bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fracture Reduction and Definitive Management for Acute Tibial Shaft Fractures Using the Taylor Spatial Frame
Authors: Liu Yanshi , Liu Jialin , Yushan Maimaiaili , Liu Zhenhui , Zhang Tao , Ma He , Ma Chuang , Yusufu Aihemaitijiang
Published: February 2021

Background: The Taylor spatial frame (TSF) is increasingly used for acute tibial shaft fracture care as more general orthopedic surgeons are gaining expertise of this versatile device. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the TSF for fracture reduction and definitive management in patients with acute tibial shaft fractures.Methods: The study was conducted on 34 patients with acute tibial shaft fractures who were admitted or referred to our institution and consented to TSF treatment from Jan 2016 to June 2019, including 27males and 7 females with a mean age of 39 years (range 18 to 65 years). Patients' clinical and radiological data, and the final clinical outcomes at a minimum of 12 months follow-up were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All complications were documented according to Paley’s classification. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria (ASAMI) at the last clinical visit.Results: All patients remained in the TSF for a mean of 26 weeks (range 15 to 52 weeks) and acquired complete bone union. The satisfactory alignment was achieved in all patients, and all the patients were able to perform daily activities with no difficulty at the last clinical visit. Complications included pin tract infection (44%), delayed union (6%), nonunion (3%), and joint stiffness (3%). The ASAMI bony result was excellent in 31 patients and good in 3. The ASAMI functional result was excellent in 27 patients, good in 6, and fair in 1. Conclusions: Fracture reduction and definitive management using the Taylor spatial frame is an alternative and effective method for acute tibial shaft fractures, including technical advantages of early trauma-control, ease of soft tissue care, the versatility of achieving excellent alignment, and the continuity of device until bone union.
WITHDRAWN: Evaluation of Tear Film Osmolarity Among Diabetic Patients Using a TearLab Osmometer
Authors: ABUSHARHA ALI , Alsagr Ali , Alobaid Mohammad , Almayouf Ali , Alajlan Sulaiman , Omair Mossab , Alahmad Essa
Published: February 2021

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to determine the effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on tear osmolarity using a TearLab Osmolarity system. Moreover, the relationship between tear film osmolarity and ocular surface discomfort in controlled and uncontrolled diabetic patients was assessed.Patients and Methods: This study included 40 male type 2 diabetic patients aged 20 to 70 years (mean + SD 49±12). A control group (18–43 years; 32.2 ± 6.5 years) consisting of 40 male subjects was also enrolled for comparison. The tear osmolarity was measured using the TearLab Osmolarity System. The ocular surface disease index questionnaire (OSDI) was used to assess ocular discomfort symptoms.Results: The mean tear osmolarity was 297 + 8.00 and 296 + 11 mOsm/L for controlled and uncontrolled diabetic subjects, respectively. While the average osmolarity in the control group was 299 + 8.00 mOsm/L. No significant differences were detected in tear osmolarity between the control and diabetes groups. The ocular surface disease index questionnaire (OSDI) score was significantly higher in the diabetic patient group. No significant correlation was found between tear osmolarity and OSDI scores.Conclusion: The ocular discomfort symptoms score in diabetic patients was significantly higher compared to normal eye subjects. Tear osmolarity was not significantly different in diabetic patients. This finding may be explained by a lack of relationship between tear film parameters and diabetic severity; tear film parameters may correlate more with diabetic duration rather than severity. Therefore, studies focused on diabetes duration and tear film parameters are recommended.
Functional Analysis of Haplotypes and Promoter Activity at the 5’ Region of the ADH7 Gene
Authors: Zeng Kuo , Li Ya , Gao Meng , Liu Yong-ping , Xu Feng-ling , Xia Xi , Yao Jun , Wang baojie
Published: February 2021

Background: The function of the 5’ regulatory region and the role of the different SNP loci have not been well characterized. This study investigated the effect of several ADH7 haplotypes on the regulation of gene expression in vitro and the functional sequences in the 5’ regulatory region of ADH7. Three SNPs (rs17537595, rs2851028, and rs2654847) and four different haplotypes (T-C-T, T-T-T, C-T-T, T-C-A) were identified by cloning and sequencing. Methods: Effects of 4 different haplotypes and 8 truncated fragments of 5’ regulatory region on ADH7 gene expression were detected using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. All recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK-293, U87, and SH-SY5Y cells, respectively, and their relative fluorescence intensity was measured.Results: In HEK-293, U87, and SH-SY5Y cell lines, the relative fluorescence intensity of haplotype T-C-T was significantly higher than that of haplotype T-T-T, C-T-T, and T-C-A. Additionally, we found that regions from -83 to -310bp (ATG, +1), -560 to -768bp , and -987bp to -1203bp up-regulated gene expression. In contrast, the region from -768 to -987bp down-regulated gene expression. The gene expression of regions from -1203 to -1369bp and -1369 to -1626bp was down-regulated in U87 and SH-SY5Y cell lines, but the trend was opposite in HEK-293 cell line. The region from -310 to -560bp up-regulated gene expression in SH-SY5Y cell line, but down-regulated gene expression in HEK-293 and U87 cell lines.Conclusions: This study has shown that the polymorphisms of ADH7 5’ regulatory region play an important role in the regulation of gene expression.
Constructing Xenobiotic Maps of Metabolism to Predict the Role of Enzymes in DNA Adduct Formation
Authors: Conan Maël , Théret Nathalie , Langouet Sophie , Siegel Anne
Published: February 2021

Background : The liver plays a major role in the metabolic activation of xenobiotics (drugs, chemicals such as pollutants, pesticides, food additives...). Among environmental contaminants of concern, heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA) are xenobiotics classified as possible or probable carcinogens (2A or 2B) by IARC for which low information exist in humans. While HAA is a family of more than thirty identified chemicals, the metabolism activation and DNA adduct formation have been fully characterized in human liver for few of them (MeIQx, PhIP, AalphaC). Results: We developed a modeling approach in order to predict all the possible metabolite derivatives of a xenobiotic. Our approach relies on the construction of an enriched and annotated map of derivative metabolites from an input metabolite. The pipeline assembles reaction prediction tools (SyGMa), sites of metabolism prediction tools (Way2Drug, SOMP and Fame 3), a tool to estimate the ability of a xenobotics to form DNA adducts (XenoSite Reactivity V1), and a filtering procedure based on Bayesian framework. This prediction pipeline was evaluated using caffeine and then applied to HAAs. The method was applied to determine enzyme profiles associated with the maximization of DNA adducts formation derived from each HAA. These profiles could be very different depending on the chemicals allowing to classify HAAs which have been grouped by their associated profiles. Conclusions: Overall, such a predictive toxicological model based on a in silico systems biology approach open perspectives to estimate genotoxicity of various chemical classes of environmental contaminants. Moreover, our approach based on enzymes profile determination open the perspective to predict various xenobiotics derived metabolites susceptible to bind DNA adducts in both normal and physiopathological situations.
Network Pharmacology Study and Molecular Docking on the Mechanism of Treatment of Colorectal Cancer by Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang
Authors: Jin Jingyun , Chen Bin , Zhan Xiangyang , Zhou Zhiyi , Liu Hui , Dong Yun
Published: February 2021

Background and objective: To predict the targets and signal pathways of Xiao-Chai-Hu-Tang (XCHT) in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) based on network pharmacology, to further analyze its anti-CRC material basis and mechanism of action.Methods: TCMSP and TCMID databases were adopted to screen the active ingredients and potential targets of XCHT. CRC-related targets were retrieved by analyzing published microarray data (accession number GSE110224) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The above common targets were used to construct the “herb-active ingredients-target” network by Cytoscape 3.8.0 software. And then, the protein-to-protein interaction（PPI）was constructed and analyzed with BisoGenet and CytoNCA plug-in in Cytoscape. Gene Ontology (GO) functional and the Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis for target genes were then performed using the R package of cluster Profiler. Further, AutoDock Vina software was used to conduct molecular docking studies on the active ingredients and key targets to verify the network pharmacological analysis results.Results: A total of 71 active ingredients of XCHT and 20 potential targets for anti-CRC were identified. The network analysis revealed that quercetin, stigmasterol, kaempferol, baicalein, acacetin may be the key compounds. And PTGS2, NR3C2, CA2, MMP1 may be the key targets. The active ingredients of XCHT interacted with most disease targets of CRC. It fully showed that XCHT exerted its therapeutic effect through the synergistic action of the multi-compound, multi-target, and multi-pathway. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed 46 GO entries, including 20 biological processes, 6 cellular components, and 20 molecular functions. 11 KEGG signaling pathways had been identified, including IL-17 signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. It showed that XCHT played a role in the treatment of CRC by regulating different signal pathways. Molecular docking confirmed the correlation between five core compounds (including quercetin, stigmasterol, kaempferol, baicalein, and acacetin) and PTGS2.Conclusion: The potential active ingredients, possible targets, and key biological pathways for the efficacy of XCHT in the treatment of CRC were preliminarily described, which provided a theoretical basis for further experimental verification research.
The development of China’s urban social security system, 1949–1988
Authors: Huang Guan
Published: February 2021

In examining the development of urban social security in China between 1949 and 1988, this study elucidates the impact of a country’s politics on the modification of the design, operation, and transformation of its social security. This study complements existing theories and questions regarding the correlation between economic growth and the development of social security and tests the utility of popular theories of social security development for understanding the Chinese case. In order to conduct vertical comparison, this study divides the period of social security development—namely, 1949 to 1988—according to changes in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) doctrine. Focusing on the emergence of and modifications to China’s social security system before its reform in 1988, this study identifies the structural features and philosophy of its institutional design and analyses its development using statistical data. More specifically, this study demonstrates that changes in the doctrine of the CCP decisively impacted the development of China’s urban social security. In doing so, this study demonstrates a new means of predicting a country’s social security development.
Secondary Bacterial Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance in COVID-19: Comparative Evaluation of Pre-Pandemic and Pandemic-Era, A Retrospective Single Center Study
Authors: Karataş Mustafa , Duman Melike Yaşar , Tünger Alper , Çilli Feriha , Aydemir Şöhret , Ozenci Volkan
Published: February 2021

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of bacterial pathogens in COVID-19 patients and to compare the results with control groups from the pre-pandemic and pandemic era.Methods: Microbiological database records of all the COVID-19 diagnosed patients in the Ege University Hospital between March 15, 2020, and June 15, 2020, evaluated retrospectively. Patients who acquired secondary bacterial infections (SBIs) and bacterial co-infections were analyzed. Etiology and AMR data of the bacterial infections were collected. Results were also compared to control groups from pre-pandemic and pandemic era data.Results: In total, 4,859 positive culture results from 3,532 patients were analyzed. Fifty-two (3.59%) patients had 78 SBIs and 38 (2.62%) patients had 45 bacterial co-infections among 1,447 COVID-19 patients. 22/85 (25.88%) patients died who had bacterial infections. The respiratory culture-positive sample rate was 39.02% among all culture-positive samples in the COVID-19 group. There was a significant decrease in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (8.94%) compared to samples from the pre-pandemic (20.76%) and pandemic era (20.74%) (p=0.001 for both comparisons). Interestingly, Acinetobacter baumannii was the main pathogen in the respiratory infections of COVID-19 patients (%9.76) and the rate was significantly higher than pre-pandemic (3.49%, p<0.002) and pandemic era control groups (3.11%, p<0.001).Conclusion: Due to the low frequency of SBIs reported during the ongoing pandemic, a more careful and targeted antimicrobial prescription should be taken. While patients with COVID-19 had lower levels of ESBL producing Enterobacterales, the frequency of MDR A. baumannii is higher.
Preparation, Structural Analysis, and Tunability of Optical and Dielectric Characteristics of Mn–modified SrLaLiTeO6 Double Perovskite
Authors: HALIZAN MUHAMMAD ZHARFAN MOHD , MOHAMED ZAKIAH , YAHYA AHMAD KAMAL HAYATI
Published: February 2021

SrLaLiTe 1- x Mn x O 6 ( x = 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10) double perovskites have been prepared using solid state method. Studies on structural by applying X–ray diffraction (XRD) characterization found that all compounds formed in monoclinic, P2 1 /n symmetry with reduction of lattice parameters and unit cell volume as dopant concentration increased. The formation of Te 6+ /Mn 6+ –O–Li + octahedral structure can be confirmed with the presence of peaks at certain wavenumbers indicating vibrations of Te – O or Mn – O bonds. As dopant concentration increased, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) characterization found that the increasing trend of formation in grains sizes from x = 0.02 to x = 0.08, and its effects towards dielectric properties which were conducted by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies were discussed in this paper. Other discussions included were regarding the significant effect of dopant towards optical band gap, E opt and absorption frequencies of prepared compounds compared to pristine compound indicating its promising potential for optoelectronic device application.
Electrochemical Performance of Lanthanum Cerium Ferrite Nanoparticles for Supercapacitor Applications
Authors: Raza Waseem , Nabi Ghulam , Shahzad Asim , Malik Nafisa , Raza Nadeem
Published: February 2021

Lanthanum cerium ferrite nanoparticles has been synthesized for the first time via hydrothermal and co-precipitation method. The structural and morphological study of the nanoparticles have been examined by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The electrochemical study of J1 and J2 electrodes have been examined using three electrode system in 6 M KOH electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charging-discharging (GCD) and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy (EIS). The highest specific capacitance of 1195 F/g has been obtained at a scan rate of 10 mV/s from hydrothermal synthesis nanomaterial electrode (J2) and long cycling life 92.3% retention after 2000th cycles. Furthermore, the energy density and power density of the J2 electrode at a current density of 5 A/g was 59 Wh/kg and 9234 W/kg respectively. Hence, the fabricated J2 electrode is a favorable candidate for super-capacitor applications.
Humidity Sensing Enhancement and Structural Evolution of Tungsten Doped Zinc Oxide Nano-Sensors Fabricated Through Co-Precipitation Synthesis
Authors: Verma Vernica , Pandey Narendra Kumar , Gupta Priya , Singh Kuldeep , Singh Peramjeet
Published: February 2021

Nano-sensors samples of pure Zinc oxide and tungsten doped ZnO are employed for the study of their humidity sensing performance, morphological and micro-structural details. The nano-powder for sensors of ZnO1 − xWx (x = 0 to 1.75 mol%) are prepared in molar ratios of 0.50 mol%, 1.25 mol%, and 1.75mol% synthesized through co-precipitation technique. The effect of tungsten incorporation in 0.50 mol%, 1.25 mol% and 1.75 mol% on the structural and morphological properties of nanostructures has been investigated via XRD and SEM, respectively. The XRD of the synthesized ZnO nanomaterial possess hexagonal wurtzite structure for all the samples. The obtained diffractogram depicts high and broad peaks implying good crystallinity and smaller crystallite size. The molarity of the dopants yields sufficient reduction in crystallite size from 44.46 nm to 37.38 nm. The crystallite size of the samples calculated using W-H analysis yields 44.28 nm to 39.37 nm. The strain (ϵ) and stress (σ) produced in the crystal due to dopants is analyzed via USDM, UDEDM and SSP thereby deducing energy density ‘u’. The pelletized nano-sensors of diameter 10 mm and thickness 2 mm show excellent response towards humidity sensing within the range of 10–90% of relative humidity. An appreciable sensitivity of 144x and hysteresis of 8.24 is exhibited 1.75 mol% W-ZnO humidity sensor and good stability over a period of 270 days with minimum aging effects.
Energy Efficient IoT Based Cloud Framework for Early Flood Prediction
Authors: Kaur Mandeep , Kaur Pankaj Deep , Sood Sandeep Kumar
Published: February 2021

Flood is a recurrent and crucial natural phenomenon affecting almost the entire planet. It is a critical problem that causes crop destruction, destruction to the population, loss of infrastructure, and demolition of several public utilities. An effective way to deal with this is to alert the community from incoming inundation and provide ample time to evacuate and protect property. In this article, we suggest an IoT-based energy efficient flood prediction and forecasting system. IoT sensor nodes are constrained in terms of battery and memory, so the fog layer uses an energy-saving approach based on data heterogeneity to preserve the system’s power consumption. cloud storage is used for efficient storage. The environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and water body parameters, i.e. water flow and water level, are being investigated for India's Kerala region to calibrate the flood phases. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) approach is used at the fog layer for attribute dimensionality reduction. To forecast the flood, the ANN (Artificial Neural Network) algorithm is used, and the simulation technique of Holt Winter is used to forecast the future flood. Data is obtained from the Indian government meteorological database and experimental assessment is carried out. The findings showed the feasibility of the proposed architecture.
Foraging and Drifting Patterns of a Highly Eusocial Neotropical Stingless Bee Species Assessed by Radio-frequency Identification Tags
Authors: Oliveira Ricardo Caliari , Contrera Felipe Andrés León , Arruda Helder , Jaffé Rodolfo , Costa Luciano , Pessin Gustavo , Venturieri Giorgio Cristino , Souza Paulo , Imperatriz-Fonseca Vera Lúcia
Published: February 2021

Bees play a key role in ecosystem services as the main pollinators of numerous flowering plants. Studying factors influencing their foraging behaviour is relevant not only to understand their biology, but also how populations might respond to changes in their habitat and to the climate. Here, we used radio-frequency identification tags to monitor the foraging behaviour of the neotropical stingless bee Melipona fasciculata with special interest in drifting patterns, i.e. when a forager drifts into a foreign nest. In addition, we collected meteorological data to study how abiotic factors affect bees’ lifespan and behaviour. Our results show that only 35 % of bees never drifted to another hive nearby, and that factors such as temperature, humidity and solar irradiation affected the foragers drifting rates and/or lifespan. Moreover, we tested whether drifting levels would decrease after marking the nest entrances with different patterns. Contrary to our predictions, there was an increase in the proportion of drifting, indicating that this could be a deliberate strategy rather than an orientation mistake. Overall, our results demonstrate how managed bee populations are affected by both nearby hives and climate factors, offering unprecedented insights on their biology and potential commercial application as crop pollinators.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors and Angiopoietins As New Players in Mastocytosis
Authors: Marcella Simone , Petraroli Angelica , Braile Mariantonia , Parente Roberta , Ferrara Anne Lise , Galdiero Maria Rosaria , Modestino Luca , Cristinziano Leonardo , Rossi Francesca Wanda , Varricchi Gilda , Triggiani Massimo , de Paulis Amato , Spadaro Giuseppe , Loffredo Stefania
Published: February 2021

Mastocytosis is a disorder characterized by the abnormal proliferation and/or accumulation of mast cells in different organs. More than 90% of patients with systemic mastocytosis have a gain-of-function mutation in codon 816 of the KIT receptor on mast cells (MCs). The symptoms of mastocytosis patients are related to the MC-derived mediators that exert local and distant effects. MCs produce angiogenic and lymphangiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and angiopoietins (ANGPTs). Serum concentrations of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, ANGPT1 and ANGPT2 were determined in 64 mastocytosis patients and 64 healthy controls. Intracellular concentrations and spontaneous release of these mediators were evaluated in the mast cell lines ROSAKIT WT and ROSA KIT D816V and in human lung mast cells (HLMCs). VEGF-A, ANGPT1, ANGPT2 and VEGF-C concentrations were higher in mastocytosis patients compared to controls. The VEGF-A, ANGPT2 and VEGF-C concentrations were correlated with the symptom severity. ANGPT1 concentrations were increased in all patients compared to controls. ANGPT2 levels were correlated with severity of clinical variants and with tryptase levels. VEGF-A, ANGPT1 and VEGF-C did not differ between indolent and advanced mastocytosis. ROSAKIT WT, ROSAKIT D816V and HLMCs contained and spontaneously released VEGFs and ANGPTs. Serum concentrations of VEGFs and ANGPTs are altered in mastocytosis patients.
On the combination of rotated principal component analysis regionalization technique and linear regression in seasonal rainfall prediction
Authors: Ibebuchi Chibuike Chiedozie
Published: February 2021

This study considers the selection of predictors for regional rainfall based on dynamical considerations; for this reason, a regionalization technique that can preserve the underlying physics of rainfall was used in obtaining landmasses and local oceanic domains that are spatially coherent. For the study region (Africa, south of the equator), the adjacent oceans play a vital role in the seasonal rainfall variability at the landmasses; thus uncovering the complex nature of the multivariate relationship between rainfall coherent landmasses and local oceanic domains will enhance the construction of oceanic indices as predictors of seasonal rainfall at specific landmasses using linear regression analysis. Among different cluster analysis techniques, the rotated principal component analysis (PCA) is both fuzzy and allows the overlapping of the classified data set, which makes it a better choice for geophysical research that aims to regionalize continuous data such as rainfall. 10 regions with spatially homogeneous austral summer monthly rainfall totals were classified using the rotated PCA; some classified regions featured landmasses that are spatially coherent with the adjacent ocean, which qualifies them to be further considered on how rainfall anomaly and other physical parameters related to rainfall (e.g. convergence, relative vorticity, and sea level pressure) at the adjacent oceans explain the variations in austral summer rainfall anomaly at the homogeneous landmasses. The analysis of the physical mechanisms associated with the time development of the selected rainfall regions reveals that at the west-central equatorial rainfall region, variations in relative vorticity and convergence are associated with the development of the rainfall region; whereas at the central domains of southern Africa, variations in the patterns of sea level pressure, relative vorticity and convergence at the landmasses, the tropical and the southwest Indian Ocean can be associated with the development of the distinct rainfall sub-regions. The predictability of austral summer rainfall anomaly at the homogeneous landmasses using appropriate predictors at the adjacent local oceanic domains was relatively more accurate at the deep tropics, possibly due to the dominating mechanism of convergence in controlling the tropical rainfall.
The Impact of Risk Cognitive and Characteristics of Mobile Phone Using on the Sleep Quality of College Students in China during COVID-19
Authors: Xu Yiwen , Li Jun , Gao Qian , Cai Chang , Meng Jia , Fan Lina , Liang Jia , Wang Fang
Published: February 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the influence of risk cognitive and characteristics of mobile phones using on sleep quality during the COVID-19 epidemic.Methods: We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), mobile phone use characteristics and a mobile phone use risk cognitive questionnaire, which was answered by 1207 college students. The data were statistically analyzed with SPSS 21.0 software.Results: There were significant differences in the general and poor sleep quality groups (p=0.013 and 0.037, respectively) between before and during the COVID-19 period. In the PSQI scores there were significant differences of the participants between before and during COVID-19 period with respect to dimensions other than sleep quality. Generalized linear regression analysis showed that the “pros and cons” (p=0.007) of mobile phone use for the items “How often do you take a break during use time?” (p=0.003), “Will subjectively increase the distance between the screen and the eyes?” (p=0.003), “Daily accumulated use time (hours)” (p=0.003) and “use time before bed with the lights off (hours)” (p<0.001) were significantly correlated with sleep quality.Conclusions: Risk cognitive and characteristics of mobile phone using influence sleep quality during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Access Limitation to Health Services in Palestine and Its Consequences on Palestinian Mental Health and Wellbeing: Literature Review
Authors: Marie Mohammad , Battat Maher
Published: February 2021

Accessing health care services is a fundamental right for all people worldwide. The WHO has defined the obstruction of the availability, access, and delivery of therapeutic and/or preventive health services as a form of health attack. The Palestinian Authority faces significant challenges to ensure the sustainability of the delivery of its health services. The blockade of the Gaza Strip and the presence of Israeli settlements in oPt and the Separation Wall around Jerusalem all these obstacles affect the patient’s right to access health care services. Palestinian Patients need permit applications from Israeli authorities that require usually 7- 10 days depending on the case condition and the appointment from the target hospital in which the permit may be approved or denied or delayed. It has become a complex process due to the need to cross barriers or border crossings and restrictions on the movement of Palestinian patients and ambulances imposed by the Israeli government. Therefore, barriers to accessing health care services are a serious and permanent condition that can lead to a very stressful atmosphere and result in developing mental problems. This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature and established studies on mental health consequences related to access limitations to health care services in Palestine.Method: PubMedand Google Scholar were used to search for materials for the literature review study. The Data in this literature review was collected by searching in electronic databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar. The keywords used in the searching process are Mental Health AND consequences AND limited access OR Access Limitations AND health care services OR health care AND barrier AND Gaza strip OR West Bank AND Palestine. full-text articles critically appraised were included while the duplicated papers were extracted. The papers in this review follow the IMRAD style (Introduction, method, results, and discussion section).Result: More than 25 related materials founded including review studies, 3 WHO reports, and 2 Palestinian government statistical reports.Conclusion: Evidences from this review show that there is a necessity to maintain justice and equality among the Palestinian population and their right to freedom. Limited access to health-care services for Palestinian patients living in Gaza Strip, West Bank ,and East Jerusalem affect negatively the patient’s quality of life and mental health mainly due to the Israeli Separation Wall besides road closures.
Speckle Tracking Imaging Combined With Myocardial Comprehensive Index to Evaluate Left Ventricular Function Changes in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Feng Jia , Zhai zijing , Wang zhen , Huang lei , Dong shanshan , Liu kuichan , Shi wenrong , Lu guilin , Qin wenjuan
Published: February 2021

ObjectiveTo evaluate left ventricular systolic function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI). MethodsThirty patients with SLE (SLE group) and 30 healthy people (control group) were examined using 3D-STI, and their clinical characteristics were collected. The following conventional 3D parameters were obtained: left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), spherical index (SPI), left ventricular end-diastolic mass (LV EDmass), and left ventricular end-systolic mass (LV ESmass). The following 3D-STI strain parameters were obtained: global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), left ventricular twist angle (LVtw), torque (Tor), peak strain dispersion (PSD), and myocardial comprehensive index (MCI). Statistical analysis was used to analyze the differences in the above indicators among the groups and their correlations. ResultsLVEDV and LVEF decreased; LV EDmass and LV ESmass increased; GLS, GCS, LVtw, Tor, and MCI decreased; and PSD increased in the SLE group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve of the MCI was the highest (0.940), the sensitivity of the Tor and MCI was the highest (90.00%), and the specificity of the Tor was the highest (93.33%). Correlation analysis showed that there was a good correlation between the MCI and hs-TropT. ConclusionThe systolic function of the left ventricle is decreased in patients with SLE. 3D-STI technology can detect abnormal left ventricular systolic function in patients with SLE in the early stage.
Evaluation of the Effect of Pulmonary Vein Isolation Treatment With Left Atrial Catheter Ablation Method on Atrial Conduction Times in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Donmez Ibrahim , Erdem Fatma Hizal , Memioğlu Tolga , Acar Emrah
Published: February 2021

PurposeAtrial fibrillation (AF) causes structural, electrical, and cellular remodeling in the atrium. Evaluation of intra- and interatrial conduction time, which is measured by tissue doppler echocardiography, indicates structural and electrical remodeling in the atrium. In the meta-analysis of the studies investigating rhythm control treatment strategy in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation; radiofrequency (RF) ablation has been shown to be superior over antiarrhythmics in ensuring and protecting sinus rhythm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulmonary vein isolation applied with RF ablation therapy on intra- and interatrial conduction time and to investigate the structural and electrically remodeling after treatment.MethodsFifty-two patients with symptomatic PAF despite at least one antiarrhythmic drug and without structural heart disease were included in the study. Two patients were excluded because of complications developed during and after the operation. Fifty patients (28 female; mean age: 51.68 ± 11.731; mean left atrial diameter: 36.79 ± 4.318) who underwent CARTO® 3D pulmonary vein isolation applied with the RF ablation system were followed-up. Intra- and the inter-atrial electromechanical delay was measured in all patients by tissue doppler echocardiography before and three months after RF ablation. ResultsAll intra- and interatrial conduction times were significantly decreased 3 months after RF ablation procedure (PA lateral p = 0.022; PA septum p = 0.002; PA tricuspid p = 0.019, interatrial conduction delay p= 0,012, intra-atrial conduction delay p = 0.029).ConclusionThe results of our study suggest that providing stable sinus rhythm by the elimination of the AF triggering mechanisms with RF ablation of pulmonary vein isolation may slow down, stop or even improve structural remodeling at substrate level secondary to AF even in patients who did not yet develop atrial fibrosis and permanent structural changes.
Intestinal Microbiota and Functional Characteristics of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia Illucens)
Authors: Yuan Zhineng , Ma Ying , Tang Bingjie , Zeng Rouxian , Zhou Qiang
Published: February 2021

Purpose: Black soldier fly transforms organic waste into insect protein and fat, which makes it valuable to ecological utilization. This process is associated with intestinal microbiota. This research was developed to determine the type and functional characteristics of intestinal microbiota present in black soldier fly larvae.Methods: In this research, metagenomics has been used to study black soldier fly larvae gut bacteria, which involves the high abundance of the gut microbes advantage bacterium group, the impact, and physiological functions of the microbiota. Furthermore, intestinal bacteria and their related functions were investigated by bioinformatics analysis to evaluate potential the microbial strains that may be used to improve feed utilization efficiency in factory farming.Result: The results showed that black soldier fly larvae´ intestine contains more than 11,000 bacteria. High relative abundance of group W (larvae fed with 75% wheat bran and 25% soybean powder) may promote feed utilization efficiency, whereas high relative abundance of group T microbiota (larvae fed with 75% wheat bran and 25% soybean powder supplemented with 1% tetracycline) may play an important role in black soldier fly larvae survival.Conclusion: The gut bacteria in black soldier fly larvae were involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis and metabolism, translation, membrane transport, energy metabolism, cytoskeleton, extracellular structures, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and coenzyme transport physiological processes. The 35 significant differential microbes in group W may have a positive impact in feed utilization and physiological process.
Bioprospecting Beneficial Endophytic Bacterial Communities Associated With Rosmarinus Officinalis for Alleviating Plant Productivity
Authors: Sharma Minakshi , Sood Gaurav , Chauhan Anjali
Published: February 2021

The present study was aimed to isolate and identify root endophytic bacteria with multifunctional plant growth promoting (PGP) traits from medicinal plant Rosemarinus officinalis grown in the North-Western Himalayas. A total of 42 strains were isolated, exhibiting variable degrees of PGP traits, including P-solubilization (10-375 µg/ml), IAA (6-66 µg/ml), siderophore (32.37-301.48 %SU) production and antifungal activity in terms of percent growth inhibition (%GI) against Fusarium oxysporum (44.44-77.77 %GI), Fusarium graminiarum (48.88-71.42 %GI) and Rhizoctonia solani (44.44-77.7 %GI). 16S rDNA sequencing results showed lineage of these strains to 15 genera viz., Aneurinibacillus, Bacillus, Beijerinckia, Cedecea, Ensifer, Enterobacter, Kosakonia, Lactobacillus, Lysobacter, Oxynema, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Paenibacillus, Pseudoxanthomonas and Serratia. The effect of 11 potential strains was selected for in vivo growth studies of R. officinalis. The results showed that the inoculation of Bacillus subtilis KU21, Pseudomonas aeruginosa SI12, and Cedecea lapagei KU14 significantly increased the physical growth parameters of plant over uninoculated control viz., number of lateral of branches (43.95-46.39 %), stem height (29.04-38.57 %), root length (32.31-37.14 %), shoot (34.76-40.91 %) and root biomass (62.89-70.70 %). Physiological characteristics such as total chlorophyll (30.41-30.96 %), phenol (14.43-24.55 %) and carotenoids (34.26-39.87 %) content, also showed a relative increase as compared to uninoculated control; furthermore, the macronutrients (NPK) contents of the plant as well as soil also showed an increase. The developed module may be recommended for sustainable production of R. officinalis in the North-Western Himalayan region without hampering the soil health and fertility.
Plasticity in Induced Resistance to Sequential Attack by Multiple Herbivores in Brassica Nigra
Authors: de Bobadilla Maite Fernández , Wiechen Roel Van , Gort Gerrit , Poelman Erik H.
Published: February 2021

In nature, plants interact with multiple insect herbivores that may arrive simultaneously or sequentially. Because insect herbivores often have a negative effect on plant fitness, plants have evolved mechanisms to defend their tissues from being eaten. There is extensive knowledge on the regulation of induced plant responses to single or dual attack. However, we lack information on how plants defend against the attack of multiple herbivores that arrive sequentially. In this study, we investigated whether Brassica nigra plants are able to defend themselves against caterpillars of the late arriving herbivore Plutella xylostella, when plants had been previously exposed to sequential attack by four other herbivores. We manipulated the order of arrival and the history of attack by four herbivores to investigate which patterns in sequential herbivory determine resistance against the fifth attacker. We recorded that history of sequential herbivore attack differentially affected the capability of Brassica nigra plants to defend themselves against larvae of P. xylostella. A sequence of attack with four episodes of attack by P. xylostella induced resistance to larvae of P. xylostella. The number of times the plant was attacked by herbivores of the same feeding guild, the identity of the first attacker, the identity and the guild of the last attacker as well as the order of attackers within the sequence of multiple herbivores influenced plant resistance to subsequent herbivory. In conclusion, this study shows that history of sequential attack is an important factor determining plant resistance to herbivores.
Phenotypic Characterization of Auxotrophic Mutant of Nontyphoidal Salmonella and Determination of Its Cytotoxicity, Tumor Inhibiting Cytokine Gene Expression in Cell Line Models
Authors: Jazeela Kadeeja , Chakraborty Anirban , Kotian Akshatha , Aditya Vankadari , Ballamoole Krishna Kumar , Rai Praveen , Karunasagar Indrani , Deekshit VK
Published: February 2021

An auxotrophic mutant of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) strain was phenotypically characterized in this study. The characterization was based on phenotype, morphology, motility, biofilm forming ability, growth kinetics, etc. The phenotypic results from the above experiments determined that the mutant showed variation in phenotypic characters from that of wild-type strain. Subsequently, mutant and wild-type NTS were subjected to epithelial cell invasion and intracellular replication assays. The real time PCR analysis was also performed to analyse expression of tumor inhibiting cytokine genes and virulence genes post bacterial infection in cell lines. The mutant showed highest invasion potential than wild-type NTS whereas the replication of mutant was slower in both the cell lines. Similar to the wild-type strain, the mutant also retained the cytotoxic potential when analysed in vitro. Furthermore, the expression of proinflammatory cytokine genes such as TNF-α and IL-1β was upsurged with the downregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine genes like TGF-β, IL-6 and IL-10 post infection of the mutant strain in cell lines. In addition, virulence genes of Salmonella pathogenicity island one and two of mutant were downregulated in vitro except invA in HeLa cell line. Therefore, the auxotrophic mutant showed positive attributes of a potential antitumor agent in terms of expressing tumor inhibiting cytokine genes when assessed in vitro. Though the study did not check the tumor inhibitory effect of NTS strain directly, findings of the study emphasizes on the development of a novel strain of NTS with less virulence and more immunogenic traits to inhibit tumor cells.
Association of Epicardial Fat Thickness With Left Ventricular Diastolic Function Parameters in a Community Population
Authors: Ma Wei , Zhang Baowei , Yang Ying , Qi Litong , Zhou Jin , Li Min , Jia Jia , Zhang Yan , Yong Huo
Published: February 2021

Purpose We examined the relationship between EFT measured by echocardiography and LV diastolic function parameters in a Beijing community population.Methods We included 1004 participants in this study. Echocardiographic parameters including E and A peak velocity, the early diastolic velocities (e’) of the septal and lateral of mitral annulus using tissue doppler imaging, E/e’, and EFT, were measured. EFT1 was measured perpendicularly on the right ventricular free wall at end-diastole in the extension line of the aortic root. EFT2 was the maximum thickness measured perpendicularly on the right ventricular free wall at end-diastole. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between EFT and the mean e’ and E/e’.Results The mean age of the participants was 63.91 ± 9.02 years old (51.4% men). EFT1 and EFT2 were negatively correlated with e’ lat, e’ sep, and e’ mean (p < 0.05), and positively correlated with E/e’ lat, E/e’ sep, and E/e’ mean. Multivariate regression analysis showed that EFT1 and EFT2 were independently and negatively correlated with e’ mean (EFT1: β = −0.089 [95% confidence interval = −0.177, −0.000, p = 0.050]; EFT2: β = −0.078 [95% confidence interval = −0.143, −0.012, p = 0.020]). There were no interactions between EFT and any covariates, including age or heart groups, sex, BMI, or presence of hypertension, diabetes, or coronary heart disease in relation to LV diastolic dysfunction.Conclusions EFT was negatively and independently correlated with e’ mean, suggesting that more attention to this type of adipose fat is required for cardiovascular disease therapy.
DbOBS: Dual Buffered Switch for Variable Optical Bursts in Future Datacenters
Authors: Bhattacharya Pronaya , Singh Arunendra , Tiwari Amod Kumar , Pathak Vinay Kumar , Srivast Rajiv
Published: February 2021

Modern data-driven applications pose stringent requirements of high bandwidth, ultra-low-latency, low-powered, and scalable interconnections among switches and routers in data-centers. To address these demands, electronic switching is not a viable choice due to bandwidth and computing bottlenecks. Thus, researchers explored effective optical switch design principles for next-generation data-centers. In optical switches, data aggregates in the form of optical bursts (OB) at ultra-high speeds. In the case of OB contention, solutions are proposed by researchers to store OB as recirculating patterns in fiber delay lines (FDL) with induced optical delay. However, due to variable burst length, it is not possible to measure slot delay length, thus storage of contending bursts is not possible at intermediate core switches. Motivated from the aforementioned discussions, in this paper, we propose a switch design DbOBS, that is capable to store variable OB during contention slots. DbOBS estimates mean burst length, and possible deviation from mean length to minimize burst loss. The considered switch design is validated through parameters like-burst length estimation, over-reservation, and waiting time. For network-layer simulations, poison arrivals of data bursts are considered as packetized units. The packets are sent through Monte-Carlo arrivals and burst loss probability (BLP) is estimated at various input load conditions and buffer sizes. DbOBS achieves a BLP in order of 10-4 at load ≈ 0.8, and buffer-size of 50, and burst length of L = 5, that outperforms the traditional switch designs.
Wide Range Refractive Index Sensor Using a Birefringent Optical Fiber
Authors: De Moutusi , Singh Vinod Kumar
Published: February 2021

In this article, an efficient high birefringent D-shaped photonic crystal fiber (HB-D-PCF) plasmonic refractive index sensor is reported. It is able to work over a long low refractive index (RI) analyte range from 1.29 to 1.36. This modified simple structured hexagonal PCF has high birefringence in the near-infrared region. A thin gold film protected by a titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer is deposited on the D-surface of the PCF which acts as surface plasmon active layer. The sensor consists of an analyte channel on the top of the fiber. The performance of the HB-D-PCF is analyzed based on finite element method (FEM). Both wavelength and amplitude interrogation techniques are applied to study the sensing performance of the optimized sensor. Numerical results show wavelength and amplitude sensitivity of 9245nm/RIU and 1312 RIU-1 respectively with high resolution. Owing to the high sensitivity, long range sensing ability as well as spectral stability the designed HB-D-PCF SPR sensor is a potential candidate for water pollution control, glucose concentration testing, biochemical analyte detection as well as portable device fabrication.