bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy during good response to immuno-chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a case report
Authors: Utsu Yoshikazu , Kawakami Makio , Arai Hironori , Hisamatsu Haruka , Yano Yudai , Terada Jiro
Published: April 2023

Background

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy is a rapidly progressive and fatal disease in which tumor cells embolize to the pulmonary microvasculature. This condition is characterized by severe dyspnea and right heart failure. Although pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy typically occurs in patients with untreated and/or advanced cancer, its occurrence in patients who are responding well to medical therapy is poorly documented.

Case presentation

A 68-year-old Japanese woman who had received four cycles of immuno-chemotherapy (pembrolizumab, carboplatin, and pemetrexed) followed by three cycles of maintenance therapy (pembrolizumab and pemetrexed) for advanced non-small cell lung cancer and had achieved a partial response with a stable clinical course was admitted to the emergency ward because of worsening breathlessness and general fatigue for 1 week. Chest computed tomography showed no evidence of tumor progression or any new lung lesion. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated right atrial and ventricular dilatation, tricuspid regurgitation, and a high trans-tricuspid pressure gradient of 65 mmHg. Despite her percutaneous oxygen saturation being 96% on room air at the time of admission, it worsened rapidly; the patient requiring 8 L/min of oxygen within 4 h. Repeat computed tomography with contrast medium revealed no evidence of pulmonary embolism. The patient developed progressive respiratory failure that was unresponsive to optimal cardio-pulmonary supportive therapy. An autopsy revealed tumorous clusters in pre-capillary lung vessels, whereas the primary lesion had shrunk to the point of almost complete resolution.

Conclusion

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy occurs not only in patients with advanced and/or uncontrolled cancer but also in those whose primary lesion seems to have been well controlled by medical treatment.
Heroin-induced osteoporosis presented with bilateral femoral neck insufficiency fractures in a male adult: a case report
Authors: Shih Yu-Jen , Chang Wei-Ning , Yang Shan-Wei
Published: April 2023

Background

Osteoporosis has been associated with several disorders; however, there have been only a limited number of reports on heroin-induced osteoporosis. We report a rare case presented with bilateral femoral neck insufficiency fractures without trauma history, caused by heroin-induced osteoporosis. We collect sufficient clinical data and further shed light on the potential mechanism of how heroin affects bone formation and decreases bone density.

Case presentation

A 55-year-old male patient with normal body mass index (BMI) suffered from bilateral hips pain gradually without trauma history. He had intravenous heroin addiction for more than 30 years. Radiography revealed bilateral femoral neck insufficiency fractures. Laboratory tests showed elevated alkaline phosphatase levels (365 U/L) and decreased inorganic phosphate (1.7 mg/dL), calcium (8.3 mg/dL), 25-(OH)D3 (20.3 ng/ml) and testosterone levels (2.12 ng/ml). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed increased signals on STIR images over the sacral ala and bilateral proximal femur, and multiple band-like lesions at the vertebrae of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Bone densitometry revealed osteoporosis with a T score of minus 4.0. The screen for urine morphine was positive (> 1000 ng/ml). Through assessment of the patient, the diagnosis was insufficiency fractures of bilateral femoral neck caused by opioid-induced osteoporosis. After hemiarthroplasty, regular medication with vitamin D3 and calcium, and detoxification treatment, and the patient recovered well after 6 months of follow-up.

Conclusion

The aim of this report is to highlight the laboratory and radiology findings in a case of osteoporosis caused by opioid addiction and discuss the potential pathway by which osteoporosis is induced by opioids. When an unusual osteoporosis presents with insufficiency fractures, heroin-induced osteoporosis should be considered.
Biomechanical evaluation of reconstruction of the posterior complex in restorative laminoplasty with miniplates
Authors: Chen Jianmin , Liu Guoyin , Bao Tianyi , Xu Yuansheng , Luo Hu , Wu Yu , Cai Dawei , Qin Feng , Zhao Jianning
Published: April 2023

Objective

To evaluate the biomechanical effects of different miniplates on restorative laminoplasty.

Methods

Assembled restorative laminoplasty models were developed based on 3D printed L4 lamina. Based on different internal fixations, the research was divided into H-shaped miniplates (HSMs) group, two-hole miniplates (THMs) group, and L-shaped miniplates (LSMs) group. The static and dynamic compression tests were analyzed to investigate the biomechanical effects of different internal fixations in restorative laminoplasty, until the failure and fracture of miniplates, or the collapse of miniplates. The static compression tests adopted the speed control mode, and the dynamic fatigue compression tests adopted the load control mode.

Results

The “door close” and the collapse of lamina occurred in THMs group and LSMs group, and plate break occurred in LSMs group. However, these phenomenon was absent in HSMs group, and only plate crack around a screw and looseness of a screw tail cap were found in HSMs group. The sustainable yield load of HSMs group was greater than that of THMs group and LSMs group (P < 0.05). No significant difference in yielding-displacement was found between HSMs group and LSMs group (P > 0.05), while both were much less than that of THMs (P < 0.05). Moreover, the compressive stiffness and the axial displacement under the same mechanical load were arranged as follows: HSMs group > LSMs group > THMs group (P < 0.05). The results of dynamic compression test revealed that the peak load of HSMs group could reached 873 N and was 95% of the average yield load of the static compression, and was better than that in THMs group and LSMs group (P < 0.05). Besides, according to the fatigue life-peak load diagram, the ultimate load of HSMs group was more than twice that of THMs group or LSMs group.

Conclusions

The mechanical strength of H-shaped miniplates was superior to two-hole miniplates and L-shaped miniplates in maintaining spinal canal enlargement and spinal stability, and was more excellent in fatigue stability and ultimate load.
Comparison of the total and hidden blood loss in patients undergoing single-level open and unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective case control study
Authors: Peng Yu-Jian , Fan Zhi-Ying , Wang Qian-Liang , Dai Jun , Zhang Qian-Zhong-Yi , Cao Jun-Yin , Liu Xiao-Feng , Yan Jun
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to compare total blood loss (TBL) and hidden blood loss (HBL) in patients undergoing single-level open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (O-TLIF) and unilateral biportal endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (ULIF).

Methods

A total of 53 patients who underwent ULIF and 53 patients who underwent O-TLIF from March 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The Nadler’s formula was employed to estimate the patient’s blood volume (PBV), Gross’s formula to estimate TBL, and Sehat’s formula to estimate HBL. The obtained data were then analyzed with independent t test, chi-squared test, and analysis of covariance.

Results

TBL and measured blood loss (MBL) in ULIF group (326.86 ± 223.45 ml, 99.00 ± 72.81 ml) was significantly lower than O-TLIF group (427.97 ± 280.52 ml, 270.66 ± 102.34 ml). Nevertheless, the HBL in ULIF group was higher than that in O-TLIF group (227.86 ± 221.75 ml vs 157.31 ± 268.08 ml), however this was not statistically significant (p = 0.143). The HBL was 69.71 ± 23.72% of TBL in ULIF group and 36.76 ± 18.79% of TBL in O-TLIF group. Patients in ULIF group had lower TBL and MBL, shorter duration of drainage, lower postoperative anemia, and shorter postoperative hospital stay compared to those in O-TLIF group.

Conclusions

Perioperative HBL should not be neglected in patients undergoing ULIF or O-TILF, as it accounts for a large percentage of TBL in both groups. ULIF is associated with lower TBL and MBL, postoperative anemia, shorter postoperative hospital stays compared with O-TLIF.
Role of iron in the reduction of anemia among women of reproductive age in low-middle income countries: insights from systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ali Sumera Aziz , Razzaq Shama , Aziz Savera , Allana Ahreen , Ali Arzina Aziz , Naeem Shahla , Khowaja Nayab , Ur Rehman Fazal
Published: April 2023

Background

Iron deficiency anemia is a common public health issue among women of reproductive age (WRA) because it can result in adverse maternal and birth outcomes. Although studies are undertaken to assess iron efficacy, some gaps and limitations in the existing literature need to be addressed. To fill the gaps, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the role of iron in reducing anemia among WRA in low-middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods

A comprehensive search strategy was used to search Medline through PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct for RCTs published between 2000 and 2020. The primary outcome was the mean change in hemoglobin level. We used standardized mean differences and their respective 95% CI to estimate the pooled effect. We used I2 statistics and Egger’s test to assess heterogeneity and publication bias, respectively. This review was carried out in accordance with revised guidelines based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Results

The findings showed that iron therapy improved hemoglobin and ferritin levels, though the results varied across studies. An overall pooled effect estimate for the role of iron therapy in improving the hemoglobin levels among WRA was -0.71 (95% CI: -1.27 to -0.14) (p = 0.008). Likewise, the overall pooled effect estimate for the role of iron therapy in improving the ferritin levels among WRA was -0.76 (95% CI: -1.56 to 0.04) (p = 0.04). The heterogeneity (I2) across included studies was found to be statistically significant for studies assessing hemoglobin (Q = 746.93, I2 = 97.59%, p = 0.000) and ferritin level (Q = 659.95, I2 = 97.88%, p = 0.000).

Conclusion

Iron therapy in any form may reduce anemia’s burden and improve hemoglobin and ferritin levels, indicating improvement in iron-deficiency anemia. More evidence is required, however, to assess the morbidity associated with iron consumption, such as side effects, work performance, economic outcomes, mental health, and adherence to the intervention, with a particular focus on married but non-pregnant women planning a pregnancy in the near future.

Trial registration

Registered with PROSPERO and ID is CRD42020185033.
Evidence requirements of permanently listed digital health applications (DiGA) and their implementation in the German DiGA directory: an analysis
Authors: Mäder Melanie , Timpel Patrick , Schönfelder Tonio , Militzer-Horstmann Carsta , Scheibe Sandy , Heinrich Ria , Häckl Dennis
Published: April 2023

Background

With its digital health application (DiGA)-system, Germany is considered one of Europe's pioneers in the field of evidence-based digital health. Incorporating DiGA into standard medical care must be based on evidence-based success factors; however, a comprehensive overview of the evidence required of scientific studies for their approval is lacking.

Objective

The study aims to, (1) identify specific requirements defined by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (German: Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel- und Medizinprodukte; BfArM) to design adequate studies, proving a positive healthcare effect, and (2) to assess the evidence given for applications permanently listed in the DiGA directory.

Methods

A multi-step approach was used: (1) identification of the evidence requirements for applications permanently listed in the DiGA directory, (2) identification of the evidence available supporting them.

Results

All DiGA permanently listed in the DiGA directory (13 applications) are included in the formal analysis. Most DiGA addressed mental health (n = 7), and can be prescribed for one or two indications (n = 10). All permanently listed DiGA have demonstrated their positive healthcare effect through a medical benefit, and most of them provide evidence for one defined primary endpoint. All DiGA manufacturers conducted a randomized controlled trial.

Discussion

It is striking that— although patient-relevant structural and procedural improvements show high potential for improving care, especially in terms of processes — all DiGA have provided a positive care effect via a medical benefit. Although BfArM accepts study designs with a lower level of evidence for the proof of a positive healthcare effect, all manufacturers conducted a study with a high level of evidence.

Conclusion

The results of this analysis indicate that permanently listed DiGA meet higher standards than required by the guideline.
Anatomical and biometric study of the mitral valve apparatus: application in valve repair surgery
Authors: Barry Misbaou , Gun Mesut , Hun-Chabry Yuthiline , Harmouche Majid , Peltier Johann , Caus Thierry , Havet Eric
Published: April 2023

Objective

Most mitral valve repair techniques provide excellent surgical results by removing regurgitation, but all of these techniques simultaneously reduce posterior valve mobility. A comprehensive biometric study of the mitral valve apparatus will provide landmarks that would help improve this posterior valve mobility.

Materials and methods

Thirty one (31) human hearts have been studied, from 14 women and 17 men. The characteristics of the studied sample were analyzed descriptively. The difference in means of the variables between women and men were tested using a Student t test. Correlations between the different measures were determined by simple regression analysis. Mean values are shown with ± 1 standard deviation and the limit of significance was set at 0.05.

Results

The mean weight of the hearts was 275.3 ± 2.4 g. The anteroposterior diameter of the mitral annulus was 29.3 ± 1.22 mm, the intertrigonal distance was 25.2 ± 3.50 mm and the anterior leaflet to posterior leaflet ratio was 1.9 ± 0.10, the length of the chordae A2 = 19.4 ± 1.15 mm and P2 = 14.5 ± 0.85 mm. The length of the anterior papillary muscle averaged 30.9 ± 7.20 mm and that of the posterior one 30.0 ± 8.75 mm. The comparison of the different values measured between women and men showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between these different measured values (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

A perfect knowledge of anatomy and biometry is therefore essential to offer alternative techniques that reproduce the real anatomy and physiology with a complete reconstruction of the mitral valve.
Berberine improves negative symptoms and cognitive function in patients with chronic schizophrenia via anti-inflammatory effect: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Pu Zhengping , Wen Hui , Jiang Hongxia , Hou Qingmei , Yan Hui
Published: April 2023

Background

Based on the neuroinflammation hypothesis in schizophrenia and known anti-inflammatory effects of berberine, the aim of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of berberine in treating negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in adult patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Methods

Enrolled participants were randomized to receive berberine or placebo for 3 months. The Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), Trail-making Test A (TMT-A), Trail-making Test B (TMT-B), and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) were used to evaluate the negative symptoms and cognitive function at four-time points (baseline, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd month). Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were used as inflammatory markers. 106 patients with per-protocol were analyzed, 56 in the experimental (berberine) group and 50 in the control (placebo) group.

Results

From baseline to month 3, patients receiving berberine demonstrated a decrease in total scores on clinical scales SANS, TMT-A and TMT-B and showed a serum level reduction of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α comparing with patients in the control group (P < 0.05). There were positive correlations between the change of serum IL-1β level and the change of SANS (r = 0.210, P = 0.039), TMT-A (r = 0.522, P < 0.001), and TMT-B (r = 0.811, P < 0.001); between the change of serum IL-6 level and the change of TMT-A (r = 0.562, P < 0.001), and TMT-B (r = 0.664, P < 0.001); between the change of serum TNF-α level and the change of TMT-B (r = 0.472, P < 0.001) after berberine treatment.

Conclusions

Berberine is an anti-inflammatory agent that can potentially mitigate the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.
Automated classification of urine biomarkers to diagnose pancreatic cancer using 1-D convolutional neural networks
Authors: Karar Mohamed Esmail , El-Fishawy Nawal , Radad Marwa
Published: April 2023

Background

Early diagnosis of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the main key to surviving cancer patients. Urine proteomic biomarkers which are creatinine, LYVE1, REG1B, and TFF1 present a promising non-invasive and inexpensive diagnostic method of the PDAC. Recent utilization of both microfluidics technology and artificial intelligence techniques enables accurate detection and analysis of these biomarkers. This paper proposes a new deep-learning model to identify urine biomarkers for the automated diagnosis of pancreatic cancers. The proposed model is composed of one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM). It can categorize patients into healthy pancreas, benign hepatobiliary disease, and PDAC cases automatically.

Results

Experiments and evaluations have been successfully done on a public dataset of 590 urine samples of three classes, which are 183 healthy pancreas samples, 208 benign hepatobiliary disease samples, and 199 PDAC samples. The results demonstrated that our proposed 1-D CNN + LSTM model achieved the best accuracy score of 97% and the area under curve (AUC) of 98% versus the state-of-the-art models to diagnose pancreatic cancers using urine biomarkers.

Conclusion

A new efficient 1D CNN-LSTM model has been successfully developed for early PDAC diagnosis using four proteomic urine biomarkers of creatinine, LYVE1, REG1B, and TFF1. This developed model showed superior performance on other machine learning classifiers in previous studies. The main prospect of this study is the laboratory realization of our proposed deep classifier on urinary biomarker panels for assisting diagnostic procedures of pancreatic cancer patients.
Nomograms for predicting overall survival and cancer-specific survival in elderly patients with epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Cheng Hao , Xu Jin-Hong , Kang Xiao-Hong , Wu Chen-Chen , Tang Xiao-Nan , Chen Mei-Ling , Lian Zhu-Sheng , Li Ning , Xu Xue-Lian
Published: April 2023

Background

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most fatal gynecological malignancies among elderly patients. We aim to construct two nomograms to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in elderly EOC patients.

Methods

Elderly patients with EOC between 2000 and 2019 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Enrolled patients were randomly divided into the training and validation set at a ratio of 2:1. The OS and CSS were recognized as endpoint times. The independent prognostic factors from the multivariate analysis were used to establish nomograms for predicting the 3-, 5- and 10-year OS and CSS of elderly EOC patients. The improvement of predictive ability and clinical benefits were evaluated by consistency index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC), calibration curve, decision curve (DCA), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Finally, the treatment efficacy of surgery and chemotherapy in low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were displayed by Kaplan–Meier curves.

Results

Five thousand five hundred eighty-eight elderly EOC patients were obtained and randomly assigned to the training set (n = 3724) and validation set (n = 1864). The independent prognostic factors were utilized to construct nomograms for OS and CSS. Dynamic nomograms were also developed. The C-index of the OS nomogram and CSS nomogram were 0.713 and 0.729 in the training cohort. In the validation cohort, the C-index of the OS nomogram and CSS nomogram were 0.751 and 0.702. The calibration curve demonstrated good concordance between the predicted survival rates and actual observations. Moreover, the NRI, IDI, and DCA curves determined the outperformance of the nomogram compared with the AJCC stage system. Besides, local tumor resection had a higher benefit on the prognosis in all patients. Chemotherapy had a better prognosis in the high-risk groups, but not for the medium- risk and low-risk groups.

Conclusions

We developed and validated nomograms for predicting OS and CSS in elderly EOC patients to help gynecologists to develop an appropriate individualized therapeutic schedule.
Postdiagnosis circulating osteoprotegerin and TRAIL concentrations and survival and recurrence after a breast cancer diagnosis: results from the MARIE patient cohort
Authors: Le Cornet Charlotte , Jung Audrey Y. , Johnson Theron S. , Behrens Sabine , Obi Nadia , Becher Heiko , Chang-Claude Jenny , Fortner Renée T.
Published: April 2023

Background

Experimental studies suggest a role for osteoprotegerin (OPG) and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in mammary tumor development and progression. These biomarkers have been minimally investigated with respect to outcomes in breast cancer patients.

Methods

OPG and TRAIL were evaluated in blood samples collected from 2459 breast cancer patients enrolled in the MARIE study, a prospective population-based patient cohort, at median of 129 days after diagnosis. Participants were between ages 50 and 74 at diagnosis and recruited from 2002 to 2005 in two regions of Germany. Follow-up for recurrence and mortality was conducted through June 2015. Delayed-entry Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess associations between OPG and TRAIL with all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality, and recurrence, both overall and by tumor hormone receptor status.

Results

Median follow-up time was 11.7 years, with 485 deaths reported (277 breast cancer-specific). Higher OPG concentrations were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for 1-unit log2-transformed concentration (HRlog2) = 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.03–1.49). Associations were observed in women diagnosed with ER-PR- tumors or discordant hormone receptor status (ER-PR-, HRlog2 = 1.93 (1.20–3.10); discordant ERPR, 1.70 (1.03–2.81)), but not for women with ER + PR + tumors (HRlog2 = 1.06 (0.83–1.35)). OPG was associated with a higher risk of recurrence among women with ER-PR- disease (HRlog2 = 2.18 (1.39–3.40)). We observed no associations between OPG and breast cancer-specific survival, or for TRAIL and any outcome.

Conclusions

Higher circulating OPG may be a biomarker of a higher risk of poor outcome among women diagnosed with ER- breast cancer. Further mechanistic studies are warranted.
USP5 knockdown alleviates lung cancer progression via activating PARP1-mediated mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Cao Lei , Liu Hongsheng , Huang Cheng , Guo Chao , Zhao Luo , Gao Chao , Xu Yuan , Wang Guige , Liang Naixin , Li Shanqing
Published: April 2023

Background

With the rapidly increasing morbidity and mortality, lung cancer has been considered one of the serious malignant tumors, affecting millions of patients globally. Currently, the pathogenesis of lung cancer remains unclear, hindering the development of effective treatment. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms of lung cancer and develop an effective therapeutic approach for intervention in preventing lung cancer progress.

Methods

The USP5 levels are detected in lung cancerous and paracancerous tissue by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting methods to explore their roles in lung cancer progression. MTT, colony assay, and transwell chamber approaches are employed to measure cell viability, proliferation, and migration, respectively. Further, flow cytometry experiments are performed to examine the effect of USP5 on lung cancer. Finally, the investigations in vivo are executed using the mice subcutaneous tumor model to identify the effect of USP5 in promoting lung cancer development.

Results

Notably, USP5 is highly expressed in lung cancer, USP5 overexpression promoted the proliferation and migration in the lung cancer cell lines, H1299 and A549, while knockdown of USP5 inhibited these via regulating the PARP1-mediated mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the subcutaneous tumors model was established in C57BL/6 mice, and the volume of subcutaneous tumors was significantly reduced after silencing USP5, while increased after USP5 overexpression and decreased significantly with shRARP1 treatment at the same time.

Conclusions

Together, USP5 could promote the progression of lung cancer cells by mTOR signaling pathway and interacting with PARP1, indicating that USP5 may become a new target for lung cancer treatment.
Characterizing the Wolbachia infection in field-collected Culicidae mosquitoes from Hainan Province, China
Authors: Li Yiji , Sun Yingbo , Zou Jiaquan , Zhong Daibin , Liu Rui , Zhu Chuanlong , Li Wenting , Zhou Yanhe , Cui Liwang , Zhou Guofa , Lu Gang , Li Tingting
Published: April 2023

Background

Mosquitoes are vectors of many pathogens, such as malaria, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, filaria and Japanese encephalitis virus.Wolbachiaare capable of inducing a wide range of reproductive abnormalities in their hosts, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility.Wolbachiahas been proposed as a tool to modify mosquitoes that are resistant to pathogen infection as an alternative vector control strategy. This study aimed to determine naturalWolbachiainfections in different mosquito species across Hainan Province, China.

Methods

Adult mosquitoes were collected using light traps, human landing catches and aspirators in five areas in Hainan Province from May 2020 to November 2021. Species were identified based on morphological characteristics, species-specific PCR and DNA barcoding ofcox1 assays. Molecular classification of species and phylogenetic analyses ofWolbachiainfections were conducted based on the sequences from PCR products ofcox1,wsp,16SrRNA andFtsZgene segments.

Results

A total of 413 female adult mosquitoes representing 15 species were identified molecularly and analyzed. Four mosquito species (Aedes albopictus,Culex quinquefasciatus,Armigeres subalbatusandCulex gelidus) were positive forWolbachiainfection. The overallWolbachiainfection rate for all mosquitoes tested in this study was 36.1% but varied among species.Wolbachiatypes A, B and mixed infections of A × B were detected inAe. albopictusmosquitoes. A total of fivewsphaplotypes, sixFtsZhaplotypes and six16SrRNA haplotypes were detected fromWolbachiainfections. Phylogenetic tree analysis ofwspsequences classified them into three groups (type A, B and C) ofWolbachiastrains compared to two groups each forFtsZand16SrRNA sequences. A novel type CWolbachiastrain was detected inCx. gelidusby both single locuswspgene and the combination of three genes.

Conclusion

Our study revealed the prevalence and distribution ofWolbachiain mosquitoes from Hainan Province, China. Knowledge of the prevalence and diversity ofWolbachiastrains in local mosquito populations will provide part of the baseline information required for current and futureWolbachia-based vector control approaches to be conducted in Hainan Province.

Graphical Abstract
A self-adaptive extragradient method for fixed-point and pseudomonotone equilibrium problems in Hadamard spaces
Authors: Aremu Kazeem Olalekan , Jolaoso Lateef Olakunle , Oyewole Olawale Kazeem
Published: April 2023

In this work, we study a self-adaptive extragradient algorithm for approximating a common solution of a pseudomonotone equilibrium problem and fixed-point problem for multivalued nonexpansive mapping in Hadamard spaces. Our proposed algorithm is designed in such a way that its step size does not require knowledge of the Lipschitz-like constants of the bifunction. Under some appropriate conditions, we establish the strong convergence of the algorithm without prior knowledge of the Lipschitz constants. Furthermore, we provide a numerical experiment to demonstrate the efficiency of our algorithm. This result extends and complements recent results in the literature.
Intelligent evaluation model of basketball teaching reliability based on swarm intelligence and edge computing
Authors: Wang Ding Hang , Jian Sile
Published: April 2023

Campus basketball culture is gradually affecting students’ sports spirit and sports accomplishment. As for the evaluation of basketball teaching achievements, the method of specified items is generally used for testing, which is highly subjective. It’s completely teacher-led, and teachers make relevant evaluations of students’ basketball behavior. Teachers can’t be absolutely fair and just in the evaluation, because teacher evaluation can be affected by many factors, such as teachers’ mood on that day, teachers’ affection for students, and so on, the traditional way of teacher basketball evaluation is easy to cause negative emotional impact on some students, so that students have negative emotions on basketball activities, and even affect their sports quality, and finally affect their health. Based on the evaluation method of basketball teaching, this paper introduced a reliability intelligent evaluation model based on swarm intelligence and edge computing and used this model to evaluate students’ performance in basketball teaching classes. Moreover, this paper designed a related experiment, the experimental results showed that boys and girls in basketball level gap was more obvious. As far as dribbling skills were concerned, the highest score of boy A was 91 points, while the lowest score of girl C was 54 points. The gap was quite large. At the same time, the introduction results of the reliability intelligent evaluation model were studied by using the questionnaire survey method. As can be seen from the results of the questionnaire, the number of people who are very interested in basketball teaching activities is obviously high, and the number of people who are still not interested in the six activities is no more than 2. Through the change data of students’ interests and attitudes, it was proved that the reliability intelligent evaluation model could improve the students’ enthusiasm for learning basketball courses, thus improving their sports quality. This study provided a reference value for the application of swarm intelligence and edge computing in the intelligent evaluation model of basketball teaching reliability, and provided a direction for the future development of basketball teaching.
Effect of insulin resistance on CAC scores in cancer survivors
Authors: Jacobi N. , Ortman S. , Buda L. , Duprez Daniel
Published: April 2023

Background

Many ca. survivors exhibit signs of IR, an important risk factor for the development of CAD. CAC scans offer a risk assessment of CV disease before cardiac damage has occurred. We investigated how IR affects CAC scores in cancer survivors.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to show that CAC scores differ significantly between insulin-sensitive- and -resistant cancer survivors.

Methods

We enrolled 90 cancer survivors of a large community hospital from March 2021 to January 2022 into this pilot study. Patients were subdivided into three groups: insulin-sensitive (IS), insulin-resistant/prediabetic and insulin-resistant/diabetic. All patients received a CAC scan.

Results

70% of asymptomatic survivors overall and 81% of asymptomatic IR patients show CAD on CAC scans. 17 CAC scans in the IS group, 6 CAC scans in the IR/prediabetic group and 5 CAC scans in the IR/diabetic group showed an Agatston score of 0. The p-value between the three groups was statistically significant (p = 0.005) whereas the IR/prediabetic- and the IR/diabetic group did not differ statistically from each other. The mean MESA 10-year CHD risk with CAC was 7.8. There was a highly significant difference between the 3 groups (p < 0.001). The two IR groups did not differ statistically (p = 0.076).

Conclusions

Survivors with IR including prediabetes have less frequent zero CAC scores than insulin-sensitive survivors. Our study also showed that IR including prediabetes significantly increases the MESA 10-yr. CHD Risk with CAC in cancer survivors. This trial highlights the importance of screening survivors for IR and draws attention to the association of IR to CAC not only in diabetes but also in prediabetes. The high fraction of asymptomatic survivors with CAD is concerning and calls for further investigation. CAC scans are an inexpensive and efficient way of screening asymptomatic cancer survivors for CAD.
Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis: extinction or outbreak
Authors: Irunde Jacob I. , Luhanda Faraja B.
Published: April 2023

Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis are neglected zoonotic diseases that affect human health and economies of developing countries. In this work, we formulate and analyze deterministic and continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) stochastic models to determine parameters that drive Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis and the likelihood of their extinction. The basic reproduction number $$R_0$$

R
0

is computed by the next generation matrix approach, sensitivity index of each parameter in $$R_0$$

R
0

is derived by the normalized forward sensitivity index and the likelihood of diseases’ extinction is computed by the multitype branching process. The analysis shows that humans with Taenia solium taeniasis, infectious pork and Taenia solium eggs in the environment play an important role in the transmission of Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis, and the model exhibits forward bifurcation at $$R_0=1$$

R
0

=
1

. This implies that $$R_0<1$$

R
0

<
1

is a sufficient condition to eliminate Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis. For CTMC model, analysis shows that the probability of Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis extinction is high if the diseases emerge from humans with Taenia solium cysticercosis and there is an outbreak if the diseases emerge from either humans with Taenia solium taeniasis or infectious pork or Taenia solium eggs in the environment. To control Taenia solium taeniasis and cysticercosis, the intervention strategies should focus on improving hygiene and sanitation for reducing shedding rate of Taenia solium eggs in the environment, inspection of pork for reducing the rate of acquiring Taenia solium taeniasis and spraying of insecticides for killing Taenia solium eggs in the environment.
Benefits following community treatment orders have an inverse relationship with rates of use: meta-analysis and meta-regression
Authors: Kisely Steve , McMahon Laura , Siskind Dan
Published: April 2023

Background

Community treatment order (CTO) use in Australia and New Zealand ranges from less than 40 per 100 000 population in Western Australia and Canterbury to over 100 per 100 000 in Victoria, South Australia and Waitemata. Recent publications on CTO use now permit a meta-regression to investigate whether differences in CTO use by jurisdiction affect either the possible predictors or outcomes of CTOs.

Aims

To assess whether factors associated with CTO placement or subsequent outcomes vary by rates of use.

Method

A systematic search of PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PsycINFO for any Australian or New Zealand study comparing CTO cases with controls receiving voluntary psychiatric treatment. This study was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (protocol registration number: CRD42022351500).

Results

There were 35 articles from 16 studies identified in the search, plus unpublished data from a further study. Of these, 29 publications were included in meta-analyses. Two were from New Zealand. People who were male, single and not engaged in work, study or home duties were significantly more likely to be on CTOs. In addition, those from migrant backgrounds were 47% more likely to be on an order. On meta-regression, cases in jurisdictions with higher CTO rates had higher proportions of females or individuals with diagnoses other than non-affective psychoses. High-use jurisdictions were also less likely to show reductions in readmission rates or bed-days.

Conclusions

There are marked differences in the possible predictors and outcomes of CTO placement between high- and low-use jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand. These findings may have implications elsewhere and indicate that better-targeted CTO placement might improve outcomes.
Anionic G•U pairs in bacterial ribosomal rRNAs
Authors: Westhof Eric , Watson Zoe L. , Zirbel Craig L. , Cate Jamie H.D.
Published: April 2023

Wobble GU pairs (or G•U) occur frequently within double-stranded RNA helices interspersed between standard G=C and A-U Watson–Crick pairs. Another type of G•U pair interacting via their Watson–Crick edges has been observed in the A site of ribosome structures between a modified U34 in the tRNA anticodon triplet and G + 3 in the mRNA. In such pairs, the electronic structure of the U is changed with a negative charge on N3(U), resulting in two H-bonds between N1(G)…O4(U) and N2(G)…N3(U). Here, we report that such pairs occur in other highly conserved positions in ribosomal RNAs of bacteria in the absence of U modification. An anioniccisWatson–Crick G•G pair is also observed and well conserved in the small subunit. These pairs are observed in tightly folded regions.
Design of an aircraft generator with radial force control
Authors: Brecher Christian , Neus Stephan , Gärtner Marcus , Eckel Hans-Martin , Hoppert Maik , James Barry , Gerada Chris , Degano Michele , Ilkhani Mohammad Reza , Di Nardo Mauro
Published: April 2023

With the increasing electrical energy demands in aviation propulsion systems, the increase in the onboard generators’ power density is inevitable. During the flight, forces coming from the gearbox or gyroscopic forces generated by flight manoeuvres like take-off and landing can act on the generators’ bearings, which can lead to wear and fatigue in the bearings. Utilizing the radial force control concept in the electrical machine can relieve loads from the bearings that not only minimize the bearing losses but also increase bearing life. The objective of the MAGLEV project (Measurement and Analysis of Generator bearing Loads and Efficiency with Validation) is to study, demonstrate, and test a new class of high-speed generators with radial force control.

In this paper, design steps of this type of generator and its test rig are presented and the measurement methodology used for radial force control is explained. The concept is developed in an electrical machine and is validated on a test rig by measuring required parameters like shaft displacement, vibrations and bearing temperature. Additionally, the friction moment of each generator’s bearings is measured and validated in a separate test rig under comparable conditions to the bearing loads in the generator. Therefore, a novel approach to determine precisely the bearing friction in a radial load unit, rotatably supported by an additional needle bearing is used, which shows a good agreement with the calculated friction. Furthermore, new calculation methods for the operating behavior of cylindrical roller bearings with clearance are presented, which are utilized in the generator test rig.
A controlled evaluation of filter paper use during staining of sputum smears for tuberculosis microscopy
Authors: Bailon Nataly , Ramos Eric , Alvarado Keren , Bernaola Lenin , Wilson James , Montoya Rosario , Valencia Teresa , Evans Carlton A , Datta Sumona
Published: April 2023

Background: Some sputum smear microscopy protocols recommend placing filter paper over sputum smears during staining for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB). We found no published evidence assessing whether this is beneficial. We aimed to evaluate the effect of filter paper on sputum smear microscopy results.

Methods: Sputum samples were collected from 30 patients with confirmed pulmonary TB and 4 healthy control participants. From each sputum sample, six smears (204 smears in total) were prepared for staining with Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN), auramine or viability staining with fluorescein diacetate (FDA). Half of the slides subjected to each staining protocol were randomly selected to have Whatman grade 3 filter paper placed over the dried smears prior to stain application and removed prior to stain washing. The counts of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and precipitates per 100 high-power microscopy fields of view, and the proportion of smear that appeared to have been washed away were recorded. Statistical analysis used a linear regression model adjusted by staining technique with a random effects term to correct for between-sample variability.  

Results: The inclusion of filter paper in the staining protocol significantly decreased microscopy positivity independent of staining with ZN, auramine or FDA (p=0.01). Consistent with this finding, there were lower smear grades in slides stained using filter paper versus without (p=0.04), and filter paper use reduced AFB counts by 0.28 logarithms (95% confidence intervals, CI=0.018, 0.54, p=0.04) independent of staining technique. In all analyses, auramine was consistently more sensitive with higher AFB counts versus ZN (p=0.001), whereas FDA had lower sensitivity and lower AFB counts (p<0.0001). Filter paper use was not associated with the presence of any precipitate (p=0.5) or the probability of any smear washing away (p=0.6) during the staining process.

Conclusions: Filter paper reduced the sensitivity of AFB microscopy and had no detectable beneficial effects so is not recommended.
Working against forgetting – Infants’ feeding and weight gain at the time of Juhan Aul
Authors: Hermanussen Michael , Scheffler Christiane
Published: April 2023

A hundred and twenty-five years ago, European infants grew differently from modern infants. We show weight gains of 20 healthy children weighed longitudinally from birth to age 1 year published by Camerer in 1882. The data illustrate the prevalent historic concepts of infant nutrition practiced by German civil servants, lawyers, merchants, university professors, physicians, foresters and farmers. Breastfeeding by the mother was not truly appreciated in those days; children were often breastfed by wet nurses or received bottled milk of various composition. Bottle feeding mainly consisted of diluted cow’s milk with some added carbohydrates without evidence that appropriate amounts of oil, butter or other fatty components had been added. French children from 1914 showed similar weight gain patterns suggesting similar feeding practices. The historical data suggest that energy deficient infant formula had regularly been fed in the late 19th and the early 20th century Europe regardless of wealth and social class. The data question current concerns that temporarily feeding energy deficient infant formula may warrant serious anxieties regarding long-term cognitive, social and emotional behavioral development.
Body composition of female office workers compared with infrared reflection measurement, bioimpedance analysis and calipermetry
Authors: Raschka Christoph , Kwon O-Sung , Koch Horst J.
Published: April 2023

There are currently many different anthropometric methods for determining the individual body fat percentage, as well as almost as many variants of bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) and only a single method of infrared reflection measurement (IR) as easily available methods of field research.

The present study aims at a simultaneous comparison between calipermetry, IR and BIA. In particular, the question which measurement method could be used as an equivalent method in the event of failure of BIA or IR is investigated.

The sample group consisted of 121 female office workers (average age 32.5 ± 9.4 years, average height 164.5 ± 6.3 cm and average weight 60.3 ± 6.8 kg), from the Rhine-Main area.

The measurements were previously scheduled and mostly carried out during the lunch break. For anthropometry, 13 skin fat folds were measured with the Accu® Measure Caliper, thigh circumference with a measuring tape, the height with a height measuring device and the body mass on the weight scale. Subsequently, an IR measurement (Futrex®) and a BIA (InBody®) were performed on the same subjects.

The parameters of body fat percentage and total body water (in L) were examined.

Statistical methods were correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman comparison and paired t-test for equivalence.

For the women studied, the highest correlation coefficients were in the comparisons between the formulas according to Parízková and Brožek et al. (r = 0.82), as well as for Parízková and Siri (r = 0.82).

The correlation coefficient for the IR vs. BIA comparison was r = 0.92.

A key result of the present study was the finding that the investigated methods in a female study group could not be substituted in an equivalent way.
Association of food habits with adolescent hypertension: A study from Manipur
Authors: Yumnam Malvika , Nongthongbam Suresh Singh , Lannaimei - , Khwairakpam Arjina Devi , Mashangva Barnabas , Shadang Rinhorla , Baite Dimkhohoi Kh. , Sanjenbam Yaiphaba Meitei
Published: April 2023

Background: Hypertension is one of the major concerning health issues worldwide. Lately, adolescent hypertension has been on the rise with change in the diet and lifestyle as one of the probable contributing factors.

Aim of the study: To study the association of food habits with different parameters of hypertension among the adolescents of Manipur.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 728 adolescents of the age range 17–19 years comprising of 470 males and 258 females of Manipur, Northeast India. Blood pressure measurements were taken using a mercury sphygmomanometer, and the average value of three measurements was recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 23.

Results: Statistical analysis showed significant association of hypertension with consumption of salty food (P < 0.05, χ2 = 12.28), junk food (P < 0.05, χ2 = 6.07) and sugar sweetened drinks (P < 0.05, χ2 = 8.37). Mean arterial pressure was also found to be significantly associated with sugar-sweetened drink consumption (χ2 = 6.96, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The study highlighted the association of salt, sugar and junk food consumption with hypertension among the adolescents of Manipur.
Technical Note—Dynamic Mechanism Design with Capacity Constraint
Authors: He Wei
Published: April 2023

When the number of tasks is large, how should a firm design reward and penalty schemes to incentivize its employees? In “Dynamic Mechanism Design with Capacity Constraint,” He studies the role of capacity constraint in a project assignment problem, where a principal needs to assign multiple tasks to an agent. The author fully characterizes the optimal mechanism via a sequence of deadlines. This characterization is used to show that the presence of the capacity constraint reduces the principal’s payoff and delays the completion of projects. It further illustrates that the widely adopted no-capacity constraint framework may provide inaccurate results in various dynamic problems.