bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of the New Bioimpedance Monitoring Device (Seca®) and Human Atrial Natriuretic Peptide in Assessing Volume Status in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Watanabe Kimio , Ito Yugo , Fujimaru Takuya , Nagahama Masahiko , Taki Fumika , Nakayama Masaaki
Published: March 2021

Background There is no evidence on how to use the information from bioimpedance analysis (BIA) devices in clinical management, including setting of target dry weight (DW), or improving outcomes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods Here, we investigate preferable cut off values of fluid status (extracellular water/total body water ratio; ECW/TBW) detected by a new and more accurate BIA device (Seca®) in 78 HD patients. Results Patients with an ECW/TBW of more than 45% and human atrial natriuretic peptide (HANP) value of > 50 pg/mL had a higher blood pressure and cardio-thoracic ratio on chest x-ray examination.Conclusions Our results suggests that ECW/TBW of more than 45% and HANP value of > 50 pg/mL were overhydrated and had a worse prognosis.
Molecular Mimicry and Assemblies of Asymmetric Organic Semiconductors
Authors: Yu Craig , Kumagai Shohei , Tsutsumi Michitsuna , Kurosawa Tadanori , Ishii Hiroyuki , Watanabe Go , Hashizume Daisuke , Sugiura Hiroki , Tani Yukio , Ise Toshihiro , Watanabe Tetsuya , Sato Hiroyasu , Takeya Jun , Okamoto Toshihiro
Published: March 2021

Molecular assembly is a crucial factor for charge transports in organic semiconductors (OSCs), and molecularly flexible alkyl chain substitution is a key design feature for achieving desired molecular assemblies. However, the high degree of freedom of alkyl chains leads to molecular fluctuations that are detrimental to OSC performances. Stabilization of alkyl chains via intermolecular interactions in packing structures exists in biological and materials systems, and such a strategy can be harnessed in OSCs to suppress molecular fluctuations. Here, we present a robust synthetic strategy for a series of asymmetric n-type benzo[de]isoquinolino[1,8-gh]quinolinetetracarboxylic diimide (BQQDI) OSCs with various alkyl chain lengths, and certain alkyl chains exhibit an unusual molecular mimicry with energetically favorable gauche conformer that shows isomorphic structures and small molecular fluctuations. Asymmetric n-type OSC with the optimum chain length exhibits satisfactory solubility, excellent electron mobility, and large-area single-crystalline thin films are fabricated for practical organic electronics.
NKILA Regulates HSP90α, NF-κB subunits and β-Catenin Expressions in the MCF-7 Cells
Authors: Tibatan Mehmet Ali , Uçar Evren Önay
Published: March 2021

Background: Non-coding RNAs are increasingly investigated and have great potential for diagnose, prognosis and treatment of cancer. Thus, we investigated the possible relation between NF-κB suppressor-NKILA and HSP90, NF-κB and β-catenin molecules in the MCF-7. HSP90 is a compelling stress protein and together with β-catenin and NF-κB molecules it can be responsible for the cancer cell development. However, NKILA is a novel molecule and there is not comprehensive data about it unlike HSP90, β-catenin and NF-κB alone. Therefore, we suggest that there might be a correlation between NKILA and these proteins. Methods and Results: To investigate the NKILA role on these proteins we inhibited the NKILA by using transfection. MCF-7 cells transfected with NKILA-siRNA and incubated for 5 hours. Then, cells were collected and proteins were extracted to be separated in SDS-PAGE. Aforementioned proteins of siRNA transfected group were evaluated by comparing their band intensities with the control group protein bands by immunoblotting. According to this, HSP90 and NF-κB/p105, NF-κB/p65 and NF-κB/p50 subunits significantly increased while β-catenin significantly decreased after NKILA inhibition.Conclusion:, For the first time we demonstrate that HSP90 and beta-catenin is associated with NKILA levels and this may highly related with canonical NF-κB pathway in MCF-7 cells. These novel findings may have important implications in cancer cells development and might present important hints for the future studies about the cancer cell targeted therapy.
The Role of Ambient parameters on Transmission Rates of the COVID-19 Outbreak: A machine learning model
Authors: Jamshidnezhad Amir , Hosseini Seyed Ahmad , Marashic Seyed Mahdi Hossaeini , Ghavamabadi Leila Ibrahimi , Mousavi Hediye , Zilae Marzieh , Dehaghi Behzad Fouladi
Published: March 2021

The relation between ambient air temperature and prevalence of viral infection has been under investigation in recent years. The study was aimed at providing the statistical and machine learning-based analysis to investigate the influence of climatic factors on frequency of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Iran. The data of confirmed cases of COVID-19 and some climatic factors related to 31 provinces of Iran during 04/03/2020 to 05/05/2020 was gathered from the official resources. In order to investigate the important climatic factors on the frequency of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all studied cities, a model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) was developed. The proposed ANN model showed accuracy rates of 87.25% and 86.4% in the training and testing stage, respectively, for classification of COVID-19 confirmed cases. The results showed that in the city of Ahvaz, despite the increase in temperature, the coefficient of determination R2 has been increasing. This study clearly showed that, with increasing outdoor temperature, the use of air conditioning systems to set a comfort zone temperature is unavoidable; thus, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 increases. Also, this study shows the role of closed-air cycle condition in the indoor environment of tropical cities.
Pongamia Pinnata (PP) shell powder filled sisal/kevlar hybrid composites: Physico-Mechanical and Morphological Characteristics
Authors: Praveenkumara J , N Vidya Sagar H , Madhu P , Gowda Yashas , Rangappa Sanjay Mavinkere , Khan Mohammad Rizwan , Khan Imran , Siengchin Suchart
Published: March 2021

The composite industry is attracted by natural fiber reinforced polymer materials for various valuable engineering applications due to its eco-friendly nature, less cost, enhanced mechanical properties and thermal properties. This present work aimed at incorporating sisal and kevlar woven fabrics with the epoxy matrix and to study the effect of pongamia pinnata shell powder on this sisal/ kevlar hybrid composites. The six different laminates were prepared using hand lay-up method with filler percentage varying 2 %, 4 % and 6 %. The prepared laminates cut according to ASTM standards for performing different mechanical tests. Results reveal that reduction of void percentage was observed at higher filler contents, while the incorporation of kevlar fiber enhances the impact, tensile strength and tensile modulus values. The flexural strength and inter laminar shear strength were higher for 2 % filler composites, while the highest flexural modulus, hardness values were observed for 6 % filler filled composites. The water absorption percentage was maximum for sisal laminate (L-1) and minimum for kevlar laminate L-2. The fractured tensile and flexural specimens were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Physical activity, post-traumatic stress disorder, and exposure to torture among asylum seekers in Sweden: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Nilsson Henrik , Gustavsson Catharina , Gottvall Maria , Saboonchi Fredrik
Published: March 2021

Background: Forced migrant populations have high rates of trauma-related ill health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Physical activity (PA) is well-established as an effective stress reliever, while insufficient PA is associated with adverse effects on both mental and physical health. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of different levels of PA and its association with PTSD symptom severity, controlled for exposure to torture, among asylum seekers in Sweden. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study, with data from 455 asylum seekers, originating from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia, and Syria, residing at large housing facilities across Sweden. Level of PA was assessed by the Exercise Vital Sign and categorized as; Inactive, Insufficient PA, and Sufficient PA. Prevalence estimates for proportions of different levels of PA were calculated. Analysis of variance were conducted to determine the association between levels of PA and PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the contribution of PA on PTSD beyond sex, age, and exposure to torture. Results: About half of the participants (53.3%, 95% CI: 48.6-58.1) met the recommendations for Sufficient PA. One third of the participants (33.3%, 95% CI: 28.7-37.8) were insufficiently engaged in PA, and 13.4% (95% CI: 10.1-16.7) were inactive. There was a significant difference in PTSD symptom severity between groups of asylum seekers with different levels of PA (F(2, 316) = 23.15, p < .001). When controlling for sex, age, and exposure to torture, Sufficient PA was found to be associated with less PTSD symptom severity compared to both Insufficient PA (B = 0.297, SE = 0.086, p < .001) and Inactive (B = 0.789, SE = 0.104, p < .001).Conclusions: Insufficient PA was common among the asylum seekers and our findings suggest that more PA is highly associated with better mental health in these populations. An increased focus on assessment and promotion of PA is justified during the extended time of asylum-seeking processes. The result support PA as a potentially viable treatment component in PTSD.
Machine learning approach for prediction of hepatic enhancement during the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB DTPA-enhanced MRI.
Authors: Ko Ji Su , Byun Jieun , Park Seongkeun , Woo Ji Young
Published: March 2021

We retrospectively assessed 214 patients with chronic liver disease or liver cirrhosis who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced with gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) from August 2016 to May 2020 to evaluate the relationship between biochemical results that reflect liver function and hepatic enhancement. With the information gained we employed a machine learning approach with the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) algorithm to develop a predictive model for determining insufficient hepatic enhancement during the hepatobiliary phase (HBP) in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI. Using both quantitative and qualitative assessments, the total bilirubin (TB), albumin (Alb), prothrombin time-international normalized ratio, platelet, Child-Pugh score (CPS), and Model for End-stage Liver Disease Sodium (MELD-Na) score were related to decreased hepatic enhancement. In a multivariate analysis, TB and Alb were associated with insufficient enhancement (p < 0.001). The predictive model showed that a combination of a variety of biochemical parameters had better performance (accuracy = 82.8%, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.861) in predicting insufficient enhancement than either the CPS (accuracy = 79.5%, AUC = 0.845) or the MELD-Na score (accuracy = 80.8%, AUC = 0.821). By using a machine-learning-based predictive model with the KNN algorithm, radiologists can predict insufficient hepatic enhancement during HBP in advance and adjust each patient's individually optimized MRI protocol.
Reassess Young Breast Cancer Risk Factor in Mainland of Penang, Malaysia
Authors: AMRAN FITREENA ANIS , Saupi Mohd Fareez Hairi Mohd , Teh Jun Xian , Vellasamy Nagarajan T
Published: March 2021

Introduction Until today, there is no clear cut off point for age in young breast cancer. Multiple studies have shown that breast cancer among women diagnosed before age of 40 is increasing in trend and have poorer survival rate. Incidence rate among Malaysian breast cancer from the age of 25 and below 40 is also increasing in trend. This is first paper in Malaysia to ascertain the risk factors among young breast cancer in mainland of Penang state, Malaysia Method This is a retrospective study which includes young women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1 st January 2015 until 31 st December 2019, from HSJ cluster hospitals. Inclusion criteria are 40 years old and below at the age of diagnosis of breast cancer, female and complete sociodemographic data. Result This study has shown that 17.07% of women with young breast cancer are age before 31 years old and most are age from 36 to 40 years old. Young age at menarche (12 years old and below), positive family history of breast cancer, use of oral contraceptive pill, breastfeeding history and pregnancy history (parity at least 1 and above) are strongly associated with increased risk of young breast cancer with P-value<0.05. Conclusion This is a small-scale study on young breast cancer patient. Larger population study should be performed to confirm this findings and dwell further on other possible risk factors.
Sleep Duration is Closely Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt in Korean Adults: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Ko Yujin , Moon Ji Eun , Han Sangsoo
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are major risk factors for suicidal death, and sleep problems are associated with an increased risk for mental disorders. We investigated the relationship between sleep duration and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a representative sample of the Korean general population from a nationwide survey.Methods: We analyzed data collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VI and VII (2013–2018). Suicidal ideation was identified via self-report and we accessed suicide attempt history. Sleep duration was divided into three categories: short sleep duration (SSD) (≤5 h), normal sleep duration (NSD) (>5 and <9 h), and long sleep duration (LSD) (≥9 h). Sampling weights were applied to obtain estimates for the general Korean population.Results: Overall, 4015 (12.0%), 25,609 (76.5%), and 3857 (11.5%) participants were in the SSD, NSD, and LSD groups, respectively. Among these groups, 7.2%, 2.8%, and 3.3% reported suicidal ideation, 1.2%, 0.4%, and 0.7% reported a history of suicide attempts. Multiple regression analyses revealed that SSD was significantly more strongly associated with suicidal ideation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.46, p < 0.001) and attempts (AOR 2.05, p = 0.003) than NSD. No association was found between LSD and suicidal ideation/attempts. Conclusion: Sleep duration is significantly associated with suicidal behavior, and SSD was particularly closely related with an increased risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Clinicians should carefully consider sleep duration in suicidal patients.
Efficacy and safety of Entecavir for Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis with renal function insufficient
Authors: Yani Yu , Lingyu Xu , Ting Xu , Chengyu Yang , Bu Quandong , Zhang Wei , Zhao Long , Xu Yan , Jiang Wei
Published: March 2021

Background HBV-GN is one of the most common secondary kidney diseases in China. Entecavir is one of the first-line antiviral nucleoside drugs at present, which can also effectively apply to antiviral therapy for HBV-GN.Objective The retrospective study to explore whether the entecavir is efficacy and safety for the treatment of Hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis(HBV-GN) with renal function insufficient.Methods We screened patients diagnosed with HBV-GN in The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, elevated serum creatinine at 130umol/l ~ 250umol/l. Group 1 (30 patients) was given entecavir as antiviral treatment. Group 2 (28 patients) was treated with angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). The changes of renal function and the possible influencing factors were observed, with a mean follow-up time of 36 months.Results Baseline demographic and clinical parameters were not different between the 2 groups. For both cohorts, serum creatinine levels were increased gradually and the levels of eGFR declined progressively during the follow-up. At the end of the follow-up, serum creatinine levels in group 1 (t = 1.64, P = 0.1) and in group 2 ( t = 4.35, P = 0.001) were considered statistically significant compared to baseline creatinine. The levels of eGFR in group 1 (t = 2.37, P = 0.0018) and in group 2 ( t = 4.35, P = 0.001) were considered statistically significant compared to baseline eGFR. Comparison between the two groups showed that the elevated serum creatinine level and reduction in the level of eGFR were significantly lower in group 1 (t = 2.67, P = 0.008) than in group 2 (t = 2.76, P = 0.006), which were considered statistically significant. At the same time, cumulative renal survival, using end-stage renal disease (ESRD, eGFR < 15ml/min) as the primary renal endpoint, was 96.7% in group 1 and 67.9% in group 2 respectively (P = 0.005). Meanwhile, urine protein excretion was significantly decreased in both groups compared with baseline values, group 1 (t = 5.74, P = 0.001) and group 2 (t = 4.27, P = 0.001), while no significant difference was found(P = 0.370)in both groups. We performed a multivariate Cox regression analysis required eGFR < 15ml/min as the primary end point, then we found that the entecavir treatment and remission of proteinuria were the protective factors of renal function impairment, while the lower baseline eGFR was the risk factor of the progression of ESRD.Conclusion Entecavir treatment slows the progression of renal function impairment in HBV-GN, meanwhile, entecavir shows a significantly renal protective effect.
Understanding of Model Plant Arabidopsis thaliana Response to the Coexistence of BPA and TiO2-NPs in low environmental concentration: A Comparative Proteomics Study
Authors: Huang Huiming , Lee Wen-Yee , Grajeda Brian , Ellis Cameron , Silva Igor E , Gardea-Torresdey Jorge
Published: March 2021

This work presents the most extensive proteomic description of Arabidopsis thaliana in the knowledge of its responses to BPA and TiO2-NPs. Previous studies have reported that nanoparticles (NPs) and Bisphenol A (BPA) are toxic to the environment. However, the jointed toxicity is not yet well understood. This study was aimed to investigate the combined toxicity of BPA and TiO2-NPs to plants. Model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was selected as the target plant. The seedlings were randomly separated into 5 groups and treated with BPA (1000, 100, 10 and 0 µg/kg) and TiO2-NPs (100, 10, 1 and 0 mg/kg). The plant height, biomass and root length indicated no significant toxicity of low concentration of BPA and TiO2-NPs to the growth. In the results of comparative proteomics, both positive and negative effects were observed in root growth, plant development and energy metabolism, et.al, according to GO and KEGG analysis.
Growth Factors & Stem Cells Entrapment in Bio Compatible & Biodegradable Nano Particles to Prevent Early Degradation & Facilitate Gradual Release
Authors: P. ANURUDDHA A. H. M. , FERNANDO C. A. N. , SAIDA YOSHIHISA , SAKURABA MINORU
Published: March 2021

The use of growth factors and stem cells as the core treating agents is one step into creating a biocompatible Solid Lipid Nano Particles (SLNP) for treatments. Apart from obtaining these growth factors and stem cells from the patients, using the bi-product of the extraction process which is the lipid of the patient for the production of the SLNP assures the final product to be biocompatible and of a unique structure. The use of autologous cells and proteins from the patients makes the entire process medically ethical and more viable for treatment procedures. This article, thus discusses on the experimental process of developing such SLNP and the introduction of the relevant medical contraption designed uniquely for the procedure inclusive of a specified membrane.
Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks for Large Scale Bird Species Classification
Authors: Gupta Gaurav , Kshirsagar Meghana , Zhong Ming , Gholami Shahrzad , Ferres Juan Lavista
Published: March 2021

We present a deep learning approach towards the large-scale prediction and analysis of bird acoustics from 100 different bird species. We use spectrograms constructed on bird audio recordings from the Cornell Bird Challenge (CBC) dataset, which includes recordings with background noise, of multiple and potentially overlapping bird vocalizations per audio. Our experiments show that a hybrid modeling approach that involves a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for learning the representation for a slice of the spectrogram and a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) for the temporal component to combine across time-points leads to the most accurate model on this dataset. We show results on a spectrum of models ranging from stand-alone CNNs to hybrid models of various types obtained by combining CNNs with CNNs or RNNs of the following types: Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, Gated Recurrent Units (GRU) and Legendre Memory Units (LMU). The best performing model achieves an average accuracy of 67% over the 100 different bird species, with the highest accuracy of 90% for the Red crossbill. We further analyze the learned representations visually and find them to be intuitive, where we find that related bird species are clustered close together. We present a novel way to empirically interpret the representations learned by the LMU-based hybrid model which shows how memory channel patterns over time change with spectrograms.
Homogeneous and heterogeneous propagation of COVID-19 from super-spreading to super-isolation
Authors: Sutton Jack , Shahtahmassebi Golnaz , Ribeiro Haroldo V. , Hanley Quentin S.
Published: March 2021

We investigated daily COVID-19 cases and death in the 337 lower tier local authority regions in England and Wales to better understand how the disease propagated over a 10-month period. Population density scaling models revealed residual variance and skewness to be sensitive indicators of the dynamics of propagation. Lockdowns and schools reopening triggered increased variance indicative of outbreaks with local impact and country scale heterogeneity. University reopening and December holidays triggered reduced variance indicative of country scale homogenisation which reached a minimum after New Year. Homogeneous propagation was associated with better correspondence with normally distributed residuals while heterogeneous propagation was more consistent with skewed models. Skewness varied from strongly negative to strongly positive revealing an unappreciated feature of community propagation. Hot spots and super-spreading events are well understood descriptors of regional disease dynamics that would be expected to be associated with positively skewed distributions. Positively skewed behaviour was observed; however, negative skewness indicative of “cold-spots” and “super-isolation” dominated for approximately 4 months during the period of study. In contrast, death metrics showed near constant behaviour in scaling, variance, and skewness metrics over the full period with rural regions preferentially affected, an observation consistent with regional age demographics in England and Wales.
Pediatric dentists’ perspectives of children with special health care needs in Japan: developmental disabilities, phobia, maltreatment, and multidisciplinary collaboration
Authors: Ide-Okochi Ayako , Funayama Hiromi , Asada Yoshinobu
Published: March 2021

Background: The number of children diagnosed with developmental disabilities (DDs) or other chronic difficulties has risen. However, each professional’s awareness of children with developmental, emotional and behavioural difficulties may differ, allowing their special needs to be overlooked at child health checkups until secondary difficulties appear. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the multi-professional views of children with such chronic difficulties. This study investigates pediatric dentists’ perception of children with potential chronic difficulties. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 21 pediatric dentists, and the transcripts were analysed using grounded theory to develop categories for the theoretical assessment. Results: Four themes emerged regarding the children with potential chronic difficulties: children exhibiting possible DDs with awkward social communication and interaction; severe rampant caries possibly derived from maltreatment; dental phobia possibly derived from mental health problems; a complicated home environment where their mothers exhibit poor oral health literacy. Conclusions: This study’s findings imply that participants’ concept of children of concern included the risks of poor oral health and mental health problems that other healthcare professionals might overlook. It is recommended that multidisciplinary professionals engaging in child health checkups be aware of children’s oral and mental health status as well as potential DDs and child maltreatment.
Prognostic Utility of Coronary CT Angiography-derived Plaque Information on Long-Term Outcome in Patients With and Without Diabetes mellitus
Authors: Tesche Christian , Baquet Moritz , Bauer Maximilian , Straube Florian , Hartl Stefan , Leonard Tyler , Jochheim David , Fink David , Brandt Verena , Baumann Stefan , Schoepf U. Joseph , Massberg Steffen , Hoffmann Ellen , Ebersberger Ullrich
Published: March 2021

PurposeTo investigate the long-term prognostic value of coronary CT angiography (cCTA)-derived plaque information on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with and without diabetes mellitus. Methods64 patients with diabetes (63.3±10.1 years, 66% male) and suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent cCTA were matched with 297 patients without diabetes according to age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, statin and antithrombotic therapy. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were recorded. cCTA-derived risk scores and plaque measures were assessed. The discriminatory power to identify MACE was evaluated using multivariable regression analysis and concordance indices (CIs).ResultsAfter a median follow-up of 5.4 years, MACE occurred in 31 patients (8.6%). In patients with diabetes, cCTA risk scores and plaque measures were significantly higher compared to non-diabetic patients (all p<0.05). The following plaque measures were predictors of MACE using multivariable Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR]) in patients with diabetes: segment stenosis score (HR 1.20, p<0.001), low-attenuation plaque (HR 3.47, p=0.05), and in non-diabetic patients: segment stenosis score (HR 1.92, p<0.001), Agatston score (HR 1.0009, p=0.04), and low-attenuation plaque (HR 4.15, p=0.04). A multivariable model showed significantly improved C-index of 0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.0.97) for MACE prediction, when compared to single measures alone.ConclusionDiabetes is associated with a significantly higher extent of CAD and plaque features, which have independent predictive values for MACE. cCTA-derived plaque information portends improved risk stratification of patients with diabetes beyond assessment of obstructive stenosis on cCTA alone.
Attitudes and Perceived Barriers to Firearm Safety Anticipatory Guidance by Pediatricians: A Statewide Perspective
Authors: Ketabchi Bijan , Gittelman Michael A. , Southworth Hayley , Arnold Melissa Wervey , Denny Sarah A. , Pomerantz Wendy J.
Published: March 2021

Background: Firearms are the second leading cause of injury-related death in American children. Safe storage of firearms is associated with a significantly decreased odds of firearm-related death, however more than half of US firearm owners store at least one firearm unlocked or accessible to a minor. While guidance by primary care providers has been shown to improve storage practices, firearm safety counseling occurs infrequently in the primary care setting. The primary objective of this study was to describe pediatricians’ perceived barriers to providing firearm safety education to families in the pediatric primary care setting. Secondary objectives included identifying pediatric provider attitudes and current practices around firearm counseling. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of pediatric primary care providers in Ohio. Participants were recruited from the Ohio AAP email list over a 3-month period. Only pediatric primary care providers in Ohio were included; subspecialists, residents and non-practicing physicians were excluded. Participants completed an anonymous online survey detailing practice patterns around and barriers to providing firearm safety counseling. Three follow-up emails were sent to pediatricians that failed to initially respond. Response frequencies were calculated using Microsoft Excel. Results: Two hundred eighty-nine pediatricians completed the survey and 149 met inclusion criteria for analysis. One hundred seven (72%) respondents agreed that it is the responsibility of the pediatric primary care provider to discuss safe storage. Counseling, however, occurred infrequently with 119 (80%) of respondents performing firearm safety education at fewer than half of well child visits. The most commonly cited barriers to providing counseling were lack of time during office visits, lack of education and few resources to provide to families. A majority, 82 of pediatric providers (55%), agreed they would counsel more if given additional training, with 110 (74%) conveying they would distribute firearm safety devices to families if these were available in their practice. Conclusion: Ohio pediatricians agree that it is the responsibility of the primary care provider to discuss firearm safety. However, counseling occurs infrequently in the primary care setting due to a lack of time, provider education and available resources. Improving access to resources for primary care pediatricians will be critical in helping educate families in order to protect their children through improved storage practices.
Identification of prognostic values defined by copy number variation, mRNA and protein expression of LANCL2 and EGFR in IDH1/2-wild-type glioblastoma
Authors: Zhao Hua-fu , Zhou Xiu-ming , Wang Jing , Chen Fan-fan , Wu Chang-peng , Diao Pengyu , Cai Lin-rong , Chen Lei , Xu Yan-wen , Liu Jing , Li Zong-yang , Liu Wen-lan , Chen Zhong-ping , Huang Guo-dong , Li Wei-ping
Published: March 2021

Background

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and lanthionine synthetase C-like 2 (LanCL2) genes locate in the same amplicon, and co-amplification of EGFR and LANCL2 is frequent in glioblastoma. However, the prognostic value of LANCL2 and EGFR co-amplification, and their mRNA and protein expression in glioblastoma remain unclear yet.
Methods

This study analyzed the prognostic values of the copy number variations (CNVs), mRNA and protein expression of LANCL2 and EGFR in glioblastoma specimens from TCGA database or our tumor banks.
Results

The amplification of LANCL2 or EGFR, and their co-amplification were frequent in glioblastoma of TCGA database and our tumor banks. CNVs of LANCL2 or EGFR were significantly correlated with IDH1/2 mutation but not MGMT promoter methylation status. LANCL2 or EGFR amplification, and their co-amplification were significantly associated with reduced overall survival (OS) of glioblastoma patients, rather than IDH1/2-wild-type glioblastoma patients. mRNA and protein overexpression of LANCL2 and EGFR was also frequently found in glioblastoma. LANCL2, rather than EGFR, was overexpressed in relapsing glioblastoma, compared with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. However, mRNA or protein expression of EGFR and LANCL2 was not significantly correlated with OS of glioblastoma patients. In addition, the intracellular localization of LanCL2, not EGFR, was associated with the grade of gliomas.
Conclusions

Taken together, amplification and mRNA overexpression of LANCL2 and EGFR, and their co-amplification and co-expression were frequent in glioblastoma patients. Our findings suggest that CNVs of LANCL2 and EGFR were the independent diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for histological glioblastoma patients, but not for IDH1/2-wild-type glioblastoma patients.
Tegaderm transparent dressing (3M) with antibiotic ointment for treatment of infectious corneal ulcer: Antibiotic Wet Therapy
Authors: Yasuda Shingo , Sumioka Takayoshi , Takada Yukihisa , Okada Yuka , Saika Shizuya
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To retrospectively review cases of
infectious corneal ulcer treated with Tegaderm transparent dressing
(3M) with an antibiotic ointment.
Subjects and methods:

A series of 29 eyes of 29 patients with possible infectious corneal keratitis were treated in Wakayama Medical University Hospital between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2018. The age of the patients ranged from 26 to 92 years (mean 68.0 ± 17.8). At the first visit, the corneal infection lesion was scraped from the epithelium to the substantially superficial layer, and the scraped matter was submitted to Gram staining and culture examination. Cases suspected of fungi and Acanthamoeba were examined directly with potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment. For several days until drug sensitivity results were obtained, initial treatment was Antibiotic Wet Therapy (AWT) with ophthalmic eye ointment and transparent Tegaderm (3M) dressing. We retrospectively reviewed the culture results of corneal scrapings (detected bacteria and drug resistance) and the therapeutic outcome of AWT.
Results

Nineteen eyes in which the causative bacteria were not identified and five eyes in which the causative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Streptococcus, Corynebacterium.) were identified were successfully treated using AWT with ofloxacin ointment. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected in 3 of 5 eyes in which AWT with ofloxacin was not successful, and filamentous fungi were detected in one eye. Two of the three eyes MRSA detected were healed by changing to vancomycin hydrochloride eye ointment, one of which was severely affected and was later enucleated. One eye with filamentous fungi was treated after changing to pimaricin eye ointment. A causative pathogen was not identified in the other eye, but because it was suspected to be fungal the ointment was changed to a pimaricin eye ointment, which led to healing.
Conclusion

AWT may be an option for initial treatment of corneal infections when the causative organism is unknown.
Load Balancing in DCN Servers through SDN Machine Learning Algorithm
Authors: Begam Sulthana , M Sangeetha , R Shanker N
Published: March 2021

Software Defined Networking (SDN) manages data traffic in Data Center Network (DCN). SDN improves utilization of large scale network resource and performance of network application. In SDN, load balancing technique optimizes the data flow during transmission through server load deviation after evaluating the network status dynamically. However, load deviation in the network needs optimum server selection and routing path with respect to less time and complexity. In this paper, we propose a M ultiple R egression B ased S earching (MRBS) algorithm for optimum server selection and routing path in DCN. The appropriate server selection during heavy load conditions such as message spikes, different message frequencies and unpredictable traffic patterns are done through regression based analysis and correlation of various server parameters, only after detecting the types of traffic and loads based on bandwidth. The parameters included in the regression modeling are load, response time, bandwidth and server utilization. Moreover, the heuristic algorithm is combined with regression model for efficient path selection. The proposed algorithm reduces the delay and time more than 85% when compared with traditional algorithms due to stochastic gradient decent weights estimation.
A Novel Pre-Screening Kit for Cerebral Amyloid Deposition Using QPLEXTM-Alz Plus Assay Kit: Application to Cognitively Normal Individuals
Authors: Lee Dongjoon , Park Jong-Chan , Jung Keum Sim , Kim Jiyeong , Jang Ji Sung , Kwon Sunghoon , Byun Min Soo , Yi Dahyun , Byeon Gihwan , Jung Gijung , Kim Yu Kyeong , Lee Dong Young , Han Sun-Ho , Mook-Jung Inhee
Published: March 2021

BackgroundThe deposition of beta-amyloid (Ab) in the brain precedes the onset of symptoms such as cognitive abnormality in Alzheimer’s disease (AD); therefore, it is best to detect Ab accumulation early as possible.MethodsWe previously reported that QPLEXTM Alz plus assay could be used for pre-screening of Ab accumulation in the brain. In this study, we applied QPLEXTM Alz plus assay kit to the cognitively normal (CN) group for the brain Ab positivity. Total 221 CN participants with or without brain Ab were included. ResultsReceiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed that the discrimination power reached 0.878 area under curve (AUC) with 69.7% sensitivity and 98.4% specificity in the CN group over 65 years. Conclusions﻿We suggest that QPLEXTM Alz plus assay is a useful method for pre-screening brain Ab in the CN group, especially over 65 years, to prevent disease progression by early detection of disease initiation.
Bacterial Ribonuclease MazF-Mediated Apoptosis as Potential Cancer Therapy
Authors: Zadeh Maryam Saffarian Abbas , MacPherson Rebecca Anne , Huang Guohui , Ding Hui , Powell Rhonda Reigers , Bruce Terri , Tzeng Tzuen-Rong Jeremy
Published: March 2021

Programmed cell death is a dynamic and critical mechanism of cell suicide in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. MazF is a ribonuclease protein involved in bacterial intracellular programmed death. This protein cleaves mRNAs at ACA sequences, leading to inhibition of protein synthesis and triggering cell death. Given that cancer is heterogenic and has varied susceptibility to treatment, we examined the impact of MazF proteins on the growth and viability of three cancer cell lines: MCF7, HT29, and AGS. These cell lines were transfected with ACA-less mazF mRNAs and evaluated for MazF-mediated cell death. The data illustrated that efficient MazF translation leads to a significant reduction in cell viability and is modulated by structural elements of ACA-less mazF mRNAs. In the presence of MazF, the levels of activated caspase-3 and -7 were significantly elevated in transfected cells, confirming the occurrence of apoptosis. We also quantified mRNA translation on a single-cell basis in MCF7 and AGS cell lines to examine MazF-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis. MazF expression significant decreases the levels of protein translation in the examined cell lines. This is the first report of MazF as a potential anti-cancer agent via induction of apoptosis in MCF7, AGS, and HT-29 cell lines.
Regeneration Dynamics in Fragmented Landscapes at the Leading Edge of Distribution: Quercus Suber L. as A Study Case
Authors: Montero-Muñoz Jorge , Ureña Carmen , Navarro Diego , Herrera Valentín , Alonso-Rojo Pilar , Hernández-Alonso Héctor , Cepeda-González María Fernanda , Jovellar Luis Carlos , Fernández-Santos Belén , Silla Fernando
Published: March 2021

AimsWe studied the regeneration dynamics of woodlands and abandoned old fields in a landscape dominated by Quercus suber in its lower limits for rainfall and temperature. Two hypotheses were established: (1) recruitment of Q. suber is restricted more by abiotic variations than other species adapted to more extreme Mediterranean conditions; and (2) decreases in precipitation reduce growth, but temperature positively affects growth in the leading cold edge of this species distribution area.MethodsWe selected nine sites containing forest stands and old fields with and without tree remnants, and analyzed stand structure, soil parameters and tree growth.ResultsSuccession was arrested in plots without tree remnants after cultivation abandonment. By contrast, remnant trees were accelerators of forest recovery. Tree cover played a fundamental role in Quercus recruitment throughout seed dispersal and facilitation effects that ameliorate summer drought. However, soil variables also significantly explained much of the variance observed and are important for understanding differences in regeneration. Winter and spring precipitation exerted a positive effect on tree growth, as well as temperatures during winter/spring and September.ConclusionsRegeneration dynamics are modeled by the density of tree cover in the cold and dry edge of the distribution area of Q. suber where Q. ilex is increasing in abundance. Although temperature has a positive effect on the tree growth of Q. suber, when demographic processes are considered, decreases in water availability likely play a critical role in Q. ilex recruitment. This in turn changes dominance hierarchies, especially in abandoned areas with little or no tree cover.
The Relationship of Soluble TREM2 to Other Biomarkers of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Park So-Hee , Lee Eun-Hye , Kim Hyung-Ji , Jo Sungyang , Lee Sunju , Seo Sang Won , Park Hyun-Hee , Koh Seong-Ho , Lee Jae-Hong
Published: March 2021

Microglial activation is a central player in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The soluble fragment of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2) can serve as a marker for microglial activation and has been shown to be overexpressed in AD. However, the relationship of sTREM2 with other AD biomarkers has not been extensively studied. We investigated the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sTREM2 and other AD biomarkers and examined the correlation of plasma sTREM2 with CSF sTREM2 in a cohort of individuals with AD and without AD.Participants were consecutively recruited from Asan Medical Center from 2018 to 2020. Subjects were stratified by their amyloid positivity and clinical status. Along with other AD biomarkers, sTREM2 level was measured in the plasma as well as CSF.In 101 patients with either amyloid-positive or negative status, CSF sTREM2 was closely associated with CSF T-tau and P-tau and not with Abeta42. CSF sTREM2 levels were found to be strongly correlated with CSF neurofilament light chain. The comparison of CSF and plasma sTREM2 levels tended to have an inverse correlation. Plasma sTREM2 and P-tau levels were oppositely influenced by age.Our results suggest that neuroinflammation may be closely associated with tau-induced neurodegeneration.
Qualitative Exploration of Medical Student Experiences during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for Medical Education
Authors: Nolan Helen , Owen Katherine
Published: March 2021

Background During the Covid-19 pandemic medical students were offered paid roles as medical student healthcare assistants. Anecdotal reports suggested that students found this experience rich for learning. Previous studies have explored alternative models of student service, however this defined medical student support role is novel.Methods Individual semi-structured interviews were recorded with 20 medical students at a UK medical school exploring their experiences of placement learning and experiences of working as healthcare assistants. Responses were analysed qualitatively using a framework approach. The framework was developed into a model describing key findings and their relationships.Results Interviews yielded data that broadly covered aspects of 1. Medical students’ experiences of clinical placement learning 2. Medical students’ experiences of working as medical student healthcare assistants 3. Learning resulting from working as a healthcare assistant 4. Hierarchies and professional barriers in the clinical environment 5. Influences on professional identity. Participants described barriers and facilitators of clinical learning and how assuming a healthcare assistant role impacted on learning and socialisation within the multidisciplinary team. Students became increasingly socialised within the healthcare team, contributing directly to patient care; the resulting social capital opened new opportunities for learning, team working and enhanced students’ interprofessional identity. Students described the impact of these experiences on their aspirations for their future practice.Conclusion Changes to work patterns in healthcare and delivery models of medical education have eroded opportunities for students to contribute to healthcare delivery and be embedded within a team. This is impacting negatively on student learning and socialisation and we suggest that medical curricula have much to learn from nursing and allied health professional training. Longitudinal embedment with a multidisciplinary team, where students have a defined role and work directly with patients may not only add value to clinical service, but also overcome current barriers to effective placement learning and interprofessional identity formation for medical students.
The Hypoglycaemic, Antihyperlipidemic and Antioxidative Effects of Anacardium Occidentale Methanolic Nut Extract in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Wistar Rats
Authors: AJAO Folasade O. , Olamoyegun Michael A. , Iyedupe Marcus O.
Published: March 2021

Background: This research work investigated the antidiabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and antioxidative effects of Anacardium occidentale methanolic nut extract in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Methods: Forty (40) Wistar rats weighing 250±30g were randomly divided into five groups of 8 rats each. Group 1 served as the control; Group 2-5 were induced with diabetes with a single dose of 50mg/kg bw of streptozotocin intraperitoneally. After diabetes induction, Group 2 served as the STZ-only group, Groups 3 and 4 were administered 100mg/kg bw and 200mg/kg bw p.o Anacardium occidentale nut extract, respectively, while Group 5 was administered 2mg/kg bw of glimepiride as a reference drug for a period of 4 weeks. Food and water intake were monitored daily, body weight, and blood glucose levels weekly throughout the experiment. On day 29, the animals were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture for biochemical studies. Results: Administration of the nut extract significantly (p<0.05) increased the food intake and body weight of diabetic treated rats, fasting blood glucose level and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) decreased significantly (p<0.05) in treated rats. On lipid profile, administration of nut extract significantly decreased (p<0.05) triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and very-low-density lipoprotein concentrations while it significantly increases (p<0.05) the high-density lipoprotein. Anacardium occidentale nut extract caused significantly (p<0.05) increases in SOD, GPx, GSH, and CAT levels with a decrease MDA level in diabetic treated rats. Markers of liver and kidney functions were also improved in diabetic treated rats.Conclusion: Treatment with Anacardium occidentale methanolic nut extract has hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and hepato-protective effects in diabetic rats. It also alleviates oxidative stress activity and restoration of markers of kidney function, and may be useful as alternative therapy in the management of diabetes and its related complications.