bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sheep face recognition and classification based on an improved MobilenetV2 neural network
Authors: Pang Yue , Yu Wenbo , Zhang Yongan , Xuan Chuanzhong , Wu Pei
Published: February 2023

Large-scale sheep farming has conventionally relied on barcodes and ear tags, devices that can be difficult to implement and maintain, for sheep identification and tracking. Biological data have also been used for tracking in recent years but have not been widely adopted due to the difficulty and high costs of data collection. To address these issues, a noncontact facial recognition technique is proposed in this study, in which training data were acquired in natural conditions using a series of video cameras, as Dupo sheep walked freely through a gate. A key frame extraction algorithm was then applied to automatically generate sheep face data sets representing various poses. An improved MobilenetV2 framework, termed Order-MobilenetV2 (O-MobilenetV2), was developed from an existing advanced convolutional neural network and used to improve the performance of feature extraction. In addition, O-MobilenetV2 includes a unique conv3x3 deep convolution module, which facilitated higher accuracy while reducing the number of required calculations by approximately two-thirds. A series of validation tests were performed in which the algorithm identified individual sheep using facial features, with the proposed model achieving the highest accuracy (95.88%) among comparable algorithms. In addition to high accuracy and low processing times, this approach does not require significant data pre-processing, which is common among other models and prohibitive for large sheep populations. This combination of simple operation, low equipment costs, and high robustness to variable sheep postures and environmental conditions makes our proposed technique a viable new strategy for sheep facial recognition and tracking.
‘When the boat comes in’: An empirical study of leadership as emerging activities at Greenlandic fish factories
Authors: Rasmussen Mette Apollo
Published: February 2023

Based on empirical work at Greenlandic fish factories this article develops a more nuanced view on middle management activities. The empirical findings suggests that the leadership practice of middle managers invokes problematization as a collective achievement, based on experience and sensitivity. At the fish factory the middle management activities stand out as a bricolage practice happening as processual activities enacted in an interplay between many organizational actors. The processes where leadership emerges involves different perspectives that support appropriate problematization of the mundane activities as they unfold. Thus, the discussion of leadership is concerned with how middle managers emerge themselves in daily sensitivity work. This contrasts with conventional leadership research, much of which is turning leadership into an “it” assuming stable relations. The concepts of experience and sensitivity contributes to a more complex understanding of the mundane everyday leadership practice that unfold among various organizational actors.
Psychology’s Contributions to Anti-Blackness in the United States Within Psychological Research, Criminal Justice, and Mental Health
Authors: Auguste Evan , Bowdring Molly , Kasparek Steven W. , McPhee Jeanne , Tabachnick Alexandra R. , Tung Irene ,   Scholars for Elevating Equity and Diversity (SEED), Galán Chardée A.
Published: February 2023

The mass incarceration of Black people in the United States is gaining attention as a public-health crisis with extreme mental-health implications. Although it is well documented that historical efforts to oppress and control Black people in the United States helped shape definitions of mental illness and crime, many psychologists are unaware of the ways the field has contributed to the conception and perpetuation of anti-Blackness and, consequently, the mass incarceration of Black people. In this article, we draw from existing theory and empirical evidence to demonstrate historical and contemporary examples of psychology’s oppression of Black people through research and clinical practices and consider how this history directly contradicts the American Psychological Association’s ethics code. First, we outline how anti-Blackness informed the history of psychological diagnoses and research. Next, we discuss how contemporary systems of forensic practice and police involvement in mental-health-crisis response maintain historical harm. Specific recommendations highlight strategies for interrupting the criminalization of Blackness and offer example steps psychologists can take to redefine psychology’s relationship with justice. We conclude by calling on psychologists to recognize their unique power and responsibility to interrupt the criminalization and pathologizing of Blackness as researchers and mental-health providers.
Does Electrophysiological Maturation Shape Language Acquisition?
Authors: Menn Katharina H. , Männel Claudia , Meyer Lars
Published: February 2023

Infants master temporal patterns of their native language at a developmental trajectory from slow to fast: Shortly after birth, they recognize the slow acoustic modulations specific to their native language before tuning into faster language-specific patterns between 6 and 12 months of age. We propose here that this trajectory is constrained by neuronal maturation—in particular, the gradual emergence of high-frequency neural oscillations in the infant electroencephalogram. Infants’ initial focus on slow prosodic modulations is consistent with the prenatal availability of slow electrophysiological activity (i.e., theta- and delta-band oscillations). Our proposal is consistent with the temporal patterns of infant-directed speech, which initially amplifies slow modulations, approaching the faster modulation range of adult-directed speech only as infants’ language has advanced sufficiently. Moreover, our proposal agrees with evidence from premature infants showing maturational age is a stronger predictor of language development than ex utero exposure to speech, indicating that premature infants cannot exploit their earlier availability of speech because of electrophysiological constraints. In sum, we provide a new perspective on language acquisition emphasizing neuronal development as a critical driving force of infants’ language development.
HIV/AIDS in the context of a queer institution: The Schwules Museum, Berlin
Authors: Schulze Heiner
Published: February 2023

Discourse and memory around AIDS have often centred on White gay cis-men in Europe and North America. This is reflected in the way the history of the virus is often told and how the memory of the disease and the fight against it is created. While gay cis men have been among the most heavily affected by the virus, widespread narratives surrounding the epidemic often blur the complexity of the experiences of and histories created by the virus and have rightly been challenged. The Schwules Museum Berlin (Queer Museum Berlin) has increasingly reflected on its function as an arsenal as well as an archive and the connected role as a ‘memory maker’, trying to re-actualize its founding impetus as a subcultural ‘antimuseum’. Two recent exhibitions on HIV/AIDS at the museum attempted to provide a wider set of narratives and experiences beyond the already established one, diversifying the way HIV/AIDS history is told, thereby ‘queering’ a queer institution while exhibiting an inherently ‘queer’ topic. Using these two exhibitions as examples, this contribution is concerned with reflections from inside a queer cultural institution coming from the practical work of engaging with queer memory/ies.
Queering and decolonising the museum: ‘In the Presence of Absence’ exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum
Authors: Dragojlovic Ana , Quinan CL
Published: February 2023

This review engages with the recent ‘In the Presence of Absence’ exhibition (2020–2021), which was held at the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). By focusing on three artistic interventions included in the exhibition (Werker Collective’s ‘A Gestural History of the Young Worker’, Farida Sedoc’s ‘The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be’, and Jennifer Tee’s ‘Tampan Ship of Souls #2’ and ‘Tampan the Collected Bodies’), we aim to highlight ways of creatively queering and decolonizing artistic practices and spaces, including museums and conventional memory narratives.
Alfabetización sanitaria y COVID-19 en países de ingreso bajo, medio y medio alto: revisión sistemática
Authors: Arenas-Monreal Luz , Galvan-Estrada Itxchel G. , Dorantes-Pacheco Leonel , Márquez-Serrano Margarita , Medrano-Vázquez Monserrat , Valdez-Santiago Rosario , Piña-Pozas Maricela
Published: February 2023

Objetivo:

analizar las publicaciones de Alfabetización Sanitaria (AS) en relación con la pandemia de la COVID-19 en países de ingreso bajo, medio y medio-alto.

Métodos:

se realizó una revisión sistemática de literatura publicada en las bases de datos de PubMed, Scopus, Portal BVS y Europe PMC, entre el 2019 y el 2021, siguiendo las guías de Cochrane y PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), y se escribió de acuerdo con los elementos de informe preferidos para revisiones sistemáticas. La calidad metodológica se comprobó utilizando Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), para evaluar críticamente la calidad de los estudios incluidos.

Resultados:

se revisaron 1397 artículos y tras la aplicación de criterios de elegibilidad se seleccionaron 92 estudios para el análisis. Se identificaron tres temas principales: dificultades y obstáculos, experiencias efectuadas sobre AS durante la pandemia y desafíos. Los determinantes sociales de la salud como educación, género, territorio y nivel socioeconómico obstaculizan la AS, además, otra de las dificultades es la ausencia en diversos países de planes, programas y guías de comunicación en salud. La infodemia fue una dificultad y un desafío en esta pandemia. Uno de los desafíos para la AS es la inequidad y pobreza. De las experiencias se encontraron mediciones de la AS en la población en general, en estudiantes y profesionales de la salud, además acciones de comunicación en salud y difusión de información para la prevención de la diseminación de la COVID-19 y para contrarrestar la infodemia. Conclusiones: las condiciones de vida de la población, así como el contexto sociocultural, económico y político de los países incluidos en esta revisión sistemática, influyen de manera decisiva en la AS de las personas.
The hot and the cold in destructive leadership: Modeling the role of arousal in explaining leader antecedents and follower consequences of abusive supervision versus exploitative leadership
Authors: Emmerling Franziska , Peus Claudia , Lobbestael Jill
Published: February 2023

Due to its devastating consequences, research needs to theoretically and empirically disentangle different sub-types of destructive leadership. Based on concepts derived from aggression research distinguishing re- and proactive aggression, we provide a process model differentiating abusive supervision and exploitative leadership. High versus low arousal negative affect is installed as the central mediating factor determining (1) whether perceived goal-blockage (leadership antecedents) leads to abusive supervision versus exploitative leadership and (2) whether a specific leadership behavior leads to active versus passive follower behavior (leadership consequence). Further, theoretical anchoring of individual and contextual moderators onto the model's process paths is provided and exemplary hypotheses for concrete moderation effects are deduced. Based on the provided process model, we highlight four recommendations to facilitate process-based construct differentiation in future research on destructive leadership. To precisely understand the differences and commonalities in different forms of destructive leadership will ultimately enable custom-tailored inter- and prevention.
Clot-in-transit: A ticking time bomb in the heart with serious consequences
Authors: Igwilo Rita , Pinsino Alberto , Aksan Feyzullah , Kapoor Sumit
Published: February 2023

Clot-in-transit is associated with severe pulmonary embolism and higher mortality than acute pulmonary embolism without clot-in-transit. The optimal treatment of clot-in-transit is not established. Multiple treatment options have been described, including anticoagulation alone, systemic thrombolysis, surgical embolectomy and endovascular catheter-based therapies. Clot-in-transit can embolize to the pulmonary circulation in a matter of seconds and be immediately fatal. We describe two cases of clot-in-transit which embolized quickly upon Intensivist’s evaluation and were associated with serious consequences. Management decisions for clot-in-transit should be emergent and based on multidisciplinary discussion of the pulmonary embolism response team.
Creatine Transporter Deficiency Presenting as Failure to Thrive: A Case Report of a Novel SLC6A8 Variant Causing a Treatable but Likely Underdiagnosed Genetic Disorder
Authors: Tise Christina G. , Palma Melinda J. , Cusmano-Ozog Kristina P. , Matalon Dena R.
Published: February 2023

Cerebral creatine deficiency syndromes (CCDS) are a rare group of inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) that often present with nonspecific findings including global developmental delay (GDD), intellectual disability (ID), seizures, hypotonia, and behavioral differences. Creatine transporter (CRTR) deficiency is the most common CCDS, exhibiting X-linked inheritance and an estimated prevalence as high as 2.6% in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we present a 20-month-old boy with worsening failure to thrive (FTT) and GDD admitted for evaluation. He was found to have persistently low serum creatinine levels and a family history notable for a mother with learning disabilities and a maternal male cousin with GDD. Urine analyses revealed a marked elevation of creatine and elevated creatine:creatinine ratio suggestive of CRTR deficiency. Molecular genetic testing of SLC6A8 identified a maternally inherited hemizygous variant and brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) showed diffusely diminished creatine peaks, further supporting the diagnosis of CRTR deficiency. The proband was started on creatine, arginine, and glycine supplementation and has demonstrated improved development. This case highlights that CRTR deficiency should be considered in all patients presenting with FTT and abnormal neurodevelopmental features, particularly if creatinine levels are low on serum chemistry studies. The nonspecific presentation of this condition in males and females likely has resulted in CRTR deficiency being underdiagnosed. There are existing therapies for individuals affected with CRTR deficiency and other CCDS, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for affected individuals.
Does Tenecteplase Before Mechanical Thrombectomy Result in a Faster Revascularization as Compared to Alteplase? Observations From a Comprehensive Stroke Care Center in Southern India
Authors: Kuruttukulam Gigy , Sundar Kaushik , Bhirud Lomesh , Panwar Ajay , Alapatt Paul J
Published: February 2023

Background

The Indian data concerning the endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute ischemic strokes (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO) is still scarce and evolving. Tenecteplase (TNK) has been recently approved for intravenous stroke thrombolysis prior to the MT.

Methods

This study is a single-center retrospective study. We performed data analysis of the AIS patients who consecutively presented during the study period with LVO and underwent thrombectomy. Procedural success was defined by the post-thrombectomy angiographic picture of grades 2b and 3 on modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) scale. Primary efficacy outcome was defined as an improvement of ≥4 points in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at 24 h. Secondary efficacy outcome was based on modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 90 days. We also performed a comparative analysis of TNK and alteplase subgroups.

Results

Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b/3) was achieved in 65 (86.67%) patients. There was a significant mean difference between the NIHSS scores on admission and at 24 h ( P < .001). Likewise, mRS score at 3 months also showed a significant mean difference as compared to baseline ( P < .001). A faster recanalization was observed in those who were thrombolyzed with TNK, needed fewer number of passes, and if the procedure was performed under conscious sedation.

Conclusion

This study further strengthens the Indian data on efficacy and safety of MT in LVO ischemic strokes. Besides, whether the observation of TNK resulting in a faster revascularization is due to some factors unaccounted in our study, or an actual effect on thrombus due to a high fibrin specificity, needs to be tested further in larger randomized studies with matched sample sizes.
An Outbreak Investigation of a Cluster of Gastroenteritis Following a Marriage Function in Wayanad District, Kerala, India
Authors: Vaman Raman Swathy , Mathew Savan Sara
Published: February 2023

Foodborne diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in low-resource settings. This paper describes the investigation conducted in response to a cluster of acute gastroenteritis outbreak in the Wayanad district of Kerala. House-to-house visits were undertaken to identify the case patients, along with laboratory and environmental investigations. The attack rate was 41.2% among those who consumed chicken biriyani compared to 6.9% among those who consumed vegetarian meals. The risk difference (95% CI) was 34.34 % (22.8-45.6), and the risk ratio (95% CI) was 6 (1.6-23) for chicken biriyani compared to vegetarian meals. The attributable fraction (95% CI) among those who ate chicken biriyani was 83.3% (35.6-95.6), and the population attributable fraction was 81.2%. We recommend strengthening of laboratory capacity for detecting foodborne pathogens and active surveillance of all food handlers and food preparation areas with the coordination of food safety, health and local self government departments.
Highlights from the International Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Congress 2021
Authors: Simonneau Gérald , Fadel Elie , Vonk Noordegraaf Anton , Toshner Mark , Lang Irene M. , Klok Frederikus A. , McInnis Micheal C. , Screaton Nicholas , Madani Michael M. , Martinez Guillermo , Salaunkey Kiran , Jenkins David P. , Matsubara Hiromi , Brénot Philippe , Hoeper Marius M. , Ghofrani Hossein A. , Jaïs Xavier , Wiedenroth Christoph B. , Guth Stefan , Kim Nick H. , Pepke-Zaba Joanna , Delcroix Marion , Mayer Eckhard
Published: February 2023

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare complication of acute pulmonary embolism. It is caused by persistent obstruction of pulmonary arteries by chronic organised fibrotic clots, despite adequate anticoagulation. The pulmonary hypertension is also caused by concomitant microvasculopathy which may progress without timely treatment. Timely and accurate diagnosis requires the combination of imaging and haemodynamic assessment. Optimal therapy should be individualised to each case and determined by an experienced multidisciplinary CTEPH team with the ability to offer all current treatment modalities. This report summarises current knowledge and presents key messages from the International CTEPH Conference, Bad Nauheim, Germany, 2021. Sessions were dedicated to 1) disease definition; 2) pathophysiology, including the impact of the hypertrophied bronchial circulation, right ventricle (dys)function, genetics and inflammation; 3) diagnosis, early after acute pulmonary embolism, using computed tomography and perfusion techniques, and supporting the selection of appropriate therapies; 4) surgical treatment, pulmonary endarterectomy for proximal and distal disease, and peri-operative management; 5) percutaneous approach or balloon pulmonary angioplasty, techniques and complications; and 6) medical treatment, including anticoagulation and pulmonary hypertension drugs, and in combination with interventional treatments. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease without pulmonary hypertension is also discussed in terms of its diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.
A prefix and attention map discrimination fusion guided attention for biomedical named entity recognition
Authors: Guan Zhengyi , Zhou Xiaobing
Published: February 2023

Background

The biomedical literature is growing rapidly, and it is increasingly important to extract meaningful information from the vast amount of literature. Biomedical named entity recognition (BioNER) is one of the key and fundamental tasks in biomedical text mining. It also acts as a primitive step for many downstream applications such as relation extraction and knowledge base completion. Therefore, the accurate identification of entities in biomedical literature has certain research value. However, this task is challenging due to the insufficiency of sequence labeling and the lack of large-scale labeled training data and domain knowledge.

Results

In this paper, we use a novel word-pair classification method, design a simple attention mechanism and propose a novel architecture to solve the research difficulties of BioNER more efficiently without leveraging any external knowledge. Specifically, we break down the limitations of sequence labeling-based approaches by predicting the relationship between word pairs. Based on this, we enhance the pre-trained model BioBERT, through the proposed prefix and attention map dscrimination fusion guided attention and propose the E-BioBERT. Our proposed attention differentiates the distribution of different heads in different layers in the BioBERT, which enriches the diversity of self-attention. Our model is superior to state-of-the-art compared models on five available datasets: BC4CHEMD, BC2GM, BC5CDR-Disease, BC5CDR-Chem, and NCBI-Disease, achieving F1-score of 92.55%, 85.45%, 87.53%, 94.16% and 90.55%, respectively.

Conclusion

Compared with many previous various models, our method does not require additional training datasets, external knowledge, and complex training process. The experimental results on five BioNER benchmark datasets demonstrate that our model is better at mining semantic information, alleviating the problem of label inconsistency, and has higher entity recognition ability. More importantly, we analyze and demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed attention.
Competing endogenous RNA network analysis of the molecular mechanisms of ischemic stroke
Authors: Chen Jian-Min , Li Xiao-Lu , Yang Ye  , Xu Sen-Ming , Chen Qing-Fa , Xu Jian-Wen
Published: February 2023

Background

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a serious neurological disease that largely results in long-term disability and death. Extensive evidence has indicated that the activation of inflammation and ferroptosis significantly contribute to the development of IS pathology. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to identify potential biomarkers associated with IS through the construction of a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and to investigate the possible inflammatory and ferroptosis-related molecular mechanisms.

Results

We identified 178 differentially expressed target messenger RNAs (DETmRNAs) associated with IS. As revealed through enrichment analysis, the DEmRNAs were mainly enriched in the inflammatory signaling pathways and also related to ferroptosis mechanism. The CIBERSORT algorithm showed immune infiltration landscapes in which the naïve B cells, naïve T cells, and monocytes had statistically different numbers in the cerebral infarction group compared with the control group. A ceRNA network was constructed in this study involving 44 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 15 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 160 messenger RNAs (mRNAs). We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to identify three miRNAs (miR-103a-3p, miR-140-3p, and miR-17-5p), one mRNA (TLR4), and one lncRNA (NEAT1) as the potential key biomarkers of the ceRNA network. The key mRNA and lncRNA were shown to be highly related to the ferroptosis mechanism of IS. The expression of these key biomarkers was also further validated by a method of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in SH-SY5Y cells, and the validated results were consistent with the findings predicted by bioinformatics.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the ceRNA network may exert an important role in the inflammatory and ferroptosis molecular mechanisms of IS, providing new insight into therapeutic IS targets.
Efficacy and safety of low-dose rituximab as induction therapy for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with renal involvement: a Chinese case series
Authors: Liu Lin , Lu Haitao , Zou Guming , Wang Haifeng , Li Jing , Yang Yue , Zhang Jian , Wang Xueling , Li Wenge , Zhuo Li
Published: February 2023

Background

Rituximab (RTX) is a standard therapy for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). However, the most frequently used dose may lead to severe adverse effects (SAEs). We explored the efficacy and safety of low-dose RTX in Chinese patients with AAV.

Methods

A total of 22 Chinese patients diagnosed with AAV with renal involvement, including 8 treated with low-dose RTX (400 mg of RTX total over 4 weeks) and 14 treated with cyclophosphamide (CYC), were evaluated. The baseline clinical and pathological data and laboratory parameters during follow-up at months 1, 3, 6, and 12 were collected retrospectively.

Results

The baseline data showed no significant differences between the two groups. The median peripheral CD19+ cell counts in the RTX group decreased from 315.0/μL to 1.5/μL at 2 weeks, and to 2.5/μL at 1 month after the first dose. The median SCr level decreased from 267.8 μmol/L before treatment to 151.45 μmol/L at 1 month, 132.75 μmol/L at 3 months, 123.2 μmol/L at 6 months, and 151.9 μmol/L at 12 months in RTX-treated patients. The improvements in renal function, proteinuria, and ANCA titre were not significantly different between the two groups. The SAE rate was significantly lower in the RTX group (one SAE of pneumonia) compared with the CYC group.

Conclusions

This is the first report that low-dose RTX could be effective for the treatment of Chinese patients with AAV with renal involvement.
Prediction of pre-eclampsia at St. Mary's hospital lacor, a low-resource setting in northern Uganda, a prospective cohort study
Authors: Awor Silvia , Abola Benard , Byanyima Rosemary , Orach Christopher Garimoi , Kiondo Paul , Kaye Dan Kabonge , Ogwal-Okeng Jasper , Nakimuli Annettee
Published: February 2023

Background

Pre-eclampsia is the second leading cause of maternal death in Uganda. However, mothers report to the hospitals late due to health care challenges. Therefore, we developed and validated the prediction models for prenatal screening for pre-eclampsia.

Methods

This was a prospective cohort study at St. Mary's hospital lacor in Gulu city. We included 1,004 pregnant mothers screened at 16–24 weeks (using maternal history, physical examination, uterine artery Doppler indices, and blood tests), followed up, and delivered. We built models in RStudio. Because the incidence of pre-eclampsia was low (4.3%), we generated synthetic balanced data using the ROSE (Random Over and under Sampling Examples) package in RStudio by over-sampling pre-eclampsia and under-sampling non-preeclampsia. As a result, we got 383 (48.8%) and 399 (51.2%) for pre-eclampsia and non-preeclampsia, respectively. Finally, we evaluated the actual model performance against the ROSE-derived synthetic dataset using K-fold cross-validation in RStudio.

Results

Maternal history of pre-eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 32.75, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 6.59—182.05, p = 0.000), serum alkaline phosphatase(ALP) < 98 IU/L (aOR = 7.14, 95% CI 1.76—24.45, p = 0.003), diastolic hypertension ≥ 90 mmHg (aOR = 4.90, 95% CI 1.15—18.01, p = 0.022), bilateral end diastolic notch (aOR = 4.54, 95% CI 1.65—12.20, p = 0.003) and body mass index of ≥ 26.56 kg/m2 (aOR = 3.86, 95% CI 1.25—14.15, p = 0.027) were independent risk factors for pre-eclampsia. Maternal age ≥ 35 years (aOR = 3.88, 95% CI 0.94—15.44, p = 0.056), nulliparity (aOR = 4.25, 95% CI 1.08—20.18, p = 0.051) and white blood cell count ≥ 11,000 (aOR = 8.43, 95% CI 0.92—70.62, p = 0.050) may be risk factors for pre-eclampsia, and lymphocyte count of 800 – 4000 cells/microliter (aOR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.08—1.22, p = 0.074) may be protective against pre-eclampsia. A combination of all the above variables predicted pre-eclampsia with 77.0% accuracy, 80.4% sensitivity, 73.6% specificity, and 84.9% area under the curve (AUC).

Conclusion

The predictors of pre-eclampsia were maternal age ≥ 35 years, nulliparity, maternal history of pre-eclampsia, body mass index, diastolic pressure, white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, serum ALP and end-diastolic notch of the uterine arteries. This prediction model can predict pre-eclampsia in prenatal clinics with 77% accuracy.
Tumor necrosis factor-α-inducible protein 8-like protein 3 (TIPE3): a novel prognostic factor in colorectal cancer
Authors: Xu Yue , Zhu Yong , Xia Hengbo , Wang Yanan , Li Lin , Wan Hong , Zhang Shuping , Xu Aman , Wang Liecheng , Gong Jiao , Zhang Pingping
Published: February 2023

Background

To explore the correlation of tumor necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8-like protein 3 (TIPE3) expressions in colorectal cancer (CRC) with tumor-immune infiltration and patient prognosis.

Methods

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from CRC patients (n = 110) were used in this study. Immunohistochemistry staining of TIPE3 and three prognostic immune biomarkers (CD8, CD20, and CD66b) was conducted in the tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues. A Cox regression analysis of univariate and multivariate variables was performed to assess the correlation between TIPE3 and patient prognosis.

Result

We found that TIPE3 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm, with a small amount in the nucleus. The expression of TIPE3 in tumor tissues is significantly higher than in adjacent normal tissues, and it is significantly correlated with the survival rate of patients in tumor tissues (p = 0.0038) and adjacent normal tissues (p<0.0001). Patients with a high TIPE3 expression had a lower survival rate, while patients with a low TIPE3 expression had a higher survival rate. Univariate regression analysis showed that the TIPE3 expression in tumor tissues (p = 0.007), the TIPE3 expression in adjacent normal tissues (p<0.001), the number of CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues (p = 0.020), the number of CD20+ B cells in tumor tissues (p = 0.023), the number of CD20+ B cells in adjacent normal tissues (p = 0.023), the number of CD66b+ neutrophils in tumor tissues (p = 0.005), the number of CD66b+ neutrophils in adjacent normal tissues (p<0.001), lymphatic metastasis (p = 0.010), TNM stage (p = 0.013), and tumor grade (p = 0.027) were significantly correlated with overall survival (OS). These prognostic factors were then subjected to multivariate regression analysis, and the results showed that the expression of TIPE3, the number of CD8+ T cells, and the number of CD66b+ neutrophils were prognostic factors affecting the OS rate of CRC patients.

Conclusion

We found that the TIPE3 protein is upregulated in CRC cancer tissues and is correlated with survival rate.
Job burnout and its influencing factors in Chinese medical staffs under China’s prevention and control strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Peng Shuzhi , Zhang Juhua , Liu Xingyue , Pei Mengyun , Wang Tingting , Zhang Peng
Published: February 2023

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of burnout among grassroots medical staff in China so as to provide a reference for improving their physical, psychological, and social statuses under China's prevention and control strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the sustainable supply of high-quality medical resources.

Methods

This study was performed on medical staff in five primary hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China, from May 1, 2022, to June 1, 2022, using a general information questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale. SPSS 25.0 and Stata 15.0 were used for two-track data entry and analysis. The OLS regression model was established to analyze the influencing factors for the job burnout of health care personnel.

Results

Two hundred seventy valid questionnaires were analyzed. The total score of job burnout was (30.16 ± 10.99). The scores of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and self-achievement were (9.88 ± 3.839), (11.99 ± 5.68), and (8.29 ± 5.18), respectively. Feeling depressed and stressed after the pandemic, days working over the past week, and work hours per shift had a positive impact on the Maslach Burnout total score. Increased income and hours working every week had a negative impact on the Maslach Burnout total score. However, sex, age in years, degree, professional title, job category, workplace, marital status, years in practice, health status, active management of health, idea of resignation, and promotion after the pandemic did not affect the Maslach Burnout total score.

Conclusion

The job burnout of medical staff is affected by health conditions, working conditions, the psychological consequences of a pandemic, wages and marital status. Hospital managers should formulate incentive measures according to different psychological changes in medical staff to create a good medical working environment under the normalization of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control.
Genomic features and its potential implication in bone oligometastatic NSCLC
Authors: Liao Rongxin , Yi Guangming , Shen Lu , Zhang Xiaoyue , Xu Zaicheng , Peng Yuan , Yang Zhenzhou
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Emerging evidence have demonstrated that oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can achieve clinical benefit from local consolidative therapy. Bone oligometastasis is common in advanced lung cancer, but little is known about its molecular features. The purpose of our study aimed to investigate the genomic landscape bone oligometastatic NSCLC.

Methods

We collected paired blood and tissue samples from 31 bone oligometastatic NSCLC patients to make a comprehensive analysis of mutations by performing next-generation sequencing.

Results

A total of 186 genomic mutations were detected from 105 distinct cancer-relevant genes, with a median number of 6 alterations per tumor. The most frequently mutated genes were EGFR (58%) and TP53 (55%), followed by KRAS (16%), CDKN2A (13%) and MET (13%). The signatures related to smoking, aging, homologous recombination deficiency and APOBEC were identified as the most important mutational processes in bone oligometastasis. The median tumor mutation burden was 4.4 mutations/Mb. Altogether, genetic alterations of bone oligometastasis are highly targetable that 74.19% of patients had at least one actionable alteration that was recommended for targeted therapy based on the OncoKB evidence. Of these patients, 16.13% had two actionable alterations that could potentially benefit from a different combination of targeted drugs to achieve better outcomes.

Conclusion

Our research comprehensively elucidates the genomic features of bone oligometastatic NSCLC patients, which may optimize individualized cancer treatment in the era of precision medicine.
The implementation of a community-centered first aid education program for older adults—community health workers perceived barriers
Authors: Yin Guo , Chen Linghui , Wu Yuanrong , Zhao Fei , Zhu Qian , Lin Siting
Published: February 2023

Background

Older adults are a high-risk group for accidental injuries, and strengthening training in first aid for older adults can improve their first aid capabilities and minimize their post-accident mortality. Community health workers are the greatest option to equip older adults with first aid instruction and training. However, the development of first aid education for the public by community health workers fails to take into account the elderly population. In view of this, this study aims to explore the barriers and challenges of first aid training for older adults from the perspective of community health workers and to provide a basis for better first-aid training for older adults in the community.

Methods

This study adopted a qualitative research design. A total of 18 community health workers were recruited from two community health service centers in Qujing and one community health service center in Guangzhou from May to July 2022 to participate in the study. Participants were interviewed face-to-face using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The interview data were analyzed using Krippendorff's thematic clustering technique.

Results

The results of the study identified community health workers' perceived challenges and barriers to providing first aid training to older adults in the community as older adults-level barriers, community health workers-level barriers, management systems–level barriers, and society-level barriers.

Conclusions

Community health workers are highly aware of multiple barriers and challenges in providing first aid training to community-based elderly populations. In particular, lack of professional training, heavy workloads, and limited resources and financial support. Therefore, supportive training, policies, and government funding are crucial for community health workers to conduct first aid training for older adults.
Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy and the risk of in-hospital mortality among acute COVID-19 patients: Nationwide clinical cohort study
Authors: Moromizato Takuhiro , Sakaniwa Ryoto , Tokuda Yasuharu , Taniguchi Kiyosu , Shibuya Kenji
Published: February 2023

Background

Steroids are widely used to modulate the inflammatory reactions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, the optimal upper limit dose of steroid use for acute COVID-19 care remains unclear and currently available data may suffer from a time-dependent bias of no effectiveness or reversed causation given the desperate situation of treatment during this pandemic. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of intravenous pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (500 mg or greater per day) on the risk of in-hospital mortality among patients with COVID-19 by controlling for time-dependent bias.

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study with 67,348 hospitalised acute COVID-19 patients at 438 hospitals during 2020–2021 in Japan. The impact of intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy on the risk of in-hospital mortality was examined based on hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), with stratification according to the status of invasive mechanical ventilation (iMV). Time-dependent bias was controlled for in a marginal structural model analysis, with reference to patients without methylprednisolone therapy.

Results

During the study period, 2400 patients died. In-hospital mortality rates of iMV-free patients without or with methylprednisolone pulse therapy were 2.3% and 19.5%, and the corresponding values for iMV-receiving patients were 24.7% and 28.6%, respectively. The marginal structural model analysis showed that intravenous pulse therapy with methylprednisolone was associated with a lower risk of in-hospital mortality among patients receiving-iMV (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.52–0.68). In contrast, pulse therapy with methylprednisolone increased the risk of in-hospital mortality among iMV-free patients (HR 3.38; 95% CI 3.02–3.79). The benefits of pulse therapy for iMV-receiving patients were greater than in those treated with intermediate/higher doses (40–250 mg intravenously) of methylprednisolone (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.71–0.89).

Conclusion

The results of our study suggest that intravenous methylprednisolone showed dose–response efficiencies, and pulse therapy may benefit critically ill patients with acute COVID-19, such as those requiring iMV.
The gut microbiota pathway mechanisms of diabetes
Authors: Bajinka Ousman , Tan Yurong , Darboe Alansana , Ighaede-Edwards Isabella Gloria , Abdelhalim Khalid A.
Published: February 2023

The contribution of dysbiotic gut microbiota configuration is essential when making reference to the metabolic disorders by increasing energy. It is important to understand that the gut microbiota induced metabolic disease mechanisms and inflammations. Thus it is imperative to have an insight into the state of all chronic subclinical inflammations influencing disease outcomes. However, from the emerging studies, there still exist inconsistencies in the findings of such studies. While making the best out of the reasons for inconsistencies of the findings, this review is designed to make a clear spell out as to the inconsistence of gut microbiota with respect to diabetes. It considered gut-virome alterations and diabetes and gut-bacteriome-gut-virome-alterations and diabetes as confounding factors. The review further explained some study design strategies that will spontaneously eliminate any potential confounding factors to lead to a more evidence based diabetic-gut microbiota medicine. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pro-inflammatory, metabolic endotoxemia and diet/gut microbiota insulin-resistance and low-grade systemic inflammation induced by gut microbiota can trigger pro-inflammatory cytokines in insulin-resistance, consequently, leading to the diabetic condition. While diet influences the gut microbiota, the consequences are mainly the constant high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the circulatory system. Of recent, dietary natural products have been shown to be anti-diabetic. The effects of resveratrol on the gut showed an improved lipid profile, anti-inflammatory properties and ameliorated the endotoxemia, tight junction and glucose intolerance.
Mining and application of constitutive promoters from Rhodosporidium toruloides
Authors: Guo Xiao , Bai Zhenzhen , Zhang Yang , Zhao Huimin , Shi Shuobo
Published: February 2023

Rhodosporidium toruloides is an oleaginous yeast under development with promising industrial applications. Since promoters of different strengths have been demonstrated as an efficient strategy to fine-tune gene expression in synthetic biology, a set of constitutive promoters with strengths varying over 2 orders of magnitude were identified in R. toruloides through transcriptome analysis under different growth conditions. Promoter candidates were first cloned and characterized using an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as a reporter under eight conditions, and 31 promoters were identified with strength varied from 0.1 to 19.0 folds of the commonly used strong promoter of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (PGPD1). The resultant promoters were then used to optimize the linoleic acid biosynthetic pathway in R. toruloides in different media, including the use of lignocellulosic hydrolysate as the fermentation substrate, and improved the production of linoleic acid by up to 214.2% in minimal medium, with the highest production of 350.3 mg/L in Yeast Peptone Dextrose medium. This work has enriched the promoter library of R. toruloides, and helped develop R. toruloides as a platform organism for applications in biomanufacturing and synthetic biology.
Predictive impact of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) for left ventricular dysfunction in acute coronary syndrome: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Wang Xuan , Hu Yi , Luan Hao , Luo Chaodi , Kamila·Kamili  , Zheng Tingting , Tian Gang
Published: February 2023

Background

The significantly prognostic value of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been proved in patients with coronary artery disease and different oncologic disorders. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of FAR for left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) patients.

Methods

A total of 650 ACS patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were eventually enrolled in the analysis. Participants were classified into three groups according to baseline FAR levels (T1: FAR < 73.00; T2: 73.00 ≤ FAR < 91.00; T3: FAR ≥ 91.00). The association between FAR and LVSD was assessed by binary logistic regression analysis. A nomogram to predict the risk of LVSD was constructed based on the output indices from multivariate regression analyses.

Results

Patients with LVSD showed significantly higher FAR, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) than those without. FAR was an independent predictor of left ventricular dysfunction from the multivariate analyses (OR, 1.038; 95%CI, 1.020–1.057; P < 0.001). The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of FAR predicting the occurrence of LVSD was 0.735. Meanwhile, FAR was the most powerful predictor than MLR, NLR, and PLR. Nomogram with the AUC reaching 0.906 showed a robust discrimination.

Conclusions

Admission FAR is independently and significantly associated with LVSD in patients with ACS undergoing PCI.
Utilization of Solid Waste in the Production of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete and Their Effects on its Physio-mechanical and Microstructural Properties: Alternative Sources, Characterization, and Performance Insights
Authors: Abhilasha  , Kumar Rajesh , Lakhani Rajni , Mishra Raghav Kumar , Khan Shahnavaz
Published: February 2023

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is the lightest masonry material available in today’s building industry. It shows properties, such as high strength per unit weight, lesser density, lower shrinkage, higher thermal insulation, and fire resistance as compared to traditional concrete. Not only engineering properties of AAC make it popular in construction industry, but also its eco-friendly nature also contributes in conservation of energy. AAC produces about 67% lower carbon emission than the clay bricks. Consequently, it becomes a cost-effective product which reduces the cost of construction. This paper provides thorough insight into possible solutions for the waste utilization. It has been inferred that fine aggregates can be replaced by these wastes in the preparation of AAC. This replacement will improve its physio-mechanical properties, such as bulk-density, moisture absorption, compressive strength, along with microstructure. These properties are comprehensively presented to categorize the investigation which has been done in such fields earlier. The ongoing research work at the author’s institute, i.e., the development of lightweight concrete by using different kind of waste materials, such as marble slurry, fly ash, etc., is being presented.

Graphical Abstract