bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Faecal immunochemical tests safely enhance rational use of resources during the assessment of suspected symptomatic colorectal cancer in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Pin-Vieito Noel , Tejido-Sandoval Coral , de Vicente-Bielza Natalia , Sánchez-Gómez Cristina , Cubiella Joaquín
Published: June 2021

Objective

Implementation of faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) as a triage test in primary healthcare may improve the efficiency of referrals without missing cases of colorectal cancer (CRC). We aim to summarise the performance characteristics of FITs for CRC in symptomatic patients presenting to primary healthcare.

Design

We performed a systematic literature review of Medline and EMBASE databases from May 2018 to November 2020. Previous related systematic searches were also adapted to this aim and completed with reference screening. We identified studies performed on adult patients consulting for abdominal symptoms in primary care which reported data such that the FIT diagnostic performance parameters for CRC could be obtained. Bivariate models were used to synthesise available evidence. Meta-regression analysis was performed to evaluate the causes of heterogeneity.

Results

Twenty-three studies (69 536 participants) were included (CRC prevalence 0.3%–6.2%). Six studies (n=34 691) assessed FIT as rule in test (threshold of ≥150 µg Hb/g faeces) showing a sensitivity of 64.1% (95% CI 57.8% to 69.9%) and a specificity of 95.0% (95% CI 91.2% to 97.2%). A threshold of 10 µg/g (15 studies; n=48 872) resulted in a sensitivity of 87.2% (95% CI 81.0% to 91.6%) and a specificity of 84.4% (95% CI 79.4% to 88.3%) for CRC. At a 20 µg Hb/g faeces threshold (five studies; n=24 187) less than one additional CRC would be missed per 1000 patients investigated compared with 10 µg Hb/g faeces threshold (CRC prevalence 2%).

Conclusion

FIT is the test of choice to evaluate patients with new-onset lower gastrointestinal symptoms in primary healthcare.
1,3-Butadiene, styrene and lymphohaematopoietic cancers among North American synthetic rubber polymer workers: exposure–response analyses
Authors: Sathiakumar Nalini , Bolaji Bolanle E , Brill Ilene , Chen Ligong , Tipre Meghan , Leader Mark , Arora Tarun , Delzell Elizabeth
Published: June 2021

Objective

To evaluate exposure–response between 1,3-butadiene, styrene and lymphohaematopoietic cancers in an updated cohort of workers at six North American plants that made synthetic rubber polymers.

Methods

Employees were followed from 1943 through 2009 to determine mortality outcomes. Cox regression analyses estimated rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs by quartile of cumulative exposure to butadiene or styrene, measured in parts per million-years (ppm-years), and exposure–response trends for all leukaemia, lymphoid leukaemia, myeloid leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma and all B-cell malignancies.

Results

Among 21 087 workers, adjusted RRs for butadiene and all leukaemia (132 deaths) rose with increasing exposure, with an RR of 2.53 (95% CI 1.37 to 4.67) in the highest exposure quartile (≥363.64 ppm-years), and the exposure–response trend was statistically significant for all leukaemia (p=0.014) and for lymphoid leukaemia (52 deaths, p=0.007). Styrene exposure–response trends for all leukaemia and lymphoid leukaemia were less consistent than those for butadiene. Cumulative exposures to butadiene and styrene were not associated consistently with myeloid leukaemias or the B-cell malignancies, NHL and multiple myeloma.

Conclusions

We confirmed a positive exposure–response relationship between butadiene and all leukaemia among workers, most of whom had coexposure to styrene. Results supported an association between butadiene and lymphoid leukaemia, but not myeloid leukaemia, and provided little evidence of any association of butadiene or styrene exposures with major subtypes of B-cell malignancies other than lymphoid leukaemia, including NHL and multiple myeloma.
Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease of undetermined aetiology in Taiwanese farmers: a cross-sectional study from Changhua Community-based Integrated Screening programme
Authors: Chang Jerry Che-Jui , Yang Hsiao-Yu
Published: June 2021

Objectives

Chronic kidney disease of undetermined or non-traditional aetiology (CKDu or CKDnT) has been reported in Mesoamerica among farmers under heat stress. Epidemiological evidence was lacking in Asian countries with similar climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CKDu and possible risk factors.

Methods

We used the data from the Changhua Community-based Integrated Screening programme from 2005 to 2014, which is the annual screening for chronic diseases in Taiwan’s largest rice-farming county since 2005. Our study population included farmers and non-farmers aged 15–60 years. CKDu was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2at age under 60 years without hypertension, diabetes, proteinuria, haematuria or using Chinese herbal medicine. We estimated the adjusted prevalence OR (POR) of CKDu by farmers, age, sex, education, urbanisation, smoking, body mass index, hyperuricaemia, hyperlipidaemia, heart disease and chronic liver disease.

Results

5555 farmers and 35 761 non-farmers were included in this study. CKDu accounted for 48.9% of all CKD cases. The prevalence of CKDu was 2.3% in the farmers and 0.9% in the non-farmers. The crude POR of CKDu in farmers compared with non-farmers was 2.73 (2.13–3.50), and the adjusted POR was 1.45 (1.10–1.90). Dehydration (blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio >20) was found in 22% of the farmers and 14% of the non-farmers.

Conclusions

Farmers in subtropical Asian countries are at increased risk of CKDu. Governments should take the CKDu epidemics seriously and provide farmers with occupational health education programmes on thermal hazards.
Autoimmune encephalitis: clinical spectrum and management
Authors: Uy Christopher E , Binks Sophie , Irani Sarosh R
Published: June 2021

Autoimmune encephalitis defines brain inflammation caused by a misdirected immune response against self-antigens expressed in the central nervous system. It comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders that are at least as common as infectious causes of encephalitis. The rapid and ongoing expansion of this field has been driven by the identification of several pathogenic autoantibodies that cause polysymptomatic neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. These conditions often show highly distinctive cognitive, seizure and movement disorder phenotypes, making them clinically recognisable. Their early identification and treatment improve patient outcomes, and may aid rapid diagnosis of an underlying associated tumour. Here we summarise the well-known autoantibody-mediated encephalitis syndromes with neuronal cell-surface antigens. We focus on practical aspects of their diagnosis and treatment, offer our clinical experiences of managing such cases and highlight more basic neuroimmunological advances that will inform their future diagnosis and treatments.
Trigeminal neuralgia: a practical guide
Authors: Lambru Giorgio , Zakrzewska Joanna , Matharu Manjit
Published: June 2021

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a highly disabling disorder characterised by very severe, brief and electric shock like recurrent episodes of facial pain. New diagnostic criteria, which subclassify TN on the basis of presence of trigeminal neurovascular conflict or an underlying neurological disorder, should be used as they allow better characterisation of patients and help in decision-making regarding medical and surgical treatments. MR imaging, including high-resolution trigeminal sequences, should be performed as part of the diagnostic work-up. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine are drugs of first choice. Lamotrigine, gabapentin, pregabalin, botulinum toxin type A and baclofen can be used either alone or as add-on therapy. Surgery should be considered if the pain is poorly controlled or the medical treatments are poorly tolerated. Trigeminal microvascular decompression is the first-line surgery in patients with trigeminal neurovascular conflict while neuroablative surgical treatments can be offered if MR imaging does not show any neurovascular contact or where patients are considered too frail for microvascular decompression or do not wish to take the risk.
Photo-Triggered Nanomaterials for Cancer Theranostic Applications
Authors: Khan Amreen , Jain Nishant K. , Gandhi Mayuri , Prasad Rajendra , Srivastava Rohit
Published: June 2021

Cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases with mortality rate considerably increasing every year. Conventional treatment strategies for cancer like chemotherapy suffer from the drawbacks of multiple-dose requirements and non-specificity of drug action. Moreover, the cost involved in the diagnosis and treatment is very high. Recently, the application of nanotechnology in the field of cancer has witnessed tremendous significance due to the unique size, shape, and surface properties of nanomaterials. With the intention to utilize biocompatible and biodegradable nanomaterials in cancer and reduce the non-specificity, approaches such as targeted nanotherapeutics came into existence. Besides having therapeutic potential, some materials demonstrate their applicability in bioimaging forecasting distinct optical properties. In this review, we have discussed the basics and principles guiding the design of different photo-triggered nanotheranostic materials used in cancer. Additionally, recent developments and advantages offered by the NIR-responsive photodynamic and photothermal agents along with their future scope have been presented. An overview of the toxicity and clinical prospect of photosensitive agents is also summarized. Overall, the field of photo-triggered cancer nanotheranostics has huge potential that can be clinically translated into an affordable and safe treatment approach.
West Antarctic mantle deduced from mafic magmatism
Authors: Panter Kurt S. , Martin Adam P.
Published: June 2021

Distinct mantle compositions recorded in primitive West Antarctic magmatic rocks vary by tectonic setting and time. Deep asthenospheric mantle-plume sources or shallow metasomatized mantle sources may operate either coincidently or independently to supply melts for magmatism. For example, contemporaneous subduction and plume dynamics produced the Ferrar–Karoo Large Igneous Province; subduction-related melting followed by slab-rollback or melting of slab-hosted pyroxenite explains Antarctic Peninsula volcanism through time; Marie Byrd Land magmatism results from plume materials variably mixed with subduction-modified mantle; while magmatism in Victoria Land and western Ross Sea is best explained by plate dynamics and melting of asthenospheric and metasomatized lithospheric sources, and not by an upwelling plume. Element and isotopic ratios show a fundamental change between Marie Byrd Land and Victoria Land mantle domains. Specifically, Pb isotopes indicate that Victoria Land magmatism sources have a stronger focal zone (FOZO) mantle component, while Marie Byrd Land magmatism possesses more of the high
μ
= high
238
U/
204
Pb (HIMU) mantle component that leads to high
206
Pb/
204
Pb over time. The chemical and isotopic heterogeneity of relatively unfractionated igneous rocks in West Antarctica reflects fundamental differences in mantle domains and melting conditions. This mantle variability coincides with changes in crustal structure and composition, and has a geophysical signature that is manifest in seismic data and tomographic models.
Random Graph-based Multiple Instance Learning for Structured IoT Smart City Applications
Authors: Chiu David K. Y. , Xu Tao , Gondra Iker
Published: June 2021

Because of the complex activities involved in IoT networks of a smart city, an important question arises: What are the core activities of the networks as a whole and its basic information flow structure? Identifying and discovering core activities and information flow is a crucial step that can facilitate the analysis. This is the question we are addressing—that is, to identify the core services as a common core substructure despite the probabilistic nature and the diversity of its activities. If this common substructure can be discovered, a systemic analysis and planning can then be performed and key policies related to the community can be developed. Here, a local IoT network can be represented as an attributed graph. From an ensemble of attributed graphs, identifying the common subgraph pattern is then critical in understanding the complexity. We introduce this as the common random subgraph (CRSG) modeling problem, aiming at identifying a subgraph pattern that is the structural “core” that conveys the probabilistically distributed graph characteristics. Given an ensemble of network samples represented as attributed graphs, the method generates a CRSG model that encompasses both structural and statistical characteristics from the related samples while excluding unrelated networks. In generating a CRSG model, our method using a multiple instance learning algorithm transforms an attributed graph (composed of structural elements as edges and their two endpoints) into a “bag” of instances in a vector space. Common structural components across positively labeled graphs are then identified as the common instance patterns among instances across different bags. The structure of the CRSG arises through the combining of common patterns. The probability distribution of the CRSG can then be estimated based on the connections and distributions from the common elements. Experimental results demonstrate that CRSG models are highly expressive in describing typical network characteristics.
Dependency Parsing-based Entity Relation Extraction over Chinese Complex Text
Authors: Qi Shanshan , Zheng Limin , Shang Feiyu
Published: June 2021

Open Relation Extraction (ORE) plays a significant role in the field of Information Extraction. It breaks the limitation that traditional relation extraction must pre-define relational types in the annotated corpus and specific domains restrictions, to realize the goal of extracting entities and the relation between entities in the open domain. However, with the increase of sentence complexity, the precision and recall of Entity Relation Extraction will be significantly reduced. To solve this problem, we present an unsupervised Clause_CORE method based on Chinese grammar and dependency parsing features. Clause_CORE is used for complex sentences processing, including decomposing complex sentence and dynamically complementing sentence components, which can reduce sentences complexity and maintain the integrity of sentences at the same time. Then, we perform dependency parsing for complete sentences and implement open entity relation extraction based on the model constructed by Chinese grammar rules. The experimental results show that the performance of Clause_CORE method is better than that of other advanced Chinese ORE systems on Wikipedia and Sina news datasets, which proves the correctness and effectiveness of the method. The results on mixed datasets of news data and encyclopedia data prove the generalization and portability of the method.
Impaired Ca2+ signaling due to hepatic steatosis mediates hepatic insulin resistance in Alström syndrome mice that is reversed by GLP-1 analog treatment
Authors: Ali Eunus S. , Girard Dorothée , Petrovsky Nikolai
Published: June 2021

Ca2+ signaling plays a critical role in the regulation of hepatic metabolism by hormones including insulin. Changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ regulate synthesis and posttranslational modification of key signaling proteins in the insulin pathways. Emerging evidence suggests that hepatocyte intracellular Ca2+ signaling is altered in lipid-loaded liver cells isolated from obese rodent models. The mechanisms of altered Ca2+-insulin and insulin-Ca2+ signaling pathways in obesity remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the kinetics of insulin-initiated intracellular (initial) Ca2+ release from endoplasmic reticulum is significantly impaired in steatotic hepatocytes from obese Alström syndrome mice. Furthermore, exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, reversed lipid-induced inhibition of intracellular Ca2+ release kinetics in steatotic hepatocytes, without affecting the total content of intracellular Ca2+ released. Exenatide reversed the lipid-induced inhibition of intracellular Ca2+ release, at least partially, via lipid reduction in hepatocytes, which then restored hormone-regulated cytoplasmic Ca2+ signaling and insulin sensitivity. This data provides additional evidence for the important role of Ca2+ signaling pathways in obesity-associated impaired hepatic lipid homeostasis and insulin signaling. It also highlights a potential advantage of GLP-1 analogs when used to treat type 2 diabetes associated with hepatic steatosis.
Pharyngoesophageal motility reflex mechanisms in the human neonate: importance of integrative cross-systems physiology
Authors: Sultana Zakia , Hasenstab Kathryn A. , Jadcherla Sudarshan R.
Published: June 2021

Swallowing is a critical function for survival and development in human neonates and requires cross-system coordination between neurological, airway, and digestive motility systems. Development of pharyngoesophageal motility is influenced by intra- and extrauterine development, pregnancy complications, and neonatal comorbidities. The primary role of these motility reflex mechanisms is to maintain aerodigestive homeostasis under basal and adaptive biological conditions including oral feeding, gastroesophageal reflux, and sleep. Failure may result in feeding difficulties, airway compromise, dysphagia, aspiration syndromes, and chronic eating difficulties requiring prolonged tube feeding. We review the integration of cross-systems physiology to describe the basis for physiological and pathophysiological neonatal aerodigestive functions.
Differential effects of the Src family tyrosine kinases Yes and Fyn on lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury in mice
Authors: Trittmann Jennifer K. , Jin Yi , Liu Yusen , Nelin Leif D.
Published: June 2021

Endothelial cell apoptosis is an early event in the development of acute lung injury (ALI). We have previously found that the Src family tyrosine kinase (STK) Yes activates caspase-3, whereas the STK Fyn inhibits caspase-3 activation in cultured pulmonary endothelial cells. We hypothesized that deficiency in Yes or Fyn in mice would have differential effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Mice were treated with LPS (10 mg/kg ip) for 24 h. Histological evidence of lung injury was greater in LPS-treated wild-type mice than in vehicle-treated wild-type mice, and the LPS-induced histological evidence of lung injury was attenuated in yes−/− mice and enhanced in fyn−/− mice. In wild-type or fyn−/− mice, LPS resulted in greater lung wet-to-dry weight ratios than in controls, whereas in yes−/− mice lung, wet-to-dry weight was similar between LPS and controls. LPS-exposed fyn−/− mice had greater respiratory system resistance and lower respiratory system compliance than did LPS-exposed wild-type mice. TUNEL positive cells in the lung following LPS treatment were greater in the fyn−/− mice and lower in the yes−/− mice compared with that in the wild-type mice. Following LPS treatment lung protein levels of PECAM-1 were lower in fyn−/− mice than in controls or yes−/− mice. LPS treatment increased cleaved caspase-3 protein levels in wild-type mice, whereas LPS-induced caspase-3 activation was attenuated in yes−/− mice and enhanced in fyn−/− mice. These results indicate that LPS-induced ALI is positively mediated via Yes-related mechanisms and negatively mediated by Fyn-related mechanisms.
FAM13A as potential therapeutic target in modulating TGF-β-induced airway tissue remodeling in COPD
Authors: Tam Anthony , Leclair Pascal , Li Ling Vicky , Yang Chen X. , Li Xuan , Witzigmann Dominik , Kulkarni Jayesh A. , Hackett Tillie-Louise , Dorscheid Delbert R. , Singhera Gurpreet K. , Hogg James C. , Cullis Pieter R. , Sin Don D. , Lim Chinten James
Published: June 2021

Genome-wide association studies have shown that a gene variant in the Family with sequence similarity 13, member A (FAM13A) is strongly associated with reduced lung function and the appearance of respiratory symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A key player in smoking-induced tissue injury and airway remodeling is the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). To determine the role of FAM13A in TGF-β1 signaling, FAM13A−/− airway epithelial cells were generated using CRISPR-Cas9, whereas overexpression of FAM13A was achieved using lipid nanoparticles. Wild-type (WT) and FAM13A−/− cells were treated with TGF-β1, followed by gene and/or protein expression analyses. FAM13A−/− cells augmented TGF-β1-induced increase in collagen type 1 (COL1A1), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), expression compared with WT cells. This effect was mediated by an increase in β-catenin (CTNNB1) expression in FAM13A−/− cells compared with WT cells after TGF-β1 treatment. FAM13A overexpression was partially protective from TGF-β1-induced COL1A1 expression. Finally, we showed that airway epithelial-specific FAM13A protein expression is significantly increased in patients with severe COPD compared with control nonsmokers, and negatively correlated with lung function. In contrast, β-catenin (CTNNB1), which has previously been linked to be regulated by FAM13A, is decreased in the airway epithelium of smokers with COPD compared with non-COPD subjects. Together, our data showed that FAM13A may be protective from TGF-β1-induced fibrotic response in the airway epithelium via sequestering CTNNB1 from its regulation on downstream targets. Therapeutic increase in FAM13A expression in the airway epithelium of smokers at risk for COPD, and those with mild COPD, may reduce the extent of airway tissue remodeling.
Obese adipose tissue modulates proinflammatory responses of mouse airway epithelial cells
Authors: Ather Jennifer L. , Van Der Vliet Katherine E. , Mank Madeleine M. , Reed Leah F. , Dixon Anne E. , Poynter Matthew E.
Published: June 2021

Although recognized as an important endocrine organ, little is known about the mechanisms through which adipose tissue can regulate inflammatory responses in distant tissues, such as lung that are affected by obesity. To explore potential mechanisms, male C57BL/6J mice were provided either high-fat diet, low-fat diet, or were provided a high-fat diet then switched to the low-fat diet to promote weight loss. Visceral adipocytes were then cultured in vitro to generate conditioned media (CM) that was used to treat both primary (mouse tracheal epithelial cells; MTECs) and immortalized (mouse-transformed club cells; MTCCs) airway epithelial cells. Adiponectin levels were greatly depressed in the CM from both obese and diet-switched adipocytes relative to mice continually fed the low-fat diet. MTECs from mice with obesity secreted higher baseline levels of inflammatory cytokines than MTECs from lean or diet-switched mice. MTECs treated with obese adipocyte CM increased their secretion of these cytokines compared with MTECs treated with lean CM. Diet-switched CM modestly decreased the production of cytokines compared with obese CM, and these effects were recapitulated when the CM was used to treat MTCCs. Adipose stromal vascular cells from mice with obesity expressed genes consistent with an M1 macrophage phenotype and decreased eosinophil abundance compared with lean stromal vascular fraction, a profile that persisted in the lean diet-switched mice despite substantial weight loss. Soluble factors secreted from obese adipocytes exert a proinflammatory effect on airway epithelial cells, and these alterations are attenuated by diet-induced weight loss, which could have implications for the airway dysfunction related to obese asthma and its mitigation by weight loss.
Evaluation of force feedback in walking using joint torques as “naturalistic” stimuli
Authors: Zill Sasha N. , Dallmann Chris J. , S. Szczecinski Nicholas , Büschges Ansgar , Schmitz Josef
Published: June 2021

Sensory encoding of forces during walking by campaniform sensilla was characterized in stick insects using waveforms of joint torques calculated by inverse dynamics as mechanical stimuli. Tests using the mean joint torque and torques of individual steps showed the system is highly sensitive to force dynamics (dF/dt). Use of “naturalistic” stimuli can reproduce characteristics of sensory discharges seen in freely walking insects, such as load transfer among legs.
Recent Advances on SEM-Based In Situ Multiphysical Characterization of Nanomaterials
Authors: Qu Juntian , Liu Xinyu
Published: June 2021

Functional nanomaterials possess exceptional mechanical, electrical, and optical properties which have significantly benefited their diverse applications to a variety of scientific and engineering problems. In order to fully understand their characteristics and further guide their synthesis and device application, the multiphysical properties of these nanomaterials need to be characterized accurately and efficiently. Among various experimental tools for nanomaterial characterization, scanning electron microscopy- (SEM-) based platforms provide merits of high imaging resolution, accuracy and stability, well-controlled testing conditions, and the compatibility with other high-resolution material characterization techniques (e.g., atomic force microscopy), thus, various SEM-enabled techniques have been well developed for characterizing the multiphysical properties of nanomaterials. In this review, we summarize existing SEM-based platforms for nanomaterial multiphysical (mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical) in situ characterization, outline critical experimental challenges for nanomaterial optical characterization in SEM, and discuss potential demands of the SEM-based platforms to characterizing multiphysical properties of the nanomaterials.
Hardware and Software Solutions for Energy-Efficient Computing in Scientific Programming
Authors: D’Agostino Daniele , Merelli Ivan , Aldinucci Marco , Cesini Daniele
Published: June 2021

Energy consumption is one of the major issues in today’s computer science, and an increasing number of scientific communities are interested in evaluating the tradeoff between time-to-solution and energy-to-solution. Despite, in the last two decades, computing which revolved around centralized computing infrastructures, such as supercomputing and data centers, the wide adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm is currently inverting this trend due to the huge amount of data it generates, pushing computing power back to places where the data are generated—the so-called fog/edge computing. This shift towards a decentralized model requires an equivalent change in the software engineering paradigms, development environments, hardware tools, languages, and computation models for scientific programming because the local computational capabilities are typically limited and require a careful evaluation of power consumption. This paper aims to present how these concepts can be actually implemented in scientific software by presenting the state of the art of powerful, less power-hungry processors from one side and energy-aware tools and techniques from the other one.
The Effectiveness and Safety of Bushen Huoxue Decoction on Treating Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liu Lan-Chun , Mao Qi-Yuan , Liu Chao , Hu Jun , Duan Lian , Wang Jie
Published: June 2021

Objective. The aim of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula Bushen Huoxue Decoction (BSHXD) in treating coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTS) of BSHXD in treating CHD were searched until March 2020, through six electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang, SinoMed, and VIP. This study used the Cochrane Risk Test bias tool in the Cochrane Handbook to assess the quality of the methodology. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 was used to analyze the results. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were applied in the classification of evidence quality. Results. Ten RCTs involving 901 patients were finally included in this meta-analysis. It revealed that the effectiveness of BSHXD in treating CHD was significantly better than that of the conventional western medicine (CWM) treatment (

P
<
0.00001

). The effective rate of BSHXD treatment group on ECG was also significantly higher than that of CWM group (

P
<
0.00001

). The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was decreased in the treatment groups compared with those in the control groups (

P
<
0.00001

). There was also a reduction in frequency and duration of angina pectoris (

P
<
0.00001

). There were no significant differences in TC level (

P
=
0.08

), TG level (

P
=
0.86

), and HDL level (

P
=
0.76

) between the treatment and control groups. Five studies had informed adverse events, including nausea and diarrhea. Conclusion. Our findings laid the foundation to the use of TCM Formula BSHXD in combination with conventional western medicine for treating CHD. However, due to the limitation of the quality of the included researches, in addition to potential reporting bias, the above conclusions still need verification by higher-quality and better-designed studies.
Sharp Bounds for the Inverse Sum Indeg Index of Graph Operations
Authors: Rani Anam , Imran Muhammad , Ali Usman
Published: June 2021

Vukičević and Gasperov introduced the concept of 148 discrete Adriatic indices in 2010. These indices showed good predictive properties against the testing sets of the International Academy of Mathematical Chemistry. Among these indices, twenty indices were taken as beneficial predictors of physicochemical properties. The inverse sum indeg index denoted by

ISI

G

k

of

G

k

is a notable predictor of total surface area for octane isomers and is presented as

ISI

G

k

=

∑

g

k

g
k
′

∈
E

G

k

d

G

k

g

k

d

G

k

g
k
′

/

d

G

k

g

k

+

d

G

k

g
k
′

, where

d

G

k

g

k

represents the degree of

g

k

∈
V

G

k

. In this paper, we determine sharp bounds for ISI index of graph operations, including the Cartesian product, tensor product, strong product, composition, disjunction, symmetric difference, corona product, Indu–Bala product, union of graphs, double graph, and strong double graph.
High Detection Rate of HIV Drug Resistance Mutations among Patients Who Fail Combined Antiretroviral Therapy in Manaus, Brazil
Authors: Chaves Yury Oliveira , Pereira Flávio Ribeiro , de Souza Pinheiro Rebeca , Batista Diego Rafael Lima , da Silva Balieiro Antônio Alcirley , de Lacerda Marcus Vinicius Guimarães , Nogueira Paulo Afonso , Guimarães Monick Lindenmeyer
Published: June 2021

Virologic failure may occur because of poor treatment adherence and/or viral drug resistance mutations (DRM). In Brazil, the northern region exhibits the worst epidemiological scenarios for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Thus, this study is aimed at investigating the genetic diversity of HIV‐1 and DRM in Manaus. The cross‐sectional study included people living with HIV on combined antiretroviral therapy and who had experienced virological failure during 2018‐2019. Sequencing of the protease/reverse transcriptase (PR/RT) and C2V3 of the viral envelope gp120 (Env) regions was analyzed to determine subtypes/variants of HIV‐1, DRMs, and tropism. Ninety‐two individuals were analyzed in the study. Approximately 72% of them were male and 74% self‐declared as heterosexual. Phylogenetic inference (PR/RT‐Env) showed that most sequences were B subtype, followed by BF1 or BC mosaic genomes and few F1 and C sequences. Among the variants of subtype B at PR/RT, 84.3% were pandemic (BPAN), and 15.7% were Caribbean (BCAR). The DRMs most frequent were M184I/V (82.9%) for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), K103N/S (63.4%) for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), and V82A/L/M (7.3%) for protease inhibitors (PI). DRM analysis depicted high levels of resistance for lamivudine and efavirenz in over 82.9% of individuals; although, low (7.7%) cross‐resistance to etravirine was observed. A low level of resistance to protease inhibitors was found and included patients that take atazanavir/ritonavir (16.6%) and lopinavir (11.1%), which confirms that these antiretrovirals can be used—for most individuals. The thymidine analog mutations‐2 (TAM‐2) resistance pathway was higher in BCAR than in BPAN. Similar results from other Brazilian studies regarding HIV drug resistance were observed; however, we underscore a need for additional studies regarding subtype BCAR variants. Molecular epidemiology studies are an important tool for monitoring the prevalence of HIV drug resistance and can influence the public health policies.
Random Fuzzy Granular Decision Tree
Authors: Li Wei , Ma Xiaoyu , Chen Yumin , Dai Bin , Chen Runjing , Tang Chao , Luo Youmeng , Zhang Kaiqiang
Published: June 2021

In this study, the classification problem is solved from the view of granular computing. That is, the classification problem is equivalently transformed into the fuzzy granular space to solve. Most classification algorithms are only adopted to handle numerical data; random fuzzy granular decision tree (RFGDT) can handle not only numerical data but also nonnumerical data like information granules. Measures can be taken in four ways as follows. First, an adaptive global random clustering (AGRC) algorithm is proposed, which can adaptively find the optimal cluster centers and maximize the ratio of interclass standard deviation to intraclass standard deviation, and avoid falling into local optimal solution; second, on the basis of AGRC, a parallel model is designed for fuzzy granulation of data to construct granular space, which can greatly enhance the efficiency compared with serial granulation of data; third, in the fuzzy granular space, we design RFGDT to classify the fuzzy granules, which can select important features as tree nodes based on information gain ratio and avoid the problem of overfitting based on the pruning algorithm proposed. Finally, we employ the dataset from UC Irvine Machine Learning Repository for verification. Theory and experimental results prove that RFGDT has high efficiency and accuracy and is robust in solving classification problems.
Efficient Placement of an Aerial Relay Drone for Throughput Maximization
Authors: Shakhatreh Hazim , Alenezi Ali , Sawalmeh Ahmad , Almutiry Muhannad , Malkawi Waed
Published: June 2021

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication can be used in overcrowded areas and either during or postdisaster situations as an evolving technology to provide ubiquitous connections for wireless devices due to its flexibility, mobility, and good condition of the line of sight channels. In this paper, a single UAV is used as an aerial relay node to provide connectivity to wireless devices because of the considerable distance between wireless devices and the ground base station. Specifically, two path loss models have been utilized; a cellular‐to‐UAV path loss for a backhaul connection and an air‐to‐ground path loss model for a downlink connection scenario. Then, the tradeoff introduced by these models is discussed. The problem of efficient placement of an aerial relay node is formulated as an optimization problem, where the objective is to maximize the total throughput of wireless devices. To find an appropriate location for a relay aerial node that maximizes the overall throughput, we first use the particle swarm optimization algorithm to find the drone location; then, we use three different approaches, namely, (1) the equal power allocation approach, (2) water filling approach, and (3) modified water filling approach to maximize the total users’ throughput. The results show that the modified water filling outperforms the other two approaches in terms of the average sum rate of all users and the total number of served users. More specifically, in the best‐case scenario, it was observed that the average sum rate of the modified water filling is better than the equal power allocation and ensuring 100% coverage. In contrast, the water filling provides a very close average sum rate to the modified water filling, but it only provides a 28% user coverage.
Detecting Abnormal Social Network Accounts with Hurst of Interest Distribution
Authors: Wang Xiujuan , Sui Yi , Tao Yuanrui , Zhang Qianqian , Wei Jianhua
Published: June 2021

With the rapid development of the Internet since the beginning of the 21st century, social networks have provided a significant amount of convenience for work, study, and entertainment. Specifically, because of the irreplaceable superiority of social platforms in disseminating information, criminals have thus updated the main methods of social engineering attacks. Detecting abnormal accounts on social networks in a timely manner can effectively prevent the occurrence of malicious Internet events. Different from previous research work, in this work, a method of anomaly detection called Hurst of Interest Distribution is proposed based on the stability of user interest quantifiable from the content of users’ tweets, so as to detect abnormal accounts. In detail, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation model is adopted to classify blog content on Twitter into topics to calculate and obtain the topic distribution of tweets sent by a single user within a period of time. Then, the stability degree of the user’s tweet topic preference is calculated according to the Hurst index to determine whether the account is compromised. Through experiments, the Hurst indexes of normal and abnormal accounts are found to be significantly different, and the detection rate of abnormal accounts using the proposed method can reach up to 97.93%.
Remote Sensing Image Scene Classification Based on Fusion Method
Authors: Yin Liancheng , Yang Peiyi , Mao Keming , Liu Qian
Published: June 2021

Remote sensing image scene classification is a hot research area for its wide applications. More recently, fusion‐based methods attract much attention since they are considered to be an useful way for scene feature representation. This paper explores the fusion‐based method for remote sensing image scene classification from another viewpoint. First, it is categorized as front side fusion mode, middle side fusion mode, and back side fusion mode. For each fusion mode, the related methods are introduced and described. Then, classification performances of the single side fusion mode and hybrid side fusion mode (combinations of single side fusion) are evaluated. Comprehensive experiments on UC Merced, WHU‐RS19, and NWPU‐RESISC45 datasets give the comparison result among various fusion methods. The performance comparisons of various modes, and interactions among different fusion modes are also discussed. It is concluded that (1) fusion is an effective way to improve model performance, (2) back side fusion is the most powerful fusion mode, and (3) method with random crop+multiple backbone+average achieves the best performance.
Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of TP 439 and 690 TT under Film-Forming Amine Environment
Authors: Jundong Lu , Xiaobin Jiang , Ke Sun , Bin Liu , Xinmin Li , Qinwen Ni
Published: June 2021

Film-forming amines have been widely used in thermal power plants for maintenance after shutdown, and there are more and more applications and researches in nuclear power secondary circuits for this purpose. However, in the direction of stress corrosion cracking, there is not much research on the influence of film-forming amines on metal materials. This article uses the high temperature slow strain rate test (SSRT) method to evaluate the influence of a commercial film-forming amine on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of two conventional island materials for PWR nuclear power plants. These two metal materials are the heat exchange tube materials of the high-pressure heater and steam generator in the high-temperature operation area of the secondary circuit of a nuclear power plant: TP 439 stainless steel and 690 TT alloy. The test analyzed the mechanical properties and fracture morphology. The test results show that in the test concentration range (<5 mg/kg), the film-forming amine will not affect the SCC of TP 439 stainless steel and 690 TT alloy under the condition of slow strain rate. The behavior has a significant impact. In practical applications, the general dosage of film-forming amine is 1-2 mg/kg. This data is lower than the film-forming amine concentration used in the experiment. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the obvious impact on the SCC behavior of TP 439 stainless steel and 690 TT alloy.
Evaluation of Anticonvulsant Activity of 80% Methanolic Root Bark Extract and Solvent Fractions of Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke (Rubiaceae) in Swiss Albino Mice
Authors: Fisseha Nebeyi , Shibeshi Workineh , Bisrat Daniel
Published: June 2021

Background. Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders, responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality due to limited efficacy and negative properties of antiepileptic drugs. Medicinal plants are believed to be an important source of new chemical substances with potential therapeutic effects. Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke is a medicinal plant used in Ethiopian traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. However, it lacks scientific investigation on its anticonvulsant activity. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of 80% methanol root bark extract and solvent fractions of Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke in mice. Methods. Anticonvulsant activity was evaluated by using the pentylenetetrazole and maximal electroshock-induced seizure test. The 80% methanolic root bark extract was subjected to successive fractionation with solvents differing polarity, i.e., chloroform, butanol, and water. The test groups received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg bodyweight of extract and its solvent fractions. Result. The ME400 and BF400 at the higher dose exhibited a significant (

p
<
0.001

) anticonvulsant effect in both the pentylenetetrazole and maximal electroshock-induced seizure test compared with control. However, chloroform fraction only showed a significant (

p
<
0.001

) anticonvulsant effect in the PTZ-induced seizure test, while aqueous fraction had least anticonvulsant activity in both seizure-induced tests. Phytochemical screening of Pentas schimperiana (A. Rich.) Vatke root bark extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, terpenoids, and tannins. Conclusion. This study indicated that the plant has anticonvulsant activity and is considered as a potential source to develop a new antiepileptic drug.
Research on Intelligent Vehicle Path Tracking with Subsystems Based on Multimodel Intelligent Hierarchical Control Theory
Authors: Ye Qing , Wang Ruochen , Zhang Chi , Cai Yingfeng
Published: June 2021

In this paper, a multimodel intelligent hierarchical control (MIHC) algorithm with dual systems is proposed to reduce the performance conflict between a path-tracking motion system and its subsystems during the motion control process of an intelligent vehicle (IV). The working principle of the MIHC algorithm is briefly introduced first, and the dynamic models of IV and the subsystems are constructed. Then, correlation controller models based on MIHC are established. Lastly, the influence of the subsystems on the trajectory tracking of IV is validated through simulations and hardware-in-the-loop test with various condition forms. Results show that the control performance of the automatic steering system has a great influence on the path-tracking accuracy compared with that of the antilock braking system.
[Retracted] Construction of a Multimodal Neuroimaging Data Fusion System and Evaluation of Mental Fatigue Using Nonlinear Analysis
Authors: Chen Rui , Li Zhenzhong , Lai Yi
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this research is to explore the optimization and fusion application of multimodal neuroimaging technology and analyze the evaluation method of human brain fatigue based on multimodal neuroimaging technology. Based on electroencephalogram (EEG) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), the four‐dimensional consistency of local neural activities (FOCA) and local multimodal serial analysis (LMSA) are first introduced to fuse EEG and fMRI organically. Second, the eigenspace maximal information canonical correlation analysis (emiCCA) is introduced to construct the multimodal neuroimaging data fusion system. Finally, how the brain function network is constructed is introduced. Based on the binary and the weighted brain function networks, the relationship between the human brain fatigue and the brain function network is evaluated by calculating the fractal dimension. Results demonstrate that FOCA performs well in temporal and spatial consistency indexes, and the mean level and standard deviation in the case of temporal and spatial consistency are approximately 0.45. The effect of LMSA indexes is significantly better than generalized linear models (GLMs). Under different signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs), the regression coefficient based on LMSA is much larger than the GLM estimate; the corresponding significance level is p < 0.05; and the maximum value of the regression coefficient appears near 0.2. In the data fusion system, the time‐space matching has good results under the time accuracy based on EEG and the space accuracy based on fMRI, with the time accuracy above 88% and the space accuracy above 89%. The fractal dimension analysis based on the brain function network reveals that the weighted brain function network is more sensitive to mental fatigue. The state of human brain fatigue will make the brain function network more complicated. The fractal dimension with more network edges is around 2.2, while the fractal dimension with fewer network edges is around 1.6. The proposed data analysis and fusion system have great application potential and propose a new idea for analyzing human brain fatigue and brain aging.
The Activation of ROS/NF‐κB/MMP‐9 Pathway Promotes Calcium‐Induced Kidney Crystal Deposition
Authors: Wu Yue , Zhang Jiaqiao , Li Cong , Hu Henglong , Qin Baolong , Wang Tao , Lu Yuchao , Wang Shaogang
Published: June 2021

Idiopathic hypercalciuria is an important risk factor for the formation of calcium‐containing kidney stones. Matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) is closely related to cell and tissue remodeling and is involved in ectopic tissue calcification. However, little is known about its role in kidney stone formation. In this study, we found that the expression of MMP‐9 and that of osteoblastic‐related proteins was increased in normal rat kidney epithelial‐like (NRK‐52E) cells following treatment with a high concentration of calcium, while the knockout or overexpression of MMP‐9 could, respectively, significantly inhibit or upregulate the expression of osteoblastic‐related proteins and calcium crystal deposition. In addition, apoptosis and calcium crystal deposition were significantly reduced in Sprague–Dawley rats with 1,25(OH)2D3‐induced hypercalciuria following MMP‐9 inhibitor I treatment. Furthermore, inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production or the nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cell (NF‐κB) pathway significantly reduced calcium‐induced MMP‐9 expression and calcium crystal deposition. In summary, our results suggested that a high calcium concentration promotes epithelial–osteoblastic transformation and calcium crystal deposition in renal tubule cells by regulating the ROS/NF‐κB/MMP‐9 axis and identified a novel role for MMP‐9 in regulating calcium‐induced calcium crystal deposition in renal tubules.