bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applications of augmented reality in ophthalmology [Invited]
Authors: Aydındoğan Güneş , Kavaklı Koray , Şahin Afsun , Artal Pablo , Ürey Hakan
Published: December 2020

Throughout the last decade, augmented reality (AR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) have gradually become a substantial part of modern life, with increasing applications ranging from gaming and driver assistance to medical training. Owing to the tremendous progress in miniaturized displays, cameras, and sensors, HMDs are now used for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of several eye diseases. In this review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art as well as potential uses of AR in ophthalmology. This review includes the following topics: (i) underlying optical technologies, displays and trackers, holography, and adaptive optics; (ii) accommodation, 3D vision, and related problems such as presbyopia, amblyopia, strabismus, and refractive errors; (iii) AR technologies in lens and corneal disorders, in particular cataract and keratoconus; (iv) AR technologies in retinal disorders including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, color blindness, and vision simulators developed for other types of low-vision patients.
Label-free and noninvasive method for assessing the metabolic status in type 2 diabetic rats with myocardium diastolic dysfunction
Authors: Guo Kai , Wu Junxin , Kong Yawei , Zhou Li , Li Wei , Fei Yiyan , Ma Jiong , Mi Lan
Published: December 2020

This study assesses the metabolic status of rat diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) models. Echocardiography is used to detect the diastolic dysfunction in type 2 diabetic rats, and a lower threshold for inducible atrial fibrillation is found in type 2 diabetic rats with diastolic dysfunction compared to the control. Metabolic abnormalities are detected by status changes of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H), which is an essential coenzyme in cells or tissues. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is used to monitor changes in NAD(P)H in both myocardial tissues and blood. FLIM reveals that the protein-bound proportion of NAD(P)H in rat myocardium in the DCM group is smaller than the control group, which indicates the oxidative phosphorylation rate of the DCM group decreased. Similar results are found for blood plasma of DCM rats by the FLIM study. FLIM exhibits high potential for screening DCM as a label-free, sensitive, and noninvasive method.
Towards vendor-agnostic real-time optical network design with extended Kalman state estimation and recurrent neural network machine learning [Invited]
Authors: Bouda Martin , Krishna Gautam , Krystofik Joe , Oda Shoichiro , Palacharla Paparao
Published: December 2020

The network operator’s call for open, disaggregated optical networks to accelerate innovation and reduce cost, make progress in the standardization of interfaces, and raise telemetry capabilities in optical network systems has created an opportunity to adopt a new paradigm for optical network design. This new paradigm is driven by direct measurement and continuous learning from the actual optical hardware deployed in the field. We report an approach towards practical, vendor-agnostic, real-time optical network design and network management using a combination of two learning models. We generalize our physics-based optical model parameter estimation algorithm using the extended Kalman state estimation theory and, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, present results using real optical network field data. An observed 0.3 dB standard deviation of the difference between typical predicted and measured signal quality appears mostly attributable to transponder performance variance. We further propose using the physics-based optical model parameter values as inputs to a second learning model with a recurrent neural network such as a gated recurrent unit (GRU) to allocate the appropriate required optical margin relative to the typical signal quality predicted by the physics-based optical model. A proof of concept shows that for a dataset of 3000 optical connections with a wide variety of amplified spontaneous emission noise and nonlinear noise limited conditions, a 10-hidden-unit 2-layer GRU was sufficient to realize a margin prediction error standard deviation below 0.2 dB. This approach of measurement data-driven automated network design will simplify deployment and enable efficient operation of open optical networks.
Deep learning models for optically characterizing 3D printers
Authors: Chen Danwu , Urban Philipp
Published: December 2020

Multi-material 3D printers are able to create material arrangements possessing various optical properties. To reproduce these properties, an optical printer model that accurately predicts optical properties from the printer’s control values (tonals) is crucial. We present two deep learning-based models and training strategies for optically characterizing 3D printers that achieve both high accuracy with a moderate number of required training samples. The first one is a Pure Deep Learning (PDL) model that is essentially a black-box without any physical ground and the second one is a Deep-Learning-Linearized Cellular Neugebauer (DLLCN) model that uses deep-learning to multidimensionally linearize the tonal-value-space of a cellular Neugebauer model. We test the models on two six-material polyjetting 3D printers to predict both reflectances and translucency. Results show that both models can achieve accuracies sufficient for most applications with much fewer training prints compared to a regular cellular Neugebauer model.
Interaction of polarization-sensitive surface photocurrents in semitransparent CuSe/Se film
Authors: Mikheev Gennady M. , Kogai Vladimir Y. , Mikheev Konstantin G. , Mogileva Tatyana N. , Saushin Aleksandr S. , Svirko Yuri P.
Published: December 2020

We demonstrate that the transverse polarization-sensitive photoresponse of the CuSe/Se nanocomposite film deposited on a transparent substrate depends on whether the film is irradiated from the air side or substrate side. In particular, the nanosecond photocurrent pulse is either bipolar or unipolar pulse depending on which interface beam hits first. The observed phenomenon can be described in terms of the interplay between counter-propagating photocurrents generated at the air/nanocomposite and substrate/nanocomposite interfaces due to the surface photogalvanic effect. Our experimental findings can be employed to control the amplitude and temporal profile of the photoresponse by changing the polarization of the excitation laser beam.
Telecentric F-theta fisheye lens for space applications
Authors: Pernechele Claudio , Consolaro Luca , Jones Geraint H. , Brydon George , Da Deppo Vania
Published: December 2020

A very wide angle lens with a field of view of 360°x180° - a fisheye lens - has been designed to be used in a space environment. As a case study, the lens is assumed to be mounted on a spinning probe passing through a comet’s tail. The lens, rotating with the probe passing through the comet coma, may map the entire sky as viewed from the interior tail, providing unprecedented data on the spatial distribution of plasma and dust. Considering the foreseen space applications for the lens, radiation hardened glass has been taken into account for the design. A key feature of the lens is the “angular scale” uniformity (F-theta) of the sky distribution map projected on the focal plane allowing to obtain a reliable whole sky reconstruction. Care has also been taken to obtain an almost telecentric design, in order to permit filters placed on the focal plane to work properly. A telecentric fisheye operating with a pixel-limited resolution in the waveband from 500 nm up to 770 nm and with an F-theta distortion is presented in this paper.
In silico APC/C substrate discovery reveals cell cycle-dependent degradation of UHRF1 and other chromatin regulators
Authors: Franks Jennifer L. , Martinez-Chacin Raquel C. , Wang Xianxi , Tiedemann Rochelle L. , Bonacci Thomas , Choudhury Rajarshi , Bolhuis Derek L. , Enrico Taylor P. , Mouery Ryan D. , Damrauer Jeffrey S. , Yan Feng , Harrison Joseph S. , Major M. Ben , Hoadley Katherine A. , Suzuki Aussie , Rothbart Scott B. , Brown Nicholas G. , Emanuele Michael J.
Published: December 2020

The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and critical regulator of cell cycle progression. Despite its vital role, it has remained challenging to globally map APC/C substrates. By combining orthogonal features of known substrates, we predicted APC/C substrates in silico. This analysis identified many known substrates and suggested numerous candidates. Unexpectedly, chromatin regulatory proteins are enriched among putative substrates, and we show experimentally that several chromatin proteins bind APC/C, oscillate during the cell cycle, and are degraded following APC/C activation, consistent with being direct APC/C substrates. Additional analysis revealed detailed mechanisms of ubiquitylation for UHRF1, a key chromatin regulator involved in histone ubiquitylation and DNA methylation maintenance. Disrupting UHRF1 degradation at mitotic exit accelerates G1-phase cell cycle progression and perturbs global DNA methylation patterning in the genome. We conclude that APC/C coordinates crosstalk between cell cycle and chromatin regulatory proteins. This has potential consequences in normal cell physiology, where the chromatin environment changes depending on proliferative state, as well as in disease.
Genetic diversity, haplotype analysis, and risk factor assessment of hepatitis A virus isolates from the West Bank, Palestine during the period between 2014 and 2016
Authors: Dumaidi Kamal , Qaraqe Hayah , Al-Jawabreh Amer , Abu-Helu Rasmi , Samarah Fekri , Al-Jawabreh Hanan
Published: December 2020

Background

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is one of the major causes of acute viral hepatitis. HAV genotypes and its genetic diversity is rarely investigated in our region as well as worldwide.

Aims

The aims of the present study were to determine the HAV genotypes and its risk factors and to investigate the genetic diversity of the HAV isolates in the West Bank, Palestine.

Study design

A cohort of 161 clinically and laboratory-confirmed HAV (IgM-positive) cases and 170 apparently healthy controls from all the districts of the West Bank, Palestine during the period of 2014 to 2016 were tested for HAV infection using IgM antibodies, RT-PCR and sequence analysis of the VP3/VP1 junction region of the HAV genome. Phylogenetic analysis, genetic diversity and haplotypes analysis were used to characterize the VP3/VP1 sequences.

Results

All the 34 sequences of the HAV were found to be of HAV-IB sub-genotype. The phylogenetic analysis showed four main clusters with cluster III exclusively consisting of 18 Palestinian isolates (18/23-78%), but with weak bootstrap values. A high haplotype diversity (Hd) and low nucleotide diversity (π) were observed. Cluster III showed high number of haplotypes (h = 8), but low haplotype (gene) diversity (Hd = 0.69). A total of 28 active haplotypes with some consisting of more than one sequence were observed using haplotype network analysis. The Palestinian haplotypes are characterized by closely related viral haplotypes with one SNV away from each other which ran parallel to cluster III in the phylogenetic tree. A smaller Palestinian haplotype (4 isolates) was three SNVs away from the major haplotype cluster (n = 10) and closer to others haplotypes from Iran, Spain, and South Africa. Young age, low level of parent’s education, infrequent hand washing before meals, and drinking of un-treated water were considered the major HAV risk factors in the present study.

Conclusion

Haplotype network analysis revealed haplotype variation among the HAV Palestinian sequences despite low genetic variation and nucleotide diversity. In addition, this study reconfirmed that age and parent’s level of education as HAV risk factors, while hand washing and treating drinking water as protective factors.
Victims, offenders and victim-offender overlaps of knife crime: A social network analysis approach using police records
Authors: Bailey Laura , Harinam Vincent , Ariel Barak
Published: December 2020

Knife crime is a source of concern for the police in England and Wales, however little published research exists on this crime type. Who are the offenders who use knives to commit crime, when and why? Who are their victims, and is there a victim-offender overlap? What is the social network formation for people who are exposed to knife crime? Using a multidimensional approach, our aim is to answer these questions about one of England and Wales’ largest jurisdictions: Thames Valley. We first provide a state-of-the-art narrative review of the knife crime literature, followed by an analysis of population-level data on central tendency and dispersion of knife crimes reported to the police (2015–2019), on offences, offenders, victims, victim-offender overlaps and gang-related assaults. Social network analysis was used to explore the formations of offender-victim networks. Our findings show that knife crime represents a small proportion of crime (1.86%) and is associated largely with violence offenses. 16–34 year-old white males are at greatest risk of being the victims, offenders or victim-offenders of knife crime, with similar relative risks between these three categories. Both knife offenders and victims are likely to have a criminal record. Knife crimes are usually not gang-related (less than 20%), and experienced mostly between strangers, with the altercation often a non-retaliatory ‘one-off event’. Even gang-related knife crimes do not follow ‘tit-for-tat’ relationships—except when the individuals involved have extensive offending histories and then are likely to retaliate instantaneously. We conclude that while rare, an incident of knife crime remains predicable, as a substantial ratio of offenders and victims of future knife crime can be found in police records. Prevention strategies should not be focused on gang-related criminals, but on either prolific violent offenders or repeat victims who are known to the police—and therefore more susceptible to knife crime exposure.
Environmental diagnoses and effective planning of Protected Areas in Brazil: Is there any connection?
Authors: D´Amico Ana Rafaela , Cortes Figueira José Eugênio , Cândido-Jr. José Flávio , Drumond Maria Auxiliadora
Published: December 2020

Protected Areas (PAs) are essential to maintaining biodiversity, while effective management plans (MPs) are essential for the management of these areas. Thus, MPs must have relevant data analyses and diagnoses to evaluate ecological conditions of PAs. We evaluated the environmental diagnoses of 126 Brazilian federal PAs, the methods used to collect data and defined the diagnostic level of PMs according to the type and number of analyzes performed for each PA category. We found a low level of diagnosis in MPs. Primary field data or research programs resulted in environmental diagnostics of higher levels. Participatory workshops and secondary data, most used in Extractive Reserves, were related to low levels of diagnoses. The most frequent analysis was the identification of threats (97% of MPs), while the least frequent were the definition of conservation targets and future scenarios for management (1.6% of MPs). Our results show that the diagnoses of the MPs need to be more analytical to generate useful information for decision-making. MPs should prioritize data analysis and specific management studies, focused on the use of natural resources, the status of conservation targets, future scenarios, and key information to planning.
Lag-invariant detection of interactions in spatially-extended systems using linear inverse modeling
Authors: Hindriks Rikkert
Published: December 2020

Measurements on physical systems result from the systems’ activity being converted into sensor measurements by a forward model. In a number of cases, inversion of the forward model is extremely sensitive to perturbations such as sensor noise or numerical errors in the forward model. Regularization is then required, which introduces bias in the reconstruction of the systems’ activity. One domain in which this is particularly problematic is the reconstruction of interactions in spatially-extended complex systems such as the human brain. Brain interactions can be reconstructed from non-invasive measurements such as electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG), whose forward models are linear and instantaneous, but have large null-spaces and high condition numbers. This leads to incomplete unmixing of the forward models and hence to spurious interactions. This motivated the development of interaction measures that are exclusively sensitive to lagged, i.e. delayed interactions. The drawback of such measures is that they only detect interactions that have sufficiently large lags and this introduces bias in reconstructed brain networks. We introduce three estimators for linear interactions in spatially-extended systems that are uniformly sensitive to all lags. We derive some basic properties of and relationships between the estimators and evaluate their performance using numerical simulations from a simple benchmark model.
Safe contact tracing for COVID-19: A method without privacy breach using functional encryption techniques based-on spatio-temporal trajectory data
Authors: Kim Wooil , Lee Hyubjin , Chung Yon Dohn
Published: December 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the globe. In the absence of a vaccine, a small number of countries have managed to control the diffusion of viruses by early detection and early quarantine. South Korea, one of the countries which have kept the epidemics well-controlled, has opened the infected patients’ trajectory to the public. Such a reaction has been regarded as an effective method, however, serious privacy breach cases have been issued in South Korea. Furthermore, some suspected contacts have refused to take infection tests because they are afraid of being exposed. To solve this problem, we propose a privacy-preserving contact tracing method based on spatio-temporal trajectory which can be practically used in many quarantine systems. In addition, we develop a system to visualize the contact tracing workflow.
Segmenting OCT for detecting drug efficacy in CRAO
Authors: Shearer Thomas R. , Hwang Thomas S. , Steinkamp Peter N. , Azuma Mitsuyoshi
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Thinning of the inner layers of the retina occurs in patients with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). The mechanism for such thinning may be partially due to proteolysis by a calcium-activated protease called calpain. Calpain inhibitor SNJ-1945 ameliorated the proteolysis in a past series of model experiments. The purposes of the present retrospective study were to: 1) use segmentation analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images to mathematically model the loss of specific retinal layers in CRAO patients, and 2) predict the number of patients and days of observation needed for clinical trials of inhibitors against CRAO.

Methods

A retrospective case control study was conducted by computer-aided search for CRAO (ICD10 H43.1) with at least one OCT procedure (CPT: 92134) in the OHSU Epic patient data base.

Results

After initial swelling, thinning of the inner retinal layers, especially the ganglion cell (GCL) layer followed exponential decay curves. Using sample size statistics and GCL thickness as a marker in a 30-day clinical trial, 19 eyes/group could theoretically detect a 20% beneficial effect of an inhibitor against CRAO. Other markers, such as the whole retinal thickness and combined inner layers could also be used as less-specific markers.

Conclusions

Using thickness changes in the GCL layer to monitor the efficacy of potential inhibitors against CRAO is practical in human trials requiring a reasonable number of patients and relatively short trial period.

Translational relevance

Measurement of GCL thickness would be a useful indicator of CRAO progression in a clinical trial of putative inhibitors.
DamID identifies targets of CEH-60/PBX that are associated with neuron development and muscle structure in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Van de Walle Pieter , Muñoz-Jiménez Celia , Askjaer Peter , Schoofs Liliane , Temmerman Liesbet
Published: December 2020

Transcription factors govern many of the time- and tissue-specific gene expression events in living organisms. CEH-60, a homolog of the TALE transcription factor PBX in vertebrates, was recently characterized as a new regulator of intestinal lipid mobilization inCaenorhabditis elegans. Because CEH-60’s orthologs and paralogs exhibit several other functions, notably in neuron and muscle development, and becauseceh-60expression is not limited to theC.elegansintestine, we sought to identify additional functions of CEH-60 through DNA adenine methyltransferase identification (DamID). DamID identifies protein-genome interaction sites through GATC-specific methylation. We here report 872 putative CEH-60 gene targets in young adult animals, and 587 in L2 larvae, many of which are associated with neuron development or muscle structure. In light of this, we investigate morphology and function ofceh-60expressing AWC neurons, and contraction of pharyngeal muscles. We find no clear functional consequences of loss ofceh-60in these assays, suggesting that in AWC neurons and pharyngeal muscle, CEH-60 function is likely more subtle or redundant with other factors.
Antibiotic use in pig farms at different levels of intensification—Farmers’ practices in northeastern Thailand
Authors: Hallenberg Gunilla Ström , Jiwakanon Jatesada , Angkititrakul Sunpetch , Kang-air Seri , Osbjer Kristina , Lunha Kamonwan , Sunde Marianne , Järhult Josef D. , Van Boeckel Thomas P. , Rich Karl M. , Magnusson Ulf
Published: December 2020

Understanding the patterns and drivers of antibiotic use in livestock is crucial for tailoring efficient incentives for responsible use of antibiotics. Here we compared routines for antibiotic use between pig farms of two different levels of intensification in Khon Kaen province in Thailand. Among the 113 family-owned small-scale farms (up to 50 sows) interviewed did 76% get advice from the pharmacy about how to use the antibiotics and 84% used it primarily for treating disease. Among the 51 medium-scale-farms (100–500 sows) belonging to two companies did 100% get advice about antibiotic use from the company’s veterinarian (P<0.0001) and 94% used antibiotics mostly as disease preventive measure (P<0.0001). In 2 small scale farms 3rd generation cephalosporins, tylosin or colistin were used; antibiotics belonging to the group of highest priority critically important antimicrobials for human medicine. Enrofloxacin, belonging to the same group of antimicrobials, was used in 33% of the small-scale and 41% of the medium-scale farms. In the latter farms, the companies supplied 3–4 antibiotics belonging to different classes and those were the only antibiotics used in the farms. The median and mean estimated expenditure on antibiotics per sow was 4.8 USD (IQR = 5.8) for small-scale farms and 7 USD and 3.4 USD for the medium-scale farms belonging to the two respective companies. Our observations suggest to target the following areas when pig farming transitions from small-scale to medium-scale: (i) strengthening access to professional animal health services for all farmers, (ii) review of the competence and role of veterinary pharmacies in selling antibiotics and (iii) adjustment of farming company animal health protocols towards more medically rational use of antibiotics.
Preclinical approaches in vulvovaginal candidiasis treatment with mucoadhesive thermoresponsive systems containing propolis
Authors: Bonfim Amanda Pohlmann , Sakita Karina Mayumi , Faria Daniella Renata , Arita Glaucia Sayuri , Vendramini Franciele Abigail Vilugron Rodrigues , Capoci Isis Regina Grenier , Braga Andressa Gimenes , dos Santos Rafaela Said , Bruschi Marcos Luciano , Becker Tania Cristina Alexandrino , de Oliveira Junior Admilton Gonçalves , Kioshima Érika Seki , de Souza Bonfim-Mendonça Patrícia , Svidzinski Terezinha Inez Estivalet
Published: December 2020

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common vaginitis that affects women, especially in childbearing age, caused byCandida albicansin almost 80% of cases. Considering the limited drug arsenal available and the increasing fungal resistance profile, the search for new therapeutic sources with low toxicity and easy administration should be supported. Propolis has been used as a traditional medicine for multiple diseases, considering its particular composition and pharmaceutical properties that permits its wide applicability; it has also emerged as a potential antifungal agent. Thus, this study performed anin vitroandin vivoinvestigation into the efficacy of a new mucoadhesive thermoresponsive platform for propolis delivery (MTS-PRPe) in a preclinical murine model of VVC treatment caused byC.albicans. The methodologies involved chemical analysis, an assessment of the rheological and mucoadhesive properties of propolis formulations,in vitroandin vivoantifungal evaluations, histological evaluations and electron microscopy of the vaginal mucosa. The results demonstrated the antifungal activity of propolis extract and MTS-PRP against the standard strain and a fluconazole-resistant clinical isolate ofC.albicans, in bothin vitroandin vivoassays. These results were similar and even better, depending on the propolis concentration, when compared to nystatin. Thus, the formulation containing propolis exhibited good performance againstC.albicans in a vulvovaginal candidiasis experimental model, representing a promising opportunity for the treatment of this infection.
Laboratory-confirmed influenza infection and acute myocardial infarction among United States senior Veterans
Authors: Young-Xu Yinong , Smith Jeremy , Mahmud Salaheddin M. , Van Aalst Robertus , Thommes Edward W. , Neupane Nabin , Lee Jason K. H. , Chit Ayman
Published: December 2020

Background

Previous studies established an association between laboratory-confirmed influenza infection (LCI) and hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) but not causality. We aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms by adding biological mediators to an established study design used by earlier studies.

Methods

With data on biomarkers, we used a self-controlled case-series design to evaluate the effect of LCI on hospitalization for AMI among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. We included senior Veterans (age 65 years and older) with LCI between 2010 through 2015. Patient-level data from VHA electronic medical records were used to capture laboratory results, hospitalizations, and baseline patient characteristics. We defined the “risk interval” as the first 7 days after specimen collection and the “control interval” as 1 year before and 1 year after the risk interval. More importantly, using mediation analysis, we examined the role of abnormal white blood cell (WBC) and platelet count in the relationship between LCI and AMI to explore the thrombogenic nature of this association, thus potential causality.

Results

We identified 391 hospitalizations for AMI that occurred within +/-1 year of a positive influenza test, of which 31 (31.1 admissions/week) occurred during the risk interval and 360 (3.5/per week) during the control interval, resulting in an incidence ratio (IR) for AMI admission of 8.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.16–12.84). In stratified analyses, AMI risk was significantly elevated among patients with high WBC count (IR, 12.43; 95% CI: 6.99–22.10) and high platelet count (IR, 15.89; 95% CI: 3.59–70.41).

Conclusion

We confirmed a significant association between LCI and AMI. The risk was elevated among those with high WBC or platelet count, suggesting a potential role for inflammation and platelet activation in the underlying mechanism.
Population change and the burden of hospitalization in Germany 2000–2040: Decomposition analysis and projection
Authors: Nowossadeck Enno , Prütz Franziska , Teti Andrea
Published: December 2020

Demographic factors, such as population aging and shrinkage, and non-demographic factors, such as hospitalization rate and length of hospital stay, generate challenges for inpatient care. This paper used decomposition analysis to assess how changes in these factors affected the number of hospital treatment days from 2000 to 2015 in Germany. Demographic aging was linked to increases in the number of treatment days for women (+10.0%) and men (+19.2%) and in hospitalization rates for women +6.0% and men +5.4%. However, these increases were offset by decreases in the number of hospital days (women: 16.5%; men: 7.3%) and length of stay (women: -27.4%; men -26.3%). For the projection up to 2040, 12 scenarios were developed (six for women and six for men) using three variants for future population demographics and two variants for future length of stay and hospitalization rates. One of the two variants for future length of stay and hospitalization rates provides for a constant value for the year 2015. For the second of these two variants variant, a logarithmic model was estimated on the basis of values from 2000 to 2015. and the trends were extrapolated using this model until 2040. The strongest overall predicted increase was 18.4% between 2015 and 2040, including a 22.4% increase for men. In two scenarios for women, only slight declines were predicted. All results, both for the decomposition analysis and projection, indicated a moderate but sustained effect of demographic aging on the number of hospital treatment days, leading to a significant increase in hospital treatment days over the study period. Non-demographic factors also had strong influences, especially in shorter time periods, but these effects offset each other over time. The change in the population size in the period under study had very little effect on the number of hospital treatment days.
Serum soluble B7-H3 is a prognostic marker for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Azuma Takeshi , Sato Yujiro , Ohno Tatsukuni , Azuma Miyuki , Kume Haruki
Published: December 2020

Background

B7-H3 is a member of the B7 family of immune-regulatory ligands and is a costimulatory molecule promoting the T cell response in vitro. We herein investigated the clinical utility of serum soluble B7-H3 (sB7-H3) in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Methods

We analyzed 555 patients in whom NMIBC was diagnosed at Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center between 2008 and 2013. We measured the serum sB7-H3 (sB7-H3) level using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and evaluated the utility of sB7-H3 as a prognostic biomarker for NMIBC. We used the Cox proportional hazards regression model to assess recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) with the sB7-H3 level.

Results

We detected high levels of sB7-H3 in the sera of 47% of patients with NMIBC versus only 8% in healthy donors. The increase of sB7-H3 was significantly associated with poor RFS and PFS. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated sB7-H3 was an independent prognostic factor of RFS and PFS. According to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), in intermediate-low and intermediate-high risk groups, the presence of sB7-H3 significantly determined the rate of recurrence and progression.

Conclusions

Our data suggested that evaluating serum sB7-H3 expression is a useful tool for predicting the prognosis of patients with NMIBC.
Productivity change and its driving forces in Chinese healthcare sector
Authors: Chen Zhensheng , Chen Xueli , Baležentis Tomas , Gan Xiaoqing , Valdmanis Vivian
Published: December 2020

Since the last medical reform in 2009, China’s public hospitals have been facing the changes in the institutional environment. However, the effects of reforms have not been received enough attention to deliver evidence-based implications. In this paper, we first assess the efficiency of regional public hospitals from 2011 to 2018, employing a proposed method based on an additive indicator and an aggregate directional distance function (DDF). The method applied allows for decomposing total factor productivity (TFP) indicator into three components, including technical efficiency change (TEC), total productivity (TP) and scale efficiency change (SEC). Second, following the efficiency assessment, we carry post-efficiency analysis to identify the determinants of efficiency of the public hospitals. The results show that annual average TFP growth rate is 1.38%, which is driven mainly by TEC. Regional disparities of public hospitals’ performance are expanding. Almost 75% of the regions considered show a positive TFP growth. The regression results show that the significant determinants of efficiency of regional public hospitals include the price of and demand for health services.
A new computerized assessment battery for cognition (C-ABC) to detect mild cognitive impairment and dementia around 5 min
Authors: Noguchi-Shinohara Moeko , Domoto Chiaki , Yoshida Taketoshi , Niwa Kozue , Yuki-Nozaki Sohshi , Samuraki-Yokohama Miharu , Sakai Kenji , Hamaguchi Tsuyoshi , Ono Kenjiro , Iwasa Kazuo , Matsunari Ichiro , Komai Kiyonobu , Nakamura Hiroyuki , Yamada Masahito
Published: December 2020

This study aimed to develop a new computerized assessment battery for cognition (C-ABC) to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. We performed C-ABC in subjects with dementia (n = 422), MCI (n = 145), and normal cognition (NC; n = 574), and analyzed by age stratum (50s, 60s, and 70–85 years). To distinguish MCI from NC, the C-ABC total combined score, which were calculated by dividing the C-ABC total score by the C-ABC required time, revealed the best area under the curves (AUC) at 0.838 and 0.735 in the 50s and 60s age groups, respectively; notably, this entire procedure took approximately 5 min. To distinguish dementia from NC and MCI, the partial items of C-ABC (items 3 + 6 combined score) revealed the best AUCs at 0.910, 0.874, and 0.882 in the 50s, 60s, and 70–85 age groups, respectively. Furthermore, the items 3 + 6 combined score established the best AUC at 0.794 in the 70–85 age group to distinguish MCI from NC; this entire procedure took around 2 min. Hence, this study suggests that C-ABC could be a useful tool for detecting dementia or MCI in a short time.
Food reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and weight change during and after a 3-month weight loss program
Authors: Ross Kathryn M. , Eastman Abraham , Ugwoaba Umelo A. , Demos Kathryn E. , Lillis Jason , Wing Rena R.
Published: December 2020

Background

Greater sensitivity to food rewards and higher levels of impulsivity (and an interaction between these variables, termed “reinforcement pathology”) have been associated with obesity in cross-sectional studies. Less is known regarding how these constructs may impact attempts at weight loss or longer-term weight loss maintenance.

Methods

We provided 75 adults (69%Female, 84%White, age = 50.8y, BMI = 31.2kg/m2) with a 3-month Internet-based weight loss program and assessed weight, food reward sensitivity (via the Power of Food Scale [PFS]), and impulsivity (via Go No-Go [GNG] and Delay Discounting [DD] computer tasks) at baseline and at Months 3, 6, 9, and 12. No additional intervention was provided Months 3–12. Multi-level mixed-effect models were used to examine changes in PFS, GNG, and DD over time and associations between these measures and weight loss/regain.

Results

Participants lost 6.0±1.1kg Months 0–3 and regained 2.4±1.1kg Months 3–12. Across time points, higher PFS scores were associated with higher weight, p = .007; however, there were no significant associations between GNG or DD and weight nor between the interactions of PFS and GNG or DD and weight, ps>.05. There were significant decreases from Months 0–3 in PFS, GNG, and DD, ps < .05; however, neither baseline values nor changes were significantly associated with weight change and there were no significant associations between the interactions of PFS and GNG or DD and weight change, ps>.05.

Conclusion

Results demonstrated an association between food reward sensitivity and weight. Further, decreases in both food reward sensitivity and impulsivity were observed during an initial weight loss program, but neither baseline levels nor improvements were associated with weight change. Taken together, results suggest that the constructs of food reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and reinforcement pathology may have limited clinical utility within behavioral weight management interventions. Future intervention studies should examine whether food-related impulsivity tasks lead to a similar pattern of results.
Genetic variation in the TLL1 gene is not associated with fibrosis in patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease
Authors: Bayoumi Ali , Jalil Ismail , Metwally Mayada , Adams Leon A. , Aller Rocio , García-Monzón Carmelo , Arias-Loste María Teresa , Miele Luca , Petta Salvatore , Craxì Antonio , Gallego-Durán Rocio , Fischer Janett , Berg Thomas , Qiao Liang , Liddle Christopher , Bugianesi Elisabetta , Romero-Gomez Manuel , George Jacob , Eslam Mohammed
Published: December 2020

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disease in Western nations, with high heritability. A recent study of Japanese patients with the disease suggested that TLL1 rs17047200 is associated with fibrosis; whether a similar association is observed in Caucasian patients with MAFLD is unknown. We investigated the association of the TLL1 rs17047200 polymorphism with liver fibrosis in a cohort of Caucasian patients with MAFLD (n = 728). We also investigated whether TLL1 expression is altered during liver injury in humans, in murine models of fibrosis, and in in-vitro. While TLL1 expression is upregulated in the liver of humans with MAFLD and in mice, the rs17047200 variant was not associated with fibrosis or any other histological features, or with hepatic TLL1 expression. In conclusion, the TLL1 rs17047200 variant is not a risk variant for fibrosis in Caucasian patients with MAFLD. However, TLL1 could be involved in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.
Decreasing trend of imported malaria cases but increasing influx of mixed P. falciparum and P. vivax infections in malaria-free Kuwait
Authors: Iqbal Jamshaid , Al-Awadhi Mohammad , Ahmad Suhail
Published: December 2020

Malaria still continues to be the most important parasitic disease worldwide, affecting 228 million people and causing 405,000 deaths each year. In this retrospective study during 2013 to 2018, we documented the incidence of imported malaria infection and evaluated the impact of malaria preventive measures in Kuwait, a non-endemic country. The epidemiologic and demographic data of all malaria cases was collected from the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kuwait where all suspected cases of malaria are referred for confirmation and therapeutic intervention. The diagnosis of malaria infection was done by microscopy of Giemsa stained blood films. Selected samples were retested with BinaxNOW® Malaria rapid test and molecular assay to reconfirm the Plasmodium spp. or mixed infection. Overall, 1913 (25.9%) malaria cases were detected, 81.5% of which were among male subjects. Male subjects had higher incidence of P. vivax malaria (113; 91.1%) and mixed infection with P. falciparum and P. vivax (1245; 90.0%) compared to females who had higher rate of P. falciparum infection (52.4%). An overwhelming majority of malaria cases (1895; 99.1%) were detected among expatriates from malaria-endemic countries; India (1012; 52.9%), Pakistan (390; 20.4%), Afghanistan (94; 4.9%) and African countries (313; 16.3%). Only 18 cases involved Kuwaiti nationals, all with a history of travel to African countries. The majority of malaria cases were detected during the summer and fall months (May-October). Our data showed that the incidence rate of imported malaria cases was stable during 2013 to 2018, however, the incidence of total malaria cases showed a declining trend over the years. This study confirms that the preventive program has been successful in reducing the incidence of imported malaria infections in Kuwait. The most striking finding of this study was high incidence of mixed infection with P. falciparum and P. vivax, with almost all (97%) cases among workers from India.
Outdoor sports and active tourism company management in Cordoba (southern Spain): An empirical study on the perception and behavior of supply
Authors: Molina Navarro Francisco , Rivera Mateos Manuel , Millán Vázquez de la Torre María Genoveva
Published: December 2020

This paper analyzes the perception and behavior of active tourism companies that provide outdoor physical sports activities in emerging tourist destinations in Cordoba, an inland province of southern Spain. The active tourism supply of registered businesses was analyzed using fieldwork data and more than 30 variables including training and qualification of human resources, business vision of demand, marketing and promotion strategies, and perceptions of supply trends. To this end, a quantitative-qualitative empirical study was performed together with in-depth interviews of key stakeholders. Official registry sources were also used to complement the data. The results show a fragmented network of micro-SMEs that are functionally isolated from the rest of the tourism supply and display an intuitive and poor market-oriented behavior due to the inadequate management of their client portfolio. Such management models make it difficult for these businesses to take advantage of key strategic assets to increase profitability and achieve a competitive and sustainable advantage.
Anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antioxidant potential of compounds from Dioscorea bulbifera L. bulbils
Authors: Chaniad Prapaporn , Tewtrakul Supinya , Sudsai Teeratad , Langyanai Supat , Kaewdana Kantarakorn
Published: December 2020

Background

Dioscorea bulbiferaL. (Dioscoreaceae) has been traditionally used in Thai folk medicine as a diuretic and anthelmintic, for longevity preparations, and for wound and inflammation treatment. This plant is also commonly used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicines in the treatment of sore throat, gastric cancer, rectal carcinoma and goiters. However, the wound healing effects of the active compounds in this plant have not been investigated.

Objective

This study aimed to identify compounds responsible for the wound healing activity ofD.bulbiferaand determine their potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Methods

Crude extracts ofD.bulbiferabulbils, their derived fractions and eleven purified compounds were tested for anti-inflammatory activity against LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 macrophages. The wound healing effects were evaluated via cell proliferation and migration assays using human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), and the antioxidant effects were determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging activity assays.

Results

15,16-Epoxy-6α-O-acetyl-8β-hydroxy-19-nor-clero-13(16),14-diene-17,12;18,2-diolide (2), (+)-catechin (5), quercetin (6) and myricetin (11) exhibited significantly potent wound healing effects and promoted marked cell proliferation, resulting in % viabilities of 107.4–137.6, 121.1–151.9, 98.0–131.9, 90.9–115.9, respectively. Among them, (+)-catechin produced the highest % cell migration, resulting in 100.0% wound closure sooner (at day 2) than the other compounds. In addition, 1 μg/ml (+)-catechin significantly increased fibroblast migration by 2.4-fold compared to that in the control after 24 h. Regarding anti-inflammatory properties, kaempferol (7) and quercetin (6) decreased (p< 0.005) NO production, with IC50values of 46.6 and 56.2 μM, respectively. In addition, the crude extracts, solvent fractions and flavonoid compounds were also found to possess marked antioxidant activity in both DPPH and•OH radical scavenging assays.

Conclusions

These findings provide more evidence to support the traditional use ofD.bulbiferafor the treatment of wounds and inflammation.
Development and validation of a clinical instrument to predict risk of an adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients
Authors: Lima Sara Iasmin Vieira Cunha , Martins Rand Randall , Saldanha Valdjane , Silbiger Vivian Nogueira , dos Santos Isabelle Cristina Clemente , Araújo Ivonete Batista de , Oliveira Antonio Gouveia
Published: December 2020

Objective

Development and internal validation of a clinical tool for assessment of the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADR) in hospitalized patients.

Methodology

Nested case-control study in an open cohort of all patients admitted to a general hospital. Cases of ADR were matched to two controls. Eighty four patient variables collected at the time of the ADR were analyzed by conditional logistic regression. Multivariate logistic regression with clustering of cases in a random sample of 2/3 of the cases and respective controls, with baseline odds-ratio corrected with an estimate of ADR incidence, was used to obtain regression coefficients for each risk factor and to develop a risk score. The clinical tool was validated in the remaining 1/3 observations. The study was approved by the institution’s research ethics committee.

Results

In the 8060 hospitalized patients, ADR occurred in 343 (5.31%), who were matched to 686 controls. Fourteen variables were identified as independent risk factors of ADR: female, past history of ADR, heart rate ≥72 bpm, systolic blood pressure≥148 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure <79 mmHg, diabetes mellitus, serum urea ≥ 67 mg/dL, serum sodium ≥141 mmol/L, serum potassium ≥4.9 mmol/L, main diagnosis of neoplasia, prescription of ≥3 ATC class B drugs, prescription of ATC class R drugs, prescription of intravenous drugs and ≥ 6 oral drugs. In the validation sample, the ADR risk tool based on those variables showed sensitivity 61%, specificity 73% and area under the ROC curve 0.73.

Conclusion

We report a clinical tool for ADR risk stratification in patients hospitalized in general wards based on 14 variables.