bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Task-Contingent Persistence is Related to Better Performance-Based Measures in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Authors: Burrus Cyrille , Vuistiner Philippe , Léger Bertrand , Rivier Gilles , Hilfiker Roger , Luthi François
Published: June 2020

Purpose. Pacing, avoidance, and overdoing are considered the three main behavioral strategies, also labeled activity patterns. Their relationship with functioning of patients with chronic pain is debated. The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of activity patterns on lifting tasks commonly used in daily life. Method. We performed a monocentric observational study and included patients performing Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE). Avoidance, pacing, and persistence were assessed with using the Patterns of Activity Measures–Pain (POAM-P). Maximal safe performance was measured for floor-to-waist, waist-to-overhead, horizontal lift, and carrying with dominant-hand tests according to the FCE guidelines. Descriptive statistics, associations of POAM-P subscales with various sociodemographic variables, and correlations are presented. Standard multiple linear regression models were applied to measure the associations between FCE tests and POAM-P subscales, adjusting for the following potential confounders: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), pain severity, trauma severity, localization of injury, and education. Results. Persistence was significantly positively associated with performance on the 4 FCE tests: floor-to-waist (coefficient = 0.20; p=0.001), waist-to-overhead (coefficient = 0.13; p=0.004), horizontal lift (coefficient = 0.31; p≤0.001), and dominant-handed lifting (coefficient = 0.19; p=0.001). Pacing was found to have a negative influence on the carrying dominant-hand test (coefficient = –0.14; p=0.034), and avoidance was not found to have an influence on the 4 FCE tests. Conclusion. This study shows that task-persistence pattern is positively associated with physical performance in FCE, whereas pacing can have a negative influence on some tests.
Anxiolytic Effect of Alcohol‐Water Extracted Suanzaoren‐Wuweizi Herb‐Pair by Regulating ECS‐BDNF‐ERK Signaling Pathway Expression in Acute Restraint Stress Male Rats
Authors: Zhao Cheng-Bo-Wen , Liu Jie , Shi Jin-Li , Wang Shao-Nan , Ding Yong-Sheng , He Shuai , Lin Ming-Xuan , Luo Jing , Jiang Yi-Nan , Bian Li-Hua , Yao Zi-Wei , Li Qiu-Yu , Wang Xiao-Mei , Guo Jian-You
Published: June 2020

Herb‐pairs are the basic units of composition in Chinese herbal formulae, where the bridge linking Chinese medicine and prescription consists of two Chinese medicine herbs. The Suanzaoren‐Wuweizi herb‐pair (SWHP) is commonly used as a sedative or tranquilizer. SWHP has been demonstrated to exert an antianxiety effect in animal models of anxiety. However, little information about its mechanism is available and the effects of SWHP have not been investigated. This study examined the effects of SWHP on ameliorating anxiety‐like behaviors by regulating endocannabinoids system (ECS)—brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signaling pathway expression, induced by restraint stress (RS) procedures. The antianxiety effects of SWHP on RS rats were then examined through the open‐field test (OF) and the elevated plus maze test (EPM). The concentration of BNDF, ERK1/2, p‐ERK1/2, cAMP‐response element binding protein (CREB), and p‐CREB expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of the rats was then measured by western blot. The number of positive cells of CB1 and CB2 in the rats’ hippocampus CA1 region was measured by immunohistochemistry. These results gave compelling evidence that SWHP could modify anxiety‐like behaviors of RS rats through regulation of the ECS‐BDNF‐ERK signaling pathway. Our study demonstrated that SWHP improved anxiety‐like behaviors in RS rat models by regulating the ECS‐BDNF‐ERK signaling pathway. The findings indicate that SWHP may have a therapeutic application in the RS model of anxiety disorder, which proposes a potential new direction for research into anxiety disorders regarding mechanisms and the development of novel antianxiety drugs.
Robust Time-Consistent Portfolio Selection for an Investor under CEV Model with Inflation Influence
Authors: Yang Peng
Published: June 2020

A robust time-consistent optimal investment strategy selection problem under inflation influence is investigated in this article. The investor may invest his wealth in a financial market, with the aim of increasing wealth. The financial market includes one risk-free asset, one risky asset, and one inflation-indexed bond. The price process of the risky asset is governed by a constant elasticity of variance (CEV) model. The investor is ambiguity-averse; he doubts about the model setting under the original probability measure. To dispel this concern, he seeks a set of alternative probability measures, which are absolutely continuous to the original probability measure. The objective of the investor is to seek a time-consistent strategy so as to maximize his expected terminal wealth meanwhile minimizing his variance of the terminal wealth in the worst-case scenario. By using the stochastic optimal control technique, we derive closed-form solutions for the optimal time-consistent investment strategy, the probability scenario, and the value function. Finally, the influences of model parameters on the optimal investment strategy and utility loss function are examined through numerical experiments.
Curcumin-Induced DNA Demethylation in Human Gastric Cancer Cells Is Mediated by the DNA-Damage Response Pathway
Authors: Tong Ruiying , Wu Xian , Liu Ying , Liu Yang , Zhou Jigang , Jiang Xinying , Zhang Li , He Xiaoying , Ma Libing
Published: June 2020

Curcumin, a natural polyphenol antioxidant extracted from the root of turmeric (Curcuma longa), can induce apoptosis and DNA demethylation in several types of cancer cells. However, the mechanism of its anticancer potentials and DNA demethylation effects and the potential relationships between these outcomes have not been clearly elucidated. In the present study, the effects of curcumin on the proliferation, colony formation, and migration of human gastric cancer cells (hGCCs) were explored. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial damage, DNA damage, and apoptosis of curcumin-treated hGCCs were analyzed. Changes in the expression of several genes related to DNA damage repair, the p53 pathway, cell cycle, and DNA methylation following curcumin treatment were also evaluated. We observed that curcumin inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, and migration of hGCCs in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. A high concentration of curcumin elevated ROS levels and triggered mitochondrial damage, DNA damage, and apoptosis of hGCCs. Further, curcumin-induced DNA demethylation of hGCCs was mediated by the damaged DNA repair-p53-p21/GADD45A-cyclin/CDK-Rb/E2F-DNMT1 axis. We propose that the anticancer effect of curcumin could largely be attributed to its prooxidative effect at high concentrations and ROS elevation in cancer cells. Moreover, we present a novel mechanism by which curcumin induces DNA demethylation of hGCCs, suggesting the need to further investigate the demethylation mechanisms of other DNA hypomethylating drugs.
Oxidative Damage of Blood Platelets Correlates with the Degree of Psychophysical Disability in Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Dziedzic Angela , Morel Agnieszka , Miller Elzbieta , Bijak Michal , Sliwinski Tomasz , Synowiec Ewelina , Ceremuga Michal , Saluk-Bijak Joanna
Published: June 2020

The results of past research studies show that platelets are one of the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) to be found in the course of many pathological states. The aim of this study was to determine the level of oxidative/nitrative stress biomarkers in blood platelets obtained from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (n=110) and to verify their correlation with the clinical parameters of the psychophysical disability of patients. The mitochondrial metabolism of platelets was assessed by measuring the intracellular production of ROS using the fluorescence method with DCFH-DA dye and by identification of changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential of platelets using the JC-1 dye. Moreover, we measured the mRNA expression for the gene encoding the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (MTCO-1) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in platelets and megakaryocytes using the RT-qPCR method, as well as the concentration of NADPH oxidase (NOX-1) by the ELISA method. Our results proved an increased level of oxidative/nitrative damage of proteins (carbonyl groups, 3-nitrotyrosine) (p<0.0001) and decreased level of -SH in MS (p<0.0001) and also a pronounced correlation between these biomarkers and parameters assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale and the Beck’s Depression Inventory. The application of fluorescence methods showed mitochondrial membrane potential disruption (p<0.001) and higher production of ROS in platelets from MS compared to control (p<0.0001). Our research has also confirmed the impairment of red-ox metabolism in MS, which was achieved by increasing the relative mRNA expression in platelets for the genes studied (2-fold increase for theMTCO-1gene and 1.5-fold increase inGAPDHgene,p<0.05), as well as the augmented concentration of NOX-1 compared to control (p<0.0001). Our results indicate that the oxidative/nitrative damage of platelets is implicated in the pathophysiology of MS, which reflects the status of the disease.
A Scheme of MEMS-SINS Initial Alignment Aided by Laser Spot Perception System for the Boom-Type Roadheader
Authors: Shen Yang , Fu Shichen , Wang Pengjiang , Li Rui , Lan Yu , Ji Xiaodong , Liu Chao , Wu Miao
Published: June 2020

The initial alignment is one of the difficult problems of the strapdown inertial navigation system based on the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS-SINS) applied to the navigation of boom-type roadheader under a coalmine. To overcome the complex environment of the underground coalmine and the large noise of the MEMS gyroscope, the laser spot perception system (LSPS) was developed to provide the heading information of the roadheader to aid the initial alignment of the MEMS-SINS. During the process of initial alignment, the differential equation of heading error is derived, the heading error is extended as a state variable, and a nonlinear initial alignment model aided by heading error is built up. To cope with the time-varying noise statistics of MEMS-SINS in the working face of the coal mine roadway, a simplified strong tracking Unscented Kalman Filter (SST-UKF) algorithm is proposed by combining covariance matching technology with UKF. In the calculation of the measurement prediction covariance and the cross covariance, the fading factor is introduced, respectively, to avoid the contradiction between the residuals before and after the introduction; according to the characteristics of the observation equation being a linear equation, it proves that the state prediction covariance matrix change does not affect the observation measurement and uses unscented transform (UT) only once in the state estimation and variance prediction; thus, the computational burden of the algorithm is reduced and the real-time performance is improved. The simulation and onboard experiment results show that the proposed scheme can achieve horizontal alignment within 40 s and convergence azimuth misalignment angle to 0.9° within 450 s, which fully meets the requirements of MEMS-SINS initial alignment for underground coalmine roadheader.
Pseudomonas aeruginosaBiofilm Removal from Two Kinds of Granite Commonly Found in Catering Kitchen
Authors: Amzil Khaddouj , Hamadi Fatima , Latrache Hassan , Mimouni Rachida , Abou Oualid Hicham , Azelmad Khadija , Saidi Aissa , Elboulani Abdallah , Mabrouki Mustapha
Published: June 2020

The biofilm formation on the surfaces which are in direct contact with food products might lead to their contamination and, consequently, present serious health problems for the consumers. The goals of the present work were to studyP. aeruginosabiofilm formation on two granites and to investigate the efficiency of sodium hypochlorite (NaCLO) against the same biofilm formed on these substrata using the plate count method (PCM) and epifluorescence microscopy (EP). More biofilm cells adhered to Rosa Porrino than Gris Pinhel, and the PCM method indicated that NaCLO was efficient against the biofilm installed on the Gris Pinhel at the concentration of 1.5% after 15 min of treatment, while it was not efficient against the one installed on the Rosa Porrino. By contrast, the EP showed that the biofilm persists on two granites after NaCLO treatment, at different concentrations and contact times. In addition, the surface properties of granites such as mineral composition, roughness, and physicochemical properties were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron diffraction spectroscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurement (CAM), respectively. The results revealed that Gris Pinhel is hydrophilic with a high roughness value and Rosa Porrino is hydrophobic with low roughness, while both of them contain the quartz, feldspar, and mica as the main dominant compositions.
Cervical Dysplasia, Infection, and Phylogeny of Human Papillomavirus in HIV‐Infected and HIV‐Uninfected Women at a Reproductive Health Clinic in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Omire Agnes , Budambula Nancy L. M. , Kirumbi Leah , Langat Hillary , Kerosi Danvas , Ochieng Washingtone , Lwembe Raphael
Published: June 2020

High risk human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections ultimately cause cervical cancer. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected women often present with multiple high‐risk HPV infections and are thus at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer. However, information on the circulating high‐risk HPV genotypes in Kenya in both HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected women is still scanty. This study is aimed at determining the phylogeny and the HPV genotypes in women with respect to their HIV status and at correlating this with cytology results. This study was carried out among women attending the Reproductive Health Clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital, a referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. A cross‐sectional study recruited a total of 217 women aged 18 to 50 years. Paired blood and cervical samples were obtained from consenting participants. Blood was used for serological HIV screening while cervical smears were used for cytology followed by HPV DNA extraction, HPV DNA PCR amplification, and phylogenetic analysis. Out of 217 participants, 29 (13.4%) were HIV seropositive, while 68 (31.3%) were positive for HPV DNA. Eight (3.7%) of the participants had abnormal cervical cytology. High‐risk HPV 16 was the most prevalent followed by HPV 81, 73, 35, and 52. One participant had cervical cancer, was HIV infected, and had multiple high‐risk infections with HPV 26, 35, and 58. HPV 16, 6, and 81 had two variants each. HPV 16 in this study clustered with HPV from Iran and Africa. This study shows the circulation of other HPV 35, 52, 73, 81, 31, 51, 45, 58, and 26 in the Kenyan population that play important roles in cancer etiology but are not included in the HPV vaccine. Data from this study could inform vaccination strategies. Additionally, this data will be useful in future epidemiological studies of HPV in Nairobi as the introduction or development of new variants can be detected.
Virtual Synchronous Generator Control of VSC-HVDC System Based on MMC of Hybrid Topology
Authors: Wu Jie , Li Chuanjiang
Published: June 2020

For a VSC-HVDC transmission system based on a hybrid topology converter of full-bridge and half-bridge, a kind of virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control strategy which can be applied to modular multilevel converter (MMC) grid-connected structure was researched and proposed. First, based on the conventional VSG control strategy, the energy stored in the equivalent capacitor of MMC power module was used to imitate the rotor inertia of synchronous generator. The characteristics of generator can be simulated during transient frequency fluctuations and it can help relieve the power fluctuations. Secondly, with respect to the structural characteristics of the direct grid connection through the reactor on the AC side of the MMC, which is unlike the microgrid inverter, there are no additional filter capacitors. So, the existing commonly used VSG control strategy of the microgrid inverter and double-closed-loop structure composed of filter capacitor voltage and AC current cannot be directly applied. For this, a method where the given values of inner current loop are calculated by grid impedance matrix was used. So, a double-closed-loop control structure composed of a power outer loop based on VSG control and a current inner loop is obtained. It can effectively improve the current control capability during the transient process. Finally, a hybrid MMC simulation model was built based on PSCAD to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Thermal Decomposition Behaviour of Foundry Sand for Cast Steel in Nitrogen and Air Atmospheres
Authors: Chen Shoukun , Zhang Jinjia , Xu Kaili , Xu Qingwei
Published: June 2020

Sand casting is the most widely used casting technique, known for ages, even since ancient times. The main goal of this study was to determine the thermal decomposition behaviour of foundry sand for cast steel. We first tested the basic properties of foundry sand, including its proximate analysis, chemical composition, and particle size characteristics; we next monitored the thermal decomposition behaviour of foundry sand for cast steel via simultaneous thermal analysis. We focused on the mass loss of foundry sand for cast steel at different heating rates in nitrogen and air atmospheres. We adopted a novel method to calculate the volatile release characteristic index of foundry sand. The volatile content of foundry sand for cast steel was very low, so the volatile release characteristic index of the sand could not be strictly calculated according to this concept. We calculated the thermal decomposition kinetics parameters of foundry sand, namely, the activation energy and preexponential factor, under kinetics theory. To thoroughly test the fitting effect, we conducted a single-factor analysis of variance on the source of error. The results showed that the independent variable has a significant influence on the dependent variable and that the fitting equation we selected is feasible and effective.
Real-Time Intelligent Recognition Method for Horizontal Well Marker Bed
Authors: Wu Xuning , Li Qian , Yin Hu , Li Zaoyuan , Jiang Jianhua , Si Menghan , Zhang Yangyang
Published: June 2020

The accurate identification of the horizontal well marker bed is to guarantee the soft landing of the well trajectory. With the intelligent development of the petroleum industry, it is feasible to apply computers to identify the marker bed automatically. In case-based reasoning technology, the data of well logging while drilling (LWD) as characteristic parameters are compared with those of adjacent well. By taking the depth sequence of LWD data as time series and using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) similarity measure algorithm, the similarity index of each drilling depth is calculated corresponding to the marker bed in the adjacent well. The total similarity curve is obtained by giving different weights of different feature parameters. Selecting natural gamma, deep resistivity, and shallow resistivity LWD curves as characteristic parameters, two horizontal wells in JL block of Junggar basin are analysed by this method. The result of similarity curve indicates the location of the marker bed and the total similarity value reaches 78%. The research shows that the method based on case-based reasoning can identify the marker bed of the horizontal well accurately and effectively, assist the geologist to carry out formation correlation of multiple wells at the same time, reduce the cost of human labour force, and improve work efficiency.
On the Blast Mitigation Ability of Multiple V-Shape Deflectors
Authors: Stanisławek Sebastian , Morka Andrzej
Published: June 2020

This paper presents a 2D numerical study of v-shape deflectors subjected to high explosive charge detonation. The literature provides many papers concerning the appropriate geometry of blast protection deflectors. Such structures require a relatively high distance between the ground and the vehicle chassis. In most cases, the placement of a deflector is not possible or it cannot cover the whole area under a chassis. An interesting question that arises is to what extent a set of small deflectors would be able to mitigate blast effects. The content of this paper constitutes an answer to this question. Three analyses were conducted: (1) multiplication of triangle components, (2) effect of deflector size, and (3) geometry-induced shock dynamics. The problem was solved with the use of modelling and simulation methods, in particular, CFD-FEM implemented in the LS-DYNA code. It was considered a plain issue in computational fluid dynamics, where space discretization for each option was built with two-dimensional elements to ensure efficient calculations. Deflectors were described using a rigid wall boundary condition, and an adequate simplified detonation model was assumed. The primary measure of the results was reaction force history, with momentum transfer and pressure distribution maps considered supplementary. The studies performed showed that both minimizing the v-shape deflector size and surrounding it with adjacent structures had a negative impact on its blast mitigation effectiveness. However, for each multi-v-shape deflector, some improvement was present, and, therefore, in situations where the installation of a typical protector is not possible due to dimensional requirements, it may offer a compromise solution.
Simulation Research on the Load Transfer Mechanism of Anchoring System in Soft and Hard Composite Rock Strata under Tensile Loading Conditions
Authors: Li Ning , Ma Zhanguo , Gong Peng , Qi Fuzhou , Wang Tuo , Cheng Shixing
Published: June 2020

Soft and hard composite rock strata are frequently encountered in transportation, geotechnical, and underground engineering. However, most of the current support is designed for homogeneous rock masses, which ignores the different anchoring effect in soft and hard composite rock strata. A numerical study is presented in this paper on the pull‐out behavior of fully grouted rock bolts in soft and hard composite rock strata. The nonlinear bond‐slip relationship of bolt‐grout interface that is anchored in soft rock and hard rock is obtained from laboratory test, respectively. Then, the nonlinear bond‐slip relationship is put into the numerical model. The numerical result shows a close match with the experiment tests and the proposed model. Lithological sequence, layer thickness ratio, and layer numbers are taken into consideration in numerical simulation models. Under the same layer number, the shallower‐soft and deeper‐hard composite rock strata (SHCRS) have a higher bearing capacity and deformation resistance than the shallower‐hard and deeper‐soft composite rock strata (HSCRS). As the soft‐to‐hard thickness ratio in SHCRS increases, the initial stiffness of the load‐displacement curve and peak load decreases continuously. The load‐displacement curve shows the same initial stiffness for different hard to soft thickness ratios in HSCRS. As the hard to soft thickness ratio increases, the load peak and the displacement at the peak load increase. Therefore, the closer the hard rock is to the loading end, the greater the initial stiffness of the load‐displacement curve is. The greater the hard rock thickness, the larger the peak load. Under the same anchor length, the peak load and the displacement at the peak load decrease with the increase of layer numbers, but the reduction magnitude decreases. This paper leads to a better understanding of the load transfer mechanism for the anchoring system in soft and hard composite strata and provides a reference for scientific support design and evaluation method.
Nine Genes Mediate the Therapeutic Effects of Iodine-131 Radiotherapy in Thyroid Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Shuwen Han , Xi Yang , Miao Da , Jiamin Xu , Jing Zhuang , Weili Gao
Published: June 2020

Background. Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is one of the most common malignancies of the endocrine system, which is usually treated by surgery combined with iodine-131 (I131) radiotherapy. Aims. This study is aimed at exploring the potential targets of I131 radiotherapy in THCA. Methods. The RNA-sequencing data of THCA in The Cancer Genome Atlas database (including 568 THCA samples) was downloaded. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the tumour samples whether or not subjected to I131 radiotherapy were identified using edgeR package. Using the WGCNA package, the module that was relevant with I131 radiotherapy was selected. The intersection genes of the hub module nodes and the DEGs were obtained as hub genes, followed by the function and pathway enrichment analyses using the clusterProfiler package. Moreover, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for the hub genes was constructed using Cytoscape software. In addition, more important hub genes were analysed with function mining using the GenCLiP2 online tool. The qPCR analysis was used to verify the mRNA expression of more important hub genes in THCA tissues. Results. There were 500 DEGs (167 upregulated and 333 downregulated) between the two groups. WGCNA analysis showed that the green module (428 nodes) exhibited the most significant correlation with I131 radiotherapy. A PPI network was built after the identification of 53 hub genes. In the PPI network, CDH5, KDR, CD34, FLT4, EMCN, FLT1, ROBO4, PTPRB, and CD93 exhibited higher degrees, which were mainly implicated in the vascular function. The relative expression of nine mRNAs in the THCA tissues treated with I131 was lower. Conclusion. I131 radiotherapy might exert therapeutic effects by targeting CDH5, KDR, CD34, FLT4, EMCN, FLT1, ROBO4, PTPRB, and CD93 in THCA patients.
Research on Relationships among Different Disease Types of Cement Concrete Pavement Based on Structural Equation Model
Authors: Chen Qiqi , Wang Guanhu
Published: June 2020

In order to determine the key content of preventive maintenance of the cement concrete pavement in military airports in the seasonal frozen area, the relationship among pavement diseases is analyzed in this paper, and the degree of impact of each disease on pavement damage is quantified. Based on the survey data of 36 sample airports in 12 provinces, such as Hebei, Shandong, and Liaoning, a questionnaire covering many disease variables affecting pavement damage was designed. The exploratory factor analysis method and structural equation model (SEM) were used to analyze the interaction among joint disease, surface disease, vertical disease, repair disease, and fracture disease. And the influence degree of each disease on pavement damage was quantified as well. The research results show that the questionnaire has good reliability and validity and is suitable for confirmatory factor analysis. The SEM fits well with the observed data and meets the adaptation standard. Joint disease, surface disease, and vertical disease all have significant positive direct impact on pavement damage. Moreover, joint disease and surface disease can also indirectly affect pavement damage. The effects of surface disease (0.327), vertical disease (0.283), and joint disease (0.219) on pavement damage decrease in turn. Surface diseases have the greatest impact on pavement damage, which are the critical diseases to accelerate the pavement damage. By strengthening the prevention and control of surface diseases and delaying the conversion process of other diseases to surface diseases, the service life of the pavement can be greatly improved, and the maintenance cost can be reduced.
Clinical Characteristics and Exploratory Genomic Analyses of Germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutations in Breast Cancer
Authors: Park Sehhoon , Lee Eunjin , Park Seri , Lee Sohee , Nam Seok Jin , Kim Seok Won , Lee Jeong Eon , Yu Jong-Han , Kim Ji-Yeon , Ahn Jin Seok , Im Young-Hyuck , Park Woong-Yang , Park Kyunghee , Park Yeon Hee
Published: June 2020

gBRCA1/2 mutations increase the incidence of breast cancer by interrupting the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway. Although gBRCA1 and gBRCA2 breast cancer have similar clinical profiles, different molecular characteristics have been observed. In this study, we conducted comprehensive genomic analyses and compared gBRCA1/2 breast cancer. Sanger sequencing to identify gBRCA1/2 mutations was conducted in 2,720 patients, and gBRCA1 (n = 128) and gBRCA2 (n = 126) mutations were analyzed. Within this population, deep target sequencing and matched whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) results were available for 46 and 34 patients, respectively. An internal database of patients with breast cancer with wild-type gBRCA was used to compile a target sequencing (n = 195) and WTS (n = 137) reference dataset. Three specific mutation sites, p.Y130X (n = 14) and p.1210Afs (n = 13) in gBRCA1 and p.R294X (n = 22) in gBRCA2, were comparably frequent. IHC subtyping determined that the incidence of triple-negative breast cancer was higher among those with a gBRCA1 mutation (71.9%), and estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer was dominant in those with a gBRCA2 mutation (76.2%). gBRCA1/2 mutations were mutually exclusive with PIK3CA somatic mutations (P < 0.05), and gBRCA1 frequently cooccurred with TP53 somatic mutations (P < 0.05). The median tumor mutation burden was 6.53 per megabase (MB) in gBRCA1 and 6.44 per MB in gBRCA2. The expression of AR, ESR1, and PGR was significantly upregulated with gBRCA2 mutation compared with gBRCA1 mutation. gBRCA1 and gBRCA2 breast cancer have similar clinical characteristics, but they have different molecular subtypes, coaltered somatic mutations, and gene expression patterns.

Implications:

Even though gBRCA1 and gBRCA2 mutations both alter HRR pathways, our results suggest that they generate different molecular characteristics and different mechanisms of carcinogenesis.
Building a multilingual ontology for education domain using monto method
Authors: Florrence Merlin
Published: June 2020

Ontologies are emerging technology in building knowledge based information retrieval systems. It is used to conceptualize the information in human understandable manner. Knowledge based information retrieval are widely used in the domain like Education, Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare and so on. It is important to provide multilingual information of those domains to facilitate multi-language users. In this paper, we propose a MOnto (Multilingual Ontology) methodology to develop multilingual ontology applications for education domain. New algorithms are proposed for merging and mapping multilingual ontologies.
High security mechanism: fragmentation and replication in the cloud with auto update in the system
Authors: Khobragade Shrutika , Bhosale Rohini , Jiwane Rahul
Published: June 2020

Cloud Computing makes immense use of internet to store a huge amount of data. Cloud computing provides high quality service with low cost and scalability with less requirement of hardware and software management. Security plays a vital role in cloud as data is handled by third party hence security is the biggest concern to matter. This proposed mechanism focuses on the security issues on the cloud. As the file is stored at a particular location which might get affected due to attack and will lost the data. So, in this proposed work instead of storing a complete file at a particular location, the file is divided into fragments and each fragment is stored at various locations. Fragments are more secured by providing the hash key to each fragment. This mechanism will not reveal all the information regarding a particular file even after successful attack. Here, the replication of fragments is also generated with strong authentication process using key generation. The auto update of a fragment or any file is also done here. The concept of auto update of filles is done where a file or a fragment can be updated online. Instead of downloading the whole file, a fragment can be downloaded to update. More time is saved using this methodology.
Poética da presença nos filmes de luz sólida de Anthony McCall
Authors: Almeida Fernanda Albuquerque de
Published: June 2020

Através da análise interpretativa de obras selecionadas e de considerações de Walter Benjamin, Hal Foster e Oliver Grau, este artigo busca investigar o tipo de recepção que os “filmes de luz sólida”, de Anthony McCall (1946), suscitam. O objetivo é caracterizar uma poética da presença, que resista a um modo de fruição vinculado ao excesso de estímulos e velocidade, comum na dita sociedade das imagens.
Todo objeto é uma imagem
Authors: Grazziano Raphael
Published: June 2020

O último filme de Harun Farocki, Sauerbruch Hutton Arquitetos (2013), é estudado por meio da comparação a outras obras do diretor e de análises de suas cenas. O artigo elabora qual é a posição desse escritório a respeito da arquitetura como produtora de imagens, para em seguida verificar qual é a sua espacialidade subjacente. Como resultado, pode-se notar como se alinham os projetos estéticos de Harun Farocki e do escritório Sauerbruch Hutton.
Mechanical Thrombectomy in Basilar Artery Occlusion
Authors: Kwak Hyo Sung , Park Jung Soo
Published: June 2020

Background and Purpose:

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) is associated with a high risk of disability and mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate prognostic factors in patients with acute basilar artery occlusion treated with mechanical thrombectomy, focusing on collateral status and recanalization time from symptom onset.

Methods:

Eligible patients from January 2012 to October 2019 who underwent endovascular treatment due to acute BAO were reviewed. The baseline posterior circulation collateral status was assessed with the basilar artery on computed tomography angiography score and posterior circulation collateral score. Good outcomes were defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of ≤2 at 3 months and successful recanalization as Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction grades 2b, 3. The associations between baseline and clinical parameters and favorable outcomes were evaluated with logistic regression.

Results:

Our sample included a total of 81 eligible patients (49 males, mean age 70.3 years) with a median baseline and discharge National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 12. Patients with good outcomes showed a lower baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, a greater proportion of distal BAO, and a higher basilar artery on computed tomography angiography and posterior circulation collateral score (
P
<0.001). According to subgroup analysis of patients within and over 6 or 12 hours, the time from symptom onset to recanalization was not correlated with good outcomes. Multivariable logistic analysis showed baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale <15 (odds ratio, 8.49 [95% CI, 2.01–35.82];
P
=0.004), posterior circulation collateral score ≥6 (odds ratio, 3.79 [95% CI, 1.05–13.66];
P
=0.042), and distal BAO (odds ratio, 3.67 [95% CI, 1.10–12.26];
P
=0.035) were independent predictors of good outcomes.

Conclusions:

This study suggested that good collateral circulation and distal BAO are independent predictors of clinical outcome after endovascular treatment in patients with acute BAO. In particular, patients with good initial collateral status and distal BAO may consider endovascular treatment even if the treatment is started beyond the standard time limits.
Predicting Longitudinal Progression in Functional Mobility After Stroke
Authors: Buvarp Dongni , Rafsten Lena , Sunnerhagen Katharina S.
Published: June 2020

Background and Purpose:

A majority of people with stroke remain impaired in their functional mobility. The aim of the study was to determine longitudinal changes in functional mobility after stroke.

Methods:

The study was of a longitudinal and prospective design. The functional mobility was assessed using the Timed Up-and-Go test on 5 different occasions: 5 days after onset, within 24 hours after discharge, 1 month after discharge, 3 months, and 1 year poststroke. Stroke severity was stratified based on impairments and activity limitations using a baseline cluster analysis. A multilevel model was developed to predict longitudinal progression in functional mobility based on stroke severity.

Results:

One-hundred-thirty-five patients were included at baseline. Two distinct subgroups (moderate stroke [52%] and mild stroke [48%]) were identified based on impairments and activity limitations using clustering. Ninety-one patients were included in the longitudinal analysis. After controlling for age and cognition, significant improvements in functional mobility were found in the moderate stroke group between baseline and 1 year poststroke (mean difference in Timed Up-and-Go test time, –6.4 s, adjusted
P
<0.001). Patients with moderate stroke had a maximum rate of improvement in functional mobility during the first 3 months poststroke and then declined significantly at 1 year (12% increase in Timed Up-and-Go test time, adjusted
P
=0.025). Younger patients had better functional mobility. Although there was also a slight improvement in the mild stroke group, it was not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

The recovery of functional mobility differs between mild and moderate stroke. Patients with moderate stroke improved their functional mobility during the first 3 months, after which it decreased significantly. These findings suggest that long-term rehabilitation is desirable to maintain and perhaps increase the gained functional mobility. Older patients and those with moderate impairments and activity limitations have particular needs.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT01622205.
Accuracy of Intraoperative Gross Examination of Surgical Margin Status in Women Undergoing Partial Mastectomy for Breast Malignancy
Authors: Balch Glen C. , Mithani Suhail K. , Simpson Jean F. , Kelley Mark C.
Published: June 2020

Margin status is an important prognostic factor for local recurrence after partial mastectomy for breast malignancy. Options for intraoperative evaluation of margin status include gross examination of the specimen, frozen section, and “touch preparation” cytology. This study evaluates the accuracy of gross examination without other intraoperative pathological analysis as a method of determining margin status. Records of 254 consecutive patients undergoing partial mastectomy for 255 breast malignancies (199 invasive, 56 DCIS) over 6 years were analyzed retrospectively. All women underwent en bloc excision of the primary lesion with gross examination of margin status by the surgeon and pathologist. All suspicious areas were reexcised, and the specimen was inked, serially sectioned at 2–3 mm intervals and examined with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stains. Specimens with tumor <2 mm from a margin were considered margin-positive and those with all tumor ≥2 mm from the margin were designated margin-negative. One hundred fourteen (45%) of the 255 segmental resections were considered to have grossly tumor-free margins, and intraoperative reexcision was not performed. Ninety-six (84%) of these specimens had histologically negative margins. Gross examination prompted intraoperative reexcision in 141 (55%) cases. Ninety-five (67%) of these 141 resections had tumor-free margins on histopathology. Overall, the final margin was involved in 64 of the 255 partial mastectomies. Seventeen (27%) women with initially margin-positive resections underwent mastectomy, while 46 (72%) underwent reexcision, which was margin-negative in 41 (89%). After a median follow-up of 42 months, there have been eight (3.5%) local recurrences. The initial margin-positive rate was similar in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (30%) and invasive carcinoma (24%). Margin status was correlated with nodal status; there was no correlation with age, tumor size, grade hormone receptor status, or type of diagnostic biopsy. Gross examination of the resection specimen does not reflect margin status in at least 25 per cent of women undergoing partial mastectomy for breast malignancy. Other techniques for evaluation of margin status should be considered to reduce the need for reexcision of involved margins. We are currently designing a prospective clinical trial to examine the efficacy of new techniques for intraoperative evaluation of margin status.
Does the Use of a Flap during Abdominoperineal Resection Decrease Pelvic Wound Morbidity?
Authors: Kapoor Vishal , Cole Jana , Isik F. Frank , Sinanan Mika , Flum David
Published: June 2020

We hypothesized that the use of muscle flaps, known as tissue transfer (TT), at the time of abdominoperineal resection (APR) reduces perineal wound complications. A restrospective review of patients undergoing an APR at the University of Washington (1984–2003) was conducted. Perineal wound complications and eventual wound healing were compared in patients with and without TT. Ninety-two patients (mean age, 56.6 years) underwent APR; 23.9 per cent (n = 22) had concurrent TT. Patients undergoing TT were more likely to have cancer (91% vs. 77%, P = 0.05) and radiation therapy (86% vs. 52%, P < 0.01). Operative times were nearly 2 hours longer in patients having TT (7.4 hours ± 2.5 hours vs. 5.6 hours ± 1.8 hours, P = 0.03), but lengths of stay were similar (13 ± 5.9 days vs. 12 ± 7.6 days, P = 0.5). Patients undergoing TT had a higher rate of all wound-healing complications (59% vs. 40%, P = 0.1) and major wound-healing complications (32% vs. 26%, P = 0.6). However, these differences were not statistically significant. No differences in major complications were identified in patients with and without preoperative radiation therapy (26% vs. 28%, P = 0.8). Fifteen per cent (n = 14) of all patients failed to heal wounds at 6 months, but only 9 per cent (n = 2) of patients undergoing TT failed to heal their wounds at 6 months compared with 17 per cent (n = 12) in the non-TT group ( P = 0.3). After controlling for important covariates, patients undergoing TT during an APR did not have a significantly lower rate of wound complications. The impact of TT on wound healing in patients with recurrent cancer and preoperative radiation therapy is suggestive of a benefit but requires prospective investigation.
Effects of Pneumatic Dilation and Myotomy on Esophageal Function and Morphology in Patients with Achalasia
Authors: Gockel Ines , Junginger Theodor , Eckardt Volker F.
Published: June 2020

Only two treatment modalities–pneumatic dilation and Heller myotomy–promise long-term relief from dysphagia and regurgitation in patients with achalasia. The objective of this study was to determine whether both options differ in their effects on esophageal function, morphology, and improvement in symptoms. Eighty-nine patients diagnosed with achalasia between January 1980 and December 2002 at a single center were enrolled in this study. Sixty-four patients underwent pneumatic dilation and 25 Heller myotomy in combination with an anterior semifundoplication (Dor procedure). Clinical evaluation (Eckardt-Score), esophageal manometry, and barium swallow were performed before and within 6 months after treatment. Our data shows that Heller myotomy reduces the LES resting pressure more markedly (7.9 [3.7–16.9] mm Hg) than pneumatic dilation (14.5 [2.7–36.0] mm Hg) ( P < 0.0001) with similar pressures at diagnosis in both groups. Morphologic changes, assessed by the diameter of the esophageal corpus, were also more pronounced after surgical therapy ( P > 0.05). Both options will lead to an immediate and significant improvement in symptoms, although the two treatment modalities did not differ in their subjective results. As only objective findings, such as those obtained by manometry and the timed barium swallow, have proven relevance for the assessment of long-term results, surgical therapy is the superior and more effective treatment option in patients with achalasia.
Adjuvant Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Management of Crush Injury and Traumatic Ischemia: An Evidence-Based Approach
Authors: Garcia-Covarrubias Lisardo , Mcswain Norman E. , Van Meter Keith , Bell Richard M.
Published: June 2020

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) has been recommended as an adjunct treatment in acute traumatic ischemia and crush injury. Several animal models have shown better outcomes when HBO is used in crush injury and compartment syndrome. Animal and in vitro models have suggested that these beneficial effects may be mediated by attenuation of ischemia-reperfusion injury. We did a systematic review of the literature using the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) recommendations for evidence-based reviews. An electronic search using Medline, OVID technologies, and the Cochrane database was performed. Only clinical papers published between 1966 and December 2003 with at least five patients that included enough information to evaluate were selected. A group of trauma experts reviewed the selected articles and scored them applying the instrument developed by the EAST practice management guidelines committee. Nine documents fulfilled the inclusion criteria for a total of approximately 150 patients. Most documents were retrospective, uncontrolled, and case series lacking a standardized methodology (class III). There was one prospective controlled randomized trial with some limitations on its design. We determined that eight of nine studies showed a beneficial effect from HBO with only one major complication. We concluded that adjunctive HBO is not likely to be harmful and could be beneficial if administered early. Well designed clinical studies are warranted.
Benign Anatomical Mistakes: “Ampulla of Vater” and “Papilla of Vater”
Authors: Mirilas Petros , Colborn Gene L. , Skandalakis Lee J. , Skandalakis Panajiotis N. , Zoras Odysseas , Skandalakis John E.
Published: June 2020

The anatomy of the ampullary termination of the bile and pancreatic ducts is complex; appropriate terminology for this area is confusing and inaccurate. We examine the terms “ampulla of Vater” and “papilla of Vater” for anatomical and historical correctness. The term “ampulla” refers to a dilated part of a duct or other channel. Thus, this word is topographically correct to describe the dilatation at the confluence of the bile and main pancreatic ducts; historically, however, there is considerable reason to believe that its first description was by Santorini rather than Vater. The eponymous term “papilla of Vater” is also incorrect historically. The use of eponyms is firmly entrenched in the medical literature, but some are so problematic that they should be discarded. The eponymous terms for both the ampulla and the papilla should be replaced with the terms “hepatopancreatic ampulla” (or “biliaropancreatic ampulla”) and “major [or “greater”] duodenal papilla,” respectively.