bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among women with children aged < 24 months in Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania: a community-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Ali Farida , Mgongo Melina , Mamseri Redempta , George Johnston M. , Mboya Innocent B. , Msuya Sia E.
Published: September 2020

Background

Early initiation of breastfeeding offers nutritional and immunological benefits to the newborn, which is critical for health and survival. Understanding factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding is crucial for healthcare providers and policy-makers. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with early initiation of breastfeeding among mothers with children < 24 months of age in the Kilimanjaro region, Northern Tanzania.

Methods

This study utilized secondary data from a cross-sectional survey conducted in April 2016 and April 2017 in the Kilimanjaro region. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants and interviewed using a questionnaire. A total of 1644 women with children aged < 24 months were analyzed. Modified Poisson regression models were used to determine factors independently associated with early initiation of breastfeeding, within first hour of life.

Results

The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding in the Kilimanjaro region was 70%, ranging from 64% in Same to 80% in Siha districts. The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was lower among women who initiated prelacteal feeding compared to their counterparts (prevalence ratio [PR] 0.42; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.34, 0.53). Likewise, women living in Same and Hai district had lower prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding compared to women in Rombo (PR 0.8; 95% CI 0.76, 0.93) and (PR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80, 0.98) respectively. Higher prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was found in women with primary education compared to those with secondary education (PR 1.09; 95% CI 1.003, 1.18), and among women with two children compared to one child (PR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03, 1.26).

Conclusions

Early initiation of breastfeeding practice was suboptimal in this study. To improve early initiation of breastfeeding, healthcare providers at reproductive and child health clinics and labour wards should discourage women from prelacteal feeding, give more support to women with one child and those with secondary level of education and above. Furthermore, a qualitative study is crucial to understand the reasons for low prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding in Same and Hai districts.
Bone structure determined by HR-MDCT does not correlate with micro-CT of lumbar vertebral biopsies: a prospective cross-sectional human in vivo study
Authors: Pumberger Matthias , Issever Ahi Sema , Diekhoff Torsten , Schwemmer Christin , Berg Susanne , Palmowski Yannick , Putzier Michael
Published: September 2020

Background

Osteoporosis is characterized by a deterioration of bone structure and quantity that leads to an increased risk of fractures. The primary diagnostic tool for the assessment of the bone quality is currently the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which however only measures bone quantity. High-resolution multidetector computed tomography (HR-MDCT) offers an alternative approach to assess bone structure, but still lacks evidence for its validity in vivo. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of HR-MDCT for the evaluation of bone architecture in the lumbar spine.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study to compare the results of preoperative lumbar HR-MDCT scans with those from microcomputed tomography (μCT) analysis of transpedicular vertebral body biopsies. For this purpose, we included patients undergoing spinal surgery in our orthopedic department. Each patient underwent preoperative HR-MDCT scanning (L1-L4). Intraoperatively, transpedicular biopsies were obtained from intact vertebrae. Micro-CT analysis of these biopsies was used as a reference method to assess the actual bone architecture. HR-MDCT results were statistically analyzed regarding the correlation with results from μCT.

Results

Thirty-four patients with a mean age of 69.09 years (± 10.07) were included in the study. There was no significant correlation for any of the parameters (bone volume/total volume, trabecular separation, trabecular thickness) between μCT and HR-MDCT (bone volume/total volume: r = − 0.026 and p = 0.872; trabecular thickness: r = 0.074 and r = 6.42; and trabecular separation: r = − 0.18 and p = 0.254).

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing in vivo HR-MDCT with μCT analysis of vertebral biopsies in human patients. Our findings suggest that lumbar HR-MDCT is not valid for the in vivo evaluation of bone architecture in the lumbar spine. New diagnostic tools for the evaluation of osteoporosis and preoperative orthopedic planning are urgently needed.
Preincubation with a low-dose hydrogen peroxide enhances anti-oxidative stress ability of BMSCs
Authors: Wang Lei , Zhang Fei , Peng Wuxun , Zhang Jian , Dong Wentao , Yuan Dajiang , Wang Zhenwen , Zheng Yinggang
Published: September 2020

Objective

To investigate the effects of low-concentration hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on the anti-oxidative stress of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs).

Methods

Rabbit BMSCs were isolated and cultured by density gradient centrifugation combined with the adherence method. Then, the third generation of well-grown BMSCs was continuously treated with 50-μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 8 h as the optimal pretreatment concentration and the BMSCs were continuously applied for 24 h with 500 μM H2O2, and the optimal damage concentration was determined as the oxidative stress cell model. The experiment was divided into three groups: control group, high-concentration H2O2 injury group (500 μM), and low-concentration H2O2 pretreatment group (50 μM + 500 μM). In each group, the DCFH-DA fluorescence probe was used to detect the reactive oxygen species (ROS). ELISA was used to detect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and the TBA method was used to detect malondialdehyde (MDA). The mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1. The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method, while flow cytometry and TUNEL/DAPI double staining were performed to detect cell apoptosis. Hence, the effect of H2O2 pretreatment on the anti-oxidative stress of BMSCs was investigated. One-way analysis of variance was performed using SPSS 19.0 statistical software, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A large number of typical BMSCs were obtained by density gradient centrifugation and adherent culture. The oxidative stress cell model was successfully established by 500-μM H2O2. Compared with the high-concentration H2O2 injury group, the low-concentration H2O2 pretreatment reduced the production of ROS [(62.33 ± 5.05), P < 0.05], SOD and CAT activities significantly increased (P < 0.05), and MDA levels significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The mitochondrial membrane potential fluorescence changes, the ratio of red/green fluorescence intensity of the high-concentration H2O2 injury group was less, and the ratio of the low-concentration H2O2 pretreatment group was significantly higher than that. The ratio of red/green increased by about 1.8 times (P < 0.05). The cell viability and survival rate of BMSCs were significantly increased in low-concentration H2O2 pretreatment group (P < 0.05), and the cell apoptosis rate was significantly decreased (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Pretreatment with low-concentration H2O2 can enhance the anti-oxidative stress ability and reduce their apoptosis of BMSCs under oxidative stress.
Ipsilateral proximal and shaft femoral fractures treated with bridge-link type combined fixation system
Authors: Kang Liangqi , Liu Hui , Ding Zhenqi , Ding Yiqiang , Hu Wei , Wu Jin
Published: September 2020

Background

Although many treatments for ipsilateral proximal and shaft femoral fractures have been developed, controversy exists regarding their optimal management. The purpose of this retrospective study was to discuss the effectiveness of the bridge-link type combined fixation system (BCFS) and evaluate functional outcomes in treating patients with these complex fractures.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively reviewed 14 cases of ipsilateral proximal and shaft femoral fractures treated from January 2012 to December 2016. All cases were treated by BCFS combined with minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis (MIPPO). Clinical and radiographic data were collected during regular post-operative follow-up visits. Functional outcomes were determined according to the Friedman and Wyman scoring system.

Results

The proximal femoral fractures were emergency diagnoses in 11 cases and delayed diagnoses in 3 cases. The delay time was 5–6 days, with an average of 5.3 days. The mean operation time was 179.6 min (range 135–231 min) with a blood loss volume that ranged from 430 to 535 ml (average 483.6 ml). Follow-up was conducted in 13 cases between 9 and 30 months post-operation, with an average follow-up time of 17.3 months. The proximal femoral fractures were united in 12 cases at the final follow-up. One case had nonunion 13 months after the operation, underwent valgus intertrochanteric osteotomy, and healed 6 months later. The femoral shaft fractures obtained rigid union at the latest follow-up in 12 cases. One case endured nonunion 12 months after the operation. After the revision surgery and iliac bone grafting, the fracture healed 6 months later. Eight of the cases had good functional results, 4 had fair results, and results were poor in 1 case at the final follow-up.

Conclusions

The treatment of ipsilateral proximal femoral and shaft fractures with BCFS in combination with MIPPO demonstrated a high likelihood of union for both fractures and good functional results.
Detailed mechanism and impact of new-onset late right heart failure during LVAD support
Authors: Imamura Teruhiko
Published: September 2020

Not applicable.
Comment on “The diagnostic value of D-dimer with simplified Geneva score (SGS) pre-test in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE)”
Authors: Sabour Siamak
Published: September 2020

Any decision in clinical practice needs to evaluate both reliability (precision) and validity (accuracy) of a diagnostic test. Without knowledge about the reliability, any judgment would be wrong. In diagnostic accuracy research, it is essential to evaluate the diagnostic added value of a test, since a diagnostic accuracy of a single test might be excellent, however for clinical purposes it can be worthless. Like evaluating discrimination, it would be possible to estimate the diagnostic added value by applying ROC of diagnostic model with and without test results in the model.
Childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis with severe lung involvement: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Le Louet Solenne , Barkaoui Mohamed-Aziz , Miron Jean , Galambrun Claire , Aladjidi Nathalie , Chastagner Pascal , Kebaili Kamila , Armari-Alla Corinne , Lambilliotte Anne , Lejeune Julien , Moshous Despina , Della Valle Valeria , Sileo Chiara , Ducou Le Pointe Hubert , Chateil Jean-François , Renolleau Sylvain , Piloquet Jean-Eudes , Portefaix Aurelie , Epaud Ralph , Chiron Raphaël , Bugnet Emmanuelle , Lorillon Gwenaël , Tazi Abdelatif , Emile Jean-François , Donadieu Jean , Héritier Sébastien
Published: September 2020

Background

Lung involvement in childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is infrequent and rarely life threatening, but occasionally, severe presentations are observed.

Methods

Among 1482 children (< 15 years) registered in the French LCH registry (1994–2018), 111 (7.4%) had lung involvement. This retrospective study included data for 17 (1.1%) patients that required one or more intensive care unit (ICU) admissions for respiratory failure.

Results

The median age was 1.3 years at the first ICU hospitalization. Of the 17 patients, 14 presented with lung involvement at the LCH diagnosis, and 7 patients (41%) had concomitant involvement of risk-organ (hematologic, spleen, or liver). Thirty-five ICU hospitalizations were analysed. Among these, 22 (63%) were secondary to a pneumothorax, 5 (14%) were associated with important cystic lesions without pneumothorax, and 8 (23%) included a diffuse micronodular lung infiltration in the context of multisystem disease.

First-line vinblastine–corticosteroid combination therapy was administered to 16 patients; 12 patients required a second-line therapy (cladribine:n = 7; etoposide-aracytine:n = 3; targeted therapyn = 2). A total of 6 children (35%) died (repeated pneumothorax:n = 3; diffuse micronodular lung infiltration in the context of multisystem disease:n = 2; following lung transplantation:n = 1). For survivors, the median follow-up after ICU was 11.2 years. Among these, 9 patients remain asymptomatic despite abnormal chest imaging.

Conclusions

Severe lung involvement is unusual in childhood LCH, but it is associated with high mortality. Treatment guidelines should be improved for this group of patients: viral infection prophylaxis and early administration of a new LCH therapy, such as targeted therapy.
Retained primary teeth in STAT3 hyper-IgE syndrome: early intervention in childhood is essential
Authors: Meixner Iris , Hagl Beate , Kröner Carolin I. , Spielberger Benedikt D. , Paschos Ekaterini , Dückers Gregor , Niehues Tim , Hesse Ronny , Renner Ellen D.
Published: September 2020

Background

STAT3 hyper-IgE syndrome (STAT3-HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency that clinically overlaps with atopic dermatitis. In addition to eczema, elevated serum-IgE, and recurrent infections, STAT3-HIES patients suffer from characteristic facies, midline defects, and retained primary teeth. To optimize dental management we assessed the development of dentition and the long-term outcomes of dental treatment in 13 molecularly defined STAT3-HIES patients using questionnaires, radiographs, and dental investigations.

Results

Primary tooth eruption was unremarkable in all STAT3-HIES patients evaluated. Primary tooth exfoliation and permanent tooth eruption was delayed in 83% of patients due to unresorbed tooth roots. A complex orthodontic treatment was needed for one patient receiving delayed extraction of primary molars and canines. Permanent teeth erupted spontaneously in all patients receiving primary teeth extraction of retained primary teeth during average physiologic exfoliation time.

Conclusions

The association of STAT3-HIES with retained primary teeth is important knowledge for dentists and physicians as timely extraction of retained primary teeth prevents dental complications. To enable spontaneous eruption of permanent teeth in children with STAT3-HIES, we recommend extracting retained primary incisors when the patient is not older than 9 years of age and retained primary canines and molars when the patient is not older than 13 years of age, after having confirmed the presence of the permanent successor teeth by radiograph.
Peroxiredoxin 6 mediates protective function of astrocytes in Aβ proteostasis
Authors: Pankiewicz Joanna E. , Diaz Jenny R. , Martá-Ariza Mitchell , Lizińczyk Anita M. , Franco Leor A. , Sadowski Martin J.
Published: September 2020

Background

Disruption of β-amyloid (Aβ) homeostasis is the initial culprit in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis. Astrocytes respond to emerging Aβ plaques by altering their phenotype and function, yet molecular mechanisms governing astrocytic response and their precise role in countering Aβ deposition remain ill-defined. Peroxiredoxin (PRDX) 6 is an enzymatic protein with independent glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities involved in repair of oxidatively damaged cell membrane lipids and cellular signaling. In the CNS, PRDX6 is uniquely expressed by astrocytes and its exact function remains unexplored.

Methods

APPswe/PS1dE9 AD transgenic mice were once crossed to mice overexpressing wild-type Prdx6 allele or to Prdx6 knock out mice. Aβ pathology and associated neuritic degeneration were assessed in mice aged 10 months. Laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to characterize Aβ plaque morphology and activation of plaque-associated astrocytes and microglia. Effect of Prdx6 gene dose on plaque seeding was assessed in mice aged six months.

Results

We show that hemizygous knock in of the overexpressing Prdx6 transgene in APPswe/PS1dE9 AD transgenic mice promotes selective enticement of astrocytes to Aβ plaques and penetration of plaques by astrocytic processes along with increased number and phagocytic activation of periplaque microglia. This effects suppression of nascent plaque seeding and remodeling of mature plaques consequently curtailing brain Aβ load and Aβ-associated neuritic degeneration. Conversely, Prdx6 haplodeficiency attenuates astro- and microglia activation around Aβ plaques promoting Aβ deposition and neuritic degeneration.

Conclusions

We identify here PRDX6 as an important factor regulating response of astrocytes toward Aβ plaques. Demonstration that phagocytic activation of periplaque microglia vary directly with astrocytic PRDX6 expression level implies previously unappreciated astrocyte-guided microglia effect in Aβ proteostasis. Our showing that upregulation of PRDX6 attenuates Aβ pathology may be of therapeutic relevance for AD.
Correction to: High burden of undernutrition among primary school-aged children and its determinant factors in Ethiopia; a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Assemie Moges Agazhe , Alamneh Alehegn Aderaw , Ketema Daniel Bekele , Adem Ali Mekonen , Desta Melaku , Petrucka Pammla , Ambaw Mekdes Marew
Published: September 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.
PTWAS: investigating tissue-relevant causal molecular mechanisms of complex traits using probabilistic TWAS analysis
Authors: Zhang Yuhua , Quick Corbin , Yu Ketian , Barbeira Alvaro ,   The GTEx Consortium, Luca Francesca , Pique-Regi Roger , Kyung Im Hae , Wen Xiaoquan
Published: September 2020

We propose a new computational framework, probabilistic transcriptome-wide association study (PTWAS), to investigate causal relationships between gene expressions and complex traits. PTWAS applies the established principles from instrumental variables analysis and takes advantage of probabilistic eQTL annotations to delineate and tackle the unique challenges arising in TWAS. PTWAS not only confers higher power than the existing methods but also provides novel functionalities to evaluate the causal assumptions and estimate tissue- or cell-type-specific gene-to-trait effects. We illustrate the power of PTWAS by analyzing the eQTL data across 49 tissues from GTEx (v8) and GWAS summary statistics from 114 complex traits.
Impact of admixture and ancestry on eQTL analysis and GWAS colocalization in GTEx
Authors: Gay Nicole R. , Gloudemans Michael , Antonio Margaret L. , Abell Nathan S. , Balliu Brunilda , Park YoSon , Martin Alicia R. , Musharoff Shaila , Rao Abhiram S. , Aguet François , Barbeira Alvaro N. , Bonazzola Rodrigo , Hormozdiari Farhad ,   GTEx Consortium, Ardlie Kristin G. , Brown Christopher D. , Im Hae Kyung , Lappalainen Tuuli , Wen Xiaoquan , Montgomery Stephen B.
Published: September 2020

Background

Population structure among study subjects may confound genetic association studies, and lack of proper correction can lead to spurious findings. The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project largely contains individuals of European ancestry, but the v8 release also includes up to 15% of individuals of non-European ancestry. Assessing ancestry-based adjustments in GTEx improves portability of this research across populations and further characterizes the impact of population structure on GWAS colocalization.

Results

Here, we identify a subset of 117 individuals in GTEx (v8) with a high degree of population admixture and estimate genome-wide local ancestry. We perform genome-wide cis-eQTL mapping using admixed samples in seven tissues, adjusted by either global or local ancestry. Consistent with previous work, we observe improved power with local ancestry adjustment. At loci where the two adjustments produce different lead variants, we observe 31 loci (0.02%) where a significant colocalization is called only with one eQTL ancestry adjustment method. Notably, both adjustments produce similar numbers of significant colocalizations within each of two different colocalization methods, COLOC and FINEMAP. Finally, we identify a small subset of eQTL-associated variants highly correlated with local ancestry, providing a resource to enhance functional follow-up.

Conclusions

We provide a local ancestry map for admixed individuals in the GTEx v8 release and describe the impact of ancestry and admixture on gene expression, eQTLs, and GWAS colocalization. While the majority of the results are concordant between local and global ancestry-based adjustments, we identify distinct advantages and disadvantages to each approach.
Natural display of nuclear-encoded RNA on the cell surface and its impact on cell interaction
Authors: Huang Norman , Fan Xiaochen , Zaleta-Rivera Kathia , Nguyen Tri C. , Zhou Jiarong , Luo Yingjun , Gao Jie , Fang Ronnie H. , Yan Zhangming , Chen Zhen Bouman , Zhang Liangfang , Zhong Sheng
Published: September 2020

Background

Compared to proteins, glycans, and lipids, much less is known about RNAs on the cell surface. We develop a series of technologies to test for any nuclear-encoded RNAs that are stably attached to the cell surface and exposed to the extracellular space, hereafter called membrane-associated extracellular RNAs (maxRNAs).

Results

We develop a technique called Surface-seq to selectively sequence maxRNAs and validate two Surface-seq identified maxRNAs by RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization. To test for cell-type specificity of maxRNA, we use antisense oligos to hybridize to single-stranded transcripts exposed on the surface of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Combining this strategy with imaging flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and maxRNA sequencing, we identify monocytes as the major type of maxRNA+ PBMCs and prioritize 11 candidate maxRNAs for functional tests. Extracellular application of antisense oligos of FNDC3B and CTSS transcripts inhibits monocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cells.

Conclusions

Collectively, these data highlight maxRNAs as functional components of the cell surface, suggesting an expanded role for RNA in cell-cell and cell-environment interactions.
GetOrganelle: a fast and versatile toolkit for accurate de novo assembly of organelle genomes
Authors: Jin Jian-Jun , Yu Wen-Bin , Yang Jun-Bo , Song Yu , dePamphilis Claude W. , Yi Ting-Shuang , Li De-Zhu
Published: September 2020

GetOrganelle is a state-of-the-art toolkit to accurately assemble organelle genomes from whole genome sequencing data. It recruits organelle-associated reads using a modified “baiting and iterative mapping” approach, conducts de novo assembly, filters and disentangles the assembly graph, and produces all possible configurations of circular organelle genomes. For 50 published plant datasets, we are able to reassemble the circular plastomes from 47 datasets using GetOrganelle. GetOrganelle assemblies are more accurate than published and/or NOVOPlasty-reassembled plastomes as assessed by mapping. We also assemble complete mitochondrial genomes using GetOrganelle. GetOrganelle is freely released under a GPL-3 license (https://github.com/Kinggerm/GetOrganelle).
Estimating the quality of eukaryotic genomes recovered from metagenomic analysis with EukCC
Authors: Saary Paul , Mitchell Alex L. , Finn Robert D.
Published: September 2020

Microbial eukaryotes constitute a significant fraction of biodiversity and have recently gained more attention, but the recovery of high-quality metagenomic assembled eukaryotic genomes is limited by the current availability of tools. To help address this, we have developed EukCC, a tool for estimating the quality of eukaryotic genomes based on the automated dynamic selection of single copy marker gene sets. We demonstrate that our method outperforms current genome quality estimators, particularly for estimating contamination, and have applied EukCC to datasets derived from two different environments to enable the identification of novel eukaryote genomes, including one from the human skin.
Metalign: efficient alignment-based metagenomic profiling via containment min hash
Authors: LaPierre Nathan , Alser Mohammed , Eskin Eleazar , Koslicki David , Mangul Serghei
Published: September 2020

Metagenomic profiling, predicting the presence and relative abundances of microbes in a sample, is a critical first step in microbiome analysis. Alignment-based approaches are often considered accurate yet computationally infeasible. Here, we present a novel method, Metalign, that performs efficient and accurate alignment-based metagenomic profiling. We use a novel containment min hash approach to pre-filter the reference database prior to alignment and then process both uniquely aligned and multi-aligned reads to produce accurate abundance estimates. In performance evaluations on both real and simulated datasets, Metalign is the only method evaluated that maintained high performance and competitive running time across all datasets.
Effect of acupuncture on women with poor ovarian response: a study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial
Authors: Xu Huanfang , Zheng Chensi , He Liyun , Su Tongsheng , Wang Huidan , Li Yu , Zhao Cui , Zhang Cuilian , Bai Yang , Tong Guoqing , Chen Li , Zhao Fang , Yang Huisheng , Hao Mingzhao , Yin Yaqian , Yang Li , Fang Yigong , Liu Baoyan
Published: September 2020

Background

Poor ovarian response (POR), a manifestation of low ovarian reserve and ovarian aging, leads to a significant reduction in the pregnancy rate after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Acupuncture has increasingly been used to improve the ovarian reserve. The purpose of this study will be to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on increasing the number of retrieved oocytes after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in women with POR.

Methods

This will be a multicenter randomized controlled trial. A total of 140 women with POR will be randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or nontreatment for 12 weeks before controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. The primary outcome will be the number of retrieved oocytes. The secondary outcomes will be antral follicle counts, serum levels of anti-Müllerian hormone, basal serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and estradiol levels, scores from the self-rating anxiety scale, fertilization rates, cleavage rates, available embryo rates, and high-quality embryo rates. The safety of acupuncture will also be assessed.

Discussion

The results of this trial will help to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of POR. This may provide a new treatment option for patients with POR and their physicians.

Trial registration

AMCTR-IPR-18000198. Registered on 10 August 2018.
Investigations on the occurrence of tapeworm infections in German horse populations with comparison of different antibody detection methods based on saliva and serum samples
Authors: Jürgenschellert Laura , Krücken Jürgen , Austin Corrine J. , Lightbody Kirsty L. , Bousquet Eric , von Samson-Himmelstjerna Georg
Published: September 2020

Background

Effective and sustainable worm control in horses would benefit from detailed information about the current regional occurrence of tapeworms. Different diagnostic methods are currently available to detect Anoplocephala spp. infections in horses. However, the format as well as the sensitivity and specificity of the methods vary considerably.

Methods

A coprological, serological and questionnaire study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of tapeworm infections on 48 horse farms in the region of Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany. In total, faecal samples of 484 horses were analysed using the double centrifugation/combined sedimentation-flotation and mini-FLOTAC. Serum (n = 481) and saliva (n = 365) samples were analysed by ELISAs to determine antibody levels against Anoplocephala spp. 12/13 kDa excretory/secretory (E/S) antigens.

Results

Cestode eggs were detected in 0.6% of faecal samples (farm prevalence 6.3%) without differences between the two methods. In contrast, antibodies against Anoplocephala spp. were detected in 16.2% (farm prevalence 52.1%) and in 29.5% (farm prevalence 75.7%) of the serum and saliva samples, respectively. Both ELISA based methods for detection of tapeworms reported a greater number of infected animals requiring treatment than were positively identified by coproscopy. Logistic regression analysis identified permanent pasture access, large pastures and regular pasture changes and high strongyle egg counts as risk factors for positive serum antibody responses to Anoplocephala spp. while last treatment with praziquantel was protective. Other protective factors were the presence of foals and high numbers of horses on the farm. Daily removal of faeces from the pasture and horse age did not have a significant effect.

Conclusions

The findings of the present serological investigation indicate that tapeworm prevalence in Berlin/Brandenburg horse farms is much higher than would be anticipated by using conventional/coproscopic analyses. Moreover, the majority of tapeworm-positive horses had not received a cestocidal drug at their last treatment. Considering the already known low sensitivity of the coproscopic detection, the equine veterinary diagnostics can be enhanced by the use of antibody detection methods such as the saliva-based ELISA.
High sensitivity of one-step real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR to detect low virus titers in large mosquito pools
Authors: Tang Zhaoyang , Yamada Hanano , Kraupa Carina , Canic Sumejja , Busquets Núria , Talavera Sandra , Jiolle Davy , Vreysen Marc J. B. , Bouyer Jérémy , Abd-Alla Adly M. M.
Published: September 2020

Background

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world. Their ability to carry and spread diseases to humans causes millions of deaths every year. Due to the lack of efficient vaccines, the control of mosquito-borne diseases primarily relies on the management of the vector. Traditional control methods are insufficient to control mosquito populations. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an additional control method that can be combined with other control tactics to suppress specific mosquito populations. The SIT requires the mass-rearing and release of sterile males with the aim to induce sterility in the wild female population. Samples collected from the environment for laboratory colonization, as well as the released males, should be free from mosquito-borne viruses (MBV). Therefore, efficient detection methods with defined detection limits for MBV are required. Although a one-step reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method was developed to detect arboviruses in human and mosquito samples, its detection limit in mosquito samples has yet to be defined.

Methods

We evaluated the detection sensitivity of one step RT-qPCR for targeted arboviruses in large mosquito pools, using pools of non-infected mosquitoes of various sizes (165, 320 and 1600 mosquitoes) containing one infected mosquito body with defined virus titers of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), usutu virus (USUV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Zika virus (ZIKV).

Results

CHIK, USUV, ZIKV, and WNV virus were detected in all tested pools using the RT-qPCR assay. Moreover, in the largest mosquito pools (1600 mosquitoes), RT-qPCR was able to detect the targeted viruses using different total RNA quantities (10, 1 and 0.1 ng per reaction) as a template. Correlating the virus titer with the total RNA quantity allowed the prediction of the maximum number of mosquitoes per pool in which the RT-qPCR can theoretically detect the virus infection.

Conclusions

Mosquito-borne viruses can be reliably detected by RT-qPCR assay in pools of mosquitoes exceeding 1000 specimens. This will represent an important step to expand pathogen-free colonies for mass-rearing sterile males for programmes that have a SIT component by reducing the time and the manpower needed to conduct this quality control process.
First report of genetic diversity and risk factor analysis of equine piroplasm infection in equids in Jilin, China
Authors: Zhao Shaowei , Wang Hao , Zhang Shuang , Xie Suzhu , Li Hang , Zhang Xuancheng , Jia Lijun
Published: September 2020

Background

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne hemoprotozoan disease of equids, caused by Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Equine piroplasmosis represents a serious challenge to the equine industry due to important economic losses worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in equids from Jilin Province, China.

Methods

A total of 220 blood samples (192 horses and 28 donkeys/mules) were collected from March 2018 to October 2019 in five districts of Jilin Province and analyzed by PCR. Potential risk factors, including the region, sex, management, and host species of the animals were assessed in relation to T. equi infection. Moreover, the V4 hypervariable region of the T. equi 18S rRNA gene was analyzed to identify specific genotypes.

Results

The overall prevalence of T. equi in equids was 27.7%, whereas B. caballi infection was not identified. The district with the highest positive rate was Baicheng (43.3%), followed by Tonghua (28.9%), Yanbian (26.4%), Jilin (23.3%), and Liaoyuan (20.9%). The sex of the animals and farm management were identified as main risk factors, which were significantly associated with the prevalence of Equine piroplasmosis (P < 0.05). The risk factor analysis indicated that the females were at a higher risk (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.17–5.27) of being infected compared to the males, whereas the organized farm was protective factor (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.22–0.80). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that there were two T. equi genotypes (A and E) in Jilin.

Conclusions

Our findings provided important epidemiological data for the prevention and control of T. equi infection in Jilin, China.
Personalized cancer therapy prioritization based on driver alteration co-occurrence patterns
Authors: Mateo Lidia , Duran-Frigola Miquel , Gris-Oliver Albert , Palafox Marta , Scaltriti Maurizio , Razavi Pedram , Chandarlapaty Sarat , Arribas Joaquin , Bellet Meritxell , Serra Violeta , Aloy Patrick
Published: September 2020

Identification of actionable genomic vulnerabilities is key to precision oncology. Utilizing a large-scale drug screening in patient-derived xenografts, we uncover driver gene alteration connections, derive driver co-occurrence (DCO) networks, and relate these to drug sensitivity. Our collection of 53 drug-response predictors attains an average balanced accuracy of 58% in a cross-validation setting, rising to 66% for a subset of high-confidence predictions. We experimentally validated 12 out of 14 predictions in mice and adapted our strategy to obtain drug-response models from patients’ progression-free survival data. Our strategy reveals links between oncogenic alterations, increasing the clinical impact of genomic profiling.
Focal brain ischemia in mice does not cause electrophysiological signs of critical illness neuropathy
Authors: Huehnchen Petra , Toyka Klaus Viktor , Gertz Karen , Endres Matthias , Boehmerle Wolfgang
Published: September 2020

Objective

Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) is a common complication of severe systemic illness treated in intensive care medicine. Ischemic stroke leads to an acute critical injury of the brain with hemiparesis, immunosuppression and subsequent infections, all of which require extended medical treatment. Stroke-induced sarcopenia further contributes to poor rehabilitation and is characterized by muscle wasting and denervation in the paralytic, but also the unaffected limbs. Therefore, we asked whether stroke leads to an additional CIP-like neurodegeneration.

Results

Focal brain ischemia was induced in adult mice by 60-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) following reperfusion and led to functional deficits and marked hemispheric brain atrophy. Nerve conduction function and muscle potentials were measured in the ipsilateral sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscle with electroneurography/-myography on days 10, 22, 44 after stroke. An additional crush-injury to the sciatic nerve was included in two sham mice as positive control (sham +). We found no differences in nerve conduction function nor spontaneous electromyographic activity between MCAo and sham animals. Sham + mice developed marked reduction of the motor action potential amplitudes and conduction velocities with pathologic spontaneous activity. In conclusion, we found no peripheral nerve dysfunction/degeneration as signs of a CIP-like phenotype after MCAo.
T2 heterogeneity: a novel marker of microstructural integrity associated with cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Wearn Alfie R. , Nurdal Volkan , Saunders-Jennings Esther , Knight Michael J. , Isotalus Hanna K. , Dillon Serena , Tsivos Demitra , Kauppinen Risto A. , Coulthard Elizabeth J.
Published: September 2020

Background

Early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis is vital for development of disease-modifying therapies. Prior to significant brain tissue atrophy, several microstructural changes take place as a result of Alzheimer’s pathology. These include deposition of amyloid, tau and iron, as well as altered water homeostasis in tissue and some cell death. T2 relaxation time, a quantitative MRI measure, is sensitive to these changes and may be a useful non-invasive, early marker of tissue integrity which could predict conversion to dementia. We propose that different microstructural changes affect T2 in opposing ways, such that average ‘midpoint’ measures of T2 are less sensitive than measuring distribution width (heterogeneity). T2 heterogeneity in the brain may present a sensitive early marker of AD pathology.

Methods

In this cohort study, we tested 97 healthy older controls, 49 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 10 with a clinical diagnosis of AD. All participants underwent structural MRI including a multi-echo sequence for quantitative T2 assessment. Cognitive change over 1 year was assessed in 20 participants with MCI. T2 distributions were modelled in the hippocampus and thalamus using log-logistic distribution giving measures of log-median value (midpoint; T2μ) and distribution width (heterogeneity; T2σ).

Results

We show an increase in T2 heterogeneity (T2σ; p < .0001) in MCI compared to healthy controls, which was not seen with midpoint (T2μ; p = .149) in the hippocampus and thalamus. Hippocampal T2 heterogeneity predicted cognitive decline over 1 year in MCI participants (p = .018), but midpoint (p = .132) and volume (p = .315) did not. Age affects T2, but the effects described here are significant even after correcting for age.

Conclusions

We show that T2 heterogeneity can identify subtle changes in microstructural integrity of brain tissue in MCI and predict cognitive decline over a year. We describe a new model that considers the competing effects of factors that both increase and decrease T2. These two opposing forces suggest that previous conclusions based on T2 midpoint may have obscured the true potential of T2 as a marker of subtle neuropathology. We propose that T2 heterogeneity reflects microstructural integrity with potential to be a widely used early biomarker of conditions such as AD.
Geometry of color perception. Part 2: perceived colors from real quantum states and Hering’s rebit
Authors: Berthier M.
Published: September 2020

Inspired by the pioneer work of H.L. Resnikoff, which is described in full detail in the first part of this two-part paper, we give a quantum description of the space$\mathcal{P}$Pof perceived colors. We show that$\mathcal{P}$Pis the effect space of a rebit, a real quantum qubit, whose state space is isometric to Klein’s hyperbolic disk. This chromatic state space of perceived colors can be represented as a Bloch disk of real dimension 2 that coincides with Hering’s disk given by the color opponency mechanism. Attributes of perceived colors, hue and saturation, are defined in terms of Von Neumann entropy.
Survival of soft tissue sarcoma patients after completing six cycles of first-line anthracycline containing treatment: an EORTC-STBSG database study
Authors: Verschoor Arie Jan , Litière Saskia , Marréaud Sandrine , Judson Ian , Toulmonde Maud , Wardelmann Eva , LeCesne Axel , Gelderblom Hans
Published: September 2020

Background

Doxorubicin based chemotherapy is standard first line treatment for patients with soft tissue sarcoma. Currently several options to improve survival after doxorubicin based chemotherapy are being studied. This study reports on survival after completing 6 cycles of doxorubicin containing first line treatment, which is important when designing studies trying to improve outcomes of first line treatment.

Methods

A retrospective database analysis was performed on 2045 patients from 12 EORTC sarcoma trials (inclusion period 1980–2012) receiving first line doxorubicin based chemotherapy for advanced soft tissue sarcoma in order to establish progression free survival and overall survival after completing 6 cycles of first line doxorubicin based chemotherapy. Endpoints were overall survival and progression free survival. Factors studied were histologic subtype and type of doxorubicin chemotherapy.

Results

748 of 2045 (36.6%) received at least 6 cycles and did not progress during or at the end of chemotherapy. 475 of 2045 (23.2%) of patients received exactly 6 cycles and did not progress during or at the end of chemotherapy. Median progression free survival after 6 cycles of doxorubicin based chemotherapy was 4.2 months (95% confidence interval 3.7–4.8) and median overall survival 15.7 months (14.0–17.8). Median progression free survival and overall survival from randomisation/registration were 8.7 months (95% confidence interval 8.2–9.1) and 20.1 months (95% confidence interval 18.3–22.3) respectively. Significant differences in progression free survival were found between chemotherapy regimens, but not for overall survival. These data are also reported for patients receiving 7 or more cycles of chemotherapy and for patients with 3 or more cycles of chemotherapy.

Conclusion

This large retrospective study is the first to report progression free survival and overall survival after completion of 6 cycles of first line doxorubicin containing chemotherapy. These results are important when designing new studies exploring for example maintenance therapy after doxorubicin based chemotherapy.
Network resource optimization with reinforcement learning for low power wide area networks
Authors: Park Gyubong , Lee Wooyeob , Joe Inwhee
Published: September 2020

As the 4th industrial revolution using information becomes an issue, wireless communication technologies such as the Internet of Things have been spotlighted. Therefore, much research is needed to satisfy the technological demands for the future society. A LPWA (low power wide area) in the wireless communication environment enables low-power, long-distance communication to meet various application requirements that conventional wireless communications have been difficult to meet. We propose a method to consume the minimum transmission power relative to the maximum data rate with the target of LoRaWAN among LPWA networks. Reinforcement learning is adopted to find the appropriate parameter values for the minimum transmission power. With deep reinforcement learning, we address the LoRaWAN problem with the goal of optimizing the distribution of network resources such as spreading factor, transmission power, and channel. By creating a number of deep reinforcement learning agents that match the terminal nodes in the network server, the optimal transmission parameters are provided to the terminal nodes. The simulation results show that the proposed method is about 15% better than the existing ADR (adaptive data rate) MAX of LoRaWAN in terms of throughput relative to energy transmission.
Coverless image steganography based on DenseNet feature mapping
Authors: Liu Qiang , Xiang Xuyu , Qin Jiaohua , Tan Yun , Qiu Yao
Published: September 2020

Since the concept of coverless information hiding was proposed, it has been greatly developed due to its effectiveness of resisting the steganographic tools. Most existing coverless image steganography (CIS) methods achieve excellent robustness under non-geometric attacks. However, they do not perform well under some geometric attacks. Towards this goal, a CIS algorithm based on DenseNet feature mapping is proposed. Deep learning is introduced to extract high-dimensional CNN features which are mapped into hash sequences. For the sender, a binary tree hash index is built to accelerate index speed of searching hidden information and DenseNet hash sequence, and then, all matched images are sent. For the receiver, the secret information can be recovered successfully by calculating the DenseNet hash sequence of the cover image. During the whole steganography process, the cover images remain unchanged. Experimental results and analysis show that the proposed scheme has better robust compared with the state-of-the-art methods under geometric attacks.
Ground states for infinite lattices with nearest neighbor interaction
Authors: Chen Peng , Hu Die , Zhang Yuanyuan
Published: September 2020

Sun and Ma (J. Differ. Equ. 255:2534–2563, 2013) proved the existence of a nonzero T-periodic solution for a class of one-dimensional lattice dynamical systems, $$\begin{aligned} \ddot{q_{i}}=\varPhi _{i-1}'(q_{i-1}-q_{i})- \varPhi _{i}'(q_{i}-q_{i+1}),\quad i\in \mathbb{Z}, \end{aligned}$$

q
i

¨

=

Φ

i
−
1

′

(

q

i
−
1

−

q
i

)
−

Φ
i
′

(

q
i

−

q

i
+
1

)
,

i
∈
Z
,
where $q_{i}$

q
i

denotes the co-ordinate of the ith particle and $\varPhi _{i}$

Φ
i

denotes the potential of the interaction between the ith and the $(i+1)$
(
i
+
1
)
th particle. We extend their results to the case of the least energy of nonzero T-periodic solution under general conditions. Of particular interest is a new and quite general approach. To the best of our knowledge, there is no result for the ground states for one-dimensional lattice dynamical systems.
Abundant distinct types of solutions for the nervous biological fractional FitzHugh–Nagumo equation via three different sorts of schemes
Authors: Abdel-Aty Abdel-Haleem , Khater Mostafa M. A. , Baleanu Dumitru , Khalil E. M. , Bouslimi Jamel , Omri M.
Published: September 2020

The dynamical attitude of the transmission for the nerve impulses of a nervous system, which is mathematically formulated by the Atangana–Baleanu (AB) time-fractional FitzHugh–Nagumo (FN) equation, is computationally and numerically investigated via two distinct schemes. These schemes are the improved Riccati expansion method and B-spline schemes. Additionally, the stability behavior of the analytical evaluated solutions is illustrated based on the characteristics of the Hamiltonian to explain the applicability of them in the model’s applications. Also, the physical and dynamical behaviors of the gained solutions are clarified by sketching them in three different types of plots. The practical side and power of applied methods are shown to explain their ability to use on many other nonlinear evaluation equations.
Fast collocation method for a two-dimensional variable-coefficient linear nonlocal diffusion model
Authors: Zhang Xuhao , Cheng Aijie
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a fast collocation method is developed for a two-dimensional variable-coefficient linear nonlocal diffusion model. By carefully dealing with the variable coefficient in the integral operator and then analyzing the structure of the coefficient matrix, we can reduce the computational operations in each Krylov subspace iteration from $O(N^{2})$
O
(

N
2

)
to $O(N\log N)$
O
(
N
log
N
)
and the memory requirement for the coefficient matrix from $O(N^{2})$
O
(

N
2

)
to $O(N)$
O
(
N
)
. Numerical experiments are carried out to show the utility of the fast collocation method.