bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Characteristics of hospitalized Community-acquired Viral Pneumonia in preterm and term infants
Authors: Guan Xinxian , Gao Shasha , Zhao He , Zhou Huiting , Yang Yan , Yu Shenglin , Wang Jian
Published: April 2022

Objective This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of hospitalized community-acquired viral pneumonia in term and preterm infants. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of the cases of community-acquired viral pneumonia in Neonatal Department. Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) samples were collected for pathogen detection and clinical data were collected. We analysed pathogenic species and clinical characteristics among these infants.Results RSV is the main virus in term newborns, PIV3 is the main virus in preterm infants. Patients Infected with PIV3 were more susceptible to be co-infected with bacteria than those with RSV infection (p<0.05). Preterm infants infected with PIV3 are more likely to be co-infected with bacteria compared to term infants (p<0.05), mainly gram-negative bacteria, especially Klebsiella pneumonia. Term infants with bacterial infection are more prone to fever, cyanosis, moist rales, three concave sign and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), get respiratory failure and need a higher level of oxygen support and mechanical ventilation than simple virus infection (p<0.05). The incidence of hyponatremia in neonatal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is high.Conclusions RSV and PIV3 were the leading cause of neonatal viral CAP. PIV3 infection is the main cause of viral CAP in preterm infants, they are more likely to be co-infected with bacteria than term infants, mainly gram-negative bacteria. Co-infections with bacterial led to more disease severity in term infants with community-acquired viral pneumonia compared with single infections.
The molecular mechanism of Radix astragali, Ginseng, Radix puerariae, and Mulberry leaf in the treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy based on bioinformatics and network pharmacology
Authors: Guo Xingchen , Gao Wanhao , Zhang Dongdong , Li Muwei
Published: April 2022

Objective
To evaluate the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicines Radix astragali (Huangqi, HQ), Ginseng (Renshen, RS), Radix puerariae (Gegen, GG), and Mulberry leaf (Sangye, SY) on diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) based on bioinformatics and network pharmacology, through gene expression analysis of geo clinical samples, molecular docking of compounds and targets, and molecular dynamics simulation, and to discover new targets for prevention or treatment of DC, in order to facilitate and better serve the discovery of new drugs as well as their application in the clinic.
Materials and methods
For the initial selection of ingredients and targets using the TCMSP as a starting point, we performed a primary screening of ingredients and targets of the four herbs using tools including Cytoscape, Tbtools, R 4.0.2, Autodock Vina, PyMOL, and GROMACS. To further screen the effective ingredients and targets, we performed protein interaction network (PPI) analysis (gene = 12), gene expression analysis (n = 24) by clinical samples of DCs from the gse26887 dataset, biological process (BP) analysis (FDR ≤ 0.05, gene = 7), KEGG pathway analysis (FDR ≤ 0.05, gene = 7), and ingredient target pathway network analysis (gene = 7) by applying these targets from the screen, Biological processes, disease pathways regulated by targets and the relationship between each component target and pathway were obtained. We further screened the targets and visualized the docking results by precision molecular docking of ingredients and targets, after which we performed molecular dynamics simulation and consulted a large number of relevant literatures for validation of the results.
Results
Through screening, analysis and validation of the data, we finally confirmed the presence of 36 active ingredients in HQ, RS, GG, and SY, which mainly act on AKT1, ADRB2, GSK3B, PPARG, and BCL2 targets, and these five targets mainly regulate PI3K-Akt, Adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, JAK-STAT, cGMP-PKG, AMPK, and mTOR signaling pathway exert preventive or therapeutic effects on DCM. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that the complex formed by Calycosin, Frutinone A, Puerarin, Inophyllum E, the four active components of HQ, RS, GG, and SY, and the four target proteins ADRB2, PPARG, AKT1, and GSK3B acting on DCS is able to exist in a very stable tertiary structure under human environment.
Conclusions
our study successfully explains the effective mechanism of HQ, RS, GG, and SY in ameliorating DC, while predicting the potential targets and active components of HQ, RS, GG, and SY in treating DC, which provides a new basis for investigating novel mechanisms of action at the network pharmacology level and a great support for subsequent DC research.
Estimation of nitrogen supply for a dryland spring maize sustainable production in northwest China
Authors: Wu Xiaorong , Li Junjie , Li Zhimin , Xue Xuanke , Zhao Yingfei , Zhang Xuemei , Yang Baoping , Jia Zhikuan , Zhang Xudong , Han Qingfang
Published: April 2022

Purpose There are environmental problems related to excessive fertilization the intensive spring maize production. The nitrate accumulation in the soil at 1m before sowing (N soil) should be considered for nitrogen (N) supply sources to implement sustainable N management. As such, the goal of this study was to identify the optimal total N supply (TNS) to satisfy crop requirements while lower environmental impacts.Methods Five different fertilizer rates (0, 120, 175, 230, and 285 N kg ha-1) were conducted in a 3-year on-farm experiment. Integrated N nutrition index (NNIi), and relative yield (RY), plant N use efficiency (NutEBY), and N leaching in response to the total N supply (TNS, from 155 to 416 kg ha-1) were measured. Results The relationships between TNS and NNIi, RY, NutEBY, and N leaching firmly fit quadratic, linear-plateau, linear-plateau, and linear models. A suitable TNS can satisfy crop requirements was 327 kg ha-1, a suitable TNS can obtain higher NutEBY and lower N leaching 315 kg ha-1. Therefore, the applicable TNS rate should be between 315 to 327 kg ha-1. However, the suitable NNIi should be 1.0, corresponding to the appropriate N fertilizer rate of 230 kg ha-1. Considering the high soil N residual, sustainable N management should consider the consumption of N soil and the minimum application of N fertilizer to obtain higher yield and lower environmental impacts. Conclusion The TNS was proposed as an indicator to implement sustainable N management suitable for spring maize with similar climatic patterns in northwest China.
The Efficacy in Shoulder Range of Motion of a Snapping Manual Maneuver Added to a Standardized Exercise Protocol in Axillary Web Syndrome: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sandrin Fabio , Teixeira Luiz Felipe Nevola , Garavaglia Manfredi , Gandini Sara , Simoncini Maria Claudia , Luini Alberto
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUNDAxillary Web Syndrome (AWS) is one of the most frequent conditions after surgical axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The key symptom is the functional disability of the limb, which requires rehabilitation. Notwithstanding, a standardized rehabilitation protocol is currently lacking in clinical practice. Our primary objective therefore, was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a snapping manual maneuver (used in our clinical practice) in enhance range of motion (ROM) when compared with a standardized stretching exercise protocol. A three-year follow-up of the enrolled patients was also carried out to determine the incidence of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema (BCRL).MATERIAL AND METHODSBetween July 2013 and January 2019 we conducted a single blinded randomized clinical trial. ALND patients with subsequent appearance of clinical symptoms of AWS were randomly assigned into two groups who underwent one treatment session per week for two weeks with a one month follow-up.RESULTSThere were no statically significant differences in ROM at our one month follow-up and the incidence of BCRL was equally distributed after three years.CONCLUSIONthe addition of the manual snapping maneuver in a rehabilitation protocol was not better than a stretching exercise and does not appear to be a risk factor for lymphedema.Trial Registration : NCTR 03284008 Retrospectively registered: September 15, 2017; Last Update Posted: July 17, 2019
Determination of genotoxic damages of picloram and dicamba with comet assay in Allium cepa rooted in tissue culture and distilled water
Authors: Özel Çiğdem Alev , Ünal Fatma , Yılmaz Ece Avuloğlu , Erikel Esra , Mirici Semra , Yüzbasıoğlu Deniz
Published: April 2022

Background: Many genotoxicity tests allow us to understand the mechanism of damages on genetic material occurring in living organisms against various physical and chemical agents. One of them is the Comet test. The current study aimed to evaluate genotoxic damages by picloram and dicamba to root meristems of Allium cepa utilizing comet assay. Methods and Results: Two different protocols were used for rooting and auxin/pesticide application. (i) A. cepa bulbs were rooted in MS medium and then treated with MS medium (control) and 0.67, 1.34, 2.01, 2.68, 3.35, 4.02, and 8.04 mg/L of Picloram and Dicamba using aseptic tissue culture techniques. (ii) A. cepa bulbs were then rooted in bidistilled water and treated with 0 (control), 0.67, 1.34, 2.01, 2.68, 3.35, 4.02, and 8.04 mg/L of Picloram and Dicamba in distilled water. The A. cepa root tip cells in both treatment groups were examined using comet test to find the possible DNA damaging effects of Picloram and Dicamba. The results obtained at all the concentrations were statistically compared with their control groups. Almost at all the concentrations of Picloram and Dicamba increased comet tail intensity (%) and tail moment in roots treated in MS medium. Two highest concentrations revealed toxic effect. On the other hand, DNA damaging effect of both auxins was only noted on the highest concentrations (>4.02 mg/L) in roots treated in distilled water.Conclusions:This study approve and confirm genotoxic effects of tow growth regulators on plants.
Mortality and complications after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, a retrospective multicentre study
Authors: Stenberg Karin , Eriksson Anna , Odensten Christoffer , Darehed David
Published: April 2022

Background: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the method of choice for patients in need of long-term nutritional support or gastric decompression. Although it is considered safe, complications and relatively high mortality rates have been reported. We aimed to identify risk factors for complications and mortality after PEG in routine healthcare.Methods: This retrospective study included all adult patients who received a PEG between 2013 and 2019 in Region Norrbotten, Sweden.Results: 389 patients were included. The median age was 72 years, 176 (45%) were women and 281 (72%) patients received their PEG due to neurological disease. All-cause mortality was 15% at 30 days and 28% at 90 days. Malignancy as the indication for PEG was associated with increased mortality at 90 days (OR 4.41, 95% CI 2.20–8.88). Other factors significantly associated with increased mortality were older age, female sex, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, lower body mass index and higher C-reactive protein levels. Minor and major complications within 30 days occurred in 11% and 15% of the patients, respectively. Diabetes increased the risk of minor complications (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.04-6.55), while those aged 75+ years were at an increased risk of major complications, compared to those younger than 65 years (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.02-4.85).Conclusions: The increased risk of death among women and patients with malignancy indicate that these patients could benefit from earlier referral for PEG. Additionally, we found that age, diabetes, heart failure, C-reactive protein and body mass index all impact the risk of adverse outcomes.
An overview of genome-wide association mapping studies in Poaceae species (Model crops: Wheat and Rice)
Authors: Naeem Muhammad , Zia Muhammad Abu Bakar , Yousaf Muhammad Farhan , Asim Arslan
Published: April 2022

There is a significant interest while utilizing association mapping technique to determine the genes which are accountable for numerical dissimilarity of the more complex characteristics with agronomic and evolutionary significance. Recently improvements have been made in genomic technology, which motivates for the exploitation of natural diversity, and establishment of more vigorous and strong statistical analysis methods creates association mapping technique more demanding and reasonable to plant research programs. Genome-wide association mapping technique recognizes quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by studying the marker-trait associations which could be credited to the power of linkage disequilibrium between different molecular markers and functional polymorphisms through a pool of diversified germplasm. In this review, we will describe an overview of genetic mapping and the current status of association mapping studies in cereal crops i.e., wheat and rice.
Comparison of speech effects among labial, lingual, and aligner appliances: a systematic review
Authors: Si Jiaping , Tian Qiaoyin , Lu Lin , Siow Lixuen , Luo Dingwen , Chen Xiaoyan
Published: April 2022

Background: Speech sound disorders are produced irrespective of the type of orthodontic appliance. The present systematic review aimed to compare the speech impediments created during orthodontic treatment with the labial appliances (LA), lingual appliances (LI), and orthodontic aligners (OA).
Methods: The studies were searched from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library from 2000 to 25 Feb 2022. A manual search was also performed. The study’s quality was assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form. Two reviewers performed study selection and data extraction.
Results: From a total of 1298 articles, 21 studies were selected, including 3 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), 15 prospective studies, 2 retrospective studies, and 1 cross-sectional study. Two RCTs were assessed as having a "low" risk of bias, and one was considered unclear. Twelve nonrandomized studies were classified as "high" and six as "moderate" quality. Six studies compared LA and LI, three studies compared LA and OA, one study compared LI and OA, and eleven studies only evaluated single orthodontic appliances.
Conclusion: Based on the evidence available, LA seemed to impact minimally on speech, and the duration was the shortest; LI caused more speech impediments and had greater difficulty adapting; OA produced mild to moderate speech impediments, and the adaptation time was between the two.
Study on the distribution, element characteristics, and formation mechanism of porosity during laser welding for Ti-6Al-4V bottom-locking joint
Authors: Kang Xufeng , Yan Tingyan , Wang Leilei , Gao Qiyu , Zhan Xiaohong
Published: April 2022

The bottom-locking joint is widely used in the aerospace manufacturing field as an imperative connection structure. The laser welding experiment for the Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy bottom-locking joint is carried out in the present paper. Meanwhile, porosity in the weld seam including the process porosity and metallurgical porosity is investigated. Furthermore, it is novel that the distribution, element characteristics, and formation mechanism of process porosities and metallurgical porosities in the bottom-locking joint are comprehensively analyzed based on the porosity morphology, microstructure, and element analysis of the resultant bottom-locking joints. The process porosity, which mainly appeared in the weld seam centre, is formed by the combined effect of two mechanisms which closely related to the dynamic behaviour of the molten pool and the stability of the keyhole. Besides, a large number of micropores with a diameter of 2–5 µm are observed on the surface of the process porosity, whose formation is related to the evaporation of elements. Moreover, the tensile stress generated during the solidification and shrinkage of the molten metal is the main factor leading to microcracks in the micropores. The nucleation characteristics of bubbles cause metallurgical porosities to be mainly distributed at the bottom of the weld seam.
Three-dimensional reconstruction of Monochamus alternatus galleries using CT scans
Authors: Yang Huawei , Qiu Jianfeng , Gao Shangkun , Wang Jinxing , Li Wen
Published: April 2022

Cerambycid pests are wood-boring, cryptic and extremely difficult to control – features that have made them a global problem. In this study, we present a method of scanning the galleries of Monochamus alternatus using CT technology to obtain their systematic structure via three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, so as to clarify the gallery types and their structural parameters. We performed TLC scanning on wood segments damaged by M. alternatus using a 128-row spiral CT GE Revolution EVO to obtain 64-layer CT scanned images. From the scanned images, we were able to clearly identify the beetle larvae and their galleries. The galleries were clearly delineated from the peripheral xylem, except parts that were blocked by frass-feces mixture, which were slightly blurred. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the galleries showed that most of the gallery types were C-shaped, and a few were S-shaped or Y-shaped. There was only one larva per gallery, and galleries were separate. The vicinity of the entrance hole and the anterior part of the pupal chamber were blocked with frass-feces mixture. There were no significant differences among the galleries’ parameters, such as the width of the entrance holes, tunneling depth, vertical length, blockage length and volume, total length of the galleries and boring volume. With MIMICS image processing software, the images of each layer were made into a composite image, providing an effective way to visualize the 3D distribution of galleries. Using the methodology outlined in this study, both a single gallery structure and the spatial distribution of multiple galleries of M. alternatus can be shown, and the specific parameters of galleries can also be accurately calculated, which provides new ideas and methods for carrying out ecological and scientific research and precise prevention and control techniques of M. alternatus.
Satisfaction with the Environmental Condition in the Italian Regions between 2004 and 2020
Authors: Laureti Lucio , Costantiello Alberto , Leogrande Angelo
Published: April 2022

In the following article, the “Satisfaction with the Environmental Condition” in the 20 Italian regions between 2004 and 2020 was estimated using ISTAT-BES data. The data were analyzed using the following econometric techniques, namely: Panel Data with Random Effects, Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Dynamic Panel, Pooled OLS, WLS. The results show that satisfaction with the environmental situation is positively associated with the following variables "People with at least high school diploma", "Satisfaction with leisure time", "Concern for the deterioration of the landscape" and negatively associated with "Gross disposable income per capita", "Dissatisfaction with the landscape of the place of life", "Perception of the risk of crime". A cluster analysis was then carried out using the unsupervised k-Means algorithm optimized through the Silhouette coefficient and 3 clusters were found. A comparative analysis was then carried out between eight different machine learning algorithms to predict the trend of satisfaction by environmental situation. The analysis showed that the Tree Ensemble Regression algorithm is the best predictor and estimates a reduction of the variable of 0.05%. Subsequently, using augmented data, a further prediction was made with an estimated result equal to -1.93%.
Phenotypic diversity within yam (Dioscorea spp.) germplasm collection in Uganda
Authors: Adjei Emmanuel Amponsah , Esuma Williams , Alicai Titus , Bhattacharjee Ranjana , Dramadri Isaac Ongiza , Agaba Rolland , Chamba Emmanuel Boache , Odong Thomas Lapaka
Published: April 2022

A deeper understanding of the morphology of available germplasm is an indispensable initial step for yam genetic improvement and enhanced production in Uganda. However, there is limited information in Uganda on the diversity of yam. The objective of this study was to characterize the diversity of yam cultivars farmers have utilized for decades in Uganda together with germplasm recently introduced from West Africa using phenotypic traits. A germplasm collection of 291 genotypes was characterized based on 28 phenotypic variables. The phenotypic traits data were subjected to multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. Phenotypic traits assessed were informative and discriminating, with 62% of total variation explained among the first six principal components. Our results showed that the important phenotypic traits contributing to most of the variability among the genotypes were leaf characteristics, flowering characteristics, and tuber traits. In general, most genotypes collected within Uganda were identified with amorphous tuber shapes compared to material sourced from West Africa. Dendrogram generated using “ward” hierarchical clustering revealed two major clusters with few of the genotypes sharing similarities. The study has shown that there is ample phenotypic variability within the major yam genotypes in Uganda yam germplasm that can be used for genetic improvement. The results are also useful with regard to the identification and conservation of elite genotypes for future genetic improvement of yam in Uganda. More in-depth molecular and biochemical studies to further understand the diversity are recommended.
Nitrapyrin mitigates nitrous oxide emissions, and improves maize yield and nitrogen efficiency under waterlogged field
Authors: Ren Baizhao , Ma Zhentao , Liu Peng , Zhao Bin , Zhang Jiwang
Published: April 2022

Aims In order to explore the effects of nitrapyrin (N-Serve) application on greenhouse gas emission, and nitrogen leaching of waterlogged maize (Zea mays L.) field, we investigated the effects of applying nitrapyrin on soil ammonium (NH4+-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) content, nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes and warming potential (GWPN2O) in a waterlogged maize field. Methods The design included three treatments: waterlogging treatment with only urea application (V-3WL), waterlogging treatment with urea and nitrapyrin application (V-3WL+N), no waterlogging treatment applied only urea (CK). Results Our results revealed that waterlogging lead to the increase of nitrogen leaching, resulting in the decrease of nitrogen use efficiency. The accumulated N2O emissions increased significantly in waterlogged plots compared to control plots, and maximum N2O emission fluxes occurred during the process of soil drying after waterlogging, resulting in the increase of GWPN2O and N2O greenhouse gas intensity (GHGIN2O) by 299% and 504%, respectively, compared to those of CK. However, nitrapyrin application was able to reduce N2O emissions. Nitrapyrin application was also good for decreasing GWPN2O and GHGIN2O by 34% and 50%, respectively, compared to V-3WL. In addition, nitrapyrin application was conducive to reduce N leaching and improve N use efficiency, resulting in a yield increase by 34%, compared to that of V-3WL.Conclusions The application of nitrapyrin helped to mitigate agriculture-source greenhouse effects and N leaching induced by waterlogging, and was an eco-friendly, high N-efficient fertilizer method for waterlogged field.
Chemical named entity recognition in the texts of scientific publications using the naïve Bayes classifier approach
Authors: Tarasova Olga , Biziukova Nadezhda , Filimonov Dmitry , Poroikov Vladimir
Published: April 2022

Motivation: Application of chemical named entity recognition (CNER) algorithms allows retrieval of information from texts about chemical compound identifiers and creates associations with physical-chemical properties and biological activities. Scientific texts represent low-formalized sources of information. Most methods aimed at CNER are based on machine learning approaches, including conditional random fields and deep neural networks. In general, most machine learning approaches require either vector or sparse word representation of texts, which is produced using a fixed-size vocabulary from a corpus of texts. Chemical named entities (CNEs) constitute only a small fraction of the whole text, and the datasets used for training are highly imbalanced. Methods and results: We propose a new method for extracting CNEs from texts based on the naïve Bayes classifier. In contrast to the earlier developed CNER methods, our approach uses the representation of the data as a set of fragments of text (FoTs) with the subsequent preparation of a set of multi-n-grams (sequences from one to n symbols) for each FoT. Therefore, it does not require the usage of a predefined vocabulary. As a result, our approach may provide the recognition of novel CNEs. The average values of invariant accuracy (IA) range from 0.95 to 0.99 depending on the context window and the size values of n of the multi-n-grams. We applied the developed algorithm to the extracted CNEs of potential Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (Mpro) inhibitors. A set of CNEs corresponding to the chemical substances evaluated in the biochemical assays used for the discovery of Mpro inhibitors was retrieved. Manual analysis of the appropriate texts showed that CNEs of potential SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors were successfully identified by our method. Conclusion: The obtained results show that the proposed method can be used for filtering out words that are not related to CNEs; therefore, it can be successfully applied to the extraction of CNEs for the purposes of cheminformatics and medicinal chemistry.
Unfolding the mitochondrial genome structure of green semilooper (Chrysodeixis acuta Walker): An emerging pest of onion (Allium cepa L.)
Authors: P.S. Soumia , Shirsat Dhananjay V. , Krishna Ram , G Guru Pirasanna Pandi , Choudhary Jaipal S. , Naaz Naiyar , V Karuppaiah , Gedam Pranjali A. , S. Anandhan , Singh Major
Published: April 2022

Onion is the most important crop challenged by a diverse group of insect pests in the agricultural ecosystem. The green semilooper (Chrysodeixis acuta Walker), a widespread tomato and soybean pest, has lately been described as an emergent onion crop pest in India. C. acuta whole mitochondrial genome was sequenced in this work. The circular genome of C. acuta measured 15,743 base pairs (bp) in length. Thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one control region were found in the 37 sequence elements. With an average 395 bp gene length, the maximum and minimum gene length observed was 1749 bp and 63 bp of nad5 and trnR, respectively. Nine of the thirteen PCGs have (ATN) as a stop codon, while the other four have a single (T) as a stop codon. Except for trnS1, all of the tRNAs were capable of producing a conventional clover leaf structure. Conserved ATAGA motif sequences and poly-T stretch were identified at the start of the control region. Six overlapping areas and 18 intergenic spacer regions were found, with sizes ranged 1 to 20 bp and 1 to 111 bp, correspondingly. According to a phylogenetic study, C. acuta belongs to the Plusiinae subfamily of the Noctuidae superfamily, and is closely linked to Trichoplusia ni species from the same subfamily. The current study is the first whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of C. acuta, an emerging onion pest.
Detecting Disabilities in Everyday Life: Evidence from a Geriatric Assessment
Authors: Unterberger Petra , Dzien Cornelius , Hofmarcher Paul , Winner Hannes , Lechleitner Monika
Published: April 2022

Background: The Activities of Daily Living score (ADL) is a widely used index to establish the degree of independence from any help in everyday life situations. Measuring the ADL accurately is time-consuming and costly. This paper presents a framework to approximate the ADL via variables usually collected in standard geriatric assessments. We showed that the selected variables serve as good indicators in explaining the physical disabilities of older and frail patients. Methods: Our sample included information from a geriatric assessment of 326 patients aged between 64 and 99 years in a hospital in Tyrol, Austria. In addition to the ADL, 23 variables reflecting the physical and mental status of these patients were recorded during the assessment. We performed LASSO to determine which of these variables had the highest impact on explaining the ADL. Then, we used ROC analysis and logistic regression techniques to validate our model performance. Finally, we calculated cutoff-points for each of the selected variables, showing at which values the ADL falls below a certain threshold. Results: Mobility, urinary incontinence, nutritional status and cognitive function were closest related to the ADL and, therefore, to a geriatric patient’s functional limitations. Jointly, the selected variables were able to predict neediness with high accuracy (AUC = 0.89 and 0.91, respectively). If a patient had a limitation in one of these variables, the probability of everyday life disability increased with a statistically significant factor between 2.4 (nutritional status, 95%-CI 1.5 – 3.9) and 15.1 (urinary incontinence, 95%-CI 3.6 – 63.4). Conclusions: Our study highlighted the most important impairments of everyday live, facilitating a more efficient use of clinical resources which, in turn, allows for a more targeted treatment of geriatric patients. At the patient level, our approach enables early detection of functional limitations and timely indications of a possible need for assistance in everyday life.
Mildly Stimulated Cycle with Letrozole Compared with Natural Cycle and HRT Cycle in Patients undergoing FET with Normal Ovulation
Authors: lou liqun , Xu Yisong , Lv Mu , Yu Juanjuan , Xiao Qimeng , Chen Peiqin , Bai Mingzhu , zhang zhenbo
Published: April 2022

Background: The number of frozen embryo transfer (FET) is increasing, however, an optimal protocol for FET is undetermined. Our study was to evaluate the letrozole use on the patients with normal menstrual cycles (MC) compared with HRT cycle and natural cycle. Methods: It is a large retrospective study involved 2932 patients. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) approach aimed to equate each group with respect to measured baseline covariates to achieve a comparison with reduced selection bias. Patients matched by algorithm were divided into 3 groups: hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cycle (n=2877), letrozole cycle (n=2637) and natural cycle (NC) (n=2475). The primary outcome measure was live birth rate, the secondary outcome measures were positive hCG rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, early miscarriage rate, late miscarriage rate, preterm delivery rate and full-term pregnancy rate.Results: In our crude analysis, letrozole group had a higher live birth rate compared with HRT cycle (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.07–1.35) and natural cycle (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.16–1.47) and after adjusting for confounding factors, live birth rate was consistently higher in letrozole group. Moreover, the biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and full-term delivery rate were higher in letrozole group.Conclusion: For infertile women with normal menstrual cycle undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfers, mildly stimulated cycle with letrozole present relatively large advantage compared with HRT cycle and natural cycle with higher live birth pregnancy indicating that letrozole use could improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with normal ovulation during FET. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.
The Influence of Early Adoption of Non-enhanced Computed Tomography on Management of Patients with Pyogenic Liver Abscess
Authors: Huang Yung-Ning , Chiang Tung-Ying , Weng Yu-Chieh , Liu Xiang-Bo , Zeng Chun-Guang , Yang Guang-Ming , Lee Jung-Chieh , Liu Peng-Xiang , Yang Chih-Kai , Cheng Pei-Ting , Hsieh Hui-Shan , Chen Wei Ting , Lu Yang-Bor
Published: April 2022

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is an infectious disease and causes high in-hospital mortality. It has no specific symptoms and is difficult to be diagnosed early in the emergency department. Therefore, early diagnosis is an urgent need for clinicians. Ultrasound has been widely used to detect lesions of PLA. However, the sensitivity of ultrasound is affected by the size and location of lesions and clinician’s experience. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the effects of early adoption of non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning (i.e., receiving CT scanning within 48 hours after admission) on treatment and disease status of patients with PLA. This study enrolled 76 hospitalized patients with PLA in department of digestive disease, who received CT examination during 2014 to 2021. Of the enrolled patients, 56 received an early CT scan and 20 received a late CT scan. Results showed that the length of hospitalization in the early CT group was significantly shorter than the late CT group (15.0 days vs. 20.5 days; p = 0.035). Besides, the median time to initiating drainage after admission was also significantly shorter in the early CT group than the late CT group (1.0 days vs. 4.5 days; p < 0.001). The early CT group was also associated with significantly lower prescription rates of antibiotics. Our findings revealed that to conduct early CT scanning within 48 hours of admission may assist in early diagnosis of PLA and be beneficial to disease recovery.
The influence of the structure (surface roughness, pore size, and porosity) of 3D printed silk-fibroin-based scaffolds on the growth of the bronchial epithelial cells in vitro
Authors: Zhong Nongping , Chen Zhongchun , Dong Tao , Shao Zhengzhong , Zhao Xia
Published: April 2022

The structure (surface topography, pore size, and porosity) of 3D scaffolds plays an important role in tissue regeneration. Although surface topography, the porosity and pore size of 3D porous scaffolds have been frequently studied, these parameters of 3D printed SF-based scaffolds for tracheal epithelium growth have not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effects of the structure properties of 3D printed silk fibroin/Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose(SF/HPMC) scaffolds on the adhesive and proliferative behaviors of tracheal epithelium in vitro. This work fabricated six types of 3D printed SF/HPMC scaffolds with different surface properties, pore size and porosity. The surface topography, pore size, and porosity of the different scaffolds were examined. Normal human bronchial epithelial cell lines (BEAS-2B cells) were cultured on the different scaffolds for 7 days. The proliferation of cells on the different scaffolds was tested by CCK-8 assay. The morphology of BEAS-2B cells on different scaffolds was observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The porosity of 20 wt% SF/HPMC scaffolds with rough surface and smooth surface, and 30 wt% SF/HPMC scaffolds with rough surface and smooth surface were 70.5 ±2.0%、65.5 ±6.1%、63.9 ±2.1%、59.6 ±2.1%, respectively; The pore size of 20 wt% SF/HPMC scaffolds was 443.9±104.1μm and 681.1±115.1μm, respectively. Results showed that BEAS-2B cells proliferated better on the rough surface than that on the smooth surface; BEAS-2B cells proliferated better on the scaffold with higher porosity (65.5 ±6.1%) than that with lower porosity (59.6 ±2.1%); In addition, the cells proliferated well on the SF/HPMC scaffold with small pore size (443.9±104.1μm). SEM showed that cells grew in a sheet on the rough surface and tended to grow in clusters on the smooth surface; BEAS-2B cells tended to grow in clusters on the scaffold with large pore size, while cells could spread into a sheet and form connections between pores on the scaffold with small pore size. In summary, SF/HPMC scaffolds with rough surface, high porosity, and small pore size facilitated cell growth. This provides a preliminary experimental basis for selecting the suitable structure of 3D printed SF/HPMC scaffolds for repairing tracheal defects.
Complete Response for Adding Pyrotinib to Pembrolizumab and Lenvatinib for HER2 Positive Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Zhang Jun-Wei , Yang Xiaobo , Yang Xu , Lu Xin , Zhao Hai-Tao , Xu Yiyao
Published: April 2022

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly lethal hepatobiliary cancer. Only very few patients could undergo surgery. The prognosis of advanced ICC is poor, especially for patients who progressed after first-line chemotherapy, leaving median overall survival less than 10 months. To date, no case has been reported to achieve complete response by targeted therapy and immunotherapy for advanced ICC.Case presentation: In this study, a 64-year-old male was diagnosed with advanced ICC with HER2（3+）amplification determined by tissue-based testing, and was confirmed by the next-generation sequence. He was treated with adding pyrotinib to pembrolizumab and lenvatinib after progressed with pyrotinib and tegafur and responded very well to regression of tumor on imaging as well as normalization of tumor marker levels without serious adverse events. The recent PET-CT showed a complete response. Up to now, the disease is stable, and the progress free time of 2nd line treatment has reached 26 months. Conclusion: Adding pyrotinib to pembrolizumab and lenvatinib offered a chemotherapy-free option and could achieve complete tumor suppression with no serious AEs for this BTC patient with HER2 amplification.
Early-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Series
Authors: Zhao Wenjia , Tan Xiaohua , Li Caifeng , Deng Jianghong , Kuang Weiying , Zhang Junmei
Published: April 2022

Early-onset Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous disease with more variable symptoms than other types of SLE. It can begin as early as 12 months after birth, and the clinical process appears to be more severe. The common clinical manifestations of early-onset SLE are skin and mucosal lesions, renal involvement, central nervous system diseases and hematological system abnormalities. Although the disease is well described in the literature, diagnosis is often difficult due to its insidious onset, early onset, and atypical symptoms. Here, we present four cases of early-onset SLE. Next-generation sequencing were performed and detected mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing in all four cases. In addition, glucocorticoid, propyl, cyclophosphamide, and other drugs were significantly improved after treatment. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case study in China describing early-onset SLE. With the research progress and knowledge integration of basic disciplines such as genomics, epigenetics and immunology, the pathogenesis of early-onset SLE and other rheumatoid immune diseases will be revealed, which will bring more hope for the diagnosis and treatment of early-onset SLE.
Psychometric properties of 12-item WHODAS applied through phone survey: An experience in post-crash cohort study
Authors: Sadeghi-Bazargani Homayoun , Shahedifar Nasrin , Jafarabadi Mohammad Asghari , Farahbakhsh Mostafa , Bazargan-Hejazi Shahrzad
Published: April 2022

Background: Due to more limited capability to function in daily life post injury, survivors need to be reliably assessed without extra commute. The key action is to determine the level of functioning difficulties. Having the opportunity of conducting a national post-crash traffic safety and health cohort study, we aimed to translate and assess the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) through phone surveys six month post injury. Methods: First, having World Health Organization permission, we tested the translation validity by forward translation, expert panel, back-translation, pre-testing and cognitive interviewing, and finalizing the Persian WHODAS. Then, the psychometric study on a national cohort platform assessed the validity, reliability and applicability of 12-item WHODAS through phone surveys. We included data of 255 road traffic injury patients enrolled from the cohort study at six-month follow-up. The psychometric assessment (internal consistency reliability and stability reliability) was conducted on test-retest data of 50 patients with a 7-day time span averagely. An exploratory factor analysis tested the construct validity using extraction method of principal component factor and oblique rotation on 255 patients’ data. Regarding the multiple criteria, scree test, and factors with eigenvalues greater than 0.9 determined the number of factors retained. Data were analyzed using software STATA statistical package. Results: The respondents were mostly male (81%) with mean age (SD) of 37.7(14.9), employed (71%) and educated (87%). The Persian version had high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α=0.93) and excellent stability reliability (ICC=0.97, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98). An exploratory factor analysis retained four factors defining 86% of all variance. Factors of Self-care, Mobility, and Cognition were completely retained.Conclusions: The translated brief WHODAS 2.0 was highly reliable, valid and responsive to be applied through phone interviews post injury.
Selenomethionine mitigate PM2.5-induced senescence of alveolar epithelial cells via attenuating inflammatory response mediated by cGAS/STING/NF-κB pathway
Authors: Wang Xiaofei , Xia Xuanyi , Lu Wenzun , Zhu Yuchen , Ge Chunmei , Guo Xiaoying , Zhang Ning , Chen Hua , Xu Shengmin
Published: April 2022

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a widely known atmospheric pollutant which could induce the aging-related pulmonary diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In recent years, with the increasing atmospheric pollution, airborne fine PM2.5, which is an integral part of air pollutants, has become a thorny problem. Hence, this study focused on the effect of PM2.5 on the senescence of pulmonary epithelial (A549) cells, identifying which inflammatory pathway mediated PM2.5-induced cellular senescence and how to play a protective role against this issue. Our data suggested that PM2.5 induced time- and concentration-dependent increasement in the senescence of pulmonary epithelial cells. Using a inhibitor of cGAS (PF-06928215) and a inhibitor of NF-κB (BAY 11-7082), it was revealed that PM2.5-induced senescence was regulated by inflammatory response, which was closely related to the cGAS/STING/NF-κB pathway activated by DNA damage. Moreover, our study also showed that when A549 cells were exposed to 100 µg/mL PM2.5 for 48 h, the pretreatment with 20 µM selenomethionine (Se-Met) for 12 h could inhibit inflammatory response and prevent cellular senescence by hindering cGAS/STING/NF-κB pathway. These findings indicated that selenium made a defense capability for PM2.5-induced senescence of alveolar epithelial cells, which provided a novel insight for resisting the harm of PM2.5 to human health.
Network Pharmacology-based Analysis on Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy by Salidroside
Authors: Li Na , Shi Lan-Lan , Chen Jin-Lin , Guo Xi-Liang , Wang Ting-Hua
Published: April 2022

Objective: To study the mechanism of salidroside in the treatment of diabetic retina injury. Methods: The animal model of diabetic retinal injury was established, salidroside treatment group was treated with salidroside, and then OCT detection, water maze detection, heat map difference analysis, molecular docking, PPI protein interaction, GO and KEGG analysis were used to study the protective mechanism of salidroside against diabetic retinal injury. Results: OCT and water maze results showed that the learning and cognitive functions of rats in the DM group and sham group were significant on day 1 and 5 after salidroside treatment. Venny intersection map was made for the data screened by proteomic analysis, and heat map was made for the three intersection genes. It was found that Nsmce1, Inpp5f and Vcan genes were all up-regulated in the diabetes group. By establishing molecular docking between the intersection gene and salidroside, Vcan did not docking with salidroside ligand, and BOTH Nsmce1 and Inpp5f could establish stable molecular binding mode with salidroside. Through keyword search in PubMed, the associated gene combination and intersection genes were finally obtained, and PPI protein interaction was analyzed. The genes with mutual relationship were analyzed by GO enrichment. It was found that response to molecule of Bacterial Origin is the most important BP. The most important CC process is raft and cytokine receptor binding. KEGG analysis found that the most important signaling pathways were Lipid and atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Salidroside has certain therapeutic effect on diabetic retina injury.
A Radio Continuum Study of NGC 2082
Authors: Balzan Joel Charles Francesco , Filipovic Miroslav , Dai Shi , Alsaberi Rami , Barnes Luke
Published: April 2022

We present radio continuum observations of NGC 2082 using ASKAP, ATCA and Parkes telescopes frequencies from 888 MHz to 9000 MHz. Some 20 arc-sec from the centre of this nearby spiral galaxy, we discovered a bright and compact radio source, J054149.24–641813.7, of unknown origin. To constrain the nature of J054149.24–641813.7, we searched for transient events with the Ultra-Wideband-Low (UWL) Parkes receiver (704 MHz–4032 MHz coverage), and compare its luminosity and spectral index to various nearby supernova remnants (SNRs), and fast radio burst (FRB) local environments. Its radio spectral index is flat (α = 0.02 ± 0.09) which is unlikely to be either an SNR or pulsar. Also, we did not find a counterpart of this source at any other frequencies including HST, Spitzer and XMM-Newton X-rays. No transient events were detected with the Parkes telescope over three days of observations, and our calculations show J054149.24–641813.7 is two orders of magnitude less luminous than FRB 121102 & 190520Bs associated persistent radio sources — likely not bright enough to be a persistent radio source associated with an FRB. We conclude that the most likely origin for J054149.24–641813.7 is a background quasar or radio galaxy. Finally, we detect extended radio continuum emission that can be associated with the overall features of NGC 2082 itself. The spectral index of α = −0.15 ± 0.23 is somewhat unexpected for spiral galaxies, but consistent with thermal emission dominating across the galaxy. We explain that this rather flat radio spectral index is a consequence of NGC 2082’s radio quiet nucleus.