bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Value of the clinical pharmacist interventions in the application of the American College of Cardiology (ACC/AHA) 2018 guideline for cholesterol management
Authors: AlAhmad Mohammad M. , ZainAlAbdin Sham , AlAhmad Khozama , AlAhmad Iqbal , AbuRuz Salah
Published: March 2023

Objectives

The study aims to examine the extent to which the updated ACC/AHA management of blood cholesterol guideline (2018) is implemented in practice and to assess the value of the clinical pharmacist interventions in improving physicians’ adherence the guidelines recommendations.

Methods

We utilized in this study an interventional before-after design. The study was conducted on 272 adult patients who visited the study site internal medicine clinics and were candidates for statin therapy based on the 2018 ACC/AHA guidelines for cholesterol management. Adherence to guideline recommendations was measured before and after clinical pharmacists’ interventions by calculating the percentage of patients receiving statin therapy as per guideline recommendation, the type and intensity (moderate or high intensity) of statin therapy used, and the need for additional non-statin therapy.

Results

Adherence with guideline recommendations was significantly improved from 60.3% to 92.6% (X2 = 79.1, p = 0.0001) after clinical pharmacist interventions. Among patients who were on statin therapy, the percentage of those who were on proper statin intensity increased significantly from 47.6% to 94.4% (X2 = 72.5, p = 0.0001). The combination of statins with non-statin therapies such as ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors increased from 8.5% to 30.6% (X2 = 95, p<0.0001) and from 0.0% to 1.6% (X2 = 6, p = 0.014), respectively. The use of other lipid-lowering agents was diminished from 14.6% to 3.2% (X2 = 19.2, p<0.0001).

Conclusion

Collaboration between physicians and clinical pharmacists is a crucial strategy to improve patients’ treatment and hence, achieve better health outcomes among patients suffering from dyslipidemia.
Psychosocial health of school-going adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh
Authors: Koly Kamrun Nahar , Islam Md. Saiful , Potenza Marc N. , Mahumud Rashidul Alam , Islam Md. Shefatul , Uddin Md. Salim , Sarwar Md. Afzal Hossain , Begum Farzana , Reidpath Daniel D.
Published: March 2023

Background

Common psychosocial health problems (PHPs) have become more prevalent among adolescents globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the psychosocial health of school-going adolescents has remained unexplored in Bangladesh due to limited research during the pandemic. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PHPs (i.e., depression and anxiety) and assess associated lifestyle and behavioral factors among school-going adolescents in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,571 school-going adolescents (male: 57.4%, mean age: 14.9±1.8 years; age range: 10–19 years) covering all divisions, including 63 districts in Bangladesh. A semi-structured e-questionnaire, including informed consent and questions related to socio-demographics, lifestyle, academics, pandemic and PHPs, was used to collect data between May and July 2021.

Results

The prevalence of moderate to severe depression and anxiety were 37.3% and 21.7%, respectively, ranging from 24.7% in the Sylhet Division to 47.5% in the Rajshahi Division for depression, and from 13.4% in the Sylhet Division to 30.3% in the Rajshahi Division for anxiety. Depression and anxiety were associated with older age, reports of poor teacher cooperation in online classes, worries due to academic delays, parental comparison of academic performance with other classmates, difficulties coping with quarantine situations, changes in eating habits, weight gain, physical inactivity and having experienced cyberbullying. Moreover, being female was associated with higher odds of depression.

Conclusions

Adolescent psychosocial problems represent a public health problem. The findings suggest a need for generating improved empirically supported school-based psychosocial support programs involving parents and teachers to ensure the well-being of adolescents in Bangladesh. School-based prevention of psychosocial problems that promote environmental and policy changes related to lifestyle practices and active living should be developed, tested, and implemented.
Predicting fall risk using multiple mechanics-based metrics for a planar biped model
Authors: Williams Daniel , Martin Anne E.
Published: March 2023

For both humans and robots, falls are undesirable, motivating the development of fall prediction models. Many mechanics-based fall risk metrics have been proposed and validated to varying degrees, including the extrapolated center of mass, the foot rotation index, Lyapunov exponents, joint and spatiotemporal variability, and mean spatiotemporal parameters. To obtain a best-case estimate of how well these metrics can predict fall risk both individually and in combination, this work used a planar six-link hip-knee-ankle biped model with curved feet walking at speeds ranging from 0.8 m/s to 1.2 m/s. The true number of steps to fall was determined using the mean first passage times from a Markov chain describing the gaits. In addition, each metric was estimated using the Markov chain of the gait. Because calculating the fall risk metrics from the Markov chain had not been done before, the results were validated using brute force simulations. Except for the short-term Lyapunov exponents, the Markov chains could accurately calculate the metrics. Using the Markov chain data, quadratic fall prediction models were created and evaluated. The models were further evaluated using differing length brute force simulations. None of the 49 tested fall risk metrics could accurately predict the number of steps to fall by themselves. However, when all the fall risk metrics except the Lyapunov exponents were combined into a single model, the accuracy increased substantially. These results suggest that multiple fall risk metrics must be combined to obtain a useful measure of stability. As expected, as the number of steps used to calculate the fall risk metrics increased, the accuracy and precision increased. This led to a corresponding increase in the accuracy and precision of the combined fall risk model. 300 step simulations seemed to provide the best tradeoff between accuracy and using as few steps as possible.
Age and gender effects on presence, user experience and usability in virtual environments–first insights
Authors: Lorenz Mario , Brade Jennifer , Klimant Philipp , Heyde Christoph-E. , Hammer Niels
Published: March 2023

Virtual Reality (VR) is applied in various areas were a highUser Experienceis essential. The sense ofPresencewhile being in VR and its relation toUser Experiencetherefore form crucial aspects, which are yet to be understood. This study aims at quantifying age and gender effects on this connection, involving 57 participants in VR, and performing a geocaching game using a mobile phone as experimental task to answer questionnaires measuringPresence(ITC-SOPI),User Experience(UEQ) andUsability(SUS). A higherPresencewas found for the older participants, but there was no gender difference nor any interaction effects of age and gender. These findings are contractionary to preexisting limited work which has shown higherPresencefor males and decreases ofPresencewith age. Four aspects discriminating this study from literature are discussed as explanations and as a starting point for future investigations into the topic. The results further showed higher ratings in favor ofUser Experienceand lower ratings towardsUsabilityfor the older participants.
Flexible supplier selection and order allocation in the big data era with various quantity discounts
Authors: Wang Qing
Published: March 2023

This paper studies the flexible large-scale supplier selection and order allocation problem with various quantity discounts, i.e., no discount, all-unit discount, incremental discount, and carload discount. It fills a literature gap that models usually formulate one or seldom two types because of the modeling and solution difficulty. All suppliers offering the same discount are far from reality, especially when the number of suppliers is large. The proposed model is a variant of the NP-hard knapsack problem. The greedy algorithm, which solves the fractional knapsack problem optimally, is applied to cope with the challenge. Three greedy algorithms are developed using a problem property and two sorted lists. Simulations show the average optimality gaps are 0.1026%, 0.0547%, and 0.0234% and the model can be solved in centiseconds, densiseconds, and seconds for supplier numbers 1000, 10000, and 100000. This allows the full use of data in the big data era.
Effects of virtual reality’s viewing medium and the environment’s spatial openness on divergent thinking
Authors: Ichimura Kenshiro
Published: March 2023

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is used in various fields, and research on VR creative activities has been widely conducted. This study examined the effects of VR environment on divergent thinking, a component of creative thinking. Specifically, two experiments were conducted to test the prediction that viewing visually open VR environments with immersive head-mounted displays (HMD) affects divergent thinking. Divergent thinking was evaluated using Alternative Uses Test (AUT) scores; AUT was performed while the participants viewed the experiment stimuli. In Experiment 1, I manipulated the VR viewing medium by having one group view a 360° video with an HMD and a second group view the same video on a computer screen. Additionally, I established a control group that viewed a real-world laboratory instead of the videos. The HMD group showed higher AUT scores than the computer screen group. In Experiment 2, I manipulated the spatial openness of a VR environment by having one group view a 360° video of a visually open coast and a second group view a 360° video of a visually closed laboratory. The coast group showed higher AUT scores than the laboratory group. In conclusion, exposure to a visually open VR environment on an HMD promotes divergent thinking. The limitations of this study and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Bass detection model based on improved YOLOv5 in circulating water system
Authors: Xu Longqin , Deng Hao , Cao Yingying , Liu Wenjun , He Guohuang , Fan Wenting , Wei Tangliang , Cao Liang , Liu Tonglai , Liu Shuangyin
Published: March 2023

The feeding amount of bass farming is closely related to the number of bass. It is of great significance to master the number of bass to achieve accurate feeding and improve the economic benefits of the farm. In view of the interference caused by the problems of multiple targets and target occlusion in bass data for bass detection, this paper proposes a bass target detection model based on improved YOLOV5 in circulating water system. Firstly, acquiring by HD cameras, Mosaic-8, a data augmentation method, is utilized to expand datasets and improve the generalization ability of the model. And K-means clustering algorithm is applied to generate suitable coordinates of prior boxes to improve training efficiency. Secondly, Coordinate Attention mechanism (CA) is introduced into backbone feature extraction network and neck feature fusion network to enhance attention to targets of interest. Finally, Soft-NMS algorithm replaces Non-Maximum Suppression algorithm (NMS) to re-screen prediction boxes and keep targets with higher overlap, which effectively solves the problems of missed detection and false detection. The experiments show that the proposed model can reach 98.09% in detection accuracy and detection speed reaches 13.4ms. The proposed model can help bass farmers under the circulating water system to accurately grasp the number of bass, which has important application value to realize accurate feeding and water conservation.
Mycobacterium abscessus resists the innate cellular response by surviving cell lysis of infected phagocytes
Authors: Touré Hamadoun , Galindo Lee Ann , Lagune Marion , Glatigny Simon , Waterhouse Robert M. , Guénal Isabelle , Herrmann Jean-Louis , Girard-Misguich Fabienne , Szuplewski Sébastien
Published: March 2023

Mycobacterium abscessus is the most pathogenic species among the predominantly saprophytic fast-growing mycobacteria. This opportunistic human pathogen causes severe infections that are difficult to eradicate. Its ability to survive within the host was described mainly with the rough (R) form of M. abscessus, which is lethal in several animal models. This R form is not present at the very beginning of the disease but appears during the progression and the exacerbation of the mycobacterial infection, by transition from a smooth (S) form. However, we do not know how the S form of M. abscessus colonizes and infects the host to then multiply and cause the disease. In this work, we were able to show the hypersensitivity of fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, to intrathoracic infections by the S and R forms of M. abscessus. This allowed us to unravel how the S form resists the innate immune response developed by the fly, both the antimicrobial peptides- and cellular-dependent immune responses. We demonstrate that intracellular M. abscessus was not killed within the infected phagocytic cells, by resisting lysis and caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death of Drosophila infected phagocytes. In mice, in a similar manner, intra-macrophage M. abscessus was not killed when M. abscessus-infected macrophages were lysed by autologous natural killer cells. These results demonstrate the propensity of the S form of M. abscessus to resist the host’s innate responses to colonize and multiply within the host.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection triggers autophagy via ER stress-induced calcium signaling to facilitate virus replication
Authors: Diao Feifei , Jiang Chenlong , Sun Yangyang , Gao Yanni , Bai Juan , Nauwynck Hans , Wang Xianwei , Yang Yuanqi , Jiang Ping , Liu Xing
Published: March 2023

Calcium (Ca2+), a ubiquitous second messenger, plays a crucial role in many cellular functions. Viruses often hijack Ca2+ signaling to facilitate viral processes such as entry, replication, assembly, and egress. Here, we report that infection by the swine arterivirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), induces dysregulated Ca2+ homeostasis, subsequently activating calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-II (CaMKII) mediated autophagy, and thus fueling viral replication. Mechanically, PRRSV infection induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and forms a closed ER–plasma membrane (PM) contacts, resulting the opening of store operated calcium entry (SOCE) channel and causing the ER to take up extracellular Ca2+, which is then released into the cytoplasm by inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) channel. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of ER stress or CaMKII mediated autophagy blocks PRRSV replication. Notably, we show that PRRSV protein Nsp2 plays a dominant role in the PRRSV induced ER stress and autophagy, interacting with stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and the 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). The interplay between PRRSV and cellular calcium signaling provides a novel potential approach to develop antivirals and therapeutics for the disease outbreaks.
One Health epidemic preparedness: Biosafety quality improvement training in Nigeria
Authors: Davwar P. M. , Luka D. P. , Dami D. F. , Pam D. D. , Weldon C. T. , Brocard A. S. , Paessler S. , Weaver S. C. , Shehu N. Y.
Published: March 2023

Background and Aim: One of the key components of the O ne Health approach to epidemic preparedness is raising awareness and increasing the knowledge of emerging infectious diseases, prevention, and risk reduction. However, related research can involve significant risks to biosafety and biosecurity. For this purpose, we organized a multidisciplinary biosafety hands-on workshop to inform and increase the knowledge of infectious diseases and risk mitigation. This study aimed to describe the process and outcome of a hands-on biosafety training program using a One Health a pproach across a multidisciplinary and multi-specialty group in Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A face-to-face hands-on training for 48 participants was organized by the West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (WAC-EID) at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, serving as a lead institution for the Nigeria project site. Topics covered included (1) an overview of the WAC-EID research; (2) overview of infection prevention and control; (3) safety in animal handling and restraint, sample collection, and processing; (4) safety in field studies including rodent, bird and bat handling; (5) safety practices in the collection of mosquito and other arthropod vectors; (6) personal protective equipment training (disinfection, donning and doffing); and (7) safety in sample collection, labeling, and transportation. The program was executed using a mixed method of slide presentations, practical hands-on sessions, and video demonstrations. Pre- and post-course evaluation assessments and evaluation measures were used to assess training.

Results: A total of 48 trainees participated in this training, with 12 (25%), 16 (33.3%), 14 (29.2%), 6 (12.5%) categorized as ornithology, entomology, mammalogy, and clinical interest groups, respectively. The pass rate for the pre-test was 29.4%, while for the post-test, it was 57.1%, or a 28% improvement. 88.6% of the trainees rated the training as relevant to them.

Conclusion: Didactic and hands-on biosafety training is relevant in this era of zoonotic epidemics and pandemic preparedness. During this training program, there was a clear demonstration of knowledge transfer that can change the current practices of participants and improve the safety of infectious diseases research.

Keywords: biosafety, One Health, pandemic, training, biological safety.
Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 Discriminates Between Decompensated Alcohol-Associated Cirrhosis and Severe Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis
Authors: McLean Diaz Paige , Vannier Augustin , Joshi Amit D. , Mahle Rachael E. , Przybyszewski Eric M. , Corey Kathleen , Chung Raymond T. , Luther Jay , Goodman Russell P. , Schaefer Esperance A.K.
Published: March 2023

INTRODUCTION:

We hypothesized that fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) would be highly expressed in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) and could be a novel and biologically relevant predictive biomarker to reliably distinguish severe AH and decompensated alcohol-associated cirrhosis (AC).

METHODS:

We identified a discovery cohort of 88 subjects with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) of varying disease severity from our ALD repository. Our validation cohort consisted of 37 patients with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of AH, AC, or absence of ALD with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores ≥10. Serum from both groups during index hospitalization was assayed for FGF-21 by ELISA. We performed receiver operating characteristic analysis and prediction modeling in both cohorts to discriminate between AH and AC in high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (≥20) patients.

RESULTS:

In both cohorts, FGF-21 concentrations were highest in subjects with moderate to severe AH compared with those having alcohol use disorder or AC (mean: 2,609 pg/mL, P < 0.0001). The discovery cohort area under the curve of FGF-21 between AH and AC was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.65–0.98, P < 0.01). In the validation cohort, FGF-21 levels were higher in severe AH compared with AC (3,052 vs 1,235 pg/mL, P = 0.03), and the area under the curve was 0.76 (95% confidence interval: 0.56–0.96, P < 0.03). A survival analysis showed that patients with FGF-21 serum levels in the second interquartile had the highest survival compared with all other quartiles.

DISCUSSION:

FGF-21 performs well as a predictive biomarker to distinguish severe AH from AC and may be helpful in the management and clinical investigation of patients with severe alcohol-associated liver diseases.
Nutrient composition and microbial food safety of a locally-processed fish product in Cambodia
Authors: Wang Qijin , Byrd Kendra A. , Navin Chea , Thilsted Shakuntala H. , Try Vanvuth , Kim Miratori , Lejeune Manigandan , Worobo Randy , Than So , Fiorella Kathryn J.
Published: March 2023

Prahoc is a traditional, fermented fish product in Cambodian diets. Fermented products like Prahoc may play a range of beneficial roles nutritionally, culturally, and financially. However, the use of freshwater fish and long-term storage may also pose food safety risks of parasites and microorganisms. We conducted a mixed-methods study of Prahoc to describe the complex risks and benefits of this food that included semi-structured interviews (prahoc-producing households, n = 22; small and medium enterprises n = 6), production observation, sample collection and analysis of nutrient composition and food safety parameters. Nutrient composition analysis showed that while Prahoc contributes small amounts of zinc, iron, and other key minerals to the diet, it is also very high in sodium (∼101,621 mg kg-1). Food safety analyses showed that while further tests are needed to resolve Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Vibrio risks, all samples were in compliance with the Cambodia Standards for Prahoc, and there was no evidence of parasites. Participants described Prahoc as playing an essential dietary and cultural role, and also making important contributions to household welfare, particularly within households and businesses that sold Prahoc. Despite the potential risks of microbial food safety and high sodium intake, Prahoc production offers benefits by adding value to fresh fish, reducing loss and waste, and preserving the harvest. However, Prahoc production depends on fish availability and is limited by declining access and high prices. Thus, freshwater fisheries management should take into account Prahoc production activities, an important value chain activity that contributes to the livelihoods of rural Cambodian communities.
Islamic Economics Seen from the Philosophy of Science and Integration-Interconnection Paradigm
Authors: Hanafi Syafiq Mahmadah , Syarifah Lailatis
Published: March 2023

The dispute over the building of Islamic economics has not yet reached an agreement. Therefore, this article aims to analyze Islamic economics as science based on the philosophy of science and the integration-interconnection paradigm. This paper concludes that Islamic economics has not been methodologically clear enough, and how the concept of methodology works is obscure because there is no clear pattern. However, Muslim economists have almost agreed that Islamic economics is an independent discipline. Therefore, the approach of integration and interconnection is feasible to apply in developing Islamic economics as the established discipline.
The Impact of Bicuspid Aortic Valve Leaflet Fusion Morphology on the Ascending Aorta and on Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Bibevski Steve , Ruzmetov Mark , Plate Juan F. , Scholl Frank G.
Published: March 2023

Background

Patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs) tend to develop dilation of the ascending aorta. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of leaflet fusion pattern on aortic root diameter and outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for BAV vs tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) disease.

Methods

This is a retrospective review of 90 patients with aortic valve disease (mean [SD] age, 51.5 [8.2] years) who underwent aortic valve replacement for BAV (n = 60) and TAV (n = 30). Fusion of right-left (R/L) coronary cusps was identified in 45 patients, whereas the remaining 15 patients had right-noncoronary (R/N) cusp fusion. Aortic diameter was measured at 4 levels, and Z values were computed.

Results

There were no significant differences between the BAV and TAV groups for age, weight, aortic insufficiency grade, or size of implanted prostheses. However, a higher preoperative peak gradient at the aortic valve was significantly associated with R/L fusion (P = .02). Preoperative Z values of ascending aorta and sinotubular junction diameter were significantly higher in patients with R/N fusion than with the R/L (P < .001 and P = .04, respectively) and TAV (P < .001 and P < .05, respectively) subgroups. During the follow-up period (mean [SD], 2.7 [1.8] years), 3 patients underwent a redo procedure. At the last follow-up, the sizes of ascending aorta were similar among all 3 patient groups.

Conclusion

This study suggests that preoperative dilation of the ascending aorta is more common in patients with R/N fusion than in patients with R/L and TAV but is not significantly different between all groups in the early follow-up period. R/L fusion was associated with an increased risk of preoperative presence of aortic stenosis.
”Sveriges första barnbok med hen”
Authors: Almqvist Louise
Published: March 2023

”Sweden’s First Children’s Book with They”: Norm-Criticism and Didactics in Kivi & Monsterhund

Around 2007, several self-proclaimed norm-critical publishing companies were established in Sweden. This caused a long debate in the daily press, where some critics compared the ”norm-critical” books to propaganda. The debate indicates a conflict between an aesthetic and a didactic approach to children’s literature. Another lively debate with similar critique took off when Kivi & Monsterhund (Kivi and Monsterdog, 2012) by Jesper Lundqvist and Bettina Johansson was published – a picturebook where the protagonist is referred to by a gender-neutral prounoun. The purpose of this article is to problematise the prevailing view on self-proclaimed norm-critical children’s literature and its didactic relationship to the reader. The reception, the paratexts, and the book itself are analysed using Torben Weinreich’s and Clémentine Beauvais’ different definitions of didactics, Gérard Genette’s view on pararatexts, Maria Nikolajeva’s theories on picturebooks, and Judith Butler’s view on gender as performative. The book, and its didactic relationship to the reader, is found to be much more complex and conflicting than suggested by the reception and the paratexts.
Peter Kostenniemi, Hemsökt barndom: Bilder av barnet i gotisk barnlitteratur
Authors: Wijkmark Sofia
Published: March 2023

Review/Recension
Visualization of cardiac uptake of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell‐derived extracellular vesicles after intramyocardial or intravenous injection in murine myocardial infarction
Authors: Xu Cynthia M. , Sabe Sharif A. , Brinck‐Teixeira Rayane , Sabra Mohamed , Sellke Frank W. , Abid M. Ruhul
Published: March 2023

In animal models, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell‐derived extracellular vesicles (MSC‐EV) have been found to have beneficial effects in cardiovascular disease, but only when administered via intramyocardial injection. The biodistribution of either intravenous or intramyocardial injection of MSC‐EV in the presence of myocardial injury is uncharacterized at this time. We hypothesized that intramyocardial injection will ensure delivery of MSC‐EV to the ischemic myocardium, while intravenous injection will not. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were cultured and the MSC‐EV were isolated and characterized. The MSC‐EVs were then labeled with DiD lipid dye. FVB mice with normal cardiac function underwent left coronary artery ligation followed by either peri‐infarct intramyocardial or tail vein injection of 3*106 or 2*109 particles of DiD‐labeled MSC‐EV or a DiD‐saline control. The heart, lungs, liver, spleen and kidneys were harvested 2 h post‐injection and were submitted for fluorescent molecular tomography imaging. Myocardial uptake of MSC‐EV was only visualized after intramyocardial injection of 2*109 MSC‐EV particles (p = 0.01) compared to control, and there were no differences in cardiac fluorescence after tail vein injection of MSC‐EV (p = 0.5). There was no significantly detectable MSC‐EV uptake in other organs after intramyocardial injection. After tail vein injection of 2*109 particles of MSC‐EV, the liver (p = 0.02) and spleen (p = 0.04) appeared to have diffuse MSC‐EV uptake compared to controls. Even in the presence of myocardial injury, only intramyocardial but not intravenous administration resulted in detectable levels of MSC‐EV in the ischemic myocardium. This study confirms the role for intramyocardial injection in maximal and effective delivery of MSC‐EV. Our ongoing studies aimed at developing bioengineered MSC‐EV for targeted delivery to the heart may render MSC‐EV clinically applicable for cardiovascular disease.
Performance comparison of three scaling algorithms in NMR-based metabolomics analysis
Authors: Liu Xia , Fang Yiqun , Ma Haifeng , Zhang Naixia , Li Ci
Published: March 2023

Unit variance (UV) scaling, mean centering (CTR) scaling, and Pareto (Par) scaling are three commonly used algorithms in the preprocessing of metabolomics data. Based on our NMR-based metabolomics studies, we found that the clustering identification performances of these three scaling methods were dramatically different as tested by the spectra data of 48 young athletes’ urine samples, spleen tissue (from mice), serum (from mice), and cell (from Staphylococcus aureus) samples. Our data suggested that for the extraction of clustering information, UV scaling could serve as a robust approach for NMR metabolomics data for the identification of clustering analysis even with the existence of technical errors. However, for the purpose of discriminative metabolite identification, UV scaling, CTR scaling, and Par scaling could equally extract discriminative metabolites efficiently based on the coefficient values. Based on the data presented in this study, we propose an optimal working pipeline for the selection of scaling algorithms in NMR-based metabolomics analysis, which has the potential to serve as guidance for junior researchers working in the NMR-based metabolomics research field.
Long-term stability of thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) in serum in the Danish General Suburban Population Study
Authors: Jensen Christian Z. , Nygaard Birte , Faber Jens , Pedersen Palle L. , Larsen Morten K. , Kanters Jørgen K. , Poulsen Henrik E. , Kellogg Mark , Ellervik Christina
Published: March 2023

Objectives

We evaluated the long-term stability of thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO).

Methods

In the Danish General Suburban Population Study (GESUS), serum samples were biobanked at −80 °C during 2010–2013. In a paired design with 70 subjects, we compared anti-TPO (30–198 U/mL) measured on fresh serum on Kryptor Classic in 2010–2011 (anti-TPOfresh) with anti-TPO remeasured on frozen serum (anti-TPOfrozen) on Kryptor Compact Plus in 2022. Both instruments used the same reagents and the anti-TPOn automated immunofluorescent assay, which was calibrated against the international standard NIBSC 66/387, based on the Time Resolved Amplified Cryptate Emission (TRACE) technology from BRAHMS. Values greater than 60 U/mL are regarded as positive in Denmark with this assay. Statistical comparisons included Bland-Altman, Passing-Bablok regression, and Kappa statistic.

Results

The mean follow-up time was 11.9 years (SD: 0.43). For anti-TPOfrozen vs. anti-TPOfresh, the line of equality was within the confidence interval of the absolute mean difference [5.71 (−0.32; 11.7) U/mL] and the average percentage deviation [+2.22% (−3.89%; +8.34%)]. The average percentage deviation of 2.22% did not exceed analytical variability. Passing-Bablok regression revealed both a statistically significant systematic and proportional difference: Anti-TPOfrozen=−22.6 + 1.22*(anti-TPOfresh). Frozen samples were correctly classified as positive in 64/70 (91.4%; Kappa=71.8%).

Conclusions

Anti-TPO serum samples in the range 30–198 U/mL were stable after 12-years of storage at −80 °C with an estimated nonsignificant average percentage deviation of +2.22%. This comparison is based on Kryptor Classic and Kryptor Compact Plus, which used identical assays, reagents, and calibrator, but for which the agreement in the range 30–198 U/mL is unclarified.
Holomorphic polylogarithms and Bloch complexes
Authors: Zickert Christian K.
Published: March 2023

For an integer

n
≥
2

{n\geq 2}

we define a polylogarithm

ℒ
^

n

{\widehat{\mathcal{L}}_{n}}

, which is a holomorphic function on the universal abelian cover of

ℂ
∖

{
0
,
1
}

{\mathbb{C}\setminus\{0,1\}}

defined modulo

(

2
⁢
π
⁢
i

)

n

/

(

n
-
1

)

!

{(2\pi i)^{n}/(n-1)!}

.
We use the formal properties of its functional relations to define groups

ℬ
^

k

⁢

(

F
^

)

{\widehat{\mathcal{B}}_{k}(\widehat{F})}

lifting Goncharov’s Bloch groups

ℬ
k

⁢

(
F
)

{\mathcal{B}_{k}(F)}

of a field F, and show that they fit into a complex

Γ
^

⁢

(
F
,
n
)

{\widehat{\Gamma}(F,n)}

lifting Goncharov’s Bloch complex

Γ
⁢

(
F
,
n
)

{\Gamma(F,n)}

. When

F
=
ℂ

{F=\mathbb{C}}

, we show that the imaginary part (when n is even) or real part (when n is odd) of

ℒ
^

n

{\widehat{\mathcal{L}}_{n}}

agrees with a real single valued polylogarithm

ℒ
n

{\mathcal{L}_{n}}

on the group

H
1

⁢

(

Γ
^

⁢

(
ℂ
,
n
)

)

{H^{1}(\widehat{\Gamma}(\mathbb{C},n))}

. When

n
=
2

{n=2}

, this group is Neumann’s extended Bloch group. Goncharov’s complex conjecturally computes the rational motivic cohomology of F, and one may speculate whether the extended complex computes the integral motivic cohomology. Finally, we use

ℒ
^

3

{\widehat{\mathcal{L}}_{3}}

to construct a lift of Goncharov’s map

H
5

⁢

(

SL
⁡

(
3
,
ℂ
)

)

→
ℝ

{H_{5}(\operatorname{SL}(3,\mathbb{C}))\to\mathbb{R}}

to a complex valued map whose real part agrees with that of Goncharov. The lift makes use of the cluster ensemble structure on the Grassmannian

Gr
⁡

(
3
,
6
)

{\operatorname{Gr}(3,6)}

.
On superintegral Kleinian sphere packings, bugs, and arithmetic groups
Authors: Kapovich Michael , Kontorovich Alex
Published: March 2023

We develop the notion of a Kleinian Sphere Packing, a generalization of
“crystallographic” (Apollonian-like) sphere packings defined in [A. Kontorovich and K. Nakamura,
Geometry and arithmetic of crystallographic sphere packings,
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 116 2019, 2, 436–441].
Unlike crystallographic packings, Kleinian packings exist in all dimensions, as do “superintegral” such.
We extend the Arithmeticity Theorem to Kleinian packings, that is, the superintegral ones come from

ℚ

{{\mathbb{Q}}}

-arithmetic lattices of simplest type.
The same holds for more general objects we call Kleinian Bugs, in which the spheres need not be disjoint but can meet with dihedral angles

π
m

{\frac{\pi}{m}}

for finitely many m.
We settle two questions from Kontorovich and Nakamura (2019): (i) that the Arithmeticity Theorem is in general false over number fields, and (ii)
that integral packings only arise from non-uniform lattices.
A case of preeclampsia with severe features following septic shock and drug-induced acute kidney injury
Authors: Boyd Emily M. , Nguyen Michelle T. , Gordon Brian , Lee Richard H.
Published: March 2023

Objectives

This article outlines a process for differentiating preeclampsia from other potential causes of end-organ damage in a critically ill patient.

Case Presentation

A patient in her early 30s, G2P1001 with intrauterine pregnancy at 12 weeks’ gestation was admitted seven months after delivering her first child due to new-onset psychosis and starvation ketosis. She was started on lithium for postpartum psychosis at 20 weeks’ gestation. She subsequently developed respiratory failure at 26 weeks’ gestation due to aspiration pneumonia in the setting of lithium toxicity, requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and intubation. She received antibiotics and vasopressors for suspected septic shock in addition to dialysis for lithium-induced acute kidney injury. One week after ICU admission, her sepsis resolved, her serum creatinine levels returned to normal, and her respiratory status improved. However, after vasopressors were discontinued, she suddenly developed persistently elevated blood pressures with proteinuria and elevated liver function tests (LFT’s). Due to concern for preeclampsia with severe features and rapidly increasing LFT’s, the patient underwent cesarean delivery at 27 weeks’ gestation.

Conclusions

In a critically ill patient with multiple comorbidities, it can be difficult to diagnose preeclampsia using the standard criteria. It is important to exclude other potential etiologies, as a misdiagnosis can have potentially devastating consequences.
Differential effects of affective arousal and valence on humor appreciation in female university students
Authors: Carretero-Dios Hugo , Delgado-Rico Elena , López-Benítez Raúl , Acosta Alberto
Published: March 2023

The aim of this experimental study was to clarify whether affective states with different arousal and valence levels influence the perceived funniness and aversiveness shown as a response to humor stimuli. We used the International Affective Picture System, IAPS (Lang, Peter J., Margaret M. Bradley & Bruce N. Cuthbert. 1999. International Affective Picture System (IAPS): Technical manual and affective ratings. Gainesville, FL: The Center for Research in Psychophysiology, University of Florida) and followed a mixed factorial design. Affective state differed between four groups: 1) neutral group; 2) negative valence-moderate arousal group; 3) positive valence-moderate arousal group; and 4) negative valence-high arousal group. We measured pre- and post-perceived funniness and aversiveness in response to humorous material. Participants were 80 psychology students who were randomly assigned to one of four induction conditions. The results showed that, regardless of the type of valence, affective states with moderate arousal levels did not affect humor appreciation. However, the perceived funniness response was significantly lower in the negative valence-high arousal group. Perceived aversiveness responses were not affected by valence or arousal level. Results are discussed in relation to several current theories on the role of affective state in humor appreciation.
Master-slave synchronization in the Duffing-van der Pol and Φ6Duffing oscillators
Authors: Uriostegui-Legorreta Ulises , Tututi Eduardo Salvador
Published: March 2023

In this work a master-slave configuration to obtain synchronization between the double-well Duffing-van der Pol (master system) and the three-well Φ6Duffing oscillators (slave system) is studied. For this configuration, we analyze the system when the dissipative and one that combines the elastic and dissipative couplings are used. Whenever the dissipative coupling is used, we observed a vertical shift synchronization in the slave system. However, when the combination of the elastic and dissipative couplings is used, the vertical shift disappears obtaining complete synchronization. We resort to perturbation method to corroborate analytically these kind of synchronization, when the master system provides an harmonic function to the slave system. These synchronizations are numerically corroborated.
Maintenance tocolysis, tocolysis in preterm premature rupture of membranes and in cervical cerclage – a Germany-wide survey on the current practice after dissemination of the German guideline
Authors: Stelzl Patrick , Kehl Sven , Oppelt Peter , Mayr Andreas , Fleckenstein Tobias , Maul Holger , Enengl Sabine , Berger Richard , Rath Werner
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To investigate the adherence of German perinatal specialist units and those of basic obstetric care to the national guideline we compared data from a nation-wide survey on the practice of maintenance tocolysis, tocolysis in preterm premature rupture of membranes and in the perioperative setting of cervical cerclage, and bedrest during and after tocolysis with recommendations from the current German Guideline 015/025 “Prevention and Treatment of Preterm Birth”.

Methods

A total of 632 obstetric clinics in Germany were approached and received a link to an online questionnaire. Data were descriptively analyzed by performing measures of frequency. To compare two or more groups Fisherʼs exact test was used.

Results

The response rate was 19%; 23 (19.2%) of respondents did not perform maintenance tocolysis, while 97 (80.8%) conducted maintenance tocolysis; 30 (25.0%) of obstetric units performed cervical cerclage without tocolysis and 90 (75.0%) combined cervical cerclage with tocolysis; 11 (9.2%) of respondents did not use tocolytics in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes, while 109 (90.8%) conducted tocolysis in these patients; 69 (57.5%) of obstetric units did not recommend bed rest during tocolysis, whereas 51 (42.5%) favored bedrest. Perinatal care centers of basic obstetric care recommend bed arrest during tocolysis statistically significant more often to their patients than those of higher perinatal care levels (53.6 vs. 32.8%, p=0.0269).

Conclusions

The results of our survey are in accordance to others from different countries and reveal considerable discrepancies between evidence-based guideline recommendations and daily clinical practice.
A novel long noncoding RNA AC125257.1 facilitates colorectal cancer progression by targeting miR-133a-3p/CASC5 axis
Authors: Liao Chuanwen , Zheng Zihan , Liu Junye , Li Jian , Li Rui , Hu Shuqin
Published: March 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant gastrointestinal tumor. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are revealed to be critically involved in CRC progression, providing new direction for exploring the pathogenesis of CRC. This study aimed to explore the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA AC125257.1 in CRC. Western blotting and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used for the measurement of gene expression. Cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry analysis were used to explore the effects of AC125257.1 on CRC cell viability and apoptosis. RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation assays were performed for validating the binding between AC125257.1 and its potential downstream microRNA. Results showed that lncRNA AC125257.1 expression was upregulated in CRC cells and tumor tissues. AC125257.1 enhanced cell viability and suppressed apoptosis of CRC cells. Moreover, the knockdown of AC125257.1 suppressed CRC progression in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. miR-133a-3p was revealed to bind with AC125257.1 in CRC cells. CASC5 was proved to be targeted by miR-133a-3p. Moreover, rescue assays indicated that the knockdown of AC125257.1 suppressed the pathogenic overexpression of CASC5. To conclude, AC125257.1 aggravates CRC development via miR-873-5p/CASC5 axis. Our findings might suggest a novel perspective that AC125257.1 may become the target for CRC treatment.
Homes Unbound: Flight, Displacement, and Homing Desire in Exile Persian Poetry
Authors: Shams Fatemeh
Published: March 2023

In the 1980s, a chain of traumatic events in Iran, from an eight-year war to post-revolution political turmoil, forced hundreds of thousands of people to escape their homeland during a wave of mass imprisonment and executions. The exodus included a substantial number of artists, writers, and academics, targeted for their work and beliefs. Their experience gave rise to an important, and woefully overlooked, canon of exilic Persian literature that offers a nuanced and complex documentation of forced displacement, exilic transnational identity, and the troublesome concept of ‘home.’ This essay explores the work of first-generation exiled poets and the ways in which temporal fluctuations of memory and emotion interact with the geographical and corporeal impact of displacement. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of home, migration, and diaspora, the essay challenges ‘home versus exile’ as an oppositional binary, offering a broader definition of exile that rearticulates the meaning of home.
Home Is where the Bees Are! Beekeeping as Homing in Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo and Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Honeyland
Authors: ElHalawani Amina
Published: March 2023

Starting with a reading of Christy Lefteri’s refugee narrative The Beekeeper of Aleppo, this article looks into the fragmentation and instability of the notion of home for refugees, highlighting the resort of the characters to a notion of homing as a practice of planetary dimensions. By looking at the role of bees and beekeeping in The Beekeeper of Aleppo and the Macedonian documentary Honeyland home is explored as a ‘verb’ rather than a static location. Moreover, this article also reflects on human and non-human kin, to use Donna Haraway’s term, in the creation of home spaces and relations.

I would like to express my gratitude for the support I have received as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry while working on this paper.
Comparison of Black and Transparent PMMA in the Cone Calorimeter
Authors: De Lannoye Karen , Belt Alexander , Reinecke Ernst-Arndt , Markert Frank , Arnold Lukas
Published: March 2023

The cone calorimeter is one of the standard devices used to assess the flammability of polymers. Several publications have been made studying different types of polymers and different set-ups in this apparatus. Polymers come in different forms and colors. It is unknown, however, whether the color of a polymer influences its burning behavior in the cone calorimeter. The color of a sample influences the amount of absorbed and reemitted thermal radiation, emitted by the cone calorimeter. This contribution presents the effect of different sample colors by performing cone calorimeter experiments with both transparent and black polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plates. Experiments were performed for four different heat fluxes: 25 kW/m2, 35 kW/m2, 50 kW/m2, and 75 kW/m2. All tests were autoignition experiments and 6-mm-thick PMMA plates were used. The effect of sample color on autoignition time, heat release rate, and mass loss data as well as oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), and carbon dioxide (CO2) production was assessed. Black PMMA showed a higher heat release rate (HRR) in the beginning of the tests, whereas transparent PMMA has a higher peak HRR. The color of the samples does not seem to influence the ignition time.