory mechanism. In combination with standard of care regimens, including bortezomib (Vd) or lenalidomide (Rd), daratumumab prolonged progression‐free survival (PFS) in patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) and in new diagnosis MM. We report the data of the MM GIMEMA Lazio group in 171 heavily treated pts who received daratumumab, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (DRd) or daratumumab, velcade and dexamethasone (DVd). The overall response rate was 80%, and the overall survival (OS) and PFS were 84% and 77%, respectively. In addition, pts treated with DRd showed a better median PFS compared to pts treated with DVd, at 12 and 24 months, respectively. The most common hematologic treatment‐emergent adverse events (TAEs) were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. The most common nonhematologic TAEs were peripheral sensory neuropathy and infections. Our data confirmed that DRd or DVd therapy is effective and safe in RRMM pts, and our real‐life analysis could support the physicians regarding the choice of optimal therapy in this setting of pts.
Is it safe and efficacious to remove central lines in pediatric bone marrow transplant patients with platelets less than 20,000/μl?
Authors: Marwah Priya , Ramprakash Stalin , Prasad T R Sai , Gizhlaryan Mane , Trivedi Deepa , Shah Vaibhav , Chitaliya Amit , Elizabeth Sandeep , Agarwal Rajat Kumar , Dhanya Rakesh , Faulkner Lawrence
Published: January 2022

Background

Patients with tunneled central venous lines (CVL) may develop bloodstream infections which at times are difficult to control without line removal. Concomitant severe thrombocytopenia with platelet transfusion refractoriness is often considered a major contraindication to any procedure involving a major blood vessel. There is very little literature on the clinical risks of tunneled central line removal in febrile pancytopenia patients.

Procedure

We analyzed complications and outcomes in all our patients, a total of 52, who underwent CVL removal with platelets <20,000/μl.

Results

CVL removal was done on a median day of 17.5 with 47 of the 52 patients never having achieved platelets engraftment prior to line removal. No bleeding episodes or unplanned transfusions could be associated with CVL removal. No other complications were also reported. All patients had time to hemostasis within 5 min of catheter removal. Removal of CVL under local anesthesia remained complication‐free even at platelet counts less than 20,000/ul. A total of 31 patients were febrile at the time of CVL removal, of which 17 became afebrile within 2 days. We found no difference in defervescence when comparing those whose antibiotic therapy was changed/escalated versus those in whom it was not.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that central lines can be safely removed with platelet counts less than 20,000/ul and that this may result in enhanced bloodstream infection control. This might be particularly relevant to neutropenic patients in this day and age of multidrug‐resistant organism emergence and paucity of new effective antibiotics.
Revised prognostic indicators for treatment of lymph node positive colorectal peritoneal metastases
Authors: Sugarbaker Paul H. , Chang David
Published: January 2022

Background

Peritoneal metastases from colon and rectal cancer presents a new target for a regional approach to treatment. Proper patient selection requires an understanding of the natural history of the disease progression.

Methods

Data from colorectal cancer patients treated for peritoneal metastases by cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy and early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and the records from the primary colon or rectal cancer surgery were analyzed to assess their impact on survival. Data regarding the anatomic sites of colorectal peritoneal metastases was gathered at the time of a complete CRS.

Results

A cohort of 73 patients with peritoneal metastases and lymph node metastases but no liver metastases provided the information. All patients had a complete cytoreduction. Left‐sided primary cancer and a complete or near complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) indicated improved survival. Tumor progression within the abdominal incision, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) >10, peritoneal cancer index >9 and peritoneal metastases present in the abdominopelvic regions 6 and 11 carried an especially guarded prognosis.

Conclusions

Reduced survival occurred with a right‐sided or rectal primary cancer, a CEA >10, tumor cell entrapment, and involvement of abdominopelvic regions 6 and 11. Effective NAC showed a favorable outcome.
Multiresolution residual deep neural network for improving pelvic CBCT image quality
Authors: Wu Wangjiang , Qu Junda , Cai Jing , Yang Ruijie
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) is frequently used for accurate image‐guided radiation therapy. However, the poor CBCT image quality prevents its further clinical use. Thus, it is important to improve the HU accuracy and structure preservation of CBCT images.

Methods

In this study, we proposed a novel method to generate synthetic CT (sCT) images from CBCT images. A multiresolution residual deep neural network (RDNN) was adopted for image regression from CBCT images to planning CT (pCT) images. At the coarse level, RDNN was first trained with a large amount of lower resolution images, which can make the network focus on coarse information and prevent overfitting problems. More fine information was obtained gradually by fine‐tuning the coarse model using fewer number of higher resolution images. Our model was optimized by using aligned pCT and CBCT image pairs of a particular body region of 153 prostate cancer patients treated in our hospital (120 for training and 33 for testing). Five‐fold cross‐validation was used to tune the hyperparameters and the testing data were used to evaluate the performance of the final models.

Results

The mean absolute error (MAE) between CBCT and pCT on the testing data was 352.56 HU, while the MAE between the sCT and pCT images was 52.18 HU for our proposed multiresolution RDNN model, which reduced the MAE by 85.20% (p < 0.01). In addition, the average structural similarity index measure between the sCT and CBCT was 19.64% (p = 0.01) higher than that of pCT and CBCT.

Conclusions

The sCT images generated using our proposed multiresolution RDNN have higher HU accuracy and structural fidelity, which may promote the further applications of CBCT images in the clinic for structure segmentation, dose calculation, and adaptive radiotherapy planning.
Utilization of Live-Food Enrichment with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) for the Intensive Culture of Yellow Perch Larvae
Authors: Grayson John D. , Dabrowski Konrad
Published: January 2022

Challenges associated with first feeding have impeded the intensive culture of larval Yellow Perch Perca flavescens. Live-food enrichment with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can increase the growth and survival of larval fish, but this method has not been tested with Yellow Perch. This study includes two experiments that were meant to evaluate (1) the relative proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6[n-3]) and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4[n-6]) in enrichment emulsions and (2) the provision of PUFA emulsions in ethyl ester (EE) or triacylglycerol (TG) form on Yellow Perch growth and survival. Fish were provided with live rotifers Brachionus plicatilis and brine shrimp Artemia nauplii for the first 10 d of exogenous feeding within a specialized recirculating system (phase I). Fish were then transferred to flow-through tanks and were fed Artemia nauplii for 3 d before gradually transitioning to a formulated starter diet (5–7 d; phase II). Fish size, growth, survival, swim bladder inflation rates, and lipid/fatty acid concentrations were evaluated after each phase. Overall, rotifers assimilated ARA in higher concentrations (23.3% of total fatty acids) than Artemia (0.6–0.7% of total fatty acids). Rotifers also tended to assimilate PUFAs better in EE form than in TG form (71.3% versus 66.5% Σn-3 + n-6 fatty acids). In the first experiment, fish from the ARA- and DHA-enriched diet groups had greater swim bladder inflation rates (phase I) and growth rates (phase II) than the unenriched control group. In phase I of the second experiment, the EE enrichment group had a significantly faster growth rate than the TG enrichment group (specific growth rate: mean ± SD = 40.5 ± 0.9% and 36.6 ± 1.8%, respectively). Fatty acid composition of zooplankton was heavily influenced by enrichments, and fatty acid composition of larvae/juveniles reflected that of their live prey. The results of this study suggest that PUFA enrichment of live feeds can accelerate Yellow Perch growth and reduce the time spent in the critical period of early development.