bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Secrecy Performance by Power Splitting in Cooperative Dual-Hop Relay Wireless Energy Harvesting
Authors: Sehito Nabila , Yang Shouyi , Al Harbi Abdullh G. , Abbasi Muhammad Inam , Khan Muhammad Abbas , Khan Muhammad Amir , Kamal Mian Muhammad
Published: May 2022

In wireless communication systems, for secure communication between a transmitter and receiver over the communication channel, the physical layer security is widely utilized. The paper presents a dual-hop wireless full-duplex relay (FDR) network with a source relay and destination relay between two nodes and listening devices. The relay and source use energy harvesting to gain energy from power beacon. Two cooperative techniques are utilized to investigate the amplify-forward (AF) and decode-forward (DF) secrecy capacity in the energy harvesting power splitting system. It is shown that the secrecy performance of an AF relay is better than the secrecy performance of a DF relay in the given form. At 40-meter distance between the relay and the eavesdropper in an energy harvesting system, the AF relay outperforms the DF relay. The simulation is performed using the Monte-Carlo method in MATLAB.
[Retracted] Research on the Application of Genetic Algorithm in Physical Education
Authors: Wang Haibo
Published: May 2022

University physical education is an important public basic course in colleges and universities. The traditional teaching is usually within the class time specified in the training program; the teacher teaches the students the basic physical education fundamentals so that the students can master the basic skills of sports, thus improving the students’ sports level and physical quality. An improved genetic algorithm is proposed to reduce the problem of slow convergence and partial convergence of the fundamental genetic algorithm for intelligent grouping systems. To ensure the group’s stability and variety, the algorithm can rapidly extend the search space by repeatedly rejecting similar individuals. Therefore, this study proposes a new method of intelligent grouping based on the improved genetic algorithm. The new method can overcome the problem of premature convergence of the algorithm more efficiently and easily than the traditional algorithm. A large number of experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm meets all the requirements of physical education very well. The algorithm can automatically generate test papers with moderate difficulty and reasonable structure.
A N7-Methylguanine-Related Gene Signature Applicable for the Prognosis and Microenvironment of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Mei Wangli , Jia Xuyang , Xin Shiyong , Liu Xiang , Jin Liang , Sun Xianchao , Zhang Jia-Xin , Zhang Bihui , Yang Guosheng , Chen Ping , Ye Lin
Published: May 2022

Background. Despite the constant iteration of small-molecule inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors, PRAD (prostate adenocarcinoma) patients with distant metastases and biochemical recurrence maintain a poor survival outcome along with an increasing morbidity in recent years. N7-Methylguanine, a new-found type of RNA modification, has demonstrated an essential role in tumor progression but has hardly been studied for its effect on prostate carcinoma. The current study aimed to seek m7G (N7-methylguanosine) related prognostic biomarkers and potential targets for PRAD treatment. Methods. 42 genes related to m7G were collected from former literatures and GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) website. Then, RNA-seq (RNA sequencing) and clinical data from TCGA-PRAD (The Cancer Genome Atlas-Prostate) cohort were retrieved to screen the differentially expressed m7G genes to further construct a multivariate Cox prognostic model for PRAD. Next, GSE116918, a prostate cancer cohort acquired from GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database, was analyzed for the external validation group to assess the ability to predict BFFS (biochemical failure-free survival) of our m7G prognostic signature. Kaplan-Meier, ROC (receiver operator characteristic), AUC (areas under ROC curve), and calibration curves were adopted to display the performance of this prognostic signature. In addition, immune infiltration analysis was implemented to evaluate the effect of these m7G genes on immunoinfiltrating cells. Correlation with drug susceptibility of the m7G signature was also analyzed by matching drug information in CellMiner database. Results. The m7G-related prognostic signature, including three genes (EIF3D, EIF4A1, LARP1) illustrated superior prognostic ability for PRAD in both training and validation cohorts. The 5-year AUC were 0.768 for TCGA-PRAD and 0.608 for GSE116918. It can well distinguish patients into different risk groups of biochemical recurrence (

p

 =1e-04 for TCGA-PRAD and

p

 =0.0186 for GSE116918). Immune infiltration analysis suggested potential regulation of m7G genes on neutrophils and dendritic cells in PRAD. Conclusions. A m7G-related prognostic signature was constructed and validated in the current study, giving new sights of m7G methylation in predicting the prognostic and improving the treatment of PRAD.
The Comparison of the Diagnostic Value of Left Atrial Pulmonary Vein Single-Phase and Dual-Phase Enhanced CT Scanning for Left Atrial Appendage Thrombosis and SEC in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Guo Tianjiao , Dong Yapeng , Yu Shujing
Published: May 2022

Objective. The accuracy of left atrial pulmonary vein CT enhanced single-phase and dual-phase scanning in the detection of left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombosis and spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) before radio frequency ablation was compared in atrial fibrillation patients, so as to optimize the scanning scheme. Methods. 78 patients with atrial fibrillation who were admitted to Cangzhou Central Hospital from October 2020 to September 2021 and underwent bilateral enhanced CT scan of left atrial pulmonary vein and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination for planned frequency ablation were selected. TEE results were used as the “gold standard” to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the first phase, second phase, and double-phase comprehensive mode of enhanced left atrial pulmonary vein CT in detecting left atrial thrombosis and SEC. Results. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 88.9%, 84.1%, 42.1%, and 98.3%, respectively, in the detection of left atrial thrombosis and SEC by the first phase of CT enhanced scan. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 22.2%, 98.6%, 66.6%, and 90.7%, respectively, in the detection of left atrial thrombosis and SEC by the second phase of CT enhanced scan. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 88.9%, 84.1%, 42.1%, and 98.3%, respectively, in the detection of left atrial thrombosis and SEC by the double-phase comprehensive mode of CT enhanced scan. There was no statistically significant difference in the accuracy of CT diagnosis of left atrial appendage thrombosis and SEC between the three modes of the first phase, the second phase, and the double-phase comprehensive CT (

P
>
0.05

). The mean effective radiation dose of double-phase enhanced scan was

7.49
±
1.02

 mSv. Conclusion. Single-phase enhanced CT scan of left atrial pulmonary vein can meet clinical requirements and significantly reduce the radiation dose compared with double-phase enhanced CT scan. Therefore, it is recommended as an initial screening examination for patients with atrial fibrillation before radiofrequency ablation.
Consumer Psychology of Ethnic Clothing Based on Artificial Intelligence Decision-Making and Internet of Things
Authors: Peng Yu , Krutasaen Watanapun
Published: May 2022

The consumer psychology and consumption behavior of ethnic clothing is often a special category of modern clothing consumption, which has a significant impact on the composition of future consumer culture. The research on the consumption psychology of ethnic costumes will help us to better grasp the legal direction of the development of cultural trends. The purpose of this paper is to study the consumer psychology of ethnic wear based on artificial intelligence decision-making and the Internet of Things. After an overview and theoretical analysis of the existing results, the framework of the research and the direction to start are determined. In order to understand the basic situation of the current market, the main multichannels of ethnic wear are classified, and the preference information for these functions is explored in the minds of consumers. Use decision-making process research tools to quantify decision-making process data for all ethnic apparel consumption. The research obtains specific data through questionnaires and grasps the mass psychology of ethnic costume consumption. And then build a scientific system to promote the consumption of national costumes. Research has proved that the creation of cultural scope and the enrichment of commodity types have a very positive impact on the consumption of ethnic clothing and can become one of the important breakthroughs in promoting the consumption of ethnic clothing.
Synthesis of CoFe2O4/Graphene Oxide-Grafted Tetraethylenepentamine for Removal of Cr (VI) from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Pan Hui , Zhao Donglin , Wang Li
Published: May 2022

In this study, amino-functionalized magnetic graphene-based composite TEPA-GO/CoFe2O4 (TGOM) was prepared by a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction and applied to the removal of Cr (VI) from wastewater. The removal of Cr (VI) by TGOM has the characteristics of high removal efficiency and excellent cycle performance. The maximum adsorption capacity is 114.81 mg/g, and the adsorption efficiency can still reach 62% after four cycles. The mass percentage of amino in TGOM material is about 1.97% according to thermogravimetric analysis. The modification by TEPA increased the adsorption sites and improved the adsorption capacities due to the synergistic effect of chelation with Cr (VI). The effects of pH, contact time, and temperature on the removal of Cr (VI) were studied. The removal process accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model, and the thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. The characterization analysis before and after adsorption showed that there were complexation reaction, electrostatic adsorption, and reduction mechanism in the removal process. The above results indicate that TGOM is an effective adsorption material for the removal of Cr (VI) in wastewater.
Image Semantic Segmentation Method Based on Deep Fusion Network and Conditional Random Field
Authors: Wang Shuo , Yang Yi
Published: May 2022

Aiming at the problems of missing points and wrong points in image semantic segmentation under complex background and small target, an image semantic segmentation method based on the fully convolution neural network and conditional random field is proposed. First, the deconvolution fusion structure is added to the fully convolution neural network to build a deep fusion network. The multiscale features are automatically obtained through the deep fusion network, and the shallow detail information and deep semantic information are fused to improve the processing accuracy of image rough segmentation. Then, the bivariate potential function of the conditional random field is optimized based on the convolution neural network, and it is used for image fine segmentation to obtain the final image segmentation result. Finally, the proposed method is experimentally analyzed based on the Cityscapes dataset. The results show that the proposed method can achieve accurate image segmentation, and the area under the segmentation curve of the overall size target is 93.6%, which is better than other methods.
Resource Selection from Edge-Cloud for IIoT and Blockchain-Based Applications in Industry 4.0/5.0
Authors: Kaur Mandeep , Jadhav Anil , Akter Farzana
Published: May 2022

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is attempting to integrate the real world into the digital world through smart devices, information technology, and Internet. IIoT is connecting enormous devices in industry 4.0/5.0 which may be heterogeneous in nature. With the evolution of IoT, diverse technologies have been employed to deliver the quality of services to the end users in a seamless manner. Cloud computing has considerably boosted the growth of IIoT by serving the computational and data storage needs of IIoT- and blockchain-based applications in industry 4.0/5.0. However, cloud is providing services to IIoT users, but still, there is a need to improve the latency rate of delivery of services, the transmission rate of end-to-end delivery, and overall throughput of the network channels in industry 4.0 and blockchain-based distributed systems. The cloud servers those are located at remote locations are not capable to offer the quality of services to users who require real-time responses, minimum network latency, and optimum throughput. The advancements in Edge computing are making Edge-Cloud more suitable for end users in blockchain-based transactions and industry 4.0 to serve the requirements of IIoT-based applications. This paper aims at providing the resources of Edge-Cloud to the end users by proposing a soft-computing technique for selecting the most suitable resources from the pool of available resources at Edge-Cloud. This paper is proposing a multicriteria statistical approach for resource selection to exploit the benefits of Edge-Cloud and to suffice the needs of IIoT and blockchain-based applications in industry 4.0. The results obtained from the proposed research assist in enhancing the service providing rate, minimizing the delay in transmission, and optimizing the throughput of Edge-Cloud servers.
Evaluation of Multimedia Classroom Teaching Effectiveness Based on RS-BP Neural Network
Authors: Xie Nan
Published: May 2022

With the popularization of information technology, multimedia teaching has been widely used in universities as a new form of classroom teaching. In this paper, based on the classroom process, 12 evaluation indexes are initially obtained from three dimensions of “courseware, classroom teaching, and classroom effect,” which are reduced to 7 core indexes and evaluated comprehensively by using the rough set theory (RS), and the evaluation results are used as input data for simulation training of the BP neural network. The RS-BP neural evaluation model of multimedia classroom teaching effect (MCTE) is successfully trained, and finally five nonuniversities are selected for empirical research. The empirical study shows that this model has certain applicability when MCTE is such a nonlinear problem and can provide reference for the quality evaluation and improvement of multimedia teaching. The model in this study has certain practical value, but the index system is not comprehensive enough, the training data is insufficient, and the model maturity still needs further improvement.
Experimental Study on Dynamic Aerodynamic Characteristics of Different Antenna Aspect Ratios with Reduced Frequency
Authors: Zhang Yanqi , Zhang Zhaoming
Published: May 2022

Radar antennas in the open air are affected by dynamic wind loading during azimuthal scanning. In this state, the acquisition and prediction of the aerodynamic load is the focus of the structure design for the antenna. We performed wind tunnel force tests on flat plate antennas with different aspect ratios. The changes in mean, maximum, and root mean square values of the aerodynamic coefficients relative to the antenna aspect ratio and reduced frequency are given for the first time. The effects of the antenna aspect ratio and reduced frequency on aerodynamic characteristics are analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the magnitude of the azimuthal moment is related to the antenna aspect ratio and the reduced frequency. It is worth noting that the antenna aspect ratio has a significant impact on the mean, maximum, and root mean square values of dynamic aerodynamic coefficients. The mean, maximum, and root mean square values of the rolling moment coefficient, azimuth moment coefficient, and pitching moment coefficient monotonously decrease with the increase in aspect ratio. In addition, the influence of reduced frequency on the dynamic aerodynamic coefficient is closely related to the antenna aspect ratio. Under the same antenna aspect ratio, increasing the reduced frequency will increase the mean, maximum, and root mean square values of the aerodynamic coefficient. For flat plate antennas with different aspect ratios, at the condition of increasing the aspect ratios, the mean, maximum, and root mean square values of aerodynamic coefficients do not change significantly with the change of reduced frequency.
[Retracted] The Role and Clinical Observation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Relieving Senile Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Luan Xin , Zhang Xiaodan , Zhou Yixin
Published: May 2022

Objective. To assess the role and clinical observation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in relieving senile insomnia and conduct a systematic evaluation and meta‐analysis. Methods. We searched Chinese literatures from some database, including the China Knowledge Network database, Chongqing CQVIP Chinese database, Wanfang database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature database. In addition, English literature retrieval database PubMed and the Cochrane Library were included in this meta‐analysis. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) of cognitive behavioral therapy was found in the treatment of chronic insomnia. All articles were current up to December 1, 2021, and references in the literature were hand searched. Results. About 16 studies were included, involving 1260 elderly patients with insomnia. Meta‐analysis results showed that compared with the control group, the sleep latency of the experimental group MD = −8.02, 95% CI (10.95, 5.01), the number of awakenings of the experimental group MD = −0.41, 95% CI (0.68, 0.14), the total sleep time of the experimental group MD = 39.41, 95% CI (27.05, 51.71), the sleep efficiency of the experimental group MD = 7.82, 95% CI (1.87, 13.75) the Pittsburgh sleep quality index of the experimental group MD = 2.41, 95% CI (3.12, 1.46), the effective rate of the experimental group: OR = 3.12, 95% CI (1.76, 5.48), and the insomnia severity index of the experimental group MD = 1.05, 95% CI (2.04, 0.52). Conclusion. Our current study has indicated that TCM may play a central role in relieving senile insomnia and may be effective when treating insomnia. However, due to the low quality of trial methodology and publication bias, it cannot be fully confirmed. Further high‐quality trials are needed to be investigated in the future.
Vulnerability Assessment of Asphalt Plant through Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Haider Abid , Khan Sarmadullah , Mohamed Abdullah , Khan Shahbaz , Khan Razaullah
Published: May 2022

Many businesses throughout the globe have recently realized the value of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. Many critical infrastructures, such as electricity grids, asphalt plants, and wastewater disposals, are controlled by these systems. With the introduction of Fourth Industrial Revolution, 4IR or Industry 4.0, today’s SCADA systems cannot be separated from the outside world, making them more susceptible to hostile assaults. Conventional security systems including different antivirus software and firewalls are unable to safeguard SCADA systems as they are of distinct requirements. For this, different machine learning algorithms, i.e., SVM, KNN, and random forest, are tested to cover the anomaly detection along with security protection for SCADA systems. The dataset used in this research study was made locally in an asphalt plant by using different sensor data grouped in two classes: one is natural signal values, and the other one is attack class in which different sensor values are found out of range while in operation. Amongst the above-mentioned algorithms, KNN outperformed with an accuracy rate of 89% for anomaly detection and any kind of external attack can be detected and notified to the control room for on-time actions.
Fiber Orientation Analysis of Overflow Water-Assisted Injection Molding with Short Glass Fiber Reinforced Polypropylene
Authors: Huang Dongyou , Liu Hesheng , Kuang Tangqing , Yu Zhong
Published: May 2022

The fiber orientation is playing an important performance indexed for glass fiber reinforced polypropylene for water-assisted injection molding. Based on the viscoelastic constitutive equation (White-Metzner) and the fiber orientation model (iARD-RPR), the effects of fiber mass content, water injection delay time, water injection pressure, and melt temperature, which are on the fiber orientation along the flow direction and shear rate distribution of the melt, were investigated. Studies found that the orientation degree of the fiber along the flow direction was reduced with the increase of the fiber mass content, the extension of the water injection delay time, and the improvement of the melt temperature and that the orientation degree of the fiber along the flow direction was raised with the increase of the water injection pressure flow in the laminar flow state, but it was reduced with the increase in the turbulent state. It can be further learned from the shear rate distribution that decreasing fiber mass content, reducing the water injection delay time, lower melt temperature, and increasing water injection pressure in laminar flow conditions will increase the shear rate in the channel layer and the shear rate gradient along the thickness direction of the melt, while the water injection pressure in the turbulent state is on the contrary.
A Maloca na contramão do progresso: Adoniran Barbosa e a modernidade
Authors: Amaral Assíria Toledo do , Silva Wener Aparecido Nogueira da
Published: May 2022

Este artigo tem como proposta investigar, a partir da letra da canção Saudosa Maloca de Adoniran Barbosa (1910-1982), as ideias de progresso e modernidade; bem como compreender a maneira com que tais conceitos permeavam diretamente o cenário em que o compositor estava inserido quando escreveu a letra da música, isto é, a sociedade paulista em meados dos anos 1950. Assim, o progresso acabaria por trazer o sentimento nostálgico, de um passado onde o tempo era mais leve, algo que se contrapõe ao ritmo acelerado da cidade que passava por um amplo processo de modernização. A abordagem concentra-se, portanto, em identificar o samba crítico enquanto forma de expressão frente à concepção de progresso.
ATF1/miR-214-5p/ITGA7 axis promotes osteoclastogenesis to alter OVX-induced bone absorption
Authors: Liu Lu-Lin , Xiao Yao-Sheng , Huang Wei-Min , Liu Sheng , Huang Li-Xing , Zhong Jing-Hua , Jia Peng , Liu Wu-Yang
Published: May 2022

Background

The dynamic balance of osteoblast and osteoclast is critical for bone homeostasis and overactive osteoclastic function may lead to osteoporosis. Activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) is involved in osteoclastogenesis. However, the detailed mechanisms remain to be explored.

Methods

RAW264.7 cells were used and induced toward osteoclast by RANKL administration. We performed flow cytometry, CCK-8 assay and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining to examine cell apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation of RAW264.7 cells, respectively. Mice were subjected to ovariectomy to induce osteoporosis. Micro CT, HE staining and TRAP staining were performed to evaluate bone loss in the OVX mouse model. Bioinformatics methods, luciferase assays and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to predict and validate the interaction among ATF1, miR-214-5p, and ITGA7.

Results

ATF1 and miR-214-5p were up-regulated while ITGA7 was inhibited in RANKL-induced osteoclasts. MiR-214-5p was transcriptionally activated by ATF1. ATF1 knockdown suppressed osteoclast formation by miR-214-5p inhibition. ITGA7 was the direct target of miR-214-5p. Knockdown of miR-214-5p abolished osteoclastogenesis, which was reversed by ITGA7 knockdown. In OVX model, miR-214-5p knockdown suppressed osteoclast differentiation and prevented bone loss.

Conclusion

ATF1/miR-214-5p/ITGA7 axis regulated osteoclast formation both in vivo and in vitro, thereby affecting OVX-induced bone resorption in mice. Knockdown of ATF1 might be a promising strategy to manage osteoporosis.
Handling the health impacts of extreme climate events
Authors: Leal Filho Walter , Balasubramanian M. , Purcell Wendy , Paz Shlomit
Published: May 2022

This commentary provides an overview and summary of some of the health impacts of extreme climate events. It goes on to suggest some measures to increase the preparedness of the health sector to cope with extreme events associated with a changing climate.
2D-DIGE based proteome analysis of wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium 7XL/7DS translocation line under drought stress
Authors: Lu Fengkun , Duan Wenjing , Cui Yue , Zhang Junwei , Zhu Dong , Zhang Ming , Yan Yueming
Published: May 2022

Background

Drought stress is the most limiting factor for plant growth and crop production worldwide. As a major cereal crop, wheat is susceptible to drought. Thus, discovering and utilizing drought-tolerant gene resources from related species are highly important for improving wheat drought resistance. In this study, the drought tolerance of wheat Zhongmai 8601-Thinopyrum intermedium7XL/7DS translocation line YW642 was estimated under drought stress, and then two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) based proteome analysis of the developing grains was performed to uncover the drought-resistant proteins.

Results

The results showed that 7XL/7DS translocation possessed a better drought-tolerance compared to Zhongmai 8601. 2D-DIGE identified 146 differential accumulation protein (DAP) spots corresponding to 113 unique proteins during five grain developmental stages of YW642 under drought stress. Among them, 55 DAP spots corresponding to 48 unique proteins displayed an upregulated expression, which were mainly involved in stress/defense, energy metabolism, starch metabolism, protein metabolism/folding and transport. Thecis-actingelement analysis revealed that abundant stress-related elements were present in the promoter regions of the drought-responsive protein genes, which could play important roles in drought defense. RNA-seq and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that some regulated DAP genes also showed a high expression level in response to drought stress.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that Wheat-Th. intermedium7XL/7DS translocation line carried abundant drought-resistant proteins that had potential application values for wheat drought tolerance improvement.
Dynamic changes in fecal bacterial microbiota of dairy cattle across the production line
Authors: Zhao Lei , Li Xunde , Atwill Edward R. , Aly Sharif S. , Williams Deniece R. , Su Zhengchang
Published: May 2022

Background

Microbiota play important roles in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of dairy cattle as the communities are responsible for host health, growth, and production performance. However, a systematic characterization and comparison of microbial communities in the GIT of cattle housed in different management units on a modern dairy farm are still lacking. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to evaluate the fecal bacterial communities of 90 dairy cattle housed in 12 distinctly defined management units on a modern dairy farm.

Results

We found that cattle from management units 5, 6, 8, and 9 had similar bacterial communities while the other units showed varying levels of differences. Hutch calves had a dramatically different bacterial community than adult cattle, with at least 10 genera exclusively detected in their samples but not in non-neonatal cattle. Moreover, we compared fecal bacteria of cattle from every pair of the management units and detailed the number and relative abundance of the significantly differential genera. Lastly, we identified 181 pairs of strongly correlated taxa in the community, showing possible synergistic or antagonistic relationships.

Conclusions

This study assesses the fecal microbiota of cattle from 12 distinctly defined management units along the production line on a California dairy farm. The results highlight the similarities and differences of fecal microbiota between cattle from each pair of the management units. Especially, the data indicate that the newborn calves host very different gut bacterial communities than non-neonatal cattle, while non-neonatal cattle adopt one of the two distinct types of gut bacterial communities with subtle differences among the management units. The gut microbial communities of dairy cattle change dramatically in bacterial abundances at different taxonomic levels along the production line. The findings provide a reference for research and practice in modern dairy farm management.
Association between initial body temperature on hospital arrival and neurological outcome among patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a multicenter cohort study (the CRITICAL study in Osaka, Japan)
Authors: Yoshimura Satoshi , Kiguchi Takeyuki , Irisawa Taro , Yamada Tomoki , Yoshiya Kazuhisa , Park Changhwi , Nishimura Tetsuro , Ishibe Takuya , Yagi Yoshiki , Kishimoto Masafumi , Kim Sung-Ho , Hayashi Yasuyuki , Sogabe Taku , Morooka Takaya , Sakamoto Haruko , Suzuki Keitaro , Nakamura Fumiko , Matsuyama Tasuku , Okada Yohei , Nishioka Norihiro , Matsui Satoshi , Kimata Shunsuke , Kawai Shunsuke , Makino Yuto , Kitamura Tetsuhisa , Iwami Taku ,   on behalf of the, CRITICAL Study Group Investigators
Published: May 2022

Background

The association between spontaneous initial body temperature on hospital arrival and neurological outcomes has not been sufficiently studied in patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).

Methods

From the prospective database of the Comprehensive Registry of Intensive Care for OHCA Survival (CRITICAL) study in Osaka, Japan, we enrolled all patients with OHCA of medical origin aged> 18 years for whom resuscitation was attempted and who were transported to participating hospitals between 2012 and 2019. We excluded patients who were not witnessed by bystanders and treated by a doctor car or helicopter, which is a car/helicopter with a physician. The patients were categorized into three groups according to their temperature on hospital arrival: ≤35.9 °C, 36.0–36.9 °C (normothermia), and ≥ 37.0 °C. The primary outcome was 1-month survival, with a cerebral performance category of 1 or 2. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between temperature and outcomes (normothermia was used as the reference). We also assessed this association using cubic spline regression analysis.

Results

Of the 18,379 patients in our database, 5014 witnessed adult OHCA patients of medical origin from 16 hospitals were included. When analyzing 3318 patients, OHCA patients with an initial body temperature of ≥37.0 °C upon hospital arrival were associated with decreased favorable neurological outcomes (6.6% [19/286] odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.27–0.95) compared to patients with normothermia (16.4% [180/1100]), whereas those with an initial body temperature of ≤35.9 °C were not associated with decreased favorable neurological outcomes (11.1% [214/1932]; odds ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval, 0.56–1.07). The cubic regression splines demonstrated that a higher body temperature on arrival was associated with decreased favorable neurological outcomes, and a lower body temperature was not associated with decreased favorable neurological outcomes.

Conclusions

In adult patients with OHCA of medical origin, a higher body temperature on arrival was associated with decreased favorable neurologic outcomes.
Spontaneously generated online patient experience data - how and why is it being used in health research: an umbrella scoping review
Authors: Walsh Julia , Dwumfour Christine , Cave Jonathan , Griffiths Frances
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Social media has led to fundamental changes in the way that people look for and share health related information. There is increasing interest in using this spontaneously generated patient experience data as a data source for health research. The aim was to summarise the state of the art regarding how and why SGOPE data has been used in health research. We determined the sites and platforms used as data sources, the purposes of the studies, the tools and methods being used, and any identified research gaps.

Methods

A scoping umbrella review was conducted looking at review papers from 2015 to Jan 2021 that studied the use of SGOPE data for health research. Using keyword searches we identified 1759 papers from which we included 58 relevant studies in our review.

Results

Data was used from many individual general or health specific platforms, although Twitter was the most widely used data source. The most frequent purposes were surveillance based, tracking infectious disease, adverse event identification and mental health triaging. Despite the developments in machine learning the reviews included lots of small qualitative studies. Most NLP used supervised methods for sentiment analysis and classification. Very early days, methods need development. Methods not being explained. Disciplinary differences - accuracy tweaks vs application. There is little evidence of any work that either compares the results in both methods on the same data set or brings the ideas together.

Conclusion

Tools, methods, and techniques are still at an early stage of development, but strong consensus exists that this data source will become very important to patient centred health research.
Risk factors related to age at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a retrospective cohort pilot study
Authors: Lin Ro-Ting , Chen Pei-Lung , Yang Chi-Ying , Yeh Chun-Chieh , Lin Chun-Che , Huang Wen-Hsin , Chung An-Ko , Lin Jaw-Town
Published: May 2022

Background

Increased pancreatic cancer incidence has been observed among younger than in older adults. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of a large study that would compare the age at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer among patients with different risk factors.

Methods

We compared the age at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer between groups of pancreatic cancer patients exposed and not exposed to the identified risk factors. We estimated the age at which exposure started, average exposure quantity, and total years of exposure and investigated their relationships with age at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Results

Sixteen out of 24 (67%) subjects carried known genetic factors and/or had smoking and/or drinking habits; however, an earlier age of pancreatic cancer diagnosis was not observed. Conversely, we found a significant correlation between the age at which alcohol consumption was started and the age at diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (r = 0.8124, P = 0.0043).

Conclusions

Our pilot study suggested that a large study following this study design is feasible and that the following should be conducted in a large study: mediation analysis for disease-related factors, advanced genomic analysis for new candidate genes, and the correlation between age of first exposure to risk factors and pancreatic cancer onset.
Older adults' perspectives on rehabilitation and recovery one year after a hip fracture – a qualitative study
Authors: Karlsson Åsa , Olofsson Birgitta , Stenvall Michael , Lindelöf Nina
Published: May 2022

Background

In order to improve quality of care and recovery after hip fracture we need to include the perspectives of the individual older adults when evaluating different rehabilitation interventions. The aim of this study was therefore to explore older adults’ experiences of their rehabilitation after a hip fracture and of the recovery process during the 12 months following the fracture.

Methods

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 older adults (70–91 years of age) who had participated in a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effects of early discharge followed by geriatric interdisciplinary home rehabilitation compared to in-hospital care according to a multifactorial rehabilitation program. Ten participants from each group were interviewed shortly after the one-year follow-up when the study was completed. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis.

Results

The analysis resulted in four themes:Moving towards recovery with the help of others; Getting to know a new me; Striving for independence despite obstacles; and Adapting to an altered but acceptable life. The participants emphasised the importance of having access to rehabilitation that was provided by skilled staff, and support from family members and friends for well-being and recovery. They experienced a change in their self-image but strove for independence despite struggling with complications and functional limitations and used adaptive strategies to find contentment in their lives.

Conclusions

Rehabilitation interventions provided by competent health care professionals, as well as support from family members and friends, were emphasised as crucial for satisfactory recovery. Participants’ experiences further highlight the importance of targeting both physical and psychological impacts after a hip fracture. To improve recovery, rehabilitation providers should customise future interventions to suit each individual´s wishes and needs and provide rehabilitation in various settings throughout the recovery process.

Trial registration

The trial is registered at Current Controlled Trials Ltd,ICRCTN 15738119. Date of registration 16/06/2008, retrospectively registered.
Recanalization of thrombosed aneurysmal hemodialysis arterovenous fistulas using a hybrid technique based on data from a single center
Authors: Liu Wei , Wu Meng , Wang Xu , Huang Xiao-kang , Cai Wen-jiao , Ding Teng-yun , Duan Liang-liang , Qiao Rui , Wu Yong-gui
Published: May 2022

Objective

To explore the technical specifications and clinical outcomes of thrombosed aneurysmal haemodialysis arteriovenous fistula (AVF) treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty combined with minimal aneurysmotomy.

Methods

This case series study included 11 patients who had thrombosed aneurysmal AVF and underwent salvage procedures over a 13-month period. All procedures were performed under duplex guidance. Minimal aneurysmotomy was performed, along with manual thrombectomy and thrombolytic agent infusion, followed by angioplasty to macerate the thrombus and sufficiently dilate potential stenoses. A successful procedure was defined as immediate restoration of flow through the AVF.

Results

The 11 patients (four males and seven females) had a mean age of 49.6 years ± 11.9 years. Six patients (54.5%) had two or more aneurysms. The mean aneurysm maximal diameter was 21.5 mm (standard deviation: ± 5.0 mm), and the mean thrombus length was 12.9 cm (8–22 cm). Ten (83.3%) of the 12 procedures were technically successful. The mean duration of operation was 150.9 minutes (standard deviation: ± 34.2 minutes), and mean postoperative AVF blood flow was 728.6 ml/min (standard deviation: ± 53.7 mi/min). The resumption of hemodialysis was successful in all 11 cases, with a clinical success rate of 100%. The primary patency rates were 90.0% and 75.0% at three and four months over a mean follow-up time of 6.3 months (3–12 months). The secondary patency rates were 90.4% at three and four months.

Conclusion

A hybrid approach combining ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and minimal aneurysmotomy might be a safe and effective method for thrombosed aneurysmal AVF salvage.
A comprehensive evaluation of potentially significant drug-drug, drug-herb, and drug-food interactions among cancer patients receiving anticancer drugs
Authors: Koni Amer A. , Nazzal Maisa A. , Suwan Bushra A. , Sobuh Samah S. , Abuhazeem Najiya T. , Salman Asil N. , Salameh Husam T. , Amer Riad , Zyoud Sa’ed H.
Published: May 2022

Introduction

During the cancer treatment path, cancer patients use numerous drugs, including anticancer, supportive, and other prescribed medications, along with herbs and certain products. This puts them at risk of significant drug interactions (DIs). This study describes DIs in cancer patients and their prevalence and predictors.

Methods

A cross-sectional study design was used to achieve the study objectives. The study was carried out in two centers in the northern West Bank, Palestine. The Lexicomp® Drug Interactions tool (Lexi-Comp, Hudson OH, USA) was applied to check the potential DIs. In addition, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to show the results and find the associations.

Results

The final analysis included 327 patients. Most of the participants were older than 50 years (61.2%), female (68.5%), and had a solid tumor (74.6%). The total number of potential DIs was 1753, including 1510 drug-drug interactions (DDIs), 24 drug-herb interactions, and 219 drug-food interactions. Importantly, the prevalence of DDIs was 88.1%. In multivariate analysis, the number of potential DDIs significantly decreased with the duration of treatment (p = 0.007), while it increased with the number of comorbidities (p < 0.001) and the number of drugs used (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

We found a high prevalence of DIs among cancer patients. This required health care providers to develop a comprehensive protocol to monitor and evaluate DIs by improving doctor-pharmacist communication and supporting the role of clinical pharmacists.
Development pattern of ocular biometric parameters and refractive error in young Chinese adults: a longitudinal study of first-year university students
Authors: Bai Xue , Jin Nan , Wang Qingxin , Ge Yicheng , Du Bei , Wang Di , Su Qiang , Wang Biying , To Chi-ho , Wei Ruihua
Published: May 2022

Background

The increase in the prevalence of myopia has become a matter of serious public health concern, and few studies to date have examined the ocular biometric parameters of myopia in young Chinese adults. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal ocular biometric and refractive development of first-year university students and the influence of near work.

Methods

This study included 526 first-year university students from Tianjin Medical University (mean age, 18.34 years; 313 females and 213 males). From 2016 to 2018, participants underwent ocular biometry measurements and subjective refraction annually. Near-work activities such as the use of electronic devices, online games, reading, and writing as well as demographic data were recorded by questionnaires.

Results

The prevalence of myopia in this population from 2016 to 2018 was 92.40%, 92.59%, and 92.97%, respectively. Importantly, the prevalence of high myopia increased significantly from 20.91% to 28.33% (P < .001). The spherical equivalent refraction was significantly more myopic by approximately − 0.38 D (from − 4.18 ± 2.44 to − 4.56 ± 2.57 D; P < .001) during the period. The axial length, central corneal thickness, and lens thickness became significantly different (all P < .05), and the axial length significantly increased by 0.12 mm during 2 years (P < .001). Using binary logistic regression analysis, the data indicated that spending more time on online games (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.33–3.29) could speed up the progression of myopia (P < .05).

Conclusions

This study showed that the prevalence of high myopia continued to increase in undergraduate students over 2 years. Baseline myopia correlated with myopic shift, the time spent on online games, and parental myopia were significantly associated with an increase in myopia in these young adult populations.
A standardized implementation of multicenter quality improvement program of very low birth weight newborns could significantly reduce admission hypothermia and improve outcomes
Authors: Bi Shu-yu , Yu Yong-hui , Li Cong , Xu Ping , Xu Hai-yan , Li Jia-hui , Liu Qiong-yu , Li Min , Liu Xin-jian , Wang Hui
Published: May 2022

Background

Admission hypothermia (AH, < 36.5℃) remains a major challenge for global neonatal survival, especially in developing countries. Baseline research shows nearly 89.3% of very low birth weight (VLBW, < 1500 g) infants suffer from AH in China. Therefore, a prospective multicentric quality improvement (QI) initiative to reduce regional AH and improve outcomes among VLBW neonates was implemented.

Methods

The study used a sequential Plan—Do—Study—Act (PDSA) approach. Clinical data were collected prospectively from 5 NICUs within the Sino-Northern Neonatal Network (SNN) in China. The hypothermia prevention bundle came into practice on January 1, 2019. The clinical characteristics and outcomes data in the pre-QI phase (January 1, 2018– December 31, 2018) were compared with that from the post-QI phase (January 1, 2019–December 31, 2020). Clinical characteristics and outcomes data were analyzed.

Results

A total of 750 in-born VLBW infants were enrolled in the study, 270 in the pre-QI period and 480 in the post- QI period, respectively. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics of infants between these two phases. Compared with pre-QI period, the incidence of AH was decreased significantly after the QI initiative implementation in the post-QI period (95.9% vs. 71.3%, P < 0.01). Incidence of admission moderate-to-severe hypothermia (AMSH, < 36℃) also decreased significantly, manifesting a reduction to 38.5% in the post-QI (68.5% vs 30%, P < 0.01). Average admission temperature improved from after QI (35.5 $$\pm$$
±
0.7℃ vs. 36.0 $$\pm$$
±
0.6℃, P < 0.01). There was no increase in proportion the number of infants with a temperature of > 37.5 °C or thermal burns between the two groups. The risk ratio of mortality in infants during the post-QI period was significantly lower in the post-QI period as compared to the pre-QI period [adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.13–0.50]. The risk ratio of late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS) also significantly lowered in the post-QI period (aRR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50–0.87).

Conclusion

Implementation of multicentric thermoregulatory QI resulted in a significant reduction in AH and AMSH in VLBW neonates with associated reduction in mortality. We gained a lot from the QI, and successfully aroused the attention of perinatal medical staff to neonatal AH. This provided a premise for continuous quality improvement of AH in the future, and might provide a reference for implementation of similar interventions in developing countries.

Trial registration

Trial registration number: ChiCTR1900020861. Date of registration: 21 January 2019(21/01/2019). Prospectively registered.