bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wildlife nidoviruses: biology, epidemiology, and disease associations of selected nidoviruses of mammals and reptiles
Authors: Flies Andrew S. , Flies Emily J. , Fountain-Jones Nicholas M. , Musgrove Ruth E. , Hamede Rodrigo K. , Philips Annie , Perrott Matthew R. F. , Dunowska Magdalena
Published: July 2023

Wildlife is the source of many emerging infectious diseases. Several viruses from the order
Nidovirales
have recently emerged in wildlife, sometimes with severe consequences for endangered species. The order
Nidovirales
is currently classified into eight suborders, three of which contain viruses of vertebrates. Vertebrate coronaviruses (suborder
Cornidovirineae
) have been extensively studied, yet the other major suborders have received less attention. The aim of this minireview was to summarize the key findings from the published literature on nidoviruses of vertebrate wildlife from two suborders:
Arnidovirineae
and
Tornidovirineae
. These viruses were identified either during investigations of disease outbreaks or through molecular surveys of wildlife viromes, and include pathogens of reptiles and mammals. The available data on key biological features, disease associations, and pathology are presented, in addition to data on the frequency of infections among various host populations, and putative routes of transmission. While nidoviruses discussed here appear to have a restricted
in vivo
host range, little is known about their natural life cycle. Observational field-based studies outside of the mortality events are needed to facilitate an understanding of the virus-host-environment interactions that lead to the outbreaks. Laboratory-based studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of diseases caused by novel nidoviruses and their evolutionary histories. Barriers preventing research progress include limited funding and the unavailability of virus- and host-specific reagents. To reduce mortalities in wildlife and further population declines, proactive development of expertise, technologies, and networks should be developed. These steps would enable effective management of future outbreaks and support wildlife conservation.
Domination-related parameters in middle graphs
Authors: Kim Kijung
Published: July 2023

The middle graph [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is the graph obtained by subdividing each edge of [Formula: see text] exactly once and joining all these newly introduced vertices of adjacent edges of [Formula: see text]. It is known that the decision problems for Italian domination number [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]-rainbow domination number [Formula: see text] and Roman domination number [Formula: see text] are NP-complete. Recently, it was proved that [Formula: see text] for a graph [Formula: see text] of order [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we continue to study several domination and domatic numbers in middle graphs. We also obtain closed formulas for domination, secure domination and total domination numbers in middle graphs of rooted product graphs.
Cascading Blend Network for Image Inpainting
Authors: Jin Yiting , Wu Jie , Wang Wanliang , Yan Yidong , Jiang Jiawei , Zheng Jianwei
Published: July 2023

Image inpainting refers to filling in unknown regions with known knowledge, which is in full flourish accompanied by the popularity and prosperity of deep convolutional networks. Current inpainting methods have excelled in completing small-sized corruption or specifically masked images. However, for large-proportion corrupted images, most attention-based and structure-based approaches, though reported with state-of-the-art performance, fail to reconstruct high-quality results due to the short consideration of semantic relevance. To relieve the above problem, in this paper, we propose a novel image inpainting approach, namely cascading blend network (CBNet), to strengthen the capacity of feature representation. As a whole, we introduce an adjacent transfer attention (ATA) module in the decoder, which preserves contour structure reasonably from the deep layer and blends structure-texture information from the shadow layer. In a coarse to delicate manner, a multi-scale contextual blend (MCB) block is further designed to felicitously assemble the multi-stage feature information. In addition, to ensure a high qualified hybrid of the feature information, extra deep supervision is applied to the intermediate features through a cascaded loss. Qualitative and quantitative experiments on the Paris StreetView, CelebA, and Places2 datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our approach compared with most state-of-the-art algorithms.
Physiological responses to 9 hours of heat exposure in young and older adults. Part I: Body temperature and hemodynamic regulation
Authors: Meade Robert D. , Notley Sean R. , Akerman Ashley P. , McGarr Gregory W. , Richards Brodie J. , McCourt Emma R. , King Kelli E. , McCormick James J. , Boulay Pierre , Sigal Ronald J. , Kenny Glen P.
Published: July 2023

We found greater increases in body heat storage and core temperature in older adults than in their younger counterparts during 9 h of resting exposure to hot dry conditions. Furthermore, the age-related increase in core temperature was exacerbated in older adults with common heat-vulnerability-linked health conditions (type 2 diabetes and hypertension). Impairments in thermoregulatory function likely contribute to the increased risk of heat-related illness and injury seen in older adults during hot weather and heat waves.
Priapism in a Child from Homocystinuria from Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase MTHFR (C677T) Mutation
Authors: Kakaje Ameer , Fadel Ammar , Hosam Aldeen Osama , Hamdan Othman
Published: July 2023

Priapism is a prolonged involuntary erection that can have severe complications if left untreated. Ischaemic priapism is very rare in children and requires urgent intervention to prevent permanent erectile dysfunction and penile shortening. It can be caused by ischaemia in sickle cell anaemia, leukaemia, trauma, drugs, or idiopathy. Homocystinuria is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that can cause hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercoagulability. Very few reports suggested that priapism can be caused by hyperhomocysteinemia, and they were in adults. However, we present the first of such a case to the best of our knowledge of a prepubescent child who only had the MTHFR (C677T) mutation that causes homocystinuria and had ischaemic priapism. A nine-year-old Syrian Arab boy was presented with priapism that lasted for a few hours. Blood tests show normal blood count, film, and haemoglobin electrophoresis. However, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, homocysteine level, and C-reactive protein were elevated. Other coagulation tests were within the normal range. Doppler ultrasonography found decreased cavernous blood flow, and warm 0.9% saline lavage of the cavernosa was indicated and successfully treated the priapism. Genetic testing for the homozygous MTHFR (C677T) mutation was later confirmed, and warfarin was indicated. In conclusion, homocystinuria is very rare in priapism, and this is the first case to report this phenomenon in a child. Ultrasonography in low-income countries is an essential tool that helps identify a wide variety of medical conditions such as priapism and can be successfully managed by aspiration with warm saline.
Desafíos para los nuevos ingenieros comerciales
Authors: García Carlos
Published: July 2023

La dedicatoria del último libro de Martin Wolf (2023), columnista de Financial Times, es muy simple, pero inquietante por varias razones que desarrollaré en este ensayo y dice: “Que la nueva generación, haga un mejor trabajo que la nuestra”.  Continuar leyendo...
Quincas Borba e o romance oitocentista francês: coisas deles, coisas nossas
Authors: Kameda André Tadao
Published: July 2023

Este artigo tem por objetivo fazer uma análise comparada de trechos dos romances A educação sentimental (1867), de Gustave Flaubert, e Quincas Borba (1891), de Machado de Assis. Para isso, vamos delinear brevemente o contexto dos períodos em que os enredos se passam, procurando destacar eventos históricos que figuram em ambas as obras, ou que estão em seus horizontes. Em seguida, buscaremos mostrar pontos de contato entre os romances, como procedimentos narrativos, concepção de tempo, personagens e temas. As discussões sobre o realismo e o modernismo abordados em ensaios de Lukács e Adorno servirão de baliza para a análise. A hipótese é que passagens significativas da obra de Machado, sobretudo em Quincas Borba, apontam para a convergência entre os processos de reificação do capitalismo, que Adorno identificava no romance francês, e a dimensão desumanizante da escravidão.
Laocoonte em movimento
Authors: Savella Eduardo
Published: July 2023

Resenha dupla de dois ensaios que traçam panoramas históricos e conceituais de estudos comparativos entre a literatura e as artes plásticas: “Relações homológicas entre literatura e artes plásticas – algumas considerações” (1997), de Aguinaldo José Gonçalves, e “Introdução/Intradução: mimesis, tradução, enárgeia e a tradição da ut pictura poiesis” (1998), de Márcio Seligmann-Silva. Este segundo ensaio introduz edição da tradução de Seligmann-Silva para o português da obra Laocoonte: ou sobre as fronteiras da pintura e da poesia (1766), de G. E. Lessing. Traçam-se relações entre os dois ensaios, bem como comentários sobre a história dos referidos paralelos entre as artes, tal como apresentados pelos autores, com ênfase nas visões de Lessing.
Movimento literário e movimento dos trabalhadores (1922)
Authors: Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke , Saldanha Fabio Pomponio , Pinto Felipe Chaves Gonçalves , Katague Gustavo Perez , Monzani João Marcelo Amaral Reimão
Published: July 2023

Tradução para o português do texto "文芸運動と労働運動", de Hirabayashi Hatsunosuke, no qual o autor se dedica a apresentar sua teoria responsável por unir representação política e estética, demonstrando quais seriam os caminhos possíveis para união dos termos que, em um primeiro momento, pareceriam discrepantes ou impossíveis de união.
Três pequenos contos
Authors: Santos Rafael Sousa
Published: July 2023

Três pequenos contos de Rafael Sousa Santos: Elena e o marinheiro, Henrik e a prostituta e Klaus e a centopeia.
Poemas
Authors: Miranda Fernando
Published: July 2023

Dois poemas de Fernando Miranda: Metáfora noturna e Santa chuva.
Poemas
Authors: Pivaro Paulo
Published: July 2023

Dois poemas de Paulo Pivaro: À ausente e Demérito.
Ovarian Histology of Removed Ovaries After Gender-Affirming Testosterone Therapy
Authors: Coşkun Ayşe Deniz Ertürk , Koç Nermin , Vural Fisun , Dönmez Emin Erhan
Published: July 2023

Introduction. Assigned female at birth transgender people go through a gender-affirming hormone therapy using testosterone. We aimed to define the histological changes in the removed ovaries of these patients and investigate the correlation of these changes to factors like chronological age and duration of hormone therapy. Methods. The ovaries of 84 patients who had at least 6 months of testosterone therapy before surgery were examined. Tunica albuginea thickness, cortical thickness, and number of different stages of follicles were recorded. Results. The mean age was 27.2 ± 4.9 years. Testosterone duration 25.8 ± 13.1 months. The mean tunica albuginea thickness was 356.4 ± 152.6 µm. The mean cortical thickness was 799.6 ± 245.6 µm. The number of primordial (C1) follicles was 18.03 ± 13.6 and antral (C3) follicles was 3.1 ± 1.9 per cm². When grouped as using therapy under or over 2 years the groups did not have differences in histological findings. Hormone duration did not correlate with histological findings except for a positive correlation with atretic follicle number. However, age was negatively correlated with number of follicles at all stages except atretic follicles and positively correlated with cortical thickness ( P < .05). Conclusion. Testosterone therapy induces multifollicularity, stromal hyperplasia, and luteinization in some patients. Hormone duration did not correlate with ovarian histology whereas chronological age did suggesting an effect of age on ovarian reserve rather than duration of hormone therapy.
Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the virus spectrum in children with respiratory infection in Xuzhou, China: a long-term active surveillance study from 2015 to 2021
Authors: Cao Rundong , Du Yangguang , Tong Jing , Xia Dong , Song Qinqin , Xia Zhiqiang , Liu Mi , Du Haijun , Han Jun , Gao Chen
Published: July 2023

Background

To investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on the prevalence of respiratory viruses among pediatric patients with acute respiratory infections in Xuzhou from 2015–2021.

Methods

Severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases in hospitalized children were collected from 2015–2021 in Xuzhou, China. Influenza virus(IFV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human parainfluenza virus type 3(hPIV-3), human rhinovirus (hRV), human adenovirus(hAdV), human coronavirus(hCoV) were detected by real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR), and the results were statistically analyzed by SPSS 23.0 software.

Results

A total of 1663 samples with SARI were collected from 2015–2021, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.67:1 and a total virus detection rate of 38.5% (641/1663). The total detection rate of respiratory viruses decreased from 46.2% (2015–2019) to 36% (2020–2021) under the control measures for COVID-19 (P < 0.01). The three viruses with the highest detection rates changed from hRV, RSV, and hPIV-3 to hRV, RSV, and hCoV. The epidemic trend of hPIV-3 and hAdV was upside down before and after control measures(P < 0.01); however, the epidemic trend of RV and RSV had not changed from 2015 to 2021(P > 0.05). After the control measures, the detection rate of hPIV-3 decreased in all age groups, and the detection rate of hCoV increased in all except the 1 ~ 3 years old group.

Conclusions

Implementing control measures for COVID-19 outbreak curbed the spread of respiratory viruses among children as a whole. However, the epidemic of RV and RSV was not affected by the COVID-19 control policy.
Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale: a translation and validation study
Authors: Zheng Chen , Yang Zhen , Kong Linghui , Gao Ziyun , Lu Tingting , Zhang Huijun
Published: July 2023

Objective

The objective of this study was to translate the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale into Chinese and to examine its reliability and validity in a population of older people suffering from chronic constipation.

Methods

In this study, the scale was paraphrased, back-translated, cross-culturally adapted and pre-experimented using the Brislin double translation-back-translation method to create the initial Chinese version of the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale. A convenience sampling method was used to select 564 study participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria in Liaoning and Shanxi, China, to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale. General information about the study population was using descriptive statistics; item analysis was used to screen the items of the scale. Content validity, exploratory factor analysis, and validation factor analysis were chosen to validate the scales; internal consistency, spilt-half reliability and retest reliability were used determine the reliability of the measurement scales.

Results

The Chinese version of the Elderly-Constipation Impact Scale contains 7 dimensions and 21 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.901 and the range of Cronbach's alpha values for each dimension was 0.707 to 0.918. The split-half reliability of the scale was 0.736 and the retest reliability was 0.763. The exploratory factor analysis showed a KMO value of 0.873 and a Bartlett's spherical testX2value of 3499.978 (p < 0.001). A total of seven common factors were extracted, namely daily activities, treatment satisfaction, lack of control of bodily function, diet restriction, symptom intensity, anxiety and preventive actions, with a cumulative variance contribution of 77.813%. Each item had a loading value > 0.4 on its common factor. In the validation factor analysis, the model fit results wereX2/ df = 1.886, GFI = 0.910, AGFI = 0.874, PGFI = 0.654, IFI = 0.955, TLI = 0.942, CFI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.056 and PNFI = 0.718. The model fit indicators were all within acceptable limits.

Conclusion

The Chinese version of the E-CIS has good reliability and validity in the chronic constipation population of elderly individuals. The results of the questionnaire can effectively and comprehensively reflect the impact of chronic constipation on the quality of life of elderly individuals. It provides a meaningful reference for identifying targets for intervention.
The influence of COVID-19 risk perception and vaccination status on the number of social contacts across Europe: insights from the CoMix study
Authors: Wambua James , Loedy Neilshan , Jarvis Christopher I. , Wong Kerry L. M. , Faes Christel , Grah Rok , Prasse Bastian , Sandmann Frank , Niehus Rene , Johnson Helen , Edmunds W.John , Beutels Philippe , Hens Niel , Coletti Pietro
Published: July 2023

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics have been greatly modulated by human contact behaviour. To curb the spread of the virus, global efforts focused on implementing both Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) and pharmaceutical interventions such as vaccination. This study was conducted to explore the influence of COVID-19 vaccination status and risk perceptions related to SARS-CoV-2 on the number of social contacts of individuals in 16 European countries.

Methods

We used data from longitudinal surveys conducted in the 16 European countries to measure social contact behaviour in the course of the pandemic. The data consisted of representative panels of participants in terms of gender, age and region of residence in each country. The surveys were conducted in several rounds between December 2020 and September 2021 and comprised of 29,292 participants providing a total of 111,103 completed surveys. We employed a multilevel generalized linear mixed effects model to explore the influence of risk perceptions and COVID-19 vaccination status on the number of social contacts of individuals.

Results

The results indicated that perceived severity played a significant role in social contact behaviour during the pandemic after controlling for other variables (p-value < 0.001). More specifically, participants who had low or neutral levels of perceived severity reported 1.25 (95% Confidence intervals (CI) 1.13 - 1.37) and 1.10 (95% CI 1.00 - 1.21) times more contacts compared to those who perceived COVID-19 to be a serious illness, respectively. Additionally, vaccination status was also a significant predictor of contacts (p-value < 0.001), with vaccinated individuals reporting 1.31 (95% CI 1.23 - 1.39) times higher number of contacts than the non-vaccinated. Furthermore, individual-level factors played a more substantial role in influencing contact behaviour than country-level factors.

Conclusion

Our multi-country study yields significant insights on the importance of risk perceptions and vaccination in behavioral changes during a pandemic emergency. The apparent increase in social contact behaviour following vaccination would require urgent intervention in the event of emergence of an immune escaping variant.
Analysis of age, period, and birth cohort effects on suicide mortality in Brazil and the five major geographic regions
Authors: Galvão Pauliana Valéria Machado , da Silva Cosme Marcelo Furtado Passos
Published: July 2023

Objective

Estimate the effects of age, period, and birth cohort on suicide mortality in Brazil by major geographic region in the overall population and by sex.

Methods

This was a time trend ecological study. National and regional suicide mortality data from 1981 to 2020 were analyzed for the overall population and by sex. Age, period, and cohort effects were calculated with a Poisson regression model using estimable functions with the Epi package of the R statistical program, version 4.2.1.

Results

There were 272,716 suicides in individuals ranging from 20 to 79 years old. In the overall population, the age model-adjusted suicide mortality rates showed an upward pattern for Brazil. The most recent cohort showed the highest associated risk, 1.67 (95%CI 1.63; 1.71), while for the reference period, it was the highest risk among all the periods.

Conclusions

Suicide mortality rates have shown an upward trend with advancing age in both men and women in the Brazilian population. However, the behavior of the period effect and cohort depends on the population analyzed and regional distribution.
Application of mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy for the treatment of type III–IV hilar cholangiocarcinoma: a single-center retrospective study
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Sun Wanliang , Zhou Shuo , Liu Zhong , Lu Zheng , Zhang Dengyong
Published: July 2023

Background

The main surgical procedure for Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) is hemihepatectomy/extended hemihepatectomy. However, many patients have no opportunity for surgery due to having an insufficient remnant liver volume. Preservation of more liver volume on the premise of ensuring R0 resection is the goal. Mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy may be a new method to meet these requirements.

Methods

The clinical data of 41 patients with Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV HCCA, including 18 patients who underwent mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy (the mesohepatectomy group) and 23 patients who underwent hemihepatectomy or extended hemihepatectomy (the hemihepatectomy group), were analyzed retrospectively. The perioperative indicators and prognostic survival time between the two groups were analyzed.

Results

The mesohepatectomy group was compared with the hemihepatectomy group, and the operation time was 7.95 ± 1.2 vs. 7.15 ± 1.5 h (P > 0.05); the intraoperative blood loss was 600.0 ± 153.4 vs. 846.1 ± 366.8 mL (P < 0.05); the postoperative hospital stay was 9.9 ± 2.2 vs. 13.8 ± 3.0 days (P < 0.05); and the R0 resection rate was 100% vs. 87.0% (P > 0.05). The postoperative complications of the two groups included bile leakage (22.2% vs. 21.7%), pleural effusion (11.1% vs. 8.7%), and fever (16.7% vs. 8.7%), with no significant differences in the incidences (P > 0.05). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of the two groups were 87.5%, 55.7%, 27.8% and 83.5%, 56.1%, 24.5%, respectively, with no significant differences (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Mesohepatectomy with caudate lobectomy can preserve more functional liver volume while ensuring the bile duct margin. It can be applied as the surgical treatment of Bismuth‒Corlette III–IV HCCA.
Diagnostic value of mesenteric CTA combined with D-dimer level and inflammatory factor changes in severity of mesenteric artery embolism
Authors: Yi-ru  , Li Zhao-yang , Liang Jing , Bai Song , Zhang Zhu-fen
Published: July 2023

Objective: To investigate the value of mesenteric CTA combined with D-dimer (DD) level and inflammatory factor changes in evaluating the severity of mesenteric artery embolism.

Methods: This is a retrospective study. The imaging data of mesenteric CTA and the levels of plasma DD and inflammatory factors in 120 patients with mesenteric artery embolism confirmed by DSA or surgery in Baoding No.1 Central Hospital were analyzed retrospectively from January 2021 to December 2022. The coincidence rate of CTA alone and CTA combined with DD and inflammatory factors with the results of surgery or DSA was compared and analyzed. The specificity, sensitivity and accuracy of CTA alone and CTA combined with DD and inflammatory factors in diagnosing superior mesenteric artery embolism were compared. The correlations of different severity of mesenteric artery embolism with DD and inflammatory factor levels were compared and analyzed.

Results: There was a significant difference in the coincidence rate between CTA diagnosis and CTA combined with DD and inflammatory factors diagnosis (p= 0.01). And the sensitivity and accuracy of the latter were significantly higher than those of the former (sensitivity, p= 0.01; accuracy, p= 0.00). The levels of plasma DD, TNF-a, CRP and IL-6 in the intestinal wall thinning group were significantly higher than those in the thickening group (p= 0.00). The above indexes increased significantly in the decreased intestinal wall enhancement group compared with the increased intestinal wall enhancement group (p= 0.00). DD, TNF-α, CRP and IL-6 levels increased with the increase in stenosis severity.

Conclusion: Mesenteric CTA combined with plasma DD and inflammatory factor levels can effectively determine the severity of mesenteric arterial embolism, and provide a scientific basis for early clinical diagnosis and treatment.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.6719

How to cite this: Zhang Y, Li Z, Liang J, Bai S, Zhang Z. Diagnostic value of mesenteric CTA combined with D-dimer level and inflammatory factor changes in severity of mesenteric artery embolism. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(5):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.6719

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comparison of the Efficacy of Diclofenac 0.1% and Nepafenac 0.1% on anterior chamber cells in patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A prospective clinical practice trial
Authors: Ahmad Adnan , Haq Shmas Ul , Hussain Jamal , Rasul Javed
Published: July 2023

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of topical Nepafenac 0.1 % and Diclofenac 0.1% eye drops in reducing the aqueous cells in the anterior chamber in an un-eventful post cataract surgery.

Methods: This prospective, clinical trial was conducted at an Eye OPD of Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, Nowshera from January till December 2021. Ophthalmic assessment included Visual acuity (VA), slit-lamp examination, Intraocular pressure (IOP), Central macular thickness (CMT) by Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and anterior chamber-aqueous cells measurement pre-operatively and at day 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th week post-operatively. Patients were randomly allocated to topical diclofenac 0.1% (TD) four times a day and nepafenac 0.1% (TN) three times a day for four weeks each along with topical steroids and antibiotics.

Results: Seventy patients (70) were randomly distributed into two treatment arms of 35 each. In both the arms VA improved which achieved a level of statistical significance post-operatively, however statistically insignificant difference was observed between the groups at 8th week follow up visit (p= 0.62). However, IOP and CMT values didn’t achieve statistical significance between the arms pre and post operatively. In TN arm, level of AC-cells at 2nd and 4th week post-operatively were significantly lower (10.54 ± 4.05 and 08.20 ± 4.44) than TD arm (11.28 ± 5.04 and 09. 66 ± 5.50) with statistically significant difference (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Topical Nepafenac 0.1% was more effective in suppressing the anterior chamber inflammation as compared to diclofenac during the early few post-operative weeks.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.6862

How to cite this: Ahmad A, Haq S, Hussain J, Rasul J. Comparison of the Efficacy of Diclofenac 0.1% and Nepafenac 0.1% on anterior chamber cells in patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A prospective clinical practice trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(5):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.6862

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Association of different blood groups in patients with Dengue fever and their relationship with the severity of the illness
Authors: Iqbal Naveed , Afridi Muhammad Abdur Rahman , Ali Zafar , Rafiq Adnan
Published: July 2023

Objective: To determine the association of different blood groups in patients with Dengue fever and their relationship with the severity of the illness.

Methods: A hospital-based descriptive study was conducted in the Dengue Isolation Ward of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from March 2020 to September 2020. Patients with Dengue fever were included in the study. The severity of the illness was categorized as “Dengue fever (DF)”, “Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)”, and “Dengue shock syndrome (DSS)”. The patients’ blood groups were determined as A, B, AB, and O groups. All the data were recorded and analyzed using SPSS® version 23. Chi-square (χ2) and student t-test were applied, and a p-value of ≤0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Out of 160 patients, 119(74.4%) were males; the patient’s mean age was 38.09±15.68 SD, IQR=25 years. Greater proportion (28%) of the young men (up to 40 years) was affected compared to 9% young women. Fever (99%) and body aches (96%) were the most common presentation of DF, complicated by bleeding in 30.6% and shock in 9.4% of the patients. The majority (63.1%) of the patients had DF; 27.5% had DHF, and 9.4% had DSS. Sixty three (39.4%) patients had blood Group-B and 5.6% had Group-AB (p=0.97). The proportion of patients with different blood groups and the type/severity of the DF were almost identical except the fact that none of the patient with group AB had DSS. There was significant gender difference of hemoglobin (p=0.008, 95%CI=0.439, 2.844), hematocrit (p=0.012, 95%CI=0.00974, 0.07946); and Alanine Aminotransferase levels (p=0.002, 95%CI=-332.032, -72.233).

Conclusion: Patients with blood Group-B were more frequent and AB was least commonly affected by the Dengue-virus infections. However, no association was found between a particular blood group and disease severity. Greater proportions of the younger men had Dengue infections.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.7275

How to cite this: Iqbal N, Afridi MAR, Ali Z, Rafiq A. Association of different blood groups in patients with Dengue fever and their relationship with the severity of the illness. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(5):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.5.7275

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Drug Breakdown: Methylphenidate
Authors: Rees Sharon
Published: July 2023

In this column, Sharon Rees aims to refresh knowledge and interest in some of the commonly used drugs in a series of tweets. This month she is talking about #methylphenidate
Tunable chiral photonic cavity based on multiferroic layers
Authors: Jandieri Vakhtang , Khomeriki Ramaz , Watanabe Koki , Erni Daniel , Werner Douglas H. , Berakdar Jamal
Published: July 2023

Realization of externally tunable chiral photonic sources and resonators is essential for studying and functionalizing chiral matter. Here, oxide-based stacks of helical multiferroic layers are shown to provide a suitable, electrically-controllable medium to efficiently trap and filter purely chiral photonic fields. Using analytical and rigorous coupled wave numerical methods we simulate the dispersion and scattering characteristics of electromagnetic waves in multiferroic heterostructures. The results evidence that due to scattering from the spin helix texture, only the modes with a particular transverse wavenumber form standing chiral waves in the cavity, whereas all other modes leak out from the resonator. An external static electric field enables a nonvolatile and energy-efficient control of the vector spin chirality associated with the oxide multilayers, which tunes the photonic chirality density in the resonator.
Optical analogy for temporal diffraction in tight-binding lattice
Authors: Wu Kedi , Wang Guo Ping
Published: July 2023

The wave propagating through the temporal boundary has attracted considerable attention in the past few years because of the potential applications of time-varying systems in the optics community. However, temporal diffraction of light remains to be investigated, because free space is non-dispersive. Here, we theoretically provide the analytical expressions for the temporal diffraction contributions of electron waves across the temporal boundary between the free space and a dispersive medium. With the help of coupled waveguide arrays, temporal diffraction is analogously observed by the optical platform. The optical analogy results confirm the theoretical predictions of the temporal diffraction wave at the temporal boundary. By changing the permittivity of the waveguides, implying the coupling coefficient is modified, the temporal diffraction angle is tuned. Our analysis and observations of temporal diffraction of dispersive media have great potential in time-varying physics, signal processing, and photonics communications.
Identifying determinants for the seropositive rate of schistosomiasis in Hunan province, China: A multi-scale geographically weighted regression model
Authors: Tong Yixin , Tang Ling , Xia Meng , Li Guangping , Hu Benjiao , Huang Junhui , Wang Jiamin , Jiang Honglin , Yin Jiangfan , Xu Ning , Chen Yue , Jiang Qingwu , Zhou Jie , Zhou Yibiao
Published: July 2023

Background

Schistosomiasis is of great public health concern with a wide distribution and multiple determinants. Due to the advances in schistosomiasis elimination and the need for precision prevention and control, identifying determinants at a fine scale is urgent and necessary, especially for resource deployment in practice. Our study aimed to identify the determinants for the seropositive rate of schistosomiasis at the village level and to explore their spatial variations in local space.

Methodology

The seropositive rates of schistosomiasis were collected from 1714 villages or communities in Human Province, and six spatial regression models including ordinary least squares (OLS), spatial lag model (SLM), spatial error model (SEM), geographically weighted regression (GWR), robust GWR (RGWR) and multiscale GWR (MGWR) were used to fit the data.

Principal/Findings

MGWR was the best-fitting model (R2: 0.821, AICc:2727.092). Overall, the nearest distance from the river had the highest mean negative correlation, followed by proportion of households using well water and the annual average daytime surface temperature. The proportions of unmodified toilets showed the highest mean positive correlation, followed by the snail infested area, and the number of cattle. In spatial variability, the regression coefficients for the nearest distance from the river, annual average daytime surface temperature and the proportion of unmodified toilets were significant in all villages or communities and varied little in local space. The other significant determinants differed substantially in local space and had significance ratios ranging from 41% to 70%, including the number of cattle, the snail infested area and the proportion of households using well water.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study shows that MGWR was well performed for the spatial variability of schistosomiasis in Hunan province. The spatial variability was different for different determinants. The findings for the determinants for the seropositive rate and mapped variability for some key determinants at the village level can be used for developing precision intervention measure for schistosomiasis control.
Differential expression profile of genes involved in the immune response associated to progression of chronic Chagas disease
Authors: Gómez Inmaculada , López Manuel Carlos , Egui Adriana , Palacios Génesis , Carrilero Bartolomé , Benítez Celia , Simón Marina , Segovia Manuel , Carmelo Emma , Thomas M Carmen
Published: July 2023

Background

Patients with chronic Chagas disease present marked clinical and immunological heterogeneity. During the disease, multiple immune mechanisms are activated to fight the parasite. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of genes involved in relevant immunological processes throughout the disease in patients with chronic Chagas disease.

Methodology/Principal findings

High-throughput RT-qPCR with QuantStudio 12K Flex real-time PCR system was used to evaluate the expression of 106 immune-related genes in PBMC from a cohort of cardiac Chagas disease patients (CCC I), asymptomatic patients (IND) and healthy donors (HD) after being stimulated with T. cruzi soluble antigens. Principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and volcano plots were used to identify differentially expressed genes. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to identify the enriched immunological pathways in which these genes are involved. PCA revealed the existence of a statistically divergent expression profile of the 36 genes correlated with PC1 between CCC I patients and HD (p < 0.0001). Differential gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of 41 genes (expression fold-change > 1.5) and downregulation of 14 genes (expression fold-change < 0.66) (p = 8.4x10-13 to p = 0.007) in CCC I patients versus HD. Furthermore, significant differences in the expression level of specific genes have been identified between CCC I and IND patients (8 up and 1 downregulated). GSEA showed that several upregulated genes in CCC I patients participate in immunological pathways such as antigen-dependent B cell activation, stress induction of HSP regulation, NO2-dependent IL12 pathway in NK cells, cytokines-inflammatory response and IL-10 anti-inflammatory signaling.

Conclusions

Cardiac Chagas disease patients show an antigen-specific differential gene expression profile in which several relevant immunological pathways seem to be activated. Assessment of gene expression profiles reveal unique insights into the immune response that occurs along chronic Chagas disease.
Structure of puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase and polyglutamine binding
Authors: Madabushi Sowmya , Chow K. Martin , Song Eun Suk , Goswami Anwesha , Hersh Louis B. , Rodgers David W.
Published: July 2023

Puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase (E.C. 3.4.11.14, UniProt P55786), a zinc metallopeptidase belonging to the M1 family, degrades a number of bioactive peptides as well as peptides released from the proteasome, including polyglutamine. We report the crystal structure of PSA at 2.3 Ǻ. Overall, the enzyme adopts a V-shaped architecture with four domains characteristic of the M1 family aminopeptidases, but it is in a less compact conformation compared to most M1 enzymes of known structure. A microtubule binding sequence is present in a C-terminal HEAT repeat domain of the enzyme in a position where it might serve to mediate interaction with tubulin. In the catalytic metallopeptidase domain, an elongated active site groove lined with aromatic and hydrophobic residues and a large S1 subsite may play a role in broad substrate recognition. The structure with bound polyglutamine shows a possible interacting mode of this peptide, which is supported by mutation.
Trends in road accidents on Brazil’s highways: Evidence of persistence using fractional integration
Authors: Wanke Peter , Gil-Alana Luis Alberiko , Tan Yong
Published: July 2023

This paper deals with the analysis of trends in road accidents on highways in Brazil. We use time series techniques based on fractional integration that allow us to determine if exogenous shocks in the data have transitory or permanent effects depending on the order of integration of the series. Our results indicate that a low degree of long memory was detected in the series with shocks having thus transitory effects over time. We further find that the number of accidents have been reducing over time, though in the presence of negative shocks, the recovery is not going to be immediate due to the long memory nature of the data. Despite the absence of relevant investment relating to infrastructure expansion, it is worth mentioning the consolidation of a nationwide tolled road system in Brazil involving concessions to private administrators, alongside more severe traffic laws that can impose limitations on driving licences.
Regional unevenness in the construction of digital villages: A case study of China
Authors: Li Yanling , Wen Xin
Published: July 2023

In regard to the comprehensive promotion of rural revitalization, the construction of digital villages is a crucial development. Because the construction of digital villages is considerably novel, the existing studies mainly focus on the theoretical aspects pertaining to the rational and practical robustness of digital villages, and with regard to regional unevenness, the number of studies that consider the current characteristics, absolute gaps, and impact mechanisms pertaining to the construction of digital villages is insufficient. Based on the regional unevenness that characterizes digital village construction, this study proposes a research framework for digital technology-enabled village construction, which integrates three major factors, namely technology, institutions, and human resources; thus, the comprehensive assessment pertaining to the level of digital village construction is enhanced. This study, which applies the aforementioned research framework, constructs an index system for evaluating the construction level of digital villages, and to reveal the characteristics pertaining to regional heterogeneity and the main influencing factors pertaining to the construction level of digital villages in China (study period; 2015–2020), it utilizes the Dagum Gini coefficient method and the spatial econometric model. Consequently, the researchers observe the following: First, the level of digital village construction in China exhibits a “W-shaped” recovery growth. Second, with respect to the regional level, the eastern region exhibits the highest level of digital village construction, followed by central and western regions; furthermore, we observe that the eastern and western regions account for the greatest intra-regional variation, and that with regard to the overall difference, the inter-regional gap represents the main causative factor. Finally, with regard to influencing factors, technology and innovation capabilities, occupational differentiation of farmers, economic development significantly contribute to the level of digital village construction, whereas fiscal autonomy exerts a significant inhibiting effect. In regard to the level of digital village construction, the research framework and results may provide a novel analytical framework for examining the main sources of regional unevenness, and it may also provide a reference for decision-making, which can influence the construction of digital villages in China as well as in other countries.
The relative importance of friendship to happiness increases with age
Authors: Song Inmyung , Kwon Jin-Won , Jeon Soo Min
Published: July 2023

Happiness is predicted by social relationships in general and contact frequency in particular. This study aims to examine if the relative importance of social contacts with the closest family/relative, friend, and neighbor in happiness changes with advancing age. We used data for all participants aged 19 years and older (n = 229,099) in the 2019 Community Health Survey, which measured the frequency of contact with the closest relative/family, neighbor, and friend among a representative sample of Koreans between August 16 and October 31, 2019. The Shapley value decomposition method was used to measure the relative importance of each predictor of happiness. Overall, contact frequency was positively associated with happiness (p<0.001). The relative importance value of contact with the closest family, neighbor, and friend to happiness increased from 4.70%, 3.98%, and 7.35%, respectively, in the 19–29 years group to 8.09%, 4.44%, and 11.00%, respectively, in the 60 years and older group. Frequent interactions with the closest friend could have a greater impact on happiness in old age than those with the closest family and neighbor.
Prevalence of occupational respiratory symptoms and associated factors among industry workers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Daba Chala , Debela Sisay Abebe , Atamo Amanuel , Desye Belay , Necho Mogesie , Tefera Yonatal Mesfin , Yeshanew Fanos , Gebrehiwot Mesfin
Published: July 2023

Background

Occupational respiratory diseases are major global public health problems, particularly for industry workers. Several studies have investigated occupational respiratory symptoms in various parts of Ethiopia. The findings have been inconsistent and inconclusive, and there is no nationally representative data on the subject. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence and factors associated with occupational respiratory symptoms among industry workers in Ethiopia (2010–2022).

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis framework Guidelines, search was conducted on several international databases including PubMed, CINAHL, African Journals Online, Hinari, Global Health, and Google scholar. The extracted data was analyzed using STATA 14. Random effect model was used to estimate the effect size. Egger regression test and I2 statistics were used to determine potential publication bias and heterogeneity, respectively among the reviewed articles.

Results

The meta-analysis included a total of 15 studies with 5,135 participants, revealing a pooled prevalence of 51.6% (95% CI: 43.6–59.6) for occupational respiratory symptoms among industry workers in Ethiopia. The absence of personal protective equipment (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: [1.17–3.32]), lack of occupational health and safety training (OR = 3.04, 95% CI: [2.36–3.93]), previous dust exposure (OR = 3.17, 95% CI: [2.3–4.37]), poor working environment (OR = 2.4, 95% CI: [1.7–3.2]), work experience greater than five years (OR = 4.04, 95% CI: [1.61–10.16]), smoking (OR = 6.91, 95% CI: [2.94–16.2]), and previous respiratory illness (OR = 4.25, 95% CI: [2.44–7.42]) were found to associate with the symptoms.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of occupational respiratory symptoms among industry workers in Ethiopia underscores the urgent need for effective interventions. The provision of personal protective equipment and improvement of working environments by the government, industry owners, and other stakeholders are crucial in reducing occupational respiratory symptoms. Additionally, prioritizing occupational health and safety training for industry workers can help prevent and mitigate the impact of occupational respiratory diseases.

Registration

This systematic review has been registered in the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Review (PROSPERO) with a specific registration number CRD42022383745.