bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fatores relacionados à maior frequência de sintomas do climatério feminino em um município do norte do Brasil
Authors: Silva Leidiany Souza , Silva Rafael Souza , Souza Anselmo Cordeiro de , Porto Elias Ferreira
Published: February 2023

Objetivo: Analisar fatores relacionados à maior frequência de sintomas em mulheres climatéricas no município de Presidente Kennedy, estado de Tocantins, Brasil.Métodos: Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva, quantitativa e transversal realizada com mulheres climatéricas assistidas pela Estratégia Saúde da Família. Utilizaram-se dois questionários: um sociodemográfico e sobre fatores associados, criado pelos pesquisadores, e o Índice Menopausal de Kupperman, para triagem de sintomas climatéricos.Resultados: Participaram 120 mulheres divididas em sintomáticas e assintomáticas segundo a frequência de sintomas climatéricos. O risco para sintomas climatéricos foi maior para tabagistas (OR 12 e 43 respectivamente), nas que autoreferiram alteração do sono (OR de 2,1), viver em ambiente rotineiramente estressante (OR de 11,4) e sedentárias (OR de 2,66). Essas variáveis, em conjunto, mostraram-se significantes na análise univariada, mas somente as variáveis não ser fisicamente ativo e ser tabagista foi significante no modelo de regressão logística multivariada (p=0,0013; r2=0,12).Conclusão: A maior frequência de sintomas do climatério feminino nesta amostra esteve relacionada as mulheres com hábitos de vida não saudável como, tabagismo, sedentarismo e estresse.
Adolescência e Comportamento Infrator: Correlação com Fatores Sociodemográficos, Envolvimento em Drogas e Habilidades Sociais
Authors: Do Amaral Magerlandia Patrício , Pinto Francisco José Maia , Alves Dayse Lorrane Gonçalves , Da Silva Steffany Rocha , Stelko-Pereira Ana Carina
Published: February 2023

Objetivo: Analisar a associação entre o comportamento infrator na adolescência e fatores sociodemográficos, envolvimento em drogas, reincidência infracional e habilidades sociais.Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de estudo do tipo caso-controle, com abordagem descritiva e analítica, realizado em Quixeramobim, Brasil, em 2019. A amostra foi constituída por 209 adolescentes do sexo masculino, na faixa etária dos 15 aos 17 anos, sendo 53 adolescentes no grupo caso e 156 no controle. Para a coleta de dados, foram utilizados um questionário sociodemográfico e o Inventário de Habilidades Sociais para Adolescentes - Del Prette. Para verificar a existência de associação entre as variáveis, na análise não ajustada, utilizou-se o Qui-quadrado de Pearson ou a Razão de Verossimilhança. Na análise ajustada, usou-se a regressão logística não condicional, a partir do modelo conceitual.Resultados: Verificou-se que o comportamento infrator na adolescência está associado, significativamente, às seguintes variáveis: escolaridade do responsável (OR: 11,232; p<0,001), envolvimento com drogas (OR: 53, 484; p<0,001), alta dificuldade em autocontrole (OR: 23,797; p=0,001) e alta dificuldade em assertividade (OR: 5,581; p=0,046).Conclusões: As variáveis escolaridade dos pais, envolvimento em drogas e habilidades sociais devem ser consideradas na explicação do fenômeno comportamento infrator na adolescência, sendo possíveis alvos de intervenção em programas preventivos.
Aplicabilidade da vinculação entre a MIF e a Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde (CIF) em indivíduos com doenças neurodegenerativas
Authors: Santos Isaac De Andrade , Monteiro Rayane Félix Lôbo , Oliveira Andréa Costa de , Costa Iandra Maria Pinheiro de França
Published: February 2023

Objetivo: Analisar a aplicabilidade da vinculação entre as tarefas da Medida de Independência Funcional MIF e as categorias de atividade e participação da CIF. Materiais e métodos: Estudo clínico transversal realizado no Centro Especializado de Reabilitação III da cidade de Lagarto, Sergipe, Brasil, entre junho de 2019 e fevereiro de 2021. Foram recrutados pacientes diagnosticados doença neurodegenerativa com idade ≥18 anos. Inicialmente, foram aplicados questionários sociodemográficos e clínicos, em seguida, foi realizada mensuração da funcionalidade através da MIF. Posteriormente, de forma cega, dois pesquisadores realizaram vinculações entre a MIF e a CIF, com subsequente vinculação das pontuações da MIF e os qualificadores da CIF. As concordâncias interexaminadores foram avaliadas Teste de Kappa de Cohen, o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson foi aplicado para análise das vinculações das pontuações/qualificadores. Resultados: 30 indivíduos foram incluídos, com idade média de 58,7±18,3 anos. A concordância interexaminador alcançou 84,61% e a confiabilidade foi substancial (Kp=0.6090). Além disto, foram encontradas fortes correlações entre pontuações e qualificadores. Conclusão: Este estudo identificou  adequada aplicabilidade da vinculação entre a MIF e a CIF,  sendo um potencial facilitador para construção de indicadores de saúde e funcionalidade, além de melhor descrever a funcionalidade e a interoperabilidade entre profissionais.
Prevalência de distúrbios musculoesqueléticos em escolares da educação básica: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Ruppel da Rocha Ricelli Endrigo , Bianchi Rafael Antonio
Published: February 2023

Introdução: Os Distúrbios Musculoesqueléticos (DME) se constituem em uma condição inflamatória e degenerativa que podem causar efeitos negativos durante a fase da escolarização, diminuindo a participação nas atividades escolares, dificultando a aprendizagem e aumentando a evasão escolar. Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi sintetizar as evidencias disponíveis na literatura sobre a prevalência de Distúrbios Musculoesquelética em escolares da Educação Básica. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizada uma busca nas bases de dados da Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS) que inclui LILACS, MEDLINE, MEDCARIB, OPAS/OMS, PAHO e WHOLIS; PubMed, EBSCO e SciELO, no período entre 1990 à 2020. Dos 1.320 estudos que foram encontrados, 73 artigos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que no total 131.904 alunos da educação básica com faixas etárias entre 6 a 21 anos foram avaliados nos estudos. As regiões anatômicas com maior frequência de DME foram os ombros, pescoço, lombar, tornozelos e pés. A prevalência média de DME foi de 20,3% (IC95% 14,7% – 25,9%) e a Oceania apresentou a maior prevalência de DME com 25,8% e a África a menor com 19,5%. Conclusão: Em conclusão, os escolares da Educação Básica apresentam alta prevalência de DME na região superior e inferior do corpo.
circ_0013613 Promotes the recovery of spinal cord injury by regulating mir-370-3p/caspase1 to regulate neuronal pyroptosis
Authors: Guo Yong , Ma Li , Zhang Zhuo
Published: February 2023

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common disease of the central nervous system. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an essential role in neuron disorders. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of circ_0013613 in promoting functional recovery of spinal cord injury (SCI). The mRNA and miRNA expressions were calculated by RT-QPCR. The characteristics of circ_0013613 in nerve cells was determined by actinomycin D and RNase R assay. Protein expression was detected using Western blot. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity assay was performed to determine cytotoxicity. ELISA was conducted to detect the release of cytokines. MTT assay and flow cytometry were applied to measure cellular functions. In SCI patients and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced primary spinal cord neurons circ_0013613 was increased. Knockdown of circ_0013613 suppressed LPS-stimulated cytotoxicity, inflammation and inflammation-induced pyroptosis. Additionally, circ_0013613 negatively regulated miR-370-3p, downregulation of which degraded cellular functions of spinal cord neurons. Moreover, miR-370-3p targeted Caspase1 (CASP1), overexpression of which promoted the inflammation and pyroptosis of spinal cord neurons. circ_0013613 can promote the recovery of SCI by regulating miR-370-3p/CASP1 to mediate neuronal pyroptosis.
Knockdown of CD44 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasiveness in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by modulating CXCR4/Wnt/β-Catenin Axis
Authors: Song Xiaojing , Ding Fanghui , Luo Wei , Tao Juan , Yang Kaili , Li Qiaoping , Zhang Zhitao
Published: February 2023

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high mortality and incidence worldwide. The molecular mechanism associated with HCC is largely unexplored. Objective: To investigate the impact of CD44 knock-down on the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness in HCC cells. Methods: Colony formation and MTT assay were used to observe cellular proliferation and viability. In addition, cellular invasion and migration were studied by Transwell and wound healing assays respectively. Finally, western blotting was utilized to check the protein expression levels. Results: The cellular proliferation, invasion and metastasis in Huh7 cells were inhibited after the silencing of CD44. Furthermore, expression levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, CXCR4, GSK-3β and β-catenin was significantly decreased. However, opposite results were demonstrated when CD44 was overexpressed. Conclusions: Interference with the expression of CD44 significantly inhibits the invasion and metastasis in the HCC cell line, Huh7. Furthermore, CD44 was found to regulate the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, CXCL12, CXCR4 and Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway.
Upregulation of SOCS2 causes mitochondrial dysfunction and promotes ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: He Mingjie , Cai Yi , Yuan Zhiping , Zhang Lixia , Lu Huamei
Published: February 2023

SOCS2 exerts oncogenic effects in a variety of tumors, but its role in pancreatic cancer has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of SOCS2 in pancreatic cancer. The expression level of SOCS2 and the content of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cells were detected by real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and SOCS2 was overexpressed in PANC-1 and Capan-2 cells by transfection with pcDNA3.2-SOCS2. CCK-8, cell colony formation assay, and flow cytometry were used respectively to detect the cell proliferation rate, cell colony formation ability, and the level of ROS in the cells. The ATP level, glucose consumption level, and Fe2 + level in the cells were assessed by biochemical assays. And Western blot determined the protein expression levels of SOCS2 as well as ferroptosis-related proteins, namely, SLC7A11, DMT1, TFRC, and FTH. We found that SOCS2 was significantly down-regulated in pancreatic cancer cells. Overexpression of SOCS2 significantly decreased the viability of PANC-1 and Capan-2 cells, reduced the content of mtDNA and the level of ATP, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction with an accumulation of ROS. Aside from these effects, up-regulation of SOCS2 raised the levels of Fe2 +, DMT1 and TFRC, and decreased the level of SLC7A11 and FTH in PANC-1 and Capan-2 cells, thereby inducing the occurrence of ferroptosis. In conclusion, up-regulated SOCS2 may enhance mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells, which can be used as a molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic carcinoma.
PHAGES OF BACTERIА OF THE GENUS BACILLUS ISOLATED FROM THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Smalchuk D. S. , Ivanytsia T. V. , Strashnova I. V.
Published: February 2023

SummaryDespite the fact that bacteria of the genus Bacillus isolated from the soil have been studied for centuries, there are still topics that are not sufficiently covered or need further research. Most often, members of the genus Bacillus are isolated from soil or food. In recent years, these bacteria have begun to isolate from various aquatic biocenoses of ecosystems of oceans, seas, estuaries, lakes, rivers. Studies of such isolates indicate that bacteria of almost all species of the genus Bacillus are infected with bacteriophages of the order Caudovirales, which have caudal processes, integrase and excision systems necessary for the lysogenic development cycle. Although most of the bacteriophages found belong to the order Caudovirales, they have a wide range of differences, such as the relationship to temperature and pH, the impact on metabolism and sporulation of the host. The review presents data from the modern literature on bacteriophages that infect bacteria of the genus Bacillus isolated from aquatic biocenoses, features of their structure, chemical composition, genome structure and interaction with the host cell.
Skill and Deskilling in Two Automotive Assembly Plants in South Africa
Authors: Ngcwangu Siphelo
Published: February 2023

This article presents research on skills development and workplace change complexities within two automotive assembly plants in Pretoria, South Africa. Auto assembly companies are also termed Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Since 1995, South African OEMs have become fully integrated into the global networks of their foreign parent companies. As South Africa’s leading manufacturing sector, the automotive industry’s increasing importance is reflected in its exports, investments, and contribution to the country’s gross domestic product. The two companies are global multinationals situated in one of South Africa’s most globally integrated sectors that have undergone significant mechanization and automation since the 1990s. Therefore, these companies present a relevant site for studying changes in the labor process and the tendencies of deskilling in these workplace environments.

The research is based on a qualitative research design that used semi-structured interviews with workers, supervisors, and managers across two plants that assemble motor vehicles in South Africa. The objective of the research was to understand the nature of changes to workplace production methods that influence the character of skills amongst the workforce. This paper studies workers’ experiences on how changes in work processes have impacted their work skills and contributed to the processes of deskilling. Present studies of skills in South Africa have prioritized large-scale labor market aggregate data analysis or reforms in education and training policies of the state. This paper brings a perspective on the labor process changes that are informed by concrete analysis of the production process and how technological changes shape the character of skills formation within automotive assembly plants. The value of such an approach is that it brings to the discussion of technology and workplace change a more specific set of experiences that transcends the often speculative and mythical discussion about the impact of technology on work. This article highlights the importance of understanding workers’ voices, shift supervisors, and managers on the contested nature of skills development within capitalist enterprises. The findings illustrate the contradictory nature of technological change and skills development. This is shown by discussing the following themes that emerged from the findings: 1) worker responses to the introduction of robots in the workplace environment, 2) the deskilling challenge on the two plants, and 3) grappling with the turnover times of capitalist production. I conclude the paper by revisiting the key findings of the research and showing the implications for future studies of deskilling in contemporary capitalist enterprises. The significance of these findings ultimately points to the importance of locating labor processes and deskilling in the context of the political economy of the capitalist mode of production and how it is reshaping the content of work in modern automotive assembly plants.
Diversity for Fatty Acid and Organic Acid Contents in Mutant Grass Pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) Genotypes
Authors: Arslan Mehmet , Gökkaya Tuğba Hasibe , Çetin Emine Doğan , Erkaymaz Taner , Yol Engin
Published: February 2023

Background: Considering global warming and climate changes, grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is becoming advantageous and popular with its characteristics such as resistance to biotic stresses. The objective of the present study was to determine the variations in fatty acid and organic acid content in induced grass pea populations. Methods: Forty-one grass pea genotypes that include forty mutant genotypes and one released variety (Gürbüz 2001) were investigated in term of fatty acids using the GC-MS device and organic acids using UPLC-MS/MS device. Result: Heptadecanoic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid were determined as major fatty acid constituent in forty mutant genotypes. In saturated fatty acids, the highest values were determined as 403.24, 401.39 and 398.87 mg 100 g-1 (in GPM5, GPM20, GPM34), respectively. Compared the control cultivar, the maximum values of GPM21 (18.77%), GPM5 (18.68%) and GPM33 (18.12%) were higher in PUFA. And in the similar, the values of GPM19 (11.52%), GPM28 (10.54%) and GPM4 (5.62%) were lower obtained in PUFA. As the maximum values of succinic, lactic, oxalic, citric and tartaric acid were obtained in GPM9, GPM37 and GPM11, the lowest values were found in GPM4, GPM13 and GPM18, respectively. The values of fatty acids and organic acids, important criteria for animal feeding and human nutrition, will guide further breeding studies for the development of these 40 mutant genotypes.
Academic self-efficacy as a mediating variable between mental mindfulness and psychological and cognitive engagement of university students
Authors: Badawy Reda Rabie Abdel Halim
Published: February 2023

University students play a significant role in shaping the future of nations and an effective university environment that can achieve psychological and cognitive engagement is very important. This research aims at identifying the mediating role of mental mindfulness between academic self-efficacy and engagement (psychological and cognitive) of university students. The self-efficacy scale, the mental mindfulness scale, and the university students' psychological and cognitive engagement scale were applied to a sample of (340) university students. Results demonstrated that academic self-efficacy mediates the relationship between mental mindfulness and psychological and cognitive engagement of university students. These results can be utilized in developing university students' mental mindfulness and providing those in charge of educational planning and policies with practical results that are beneficial in enhancing university students' self-efficacy, mental mindfulness, and engagement.
Keywords:  Self-efficacy, mental mindfulness, engagement, mediating variable
Creativity in cost and management accounting education: A literature review
Authors: Yilmaz Cengiz
Published: February 2023

Humankind's creativity contributed to and improved music, arts, and scientific developments. Humankind's knowledge, experience, and life quality can be increased with creativity. Creativity increases the opportunities in accounting besides the other occupations in every aspect. Creativity is (and should be) at the center of the educational system for sustainable development. Human beings have traded and produced since ancient times. Trade transactions must be collected, classified, recorded, controlled, and summarized i.e. accounting. Therefore, accounting has become a necessity rather than a fancy choice. Today, even small companies make hundreds and thousands of daily transactions, which requires employing many accountants and consumption for accounting. Accounting activities require processing millions of transactions which require better accounting capabilities and creativity. The success of economic life, financial market, governmental organization, and companies relies on accounting information's correctness, reliability, and relevance. Processing, analyzing, preparing, and using information for decisions related to the future can be called cost and management accounting. Nevertheless, processing costs and management accounting information are complex, and the certainty and predictability are less. The necessity of creativity in accounting education, accounting process, making decisions, and control became prominent. Accounting students and graduates work in a highly complex environment where they have to benefit from science, technology, improvement, and creativity. Accounting processes are required: the ability to collect correct and relevant information (documents), classify these documents, record them, analyze them, make decisions and send feedback, which requires an additional high degree of creativity. Future accountants, business people, and teachers must be more creative and use more creative teaching methods. Today and in the future, accountants and accounting teachers have to be able to improve and adapt more creative teaching methods. So accounting teachers must focus on improving innovative (be creative) teaching methods: examining the teaching methods, philosophes content, and the whole teaching process. Reviewing the literature might lead several accounting bodies to develop and improve more creative accounting teaching methods.
Keywords: Creativity, Teaching, Accounting Education, Teaching Methods, Incentives of Accounting Education
Inter-linkages between the stock exchanges of emerging economies: Evidence from BRICS
Authors: Krishnegowda Ashwini Tubinakere , Durai Tamizharasi , Sathyanarana Suma
Published: February 2023

The economic liberalization took place in the year 1991, opened up wide range of opportunities to the industries, service providers as well as to the investors. Investors overcome the geographical boundaries to diversify their portfolio to foreign markets. So, it is highly important to understand the inter-linkages among the nations. The present study chosen the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) consortium’s stock market indices to analyze the connectedness among them, by taking the daily closing price levels, from 1st of Feb 2015 to 31st of March 2021, applied descriptive statistics, Unit root test, Granger Causality Test and Johansen Co-integration tests are performed. The results unveil that, the data sample is stationary; there exists the inter-linkages among the BRICS nations stock markets. India’s stock market has major impacts on Brazil, China, South Africa as well as Russia, where as India will not receive major impacts from China, Russia and South Africa. Study concludes that diversifying the portfolio to foreign countries stock markets benefit the investors with increased returns and reduced risk. The study results helps the investors to diversify their portfolios into foreign stock exchanges to get stabilized returns understanding the relationship among emerging countries stock exchanges.
Religious Responses to Covid-19 in England: An Analysis of the Key Socio-Legal Themes
Authors: Al-Astewani Amin
Published: February 2023

Religious responses to Covid-19 raised several far-reaching questions with a number of socio-legal implications. How does the historical tension between science, politics and religion manifest itself in global pandemics? What ethical and human rights issues are at play as a health crisis unfolds, and what is the role of the media in mitigating such issues? Finally, how significant is the pastoral role which is thrust upon religious leaders in times of crisis, and how should this role be understood in the materialistic and secular modern era? This article addresses such questions within the specific context of England. It builds upon previous research by the author on the responses of the British Muslim community to the Covid-19 pandemic, by expanding the analysis to explore the broader socio-legal themes that emerged within religious responses to Covid-19 in England.
Applications of Data Mining Techniques in Healthcare and Prediction of Heart Attacks
Authors:   Asst. Professor,Department of Computer Science, Syed Hameedha Arts & Science College, Kilakarai. Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India, K Kasikumar , Najumuddeen M. Mohamed ,   Department of Computer Applications, Syed Hameedha Arts & Science College, Kilakarai. Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India, R Suresh ,   Asst. Professor,Department of Computer Science, Syed Hameedha Arts & Science College, Kilakarai. Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, India
Published: February 2023

Data mining is the computer based process of analyzing huge sets of data and then extracting the meaning of the data. Data mining tools predict future trends, allowing business to make positive, knowledge-driven decisions. The huge amounts of data generated by traditional methods for prediction of heart disease are too complex and voluminous to be processed and analyzed. Data mining provides the technologies to transform these huge sets of data into useful information for decision making. Data mining techniques takes less time for the prediction of the disease with more accuracy. In this paper we survey different papers in which one or more algorithms of data mining used for the prediction of heart disease. The prediction by using data mining algorithm gives efficient results. Applying data mining techniques to heart disease treatment data can provide as reliable performance as that achieved in prediction and diagnosing of heart disease.
An Art of Web Services using Web Mining and Semantic Web Techniques
Authors:   Assistant professor, Department of Computer Science, Marudhar Kesari Jain College for Women, Vaniyambadi, Vellore(dist), Tamilnadu, India, R Suganya
Published: February 2023

Todays web browsers serve as an easy access to numerous sources of text and multimedia data. More than a billion pages are indexed by search engines, and finding the desired information is not an easiest task. Over the last decade, there is an explosive growth in the information available on the World Wide Web (WWW). The objective of this paper is to provide an outline of web mining, its various classifications, its subtasks, and to give a perspective to the research community about the potential of applying techniques to extract meaningful patterns. This paper also gives information in the area of web services, semantic web mining and comparison of traditional web applications and semantic web applications thereby providing the guidelines for future research in the area of web services using web mining and semantic web.
A Survey on the Online Shopping Customer Review Data using Association Rule Mining
Authors:   Department of Computer Application (BCA), Margregorios College, University of Madras, Chennai, Assistant Professor B.Hemalatha
Published: February 2023

Revealing complex associations between entities is of vast significance for business optimization, prediction and decision making. Such associations include not only co-occurrence-based explicit relations but also non co-occurrence-based implicit ones. Associative rule mining (ARM) is used to study these implicit and explicit relationships. Online shopping customer review (OSCR) data has become a major information resource for consumers and has extremely important implications for a wide range of management activities. Consumer reviews examine the bond between service quality and customer purchase behaviour in online shopping context. Apriori is a key algorithm for mining frequent item sets for Boolean association rules. To develop the efficiency of the level-wise generation of frequent itemsets in online customer shopping customer review data, Apriori property is used to reduce the search space .The detection of interesting patterns in this collection of data can guide to important marketing and management strategic decisions. In this survey paper, some of the research work carried out on customer online shopping data is discussed. Also, the use of Apriori algorithm for the same type of data set is analyzed.
Quantum Measurements and Their Place in Nature
Authors: Broka Chris
Published: February 2023

A variant of the von Neumann-Wigner Interpretation is proposed. Problems arising from the quantum Zeno effect are addressed as we have described previously. We do, however, offer some new, and perhaps unexpected observations. We are accustomed to thinking of wave function collapse as occurring consequent to laboratory measurements. We speculate that, whatever physical correlate of consciousness exists within the brain, it is quantum mechanical in the sense that a brain, left to itself, would eventually decohere into a state no longer compatible with its conscious functioning. Wave function collapse returns it to a state compatible with consciousness. Indeed, this may be its important reason for occurring. A universe without it simply could not play host to conscious brains. The fact that it also prevents us from encountering "absurd" situations in the laboratory is merely a fortunate dividend. Whenever a quantum measurement is made the universe's future history splits into a number of possibilities. This number may be very large or infinite. And we believe consciousness plays a vital role in this happening. A "conscious" universe where quantum measurements are being made allows for an enormous number of equally acceptable world-histories. An "unconscious" one, always evolving in a unitary fashion, allows for only one. If we assume that the decision as to which worldhistory is the real one (i.e. this one) is made at random we see that the universe is overwhelmingly more likely to be "conscious" than not.
Cellular FXIII in Human Macrophage Derived Foam Cells
Authors: Somodi Laura , Horváth Emőke , Bárdos Helga , Baráth Barbara , Pethő Dávid , Katona Éva , Balla József , Mutch Nicola J , Muszbek László
Published: February 2023

The potentially active A subunit of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII-A) is an intracellular transglutaminase expressed in various cell types including platelets and monocytes/macrophages. It is involved in stabilizing protein structures by cross-linking through Nε-(?-L-glutamyl)-L-lysyl iso-peptide bonds. Macrophages are major cellular constituents of the atherosclerotic plaque and are important in determining its structural/functional features. Two of their important functions are the accumulation of oxidized LDL in the lipid core, and by cross-linking structural proteins they may stabilize the plaque and protect the thrombi of atherogenic origin against fibrinolytic degradation. It is important to know whether these functions operate in parallel utilizing the same cellular compartments. First, we showed that monocyte-derived human macrophages significantly increase their FXIII-A content when up-taking oxidized LDL. This phenomenon is very likely independent of the process of transformation into foam cells, as the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells into foam cells fails to result in the expression of FXIII-A. FXIII containing macrophage-like cells are abundant in the plaque and FXIII-A is also present in the extracellular core. Several cells co-stained for FXIII-A and for Oil Red O suggest that expression of FXIII-A and lipid up-take are common features of macrophages present in the atherosclerotic plaque.
Long-term SMN- and Ncald-ASO Combinatorial Therapy in SMA Mice and NCALD-ASO Treatment in hiPSC-Derived Motor Neurons Show Protective Effects
Authors: Muiños-Bühl Anixa , Ling Karen K , Rombo Roman , Zilio Eleonora , Rigo Frank , Frank Bennett C. , Wirth Brunhilde
Published: February 2023

Here we investigated the longer-term effect of Ncald-ASOs by additional i.c.v. bolus injection at PND28. Two weeks after injection of 500 µg Ncald-ASO in wild-type mice, NCALD was significantly reduced in brain and spinal cord and well tolerated. Next, we performed a double-blinded preclinical study combining low-dose SMN-ASO (PND1) with 2x i.c.v. Ncald-ASO or CTRL-ASO (100 µg at PND2, 500 µg at PND28). Ncald-ASO re-injection significantly ameliorated electrophysiological defects and NMJ denervation at 2 months. Moreover, we developed and identified a nontoxic and highly efficient human NCALD-ASO that significantly reduced NCALD in hiPSCs-derived MNs. This improved both neuronal activity and growth cone maturation of SMA MNs, emphasizing the additional protective effect of NCALD-ASO treatment.
Particle-level Simulation of Magnetorheological Fluids: A Fully-Resolved Solver
Authors: Fernandes Célio , Faroughi Salah
Published: February 2023

Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) are smart materials consisting of micro-scale magnetizable particles suspended in a carrier fluid. The rheological properties of a MRF can be changed from a fluid-state to a solid-state upon the application of an external magnetic field. This study reports the development of a particle-level simulation code for magnetic solid spheres moving through an incompressible Newtonian carrier fluid. The numerical algorithm is implemented within an open-source finite-volume solver coupled with an immersed boundary method (FVM-IBM) to perform fully-resolved simulations. The particulate phase of the MRF is modeled using the discrete element method (DEM). The resultant force acting on the particles due to the external magnetic field (i.e., magnetostatic polarization force) is computed based on the Clausius-Mossotti relationship. The fixed and mutual dipole magnetic models are then used to account for the magnetic (MAG) interactions between particles. Several benchmark flows were simulated using the newly-developed FVM-IBM-DEM-MAG algorithm to assess the accuracy and robustness of the calculations. First, the sedimentation of two spheres in a rectangular duct containing a Newtonian fluid is computed without the presence of an external magnetic field, mimicking the so-called drafting-kissing-tumbling (DKT) phenomenon. The numerical results obtained for the DKT case study are verified against published data from the scientific literature. Second, we activate both the magnetostatic polarization and the dipole-dipole forces and resultant torques between the spheres for the DKT case study. Next, we study the robustness of the FVM-IBM-DEM-MAG solver by computing multi-particle chaining (i.e., particle assembly) in a two-dimensional (2D) domain for area volume fractions of 20% (260 particles) and 30% (390 particles) under vertical and horizontal magnetic fields. Finally, the fourth computational experiment describes the multi-particle chaining in a three-dimensional (3D) domain allowing to study fully-resolved MRF simulations of 580 magnetic particles under vertical and horizontal magnetic fields.
Assessment of Determinants of Paediatric Diarrhoea Case Management Adherence in Pakistan
Authors: KHALIQ ASIF , Holmes-Stahlman River , Ali Danish , Karatela Shamshad , Lassi Zohra
Published: February 2023

Worldwide, diarrhoea in children under-five years of age is the second leading cause of death. Despite having high morbidity and mortality, diarrhoeal diseases can be averted by simple and cost-effective interventions. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) has proposed the use of Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) and zinc together with adequate food and fluid intake for the management of acute non-dysenteric watery diarrhoea in children. In the past, few studies examined the determinants of adherence to diarrhoea case management. Therefore, this study measured the determinants of therapeutic and dietary adherence to diarrhoea case management using the third and fourth wave of Pakistan Demographics & Health Surveys (PDHS) datasets. Data from 4,068 children between 0 to 59.9 months with positive history of diarrhoea were included, while data on children with dysentery, severe dehydration, and co-morbid condition was excluded. This study reported therapeutic adherence in less than 10% of children in Pakistan, while dietary adherence was reported in 39.2% of children (37.7% in 2012-2013 ~ 40.7% in 2017-2018). A significant improvement in therapeutic (0.8% in 2012-2013 ~ 8.1% in 2017-2018) and dietary adherence (37.7% in 2012-2013 ~ 40.7% in 2017-2018) was reported in the 2017-2018 survey, compared to the 2012-2013 survey. In general, children over the age of one year (compared to children <1 year) and of the richer/richest socioeconomic class (compared to poorest/poorer socioeconomic class) have showed higher therapeutic and dietary adherence. Therapeutic and dietary adherence among diarrhoeal children can be improved by increasing the awareness and accessibility of ORS, zinc, and essential foods.
Bilateral Sprengel Deformity With Bilateral Omovertebral Bone: An Unusual Case in an Adult Patient
Authors: Páscoa Pinheiro Joana , Fernandes Pedro , Sarmento Marco
Published: February 2023

Case:

We describe an adult patient with bilateral Sprengel deformity (BSD) with bilateral omovertebral bone and thoracic spinal failure of segmentation (T2-T4) successfully surgically treated only at 19-year-old. After resection of the bilateral omovertebral bone and simultaneous relocation of the scapula, disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand score improved from 26.7 preoperatively to 2.5 at the 3-year follow-up.

Conclusion:

The surgical treatment of Sprengel deformity is typically recommended between 3 and 7 years of age when significant shoulder impairment and/or severe cosmetic concerns are present. The authors were able to achieve a successful surgical outcome in a patient with BSD despite an unusual late presentation.
Treatment of Advanced Kienböck's Disease Using 3D Printing Assisted Autologous Costochondral Transplantation
Authors: Zhu Zhenzhong , Tang Qian , Xu Jia , Gao Yun , Chen Yixuan , Yang Kai , Du Dajiang , Sheng Jiagen , Zhang Changqing
Published: February 2023

Case:

We describe a patient with advanced Kienböck's disease, treated with 3-dimensional (3D) printing assisted costochondral transplantation. Cartilage shaping was achieved according to a biomimetic 3D-printed prosthesis designed by mirror symmetry of the healthy wrist. The inserted cartilage spacer was fixed using the autologous palmar longus tendon. After 14 months of follow-up, the patient had significant pain relief and had recovered nearly the full range of wrist motion. No significant absorption or osseous metaplasia of the cartilage was seen on the radiographic and magnetic resonance images.

Conclusion:

This costochondral transplantation strategy may offer a feasible treatment option for patients with severe Kienböck's disease.
Osteonecrosis
Authors: Lawhorne Maria , Kortyna Ricky
Published: February 2023

Osteonecrosis has become the standardized term for a condition of many and varied etiologies. In this brief review, we note the evolution of the standardization of the condition and we also delve into the intraosseous versus extraosseous etiologies. Additionally, we list some of the more common medications known to cause osteonecrosis.
Distal Tibial Physeal Fracture in an 11-Year-Old Girl
Authors: Bishop Courtney , Hackman Allegra
Published: February 2023

Fractures of the distal tibia that involve the physis are common in the pediatric and adolescent populations. The distal tibial physis has a predictable pattern of closure in adolescents, and this can lead to distinct fracture patterns depending on the mechanism of injury and the patient's skeletal maturity. Orthopaedic providers must be aware of these fracture pattern variations to facilitate appropriate treatment and education to patients and their families.
Demographic Factors and Medical School Experiences Associated with Students' Intention to Pursue Orthopaedic Surgery and Practice in Underserved Areas
Authors: Cerasani Michele , Omoruan Moje , Rieber Carolyn , Nguyen Mytien , Mason Hyacinth R.C. , Clair Brian , Stain Steven C. , Mason Amadeus R. , Levin L Scott
Published: February 2023

Introduction:

Physician shortages across the United States will affect access to orthopaedic care for patients. Orthopaedic surgery is predicted to have one of the largest shortages among surgical subspecialties by 2025, which will disproportionally affect patients in medically underserved areas. This study examines characteristics and experiences of graduating medical students interested in orthopaedic surgery who intend to practice in underserved areas (IPUAs).

Methods:

We analyzed deidentified data of AAMC Graduation Questionnaire respondents who matriculated between 2007 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012. Forty-eight thousand ninety-six (83.91%) had complete demographic, financial, and medical school elective data and were included in the study cohort. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the correlation between student characteristics and intention to pursue orthopaedic surgery and IPUAs.

Results:

Of the 48,096 students with complete information, 2,517 (5.2%) intended to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery. Among the orthopaedic students, men were less likely than women to report IPUAs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8). Students who identified as Black/African American (aOR, 5.0; 95% CI, 3.0-8.2) or Hispanic (aOR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5) were more likely than White students to report IPUAs. Medical students who intend to pursue orthopaedics and received a scholarship (aOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0), participated in community research (aOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4-2.3), or had a global health experience (aOR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.5-2.5) were more likely to report IPUAs.

Discussion:

If orthopaedic surgeons who reported as medical students who reported IPUAs actually do so, recruiting and retaining more sex and race/ethnically diverse orthopaedic surgeons could reduce the impact of the impending shortage of orthopaedic surgeons in underserved areas. IPUA is correlated to medical school experiences related to cultural competency including global health experiences and community-based research projects.
AAMC Guidance on Interviewing for the 2022-2023 Residency Application Cycle
Authors: Mun Frederick , Badin Daniel , Snow Morgan , Harris Andrew B. , LaPorte Dawn M. , Aiyer Amiethab A.
Published: February 2023

Background:

In May 2022, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published guidelines regarding interviews for the 2022-2023 residency application cycle. These guidelines recommended virtual interviews and discouraged “hybrid” interviewing. We conducted a survey of orthopaedic program directors (PDs) to understand their perspectives on these new guidelines and their plans for the upcoming cycle.

Methods:

A 19-question multicenter, cross-sectional research survey was emailed to 98 PDs (38.8% response rate) through Qualtrics XM. Contact information was obtained from a public national database.

Results:

Most orthopaedic residency programs (60.5%) were planning on conducting in-person interviews before any AAMC and hospital guidelines, and most (65.8%) will likely be conducting virtual interviews post-guidelines. PDs voiced mixed opinions about virtual interviews (39.4% in favor vs. 47.4% against). PDs were also split on whether forgoing the AAMC guidance would be irresponsible for residency programs (47.4% believe it would be irresponsible vs. 44.8% believe it would not); however, a plurality are in favor of the AAMC's guidance (42.1%). Furthermore, PDs agreed that virtual interviews have disadvantages including favoring top-tier applicants, students from home institutions, and in-person rotators, making ranking applicants and learning about a program's culture more difficult. Most PDs (84.2%) felt that hybrid interviews would disadvantage applicants who would choose the virtual option.

Conclusion:

AAMC guidance seems to be influencing how most orthopaedic surgery programs will conduct residency interviews for the 2022-2023 cycle. Most PDs agreed with the AAMC guidelines but voiced concerns regarding several disadvantages for all 3 proposed interview options (virtual, in-person, and hybrid). Our results indicate that the recent AAMC guidelines may have contributed to a shift in opinions among PDs but are not sufficient to create a consensus on the best practices for residency interviews. Our findings should encourage solutions focused on the deeper systemic issues within the orthopaedic application process in the post-coronavirus 2019 pandemic era.
Analyses of Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Interviews
Authors: Adams Alexander J. , Sherman Matthew , Purtill James J.
Published: February 2023

Background:

Interviews are a critical component of orthopaedic surgery residency selection for both the applicant and the program. Some institutions no longer report Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) designation or class rank, and US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 recently switched to pass/fail scoring. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education programs conducted virtual interviews and subinternship rotations were restricted. These changes offer significant challenges to the residency match process. The purpose of this study was to examine the residency applicant interview and ranking process at a large urban academic university setting. We hypothesized that large variability exists among evaluations submitted by faculty interviewers and also that applicant academic factors (i.e., USMLE Step 1 score) would show association with final ranking.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 residency interview cycles, both conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Residency application (i.e., applicant demographic and academic backgrounds) and interview data (i.e., faculty interviewer scores) were recorded. Interobserver reliability among faculty interviewers was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed to determine factors associated with ranking of applicants.

Results:

There were 195 included applicants from the 2020 and 2021 interview cycles. There was no true agreement of interviewers' scoring of shared applicants (kappa intraclass coefficient range 0-0.2). Applicant factors associated with being ranked include applying to the match for the first time, USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores, educational break (vs. consecutive completion of college and medical school in 4 years each), higher class rank, and greater interviewer scores. Factors associated with better rank included additional degrees (i.e., PhD or MBA), couples match, AOA designation, educational break, underrepresented minority status, and notable attributes (i.e., collegiate athletics or Eagle Scout participation). Factors associated with worse rank included male sex, international medical graduate, prior match history, science major, extended research (i.e., >1 year spent in a research role), and home medical school students.

Conclusions:

There was significant variability and no reliability at our institution among faculty interviewers' applicant ratings. Being ranked was based more on academic record and interview performance while final rank number seemed based on applicant qualities. The removal of merit-based objective applicant measurements offers challenges to optimal residency applicant and program match.

Level of Evidence:

III (retrospective cohort study)