bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Syndesmosis Repair Affects in Vivo Distal Interosseous Tibiofibular Ligament Elongation Under Static Loads and During Dynamic Activities
Authors: Canton Stephen P. , Gale Tom , Onyeukwu Chukwudi , Hogan MaCalus V. , Anderst William
Published: May 2021

Background:

Ligamentous ankle injuries are the most common injuries sustained by athletes and by the general population, with an incidence of approximately 2 million per year in the U.S. Injuries to the ankle syndesmosis (i.e., “high ankle sprains”) are generally treated operatively. Although cadaveric studies can evaluate syndesmosis fixation strength, they cannot predict how healing, neuromuscular adaptation, or dynamic loading will affect in vivo biomechanics. Using dynamic biplane radiography (DBR), we tested the hypothesis that syndesmosis repair would restore ankle kinematics and ligament elongation during static and dynamic loading.

Methods:

A convenience sample of 6 male patients who had undergone fixation (2 screw, 3 suspensory, 1 hybrid) of syndesmosis injury were assessed with use of DBR during forward running, backpedaling, a 45° angled single-leg hop, and 1 static standing trial at 2 to 4.5 years postoperatively. Three-dimensional ankle kinematics and elongation of the distal interosseous ligament, anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament, and the posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament were measured bilaterally. Comparisons were made between the operative and uninjured sides. Clinical outcomes were evaluated with use of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure.

Results:

Static load increased the lengths of the distal interosseous ligament (p = 0.02 to 0.05) and middle segment of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (p = 0.02) in the operative ankle. The distal syndesmosis length was greater on the operative side during the static unloaded and loaded conditions (p = 0.02). Length of the distal syndesmosis on the operative side was greater than the corresponding healthy syndesmosis length during all 3 dynamic activities. On average, the operative ankle was in less dorsiflexion over the support phase of the angled hop (p = 0.05) and running (p < 0.01). The average Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Activities of Daily Living and Sports subscale scores were 95 and 88, respectively.

Conclusions:

This study provides the first in vivo evidence of post-fixation changes in biomechanics after syndesmosis repair. Syndesmosis repair fails to restore healthy static and dynamic distal tibiofibular anatomy, even in patients who report good to excellent clinical outcomes.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Diversity and Humanitarian Negotiation
Authors: Alsalem Reem , Grace Rob
Published: May 2021

The humanitarian sector has steadily pushed forward with efforts to cultivate negotiation capacity among aid workers. However, considerations of how the profile of the humanitarian negotiator might shape negotiation outcomes have been, at best, in the background of ongoing professional discussions or, at worst, entirely overlooked. This working paper aims to fill this gap. Based on semi-structured interviews and survey data, this working paper assesses the role of identity characteristics in humanitarian negotiation processes. As the interview and survey results suggest, a negotiator’s profile—including identity characteristics and past professional experiences—can shape counterparts’ perceptions of humanitarian negotiators; fuel humanitarians’ own biases and stereotypes of their interlocutors; and feed into challenging internal organisational dynamics, as humanitarian organisations seek to promote diversity and foster inclusion and belonging among staff.
Statistical Modeling for Land Surface Temperature in Borneo Island from 2000-2019
Authors: Munawar Munawar , Prasetya Tofan Agung Eka , McNeil Rhysa , Jani Rohana
Published: May 2021

Increased temperature is one of the signals of global warming. Trends in land surface temperature can be used to measure climate change. This research aimed to investigate the variation of land surface temperature in Borneo island using a cubic spline method and a multivariate regression model. The island was divided into 8 regions each comprising 9 subregions. Land surface temperatures for each subregion from 2000 to 2019 was obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer database. The average increase in temperature was 0.2oC per decade with a 95% confidence interval of (0.14, 0.27). The changes differed by region; a significant increase was seen in Sarawak, North Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, West-central Kalimantan, Central-east Kalimantan region, a slight decrease in Sabah and Brunei Darussalam (Sabah & Brunei) region, a slight increase in East Kalimantan and a stable trend in South Kalimantan.
Perfluoroalkyl acids in dust on residential indoor/outdoor window glass in Chinese cities: occurrence, composition and toddler exposure
Authors: Zhao Zhen , Yue Linxia , Qiao Hongqin , Li Yinong , Cheng Xianghui , Hua Xia , Lin Tian , Li Qilu , Sun Hongwen
Published: May 2021

The dust on indoor and outdoor surfaces of the window glasses were collected using sterile cotton balls in 11 cities. Twenty-nine perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) were quantified to investigate concentration, composition and toddlers’ exposure. The concentrations of ∑PFAA ranged from no detection (nd) to 43 ng/m2 (mean 8.9 ± 10 ng/m2). Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) was detected in 78% samples, and accounted for 55% ± 21% of ∑PFAA concentrations. 6:2 Fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA) were detected in more than 50% samples indicating the use of alternatives. Fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (FTCA) and fluorotelomer unsaturated acid (FTUCA) were found in the dust, implying the degradation of precursors. The highest concentration of ∑PFAA (43 ng/m2) was found in outdoor dust from Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, which is famous for its coal resources. Higher ∑PFAA concentrations were found in indoor dust than outdoor in 6 paired samples (3 from Feb. 14 and 3 from Feb. 21). In Tianjin and Handan, the concentrations of ∑PFAA from outdoor surfaces were higher in sampling campaign I (SC I, Feb. 21) than in sampling campaign II (SC II, Feb. 14), implying intensive outdoor release. The exposure of 2 year-old toddlers to PFAA via hand-to-mouth ingestion and dermal absorption was estimated; the mean values of intake were 2.1 and 1.5 pg/kg body weight, respectively, assuming an exposure time of 1 hour.
Assessment of Energy-Positive Wastewater Treatment System Design of Different Industrial Wastewater Streams
Authors: Li Jinze , Tang Walter Z.
Published: May 2021

Activated sludge (AS) process has been used as the conventional industrial wastewater treatment process in the past decades. However, intensive aeration requirements made it impossible for WWTPs to be energy positive. In addition, there are few cases of research assessing the efficiency and economic feasibility of innovative technologies in treating industrial wastewater to achieve energy positive. This study tries to assess the effect of different kinds of industrial wastewater on treatment efficiency, unit energy, environmental sustainability, and unit cost of treatment systems using innovative technologies such as micro sieving, UASB, and PN/A. Our Excel model showed that micro-sieving could remove 32.50-39.72% of COD from industrial wastewater. UASB reactor could removes 15.8%-53.5%, 14.0%-49.0% and 22.9%-51.0% of COD from three different wastewater streams. Mean unit energy production by the innovative system could reach 1.80, 1.77, and 1.73 kWh/kg BODremoved, respectively. The average unit cost of three kinds of wastewater is 0.54, 0.57, and 1.12 $/kg CODremoved, respectively. Treating meat processing wastewater with innovative technologies is the economical treatment method. However, this method could not be considered as the sustainable design due to the high effluent COD concentration. The economic advantages and limitations of innovative technologies in treating industrial wastewater have been quantified by energy, cost and environmental indicators. These metrics provide valuable references for future sustainable design of industrial wastewater treatment systems.
No or Diffuse Phase-Transition With Temperature in One-dimensional Ising Model?
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Li-Li , Huang Yi-Neng
Published: May 2021

For nearly a century since Ising model was proposed in 1925, it is agreed that there is no phase-transition with temperature in the one-dimensional based on no global-spontaneous-magnetization in whole temperature region. In this letter, the exact calculation of local-spontaneous-magnetization shows that a diffuse phase-transition with temperature occurs in one-dimensional Ising model. In addition, although diffuse phase-transition phenomenon is common in the systems of heterogeneous-components and small-sizes etc., there is no accurate prediction of corresponding theoretical models so far, so the present works lay the theoretical foundation of this kind of phase-transition.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Inborn Errors of Immunity Other Than Severe Combined Immunodeficiency in Japan: Retrospective Analysis for 1985–2016
Authors: Miyamoto Satoshi , Umeda Katsutsugu , Kurata Mio , Yanagimachi Masakatsu , Iguchi Akihiro , Sasahara Yoji , Okada Keiko , Koike Takashi , Tanoshima Reo , Ishimura Masataka , Yamada Masafumi , Sato Maho , Takahashi Yoshiyuki , Kajiwara Michiko , Kawaguchi Hiroshi , Inoue Masami , Hashii Yoshiko , Yabe Hiromasa , Kato Koji , Atsuta Yoshiko , Imai Kohsuke , Morio Tomohiro
Published: May 2021

PurposeHematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative therapy for most patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). We conducted a nationwide study on HCT for patients with IEI other than severe combined immunodeficiency (non-SCID) in Japan.MethodsData from the Japanese national database (Transplant Registry Unified Management Program, TRUMP) for 567 patients with non-SCID IEI, who underwent their first HCT between 1985­ and 2016, were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThe 10-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) was 74% and 64%, respectively. The 10-year OS for HCT from unrelated bone marrow (URBM), accounting for 39% of HCTs, was comparable to that for HCT from matched-sibling donor (MSD), being 79% and 81%, respectively. HCT from unrelated cord blood (URCB), accounting for 27% of HCTs, was also common, with a 10-year OS of 69% but less robust engraftment. The intensity of conditioning was not associated with OS, hematologic recovery, or retransplantation incidence. Multivariate analyses of data on those receiving HCT during the 2006–2016 period revealed that respiratory impairment at HCT was associated with poor OS (hazard ratio [HR], 2.3; P = 0.01) and that URCB (HR, 2.7; P = 0.003) and related donor other than MSD (HR, 2.7; P = 0.02) were associated with poor EFS.ConclusionsWe present the 1985–2016 status of HCT for non-SCID IEI in Japan with sufficient statistical power, highlighting the potential of URBM as an alternative donor and the substantial applicability of URCB. Detailed evaluation is needed for optimizing the HCT strategy for each IEI.
Comprehensive Analysis of Immune Cell Enrichment In The Tumor Microenvironment of Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Mito Ikko , Takahashi Hideyuki , Kawabata-Iwakawa Reika , Ida Shota , Tada Hiroe , Chikamatsu Kazuaki
Published: May 2021

Background: Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is highly infiltrated by immune cells, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and myeloid lineage cells. In the tumor microenvironment, tumor cells orchestrate a highly immunosuppressive microenvironment by secreting immunosuppressive mediators, expressing immune checkpoint ligands, and downregulating human leukocyte antigen expression. In the present study, we aimed to comprehensively profile the immune microenvironment of HNSCC using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.Methods: We calculated enrichment scores of 33 immune cell types based on RNA-seq data of HNSCC tissues and adjacent non-cancer tissues. Based on these scores, we performed non-supervised clustering and identified three immune signatures, i.e., cold, lymphocyte, and myeloid/dendritic cell (DC), using clustering results. We then compared the clinical and biological features of the three signatures.Results: Among HNSCC and non-cancer tissues, human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive HNSCCs exhibited the highest scores in various immune cell types, including CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, plasma cells, basophils, and their subpopulations. Among the three immune signatures, the proportions of HPV-positive tumors, oropharyngeal cancers, early T tumors, and N factor positive cases were significantly higher in the lymphocyte signature than in other signatures. Among the three signatures, the lymphocyte signature showed the longest overall survival (OS), especially in HPV-positive patients, whereas the myeloid/DC signature demonstrated the shortest OS in these patients. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed the upregulation of several pathways related to inflammatory and proinflammatory responses in the lymphocyte signature. The expression of PRF1, IFNG, GZMB, PDCD1, LAG3, CTLA4, HAVCR2, and TIGIT was the highest in the lymphocyte signature. Meanwhile, the expression of PD-1 ligand genes CD274 and PDCD1LG2 was highest in the myeloid/DC signature. Conclusions: Herein, our findings revealed the transcriptomic landscape of the immune microenvironment that closely reflects the clinical and biological significance of HNSCC, indicating that molecular profiling of the immune microenvironment can be employed to develop novel biomarkers and precision immunotherapies for HNSCC.
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Glucagon-Like-Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist (GLP1-RA) in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) With Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
Authors: Ghosal Samit , Datta Debasis , Sinha Binayak
Published: May 2021

Introduction: Treatment options for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), two conditions which coexist, are limited though weight loss is an important strategy to improve outcomes in either disease. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) present a novel option to treat this dual disease by their salutary effects on glycaemic control and weight reduction.Methods: Eight randomized controlled trials on T2D and NAFLD from the Cochrane Library, Embase, and PubMed were included in this meta-analysis. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software version 3 was used to calculate the effect size.Result: In a pooled population of 615 patients—297 on GLP1-RA and 318 in the control arm, GLP1-RA produced a significant improvement in alanine aminotransferase [standardised mean difference (SDM), -0.56, 95%CI, - 0.88 to -0.25, P<0.01], aspartate aminotransferase (SDM, -0.44, SE, 95%CI, -0.64 to -0.24, P<0.01), gamma glutaryl transaminase (SDM, -0.59, 95%CI, -0.86 to -0.34, P<0.01) and reduction in liver fat content (LFC) (SDM, -0.43, 95%CI, - 0.74 to -0.13, P<0.01), as well as glycosylated haemoglobin (SDM, -0.40, 95% CI, -0.61 to -0.19, P<0.01) and weight (SDM, -0.66, 95% CI, -0.88 to -0.45, P<0.01), in comparison to standard of care or placebo. Significant improvement in biopsy resolution was also seen in the GLP1-RA arm (Rate Ratio, 6.59, 95%CI, 2.67 to 16.29, P<0.01). Conclusion: This is possibly the first meta-analysis conducted exclusively in patients with T2D and NAFLD which presents a strong signal that GLP1-RA, improve liver function and histology by improving glycaemia, reducie body weight and hepatic fat, which in turn reduces hepatic inflammation.Trial Registration: PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021228824)
Strategies To Promote The Quality of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Education: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Pashmdarfard Marzieh , Mehraban Afsoon Hassani , Shafaroodi Narges , Arabshahi Kamran Soltani , Parvizy Soroor
Published: May 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Development of intravenously administered synthetic RNA virus immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer
Authors: Kennedy Edward , Denslow Agnieszka , Hewett Jacqueline , Kong Lingxin , De Almeida Ana , Bryant Jeffrey , Lee Jennifer , Jacques Judy , Feau Sonia , Hayes Melissa , McMichael Elizabeth , Rahmeh Amal , Herschelman Lauren , Douglas Danielle , Spinale Jacob , Adhikari Sanmit , Deterling Jessica , Scott Matt , Haines Brian , Finer Mitchel , Ashburn Ted , Quéva Christophe , Lerner Lorena
Published: May 2021

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are an emerging therapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. Clinical benefit has been demonstrated for intratumoral administration, but the therapeutic effectiveness of intravenous delivery has been limited by neutralizing antibody responses against the virus. To circumvent this limitation, we developed Synthetic RNA viruses, a novel approach for intravenous and repeated administration of OVs, consisting of a viral RNA genome (vRNA) formulated within lipid nanoparticles. For two Synthetic RNA virus drug candidates, Seneca Valley virus (SVV) and Coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21), we demonstrate vRNA delivery, viral replication, spread, and lysis of tumor cells leading to potent anti-tumor efficacy, even in the presence of OV neutralizing antibodies in the bloodstream. Synthetic-SVV replication in tumors promoted immune cell infiltration and enhanced anti-tumor activity in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. Altogether, the Synthetic RNA virus platform provides an innovative approach that enables repeat intravenous administration of viral immunotherapy.
Model Error-Induced Biases of Greenhouse Gas Contribution to Global Warming: A Piecewise Integration Approach
Authors: Li Yumei , Liu Fei , Wang Xuejiao , Dong Wenjie , Dai Tanlong
Published: May 2021

Many of the observed changes of the climate system since the 1950s are unprecedented, and there is a high level of confidence in the conclusion that greenhouse gases (GHGs) caused a substantial part of the observed global warming. We need to consider the model errors, that usually accumulate in long-term integration as a result of imperfect physical and numerical representations, to attribute climate changes using model simulations. Here, we present a new method of the piecewise integration (PWI) with simulation corrected by the observation at each step, to identify model error-induced bias of global warming in the Community Earth System Model (CESM). To confirm the hypothesis of constant model-observation bias under different external forcing, we disturb the original CESM into a less low-cloud version and take its historical and GHGs-fixed simulations as our “observations”. In the PWI historical and GHGs-fixed runs of original CESM from 1958 to 2005, we use the difference between “historical observation” and PWI historical run to correct both PWI runs at the end of each 1-day step. The results show that the PWI can effectively reduce model’s cumulative error and presents a GHGs-induced global warming trend of 0.688℃ (48yr)-1, which is very close to the “observational” trend of 0.683℃ (48yr)-1, confirming the hypothesis of constant model bias under different external forcing. The continuous runs, as usually done by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) models, present a much higher GHGs-induced global warming trend of 0.887℃ (48yr)-1, which means that the model overestimates the GHGs’s role in global warming trend by 32.3% compared to our “observations”. Global distribution of this model bias is also discussed. The PWI method provides a new way to correct model biases in analyzing relative contribution of anthropogenic and natural forcing to global warming.
Mortality After Remdesivir Treatment of Pneumonia in Hospitalised Patients with Laboratory Confirmed COVID-19: National Data in the Italian Real-World Practice Collected by the AIFA Monitoring Register
Authors: Russo Pierluigi , Olimpieri Pier Paolo , Celant Simone , Colatrella Antonietta , Tomassini Luca , Palù Giorgio
Published: May 2021

The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) granted reimbursement for remdesivir (Veklury®) exclusively to COVID-19 patients with pneumonia requiring supplemental low-flow oxygen therapy. A monitoring registry was instituted to manage vials delivery and to control use appropriateness in Italy. The registry collected healthcare data on remdesivir use across all Italian hospitals. Mortality by day 15 and 29 was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier estimator. The Cox proportional-hazards model was applied to analyse the risks connected to patient’s background features relative to all-cause mortality by day 29. 16473 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were included in the registry with a mean age of 66.3 years and a male/female ratio of 2/1. 2279 deaths were registered. The Kaplan–Meier estimate of national mortality by day 15 was 7.1% (95%CI: 6.7%-7.5%) while mortality by day 29 was 11.7% (95%CI: 11.2%-12.2%). Cox-adjusted estimates by day 29 shown 18.8% (95%CI: 17.2% -20.3%) mortality in the class 65 years or older. This study provided the largest figure on mortality after the remdesivir treatment of SARS-Cov2 pneumonia in the real-world practice, and it also argued for efficacy of remdesivir in reducing mortality in patients older than 65 years when compared to data from the national surveillance.
A Facile Preparation of Environmentally-Benign and Flame-Retardant Coating on Wood by Comprising Polysilicate and Boric Acid
Authors: Wang Kaihao , Wang Shuheng , Meng Dan , Chen Dong , Mu Chenzhong , Li Hongfei , Sun Jun , Gu Xiaoyu , Zhang Sheng
Published: May 2021

For the sake of direct using on the built wooden buildings, a green flame resistance coating comprising sodium polysilicate (SPS) and boric acid was prepared. With weight gain of only 10 wt.%, the treated wood sample (SPS/B-wood) performed improved limiting oxygen index value of 40.3% and passed the V-0 rating in UL-94 test. Additionally, the total heat release, total smoke production and peak carbon monoxide production of SPS/B-wood sample were decreased by 24.5%, 36.0% and 59.4% respectively, compared with that of control wood sample. The residue of SPS/B-wood sample was increased to 54.0% from 18.4% of control wood sample at 800oC in the thermogravimetry analysis. The flame retardant mechanism was suggested that SPS and boric acid formed Si-O-B and Si-O-Si contained structures, isolating the heat and smoke transfer during wood combustion. Notably, NaOH, introduced by the SPS/B coating, catalyzed the lignin to form compact and high-quality char. To conclude, this low-cost and easily-operated coating has a promising future utilizing in the villages with dense wood buildings.
Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses Induced by A. Fumigatus Conidia and Hyphae
Authors: Luo Yingzhi , Liu Fang , Xu Jie , Kong Qingtao , Shi Yi , Sang Hong
Published: May 2021

Purpose Previous research indicated hyphae of A. fumigatus rather than conidia could successfully build pulmonary aspergillosis model in immunocompetent mice. In this study, we compared the immune responses induced by hyphae and conidia, making a preliminary explanation for the phenomenon.Methods Macrophages and PBMCs were respectively stimulated by A. fumigatus hyphae and conidia and immunological changes were measured in vitro. Male C57BL/6 mice were challenged with conidia and hyphae through intratracheal inoculation. Dynamic conditions of mice were recorded and their immune responses were measured by RNA-seq.Results The results confirmed that hyphae could induce more intensive inflammation than conidia. However, macrophages revealed a higher production of ROS as well as M1 polarization in response to conidia stimuli. In addition, conidia could promote Th1 cell differentiation, while hyphae could increase the CD4/CD8 ratio. RNA-seq validated that multiple immunologically relevant pathways were much more strongly activated by hyphae, which also promoted Th2 cell differentiation and suppressed Th1 cell differentiation. Both hyphae and conidia could activate Th17 cell differentiation.Conclusion Conidia and hyphae induced different immune responses and the immune responses against conidia played a better protective role.
A Multiobjective Optimization of the Welding Process in Aluminum Alloy (AA) 6063 T4 Tubes Used in Corona Rings Through Normal Boundary Intersection and Multivariate Techniques
Authors: Luz Eduardo Rivelino , Romão Estevão Luiz , Streitenberger Simone Carneiro , Mancilha Leonardo Ribeiro , de Paiva Anderson Paulo , Balestrassi Pedro Paulo
Published: May 2021

The welding process in aluminum is not a simple task to carry out. Problems such as weld bead discontinuity, cracks, and lack of penetration commonly occur in this kind of process. Thus, it is extremely necessary to have an accurate specification of the parameters in order to achieve optimal values for the investigated responses. In view of this, the present paper proposes the application of a multiobjective optimization approach considering multivariate constraints based on the simultaneous confidence intervals and the elliptical region of the correlated data. Structured experiments for the welding process of aluminum alloy (AA) 6063 TA tubes used in corona rings were performed according to a face centered composite design with 4 factors, wire feed rate (Wf), arc voltage (V), contact tip to the workpiece distance (Ct) and motor frequency (Fr), resulting in 31 experiments. Poisson regression was applied to model the values of yield (Y), dilution (D), reinforcement index (RI) and penetration index (PI), allowing to estimate the optimal individual values with regards to the multivariate constraints. Rotated factor scores were obtained in order to replace the original data and therefore the factor multivariate square error was used as objective functions to be minimized through normal boundary intersection method. It was possible to observe that a satisfactory weld bead with large values of PI, D and Y and a small value of RI, was reached as pre specified by the manager of the process.
Minimal Invasive Extra-corporeal Circulation on End Stage Coronary Artery Disease Patients Undergoing Myocardial Revascularization
Authors: Condello Ignazio , Santarpino Giuseppe , Bartolomucci Francesco , Valenti Giovanni , Bari Nicola Di , Moscarelli Marco , Vitobello Vincenza , Triggiani Vera , Gaudino Mario , Rimmaudo Flavio , Speziale Giuseppe , Nasso Giuseppe
Published: May 2021

Background: Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing myocardial revascularization, with concomitant heart failure defined by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) lower than 35%, constitute a population at risk of poor long-term prognosis and limited survival. The benefits of minimal invasive extracorporeal circulation (MiECC) on end stage coronary artery disease patients undergoing myocardial revascularization has not been described and evidenced by scientific studies. Materials and Methods: In this single-centre control study of 60 end stage coronary artery disease patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting.The patients was divided in two contemporary groups: in group (MiECC), n= 30 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was used MiECC, whereas, in group conventional extracorporeal circulation (cECC), n=30 CABG was used cECC.Results: Procedures of Group MiECC reported (mean values) of a DO2i of 305 mL/min/m2 in relation to O2ERi 21.5% vs a DO2i of 288 mL/min/m2 in relation to O2ERi 25.6% was found in group MiECC vs cECC (p=0.037). Lactate levels >3 mmol/L were reported in 7 group MiECC patients vs 20 group cECC patients (p=0.038), with blood glucose peak. Mean nadir Hb values during CPB were 9.7 g/dL in group MiECC vs 7.8 g/dL in group cECC (p = 0.044). CI during CPB was 2.4 L/min/m2 in both groups. Total red blood cell administration was 8 units in group MiECC vs 21 units in group cECC (p=0.022). A glycemic peak was recorded in 7 patients of group MiECC vs 20 patients of group cECC (p=0.037).Conclusion:The MiECC technique on end stage coronary artery disease was associated with a higher DO2i compared to cECC. MiECC patients showed a significant reduction in red blood cells units administration, in peak intraoperative lactate levels, which correlated with better postoperative renal outcome and shorter length of stay.
Risk Factors and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Severity. Data From the Spanish Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Research Network
Authors: Ramos-Navarro Cristina , Maderuelo-Rodriguez Elena , Concheiro-Guisan Ana , Perez-Tarazona Santiago , Rueda-Esteban Santiago , Sánchez-Torres Ana , Sánchez-Solis Manuel , Sanz-López Ester , Sánchez-Luna Manuel
Published: May 2021

GEIDIS is a national based research-net registry of patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) from public and private Spanish hospitals. It was created to provide data on the clinical characterization and follow up of infants with BPD until adulthood. The purpose of this observational study was to analyze the characteristics and the impact of perinatal risk factors on BPD severity. The study included 1,780 patients diagnosed with BPD. Of the total sample, 98.6% were premature (less than 37 weeks) and 89,4% less than 30 weeks of gestation. The median gestational age was 27.1 weeks (25.8–28.5) and median birth weight 890 g (740–1,090 g). 52.3% (n=931) were classified as mild (type 1), 25.1% (n=447) were moderate (type 2), and 22.6% (n=402) severe BPD (type 3). Most pre-and postnatal risk factors for type 2/3 BPD were associated with the length of exposure to mechanical ventilation (MV). Independent prenatal risk factors were male gender, oligohydramnios, and intrauterine growth restriction. Postnatal risk factors included the need for FiO2 of > 0.30 in the delivery room, two or more doses of surfactant administration, nosocomial pneumonia, and the length of exposure to MV. Conclusions: In this national based research-net registry of BPD patients the length of MV is the most important risk factor associated with type 2/3 BPD. Among type 3 BPD patients, those who required an FiO2 > .30 at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age had a higher morbidity, during hospitalization and at discharge, compared to those with nasal positive pressure but FiO2 < .30.
Sensitivity Matrices as Keys to Local Structural System Properties of Large-Scale Nonlinear Systems.
Authors: Willigenburg L. G. Van , Stigter J.D. , Molenaar J.
Published: May 2021

Sensitivities are shown to play a key role in a very efficient algorithm, presented in this paper, to establish three fundamental structural system properties: local structural identifiability, local observability and local strong accessibility. Sensitivities have the advantageous property to be governed by linear dynamics, also if the system itself is nonlinear . By integrating their linear dynamics over a short time period, and by sampling the result, a sensitivity matrix is obtained. If this sensitivity matrix satisfies a rank condition, then the local structural system property under investigation holds. This rank condition will be referred to in this paper as the sensitivity rank condition (SERC). Applying a singular value decomposition (SVD) to the sensitivity matrix not only determines its rank but also pinpoints exactly the system components causing a possible failure to satisfy the local structural system property. The algorithm is very efficient because integration of linear systems over short time-periods and computation of an SVD are computationally cheap. Therefore, it allows for the handling of large-scale systems in the order of seconds, as opposed to conventional algorithms that mostly rely on Lie series expansions and a corresponding Lie algebraic rank condition (LARC). We extensively discuss the (dis)advantages of both algorithms and to which extent their results coincide. A series of examples is presented to illustrate these results.
Theoretical Investigation of Br2 and Cl2 Detection by the Pristine and Co-Doped Graphyne
Authors: Heravi Mohammad Reza Poor
Published: May 2021

The Br2 and Cl2 interaction with the intrinsic, and Co-doped graphyne nanosheets has been explored by density functional theory calculations. Two vertical and parallel configurations were identified for Br2 and Cl2 adsorption. Calculations showed that the adsorption of Br2 was stronger than Cl2 on the graphyne nanosheet. Neither Br2 nor Cl2 could make serious changes to the HOMO-LUMO gap (Eg) and electrical resistance pf pristine sheet. By manipulating the structure of pristine graphyne by Co atom, its reactivity and sensitivity dramatically improved toward Br2 and Cl2 gases. Compared to the Cl2, the Br2 much more decreases the electrical resistance and Eg of the Co-doped graphyne (~ -40.25%). Thus, the Co-doped graphyne may selectively recognize the Br2 gas in the presence of Cl2. The computed recovery time value for Br2 from the surface of the Co-doped graphyne is 36.4 s, which shows that the graphyne, as a sensor, benefits from a short recovery time to detect Br2.
Population Snapshot of the Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia Coli Invasive Strains Isolated From a Hungarian Hospital
Authors: Tóth Kinga , Tóth Ákos , Kamotsay Katalin , Németh Viktória , Szabó Dóra
Published: May 2021

Background:This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and the genetic background of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli invasive isolates obtained from a tertiary-care hospital in Budapest, Hungary. MethodsBetween October-November 2018, all invasive ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were collected from Central Hospital of Southern Pest. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to the EUCAST guidelines. The possible clonal relationships were investigated by core genome (cg)MLST (SeqSphere+) using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of isolates obtained from Illumina 251-bp paired-end sequencing. From WGS data acquired antimicrobial resistance genes and replicon types were retrieved using ResFinder3.1, PlasmidFinder2.1, and pMLST-2.0 online tools.ResultsOverall, 25 E. coli isolates were detected and six proved to be resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. Full genome sequence analysis showed that five E. coli isolates belonged to the ST131 clone: two to C1-M27 subclade with blaCTX-M-27 and three to C2/H30Rx subclade with blaCTX-M-15. One isolate belonged to ST1193 with blaCTX-M-27. According to cgMLST, all C2/H30Rx isolates formed a cluster (≤6 allele differences), while the blaCTX-M-27-producing C1-M27 isolates differed at least 35 alleles from each other. Both C2/H30Rx and C1-M27 ST131 isolates harbored similar antimicrobial resistance gene sets. However, only C2/H30Rx isolates had the qnrB and aac(3)-IIa. All isolates showed resistance against ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and ciprofloxacin, and the C2/H30Rx isolates were also resistant to gentamicin, tobramycin, and ceftazidime.ConclusionsOut of six third-generation cephalosporins-resistant, invasive E. coli, five belonged to the S131clone. This study indicates, that the C2/H30Rx and C1-M27 subclades of the ST131 appear to be the dominant clones collected in a Hungarian hospital.
Prevalence of Blastocystis and its Association with Intestinal Dysbiosis in Clinically Healthy and Metabolically Ill Subjects.
Authors: Muñoz-Yañez Claudia , Méndez-Hernández Alejandra , Martínez-Sandoval Alondra , Maravilla-Domínguez María Aurora , Zavaleta-Muñiz Soraya Amalí , Guangorena-Gómez Janeth Oliva
Published: May 2021

Background: Blastocystis is a typical anaerobic colon protist in humans with controversial pathogenicity and has relation with alterations in the intestinal microbiota composition (dysbiosis), whose indicator is the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio); this indicator is also linked to complications such as diabetes, obesity, or inflammatory bowel disease. The present study investigated the prevalence of Blastocystis and its association with intestinal dysbiosis in healthy and metabolic diseased subjects.Methods: Fecal and blood samples were collected consecutively from 200 healthy subjects, and 84 with diseased metabolic subjects; Blastocystis and its most frequent subtypes were identified by end-point PCR and the two most representative phyla of the intestinal microbiota Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes by real-time PCR.Results: The prevalence of Blastocystis in healthy subjects was 47.0%, and 65.48 % in subjects with metabolic disease; the most prevalent subtype in the total population was ST3 (28.38 %), followed by ST1 (14.86 %), ST4, ST5, and ST7 (each one of them with 14.19 % respectively), and finally ST2 (8.78 %). The low F/B ratio that characterizes intestinal dysbiosis was associated with the prevalence of Blastocystis in the two cohorts FACSA (OR = 3.78 P <0.05) and UNEME (OR = 4.29 p <0.05). Regarding the subtype level, an association between the FACSA cohort ST1 and ST7 with intestinal dysbiosis was found (OR = 3.99 and 5.44 p <0.05, respectively).Conclusions: The predatory role of Blastocystis over Firmicutes phylum is evident in both cohorts since it was observed that the abundance of the beneficial bacterial group's Bacteroidetes increases in the groups colonized by this eukaryote and, therefore, may have a beneficial effect.
Conserving Evolutionarily Distinct Species is Critical to Safeguard Human Well-Being
Authors: Molina-Venegas Rafael
Published: May 2021

Although there is growing interest in safeguarding the Tree of Life to preserve the human benefits that are directly provided by biodiversity, their evolutionary distribution remains unknown, which has hampered our understanding of the potential of phylodiversity indicators to evince them. Here, I drew on a global review of plant services and comprehensive phylogenetic information to breakdown their evolutionary distribution and thereby show why the commonly used Phylogenetic Diversity and Evolutionary Distinctiveness indicators can unequivocally help to preserve these natural benefits. Beneficial species clumped within phylogenetically overdispersed genera and closely related taxa often contributed very few and redundant services, suggesting that multiple plant lineages are required to maintain a wide variety of benefits. Yet, a reduced number of species stood out as multi-beneficial and evolutionarily distinct plants relative to both the entire phylogeny and the subset of beneficial species, and they collectively contributed a higher-than-expected number of records for most types of benefits. In addition to providing a clear mechanistic understanding for the recently proved success of Phylogenetic Diversity in capturing plant benefits, these findings stress the decisive role that conservation programmes aimed at protecting evolutionarily distinct taxa will pay in safeguarding the beneficial potential of biodiversity for the future.
Use and Safety of Prophylactic Endoscopy From a Single Center Serving Urban and Rural Children With Portal Hypertension
Authors: Slowik Voytek , Bernardez Anissa , Wasserkrug Heather , Fischer Ryan T. , Daniel James F. , Grammatikopoulos Tassos
Published: May 2021

Background: Prophylactic endoscopy is routine in adults with portal hypertension (PHTN), but there is limited data in pediatrics. We sought to describe our experience with prophylactic endoscopy in pediatric PHTNMethods: Retrospective cohort study of 87 children who began surveillance endoscopy prior to gastrointestinal bleeding (primary prophylaxis) and 52 who began after an episode of bleeding (secondary prophylaxis) from 01/01/1994 – 07/01/2019. Results: Patients who underwent primary prophylaxis had a lower mean number of endoscopies (3.897 vs 6.269, p = 0.001). The primary prophylaxis group was less likely to require a portosystemic shunt (6% vs 15%, p < 0.001) with no difference in immediate complications (1% vs 2%, p = 0.173), 2-week complications (1% vs 2%, p = 0.097), need for transplant (24% vs 27%, p = 0.0819) or death (5% vs 13%, p = 0.061). No deaths were related to variceal bleeding or endoscopy. Conclusions: Primary and secondary endoscopic prophylaxis should be considered safe for the prevention of variceal hemorrhage in pediatric portal hypertension. There are differences in outcomes in primary and secondary prophylaxis, but unclear if this is due to patient characteristics versus treatment strategy. Further study is needed to compare safety and efficacy to watchful waiting.
3D Printing of High-Strength Water-Soluble Salt Cores Via Layered Extrusion Forming
Authors: Gong Xiaolong , Liu Xinwang , Chen Zheng , Yang Zhiyuan , Jiang Wenming , Fan Zitian
Published: May 2021

Core materials with high strength and excellent collapsibility are important for the manufacture of hollow composite structure castings. In this work, a novel technology to fabricate water-soluble Na2SO4-NaCl based salt cores with high strength and low cost by layered extrusion forming (LEF) was reported. The water-soluble Na2SO4 and NaCl powder were used as the matrix materials, and the bauxite powder was used as the reinforcing material. The effects of bauxite powder content and liquid phase sintering parameters on properties of the salt cores were studied. The results show that the salt-based slurry exhibits shear thinning property within the studied bauxite powder contents. When the content of bauxite powder was 20 wt.% and the sintering was at 630 ℃/30 min, the obtained salt cores show an optimal comprehensive performance, with the bending strength, linear shrinkage, water-solubility rate and moisture rate of 24.43 MPa, 6.3%, 207.6 (g/min·m2), and 0.29%, respectively. The complex water-soluble salt core samples prepared under the optimal parameters display high-strength and well-shaped morphology.
Osteosynthesis of Non-displaced Femoral Neck Fractures in the Elderly Population Using the Femoral Neck System (FNS): Short-term Clinical and Radiological Outcomes
Authors: Vazquez Oscar , Gamulin Axel , Hannouche Didier , Belaieff Wilson
Published: May 2021

Background: femoral neck fractures (FNF) are frequent in the elderly population and surgical management is indicated in the vast majority of cases. Osteosynthesis is an alternative to arthroplasty for non-displaced FNF. Triple screw construct (TS) and the Dynamic Hip Screw system (DHS) are considered gold standards for osteosynthesis. The newly available Femoral Neck System (FNS) currently lacks evidence as to whether it is a valid alternative to TS and DHS. The purpose of this study was to evaluate short term clinical and radiological outcomes after non-displaced (Garden I and II) FNF osteosynthesis using TS, DHS and FNS. Methods: all the patients of the author’s institution aged ≥ 75y with a non-displaced (Garden I and II) FNF eligible to osteosynthesis between November 2015 and December 2019 were included in this single-center retrospective non-randomized study. Patients were treated with either TS, DHS or FNS depending on surgeon’s preference. Clinical data (age, gender, duration of surgery, need for blood transfusion and number of packed red blood cells transfused, surgical site complications, length of stay, discharge location, postoperative medical complications and readmission within 30 days, and mortality within 3 months) were extracted from patients’ charts. Radiological analysis assessed fracture classification, fracture impaction and proximal femur shortening at 3 and 6 months using the institutional imaging software.Results: the TS (n=32), DHS (n=16) and FNS (n=15) groups were similar with respect to age (mean 85y) and gender (female: male ratio 4:1). There were no significant differences across groups for need for blood transfusion, surgical site complications, length of stay, postoperative medical complications and readmission within 30 days, discharge location and mortality within 3 months. Duration of surgery was significantly lower in the FNS group (43.3 vs 68.8min; p<0.001). Radiological assessment found similar impaction (5,2mm ± 4.8) and shortening (8.6mm ± 8.2) in all groups that did not seem to progress after 3 months. Conclusion: The FNS appears to be a valid alternative implant for FNF osteosynthesis and is associated with shorter operative time than TS and DHS. Short-term clinical and radiological outcomes of FNS are similar to TS and DHS implants. Further long-term multi-center randomized studies are however necessary to confirm these first results.
Genomic Alterations and Possible Druggable Mutations in Carcinoma of Unknown Primary (CUP)
Authors: Es Hamidreza Aboulkheyr , Mahdizadeh Hamid , Asl Amir Abbas Hedayati , Totonchi Mehdi
Published: May 2021

Carcinoma of Unknown Primary (CUP) is a heterogeneous and metastatic disease where the primary site of origin is undetectable. Currently, chemotherapy is the only state-of-art treatment option for CUP patients. Using molecular profiling of the tumour, particularly mutation detection, offers a new treatment for CUP in a personalized fashion using targeted agents. We analyzed the mutation and copy number alterations profile of 1,709 CUP samples deposited in the AACR Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) cohort and explored potentially druggable mutations. We identified 52 significant mutated genes (SMG) among CUP samples, in which 13 (25%) of SMG were potentially targetable with either drug is approved for the know primary tumour or undergoing clinical trials. The most variants detected were TP53 (43%), KRAS (19.90%), KMT2D (12.60%), and CDKN2A (10.30%). Additionally, using pan-cancer analysis, we found similar variants of TERT promoter in CUP and NSCLC samples, suggesting that these mutations may serve as a diagnostic marker for identifying the primary tumour in CUP. Taken together, analyzing mutation profiling of the CUP tumours may open a new way of identifying druggable targets and consequently administrating appropriate treatment in a personalized manner.
Comparative Analysis Between Paramecium Strains with Different Syngens Using the RAPD Method
Authors: Matsumoto Sonoko , Watanabe Kenta , Imamura Akiko , Tachibana Masato , Shimizu Takashi , Watarai Masahisa
Published: May 2021

Paramecium spp. is types of free-living protists that live in freshwater environments. They are ciliates with high motility and phagocytosis and have been used to analyze cell motility and as a host model for pathogens. Besides such biological characteristics, apart from the usual morphological and genetic classification of species, the existence of taxonomies (such as syngens) and mating types related to Paramecium’s unique reproduction is known. In this study, we attempted to develop a simple method to identify Paramecium strains, which are difficult to distinguish morphologically, using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Consequently, we can observe strain-specific band patterns. We also confirm that the presence of endosymbiotic Chlorella cells affects the band pattern of P. bursaria. Furthermore, the results of the RAPD analysis using several P. caudatum strains with different syngens show that it is possible to detect a band specific to a certain syngen. By improving the reaction conditions and random primers, based on the results of this study, RAPD analysis can be applied to the identification of Paramecium strains and their syngen confirmation tests.