bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Triple Positive for Anti-MDA5, Anti-EJ and Anti-Ro52 Antibodies Dermatomyositis Associated Interstitial Lung Disease：a case report
Authors: Guo Jia , Du Lingjie , Xu Bo , Tan Chunting , Zhao Ranran
Published: May 2024

Background
Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a disease with the typical skin manifestations of dermatomyositis (DM) and few or no obvious muscle weakness. The anti-melanoma differentiation associated protein 5（MDA5）antibody positive CADM patients are at a high risk of developing rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (RP-ILD)，and exhibit immensely poor prognosis and high mortality. The disease course and severity of MDA5+CAMD are highly different, wherein some patients presented marked treatment response and didn’t occur exacerbation. Analysis to these special groups bring us better understanding of MDA5+CADM.
Case presentation
We presented a patient with anti-MD5 anti-Ro52 anti-EJ-triple positive DM patient. She was initially characteristic with darken skin for 2 years before gradually occurred dry cough, fever and dyspnea. She had a low oxygen saturation and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide. With combination therapy of GCs and two immunosuppressants, the woman obtained a rapid remission and persisted for a long time.
Conclusions
Patients with anti-MD5 anti-Ro52 anti-EJ-triple positive DM-ILD may present a less aggressive disease course and an individual appropriate therapy may be promising for long-term maintenance.
Machine Learning Identifies Variation in Timing of Palliative Care Consultations Among Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Authors: Aude Carlos A. , Vattipally Vikas N. , Das Oishika , Ran Kathleen R. , Giwa Ganiat A. , Rincon-Torroella Jordina , Xu Risheng , Byrne James P. , Muehlschlegel Susanne , Suarez Jose I. , Mukherjee Debraj , Huang Judy , Azad Tej D. , Bettegowda Chetan
Published: May 2024

Background and Objective

Timely palliative care involvement offers demonstrable benefits for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients; however, palliative care consultations (PCCs) are used inconsistently during TBI management. This study aimed to employ advanced machine learning techniques to elucidate the primary drivers of PCC timing variability for TBI patients.

Methods

Data on admission, hospital course, and outcomes were collected for a cohort of 232 TBI patients who received both PCCs and neurosurgical consultations during the same hospitalization. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and K-means clustering were used to identify patient phenotypes, which were then compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis. An extreme gradient boosting model (XGBoost) was employed to determine drivers of PCC timing, with model interpretation performed using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP).

Results

Cluster A (n = 86) consisted mainly of older (median [IQR] = 87 [78, 94] years), White females with mild TBIs and demonstrated the shortest time-to-PCC (2.5 [1.0, 7.0] days). Cluster B (n = 108) also sustained mild TBIs but comprised moderately younger (81 [75, 86] years) married White males with later PCC (5.0 [3.0, 10.8] days). Cluster C (n = 38) represented much younger (46.5 [29.5, 59.8] years), more severely injured, non-White patients with the latest PCC initiation (9.0 [4.2, 17.0] days). The clusters did not differ by discharge disposition (p = 0.4) or frequency inpatient mortality (p > 0.9); however, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significant difference in the time from admission to PCC (p < 0.001), despite no differences in time from admission to mortality (p = 0.18). SHAP analysis of the XGBoost model identified age, sex, and race as the most influential drivers of PCC timing.

Conclusions

This study highlights crucial disparities in PCC timing for TBI patients and underscores the need for targeted strategies to ensure timely and equitable palliative care integration for this vulnerable population.
Differential effects of self-administered and receptive sound intervention on cardiovascular parameters in cancer patients: A randomized cross-over trial
Authors: Hohneck Anna , Kolar Valentin , Troia Melissa , Weingärtner Simone , Merx Kirsten , Sarodnick Felicitas , Mavratzas Athanasios , Burkholder Iris , Schumacher Gerhard , Hofmann Wolf-Karsten , Hofheinz Ralf-Dieter
Published: May 2024

Aim This study aimed to assess differential effects on cardiovascular parameters and subjective perceptions of a self-administered (active) or receptive sound intervention in cancer patients.
Methods Using a randomized cross-over design, patients with cancer were recruited to undergo both, a 15-minute self-administered or receptive sound intervention using (sound of) a body monochord, respectively. During self-administered intervention patients were asked to play a body monochord, while receiving prerecorded instructions via headphones. During receptive sound intervention both a prerecorded audio file with explanations, as well as monochord sounds were applied via headphones. Before (pre) and after (post) intervention, cardiovascular parameters (measured by VascAssist2.0) and subjective feelings and emotions (measured by visual analogue scales) were assessed.
Results 50 patients (18 male, 32 female) with a median age of 60 years (range 29 – 79) were included. Both interventions led to a significant reduction in heart rate (p < 0.001), with a more pronounced effect in the receptive group (median reduction -2.0 bpm (active) vs median reduction -4.0 bpm (receptive), p = 0.01). Vascular resistance index was reduced by both interventions, though failing to reach statistical significance in the active group (receptive: median reduction ‑2.2, p < 0.001; active: median reduction -0.5, p = 0.053; active vs receptive: p = 0.77). This was also reflected in a greater, but not statistically different reduction in pulse wave velocity (PWV) for receptive intervention (active: median reduction -0.4 m/s, p = 0.002; receptive: median reduction -0.5 m/s, p < 0.001; active vs receptive: p = 0.21). Both interventions led to an increase in emotional well-being, while anger, anxiety, sadness, emotional stress and fatigue were significantly reduced. Pain, on the other hand, was only reduced by receptive intervention (median reduction -1.0, p = 0.04), but not significantly different compared to active intervention (p = 0.99).
Conclusion Both self-administered and receptive sound interventions are able to improve cardiovascular parameters and subjective feelings and emotions in cancer patients. Receptive intervention by trend appeared to have more pronounced effects on vascular function (reduced resistance and PWV) and on pain management.
Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Forage Bermudagrass in Response to salt stress
Authors: Cui Xinyu , Chen Jianmin , Li Shuang , Shao An , Fu Jinmin
Published: May 2024

Background. Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) has a long history as an excellent forage grass, and salt stress will inhibit its growth and development. In order to minimize the damage, it is necessary to continuously develop innovative technologies and management strategies.
Results. This study evaluated the salt tolerance of new Bermudagrass strains 'FB2019R101' and 'FB2019R105' compared to commercial varieties 'Wrangler' and 'A12359' under simulated soil salinity conditions through seawater irrigation. Through correlation analysis of growth, physiological, and nutritional indicators, and principal component analysis, core indicators and weights for salt tolerance evaluation were identified. The salt-tolerant varieties were 'FB2019R101' and 'FB2019R105'. Under salinity stress, the plants of Bermudagrass varieties with salt tolerance suffered less damage as a whole, which could better regulate the osmotic balance inside and outside cells, accumulate more nutrients and have stronger ability to resist salt damage.
Conclusions. 'FB2019R101' and 'FB2019R105' exhibited higher salt tolerance, with minimal impact on their biomass, physiological, and nutritional indicators under salt stress. The comprehensive evaluation revealed a salt tolerance ranking of 'FB2019R105' > 'FB2019R101' > 'Wrangler' > 'A12359'. This study provides significant reference for the bioremediation of coastal saline soils and promotes research on the application of Bermudagrass under salt stress conditions.
Building on the clinical applicability of ctDNA analysis in non-metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Labiano Ibone , Huerta Ana E , Alsina Maria , Arasanz Hugo , Castro Natalia , Mendaza Saioa , Lecumberri Arturo , Gonzalez-Borja Iranzu , Guerrero-Setas David , Patiño-Garcia Ana , Alkorta-Aranburu Gorka , Hernandez-Garcia Irene , Arrazubi Virginia , Mata Elena , Gomez David , Viudez Antonio , Vera Ruth
Published: May 2024

Background. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) represents one of the worst prognostic cancers worldwide, with a high recurrence rate after adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis raised as a promising non-invasive tool to characterize tumor genomics and to assess treatment response.Methods. In this study, surgical tumor tissue and sequential blood samples were analyzed by next-generation sequencing and were correlated with clinical and pathological characteristics. Thirty resectable/borderline PDAC patients treated at the Hospital Universitario de Navarra (HUN) were included.Results. ctDNA sequencing identified pathogenic variants in KRAS and TP53, and in other cancer-associated genes. Pathogenic variants at diagnosis were detected in patients with a poorer outcome, and were correlated with response to NAT in borderline PDAC patients. Higher variant allele frequency (VAF) at diagnosis was associated with worse prognosis, and VAF sum was greater in samples at progression.Conclusion. Our results build on the potential value of ctDNA for non-metastatic PDAC patients, by complementing tissue genetic information and as a non-invasive tool for treatment decision. Confirmatory studies are needed to corroborate these findings.
Analysis and Implementation of Nonlocal Governing Operators with Local Boundary Conditions on a General Interval
Authors: Aksoylu Burak , Celiker Fatih , Diehl Patrick
Published: May 2024

We study nonlocal operators that enforce local boundary conditions on a general interval $(a,b)$. We prove the bijectivity of the operators in suitable spaces which leads to the well-posedness of the problems in the infinite dimensional setting. The operators are discretized using collocation methods. Their optimal convergence properties are established rigorously utilizing the theory of Fredholm operators of the second kind and the Hilbert-Schmidt property. The theoretical results are verified with numerical experiments.
Genome-wide exploration of MTP gene family in mustard (Brassica juncea L.): evolution and expression patterns during heavy metal stress
Authors: You Liang , Sheng Jialin , Jiang Guoxiang , Chen Hao , Yuan Yuhui , Gong Sha , Yan Mingli , Hu Junhe , Xiang Guohong , Duan Renyan , Chen Yong , Liu Xianjun
Published: May 2024

Members of the Metal Tolerance Protein (MTP) family are critical in mediating the transport and tolerance of divalent metal cations. Despite their significance, little is known about the MTP genes in mustard (Brassica juncea), particularly in relation to how they react to HM stress. In our study, we identified MTP gene sets in Brassica rapa (17 genes), Brassica nigra (18 genes), and B. juncea (33 genes) using the HMMER tool (Cation_efflux; PF01545) and BLAST analysis. Then, for the 33 BjMTPs, we carried out a detailed bioinformatics analysis covering the physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, protein structures, collinearity, spatiotemporal RNA-seq expression, GO enrichment, and expression profiling under six HM stresses (Mn2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Sb3+, and Pb2+). According to the findings of physicochemical characteristics and phylogenetic tree, the allopolyploid B. juncea’s MTP genes were inherited from its progenitors, B. rapa and B. nigra, with minimal gene loss during polyploidization. The BjMTP gene family exhibited conserved motifs, promoter elements, and expression patterns that aligned with seven evolutionary branches (G1, G4-G9, and G12). Further, by co-expression analysis, the core and gene-specific expression modules of BjMTPs under six HM stresses were found. The HM treatments exhibited consistently upregulated of BjA04.MTP4, BjA09.MTP10, and BjB01.MTP5 genes, indicating their critical roles in enhancing HM tolerance in B. juncea. These discoveries may contribute to a genetic improvement in B. juncea's HM tolerance, which would facilitate the remediation of HM-contaminated areas.
Real-world Pharmacovigilance Study of Famciclovir in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database
Authors: Fang Runan , Zhou Yang , Han Lu , Chen Wenjing , Guan Ning , Li Jianhong
Published: May 2024

Background
Famciclovir, mainly used to treat herpes zoster, is a precursor drug of penciclovir that rapidly transforms into penciclovir when taken orally and sustains an extended half-life intracellularly. The information on its adverse drug reactions (ADRs) mainly comes from clinical trials, lacking large-scale real-world studies. This study evaluates the adverse events (AEs) of famciclovir by mining data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, providing references for clinical safety.
Methods
Utilized disproportionality analysis (including reported odds ratio and proportional reporting ratio) and Bayesian methods (including Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network and Gamma-Poisson Shrinkage) to quantify AE signals associated with famciclovir.
Results
A total of 17,652,186 case reports were obtained from the FAERS database, with 432 reports of famciclovir-related AEs identified. The most common AEs were nausea, headache, altered mental status, vomiting, and dizziness, corresponding to the AEs reported in guidelines and clinical trials. However, there were AEs not mentioned in the medication guide, such as toxic encephalopathy, encephalopathy, ataxia, dysarthria, dementia, cerebral infarction, tremor, purpura, skin ulcers, acute pancreatitis, rhabdomyolysis, muscle twitching, increased blood urea, lowered blood pressure, hepatitis, disease recurrence, drug interactions, and pancytopenia.
Conclusion
Our study identified potential famciclovir AE signals, providing references for physicians in clinical use to reduce potential side effects and promote safe implementation of the drug in clinical settings.
The Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index is related to adverse hospitalization outcomes in individuals undergoing cardiac surgery
Authors: Zhao Ani , Li Sailan , Liao xiaoqin , Chen liangwan , Lin yanjuan , Wu Lijun , Lin lingyu
Published: May 2024

Malnutrition is linked to adverse outcomes in post-cardiac surgery patients. This study investigates the correlation between GNRI and adverse hospital outcomes in patients following cardiac surgery. This retrospective study included elderly patients with heart disease who were admitted to the Department of Cardiology, Union Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022. Patients were divided into two groups based on the cut-off value (98g/dL). Data from 407 patients were assessed, with 278 (68.3%) classified as having nutritional risk and 129 (31.7%) as having no nutritional risk. Notable distinctions were observed in body weight, BMI, and left ventricular ejection fraction (P < 0.05). Laboratory indicators indicated lower levels of serum albumin, lymphocytes, red blood cells, hemoglobin, admission blood glucose, and admission triglyceride in the nutritional risk group (P < 0.05). Neutrophils and serum creatinine were higher in the nutritional risk group (P < 0.05). Poor prognosis was prevalent in the nutrition risk group (64.7%), with higher incidences of adverse outcomes (P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate studies showed that GNRI < 98 was an independent predictor of postoperative cardiac surgery. Nutritional risk was an important predictor of postoperative adverse hospital outcomes.
Integrated scheduling algorithm with Dynamic Adjustment on Machine Idle Time
Authors: Zhou Wei , Ding Xueying , Xie Zhiqiang , Sun Ming , Tan Zhenjiang
Published: May 2024

During the scheduling of the production of small batch and multi-variety products with treelike structure, many devices are idle due to the process constraints. This increases the makespan of production and reduces the utilization rate of the equipment. Aiming at improving this situation, a resource cooperative scheduling algorithm is proposed to dynamically adjust the idle time of equipment: the integrated scheduling algorithm with dynamic adjustment on machine idle time(ISA_DA). This algorithm adopts the critical path chain and the optimal scheduling strategy. Besides, the adjustment strategy considering the backward movement of the process is put forward to improve the intensity of the close connection of the process and the intensity of parallel processing. Experimental results show that the effect of the proposed algorithm is better than the comparison algorithms: the hierarchical scheduling order algorithm and the process tree cyclic decomposition algorithm. It can increase the equipment utilization rate by 10% and 11.5% respectively, and reduce the makespan by 28.6%.
SGLT-2 inhibitors in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients: a follow-up study
Authors: Lai Jia-Wen , Wang Charles C.N. , Chou Che-Yi
Published: May 2024

Background
Sodium-glucose transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) are recommended for use in patients with type 2 diabetes comorbid atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure or chronic kidney disease. Limited reports are currently available for their use in dialysis patients. We reported clinical characteristics of chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients on SGLT-2 inhibitors in a follow-up study.
Methods
We enrolled 50 diabetic chronic PD patients, and 11 continued SGLT-2i after PD treatment. We reported the patients' ultrafiltration, HbA1c, urinary tract infection episodes, and venous CO2 during follow-up and compared the differences in these factors between patients with and without SGLT-2i.
Results
The mean age of the patients was 65 ± 15 years, and 16 (32%) patients were female. The age, gender, heart failure, and primary kidney disease were not different between patients with and without SGLT-2i at enrollment. In an average of 31 months follow-up, patients with SGLT-2i had a higher ultrafiltration (1322 ± 200 ml/day vs 985 ± 415 ml/day, p = 0.013), hemoglobin (11.2 ± 1.7 vs 10.2 ± 1.7 g/dl), a lower venous CO2 (p = 0.036). The urine amount, the overall survival, the technical survival, and the chance of UTI were not different between patients with and without SGLT2i.
Conclusion
SGLT-2i may increase ultrafiltration volume and hemoglobin levels in chronic PD patients. The use of SGLT-2i did not increase urinary tract infection but was linked to subclinical metabolic acidosis.
A Study on the Effectiveness of the Tree Drawing Projective Test Depression Assessment Form in Adolescents with Depressive Disorders
Authors: Liu Guorui , Zhang Yanfei , Li Ziyang , Liu Yige , Jin Hui , Shi Peiqi , Wen Jing , Liu Wei , Bai Yonghai , Wang Yihao
Published: May 2024

Background
Depressive disorders in adolescents are highly prevalent. A controlled study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Tree Drawing Projective Test Depression Assessment Form in identifying depressive symptoms among teenagers. The goal was to provide support in screening and preventing depressive symptoms in adolescents.
Methods
A controlled study design was employed, administering the Tree Drawing Projective Test to 50 adolescent patients with depressive disorders and 54 healthy controls. The drawings were scanned using a scanner, and the Tree Drawing Projective Test Depression Assessment Form was utilized to evaluate the images. Statistical analysis was conducted on the results, with quantitative data subjected to t-tests and categorical data to chi-square tests.
Results
The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the Tree Drawing Test Evaluation Form was 0.657, indicating a statistically significant difference in total scores between the depression group and the control group (16.9600±4.8528 for the depression group, 7.2593±3.4378 for the control group, t-value of 11.831, and p-value of 0.000). When using a cutoff score of 13, the Youden Index was 0.761, with a sensitivity of 0.78 and a specificity of 0.981. The positive and negative predictive values were 0.9524 and 0.8387, respectively. At a cutoff score of 9, the sensitivity was 0.98, and the specificity was 0.704, with positive and negative predictive values of 0.7205 and 0.9722, respectively.
Conclusions
The Tree Drawing Projective Test Depression Assessment Form has good screening efficacy and can serve as a preliminary and rapid screening tool for depression and depressive disorders in adolescents.
Allostery can convert binding free energies into concerted domain motions in enzymes
Authors: Maglia Giovanni , Galenkamp Nicole , Zernia Sarah , Oppen Yulan Van , Milias-Argeitis Andreas
Published: May 2024

Enzymes’ mechanisms are typically inferred from structural data. However, understanding proteins’ functions requires unravelling the intricate dynamic interplay between dynamics, conformational substates and multiple protein structures. Here, we investigate the catalytic cycle of adenylate kinase (AK), an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of the various adenosine phosphates (ATP, ADP, and AMP). Our findings reveal that allosteric interactions enable converting ligands and cofactor binding energies into directional conformational changes of the two catalytic domains of AK. These coordinated motions emerged to control the exact sequence of ligand binding, the affinity for the three different substrates, and guiding the reactants along the reaction coordinates. Interestingly, we found that about 10% of enzymes showed altered allosteric regulation and ligand affinities, indicating that a subset of enzymes folded in alternative catalytically active forms. Since molecules or proteins might be able to selectively stabilize one of these multiple folds, this observation suggests an evolutionary path for allostery in enzymes. In AK, this complex catalytic framework has likely emerged to prevent futile ATP/ADP hydrolysis and to finely tune the enzyme for different energy needs of the cell.
Efficacy and safety of salvage-line nivolumab monotherapy for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Comparison of 240 mg versus 480 mg doses
Authors: Murashima Yuko , Yamamoto Shun , Hirose Toshiharu , Kadono Toru , Ikeda Go , Ohara Akihiro , Itoyama Mai , Yokoyama Kazuki , Honma Yoshitaka , Ishiyama Koshiro , Oguma Jyunya , Daiko Hiroyuki , Kato Ken
Published: May 2024

Background
Nivolumab monotherapy is the standard second-line treatment for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy without anti-PD-1 antibody. Fixed dosing with 240 mg every 2 weeks was approved initially, followed by fixed dosing with 480 mg every 4 weeks based on pharmacokinetics data. However, information on the comparative efficacy and safety of the two doses remains limited.
Methods
We compared progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) between the two doses in 117 patients who received second-line(n=85) or later-line(n=32) nivolumab monotherapy at our institution between January 2016 and December 2021.
Results
Patient characteristics in the second-line group were as follows (240 mg vs. 480 mg): performance status (PS) 0/1/2, 34/61/5% vs 54/42/4%; prior FP, 81.3 vs. 42.3%. Those in the later-line group were as follows: PS 0/1/2, 28/60/12% vs. 14/86/0%; prior FP, 60.0 vs. 42.8%. ORR was 11.9 vs. 24.0% in the second-line group (p=0.19) and 0 vs. 14.3% in the later-line group (p=0.22). Median PFS was 1.7 vs. 4.1 months on second-line (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35-1.01, p=0.056) and 1.4 vs. 1.8 months on later-line (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.23-1.46, p=0.25); AEs of any grade were observed in 58.3 vs. 69.7%, respectively.
Conclusions
The efficacy and safety of the two doses of nivolumab monotherapy were comparable in patients with advanced ESCC.
Exploring Optimization Strategies for Support Vector Machine -Based Half Cell Potential Prediction
Authors: Murthy Yogesh Iyer , Pandey Shikha , Gandhi Sumit
Published: May 2024

Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance of Support Vector Machine (SVM) models in estimating HCP values based on input parameters, employing Bayesian Optimization, Grid Search, and Random Search optimization techniques.
Study Design/Methodology
Using a dataset containing 1134 rows and six columns, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is utilized to reduce dimensionality while preserving 95% of the explained variance. Input parameters such as temperature, age, relative humidity, and X and Y lengths are considered, with HCP as the output parameter. Various performance metrics including RMSE, R-squared, MSE, MAE, prediction speed, and training time are analyzed to evaluate model effectiveness.
Findings
The study reveals variations in predictive performance across different optimization methods, with RMSE values ranging from 18.365 to 30.205 and R-squared values spanning from 0.88 to 0.96. Additionally, differences in training times, prediction speeds, and model complexities are observed, highlighting the trade-offs between model accuracy and computational efficiency.
Originality
This study contributes to the understanding of SVM model efficacy in HCP prediction, emphasizing the importance of optimization techniques, model complexity, and dimensionality reduction methods such as PCA. The comprehensive evaluation of performance metrics across different optimization methods provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in the field.
Metabolomic characteristics of cord blood from neonates with hyperkalemia after antenatal exposure to ritodrine and magnesium sulfate
Authors: Inoue Masanori , Sekiguchi Kazuhito , Tsushita Haruka , Inoue Naomi , Maeda Tomoki , Itoh Hiroki , Ihara Kenji
Published: May 2024

In the management of pregnancy, ritodrine has been used to prevent preterm birth, and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) has been used to prevent preterm labor and preeclampsia. Neonates born to mothers receiving these medications occasionally show an increase in serum potassium concentration. Recently, an elevated risk of neonatal hyperkalemia has been reported, particularly when ritodrine and MgSO4 are co-administered; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the association between potassium levels and metabolites in the serum of umbilical cord blood of infants with antenatal exposure to antenatal ritodrine and MgSO4 using a metabolomic analysis. Our findings revealed a significant elevation in serum potassium concentration associated with metabolomic findings of activation of glycolysis and the derived metabolic routes in preterm neonates exposed to both ritodrine and MgSO4. Our data indicate that the concurrent administration of ritodrine and MgSO4 caused distinctive metabolic alterations, potentially leading to an additional increase in the intracellular potassium concentration in the fetus. Consequently, this mechanism may imply an elevation in serum potassium concentration postnatally through the redistribution of potassium.
Association between sleep duration and estimated glomerular filtration rate in Chinese patients with diabetes: evidence from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Fu Cishuang , Deng Zhiming , Gan Shenglian , Zhou Haifeng , Zhou Quan
Published: May 2024

Previous epidemiological studies have demonstrated associations between sleep duration and diabetes, vascular complications and cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients. However, few studies have so far explored the effect of sleep time on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in diabetic patients. This study was performed for the purpose of exploring the relationship between sleep duration and eGFR in diabetic patients. This study analyzed 1389 patients with diabetes. Sleep duration at night was categorized into four groups: very short (< 6h), short (6-6.9h), optimal (7-8h), and long (> 8h). The association of sleep duration with eGFR was analyzed using univariate linear regression, and generalized additive models were applied to assess the nonlinear relationship between sleep duration and eGFR. Compared to optimal sleep duration (7-8h), both long sleep duration (> 8h) and very short sleep duration (< 6h) were associated with level of eGFR (β = -3.63, 95%CI: -5.54 to -1.71, P = 0.0002 and β = -4.79, 95%CI: -8.55 to -1.03, P = 0.0126, respectively). The smooth curve showed there is a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and eGFR levels. The results of this study show that both very short and long sleep durations were associated with low eGFR in diabetics.
Mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke with absent opacification of the cervical internal carotid artery at CT-angiography: pathophysiology and outcome
Authors: Comai Alessio , Casalboni Chiara , Bonatti Matteo , Franchini Enrica , Dall'Ora Elisa , Gunsom Ghislain Noumsi , Lombardo Fabio , Petralia Benedetto
Published: May 2024

Purpose
Occlusion of distal internal carotid artery can simulate a proximal occlusion of its cervical tract at CT angiography in patients with acute ischemic stroke, i.e. pseudo-occlusion. As true and false carotid occlusions can have similar presentation at non-invasive imaging of a patient undergoing endovascular treatment for stroke, our study aimed to evaluate clinical and technical differences of these conditions and the possible consequences of a misdiagnosis.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke in a single center between July 2015 and July 2021 and included patients with absent opacification of cervical carotid artery at CT-angiography. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) imaging and procedural data were evaluated to define the actual localization of occlusion. We compared imaging and clinical data of patients with true and false carotid occlusion, including collateral circulation at CTA, revascularization grade and clinical outcome at 3 months.
Results
95 patients were included, 52 (49%) had true occlusion of cervical internal carotid artery. Compared to the pseudo-occlusion group, collateral circulation at CTA was moderate to good in 67% of cases (vs 29%; p < 0.01) and mean ASPECT score at 24h was 5.5 vs 2.7 (p < 0.001). Modified Rankin scale 0–2 at 90 days was more frequent in patients with true occlusion compared to patients with pseudo-occlusion (44.9 vs 14.6%; p 0.003).
Conclusion
Pseudo-occlusion of cervical internal carotid artery in patients with acute ischemic stroke seem to be associated with worst prognosis and poorer collateral circulation.
Development of a LAMP assay for strawberry anthracnose Colletotrichum fructicola
Authors: Katoh Hiroshi , Hirakawa Mao , Koizumi Sayaka , Katoh Madoka
Published: May 2024

Anthracnose is major disease seriously affecting the strawberry industry. Particularly, Colletotrichum fructicola, which is memberof the C. gloeosporioides species complex, is widely distributed and causes severe yield loses in strawberry crops around the world. Universal loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) detection methods for Colletotrichum spp., have been reported. Here, we report our development of a new LAMP assay for C. fructicola based on sequences amplified by the Ap-f3/Ap-r7 primer set. These LAMP primers discriminated C. fructicola and C. aenigma strains from C. acutatum AS-2, C. fioriniae, C. nymphaeae, C. siamense, and other fungi. The LAMP method used herein demonstrated higher detection sensitivity than PCR using the Ap-f3/Ap-r7 primer set. The DNA extracted using this kit is recommended as best suited for performing the LAMP assay to select strawberry seedlings hosting C. fructicola during incubation. In contrast, latent infection with C. aenigma in strawberry seedlings could not be detected by the LAMP assay. This finding suggests that the primer sequence affects detection sensitivity of the assay.
An Investigation into Dynamic Behaviour of Reconstituted and Undisturbed Fine-grained Soil during Triaxial and Simple Shear
Authors: Önalp Akın , Özocak Aşkın , Bol Ertan , Sert Sedat , Arslan Eylem , Ural Nazile
Published: May 2024

This study aims to evaluate the factors controlling the sensitivity of fine-grained soils to seismic stresses and revise the criteria previously proposed by the authors to diagnose liquefaction. To this end, dynamic tests have been performed on artificial mixes as well as natural soils from a wide area of an earthquake devastated city (Adapazari) using two types of dynamic testing. Studies have led to findings suggesting that the gray area between susceptible and non-susceptible soils proposed by several investigators in the past can now be dispensed with. Although physical properties of fine-grained soil supply sufficient information for diagnosis, dynamic simple shear test is found to be a convenient and rapid way to confirm the judgement. However, it has been seen that dynamic testing alone may not be the last word in the determination of liquefaction, and physical properties should also be addressed. Anomalies observed in test results are also discussed. Conclusions show significant differences from existing proposed criteria in the literature.
The usefulness of fluorescence in detecting ischemia during bariatric and metabolic surgery
Authors: Wityk Mateusz , Dowgiałło-Gornowicz Natalia , Bobowicz Maciej
Published: May 2024

Fluorescence is used in various surgical fields to detect tissue ischemia. However, its use in obesity surgery is still limited. This study aims to investigate whether fluorescence can help detect ischemia during metabolic and bariatric surgery and assess its effectiveness in reducing complications. The main objective was to determine the percentage of patients with improper blood flow assessed by fluorescence and the leak rate. The second outcome measured was the morbidity and mortality within 30 days. This single-centre, prospective observational study analysed patients who underwent primary metabolic and bariatric surgery. Data was collected from 66 consecutive patients who qualified for primary one anastomosis gastric bypass and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures. 30-day postoperative morbidity and mortality were assessed. In total, improper blood supply was observed in two cases out of 66 (3%). No leakage incidents were reported. One patient (1.5%) experienced non-ischemic-related complications. No morbidity and mortality were observed 30 days after the surgical procedures. No complications related to ICG administration were observed. This research shows that adding ICG-fluorescence may reduce the number of MBS-related complications, namely leakage secondary to ischemia. However, this field lacks systematic data, and further research with a larger patient group is necessary to establish conclusive evidence.
The determinants of UK mothers’ joint decision on formal childcare and labour supply given the availability of informal childcare
Authors: Cusimano Alessandro , Rodrigues Diego da Silva , Jackson Ian
Published: May 2024

The UK is one of the largest investors in childcare provision among developed countries. However, the empirical literature shows these investments have not been effective enough in supporting British working mothers; this becomes even more complex in a context where different sources of informal childcare are available. In this scenario, the UK appears as an ideal case study, since it is the country where mothers present the highest preference for informal kinds of childcare among the OECD members (OECD, 2016). We use data from the UK’s Family and Children Study to investigate the determinants of mothers’ preferences for formal childcare and labour supply, whilst also considering the availability of informal childcare. Our results highlight the positive influence, for British mothers, that the use of informal childcare has on their joint decision on labour supply and formal childcare choices. Furthermore, our results show that British married mothers conciliate formal and informal childcare arrangements as complements rather than substitutes.
Altered Regional Brain Spontaneous Activity and Functional Connectivity in Patients of Non-Acute Subcortical Stroke With versus Without Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-State fMRI Study.
Authors: Wang Yao , Liu Wan , Yang Wenjie , Chai Xue , Yu Hao , Ma Hongxia , Liu Li , Rao Jiang , Xu GuangXu , Hu Zhibin
Published: May 2024

The reasons why not all stroke survivors have cognitive dysfunction are unclear. We hypothesize that resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) will reveal differences in regional brain spontaneous activity and functional connectivity (FC) in stroke patients with and without cognitive impairment. We classified 62 first-ever non-acute subcortical stroke patients into two groups: post-stroke with abnormal cognition (PSAC) and with normal cognition (PSNC). Rs-MRI was utilized to assess regional homogeneity (ReHo) in 32 PSAC, 30 PSNC, and 62 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We set regions with significant alteration within stroke groups as regions of interest and performed the seed-based whole brain FC analysis. A partial correlation analysis examined the relationship between altered ReHo or FC and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Compared to PSNC, PSAC had decreased ReHo in the left gyrus rectus (REC) and increased ReHo in cerebellar lobules (CBL) left IX and right VIII, while FC decreased in PSAC between bilateral REC, and between the left REC and the middle temporal gyrus (MTG). In all stroke patients, ReHo value in the left REC correlated positively and in the CBL correlated negatively with MoCA. All the significant FC correlated with MoCA positively. Regional brain spontaneous activity and FC alteration in the REC, MTG, and cerebellum may be associated with cognitive impairment following non-acute subcortical stroke.
Adaptation of Asparagus munitus to karst adversity and its effects on soil
Authors: Zhang Mingsheng , tang liu , liu miao , shangguan liyang , Huang haidong , lv gonggu , hang Ye
Published: May 2024

In this study, Asparagus munitus was planted in karst rocky desertification (KRD) areas and arable land (AL) to explore the changes in plant adaptability to KRD environments and effects on KRD soils. Results showed A. munitus exhibited shrinkage in KRD habitats, evidenced by increased number and length of stems, branch length, and other agronomic traits; significantly elevated antioxidant enzyme and osmoregulator content in leafy shoots; and increased polysaccharide content in tuberous roots. Correlation and principal component analyses of plant agronomic traits revealed strong correlations among indicators except basal stems, with leaf shoot length and root diameter as the first and second principal components, respectively. Soil physical properties and nutrient contents showed KRD soil pH, water content, porosity, and nutrient content markedly changed after A. munitus planting, overall positively developing. This study reveals partial adaptive strategies of A. munitus to KRD habitats and ameliorative effects of planting A. munitus on KRD soils, providing theoretical bases for A. munitus cultivation and KRD soil improvement.
Schistosoma mansoni coinfection is associated with high Plasmodium falciparum infection intensity among 10 -15 year old children living along the Albert Nile in Uganda
Authors: Namulondo Joyce , Nyangiri Oscar Asanya , Kimuda Magambo Phillip , Nambala Peter , Nassuuna Jacent , Kabagenyi Joyce , Egesa Moses , Nerima Barbara , Biryomumaisho Savino , Mugasa Claire Mack , Elliott Alison , Noyes Harry , Tweyongyere Robert , Matovu Enock , Mulindwa Julius
Published: May 2024

Background
Malaria and schistosomiasis are important parasitic diseases. Coinfections of these have been reported in areas endemic to both parasites. The aim of this study was to determine the association between Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) and Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) infection intensities among school age children living along the Albert Nile.
Methods
A cross sectional study of 210 children aged 10–15 years, was conducted in selected sites along the Albert Nile in Pakwach District in northwest Uganda. The Circulating Anodic Antigen (CAA) test and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to test for S. mansoni infection intensity and quantitative PCR used to test for P. falciparum infection intensity.
Results
Of the 210 study particpants, 76.2% (160/210) were malaria positive whereas 91% (191/210) were S. mansoni positive. There were only 1% (3/210) infections of each of Necator americanus and Strongyloides stercolaris. Of the P. falciparum positive children 57.5% (92/160) were male; on the other hand 53.4% (102/191) of the S. mansoni positive children were male. Overall, 150 of the 210 children tested (71%) had co-infection with both P. falciparum and S. mansoni. There was a significant association (p-value = 7.306e-10, r2 = 0.17) between P. falciparum qPCR Ct-value and S. mansoni qPCR Ct-value. There was a significant association (p-value = 7.306e-10, r2 = 0.17) between P. falciparum intensity (qPCR Ct-value) and S. mansoni intensity (qPCR Ct-value) among the children test.
Conclusions
By molecular detection, this study observed a high prevalence of P. falciparum among the school age children (10–15 years) living in the S. mansoni endemic hotspots along the Albert-Nile region of Pakwach district, northwestern Uganda.
Mechanical Behavior and Material Modeling of Fused Filament Fabricated PEEK based on TPMS Lattices: A Comparative Study
Authors: Gide Kunal Manoj , Bagheri Shaghayegh
Published: May 2024

This study explores the mechanical and morphological properties of architectured lattices, driven by additive manufacturing advancements, and compares different finite element analysis (FEA) methods that are often used to predict the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of these lattices. FEA methods based on various material models, including Homogenization (AH), Arruda Boyce (AB), Yeoh Hyperelastic (YH), and Johnson Cook (JC), are compared to address limitations in classical models with respect to experimental verification under uniaxial compression testing of additively manufactured poly ether ether ketone (PEEK). PEEK lattices with 50% porosity were produced via fused filament fabrication (FFF) utilizing triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures based on two specific unit cell geometries: gyroid and diamond. Our analysis, involving both elastic and yielding regions, revealed the superiority of the JC model in predicting the mechanical properties of gyroid based lattice structures and the superiority of the AB model for diamond based lattices. This study highlights the crucial role of material models in the computational analysis of lattice structures' mechanical behavior. Discrepancies observed between computational and experimental outcomes are attributed to manufacturing defects and constraints in the material models employed.
An update to the mSLAMB dialysis device (the “Kirpa Kit”): An in-vitro comparison of efficiency
Authors: Ceschia Giovanni , Slagle Cara L , Morgan Jolyn , Snyder Amanda , Rose James E , Plute Ed , Chawla Apaara K , Coriolan Rebecca , Soranno Danielle E , Goldstein Stuart L , Hasson Denise C
Published: May 2024

Background
Access to pediatric dialysis is challenged in low-resource settings by high costs, scarcity of equipment, and lack of qualified personnel availability. We demonstrated the manual Single Lumen Alternating Micro-Batch (mSLAMB) device can remove small solutes in vitro without the need for electricity, batteries or pumps. We developed a new version (Kirpa Kit™) to address some of the technical limitations of mSLAMB. Here we compare the in vitro clearance performance and ease of use of Kirpa Kit™ with that of prior mSLAMB configurations.
Methods
A mixture of expired packed red blood cells, 0.9% NaCl, urea and heparin was used to test the efficiency of two mSLAMB configurations and Kirpa Kit™ in removing potassium and urea. Clearance was evaluated by measuring percent reduction after 25-minute sessions with each device. A survey was used to evaluate the ease of use of each configuration.
Results
The Kirpa Kit™ achieved a median urea reduction of 82.4% and potassium reduction of 82.1%, which were higher than those achieved with the best-performing mSLAMB configuration (urea 71.9%, potassium 75.4%). The Kirpa Kit™ was easier to use with a shorter perceived time of use than the mSLAMB.
Conclusions
The Kirpa Kit™, evolution of mSLAMB, is easy to use and may have improved efficacy, making it an optimal candidate for in vivo testing.
Exploring Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Resistance Patterns to Antibiotics: A BV-BRC Study
Authors: Serajian Mohammadali , Testagrose Conrad , Prosperi Mattia , Boucher Christina
Published: May 2024

World Health Organization estimates that there were over 10 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) worldwide in 2019, resulting in over 1.4 million deaths, with a worrisome increasing trend yearly. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) through airborne transmission. Treatment of TB is estimated to be 85% successful, however, this drops to 57% if MTB exhibits multiple antimicrobial resistance (AMR), for which fewer treatment options are available. In this paper, we provide an in-depth look at the genetic basis of MTB antibiotic resistance, using the Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center (BV-BRC) and analyzing over 27,000 MTB genomic strains from the BV-BRC database. Our findings offer a detailed picture of resistance prevalence and AMR gene frequencies, especially for second-line and last-resort antibiotics, contributing valuable insights into MTB AMR mechanics and supporting future research and clinical strategies against MTB.
DSTANet: Learning a Dual-Stream Model for Anomaly Driving Action Detection Using Spatio-Temporal and Appearance Features
Authors: Peng Zhonghua , Hu Rong , Li Zuoyong , Zeng Kun
Published: May 2024

Driving action anomaly detection based on in-cab surveillance video has become the mainstream of current driving action research. However, there is a substantial redundancy of spatio-temporal information in the spatio-temporal action features extracted using only the 3D encoder, which will weaken the distinguishability between normal and anomaly videos, and there will be more difficult samples to be distinguished during the anomaly detection. To alleviate this problem, we propose a dual-stream model combining spatio-temporal and appearance features for anomaly driving action detection. Firstly, the model utilises 3D ResNet and 2D ResNet for feature extraction of spatio-temporal action and appearance information in the video. Next, to fully combine the respective advantages of the cross-dimension information and obtain fused features that can be more easily distinguished, a contrastive learning based alignment approach was used before fusion. In addition, cross-dimensional features are fused by introducing Transformer's cross attention block. Moreover, the supervised contrastive learning objective function is employed to guides the model to distinguish between normal and anomaly driving action. Finally, calculating the feature similarity between the target sample and the normal memory center is utilized to obtain the anomaly score of the target sample. In the experiment, the proposed model DSTANet in this paper achieved the 96.81% AUC in the publicly available DAD dataset, which is higher than the popular models in recent years. Furthermore, feature distinguishability was significantly improved in the visualization experiments. The experiment code and data are publicly available at: https://github.com/CreatedTRYNA/DCC\_Driving\_Anomaly\_Detection-.