bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 Mortality and The Overweight: A Global Perspective
Authors: Chakrabarti Avik , Beladi Hamid , Arulanandam Bernard
Published: December 2020

We conduct the first cross-country study of plausible associations between COVID-19 mortality and the share of the overweight among nearly 5.5 billion adults around the globe. A statistically significant positive association is observed between COVID-19 mortality and the proportion of the overweight in adult populations spanning 154 countries. This association holds across countries belonging to different income groups and is not sensitive to a population’s median age, proportion of the elderly, and/or proportion of females. The estimated elasticities of COVID-19 mortality, with respect to the proportion of the overweight in adult populations, are consistently higher for sub-samples of countries that belong to a higher income group. While limits of confidence intervals around the point estimates of these elasticities range between 1.5 and 5.4, on an average, every percentage point increment in the proportion of the overweight in adult populations contributes to an additional 3.5 percentage points to COVID-19 mortality for high income countries. With due caution, our findings call for an effective alignment of public policy regulations with public health priorities.
Visualizing reactant molecules induced lattice breath of catalyst and its role for activity enhancement
Authors: Hao Zhifei , Liu Guoquan , Zhang Hao , Li Yi , Wang Haitao , Wang Pengfei , Mi Xueyue , Sun Wenming , Zheng Lirong , Shen Zhurui , Zhan Sihui , Crittenden John
Published: December 2020

Recently, a few in situ observations showed that reactant molecules can induce the hyper-fine surface change of catalyst under realistic conditions. However, hardly any report further illustrated that whether and how could this phenomenon affect the catalytic performance. Herein, using in situ TEM, we visually captured the reversible lattice expansion of Pt-WO3-x catalyst induced by NO in exemplified reduction of NO with H2. Results showed that the NO could adsorb on the oxygen vacancy sites and energetic favorably induced the reversible stretching of W-O-W bonds. 20% enhancement of catalytic activity was then correlated with this lattice expansion. Moreover, DFT calculations showed that the lattice expansion can reduce the adsorption energy of NO on Pt4 centers and also the energy barrier of the rate-determining step.
Is It Useful To Treat Blastocystis sp.? A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial
Authors: Cobuccio Ludovico , Laurent Marie , Gardiol Celine , Wampfler Rahel , Poppert Sven , Senn Nicolas , Eperon Gilles , Genton Blaise , Vallière Serge de
Published: December 2020

BackgroundBlastocystis sp. is a protist with a worldwide distribution and able to colonise the gut of humans and of a great variety of animals. It is unclear whether it is just a commensal of a healthy gut microbiota or an infectious parasite that needs to be eradicated. Currently no treatment has proven its usefulness for patients complaining of gastro-intestinal symptoms and found to have Blastocystis sp.The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of metronidazole in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms harbouring only Blastocystis sp. In addition, we explored whether Blastocystis subtype or concomitant parasitic infection detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may influence treatment outcome.MethodsAdults with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms (> 14 days) visiting a primary care physician and in whom stool microscopy revealed only Blastocystis sp. were included. Eligible patients were randomised to receive ten days of metronidazole or placebo, followed by a crossover if still symptomatic. Stool samples were tested for 11 other protozoa with an in-house PCR and Blastocystis subtypes were determined by PCR and sequencing.ResultsWe screened 474 outpatients for inclusion; 50 met the eligibility criteria. In the metronidazole group, 48% (12/25) reported an improvement of symptoms compared to 44% (11/25) in the placebo group (p = 0.78). After the crossover, again no differences in improvement of symptoms were seen between groups (placebo: 53% (8/15); metronidazole: 50% (8/16)). The in-house PCR was positive for other protozoa in 25% (10/40) of the patients. The protozoa identified were Dientamoeba fragilis (5), Entamoeba dispar (3) and Cyclospora cayetanensis (2). The most frequent Blastocystis subtypes were ST4 (11/36) and ST2 (10/36). Stratified analysis according to subtype or the presence of other protozoa showed no significant difference in treatment outcome with metronidazole or placebo.Conclusion Among patients infected with Blastocystis sp., metronidazole did not improve gastrointestinal symptoms, irrespective of subtype or microscopically undetected coinfection with other protozoa.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NTC01521403, 06-Nov-2012.
The “Ground-Glass” Mimicker in The Pandemic: A Novel Radiomics-Based Machine Learning Model Differentiates COVID-19 Pneumonia from Acute Non-COVID-19 Lung Disease
Authors: Pizzi Andrea Delli , Chiarelli Antonio , Chiacchiaretta Piero , Valdesi Cristina , Croce Pierpaolo , Mastrodicasa Domenico , Villani Michela , Trebeschi Stefano , Serafini Francesco , Rosa Consuelo , Cocco Giulio , Luberti Riccardo , Conte Sabrina , Mazzamurro Lucia , Mereu Manuela , Patea Rosa , Panara Valentina , Marinari Stefano , Vecchiett Jacopo , Caulo Massimo
Published: December 2020

Ground-Glass Opacities (GGOs) are a non-specific CT finding observed in the early phase of COVID-19 pneumonia. However, GGOs are also seen in other acute interstitial and alveolar lung diseases, thus making the differential diagnosis a diagnostic challenge. In this poof-of-concept study, we aimed to differentiate COVID-19 pneumonia presenting with GGOs from acute non-COVID-19 lung disease using a novel radiomic-based model in patients who underwent a high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan at hospital admission during the first pandemic peak in Italy. HRCT scans of 28 RT-PCR diagnosed COVID-19 pneumonia (COVID) and 30 acute non-COVID-lung disease (nCOVID) were retrospectively included. All patients showed GGOs as the predominant CT pattern. Two readers, blinded to the final diagnosis, independently segmented GGOs on CT scans by using a semi-automated approach, and radiomic features were extracted from segmented images. Partial least square (PLS) regression was used as the multivariate machine-learning algorithm. A leave-one-out nested cross-validation was implemented to optimize the hyperparameter of PLS and to assess the model generalization. The diagnostic performance of the radiomic model to differentiate between COVID and nCOVID lung disease was assessed through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The radiomics-based machine learning model differentiated COVID and nCOVID with an AUC = 0.868 (p = 4.2·10− 7). After a careful prospective evaluation in larger multicentric studies, it may help radiologists to rule out COVID-19 pneumonia thus improving the COVID-19 triaging in epidemic areas.
Singing experience influences swallowing function
Authors: Yagi Naomi , Sakai Yoshitada , Kawamura Naoko , Maezawa Hitoshi , Hata Yutaka , Hirata Masayuki , Kashioka Hideki , Yanagida Toshio
Published: December 2020

It has recently been shown that the aging population is refractory to the maintenance of swallowing function, which can seriously affect quality of life. Singing and vocal training contribute to mastication, swallowing and respiratory function. Previous studies have shown that singers have better vocal cord health. No consensus has been reached as to how vocal training affects swallowing function. Our study was designed to establish evidence that singers are statistically superior at swallowing function. In an effort to test our hypothesis we undertook a clinical trial on 55 singers and 141 non-singers (mean age: 60.1 ± 11.7 years). This cross-sectional study with propensity score matching resulted in significant differences in the repetitive saliva swallowing test among singers: 7.1 ± 2.4, n =53 vs non-singers: 5.9 ± 1.9, n =53, p < 0.05. We therefore conclude that singing can serve an important role in stabilizing the impact of age-related disease on speech.
How Far Can Pesticides Spread? A Case Study on No-Tillage Farming Systems and Surrounding Forest Patches
Authors: Silva Karlo da , Nicola Vitoria , Dudas Rafaela , Demetrio Wilian , Maia Liliane , Cunha Luis , Bartz Marie , Brown George , Pasini Amarildo , Kille Peter , Ferreira Nuno , Oliveira Cíntia de
Published: December 2020

With the growing global concern on pesticide management, the relationship between its environmental recalcitrance, food security and human health has never been more relevant. Pesticides residues are known to cause significant environmental contamination. The present study focused on long-term no-tillage farming systems and subtropical forests in Brazil, where Glyphosate (GLY) has been applied for more than 35 years. GLY and the main breakdown product of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a fluorescence detector. In addition, the presence of carbamates, organochlorines, organophosphates and triazines were also detected. GLY and AMPA were omnipresent in soil samples, reaching values higher than those described for soils previously in the literature. GLY and AMPA were observed respectively at peak concentrations of 66.38 and 26.03 mg/kg soil. GLY was strongly associated with forest soil properties, while AMPA associated with no-tillage soil properties. The texture was a significant factor that contributed to the maximum discrimination of the results since clay and sand contents influence GLY and AMPA retention in soils. This was the first study to report DDT and metabolites in consolidated no-tillage soils in Brazil (a pesticide fully banned 2009). Based on human risk assessment and the potential risk of GLY to local soil communities, this study offers a baseline for future studies that will be crucial to understand the toxicity mechanisms on non-target soil biota.
Understanding the Mechanism through Which Unfavorable Social Norms Affect Contraceptive Use 
Authors: Agha Sohail , Morgan Brooks , Archer Helena , Paul Shadae , Babigumira Joseph , Guthrie Brandon
Published: December 2020

Background: Few theories of health behavior explicitly take the effect of social norms on behavior into account. The ones that do assume that the effect of norms on behavior operates through motivation. We use a behavior model that is new to public health to test whether norms affect behavior through motivation or ability. Methods: This study uses data from a household survey of Nigerian women, ages 14-24. The survey collected data on socio-economic and demographic characteristics of women, whether they were sexually experienced, and whether they used contraception. The survey also collected data on descriptive and injunctive norms around premarital sex and contraceptive use. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test whether the effect of unfavorable social norms on modern contraceptive use operates through motivation or ability. Results: The data was used to construct variables measuring unfavorable social norms, motivation, ability, and modern contraceptive use. After adjusting for a range of socio-economic and demographic variables, we found that unfavorable social norms had a statistically significant negative effect on contraceptive use. The analysis suggests that the effect of unfavorable social norms on contraceptive use operates through ability.Conclusion: This study sheds light on the pathway through which social norms affect contraceptive use. The findings suggest that public health interventions may be able to counter the negative effects of unfavorable social norms on modern contraceptive use by increasing women’s ability to practice contraception. These findings have important implications for the design of interventions that aim to increase contraceptive use among young women in Nigeria. The study also demonstrates the utility of the FBM, a practitioner-friendly, behavior change model, in examining the relationship between norms and behavior.
Change of Gait after Unilateral Vestibular Neuritis: A Prospective Longitudinal Observation Study
Authors: Chae Sung-Won , Song Jae-Jun , Kim Woo-Sub
Published: December 2020

Although symptoms of unilateral vestibular neuritis (uVN) resolve spontaneously, there is unclearness in the recovery of gait. Prospective longitudinal studies on gait parameters after uVN are lacking. In this study, twenty three participants with uVN and 20 controls were included. 3D gait analyses were conducted thrice after uVN onset. From the gait analysis data, spatio-temporal parameters, inclination angle (IA) representing the relationship between CoM and CoP in the frontal plane, and IA variability were obtained. Time effects on gait metrics were tested. Walking speed improved significantly between the 1st and 3rd tests, but they were within normal range, even in the 1st test. The step width of participants with uVN was significantly larger than that of control in the 1st test and improved to normal in the 2nd test. Variability of IA in affected side was significantly larger than that in controls in the 1st test and improved significantly in the 3rd test compared to the 1st test. Improvement of overall gait function and neural adaptation of mediolateral stability during gait continued during the recovery stage of uVN (after two months from onset). Rehabilitation intervention should be continued during the recovery stage of uVN to enhance appropriate adaptation in gait.
Predicting postoperative surgical site infection with administrative data: a Machine Learning algorithm
Authors: Petrosyan Yelena , Thavorn Kednapa , Smith Glenys , Maclure Malcolm , Preston Roanne , Walrevan Carl van , Forster Alan
Published: December 2020

Background: Since primary data collection can be time-consuming and expensive, surgical site infections (SSIs) could ideally be monitored using routinely collected administrative data. We derived and internally validated efficient algorithms to identify SSIs within 30 days after surgery with health administrative data, using Machine Learning algorithms. All patients enrolled in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from the Ottawa Hospital were linked to administrative datasets in Ontario, Canada. Machine Learning approaches, including a Random Forests algorithm and the high-performance logistic regression, were used to derive parsimonious models to predict SSI status. Finally, a risk score methodology was used to transform the final models into the risk score system. The SSI risk models were validated in the validation datasets.Results: Of 14,351 patients, 795 (5.5%) had an SSI. First, separate predictive models were built for three distinct administrative datasets. The final model, including hospitalization diagnostic, physician diagnostic and procedure codes, demonstrated excellent discrimination (C statistics, 0.91, 95% CI, 0.90-0.92) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 statistics, 4.531, p=0.402). Conclusion: We demonstrated that health administrative data can be effectively used to identify SSIs. Machine learning algorithms have shown a high degree of accuracy in predicting postoperative SSIs and can integrate and utilize a large amount of administrative data. External validation of this model is required before it can be routinely used to identify SSIs.
Deep Robust Residual Network for Brain MRI Super-Resolution
Authors: Song Liyao , Wang Quan , Liu Ting , Li Haiwei , Fan Jiancun , Yang Jian , Hu Bingliang
Published: December 2020

Spatial resolution is a key factor of quantitatively evaluating the quality of magnetic resonance imagery (MRI). Super-resolution (SR) approaches can improve its spatial resolution by reconstructing high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) ones to meet clinical and scientific requirements. To increase the quality of brain MRI, we study a robust residual-learning SR network (RRLSRN) to generate a sharp HR brain image from an LR input. Given that the Charbonnier loss can handle outliers well, and Gradient Difference Loss (GDL) can sharpen an image, we combine the Charbonnier loss and GDL to improve the robustness of the model and enhance the texture information of SR results. Two MRI datasets of adult brain, Kirby 21 and NAMIC, were used to train and verify the effectiveness of our model. To further verify the generalizability and robustness of the proposed model, we collected eight clinical fetal brain MRI data for evaluation. The experimental results show that the proposed deep residual-learning network achieved superior performance and high efficiency over other compared methods.
An association between accessing lecture recordings, but not lecture attendance, and overall marks for optometry students in a pharmacology course
Authors: Doggrell Sheila
Published: December 2020

Background: Most studies, in the absence and presence of lecture recordings, have shown that there is an association between lecture attendance and academic performance for students of the biological sciences, but it is not known whether this occurs when lecture attendance is low. The effect of accessing lecture recordings on academic outcomes is not clear. The aims were (i) to determine any association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes for students who had access to lecture recordings, (ii) to describe how students use lecture recordings, and (iii) to determine any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes.Methods: During the lecture in week 1 and workshops in week 2, written consent was sought from the students to undertake the study. Lecture attendance and lecture recording access were measured. To determine whether there was an association between attending lectures or accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated.Results: Consent was forthcoming from 48 students (75%). The main findings in this study of lecture attendance and lecture recording access in second year undergraduate optometry students in a pharmacology course were (i) lecture attendance was very low (mean, 15%), (ii) there was no association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes, (iii) early in semester, most of the accessing of lecture recordings was shortly after the lecture was presented, whereas later in the semester, most of the accessing was prior to the examination, and (iv) there was a significant weak association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes.Conclusions: It is possible that as lecture attendance decreases and students become more reliant on lecture recordings, the positive association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes is lost, and a positive association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes emerges.
Reno-protective effect of exogenous glutathione on experimentally-induced acute kidney injury in male rats.
Authors: Naguib Yahya , Elgizawy Eman
Published: December 2020

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) or Acute renal failure (ARF) refers to the sudden damage or failure of the kidney within few hours or days and resulting in acute deterioration of the renal functions. If not properly treated, AKI may lead to chronic renal failure and possibly renal transplantation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of exogenous glutathione (GSH) on ciprofloxacin (GFX)-induced AKI. We also studied the effect of glutathione administration on some genes of interest.Methods: Forty male Wistar albino rats were equally divided into 4 groups. The control group received intra-peritoneal injection of distilled water for 15 consequent days. The GSH treated group received concomitant intra-peritoneal injection of distilled water and glutathione (200 mg/kg/day) for 15 consequent days. The CFX treated group received concomitant intra-peritoneal injection of distilled water and ciprofloxacin (800 mg/kg/day) for 15 consequent days. The CFX+GSH treated group received concomitant intra-peritoneal injection of CFX and CSH for 15 consequent days. Serum levels of creatinine, urea, cystatin C and GGT were measured. Renal CYP4F1, GPx, GSR gene expression was evaluated.Results: Exogenous GSH had no significant effect on the kidney functions or the studied genes when compared to the control group. Treatment with CFX resulted in significant increase (P<0.05) in creatinine, urea, cystatin C and GGT serum levels when compared to the control group. CFX treatment also significantly (P<0.05) down-regulated renal GPx, GSR mRNA levels, while it up-regulated renal CYP4F1, when compared to the corresponding values in the control rats. Serum levels of urea, creatinine and cystatin C were significantly lower (P<0.05) in CFX+GSH group when compared to the CFX treated rats. There was significant up-regulation (P<0.05) of the renal, GPx, GSR and down-regulation of CYP4F1 mRNA levels in the CFX+GSH group when compared to the corresponding values in the CFX treated group.Conclusion: Our results suggest a potential prophylactic and possibly therapeutic roles of exogenous GSH administration in the treatment of drug-induced AKI. We also demonstrated that the underlying mechanism could be explained, at least in part, by the antioxidant and gene modifying properties of GSH.
An evaluation of preschool educators’ life skills health education capacity: Scale development and verification
Authors: Chen Hui-Ling , Liu Chieh-Hsing
Published: December 2020

Background: Preschool educators who facilitate life skills health education have an important role. Limited research has explored the comprehensive content and strategies of courses related to health education in kindergarten. The aim of this study is to create a questionnaire scale suitable for assessing preschool educators' capacity for life skills health education in Taipei, Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to explore and assess life skills health education as a teaching approach for preschool educators. The scale was developed in three steps. The first step was to create a draft questionnaire that passed a validation review by 9 experts. The second step was a pretest (N=128) with category analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to create the formal version of the scale. The dimension analysis of the scale to assess the life skills health education capacity of preschool educators in kindergartens included cognition, attitude and self-efficacy. The third step was official testing (N=503), in which the efficacy criterion correlation validity test showed good simultaneous validity and discrimination. Results: The first draft of the pretest analysis contained 45 initial questions; 38 questions remained after 7 questions were deleted based on the EFA. According to the theoretical framework and after deleting 8 items that did not conform to the standard, a total of 30 questions were included in the formal scale. The two factors in the cognitive subscale were "health-promoting kindergarten" and "life skills teaching" for a total of 9 questions, and the two factors in the attitude subscale were "perceived benefits" and "perceived barriers" for a total of 11 questions. The three factors of the self-efficacy subscale were "adaptability and self-management ability", "decision-making and critical thinking ability" and "communication and interpersonal communication ability" for a total of 10 questions. Cronbach's α coefficient for each subscale fell in the range of .813 to .936. Conclusions: This scale has satisfactory reliability and validity and can be administered to assess the outcomes of pedagogical training for life skills health education for preschool educators in health-promoting kindergartens.
High serum serotonin as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Kawai Takaharu , Midorikawa Yutaka , Nonaka Aya , Tsuji Shingo , Seki Motoaki , Nagae Genta , Takayama Tadatoshi
Published: December 2020

BackgroundSerotonin contributes to liver cancer progression; however, it also plays a pivotal role in liver regeneration after partial resection. This study aims to elucidate whether high serum serotonin is a prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsWe measured the pre-operation serum serotonin level of patients with HCC. Based on the median value of serum serotonin, patients were divided into the high serotonin group and the low serotonin group. The survival rates after operation were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe median serum serotonin level for 176 patients was 90.5 ng/mL (range, 1.0 − 399.5); 88 patients with serum serotonin level ≥ 90.5 were allocated to the high serotonin group and 88 patients to the low serotonin group. Histological findings showed that tumor stage was not different between the two groups. After a median follow-up period of 3.2 years (range, 0.9 − 7.4), median overall survival was 6.6 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.7–NA) and 5.7 years (95% CI, 3.5–NA) in the high and the low serotonin groups, respectively (P = 0.042). The median recurrence-free survival of patients in the high serotonin group (2.2 years [95% CI, 1.7–3.2]) tended to be longer than that of patients in the low serotonin group (2.0 years [1.0–2.2]) (P = 0.091). The independent variables for overall survival were the high serum serotonin level (P = 0.049) and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin level (P = 0.032).ConclusionsHigh serum serotonin could be a favorable prognostic factor for HCC patients undergoing liver resection.Trial registrationThe study was approved (protocol number: 131) by the institutional review boards of Nihon University on December 15 in 2011.
Perception and practice of household waste disposal: a participatory household survey in Calamba City, Philippines
Authors: Baltazar Dalton Erick , Seki Erika
Published: December 2020

This report describes the household survey of practices and perceptions about waste management in the Philippines. The survey employs a participatory approach involving community members. It was found that a household holds, on the average, 2.69 kg of various wastes at any day. The prominent wastes include plastics, recyclables, and food residues. Despite well-established legal and administrative structures, most people do not know the location of facilities, and the majority do not understand the collection schedule. Respondents support the idea of better waste management and state voluntary contributions well above the environmental fee proposed by the local government.
Tailor-made generation of insulin-producing cells from canine mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue
Authors: Rodprasert Watchareewan , Nantavisai Sirirat , Pathanachai Koranis , Pavasant Prasit , Osathanon Thanaphum , Sawangmake Chenphop
Published: December 2020

Trend of regenerative therapy for diabetes in human and veterinary practice has conceptually been proven according to Edmonton protocol and animal models. Establishing an alternative insulin-producing cell (IPC) resource is a challenge task for further clinical application. In this study, IPC generation from two practical canine mesenchymal stem cells(cMSCs), canine bone marrow-derived MSCs (cBM-MSCs) and canine adipose-derived MSCs(cAD-MSCs), was of interest. The results illustrated that cBM-MSCs and cAD-MSCs contained distinct pancreatic differentiation potential and required the tailor-made induction protocols. Effective generation of cBM-MSC-derived IPCs needed an integration of genetic and microenvironment manipulation using hanging-drop culture of PDX-1-transfected cBM-MSCs under three-step pancreatic induction protocol. However, this protocol was resource- and time-consumed. Another study on cAD-MSC-derived IPC generation found that IPC colonies could be obtained by low attachment culture under three-step induction protocol. Further Notch signaling inhibition during pancreatic endoderm/progenitor induction yielded IPC colonies with trend of glucose-responsive C-peptide secretion. Thus, this study showed that IPCs could be obtained from cBM-MSCs and cAD-MSCs by different induction techniques, and further signaling manipulation study should be conducted to maximize the protocol efficiency.
Biological Properties and Pathological Stages of Chondrocyte Colony-Like Clusters in Human Osteoarthritic Cartilage Tissue
Authors: WANG XIAOJIAN , WEI LEI , WEI XIAOCHUN , XUE YAN , ZHANG ZHIQIANG , ZHANG YANG , LU XIAO , LI RONGSHAN
Published: December 2020

During the development of knee osteoarthritis(OA), chondrocyte colony-like clusters occur in cartilage tissue. However, the significance of chondrocyte colony-like cluster formation in cartilage tissue remains unclear. In these studies,we investigated the timing and location of chondrocyte colony-like clusters in cartilage tissue during the development of human knee OA,and explored the biological properties of chondrocytes in colony-like clusters and their significance for degenerative cartilage tissue. The resulte showed that chondrocyte colony-like clusters mainly formed in the OARSI grades 3 and 4 cartilage tissue,which could divide into four stages according to the quantity and biological properties of the chondrocytes inside the cluster.The chondrocyte colony-like clusters in cartilage tissue could cause the cartilage tissue to become looser and more porous, with more severe cartilage degeneration. To understand this, we further clarified the development of this disease and provided a new direction for the treatment of knee OA.
Intermittent protein restriction improves glucose homeostasis and restores damaged islet beta cells in diabetic mice
Authors: Wei Siying , Li Chenchen , Luo Xuemei , Yang Lanzexin , Yu Long , Wang Qintao , Meng Zhuo-Xian , Wang Tao , Chen Yan
Published: December 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Estimation of Clearance Rate of Iodine-131 From Thyroid Cancer Patients Based on Individual Patient’s Characteristic.
Authors: Myssayev Altay , Myssayev Ayan , Ideguchi Reiko , Nishi Kodai , Fukuda Naoko , Ito Ayako , Haraguchi Ai , Horie Ichiro , Kawakami Atsushi , Kudo Takashi
Published: December 2020

Differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) are the most frequent malignancies of the endocrine system in 2015 in Japan. The purpose of this study is to estimate clearance rate of Iodine-131 from thyroid cancer patients based on individual patient’s characteristics. Materials and methods: We conducted retrospective study including 87 cases with DTC who had received RAI from June 2016 till July 2018. Patients who had complete information on primary tumor size (PTS) as mentioned in their histopathology reports, TNM staging, serum TSH (uIU/ml), free-T3 (pg/mL), free-T4 (ng/dL), thyroglobulin level (Tg) (ng/ml) (one month before, on the day of the treatment, and one month after receiving RAI), anti-Tg antibodies (IU/mL), dose of Levothyroxine (before and after RAI), as well as renal function (creatinine, BUN, eGFR), exposure rate (µSv/h) and taken dose (mCi) were included in our study. Results: Univariate analysis showed significant associations of effective half-life with several factors (gender, body height, body weight, eGFR, size of tumor, dose of Levothyroxine, free-T3 one month after receiving RAI). Conclusion: Effective management of these factors could help the doctors to optimize the occupancy of isolated rooms with higher output, but also reduce the operational cost of the hospital and improving the comfort to patients.
Ultrasound-guided epidural anesthesia and sedation foropen abdominal surgery in 20 consecutive children:a prospective case series and proof-of-concept study
Authors: Schmid Werner , Opfermann Philipp , Zadrazil Markus , Tonnhofer Ursula , Metzelder Martin , Marhofer Peter
Published: December 2020

General anesthesia (GA) in children is associated with respiratory events and a potential for drug-induced neurotoxicity. Aiming to reduce airway manipulation and the use of GA drugs, we designed a study of abdominal surgery under epidural anesthesia in sedated, spontaneously breathing children. We enrolled 20 children (3 − 83 months, 6.3 − 25.0 kg) scheduled for open abdominal surgery with Pfannenstiel incision. Sedation was followed by ultrasound-guided epidural anesthesia. Increases in heart rate by > 15% and or patient movements upon skin incision were rated as block deficiencies. Intubation equipment for advanced airway management was kept on standby. The primary study endpoint was successful blockade, meaning that no sequential airway management was required during surgery. Secondary endpoints included any use of fentanyl/propofol intraoperatively and of postoperative analgesics in the recovery room. All 20 blocks were successful, with no block deficiencies upon skin incision, no need for sequential airway management, and stable SpO2 levels (97–100%). Surgery took a median of 120.5 minutes (IQR: 89.3–136.5) and included one bolus of fentanyl 120 minutes into a protracted operation. No more systemic analgesia had to be provided in the recovery room. Sedation and epidural anesthesia emerged as a useful alternative to GA from our consecutive case series.
Fractional CO2 laser combined with 595-nm PDL inhibiting hypertrophic scars via measuring BMP-7 and Fas expression in rabbit models
Authors: Zhang Jinxia , Zhou Shuanglin , Xia Zhikuan , Peng Zhuoying , Yang Rongya
Published: December 2020

Background and ObjectivesAlthough the treatment of hypertrophic scar (HS) remain challenging, fractional CO2 laser (FCO2L) and 595-nm pulsed-dye laser (PDL) have proved clinical efficacy. Meanwhile, BMP-7 and Fas proteins are demonstrated to promote wound healing and inhibit scar formation, yet few reports on the effect of the two proteins on hypertrophic scarring are available, and their molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In current study, we attempted to observe the effect of combined use of FCO2L with 595-nm PDL in HS animal models through determining the expression of BMP-7 and Fas in scar inhibition.Materials and MethodsTwenty New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to control group, FCO2L group, PDL group and combined treatment group. Four HS samples were developed at each ear of individual rabbit. FCO2L was respectively applied to simple FCO2L and combined treatment group, and simple 595-nm PDL and combined treatment group. Totally, 3 sessions of treatments were carried out once every 14 days. Then, the changes of fibroblasts and collagens in HSs and expression of BMP-7 and Fas proteins in the scar tissues were determined via histological and immunohistochemical studies, ELISA, CCK8 test, RT-PCR and Western blot assay.ResultsHSs were flattened and shrunk after treatment, especially in rabbits treated by FCO2L plus 595-nm PDL group, in which obviously decreased abnormal fibroblast and collagen were noted. The deference was significant compared to other groups(P < 0.001). Moreover, expression of BMP-7 and Fas was both increased in the combined treatment group compared to single FCO2L or 595-nm PDL therapy group (P < 0.001) .ConclusionsFCO2L combined with 595-nm PDL can improve HSs in rabbit models by inhibiting excessive fibroblast growth and collagen deposition. This may be associated with increased BMP-7 and Fas expression in the scar tissues. And our findings may pioneer a new therapeutic strategy for alternative treatment of HSs.
Discontinuation of Different Contraceptive Methods in Thai Women During a One-year Period: A Cohort Study
Authors: Jaisamrarn Unnop , Santipap Monchai , Santibenchakul Somsook
Published: December 2020

BackgroundEven though almost 80% of sexually active Thai women use modern contraceptives, yet unintended pregnancy remains a significant reproductive health issue. One possible explanation is that the women do not use contraceptives or stopped using contraceptives at some point in their lifetime. At present, there is scant information available about contraceptive discontinuation among Thai women. We assessed the discontinuation rate and the reason for discontinuation of the four most common contraceptives used by reproductive aged Thai women: combined oral contraceptive pills (COCs), depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), copper IUD, and contraceptive implant(s).MethodsThere were 1,880 women aged 18-45 years recruited from the Family Planning Clinic of the Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. The participants were followed at months 3, 6 and 12 either by attending the clinic or being interviewed via a phone call. Incidence density and cumulative incidence based on the Kaplan-Meier approach were used to assess contraceptive discontinuation. Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine significant personal risks of discontinuing contraceptive.ResultsAmong all, 839 (44.6%) women initiated COCs; 494 (26.3%) initiated DMPA; 280 (14.9%) initiated copper IUD and 267 (14.2%) initiated contraceptive implant(s). The incidence density for discontinuation of COCs, DMPA, copper IUD, and contraceptive implant(s) were 21.33, 9.21, 4.36, and 2.26 / 100 person-year, respectively. Most of the women (185/222) discontinued their contraceptives because of the side effects. Compared to the contraceptive implant(s) users, adjusted HR (95% CI) of discontinuing COCs, DMPA, and copper IUD were 9.92 (4.38-22.46), 4.25 (1.81-9.98), 2.16 (0.81-5.76), respectively. Lower-income, higher parity numbers, history of miscarriage, and history of abortion were independent predictors of contraceptive discontinuation in a multivariable model.ConclusionsThe discontinuation rate of COCs, the most popular contraceptive method for Thai women, was the highest during the one-year period of the study. The primary reason for discontinuing the use of the various contraceptive methods was the side effects.
EEG Microstate in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients
Authors: Xiong Xin , Ren Yuyan , Gao Shenghan , Luo Jianhua , Liao Jiangli , Wang Chunwu , Yi Sanli , Liu Ruixiang , Xiang Yan , He Jianfeng
Published: December 2020

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep respiratory disease. Previous studies have found that the wakefulness electroencephalogram (EEG) of OSA patients has changed, such as increased EEG power. However, whether the microstate reflecting the transient state of the brain is abnormal is unclear during sleep apnea or hypopnea. We investigated the microstates of sleep EEG in 30 OSA patients and in 10 healthy control volunteers. Then correlation analysis was carried out between microstate parameters and EEG markers of sleep disturbance, such as power spectrum, sample entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). We observed that there was an additional fifth microstate E during apnea or hypopnea in N1 and N3 stages in OSA patients. And the microstate E was correlated with the power spectrum of delta, theta and alpha bands, not correlated with sample entropy, but correlated with DFA in N1-OA/OH stage. Moreover, Global Explained Variance, Mean Duration, Time Coverage and Segment Density of microstate E were positively correlated with DFA. We can interpret that the abnormal transition of brain active areas of OSA patients in N1-OA/OH stages leads to an extra microstate E, which might be related to the change of alpha activity in the cortex. And the generation of microstate E is not correlated with the decrease of EEG complexity, but correlated with the stronger self-similar regularity of EEG signals in OSA patients. These findings indicate that the microstate has the potential as a biomarker of EEG and has potential application value in OSA diagnosis.
Shedding Light on the Bacterial Resistance to Toxic UV Filters: A Comparative Genomic Study
Authors: Lozano Clément , Lebaron Philippe , Matallana-Surget Sabine
Published: December 2020

Background: UV filters are toxic to marine bacteria that dominate the marine biomass. Ecotoxicology often studies the organismal response but rarely integrates deciphers the toxicity mechanisms at the molecular level. In this study, in silico comparative genomic between UV filters sensitive and resistant bacteria were conducted in order to unravel the genes responsible for a resistance phenotype. The genomes of two environmentally relevant Bacteroidetes and three Firmicutes species were compared through pairwise comparisonResults: Larger genomes were carried by bacteria exhibiting a resistant phenotype, favoring their ability to adapt to environmental stresses. While the antitoxin and CRISPR systems were the only distinctive features in resistant Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes displayed multiple unique genes that could support the difference between sensitive and resistant phenotypes.Conclusion: Several genes involved in ROS response, vitamin biosynthesis, xenobiotic degradation, multidrug resistance, xenobiotic degradation, and lipophilic compound permeability were shown to be exclusive to resistant species. Our investigation contributes to a better understanding of the molecular basis of UV filters resistance phenotypes.
Morpho-Physiological Response to Heat Stress During Seedling Stage and Interrelation With Agronomical Traits in Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.) Cultivars Differing in Heat Tolerance
Authors: Rajametov Sherzod , Yang Eun Young , Cho Myeong Cheoul , Chae Soo Young , Jeong Hyo Bong
Published: December 2020

Identification of heat tolerance trait in pepper genotypes is an important for the breeding of heat tolerant cultivars in pepper. Therefore, in the present study were investigated effect of heat treatment (HT) on morpho-physiological and biochemical status of two commercial pepper cultivars “Chyung Yang” and “New Bigarim” in seedling stage and their post-treatment reproductive ability. The seedlings with 8-10 true leaf stage were maintained at day and night temperature of 42°C for 10 days and cv. “Chyung Yang” were identified as a heat tolerant and “New Bigarim” as a susceptible to heat stress. The HT survival were revealed during 5 days and the threshold of heat tolerance were determined within 10 days of treatment among cultivars. We found no significant relation between leaf heat damage levels (LHD) with chlorophyll content (CHL). During HT were identified significant reducing of the biomass of seedlings, whereas the photosynthetic rate (PN), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), stomatal conductance (Gs) and transpiration rate (Tr) values were increased than in normal treatment (NT) seedlings. The cell membrane thermostability values were not steady during HT and in heat treated seedlings at recovery stages, where electrical conductivity (EC) rate showed of the increasing in seedlings at HT than NT. Total free proline content (PRL) significantly increased in HT stressed seedlings over NT on day 5 of treatment, when survival of seedlings were finished. In both cultivar plants with different LHD were identified the significantly increasing of PRL than NT plants at recovery, where the mean fold increase within 2-3 times than in seedlings which were exposed to the HT. LHD significantly effected on reproductive growth stage, where LHD levels over 25% was critical for plants recovery. There no identified the any significant the linkage of heat tolerance in seedling stage with reproductive growth stage, where cv. “Chyung Yang” was determined as a heat tolerant in seedling stage but in reproductive stage it showed negative index of agronomical traits.
WITHDRAWN: OxyR-Like Improve Cell's Hydrogen Peroxide Tolerance via Participate in Monocyte Chemotaxis and Oxidative Phosphorylation Regulation in Magnetospirillum Gryphiswaldense MSR-1
Authors: Ma Yong , Wen Tong , Zhang Yunpeng , Guo Fangfang , Sun Xiuyu , Jiang Wei
Published: December 2020

Magnetosome formation inside magnetotactic bacteria is a complex process strictly regulated by intracellular metabolic regulation system. A series of transcriptional regulators have been proved involved in magnetosome bio-synthesis, including OxyR-Like, which is indispensable during magnetosome maturation in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1. In this study, a new function of OxyR-Like was identified that it helps cell to defense reactive oxygen species (ROS). Comparison of expression profile data between wild type MSR-1 and oxyR-Like defective mutant demonstrate that after the disruption of oxyR-Like, 7 genes encoding chemotaxis proteins were down-regulated. On the contrary, the expression level of numerous genes encoding proteins which are critical for cellular aerobic respiration are increased. The result suggesting a model that OxyR-Like enhance the cell’s ROS resistant ability via increasing its environmental perception and keeping its oxidative phosphorylation in a reasonable level to avoid excessive production of endogenous ROS. This study further enriched the regulatory network of OxyR-Like and established the relationship between antioxidant metabolism pathway and magnetosome biomineralization in MSR-1.
Microbiome Analysis of Three Sample Types Obtained From Mixed Dentition Children With Different Caries Statuses: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Yang Xiaoxia , He Lidan , Yan Siqi , Chen Xinyi , Que Guoying
Published: December 2020

Background: Both supragingival plaque and saliva are commonly sampled for analysis of microbial communities. However, it remains unclear whether saliva can replace supragingival plaque for microbial studies of caries. There are limited studies on whether the microbiota of healthy first permanent molar (FPM) differs in different caries statuses of deciduous teeth. Herein, the PacBio Sequel platform was used to identify microbiome between three types of oral samples. Additionally, we compared the microbia between children with caries and healthy children in the same kind of microhabitat.Methods: In total, 30 children (aged 7–9 years) were enrolled in this study; 15 of them had dental caries. DNA was extracted from supragingival plaques of deciduous molars, supragingival plaques of maxillary FPMs, and saliva, and the v1–v9 regions of 16S rRNA was amplified. Additionally, PacBio sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were performed.Results: The salivary microbial alpha diversity were lower than that of the supragingival plaque on the teeth, but three was no difference between deciduous teeth and FPMs. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the saliva samples were mainly scattered in the left side, whereas most plaque samples were distributed on the right. In the same microhabitat , there was no difference in microbial alpha and beta diverty between children with caries and healthy children. For the samples of the deciduous teeth, Streptococcus mutans, Propionibacterium acidifaciens, and Veillonella dispar were more abundant in the children with caries than healthy children, and the first two bacteria showed a positive correlation. For the samples of the FPMs, Selenomonas noxia was more abundant in healthy children than children with caries. But no differentially abundant microorganism were identified between the saliva subgroups. Conclusion:The microbial composition and struction of supragingival plaque was different from that of saliva, and supragingival plaque was found to be the best candidate for studying caries etiology. Streptococcus mutans, Veillonella dispar, and Propionibacterium acidifaciens are highly associated with the existence of deciduous caries. The microbia of the supragingival plaque on the healthy FPMs resemble when the caries status of the deciduous teeth was different, except for the abundance of Selenomonas noxia.