bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Viral time capsule: a global photo-elicitation study of child and adolescent mental health professionals during COVID-19
Authors: Herrington Olivia D. , Clayton Ashley , Benoit Laelia , Prins-Aardema Cecil , DiGiovanni Madeline , Weller Indigo , Martin Andrés
Published: February 2021

Objective

To examine, through photo-elicitation, the personal and professional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health professionals working with children and adolescents around the globe.

Methods

We invited the submission of images collected about the pandemic between May and August 2020. We encouraged participants to yoke personal reflections or voice memos to their images. Using snowball sampling, we began with two invitations, including one to the graduates of a mentorship program continuously hosted since 2004 by the International Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP). We analyzed de-identified images and anonymized transcripts through iterative coding using thematic analysis informed by rich picture analysis and aided by NVivo software.

Results

We collected submissions from child and adolescent mental health professionals (n = 134) working in 54 countries spread across the five continents. We identified four overarching domains with component themes that revealed both the commonality and the uniqueness of the pandemic experience around the globe: (1) Place (adjusting to emptiness and stillness; shifting timeframes; blending of spaces); (2) Person (disruption to life rhythms; emotional toll; positives of the pandemic); (3) Profession (changing practices; outreach efforts; guild pride—and guilt); and (4) Purpose (from pandemic to syndemic; from lamenting to embracing; planning toward a better tomorrow).

Conclusions

Photo-elicitation provided a disarming and efficient means to learn about individual, regional, and global similarities and differences regarding the professionals charged with addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents around the globe. These findings may help inform practice changes in post-pandemic times.
Acoustic and language analysis of speech for suicidal ideation among US veterans
Authors: Belouali Anas , Gupta Samir , Sourirajan Vaibhav , Yu Jiawei , Allen Nathaniel , Alaoui Adil , Dutton Mary Ann , Reinhard Matthew J.
Published: February 2021

Background

Screening for suicidal ideation in high-risk groups such as U.S. veterans is crucial for early detection and suicide prevention. Currently, screening is based on clinical interviews or self-report measures. Both approaches rely on subjects to disclose their suicidal thoughts. Innovative approaches are necessary to develop objective and clinically applicable assessments. Speech has been investigated as an objective marker to understand various mental states including suicidal ideation. In this work, we developed a machine learning and natural language processing classifier based on speech markers to screen for suicidal ideation in US veterans.

Methodology

Veterans submitted 588 narrative audio recordings via a mobile app in a real-life setting. In addition, participants completed self-report psychiatric scales and questionnaires. Recordings were analyzed to extract voice characteristics including prosodic, phonation, and glottal. The audios were also transcribed to extract textual features for linguistic analysis. We evaluated the acoustic and linguistic features using both statistical significance and ensemble feature selection. We also examined the performance of different machine learning algorithms on multiple combinations of features to classify suicidal and non-suicidal audios.

Results

A combined set of 15 acoustic and linguistic features of speech were identified by the ensemble feature selection. Random Forest classifier, using the selected set of features, correctly identified suicidal ideation in veterans with 86% sensitivity, 70% specificity, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 80%.

Conclusions

Speech analysis of audios collected from veterans in everyday life settings using smartphones offers a promising approach for suicidal ideation detection. A machine learning classifier may eventually help clinicians identify and monitor high-risk veterans.
Clonal evolution in liver cancer at single-cell and single-variant resolution
Authors: Su Xianbin , Zhao Linan , Shi Yi , Zhang Rui , Long Qi , Bai Shihao , Luo Qing , Lin Yingxin , Zou Xin , Ghazanfar Shila , Tao Kun , Yang Guoliang , Wang Lan , He Kun-Yan , Cui Xiaofang , He Jian , Wu Jiao-Xiang , Han Bo , Yan Bin , Deng Biao , Wang Na , Li Xiaolin , Yang Pengyi , Hou Shangwei , Sun Jielin , Yang Jean Y. H. , Chen Jinhong , Han Ze-Guang
Published: February 2021

Genetic heterogeneity of tumor is closely related to its clonal evolution, phenotypic diversity and treatment resistance, and such heterogeneity has only been characterized at single-cell sub-chromosomal scale in liver cancer. Here we reconstructed the single-variant resolution clonal evolution in human liver cancer based on single-cell mutational profiles. The results indicated that key genetic events occurred early during tumorigenesis, and an early metastasis followed by independent evolution was observed in primary liver tumor and intrahepatic metastatic portal vein tumor thrombus. By parallel single-cell RNA-Seq, the transcriptomic phenotype of HCC was found to be related with genetic heterogeneity. For the first time we reconstructed the single-cell and single-variant clonal evolution in human liver cancer, and dissection of both genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity will facilitate better understanding of their relationship.
Follow-up evaluation of the immunological status of children admitted for acute cerebral nervous system infections: a retrospective study
Authors: Spina Giulia , Bozzola Elena , Carsetti Rita , Mortari Eva Piano , Mascolo Cristina , Roversi Marco , Villani Alberto
Published: February 2021

Background

Acute Cerebral Nervous System Infections (ACNS) may cause death or severe complications even to promptly treated children. The role of the immune system in influencing the course and the outcome of meningitis has been studied but it is not yet completely understood. The aim of the research is to ascertain whether children who experienced ACNS infection had a normal immune system.

Methods

Patients under 18 years of age admitted at Bambino Gesù Children from January 2006 till June 2016 for meningitis were asked to participate to the follow-up study. The immune status was evaluated both clinically and by laboratory investigations.

Results

Most of the patients over 3 years at follow up had at least one immunological alteration at follow-up evaluation (74%). Considering ACNS infection etiology, certain pathogens were almost exclusive of patients affected by some immunological alteration, regardless of their age.

Discussion

Our preliminary results indicate that sub-clinical immunological defects may be associated to ACNS pediatric infections. Moreover, to the best of our knowledges, this is the first study correlating pathogens to immune evaluation in ACNS infections. It is, however, important to underline the high frequency of persistent immunological alterations in the analyzed patients. Further studies are needed to confirm our conclusions.

Conclusions

We recommend an immunological assessment at follow up evaluation in children who experienced an ACNS infection.
Feasibility study protocol of a pragmatic, randomised controlled pilot trial: membrane sweeping to prevent post-term pregnancy—the MILO Study
Authors: Finucane Elaine M. , Biesty Linda , Murphy Deirdre , Cotter Amanda , Molloy Eleanor , O’Donnell Martin , Treweek Shaun , Gillespie Paddy , Campbell Marian , Morrison John J. , Alvarez-Iglesias Alberto , Gyte Gill , Devane Declan
Published: February 2021

Background

Post-term pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of maternal complications, respiratory distress and trauma to the neonate. Amniotic membrane sweeping has been recommended as a simple procedure to promote the spontaneous onset of labour. However, despite its widespread use, there is an absence of evidence on (a) its effectiveness and (b) its optimal timing and frequency. The primary aim of the MILO Study is to inform the optimal design of a future definitive randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness (including optimal timing and frequency) of membrane sweeping to prevent post-term pregnancy. We will also assess the acceptability and feasibility of the proposed trial interventions to clinicians and women (through focus group interviews).

Methods/design

Multicentre, pragmatic, parallel-group, pilot randomised controlled trial with an embedded factorial design. Pregnant women with a live, singleton foetus ≥ 38 weeks gestation; cephalic presentation; longitudinal lie; intact membranes; English speaking and ≥ 18 years of age will be randomised in a 2:1 ratio to membrane sweep versus no membrane sweep. Women allocated randomly to a sweep will then be randomised further (factorial component) to early (from 39 weeks) versus late (from 40 weeks) sweep commencement and a single versus weekly sweep. The proposed feasibility study consists of four work packages, i.e. (1) a multicentre, pilot randomised trial; (2) a health economic analysis; (3) a qualitative study; and (4) a study within the host trial (a SWAT). Outcomes to be collected include recruitment and retention rates, compliance with protocol, randomisation and allocation processes, attrition rates and cost-effectiveness. Focus groups will be held with women and clinicians to explore the acceptability and feasibility of the proposed intervention, study procedures and perceived barriers and enablers to recruitment.

Discussion

The primary aim of the MILO Study is to inform the optimal design of a future definitive randomised trial to evaluate the effectiveness (including optimal timing and frequency) of membrane sweeping to prevent post-term pregnancy. Results will inform whether and how the design of the definitive trial as originally envisaged should be delivered or adapted.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04307199. Registered on 12 March 2020
A novel recyclable furoic acid-assisted pretreatment for sugarcane bagasse biorefinery in co-production of xylooligosaccharides and glucose
Authors: Dai Lin , Huang Tian , Jiang Kankan , Zhou Xin , Xu Yong
Published: February 2021

Background

Pretreatment is the key step for utilizing lignocellulosic biomass, which can extract cellulose from lignin and disrupt its recalcitrant crystalline structure to allow much more effective enzymatic hydrolysis; and organic acids pretreatment with dual benefic for generating xylooligosaccharides and boosting enzymatic hydrolysis has been widely used in adding values to lignocellulose materials. In this work, furoic acid, a novel recyclable organic acid as catalyst, was employed to pretreat sugarcane bagasse to recover the xylooligosaccharides fraction from hemicellulose and boost the subsequent cellulose saccharification.

Results

The FA-assisted hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse using 3% furoic acid at 170 °C for 15 min resulted in the highest xylooligosaccharides yield of 45.6%; subsequently, 83.1 g/L of glucose was harvested by a fed-batch operation with a solid loading of 15%. Overall, a total of 120 g of xylooligosaccharides and 335 g glucose could be collected from 1000 g sugarcane bagasse starting from the furoic acid pretreatment. Furthermore, furoic acid can be easily recovered by cooling crystallization.

Conclusion

This work put forward a novel furoic acid pretreatment method to convert sugarcane bagasse into xylooligosaccharides and glucose, which provides a strategy that the sugar and nutraceutical industries can be used to reduce the production cost. The developed process showed that the yields of xylooligosaccharides and byproducts were controllable by shortening the reaction time; meanwhile, the recyclability of furoic acid also can potentially reduce the pretreatment cost and potentially replace the traditional mineral acids pretreatment.
DNA methylation impact on Fabry disease
Authors: Di Risi Teodolinda , Vinciguerra Roberta , Cuomo Mariella , Della Monica Rosa , Riccio Eleonora , Cocozza Sirio , Imbriaco Massimo , Duro Giovanni , Pisani Antonio , Chiariotti Lorenzo
Published: February 2021

Background

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked disease caused by mutations in GLA gene with consequent lysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Women with FD often show highly heterogeneous symptoms that can manifest from mild to severe phenotype.

Main body

The phenotypic variability of the clinical manifestations in heterozygous women with FD mainly depends on the degree and direction of inactivation of the X chromosome. Classical approaches to measure XCI skewness might be not sufficient to explain disease manifestation in women. In addition to unbalanced XCI, allele-specific DNA methylation at promoter of GLA gene may influence the expression levels of the mutated allele, thus impacting the onset and the outcome of FD. In this regard, analyses of DNA methylation at GLA promoter, performed by approaches allowing distinction between mutated and non-mutated allele, may be much more informative. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate recent literature articles addressing the potential role of DNA methylation in the context of FD. Although up to date relatively few works have addressed this point, reviewing all pertinent studies may help to evaluate the importance of DNA methylation analysis in FD and to develop new research and technologies aimed to predict whether the carrier females will develop symptoms.

Conclusions

Relatively few studies have addressed the complexity of DNA methylation landscape in FD that remains poorly investigated. The hope for the future is that ad hoc and ultradeep methylation analyses of GLA gene will provide epigenetic signatures able to predict whether pre-symptomatic female carriers will develop symptoms thus helping timely interventions.
Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma incidentally discovered as an asymptomatic mediastinal mass: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Sajid Mir Ibrahim , Arshad Sidra , Abdul-Ghafar Jamshid , Fatimi Saulat Hasnain , Din Nasir Ud
Published: February 2021

Background

Low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) is a rare tumor characterized by bland histological features and aggressive clinical course. The most common anatomic locations of occurrence are the lower extremities, thorax, inguinal area, and upper limbs. Primary mediastinal sarcomas are even rarer. To the best of our knowledge, only seven cases of primary mediastinal LGFMS have been reported in the literature. Here, we report a case of primary mediastinal LGFMS.

Case presentation

A 26-year-old Pakistani man presented with fever and vomiting for the past 2 months. On a routine chest x-ray, a mediastinal mass was incidentally found. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed a large circumscribed lobulated soft tissue density mass lesion in an anterior mediastinum. Grossly, the resected mass measured 17.0 × 12.0 × 11.0 cm. The cut surface was gray white with a whorled-like appearance and foci of calcification and cystic changes. Histologically, a spindle cell lesion was seen with alternating myxoid and hyalinized areas. The shaped cells were arranged in bundles. Immunohistochemical staining showed positive reactivity patterns with MUC4 and focally for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). The diagnosis was confirmed as LGFMS. The patient is free of symptoms and recurrence 22 months after the surgery.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we report a rare case of primary mediastinal LGFMS in a young male patient that was discovered incidentally. Our patient is on regular follow-up to look for evidence of recurrence as these tumors are prone to recurrences.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension presenting as iron deficiency anemia: a case report
Authors: Sim Peng Yong , Taribagil Priyal , Woollacott Ione O. C. , Rashid Safina , Kidd Desmond P.
Published: February 2021

Background

The presentation of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in association with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is rare.

Case presentation

This case report depicts the unusual case of a 31-year-old woman of mixed Jamaican and English heritage with IIH who presented initially as IDA in the context of menorrhagia. Subsequent ophthalmic review, lumbar puncture, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and neuroimaging studies revealed severe bilateral optic disc swelling and raised intracranial pressure in keeping with IIH. Prompt treatment of IDA with blood transfusion and orally administered iron supplements, in addition to medical treatment for IIH, contributed to significant improvement of symptoms and prevented long-term visual deficits.

Conclusion

The possibility of IDA, albeit rare, should always be considered and investigated appropriately in all patients with IIH, as the treatment of the anemia alone may be sight-saving.
COVID-19 and emergencies in patients with diabetes: two case reports
Authors: Dey Rajib Kumar , Hilmy Abdullah Isneen , Imad Hisham Ahmed , Yoosuf Abdul Azeez , Latheef Ali Abdulla
Published: February 2021

Background

Maldives reported its first Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case on March 7th, 2020. Since then more than 9400 positive cases and 33 deaths have been reported. Recently studies have shown that COVID-19 patients with diabetes had a poor prognosis and a higher mortality rate when compared to the non-diabetic patients. Poorly controlled diabetic patients had a higher incidence of complications like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) which might have been precipitated by COVID-19. DKA and HHS are potentially lethal but preventable conditions. During this pandemic, although cases of uncontrolled diabetes are frequently reported, there is scarcity in reporting of cases with diabetic emergencies.

Case presentation

Case 1 was a 53-year old Asian male, admitted on Day 10th of illness with DKA with acute kidney injury, and Moderate COVID-19. Case 2 was a 72-year old Asian male, admitted with mild COVID-19 who developed HHS with acute kidney injury on day 9 of illness. Both patients were managed conservatively in intensive care unit, with intravenous fluids and insulin.

Conclusion

Clinicians should focus on close monitoring of diabetic patients with COVID-19, to prevent diabetic emergencies like DKA and HHS. It is important to aggressively manage these conditions for a favorable outcome.
Sex differences in uterine artery Doppler during gestation in pregnancies complicated by placental dysfunction
Authors: Paranavitana Leah , Walker Melissa , Chandran Anjana Ravi , Milligan Natasha , Shinar Shiri , Whitehead Clare L. , Hobson Sebastian R. , Serghides Lena , Parks W. Tony , Baschat Ahmet A. , Macgowan Christopher K. , Sled John G. , Kingdom John C. , Cahill Lindsay S.
Published: February 2021

Background

There is growing evidence of sex differences in placental vascular development. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fetal sex on uterine artery pulsatility index (PI) throughout gestation in a cohort of normal and complicated pregnancies.

Methods

A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in 240 pregnant women. Pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound of the proximal uterine arteries was performed at a 4-weekly interval between 14 and 40 weeks of gestation. The patients were classified retrospectively as normal or complicated (one or more of maternal preeclampsia, preterm birth, or small for gestational age). To assess if the change in uterine artery PI during gestation differed between normal and complicated pregnancies and between fetal sexes, the uterine artery PI was modeled using a linear function of gestational age and the rate of change was estimated from the slope.

Results

While the uterine artery PI did not differ over gestation between females and males for normal pregnancies, the trajectory of this index differed by fetal sex for pregnancies complicated by either preeclampsia, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction (p< 0.0001). The male fetuses in the complicated pregnancy group had an elevated slope compared to the other groups (p< 0.0001), suggesting a more progressive deterioration in uteroplacental perfusion over gestation.

Conclusions

The uterine artery PI is widely used to assess uteroplacental function in clinical settings. The observation that this metric changes more rapidly in complicated pregnancies where the fetus was male highlights the importance of sex when interpreting hemodynamic markers of placental maturation.
The generalized U–H and U–H stability and existence analysis of a coupled hybrid system of integro-differential IVPs involving φ-Caputo fractional operators
Authors: Boutiara Abdellatif , Etemad Sina , Hussain Azhar , Rezapour Shahram
Published: February 2021

We investigate the existence and uniqueness of solutions to a coupled system of the hybrid fractional integro-differential equations involving φ-Caputo fractional operators. To achieve this goal, we make use of a hybrid fixed point theorem for a sum of three operators due to Dhage and also the uniqueness result is obtained by making use of the Banach contraction principle. Moreover, we explore the Ulam–Hyers stability and its generalized version for the given coupled hybrid system. An example is presented to guarantee the validity of our existence results.
Differential equations of even-order with p-Laplacian like operators: qualitative properties of the solutions
Authors: Bazighifan Omar , Abdeljawad Thabet , Al-Mdallal Qasem M.
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we study the oscillation of solutions for an even-order differential equation with middle term, driven by ap-Laplace differential operator of the form$$ \textstyle\begin{cases} ( r ( x ) \Phi _{p}[z^{ ( \kappa -1 ) } ( x ) ] ) ^{\prime }+a ( x ) \Phi _{p}[f ( z^{ ( \kappa -1 ) } ( x ) ) ]+ \sum_{i=1}^{j}q_{i} ( x ) \Phi _{p}[h ( z ( \delta _{i} ( x ) ) ) ]=0, \\ \quad j\geq 1, r ( x ) >0, r^{\prime } ( x ) +a ( x ) \geq 0, x\geq x_{0}>0. \end{cases}$${(r(x)Φp[z(κ−1)(x)])′+a(x)Φp[f(z(κ−1)(x))]+∑i=1jqi(x)Φp[h(z(δi(x)))]=0,j≥1,r(x)>0,r′(x)+a(x)≥0,x≥x0>0.The oscillation criteria for these equations have been obtained. Furthermore, an example is given to illustrate the criteria.
Health status and health behaviour of the Hungarian homeless people
Authors: Nagy-Borsy Emese , Vági Zsolt , Skerlecz Petra , Szeitl Blanka , Kiss István , Rákosy Zsuzsa
Published: February 2021

Background

Homelessness has risen recently in Europe, but there is lack of comprehensive health data on this population. Our aim was to characterize the health of the Hungarian homeless population.

Methods

We performed a health survey with 453 homeless individuals. The results were compared to the age and sex standardized data of the general Hungarian population and its lowest income quintile from the European Health Interview Survey 2014. The differences by the ETHOS classification within the homeless population were also studied.

Results

Significantly fewer homeless people reported good health status than in the general population or in its lowest income quintile (p< 0.001). Of the participants 70% had at least one chronic disease, only 41% of them visited a GP and 35% took medication in the previous 12 months. While 59% of the lowest income quintile and 50% of the general population had at least one chronic disease, almost all of them visited a physician and took medication. The highest prevalence of morbidity (80%) and multimorbidity (46%) was reported in the houseless group. The majority of the homeless people were current smokers, the prevalence was much higher than in the two reference populations (p< 0.001). The prevalence of heavy drinkers was the highest among the roofless participants (40%).

Conclusions

Homeless people have much poorer health and they utilize health services less than the most disadvantaged quintile of the general population. There is a clear social gradient within the homeless population, as well, which calls for integrated approaches for specific interventions to improve their health.
Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) as a novel model to study the relationship between the avian microbiome and microbial endocrinology-based host-microbe interactions
Authors: Lyte Joshua M. , Keane James , Eckenberger Julia , Anthony Nicholas , Shrestha Sandip , Marasini Daya , Daniels Karrie M. , Caputi Valentina , Donoghue Annie M. , Lyte Mark
Published: February 2021

Background

Microbial endocrinology, which is the study of neuroendocrine-based interkingdom signaling, provides a causal mechanistic framework for understanding the bi-directional crosstalk between the host and microbiome, especially as regards the effect of stress on health and disease. The importance of the cecal microbiome in avian health is well-recognized, yet little is understood regarding the mechanisms underpinning the avian host-microbiome relationship. Neuroendocrine plasticity of avian tissues that are focal points of host-microbiome interaction, such as the gut and lung, has likewise received limited attention. Avian in vivo models that enable the study of the neuroendocrine dynamic between host and microbiome are needed. As such, we utilized Japanese quail(Coturnix japonica)that diverge in corticosterone response to stress to examine the relationship between stress-related neurochemical concentrations at sites of host-microbe interaction, such as the gut, and the cecal microbiome.

Results

Our results demonstrate that birds which contrast in corticosterone response to stress show profound separation in cecal microbial community structure as well as exhibit differences in tissue neurochemical concentrations and structural morphologies of the gut. Changes in neurochemicals known to be affected by the microbiome were also identified in tissues outside of the gut, suggesting a potential relationship in birds between the cecal microbiome and overall avian physiology.

Conclusions

The present study provides the first evidence that the structure of the avian cecal microbial community is shaped by selection pressure on the bird for neuroendocrine response to stress. Identification of unique region-dependent neurochemical changes in the intestinal tract following stress highlights environmental stressors as potential drivers of microbial endocrinology-based mechanisms of avian host-microbiome dialogue. Together, these results demonstrate that tissue neurochemical concentrations in the avian gut may be related to the cecal microbiome and reveal the Japanese quail as a novel avian model in which to further examine the mechanisms underpinning these relationships.
The psychosocial response to a terrorist attack at Manchester Arena, 2017: a process evaluation
Authors: Hind Daniel , Allsopp Kate , Chitsabesan Prathiba , French Paul
Published: February 2021

Background

A 2017 terrorist attack in Manchester, UK, affected large numbers of adults and young people. During the response phase (first seven weeks), a multi-sector collaborative co-ordinated a decentralised response. In the subsequent recovery phase they implemented a centralised assertive outreach programme, ‘The Resilience Hub’, to screen and refer those affected. We present a process evaluation conducted after 1 year.

Methods

Case study, involving a logic modelling approach, aggregate routine data, and semi-structured interviews topic guides based on the Inter-Agency Collaboration Framework and May’s Normalisation Process Theory. Leaders from health, education and voluntary sectors (n = 21) and frontline Resilience Hub workers (n = 6) were sampled for maximum variation or theoretically, then consented and interviewed. Framework analysis of transcripts was undertaken by two researchers.

Results

Devolved government, a collaborative culture, and existing clinical networks meant that, in the response phase, a collaboration was quickly established between health and education. All but one leader evaluated the response positively, although they were not involved in pre-disaster statutory planning. However, despite overwhelming positive feedback there were clear difficulties. (1) Some voluntary sector colleagues felt that it took some time for them to be involved. (2) Other VCSE organisations were accused of inappropriate, harmful use of early intervention. (3) The health sector were accused of overlooking those below the threshold for clinical treatment. (4) There was a perception that there were barriers to information sharing across organisations, which was particularly evident in relation to attempts to outreach to first responders and other professionals who may have been affected by the incident. (5) Hub workers encountered barriers to referring people who live outside of Greater Manchester. After 1 year of the recovery phase, 877 children and young people and 2375 adults had completed screening via the Resilience Hub, 79% of whom lived outside Greater Manchester.

Conclusions

The psychosocial response to terrorist attacks and other contingencies should be planned and practiced before the event, including reviews of communications, protocols, data sharing procedures and workforce capacity. Further research is needed to understand how the health and voluntary sectors can best collaborate in the wake of future incidents.
Robustness of magnetic resonance radiomic features to pixel size resampling and interpolation in patients with cervical cancer
Authors: Park Shin-Hyung , Lim Hyejin , Bae Bong Kyung , Hahm Myong Hun , Chong Gun Oh , Jeong Shin Young , Kim Jae-Chul
Published: February 2021

Background

Radiomics is a promising field in oncology imaging. However, the implementation of radiomics clinically has been limited because its robustness remains unclear. Previous CT and PET studies suggested that radiomic features were sensitive to variations in pixel size and slice thickness of the images. The purpose of this study was to assess robustness of magnetic resonance (MR) radiomic features to pixel size resampling and interpolation in patients with cervical cancer.

Methods

This retrospective study included 254 patients with a pathological diagnosis of cervical cancer stages IB to IVA who received definitive chemoradiation at our institution between January 2006 and June 2020. Pretreatment MR scans were analyzed. Each region of cervical cancer was segmented on the axial gadolinium-enhanced T1- and T2-weighted images; 107 radiomic features were extracted. MR scans were interpolated and resampled using various slice thicknesses and pixel spaces. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated between the original images and images that underwent pixel size resampling (OP), interpolation (OI), or pixel size resampling and interpolation (OP+I) as well as among processed image sets with various pixel spaces (P), various slice thicknesses (I), and both (P + I).

Results

After feature standardization, ≥86.0% of features showed good robustness when compared between the original and processed images (OP, OI, and OP+I) and ≥ 88.8% of features showed good robustness when processed images were compared (P, I, and P + I). Although most first-order, shape, and texture features showed good robustness, GLSZM small-area emphasis-related features and NGTDM strength were sensitive to variations in pixel size and slice thickness.

Conclusion

Most MR radiomic features in patients with cervical cancer were robust after pixel size resampling and interpolation following the feature standardization process. The understanding regarding the robustness of individual features after pixel size resampling and interpolation could help future radiomics research.
Evaluating variability in coseismic slips of paleoearthquakes from an incomplete slip history: an example from displaced terrace flights across the Kamishiro fault, central Japan
Authors: Takahashi Naoya , Toda Shinji
Published: February 2021

Examining the regularity in slip over seismic cycles leads to an understanding of earthquake recurrence and provides the basis for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment. Systematic analysis of three-dimensional paleoseismic trenches and analysis of offset markers along faults reveal slip history. Flights of displaced terraces have also been used to study slips of paleoearthquakes when the number of earthquakes contributing to the observed displacement of a terrace is known. This study presents a Monte Carlo-based approach to estimating slip variability using displaced terraces when a detailed paleoseismic record is not available. First, we mapped fluvial terraces across the Kamishiro fault, which is an intra-plate reverse fault in central Japan, and systematically measured the cumulative dip slip of the mapped terraces. By combining these measurements with the age of the paleoearthquakes, we estimated the amount of dip slip for the penultimate event (PE) and antepenultimate event (APE) to be 1.6 and 3.4 m, respectively. The APE slip was nearly three times larger than the most recent event of 2014 (Mw 6.2): 1.2 m. This suggests that the rupture length of the APE was much longer than that of the 2014 event and the entire Kamishiro fault ruptured with adjacent faults during the APE. Thereafter, we performed the Monte Carlo simulations to explore the possible range of the coefficient of variation for slip per event (COVs). The simulation considered all the possible rupture histories in terms of the number of events and their slip amounts. The resulting COVs typically ranged between 0.3 and 0.54, indicating a large variation in the slip per event of the Kamishiro fault during the last few thousand years. To test the accuracy of our approach, we performed the same simulation to a fault whose slip per event was well constrained. The result showed that the error in the COVs estimate was less than 0.15 in 86% of realizations, which was comparable to the uncertainty in COVs derived from a paleoseismic trenching. Based on the accuracy test, we conclude that the Monte Carlo-based approach should help assess the regularity of earthquakes using an incomplete paleoseismic record.
Lack of correlation of Brucella antibody titers with clinical outcomes and culture positivity of brucellosis
Authors: Alsubaie Shahad A. , Turkistani Shouq A. , Zeaiter Alanoud A. , Thabit Abrar K.
Published: February 2021

Background

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp., namely B. melitensis and B. abortus in humans. Culturing is the gold standard method for diagnosis; however, because Brucella is a slow-growing bacterium, which may delay diagnosis, other faster methods, such as serology, are used. Studies on the correlation between Brucella antibody titers and clinical outcomes are limited. Therefore, this study assessed such correlation and evaluated the correlation between baseline serological results with culture positivity and clinical picture.

Methods

Patients tested positive for Brucella antibodies at baseline and diagnosed with brucellosis between January 2008 and December 2018 were included. Collected data included clinical outcomes, baseline culture positivity (growth in culture), arthralgia, baseline and end of therapy (EOT) temperature, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

Results

Of 695 patients tested for Brucella antibodies, only 94 had positive baseline serology and diagnosed with acute brucellosis, among whom 63 had EOT serology. No significant correlations were found between EOT antibody titers of both Brucella spp. and clinical cure, mortality, length of stay, and duration of therapy. Additionally, no correlations were found between baseline serology and culture positivity, arthralgia, temperature, and other lab values.

Conclusion

Brucella serology does not correlate with clinical outcomes at EOT nor with culture positivity at baseline. Therefore, healthcare providers are advised to consider the whole clinical picture of a brucellosis patient without relying solely on serological results during follow up and not replace culturing with serology testing alone at the time of diagnosis.
Efficacy, safety and phytochemistry of medicinal plants used for the management of diabetes mellitus in Ethiopia: a systematic review
Authors: Deyno Serawit , Eneyew Kassahun , Seyfe Sisay , Wondim Elias
Published: February 2021

Background

Despite tremendous developments in synthetic medicine, medicinal plants are still commonly used for the management of diabetes mellitus. This study synthesized scientific evidence on commonly used medicinal plants for the management of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Ethiopia.

Methods

Databases (PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL and Google Scholar) have been thoroughly sought and evidence was synthesized.

Results

Thirty studies conducted anti-diabetic activities studies on 19 medicinal plants in Ethiopia. Most of the studies were in vivo studies (25). Others include; clinical study (1), in vitro studies (2), and both in vivo and in vitro study (2). Trigonella foenum-graecum L., clinical study, showed an improved lipid profile in type II diabetic patients. Comparable blood sugar level (BSL) lowering effect to glibenclimide was observed with Persea Americana and Moringa stenopetala. Noteworthy in vitro half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50) of Aloe megalacantha B and Aloe monticola R were observed. Animal model studies demonstrated the relative safety of the plants extract and phytochemistry studies showed various components.

Conclusion

Medicinal plants used for management of diabetes mellitus in Ethiopia are worthy for further study for pharmacologically active ingredients and clinical evaluation.
Prevalence of substance use disorders in an urban and a rural area in Suriname
Authors: Jadnanansing Raj , Blankers Matthijs , Dwarkasing Rudi , Etwaroo Kajal , Lumsden Vincent , Dekker Jack , Bipat Robbert
Published: February 2021

Background

Alcohol use disorders (AUD) have the worst impact in low-middle-income countries (LMICs), where the disease burden per liter of alcohol consumed is higher than in wealthy populations. Furthermore, the median treatment gap for AUDs in LMICs is 78.1%. The highest prevalence of AUDs worldwide in 2004 was found in the western Pacific region, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. The main aim of this study was to estimate and compare the prevalence of risky alcohol use and the extent of the treatment gap in a rural (Nickerie) and in an urban (Paramaribo) area in Suriname, a LMICs country with a wide variety of ethnic groups.

Methods

The respondents were randomly recruited using a specific sampling method of the National Census Bureau. The final samples were 1837 households for Paramaribo and 1026 for Nickerie, reflecting the populations in both regions. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were used to assess the likelihood of the presence of alcohol use disorder. A score of > 7 for the AUDIT implies risky alcohol use.

Results

The results indicated that 2% of the women and 15% of the men in the rural area scored 8 or higher on the AUDIT. In the urban area, these numbers were 3% and 17%, respectively. In both samples, the men had the highest addiction risk at about 16% compared with 2% for females. Married persons are significantly less likely to become alcoholic than singles and other groups in Paramaribo. In both areas, higher education was associated with a lower probability of alcohol abuse and dependence, while handymen showed a higher odd. A treatment gap of 50% was found for alcohol use disorders in the rural area. The corresponding gap in the urban area was 64%.

Conclusions

Surinamese men show a high prevalence of the likelihood of AUD. In addition, the treatment gap for these possible patients is large. It is therefore of paramount importance to develop therapeutic strategies with the aim of tackling this physically and mentally disabling disorder. Tailored E-health programs may be of benefit.
Development of a recombinase polymerase amplification combined with lateral flow dipstick assay for rapid and sensitive detection of bean common mosaic virus
Authors: Qin Jiachao , Yin Zhe , Shen Danyu , Chen Huatao , Chen Xin , Cui Xiaoyan , Chen Xuehao
Published: February 2021

Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) is one of the most widespread and damaging viruses of cultivated legumes in the world. In addition to serious yield reduction and germplasm decline, BCMV infection also makes legumes more vulnerable to other pathogens. Early diagnosis of the virus is particularly important in limiting its spread. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a novel isothermic amplification technology. The whole reaction can be done outside the laboratory environment after the nucleic acid sample is obtained. In this study, we established a rapid and sensitive RPA combined with the lateral flow dipstick (LFD) assay for detection of BCMV, based on the conserved BCMV coat protein (CP) gene sequence. Specific primers and a probe were designed, which amplify ~ 150 bp CP fragments from BCMV-infected samples under a constant temperature of 37 °C for 20 min. The end-labeled amplification products were detected by high-affinity LFD within 5 min. Sensitivity of this RPA-LFD assay was 1000 times greater than that of the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Furthermore, when the primers/probe were used against related potyviruses including soybean mosaic virus (SMV), bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV), and turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), the three potyviruses were not detected, indicating that the assay was BCMV species-specific. The RPA-LFD assay was also successfully applied for the detection of seed-borne BCMV in beans. The RPA-LFD assay has great potential application in the rapid diagnosis of BCMV in the field.
Duodenal angiodysplasia: a case report
Authors: Ali Tamer A. , Ibrahim Wael , Tawab Mohamed A. , ElHariri Mona Abdel Ghaffar
Published: February 2021

Background

Angiodysplasia (AD) is an abnormal, ectatic dilated, tortuous blood vessel that is found in the mucosa and the submucosa of the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT). While colonic angiodysplasia is a recognized finding of the lower intestinal tract in the elderly, small intestinal angiodysplasia is rare. However, it is an important reason of GIT bleeding so its detection and proper management can be a challenge. It should be considered among the differential diagnosis in the scenario of mild or intermittent GIT bleedings of obscure cause.

Case presentation

A 71-year-old woman was presented to our emergency department with hypovolemic shock due to lower GIT bleeding, and she was suffering of melena and severe anemia. The revision of past medical history revealed a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic renal disease. After stabilization, she underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) which revealed a small abnormal vascular lesion along the anterior and posterior wall of the 2nd part of the duodenum. It appeared as blush of contrast in the arterial phase (representing dilated mucosal capillaries draining into tortuous submucosal vein) suggestive of vascular lesion (duodenal angiodysplasia). The patient was transferred to undergo an angiogram which confirmed the diagnosis of duodenal angiodysplasia. Super selective cannulation of the feeding artery was performed followed by post coiling angiogram which revealed successful embolization. No acute complications were encountered during or immediately after procedure.

Conclusion

AD is a rare but important cause that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of GIT bleeding especially in the older patients. It should be looked for in CT angiography done in such a clinical situation. Superselective coil embolization is a safe and effective technique to manage bowel AD.
Simulation of thermoelastic waves based on the Lord-Shulman theory
Authors: Hou Wanting , Fu Li-Yun , Carcione José M. , Wang Zhiwei , Wei Jia
Published: February 2021

Thermoelasticity is important in seismic propagation due to the effects related to wave attenuation and velocity dispersion. We have applied a novel finite-difference (FD) solver of the Lord-Shulman thermoelasticity equations to compute synthetic seismograms that include the effects of the thermal properties (expansion coefficient, thermal conductivity, and specific heat) compared with the classic forward-modeling codes. We use a time splitting method because the presence of a slow quasistatic mode (the thermal mode) makes the differential equations stiff and unstable for explicit time-stepping methods. The spatial derivatives are computed with a rotated staggered-grid FD method, and an unsplit convolutional perfectly matched layer is used to absorb the waves at the boundaries, with an optimal performance at the grazing incidence. The stability condition of the modeling algorithm is examined. The numerical experiments illustrate the effects of the thermoelasticity properties on the attenuation of the fast P-wave (or E-wave) and the slow thermal P-wave (or T-wave). These propagation modes have characteristics similar to the fast and slow P-waves of poroelasticity, respectively. The thermal expansion coefficient has a significant effect on the velocity dispersion and attenuation of the elastic waves, and the thermal conductivity affects the relaxation time of the thermal diffusion process, with the T mode becoming wave-like at high thermal conductivities and high frequencies.
Introduction to this special section: Mining geophysics
Authors: Legault Jean , Howe Brendan
Published: February 2021

Much has happened to the mineral exploration geophysics industry since TLE's last special section dedicated to mining geophysics was published in 2008. We are pleased to showcase the work of many talented mining geophysicists to the TLE readership in this issue's special section.
A paradigm shift in magnetic data interpretation: Increased value through magnetization inversions
Authors: Li Yaoguo , Sun Jiajia , Li Shu-Ling , Leão-Santos Marcelo
Published: February 2021

Magnetic data are sensitive to both the induced magnetization in rock units caused by the present earth's magnetic field and the remanent magnetization acquired by rock units in past geologic time. Susceptibility is a direct indicator of the magnetic mineral content, whereas remanent magnetization carries information about the formation process and subsequent structural movement of geologic units. The ability to recover and use total magnetization, defined as the vectorial sum of the induced and remanent magnetization, therefore enables us to take full advantage of magnetic data. The exploration geophysics community has achieved significant advances in inverting magnetic data affected by remanent magnetization. It is now feasible to invert any magnetic data set for total magnetization. We provide an overview of the state of the art in magnetization inversion and demonstrate the informational value of inverted magnetization through a set of case studies from mineral exploration problems. We focus on the methods that recover either the magnitude of the total magnetization or the total magnetization vector itself.