bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of potassium-competitive acid blockers vs. proton pump inhibitors on gastric ulcers: Bayesian and frequentist network meta-analysis with cross-inference through a quality management system
Authors: Oh Hojin , Kim Kwang-Hyun , Lee Kwan-Haeng , Yoo Duk-Woo , Yoon In Mo
Published: October 2022

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been the mainstay of treatment for gastric ulcer (GU) for over 30 years. However, since the discovery of a new class of acid suppressants, potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs), the desire for a therapeutic agent has continued and the clinical trials on P-CABs have been conducted. In our study, a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) were performed based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted since the development of P-CABs. In addition, the new methodology of the inference concept was applied to confirm the results. Our quality management system was also integrated throughout the research to guarantee the accuracy of the data. Initially, we screened 431 studies and extracted 10 homogeneous GU RCTs with 6315 participants. The odds ratios (ORs) for the 4-week cure rate in Bayesian + frequentist NMA, tegoprazan 100 mg (OR = 4.14, 95% credible interval [CI] 0.56–26.3) and pantoprazole 40 mg (OR = 4.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.90–8.88) were the largest, respectively. The ORs for the 8-week cure rate in Bayesian + frequentist NMA, lansoprazole 30 mg (OR = 8.77, 95% [CI] 0.95–78.9) and lansoprazole 30 mg (OR = 7.91, 95% [CI] 2.60–24.03) was the largest, respectively. As the inference by grouping PPIs and P-CABs, the results show similar trends in terms of effectiveness between two therapeutic classes. In conclusion, our study shows that the cure rates of P-CABs in cases of GU are not inferior to those of PPIs.
Exosomal miR-224-3p promotes lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis by targeting GSK3B in gastric cancer
Authors: Ba Yi , He Yi , Zhou Zhengyang , Qiao Lei , Duan Jingjing , Zhang Haiyang
Published: October 2022

Patients with gastric cancer (GC) are prone to lymph node metastasis (LNM), which is an important factor for recurrence and poor prognosis of GC. Nowadays, more and more studies have confirmed that exosomes can participate in tumor lymphangiogenesis. In-depth exploration of the pathological mechanism in the process of LNM in GC may provide effective targets and improve the diagnosis and treatment effect. We used sequencing analysis of collected serum to screen out exo-miRNA related to LNM in GC. In this study, we screened out miR-224-3p related to GC progression and LNM in a vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC)-independent manner. We found that exo-miR-224-3p derived from GC cells could enter human lymphatic endothelial cells (HLECs) and promote the tube formation and migration of HLECs. In addition, it was revealed that miR-224-3p could bind to the 3'UTR region of GSK3B mRNA. Then, we proved that inhibiting the expression of GSK3B could suppress the phosphorylation of β-catenin and promote the transcription of PROX1, thus leading to tumor lymphangiogenesis. Furthermore, it was also found that hnRNPA1 mediated the sorting of miR-224-3p into exosomes, and the high expression of PKM2 promoted the secretion of exo-miR-224-3p. Our discovery of the exo-miR-224-3p/GSK3B/β-catenin/PROX1 axis may provide a new direction for the clinical treatment of GC.
Nanoparticles Based Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Molecular Characterization of Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase (ESBL) Producing Pathogens
Authors: Aftab Hamna
Published: October 2022

Antibiotic resistance is a global challenge that’s correlated with the increasing illness and mortality rates, so advanced antibacterial agents should be produced. Most of the urinary tract infections are due to the antibiotic resistance. Microbes develop defense because of misuse & excessive use of drugs. Those microbes produce extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL), plasmid encoded hydrolytic enzymes. They confer resistance to β antibiotics.Nanotechnology brought huge advancement for the UTIs treatment based upon the usage of metal nanoparticles such as silver NPs. Nanoparticles are the nano-scaled materials(under 100nm). Nanoparticles consists of wide range of antibacterial characteristics against the negative & positive bacteria, and could resolve the issue of microbial drug resistance. NPs can be used as an alternative to antibiotics to treat UTI. Herein, we utilized Moringa oleifera leaves extract to synthesise the silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) biogenically. The characterization of Ag-NPs was executed by UV-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, and X-ray diffraction XRD.The antibacterial activity studied against the bacterial isolates & UTI strains. We used the well diffusion method to evaluate the antibacterial activity Ag-NPs, we utilized 1ml of DMSO in which 40ml of Ag-NPs were added Serial dilutions were 1000µl, 500µl, 250µl and 125µl. The bacteria that were most responsive to it were gram positive Staphylococcus aeruginosa and to some extent gram negative Escherichia coli bacteria. The zones of inhibition were measured by employing the common ruler.
Heterogeneous Graph-Neural-Network with TimeSequence Information Integration
Authors: Goyal North , Choi Sagar , Rey Justin , Hill Joseph
Published: October 2022

Recommendation systems, as a kind of information filtering system, can understand users' interests based on their personal data or historical behavior records, and are widely used in Web applications such as e-commerce, search, and streaming websites. Based on the fact that users with similar preferences may be interested in similar items, most existing recommendation methods mine this synergistic information through user-item interactions, called collaborative filtering. Recent interaction information can better reflect users' dynamic interests over time. Another group of work is called temporal-based recommendation, which takes into account temporal information to model the user's dynamic interests. A temporal recommendation system is based on the user's temporal interaction data as a context to predict which item the user is most likely to interact with next time. Markov chain-based recommendation models are a typical example of temporal sequential recommendation, which assume that the next interaction is only related to the previous one. Recently, much work has used recurrent neural networks to model previous behaviors and use hidden states to predict the next behavior. However, almost all temporal recommendation methods model user embeddings based only on their own temporal interaction history, ignoring the heterogeneous information widely available in recommender systems, such as product attributes, and encounter cold-start problems when data are sparse and users have fewer interactions. In this paper we proposed a model, the heterogeneous dynamic graph neural network. This network uses a static graph encoder to process the node representation of each heterogeneous graph at different time steps, which includes the node attribute information and edge information, to capture the changing node information in all time steps of the dynamic graph and obtain a valid node representation at each time step. The long and short-term memory model is then used to aggregate the temporal information between different time steps and to mine the connections and interdependencies of different types of nodes between different time steps. The goal of the heterogeneous dynamic graph neural network is to capture the changing node representations of the same nodes as well as different nodes at different time steps in the graph network, expecting to better perform the task of node classification in dynamic graphs. In this paper, we validate the model of heterogeneous dynamic graph neural networks from data, experimenting with node classification tasks on real graph structured data including social networks, e-commerce networks and business review networks, and show that heterogeneous dynamic graph neural networks outperform the latest representation learning methods for static and dynamic graphs.
Draft genomes of three closely related low light-adapted Prochlorococcus
Authors: Berta-Thompson Jessie W , Thomas Elaina , Cubillos-Ruiz Andrés , Hackl Thomas , Becker Jamie W. , Coe Allison , Biller Steven J. , Berube Paul M. , Chisholm Sallie W.
Published: October 2022

Objectives:
The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is a critical part of warm ocean ecosystems and a model for studying microbial evolution and ecology. To expand the representation of this organism’s vast wild diversity in sequence collections, we performed a set of isolation efforts targeting low light-adapted Prochlorococcus. Three genomes resulting from this larger body of work are described here.
Data description:
We present draft-quality Prochlorococcusgenomes from enrichment cultures P1344, P1361, and P1363, sampled in the North Pacific. The genomes were built from Illumina paired reads assembled de novo. Supporting datasets of raw reads, assessments, and sequences from co-enriched heterotrophic marine bacteria are also provided. These three genomes represent members of the low light-adapted LLIV Prochlorococcusclade that are closely related, with 99.9% average nucleotide identity between pairs, yet vary in gene content. Expanding the powerful toolkit of Prochlorococcus genomes, these sequences provide an opportunity to study fine-scale variation and microevolutionary processes.
Growth and Flowering of Greenhouse-grown Tomato Transplants in Response to Uniconazole
Authors: Dunn Bruce L. , Goad Carla , Brandenberger Lynn
Published: October 2022

Uniconazole is approved for use as a chemical option on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) for height control, but research is limited. In this study, 12 tomato cultivars were chosen with three cultivars each of indeterminate, determinate, heirloom, and container types. Plants were sprayed with a one-time application of 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, or 10 mg⋅L–1 of uniconazole during the two- to four-leaf stage to evaluate height control. Results indicated no significant difference between concentrations for plant height, stem caliper, and plant dry weight. The greatest soil plant analysis development (SPAD) values were observed with the 10-mg⋅L–1 treatment. Flower response in ‘Brandywine’ to a single application of 0, 2.5, or 5 mg⋅L–1 of uniconazole demonstrated a greater number of flowers per plant at 5 mg⋅L–1, whereas no significant difference was shown for the number of flower clusters or the number of flowers per cluster at other treatment levels. Using 2.5 mg⋅L–1 uniconazole was effective for reducing plant height across all cultivars of greenhouse-grown tomato seedlings compared with the control, whereas addition of 5 mg⋅L–1 was shown to increase the number of flowers in the heirloom cultivar Brandywine.
A simple arithmetic mean to ensure the convergence of models based on Blade Element Momentum theory applied to Vertical Axis Wind Turbines simulations
Authors: Maia Gomes Francisco Cristovao , Dos Santos Matos Francisco Frederico , Lemos Amaral Luana
Published: October 2022

The computer models based on the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory are able to predict the aerodynamic performance of wind turbines with good accuracy and efficiency. However, these methods may present some convergence difficulties. This work presents the development of a methodology adopting arithmetic mean in situations of flow instability to ensure the convergence of BEM models applied to Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) simulations. This methodology was used in the creation of a program written in Fortran, called FASTEEVSIM. Tests were conducted in a Darrieus wind turbine using NACA0018 and DU06W200 airfoils as blade profiles. A comparison of the results using the FASTEEVSIM with experimental data from well-known literature sources has been done in order to validate the method. When comparing the power coefficients obtained for two types of blade profiles, one symmetrical (NACA0018) and another asymmetrical (DU06W200), the final validationresults showed a mean square deviation of 3.62% and 6.09%, respectively. The results showed that the developed methodology can assist the convergence effectively and that the FASTEEVSIM program is able to predict the performance of VAWT, providing data close to experimental values in a simple and fast way.
Pig adipose tissue of two different breeds and locations: morphology and Raman studies
Authors: Pchelkina Viktoriya , Chernukha Irina , Nikitina Marina , Ilin Nikolai
Published: October 2022

According to the recent data, there are 4–5-local pig breeds left in Russia by now. Livni is among them. This breed is characterized by high fat content. Back fat has been analyzed earlier. We aimed to assess fat morphometrics from other localizations in pigs.

Sacral, axillary, and perirenal fat samples from 6-month-old Duroc and Livni pig breeds were analyzed using morphological and Raman-based techniques.

Livni adipocytes were characterized by dense packing with a polyhedron-like structure. In Duroc fat, they were more rounded (spherical). A “two-phase” cell disperse was identified in all samples. Fat cells in Livni pigs were bigger than those in the Duroc breed: 70–102, 15–18, and 26% for sacral, axillary, and perirenal locations. Differences in the intensity of the Raman signal between the samples were found: in the samples of subcutaneous adipose tissue, more intense peaks were observed, which are responsible for unsaturation; the samples of Livni axillary fat were characterized by greater unsaturation than sacral fat.

Livni and Duroc adipocytes differ from each other in form and size and the difference depends on location. Pork fat from local breeds is expected to have potentially more health protecting (for animals) and health promoting (for consumers) properties.
Noise and Disturbance Rejection Performance Evaluation on Explicit Model Predictive Control Technique Applied to Inverted Pendulum with Various Test Scenarios
Authors: ÖZGÜR Hüseyin Emre , ÖZBEK Necdet Sinan , SARIGEÇİLİ Mehmet İlteriş
Published: October 2022

An inverted pendulum on a cart (IPC) system, which is a widely used test environment for controller design due to ease of applicability, has the opportunity to be applied in different fields with nonlinear and under-actuated characteristics. In this study, the performance of the explicit MPC control method has been examined against the noise and disturbances by using two test cases and analysis approaches. Different trajectory tracking, disturbance, and noise situations have been taken into account in the elaborated scenarios. The numerical applications have been performed by the model predictive control toolbox of Matlab®/Simulink®. The advantages and drawbacks of the controller have been discussed in terms of time-domain specifications.
Arabik Gam Katkılı Doğal Kil Zeminin Konsolidasyon Sonuçlarının Değerlendirilmesi
Authors: TUNÇ Ufuk , BAĞRIAÇIK Baki , ASLAN Hayri , ALTAY Gökhan , ŞENOL Ahmet
Published: October 2022

Zeminleri iyileştirmek için yaygın olarak kullanılan katkıların yerine, doğaya zarar vermeyen alternatif malzemelerin kullanılabilirliği araştırma konusu olmuştur. Bu çalışmada yaygın olarak kullanılan bu katkılara bir alternatif olan Arabik Gam (AG) biyopolimerinin doğal kil zeminlerin iyileştirilmesinde kullanılabilirliği araştırılmıştır. Doğal kil zemin ve AG biyopolimerinin ilave edildiği doğal kil zeminin zamana bağlı oturma davranışı incelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda, doğal kil zemin numunesine ağırlıkça %1, %2, ve %3 olarak ıslak karışım yapılarak 1, 7, 14 ve 21 günlük kür süreleri için konsolidasyon deneyi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Konsolidasyon deneyi sonucunda, doğal kil zeminin ve doğal kil zemine AG biyopolimeri ilave edilerek hazırlanan numunelerin konsolidasyon deney verileri karşılaştırılmıştır. Bu çalışma ile AG biyopolimerinin doğal kil zeminin oturma davranışını olumlu yönde etkilediği sonucuna varılmıştır. Ayrıca AG’nin doğal bir malzeme olmasından dolayı bu tür zeminlerin mühendislik özelliklerinin çevreye zarar vermeden iyileştirilebileceği de belirlenmiştir.
Free Vibration Analysis of Tapered Composite Aircraft Wing via the Finite Element Method
Authors: SARI Büşra , KAZEMI LICHAEI Mahsa , YILDIRIM Sefa
Published: October 2022

The responses of the structures used in engineering applications under the effects of static and dynamic forces are significant in the design phase. Determination of the response of dynamic forces for a structure is initially performed by the evaluation of free vibration characteristics that are mode shape of the structure and vibration frequencies. This paper presents modal analyses of tapered aircraft wing structures that consist of NACA4415 design and different common materials used in the aviation industry. Furthermore, the effect of winglets on natural frequencies is examined. The main wing structures as ribs and shells are drawn using CATIA and imported to ANSYS Workbench. Analyses have been carried out considering the aircraft wing as a three-dimensional cantilever beam by fixing one end (root chord) of the aircraft wing while the other end (tip chord) is free. The first ten modes of free vibration with their respective natural frequencies and mode shapes of the wing structures of the aircrafts are obtained. The results show that the winglets decrease the natural frequency noticeably and the shell material as Carbon Epoxy UD has been observed to have higher natural frequency compared with Kevlar Epoxy.
Bir Taş Ocağındaki Patlatma Uygulamalarına Ait En Yüksek Parçacık Hızı ile Frekans İlişkisi
Authors: ERCİNS Serdar , TOSUN Abdurrahman
Published: October 2022

Bilindiği gibi açık ocak patlatmalarında patlatma sonucu, çevreye titreşim dalgaları yayılmakta ve dalgaların geçtiği yerler olumsuz bir şekilde etkilenmektedir. Konu ile ilgili çalışmalar yapan araştırmacılar, dalgaların oluşturduğu zarar derecesinin, en yüksek parçacık hız değeri ile ölçüldüğünü rapor etmişlerdir. Söz konusu hız değeri arttıkça zarar miktarının yüksek olduğu, hız değeri azaldıkça da çevreye verilen zarar miktarının az olduğunu vurgulamışlardır. Yapılan bu çalışmalarda, en yüksek parçacık hız değerinin, ölçekli mesafeye diğer bir değişle patlatma noktası ile ölçüm yapılan nokta arasındaki mesafeye ve bir defada patlayan en yüksek patlayıcı madde miktarına bağlı olduğu görülmektedir. Ancak patlatma sonucu oluşan titreşim dalgalarının sıklığı yani frekans değerleri de çevreye zarar verme derecesini belirlemektedir. Bu çalışmada, bir taş ocağında bir takım patlatma uygulamaları gerçekleştirilerek en yüksek parçacık hız değerleri ölçülmüştür. Bu değerler ile Yanal (Tran), Düşey (Vert) ve Boyuna (Long) frekans değerleri karşılaştırılmış ve yorumlanmıştır.
Fracture mechanics characterization of mortar nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes
Authors:   Academy of Athens, Gdoutos Emmanuel , Konsta-Gdoutos Maria ,   University of Texas at Arlington
Published: October 2022

The objective of this paper is to provide a fracture mechanics characterization of mortar nanocomposites reinforced with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The critical stress intensity factor, KIc, the strain energy release rate, GIc, the effective crack length, ac, and the crack tip opening displacement, CTODc are determined using three-point bend specimens. It was established that reinforcement of mortar with MWCNTs provides excellent improvement in the above fracture mechanics quantities.
Study of the excess property of the L-optimal design for the Laible model
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Melas Vyacheslav B. , Shpilev Petr V. ,   St. Petersburg State University
Published: October 2022

For a rational two-dimensional nonlinear in parameters Laible model used in analytical chemistry, the problem of constructing L-optimal designs is investigated. It is shown that there are two types of optimal designs for this model: saturated (i. e., designs with the number of support points equal to the number of model parameters) and excess (i. e., designs with the number of support points greater than the number of model parameters) and that with some homothetic transformations of the design space, locally L-optimal designs can change the type from saturated to excess and vice versa. An analytical solution to the problem of finding the dependence between the number of the optimal design support points and the values of the model parameters based on the application of a functional approach is proposed. The L-efficiency of D-optimal designs is investigated.
Clinical and epidemiological profile and risk factors causing hpv-associated head and neck cancer in Russia: results of a selected studу
Authors:   I.M. Sechenov’s First Moscow State Medical University, bldg. 2, 8 Trubetskaya Str., Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, Belyakova Е.N.
Published: October 2022

Incidence of all malignant neoplasms of head and neck has been growing all over the world. Over the last two decades more knowledge has been accumulated on the matter since human papillomavirus (HPV) was introduced into etiology of head and neck cancer. According to expert estimates annually there are approximately 52,000 new cases of head and neck cancer that are associated with human papillomavirus, including 30 % of oropharyngeal cancer, 2.1 % of oral cavity cancer and 2.3 % of laryngeal cancer. Our research goal was to determine basic clinical and epidemiological peculiarities of HPV-associated head and neck cancer. We accomplished a retrospective study based on analyzing patients’ clinical case reports. As a result we revealed that patients with oral cavity cancer and oropharyngeal cancer most frequently tended to have HPV 16, 75.7 % cases (56.7–89.1 %); it was detected in 25 % cases (4.7–63.2 %) among patients with laryngeal cancer. We showed contributions made by tobacco smoking OR = 2.07 (1.07–4.02), hookah smoking OR = 3.06 (1.06–8.80), having a dental prosthesis OR = 7.32 (2.77–19.31), heredity OR = 7.38 (3.07–17.76), “bad” oral health status OR = 33.54 (15.01–74.95), positive HPV-status in case history OR = 7.31 (2.77–19.31), having 5 or more sexual partners during lifetime OR = 4.95 (2.47–9.93) as major risk factors of devel-oping HPV-associated head and neck cancer. Prevention of HPV plays an important role in reducing the incidence of head and neck cancer. Our research results confirm the necessity to accomplish prevention activities with respect to detected risk factors causing HPV-associated head and neck cancer aiming to reduce growing incidence with the disease.
On harmonization of health risk indicators caused by ionizing radiation exposure and other harmful factors based on DALY estimates
Authors:   St. Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P.V. Ramzaev, 8 Mira Str., St. Petersburg, 197101, Russian Federation, Repin L.V. , Akhmatdinov R.R. ,   St. Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P.V. Ramzaev, 8 Mira Str., St. Petersburg, 197101, Russian Federation, Biblin A.M. ,   St. Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P.V. Ramzaev, 8 Mira Str., St. Petersburg, 197101, Russian Federation, Repin V.S. ,   St. Petersburg Research Institute of Radiation Hygiene after Professor P.V. Ramzaev, 8 Mira Str., St. Petersburg, 197101, Russian Federation
Published: October 2022

Radiation detriment is a basic measure which is currently applied to assess health risks caused by exposure to ionizing radiation. This concept was developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) more than 30 years ago; it has both certain advantages and drawbacks that limit the scope of its possible application. A certain drawback is that this value is used exclusively to assess effects produced on health by radiation thus making it ineligible for correct comparative analysis of different risks. This review focuses on contemporary scientific papers devoted to various approaches to calculating radiation detriment. There is also an attempt to analyze whether it is possible to apply the WHO methodology for assessing burden of disease as a basis for calculating universal risk rates taking into account effects produced by exposure to harmful environmental factors on population health. A possibility to use DALY (disability-adjusted life years) estimate is considered as one of possible approaches to harmonizing health risk assessment methodologies. DALY is among estimates that are frequently used to assess population health when solving various tasks in public healthcare. The review dwells on discussing whether it is advisable and feasible to gradually change a methodology for calculating radiation detriment in order to use the effective dose as a measure of health risk more correctly.
Methodical approaches to raising the reliability of health risk assessment when using polymer materials in drinking water supply
Authors:   The Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks, bldg. 1, 10 Pogodinskaya Str., Moscow, 119121, Russian Federation, Alekseeva A.V. , Savostikova O.N. ,   The Centre for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks, bldg. 1, 10 Pogodinskaya Str., Moscow, 119121, Russian Federation
Published: October 2022

Plastic pipes and coatings may contain additives, including metal stabilizers and antioxidants, designed to protect the material during manufacture and use. Some chemical compounds can be released from these plastic pipes and affect quality of drinking water. The article focuses on analyzing various approaches to examining polymer materials with the aim to assess migration of chemicals into drinking water. These approaches usually underlie methodologies of hygienic assessment developed for polymers. Migration was assessed under the same conditions as per two types of migration processes, a continuous and a sequential one. These two types of migration processes emulate conditions typical for different flows in drinking water pipelines: situations of continuous stagnation in the system and a standard flow when water is renewed regularly in water supply networks. More than 20 organic compounds were identified in tested water samples. Most of them occurred in small concentrations (excluding benzenesulfonic acid butyl amide). Moreover, many of these chemicals are not regulated in drinking water, there no standards or reference concentrations fixed for them or a relevant toxicological assessment. Given that, it is practically impossible to assess health risks caused by exposure to these chemicals according to conventional assessment procedures. It was also shown that release of chemicals differed considerably under different experimental designs. The results produced by successive migration tests indicated that intensity of migration from polymer materials the pipes were made from tended to change over time whereas the results of continuous migration tests showed that in case of stagnation quality of drinking water could deteriorate rather rapidly due to migration of organic compounds.
Substantiation of statistical model to describe and predict risks of tick bites for population
Authors:   Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, 23 Letnyaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620030, Russian Federation, Mishchenko V.A. ,   Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 202 8 Marta Str., Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation, Kshnyasev I.A. ,   Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 202 8 Marta Str., Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation, Davydova Yu.A. ,   Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 202 8 Marta Str., Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation, Vyalykh I.V. ,   ekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, 23 Letnyaya Str., Ekaterinburg, 620030, Russian Federation
Published: October 2022

Incidence of tick-borne encephalitis and other tick-borne infections correlates with a number of people applying for medical aid due to tick bites. Obviously, the number of registered tick bites is proportionate to people’s economic and recreational activities on an endemic territory and the quantity of hungry ticks. In its turn, the quantity of ticks depends on abundance of main hosts for blood-feeding stages but with a certain time lag caused by their life cycle parameters such as molting to the next stage, diapauses, and apparent seasonality in a continental boreal climate zone. Our research goal was to analyze and synthesize an adequate formalized/parameterized statistical model to describe and predict risks of tick bites for population. To describe dynamics and to predict a number of people bitten by ticks exemplified by the Sverdlovsk region, we used several linear (by parameters) logistic regression models. We applied a multimodel inference framework to assess whether the observed dynamics was described adequately. Long-tern dynamics of the number of people bitten by ticks in the Sverdlovsk region is characterized with an occurring high-amplitude slow long-wave oscillation (circadecadal one, with a quasi-period being approximately 10 years) and a short-wave 2–3-year cyclicity. The former may be associated with climatic rhythm and socioeconomic trends; the latter may be caused by biotic factors. By using the logit-regression model, we showed that the number of small mammals, both in the previous year and at the beginning of the current tick activity season can be a valuable predictor of a risk for population to be bitten by ticks. Predictive values of the created statistical model adequately describe an initial time series of chances/probabilities of tick bites.
The Importance of National Interests in the Transport Sphere for Russia's National Security
Authors: Turaeva M. О. , Gorokhova I. V.
Published: October 2022

The article attempts to analyze the legal provision of the state of national security in the sphere of transport in the Russian Federation from the point of view of covering national interests, challenges and threats. The authors show that the transport and logistics interests of the Russian Federation internationally have not always been reflected in full and in accordance with national interests in sectoral strategic planning documents. The importance of the new Maritime Doctrine adopted in July 2022, which sets priorities for the development of maritime activities over the next few years, including in the transport direction, is highlighted. Using statistical data on the state of Russia's transport sector, the authors examine what changes have taken place due to the COVID-19 restrictions and the latest geopolitical challenges. It is emphasized, that the implementation of the objectives of the Transport Strategy-2021 in the short term will proceed with negative dynamics.
PLA2R Staining is Useful for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Membranous Nephropathy in Pediatric Patients
Authors: Tamura Hiroshi , Furuie Keishiro , Kuraoka Shohei , Kawano Tomoyasu , Nakazato Hitoshi
Published: October 2022

Background:

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) is a rare disease in children. The incidence is 1.5% in children with nephrotic syndrome. A few studies have also investigated the M-type phospholipase A2 receptor’s (PLA2R) potential role in pediatric IMN, reporting a low positive rate in pediatric kidneys.

Objective:

Therefore, we conducted immunofluorescence staining using an anti-PLA2R antibody in the renal biopsy specimens of eight pediatric patients with IMN.

Methods:

We studied the glomerular expression of PLA2R using tissues from children with IMN, and searched for papers on PLA2R staining in pediatric IMN on PubMed.

Results and Discussion:

Clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with IMN in this study and the other three studies: A total of 20 pediatric (aged 2–12 years; mean age 7.4 ± 2.8 years) patients and 25 adolescent (aged 13–19 years; mean age 15.9 ± 2.0 years) patients, comprising 25 male (55.6%) and 20 female (44.4%) patients, with 23 (51.1%) patients with IMN being PLA2R-positive, were found to be eligible for this study. Furthermore, we found three papers through our online search.

Conclusion:

PLA2R expression can be approximately half positive in children with IMN, and it is useful to investigate the causative antigen of PLA2R in children.

The intensity of anti-PLA2R antibody expression reflected the disease activity (urinary protein level) of the patients in this study.

It is possible to adjust the drug dose in immunosuppressive therapy with reference to the expression intensity of PLA2R.
Pathogenetic Role of Disorders of Insulin Signaling Pathways and Diabetes-Associated Hyperglycemia in the Mechanisms of Diabetic Encephalopathy Formation and Hypersensitivity of the Brain to Ischemia-Reperfusion
Authors: Tkachuk Svitlana , Tkachuk Oleksiy , Nika Olha , Hodovanets Yuliya
Published: October 2022

The aim of the study was to analyze the literature data regarding the pathogenetic role of insulin signaling disorders and diabetes-associated hyperglycemia in the mechanisms of diabetic encephalopathy and hypersensitivity of the brain to ischemia-reperfusion.

Conclusion. Analysis of the literature data shows a number of common links between the pathogenesis of diabetic encephalopathy and ischemic-reperfusion brain injury, which may, to some extent, explain the predisposition of diabetics to acute cerebral circulatory disorders and their adverse course. However, it is clear that the severity of such comorbid pathology cannot be explained only by the additive effect of individual links in the pathogenesis, which indicates the necessity for further in-depth study of its molecular-genetic aspects.
Parasitoides himenópteros presentes en especies ambrosiales y descortezadores recolectados de Persea americana Mill. (Laurales: Lauraceae), en Nayarit, México
Authors: Jacobo-Macías Eric Roberto , Robles-Bermúdez Agustín , Cambero-Campos Octavio Jhonathan , Coronado-Blanco Juana María , Isiordia-Aquino Néstor , Ruíz-Cancino Enrique , Robles-Navarrete Alan Paul
Published: October 2022

En años recientes los escarabajos ambrosiales (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) han cobrado relevancia por la amenaza que representan para el cultivo de aguacate, las especies Xyleborus glabratus y su agente simbionte Raffaelea lauricola (Ophiostomatales: Ophiostomataceae), así como el complejo de especies de Euwallacea fornicatus y su patógeno asociado Fusarium euwallaceae (Hypocreales: Nectriaceae), especies reglamentadas para México. Dentro del complejo de E. fornicatus se encuentra Euwallacea kuroshio, una especie que en 2016 fue reportada en Tijuana, Baja California. Por lo anterior, es importante conocer la diversidad de estos barrenadores que tienen el potencial de afectar distintos hospederos vegetales, entre los que se encuentra el aguacate. Además, de presentarse R. lauricola y F. euwallaceae, las especies nativas podrían ser vectores secundarios y hospederos de enemigos naturales. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los parasitoides asociados a especies de escarabajos ambrosiales y descortezadores nativos de Persea americana de los cultivares Hass, Booth 8 y Choquette en los municipios de Xalisco, Tepic y San Blas, en Nayarit. El método empleado fue la recolecta de material vegetal de distintos cultivares de aguacate infestados por el ataque de especies ambrosiales, el cual fue introducido en cubetas modificadas de 20 litros para obtener los escarabajos. Los parasitoides himenópteros obtenidos pertenecen a las familias Braconidae, Eupelmidae y Figitidae, los cuales emergieron de ramas infestadas principalmente por Xyleborus palatus, Pityophthorus sp. y Xyleborus affinis. Se concluye que existen especies de distintas familias y géneros de Hymenoptera: Parasitica que regulan poblaciones de escolítinos ambrosiales y descortezadores en Nayarit.
Integrating Human-Centered Design Methods Into a Health Promotion Project: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Case Study for Intervention Design
Authors: Chen Elizabeth , Bishop Jared , Guge Cozon Lindsay , Hernandez Eduardo , Sadeghzadeh Claire , Bradley Megan , Dearth-Wesley Tracy , De Marco Molly
Published: October 2022

Background

Human-centered design, or design thinking, offers an extensive toolkit of methods and strategies for user-centered engagement that lends itself well to intervention development and implementation. These methods can be applied to the fields of public health and medicine to design interventions that may be more feasible and viable in real-world contexts than those developed with different methods.

Objective

The design team aimed to develop approaches to building food skills among caregivers of children aged 0-5 years who are eligible for a federal food assistance program while they were in the grocery store.

Methods

They applied 3 specific human-centered design methods—Extremes and Mainstreams, Journey Mapping, and Co-Creation Sessions—to collaboratively develop intervention approaches to enhance Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) reach and impact across food retail settings. Extremes and Mainstreams is a specific kind of purposive sampling that selects individuals based on characteristics beyond demographics. Journey Mapping is a visual tool that asks individuals to identify key moments and decision points during an experience. Co-Creation Sessions are choreographed opportunities for individuals to explicitly contribute to the design of a solution alongside research or design team members.

Results

Ten caregivers with diverse lived experiences were selected to participate in remote design thinking workshops and create individual journey maps to depict their grocery store experiences. Common happy points and pain points were identified. Nine stakeholders, including caregivers, SNAP-Ed staff, and grocery store dieticians, cocreated 2 potential intervention approaches informed by caregivers’ experiences and needs: a rewards program and a meal box option.

Conclusions

These 3 human-centered design methods led to a meaningful co-design process where proposed interventions aligned with caregivers’ wants and needs. This case study provides other public health practitioners with specific examples of how to use these methods in program development and stakeholder engagement as well as lessons learned when adapting these methods to remote settings.
Effects of Cybersickness Caused by Head-Mounted Display–Based Virtual Reality on Physiological Responses: Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Kim Yoon Sang , Won JuHye , Jang Seong-Wook , Ko Junho
Published: October 2022

Background

Although more people are experiencing cybersickness due to the popularization of virtual reality (VR), no official standard for the cause and reduction of cybersickness exists to date. One of the main reasons is that an objective method to assess cybersickness has not been established. To resolve this, research on evaluating cybersickness with physiological responses that can be measured in real time is required. Since research on deriving physiological responses that can assess cybersickness is at an early stage, further studies examining various physiological responses are needed.

Objective

This study analyzed the effects of cybersickness caused by head-mounted display–based VR on physiological responses.

Methods

We developed content that provided users with a first-person view of an aircraft that moved (with translation and combined rotation) over a city via a predetermined trajectory. In the experiment, cybersickness and the physiological responses of participants were measured. Cybersickness was assessed by the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). The measured physiological responses were heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and cortisol level.

Results

Our measurement confirmed that all SSQ scores increased significantly (all Ps<.05) when participants experienced cybersickness. Heart rate and cortisol level increased significantly (P=.01 and P=.001, respectively). Body temperature also increased, but there was no statistically significant difference (P=.02). Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly (P=.001).

Conclusions

Based on the results of our analysis, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) cybersickness causes significant disorientation, and research on this topic should focus on factors that affect disorientation; and (2) the physiological responses that are suitable for measuring cybersickness are heart rate and cortisol level.
A CLINICAL STUDY OF RETINAL GANGLION CELL LAYER AND RETINAL NERVE FIBER LAYER CHANGES IN COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS ATTENDING PSYCHIATRY OPD IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN NORTHEAST BIHAR
Authors: KUMARI REENA , KUMARI KANCHAN , BHAGAT DINESH KUMAR
Published: October 2022

Objective: The objective of this study was to study and compare retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) changes and retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) changes in different quadrants of the eye in elderly patients (60 years or more) with cognitive impairment.
Methods: Study conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology and Psychiatry in M.G.M. Medical College and L.S.K. Hospital Kishanganj, Bihar. It was a cross-sectional study. Random sampling among elderly patients with cognitive impairment attending Psychiatry OPD. A total 50 patients (32 cases+18 control). Thirty-two cases with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) having mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score <24 and 12 controls with normal cognition (NC) having MMSE score >30 were enrolled in this study. Mini-mental status examination and montreal cognitive assessment-for selection of cognitive impairment patients. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) to compare changes in the retinal GCL and RNFL in different eye quadrants.
Results: The observation of the present study reveals mean thickness of the GCL and the inner plexiform layer (IPL) was significantly higher among healthy controls in both right and left eyes compared to the case group (p=0.05 and 0.008, respectively). The comparison of GCL and IPL thickness in the inferior temporal quadrant between case and control group. The observation of the present study reveals that the mean thickness of the GCL and IPL in the inferior temporal quadrant was comparable between healthy controls and the case group in the right eyes (p=0.606), and it was significantly higher among healthy controls compared to case group in the left eyes (p=0.05).
Conclusion: As a result, it is recommended that all patients over the age of 60 have a routine retinal evaluation with OCT to detect early neurodegenerative alterations for the early diagnosis and management. According to our study, the sensitivity of GCL+IPL to distinguish MCI from controls was often higher than that of RNFL.
TOPOGRAPHY OF NUTRIENT FORAMINA OF ADULT DRY RADII IN SOUTH INDIAN POPULATION WITH A NOTE ON ITS SURGICAL RELEVANCE
Authors: JAKKA LAKSHMI DURGA , CHANDIPRIYA DASARI
Published: October 2022

Objective: The objective of this study was to study the average length of adult dry radii in south Indian population, distribution of nutrient foramina, and foraminal index.
Methods: This study was conducted using 200 dry, adult radii, obtained from the department of Anatomy at our institute. Fully formed radii of both sides and genders were included in the study. Length of each bone, distribution, and direction of nutrient foramina on diaphysis were studied with the help of a Vernier caliper. Later, foramen index was estimated for all bones using Hughes formula. The data were tabulated and analyzed statistically.
Results: Average length of radii in the study was 23.37±1.65 cm. All radii had their nutrient foramina, directed proximally. About 2% of the study sample had double nutrient foramina. Increased number of foramina had no effect on length of bone. As many as, 57.5% of radii had nutrient foramen on the anterior surface of shaft. Mean foramen index was 34.24±4.75.
Conclusion: This study provides population-specific data regarding length of adult radii and topography of nutrient foramina of adult radii. An attempt was made to acknowledge its relevance while harvesting a vascular graft.
GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME AND COVID-19 VACCINATION: A DISCONCERTING ASSOCIATION
Authors: SHANMUGAM SINDHU , JAMES SELVIN GNANARAJ , SRIRAM DAMAL KANDADAI , GEORGE MELVIN
Published: October 2022

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, inflammatory peripheral nerve disorder characterized by rapidly progressive, ascending, symmetrical paresthesia, and motor weakness. Some patients may develop respiratory failure requiring ventilation. The annual incidence of GBS is ~1.7 persons per 100,000 population. We describe the case of a 61-year-old male complaining of headache, one episode of vomiting, giddiness, slight slurring of speech, and inability to close his left eyelid. The patient received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, with improvement in his symptoms at the time of discharge. In addition, we have also summarized 41 cases of GBS reported on post-COVID-19 vaccination. The intention of this case report is to highlight on the incidence of GBS in individuals who have received COVID-19 vaccine. Moreover, physicians should be aware of GBS in every patient presenting with neurological complaints on OPD.
MEDITATION: A SAVIOUR FOR BALANCING THE AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS
Authors: A RACHEL VIDYULLATHA , S SUBHADRA , D LAVANYA
Published: October 2022

Objective: Stress becomes an inevitable part of our current lifestyle. It has most deleterious effects on each and every system of the body affecting both physical and mental health. By reducing stress and anxiety through yoga and meditation, numerous health benefits can be achieved. Raja Yoga meditation is a simple and scientific technique to elicit physical and mental relaxation response.
Methods: This case–control study was conducted in a tertiary health care center. A total of 100 participants were included in this study among them 50 were meditators who practice Raja Yoga for the past 1 year and 50 were non-meditators. All the subjects were between 31 and 60 years of age. Anthropometric measurements such as height and weight were measured. Heart rate (HR) during deep breathing both minimum and maximum HR was measured using electrophysiography.
Results: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 21. Statistical analysis was done by t-test (paired and independent sample test). It was found that minimum and maximum HR were higher in non-meditators when compared to meditators and it was highly statistically significant (p=0.000). Deep breathing difference was found to be higher in meditators and it was found to be highly statistically significant (p= 0.000).
Conclusion: Raja Yoga meditation provides significant improvements in physiological cardiorespiratory functions by tilting of autonomic balance from sympathetic to parasympathetic system.