bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil recruitment by chemokines Cxcl1/KC and Cxcl2/MIP2: Role of Cxcr2 activation and glycosaminoglycan interactions
Authors: Sawant Kirti V , Sepuru Krishna Mohan , Lowry Emily , Penaranda Brigith , Frevert Charles W , Garofalo Roberto P , Rajarathnam Krishna
Published: September 2020

Chemokines play a crucial role in combating microbial infection by recruiting blood neutrophils to infected tissue. In mice, the chemokines Cxcl1/KC and Cxcl2/MIP2 fulfill this role. Cxcl1 and Cxcl2 exist as monomers and dimers, and exert their function by activating the Cxcr2 receptor and binding glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Here, we characterized Cxcr2 G protein and β-arrestin activities, and GAG heparan sulfate (HS) interactions of Cxcl1 and Cxcl2 and of the trapped dimeric variants. To understand how Cxcr2 and GAG interactions impact in vivo function, we characterized their neutrophil recruitment activity to the peritoneum, Cxcr2 and CD11b levels on peritoneal and blood neutrophils, and transport profiles out of the peritoneum. Cxcl2 variants compared with Cxcl1 variants were more potent for Cxcr2 activity. Native Cxcl1 compared with native Cxcl2 and dimers compared with native proteins bound HS with higher affinity. Interestingly, recruitment activity between native Cxcl1 and Cxcl2, between dimers, and between the native protein and the dimer could be similar or very different depending on the dose or the time point. These data indicate that peritoneal neutrophil recruitment cannot be solely attributed to Cxcr2 or GAG interactions, and that the relationship between recruited neutrophils, Cxcr2 activation, GAG interactions, and chemokine levels is complex and highly context dependent. We propose that the ability of Cxcl1 and Cxcl2 to reversibly exist as monomers and dimers and differences in their Cxcr2 activity and GAG interactions coordinate neutrophil recruitment and activation, which play a critical role for successful resolution of inflammation.
Frontline Science: Breast milk confers passive cellular immunity via CD8-dependent mechanisms
Authors: Myles Ian A , Datta Sandip K
Published: September 2020

Most modern research into the immune effects of breast milk has focused on the impacts of immunoglobulin or oligosaccharide content. However, immediately prior to parturition, the cell populations of breast milk become selectively enriched for CD8+ T cells of an effector memory subtype. Despite this observation that the cellular content of breast milk contains a distinct leukocyte population when compared to peripheral blood, the physiologic role of these CD8+ effector memory cells is unknown. Research encompassing animal models and humans has demonstrated that leukocytes are capable of transferring antigen-specific immunity even when lysed, dialyzed to enrich for fractions less than 10 kDa, and orally administered. Our previous work built upon these reports to elucidate several aspects of this dialyzable leukocyte extract (DLE) activity: only DLE from T effector memory CD8+ cells was capable of transferring antigen-specific immunity; the DLE activity was TCRβ dependent; dendritic cells (DCs) were the cellular target of DLE; and DLE enhanced immune activity in epithelial challenge models via induction of IL-6 from DCs. Herein, we reveal that breast milk dialysate activates similar cytokine and genetic pathways as DLE taken from peripheral blood and murine spleens through TCRβ- and CD8-dependent mechanisms. These findings suggest that the CD8+ memory T cells enriched in breast milk, even after potential lysis in the infant gut, may represent a mechanism for passive transfer of cellular immunity from mother to child.
Spatio‐temporal relationships between rainfall and convective clouds during Indian monsoon through a discrete lens
Authors: Sharma Arjun , Mitra Adway , Vasan Vishal , Govindarajan Rama
Published: September 2020

The Indian monsoon, a multi‐variable process causing heavy rains during June–September every year, is very heterogeneous in space and time. We study the relationship between rainfall and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) – a proxy for convective cloud cover – for monsoon between 2004 and 2010. To identify, classify and visualize spatial patterns of rainfall and OLR we use a discrete and spatio‐temporally coherent representation of the data, created using a statistical model based on Markov Random Field. Our approach clusters the days with similar spatial distributions of rainfall and OLR into a small number of spatial patterns. We find that eight daily spatial patterns each in rainfall and OLR, and seven joint patterns of rainfall and OLR, describe over 90% of all days. Through these patterns, we find that OLR generally has a strong negative correlation with precipitation, but with significant spatial variations. In particular, peninsular India (except for the west coast) is under significant convective cloud cover over a majority of days but remains rainless. We also find that much of the monsoon rainfall co‐occurs with low OLR, but some amount of rainfall in Eastern and North‐western India in June occurs on OLR days, presumably from shallow clouds. To study day‐to‐day variations of both quantities, we identify spatial patterns in the temporal gradients computed from the observations. We find that changes in convective cloud activity across India most commonly occur due to the establishment of a north–south OLR gradient which persists for 1–2 days and shifts the convective cloud cover from light to deep or vice versa. Such changes are also accompanied by changes in the spatial distribution of precipitation. The present work thus provides a highly reduced description of the complex spatial patterns and their day‐to‐day variations, and could form a useful tool for future simplified descriptions of this process.
Different changes in dry and humid heat waves over China
Authors: Xu Feng , Chan Ting On , Luo Ming
Published: September 2020

Heat waves (HWs) are expected to increase in many parts of the world under climate warming. However, most existing studies examined the changes in HWs that are derived from air temperature only, possible different changes in humid HWs that consider the combined effects of relative humidity (RH) are much less understood. This study investigates the spatial and temporal changes in two different HW types, namely, dry and humid HWs, in China from 1961 to 2014. Analysis results show that, on average, humid HWs in China occur 20% more frequently than dry HWs. Dry HWs are more commonly located in northern China, while humid events mainly appear in monsoonal southern and eastern regions. It is also found that all measures of both dry and humid HWs across China have been increasing during the past decades, and humid HWs exhibit a more prominent intensifying trend than dry ones. In particular, the national mean frequency, participating days, magnitude, and duration of dry (humid) HWs increased by 0.061 (0.069) events decade−1, 0.32 (0.39) days decade−1, 0.53 (0.62) °C decade−1, and 0.19 (0.21) days decade−1, respectively. These trends vary in different parts of China. The largest increment of dry HW frequency appears in the arid region of northwest China, while the fastest increase of the humid HW frequency is observed in southeastern China. Given the additional stress induced by high humidity to extreme high temperature, we suggest that future climate change mitigation and adaption should consider the change and impacts of humid heat events.
Tornadic environments in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands based on ERA5 reanalysis
Authors: Rodríguez Oriol , Bech Joan
Published: September 2020

A dataset of 907 tornado and waterspout events recorded from 1980 to 2018 was built to study convective environments in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean). The events were grouped into different categories, distinguishing waterspouts and tornadoes that were stratified by intensity according to the Fujita (F) scale and the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. The analysis separated the north‐east (NE) and south‐west (SW) subareas in the region of study, which present different seasonal cycles. For each event, atmospheric profiles from the ERA5 reanalysis data were used to determine convective available potential energy (CAPE), storm‐relative helicity (SRH), vertical wind‐shear (WS), the Universal Tornadic Index (UTI), and the product of wind‐shear and the square root of two times CAPE (WMAXSHEAR). Results showed that the NE events are mostly associated with higher CAPE and lower helicity and wind‐shear than the SW events. Thus, a significant number of SW tornadoes are associated with high‐shear, low‐CAPE environments. Moreover, the low‐shear, high‐LCL tornado environment, which is common inland during warm‐season, is more usual in the NE subarea. Composite parameters such as the UTI and WMAXSHEAR06 are good discriminators between significant and weak tornado events, although WMAXSHEAR06 presents some limitations for the SW events due to low CAPE and weak differences in the WS (0–6 km) between the (E)F1 and (E)F2+ events. This weakness was resolved by using the 0–3 km WS instead of the 0–6 km WS when calculating the WMAXSHEAR. A new threshold for WMAXSHEAR03 is proposed (500 m2⋅s−2) to distinguish between significant and non‐significant tornado environments. Finally, the Szilagyi Waterspout Nomogram, originally developed for the Great Lakes of North America, was successfully tested in the forecasting of waterspout formation for the first time in the western Mediterranean area, although the technique should be adapted to correctly detect cool‐season mid‐latitude waterspouts.
Antimicrobial stewardship in intensive care: identifying areas for improvement
Authors: Maher Dorsa , Larcombe Rebecca , Potts Simon D. , Wiersema Ubbo F.
Published: September 2020

Background

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are increasingly implemented in intensive care units (ICU) to combat the emerging threat of antimicrobial‐resistance. To optimise AMS programs, interventions need to be tailored to target problem areas.

Aim

To provide an overview of the current antimicrobial prescribing patterns in a 32‐bed ICU and thereby identify areas requiring improvement.

Method

A 10‐week prospective observational audit was conducted in the ICU of a public tertiary hospital. Patients on antimicrobial treatment or surgical prophylaxis antibiotics were audited. The primary outcomes were: duration of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis; duration of therapy for pneumonia, urosepsis and peritonitis; de‐escalation within 24‐h of microbiological results returning for empirical therapy; appropriate prescribing in penicillin allergy. Adherence to guidelines was also assessed.

Results

A total of 277 cases were included. The mean duration of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and adherence to maximum guideline duration were: cardiothoracic 21.6 h (83.9% adherence), vascular 14.9 h (81.8%), neurosurgery 20.4 h (40.0%) and general surgery 11.1 h (79.6%). The mean duration of therapy was 8.8 ± 4.7 days (62.5% adherence) for community‐acquired pneumonia, 8.5 ± 4.6 days (28.6%) for hospital‐acquired pneumonia and 11.9 ± 4.6 days (46.2%) for ventilator‐associated pneumonia. Urosepsis and peritonitis were underpowered and complex. De‐escalation occurred 63.2% of the time, with 75% occurring within 24‐h of microbiological result availability. Antibiotic selection in 68.0% of patients with a documented penicillin allergy was appropriate.

Conclusion

This study successfully identified baseline prescribing patterns and areas requiring improvement. With this information, tailored stewardship programs can be developed to improve antimicrobial utilisation in the critical care setting.
In situ Raman quantitative detection of methane concentrations in deep‐sea high‐temperature hydrothermal vent fluids
Authors: Li Lianfu , Zhang Xin , Luan Zhendong , Du Zengfeng , Xi Shichuan , Wang Bing , Cao Lei , Lian Chao , Yan Jun
Published: September 2020

Raman spectroscopy is an ideal approach for measuring methane concentrations in deep‐sea high‐temperature hydrothermal vent fluids due to its advantages of being nondestructive and noninvasive and not requiring sample pretreatment. However, no application of Raman spectroscopy in the measurement of hydrothermal methane has yet been reported because of the lack of Raman quantitative calibration models for CH4suitable for hydrothermal fluid detection and available for deep‐sea in situ Raman experiments. In this study, a new Raman quantitative calibration model suitable for hydrothermal fluid detection was established with the linear equation= (2.61E‐3 ± 8.52E‐6) ×, whereis the peak area ratio of CH4and H2O andis the concentration of dissolved CH4in mmol/kg. In situ Raman spectra of deep‐sea hydrothermal fluids were acquired using an adapted deep‐sea in situ Raman spectrometer, Raman insertion probe (RiP) system, and then the methane concentrations were determined based on the quantitative calibration model for CH4. The concentrations of methane measured by RiP are approximately 1.5–4.0 times higher than those derived from the gas‐tight samples collected simultaneously at the same vents, which indicates that the amount of methane released from the hydrothermal system has probably been underestimated.
Analysis of Raman spectra for the verification of Australian grass‐ and grain‐fed beef using principal component analysis and partial least square models
Authors: Logan Bridgette G. , Hopkins David L. , Schmidtke Leigh M. , Fowler Stephanie M.
Published: September 2020

The diet of cattle has been shown to alter both subcutaneous fat and muscle fatty acid composition, and these differences cause a change in the Raman spectra of the fat due to the different chemical bonds associated with these biochemical changes. Because biochemical changes only lead to subtle changes in the Raman spectra, statistical methods based upon chemometric modelling are necessary to extract indicative information on the type of feed consumed. This investigation undertook a feasibility study using a limited sample set derived from two producers in one location to ascertain the potential for Raman spectroscopy to accurately discriminate grain‐fed cattle from grass‐fed cattle and investigated the usefulness of principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminate analysis (PLS‐DA) to best discriminate between feeding groups using the information from the Raman spectra. The first two principal components accounted for 83% of the variation in the spectra and demonstrated discrimination of samples by feed type. PLS‐DA resulted in a model that was able to accurately predict grain‐ and grass‐fed carcases with a misclassification rate of 3.5%. Changes in beef cattle diets lead to subtle changes in subcutaneous fat; using Raman spectroscopy with chemometric modelling, these changes can be identified and used to identify the production system of beef products. This study successfully uses Raman spectroscopy as an automated, nondestructive and rapid technique in the range of 600–2000 cm−1 in combination with pattern recognition of unsupervised (PCA) and supervised (PLS‐DA) techniques to classify the production system of cattle between grain and grass fed.
Comparison of seed fatty and amino acids in edamame dried using two oven‐drying methods and mature soybeans
Authors: Jiang Guo‐Liang , Katuuramu Dennis N
Published: September 2020

BACKGROUND

Edamame is a vegetable soybean (Glycine max) rich in protein with well‐balanced amino acid profiles, including all the essential amino acids. It is also relatively high in oil consisting of five fatty acids. In this study, fatty and amino acid contents in oven‐dried edamame and mature seeds in 54 genotypes were analyzed to help edamame breeding and relevant research.

RESULTS

Significant differences (P < 0.01) between dried edamame and mature soybeans were found for all traits, suggesting that the contents of seed fatty and amino acids varied with drying method and/or growth stage. The genotypic effects were significant for amino acids in all cases and mostly for fatty acids. Fatty acid content was more variable than amino acids in both edamame and mature soybeans. The broad‐sense heritability estimates of traits in mature soybeans (51.89–90.37%) were larger than those in edamame seeds (13.10–81.83%), and the estimates for amino acids were larger than those for fatty acids. Correlations between the two edamame drying methods or between the edamame and mature soybeans were significant for all fatty and amino acids with few exceptions, and the correlation coefficients for amino acids (0.36–0.89) were larger than those for fatty acids (0.29–0.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Selection for both fatty and amino acids in edamame seems less effective than that in mature soybeans, and the improvement of amino acids would be more achievable than fatty acid improvement. Indirect selection through mature soybeans may benefit the edamame improvement for most of the amino acids. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Influence of oil matrixes on stability, antioxidant activity, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of astaxanthin ester
Authors: Yang Lu , Gu Jiayu , Luan Tianle , Qiao Xing , Cao Yunrui , Xue Changhu , Xu Jie
Published: September 2020

BACKGROUND

Astaxanthin ester (Asta‐E) is used as functional nutraceuticals in many food products. Unfortunately, Asta‐E utilization is currently limited owing to its chemical instability and low bioavailability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the promotion effect of oil matrixes on the stability, antioxidant activity, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Asta‐E.

RESULTS

The results showed that the stability of Asta‐E in six oil matrixes was improved. Based on the 2, 2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity experiment, the antioxidant activity of Asta‐E was positively correlated with the degree of unsaturation of the oil matrixes, but not with the side chain length. The in vitro gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulation model and in vivo experiment using mice were also employed to investigate the digestion and absorption characteristics of Asta‐E in various oil matrixes. The results demonstrated that the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Asta‐E increased with the increase of fatty acid chain length of oil matrixes (triglyceride oleate > triglyceride caprylate > triglyceride butyrate), as well as with the decrease of unsaturation degree (olive oil > corn oil > fish oil).

CONCLUSION

Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and long‐chain triglyceride (LCT) in an oil matrix were the factors that could efficiently improve the bioavailability of Asta‐E. Moreover, the size of the mixed micelles of Asta‐E during digestion was the main factor influencing the bioaccessibility of Asta‐E. This study provides references for the design of suitable oil matrixes for Asta‐E. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Usefulness of Lung Ultrasound Examinations Performed by Primary Care Physicians in Patients With Suspected COVID‐19
Authors: Calvo‐Cebrián Antonio , Alonso‐Roca Rafael , Rodriguez‐Contreras Francisco Javier , Rodríguez‐Pascual Maria de las Nieves , Calderín‐Morales Maria del Pino
Published: September 2020

Objectives

In patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) consulting primary care (PC) centers, clinical criteria may not be sensitive enough to detect many cases in which complications first occur. We intended to assess whether lung ultrasound (LUS) examinations performed by PC physicians are a useful tool to detect lung injury and may help in decisions about hospital referral.

Methods

This study included 61 patients with moderate symptoms suggesting COVID‐19 who were evaluated with LUS by PC physicians and then referred to a hospital during the current pandemic peak in Madrid. We analyzed association of a simple self‐designed LUS severity scale (grade 0, normal; grade 1, multiple separated B‐lines, pleural irregularity, or both; and grade 2, coalescent B‐lines, consolidations, pleural effusion, or a combination thereof) with the main outcome indicating adequacy of hospital referral, and also with chest x‐ray (CXR) findings.

Results

The proposed LUS severity scale was significantly associated with the main outcome of appropriate referral (P = 0.001): the higher the scale, the higher the percentage of adequate referrals. The LUS scale was also associated with a CXR severity scale (P = 0.034). The presence of coalescent B‐lines was the only independent LUS finding significantly associated with the appropriate‐referral outcome (P =0 .008) and also with a higher probability of hospital admission (P = 0.02) and with several CXR findings.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of LUS in PC as a tool to assess patients with suspected COVID‐19. Its use can reduce uncertainty during clinical evaluations of moderate patients, facilitate early detection of lung involvement, allow early appropriate referral, and avoid unnecessary referral.
The Effect of Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy on Isolated Sleep Associated Hypoventilation in Children
Authors: Saadeh Charles , Ulualp Seckin O.
Published: September 2020

Objective

Sleep associated hypoventilation (SAH) is diagnosed when more than 25% of total sleep time (%TST) is spent with end tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) > 50 mmHg. SAH in children occurs as a single entity or combined with obstructive sleep apnea. Outcomes of surgical treatment for isolated SAH in children have not been reported.

Methods

The medical charts of children who were diagnosed with isolated SAH and did not have OSA at a tertiary children's hospital between January 2013 and December 2019 were reviewed. Data collection included information on history and physical examination, past medical history, polysomnography (PSG) findings, and surgical management.

Results

Seventeen children (10 male, 7 female, age range: 3–14 years) were diagnosed with isolated SAH. Comorbid conditions included asthma in four children, Down syndrome in one, and seizure in two. Eight children were normal weight, four were overweight, and five were obese. Children did not have obstructive or central sleep apnea. Three children (18%) had persistent SAH as documented by PSG. All normal weight children had resolution of SAH whereas two obese children and one overweight child had residual SAH. %TST with CO2 > 50 mmHg after upper airway surgery (3.4% ± 1.6%) was significantly less than that of before TA (59.1% ± 5.5%) (P < .001).

Conclusions

The majority of children with isolated SAH had normalization of hypercapnia after TA. Further studies in larger groups of children are needed to identify the risk factors for residual isolated SAH after TA.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 131:E1380–E1382, 2021
Erosion and soil and water conservation in South‐Kivu (eastern DR Congo): The farmers' view
Authors: Heri‐Kazi Aimé B. , Bielders Charles L.
Published: September 2020

Despite being one of the hotspots for soil erosion in the world, little is known regarding farmer's knowledge of soil erosion in the highlands of South‐Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A proper understanding of farmers' knowledge regarding soil erosion and conservation measures is a prerequisite for implementing resilient erosion control measures. The objective of this study was therefore to assess farmers' knowledge of soil erosion, to document existing soil and water conservation (SWC) measures and to identify their adoption constraints in the highlands of South‐Kivu. Data were collected using interviews with a semi‐structured questionnaire involving 720 respondents from eight watersheds in four territories. Farmers reported eight main erosion indicators. As opposed to gullies (80% of farmers), rills were perceived as important erosion indicators by only 50% of farmers, despite their common occurrence. Farmers were largely unaware of the potential impact of their crops and cropping practices on erosion. Farmers knew about only a limited range of SWC measures, which were perceived to be little to moderately efficient. Furthermore, the average level of adoption was very low (21%). Adoption constraints varied widely depending on the SWC measure. Thus, future interventions need to place much greater emphasis on awareness regarding soil erosion and SWC measures, to strengthen farmers' capacity for experimentation and adaptation to new technologies and finally to create a policy and institutional environment that stimulates widespread adoption of SWC techniques.
Designing Polymeric Mixed Conductors and Their Application to Electrochemical‐Transistor‐Based Biosensors
Authors: Kim Ji Hwan , Kim Seong‐Min , Kim Gunwoo , Yoon Myung‐Han
Published: September 2020

Organic electrochemical transistors that employ polymeric mixed conductors as their active channels are one of the most prominent biosensor platforms because of their signal amplification capability, low fabrication cost, mechanical flexibility, and various properties tunable through molecular design. For application to biomedical devices, polymeric mixed conductors should fulfill several requirements, such as excellent conductivities of both holes/electrons and ions, long‐term operation stability, and decent biocompatibility. However, trade‐offs may exist, for instance, one between ionic conduction and overall device stability. In this report, the fundamental understanding of polymeric mixed conductors, the recent advance in enhancing their ionic and electrical conductivity, and their practical applications as biosensors based on organic electrochemical transistors are reviewed. Finally, key strategies are suggested for developing novel polymeric mixed conductors that may exceed the trade‐off between device performance and stability.
Genetic diversity, forensic feature, and phylogenetic analysis of Guizhou Tujia population via 19 X‐STRs
Authors: Luo Li , Gao Hongyan , Yao Lilan , Long Fei , Zhang Hao , Zhang Lushun , Liu Yong , Yu Jian , Yu Limei , Chen Pengyu
Published: September 2020

Background

X‐chromosome short tandem repeats (X‐STRs) with unique sex‐linkage inheritance models play a complementary role in forensic science. Guizhou is a multiethnic province located in southwest China and some genetic evidence focusing on X‐STRs for various minorities was reported. However, population data of Guizhou Tujia are scarce.

Methods

A total of 507 Guizhou Tujia individuals were profiled using the AGCU X‐19 STR kit. Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were calculated. Additionally, population genetic relationships between Guizhou Tujia and other 19 populations were explored.

Results

A total of 257 alleles with the allele frequencies ranged from 0.0013 to 0.6098 were found. The combined power of discrimination in males and females and mean exclusion chances in all case scenarios were all greater than 0.99999. Population comparisons showed Guizhou Tujia had a homogeneity with all Han populations from different administrative regions, and other ethnic populations residing in Guizhou, while had obviously genetic heterogeneity with the Altaic family populations except Xibe.

Conclusion

Nineteen X‐STRs can afford a reliable and informative database of Guizhou Tujia population for human identification and paternity testing, especially in complex biological relations. The genetic relationships of Chinese are significantly influenced by the geographic position and ethnolinguistic origin.
Chromosome 2q33genetic polymorphisms in Tunisian endemic pemphigus foliaceus
Authors: Abida Olfa , Bahloul Emna , Ben Jmaa Mariem , Sellami Khadija , Zouidi Ferjani , Fakhfakh Raouia , Mahfoudh Nadia , Turki Hamida , Masmoudi Hatem
Published: September 2020

Background

Several studies have suggested that polymorphisms within genes encoding T‐lymphocyte immune regulating molecules: CD28, CTLA‐4, and ICOS, may alter the signaling process and subsequently could be involved in susceptibility to a broad spectrum of autoimmune diseases.

Methods

This study aimed to replicate associations between common polymorphisms in the 2q33.2 cluster and susceptibility to pemphigus foliaceus (PF) in the Tunisian population. We investigated seven polymorphisms: rs3116496 and rs1879877 (CD28), rs231775, rs3087243, and (AT)n repeat (CTLA4); rs11889031 and rs10932029 (ICOS) in a case–control study which enrolled 106 Tunisian PF patients and 205 matched healthy controls.

Results

We confirmed the associations with CTLA4((AT)13, p = 0.00137, OR = 3.96 and (AT)20, p = 0.008, OR = 5.22; respectively) and ICOS genes (rs10932029>CT, p = 0.034, OR = 2.12 and rs10932029>TT, p = 0.04 and OR = 0.41).

Conclusion

Our results indicate that susceptibility to PF is located in the proximal and the distal 3′ flanking region of the CTLA4/ICOS promoter. These findings may open avenues to the treatment of patients with biological drugs targeting CTLA4/ICOS molecules, in a personalized manner to achieve more effective treatment.
A prospective study on combined lymphedema surgery: Gastroepiploic vascularized lymph nodes transfer and lymphaticovenous anastomosis followed by suction lipectomy
Authors: Di Taranto Giuseppe , Bolletta Alberto , Chen Shih‐Heng , Losco Luigi , Elia Rossella , Cigna Emanuele , Rubino Corrado , Ribuffo Diego , Chen Hung‐Chi
Published: September 2020

Background

There is no consensus on the appropriate treatment of lymphedema. Proposed techniques include lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA), vascularized lymph nodes transfer (VLNT), and suction lipectomy (SL). The benefit of combined procedures has also been postulated. In this prospective study, a combined protocol is proposed as an alternative to single‐procedure strategies.

Methods

Between January 2016 and October 2018, we enrolled patients with secondary lymphedema of lower limbs, stage II‐III according to the International Society of Lymphology, progressive swelling and skin tonicity >60. Thirty‐seven consecutive patients were dichotomized into group I, undergoing VLNT, and group II undergoing VLNT and LVA. Gastroepiploic lymphnode flap was harvested through laparoscopy, and in the same operation, LVAs were performed in group II on the basis of indocyanine green lymphography and patent blue findings. Two weeks later, SL was performed in all the patients. Patients were prospectively evaluated through clinical examination, circumference measurement, and skin tonicity.

Results

The average follow‐up was 2 ± 0.8 years. The first consecutive 21 patients were treated with VLNT followed by SL. The next 16 patients underwent combined VLNT and LVA, followed by SL. A mean of 2.4 LVAs were performed. A significant difference in the postoperative circumference measurements was found overall (p < .05): 52.6 ± 18.9 above the knee, 42.9 ± 25 below the knee, 36.2 ± 37 at foot. The postoperative tonicity dropped by 12.7 ± 6.3% (p < .05). The episodes of cellulitis significantly decreased to 0.1 ± 0.3 (p < .05).

Conclusions

LVA, VLNT, and SL can be integrated together in a combined approach, in synergy to enhance the outcomes.
Modeling and dual solutions for magnetized mixed convective stagnation point flow of upper convected Maxwell fluid model with second‐order velocity slip
Authors: Khan Naseer M. , Chu Yu‐Ming , Ijaz Khan Muhammad , Kadry Seifedine , Qayyum Sumaira
Published: September 2020

In the present work, we have studied a numerical solutions of MHD stagnation point flow of nanofluid over a stretching/shrinking sheet with mass suction condition. We have used the upper convected Maxwell (UCM) fluid model for the development of momentum equation and utilized it to explore the characteristics of elasticity of this model. We used the Buongiorno nanofluid model to develop the equations for the present problem. The governing flow, energy, and concentration equations are changed into the ordinary differential equations by means of suitable transformation. The subsequent ordinary ones are solved numerically using bvp4c scheme in MATLAB. The combined results of buoyancy forces, double slip (first‐ and second‐order slip), and elasticity have been investigated, and the influence of various flow parameters such as Hartmann number, suction parameter, and stretching/shrinking parameter on the skin friction coefficient, local Nusselt number, Sherwood number, and streamlines is studied and exposed through graphs. It is found that mass suction parameter and elasticity of UCM fluid increase the range of buoyancy forces for the existence of dual solutions. Also, buoyancy force increases the range of stretching/shrinking parameter where solution exists.
Rotational periodic boundary value problem for a fractional nonlinear differential equation
Authors: Cheng Yi , Gao Shanshan , Agarwal Ravi P.
Published: September 2020

This paper is devoted to study the rotational periodic boundary value problem for a fractional‐order nonlinear differential equation. Applying topology‐degree theory and the Leray‐Schauder fixed‐point theorem, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solution for the fractional‐order differential system. Furthermore, the existence of solution for a nonlinear differential system with a multivalued perturbation term is investigated by using set‐valued theory and techniques of functional analysis. Two examples of applications are given at the end.
Design and analysis of a broadband and miniaturized linear polarized converter based on non‐Foster metasurfaces
Authors: Li Fengxia , Chen Haiyan , Zhou Yang , Zhang Li , Weng Xiaolong , Xie JianLiang , Deng Longjiang
Published: September 2020

A broadband highly efficient and miniaturized polarizing converter, employing non‐Foster metasurface composed of a single layer cut‐wire resonator is presented in microwave regime. Non‐Foster component are loaded to traditional dipole‐type linear polarized converter to further enhance the low frequency polarization conversion performance, comparing to the converter without non‐Foster component, it makes all resonant frequency points move to the lower frequency obviously. Simulated results show that the cross‐polarization conversion is greater than 80% in the relative bandwidth of 143.9% for normal incident waves. Moreover, the period of the proposed polarized converter is less than 0.09 wavelength of the lowest operation resonant frequency, which indicates that the converter has the characteristic of miniaturization. By combining the transmission line and equivalent circuit theory, the physical underpinnings of this converter are further discussed, based on this analysis, the corresponding resonant frequencies are calculated as 4.2 GHz, 12.7 GHz, and 26.3 GHz, respectively. The simulated and numeral results are basically consistent. This method can be applied to the design of low frequency polarization structures.
Design of single‐fed dual‐polarized dual‐band slotted patch antenna for GPS and SDARS applications
Authors: Choudhary Surya D. , Srivastava Abhiruchi , Kumar Manish
Published: September 2020

This paper presents a novel design of single‐fed, dual‐polarized, dual‐band slotted antenna with right hand circular polarization (RHCP) at GPS L5 and left‐hand circular polarization (LHCP) at SDARS bands which is suitable for hand held device in automotive applications. Dual‐band and dual polarization are achieved by introducing four different structured slots in the radiator. The complete dimension of the antenna which is designed and fabricated is only 65 × 65 × 1.6 mm3. Performance of the fabricated antenna is validated experimentally. Antenna exhibits two independent polarizations and works effectively at 1.17645 GHz for Global Positioning System (GPS L5) and 2.3325 GHz for satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) bands.
Optimum light transmission via microring resonator under a lossy‐coupler critical coupling condition
Authors: Bahadoran Mahdi , Yupapin Preecha , Amiri Iraj Sadegh
Published: September 2020

The optical transfer function is derived for add‐drop resonator (ADR) using the signal flow graph method. A critical coupling condition is calculated in the presence of loss in the coupling regions. Effect of critical coupling and coupler loss in the light transmission is studied. A limited area was determined for optimum optical transmission of ADR. We introduced a semi‐empirical equation to correlate the geometric design of coupling gap with the coupling strength parameters (coupling coefficient, k, and coupling loss, γ). Achieved results can be used in optical communication technology and the photonic sensor applications.
A retrospective physiological noise correction method for oscillating steady‐state imaging
Authors: Cao Amos A. , Noll Douglas C.
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Oscillating steady‐state imaging (OSSI) is an SNR‐efficient steady‐state sequence withsensitivity suitable for FMRI. Due to the frequency sensitivity of the signal, respiration‐ and drift‐induced field changes can create unwanted signal fluctuations. This study aims to address this issue by developing retrospective signal correction methods that utilize OSSI signal properties to denoise task‐based OSSI FMRI experiments.

Methods

A retrospective denoising approach was developed that leverages the unique signal properties of OSSI to perform denoising without a manually specified noise region of interest and works with both voxel timecourses (oscillating steady‐state correction [OSSCOR]) or FID timecourses (F‐OSSCOR). Simulations were performed to estimate the number of principal components optimal for denoising. In vivo experiments at 3 T field strength were conducted to compare the performance of proposed methods against a standard principal component analysis‐based method, measured using mean t score within an region of interest, number of activations, and mean temporal SNR.

Results

Correction using OSSCOR was significantly better than the standard method in all metrics. Correction using F‐OSSCOR was not significantly different from the standard method using an equal number of principal components. Increasing the number of OSSCOR principal components decreased activation strength and increased the number of suspected false positives. However, increasing the number of principal components in F‐OSSCOR increased activation strength with little to no increase in false activation.

Conclusion

Both OSSCOR and F‐OSSCOR substantially reduce physiological noise components and increase temporal SNR, improving the functional results of task‐based OSSI functional experiments. F‐OSSCOR demonstrates a proof of concept utilization of coil‐localized FID signal information for physiological noise correction.
General gradient delay correction method in bipolar multispoke RF pulses using trim blips
Authors: Jamil Redouane , Mauconduit Franck , Gras Vincent , Boulant Nicolas
Published: September 2020

Purpose

To correct with gradient trim blips for gradient delays in bipolar‐spoke RF pulses in slice‐selective and slab‐selective excitations, compatible with tilted acquisitions and anisotropic delays.

Theory

The effect of small gradient delays with respect to RF pulses results in a dephasing of the second RF spoke, proportional to the slab‐selection gradient amplitude and the distance of the slice center from the magnet isocenter. Accordingly, adding a trim blip along the corresponding logical gradient axis between the two spokes compensates for the same dephasing, and therefore cancels the gradient delay effects, regardless of position and orientation.

Methods

Gradient delays on different axes were first measured on a 7T system based on an imaging method. Parallel transmission universal bipolar spokes were designed offline to mitigate the RF field inhomogeneity problem in the human brain. Trim blips were used to compensate for the known delays, which was validated with flip angle and temporal SNR measurements on two different volunteers at 7 T.

Results

Pulses corrected with trim blips greatly reduced gradient delay effects. Acquisitions made with corrected and noncorrected pulses showed good fidelity with simulations.

Conclusions

Unlike time or phase‐shifting approaches, trim blip–based methods apply to all possible bipolar spoke scenarios such as slice excitations, slab excitations, and anisotropy in the gradient delays.
Hemorrhage promotes chronic adverse remodeling in acute myocardial infarction: a T1, T2 and BOLD study
Authors: Assimopoulos Stephania , Shie Nancy , Ramanan Venkat , Qi Xiuling , Barry Jennifer , Strauss Bradley H. , Wright Graham A. , Ghugre Nilesh R.
Published: September 2020

Hemorrhage is recognized as a new independent predictor of adverse outcomes following acute myocardial infarction. However, the mechanisms of its effects are less understood. The aim of our study was to probe the downstream impact of hemorrhage towards chronic remodeling, including inflammation, vasodilator function and matrix alterations in an experimental model of hemorrhage. Myocardial hemorrhage was induced in the porcine heart by intracoronary injection of collagenase. Animals (N = 18) were subjected to coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion in three groups (six/group): 8 min ischemia with hemorrhage (+HEM), 45 min infarction with no hemorrhage (I − HEM) and 45 min infarction with hemorrhage (I + HEM). MRI was performed up to 4 weeks after intervention. Cardiac function, edema (T2, T1), hemorrhage (T2*), vasodilator function (T2 BOLD), infarction and microvascular obstruction (MVO) and partition coefficient (pre‐ and post‐contrast T1) were computed. Hemorrhage was induced only in the +HEM and I + HEM groups on Day 1 (low T2* values). Infarct size was the greatest in the I + HEM group, while the +HEM group showed no observable infarct. MVO was seen only in the I + HEM group, with a 40% occurrence rate. Function was compromised and ventricular volume was enlarged only in the hemorrhage groups and not in the ischemia‐alone group. In the infarct zone, edema and matrix expansion were the greatest in the I + HEM group. In the remote myocardium, T2 elevation and matrix expansion associated with a transient vasodilator dysfunction were observed in the hemorrhage groups but not in the ischemia‐alone group. Our study demonstrates that the introduction of myocardial hemorrhage at reperfusion results in greater myocardial damage, upregulated inflammation, chronic adverse remodeling and remote myocardial alterations beyond the effects of the initial ischemic insult. A systematic understanding of the consequences of hemorrhage will potentially aid in the identification of novel therapeutics for high‐risk patients progressing towards heart failure.
Rapid reconstruction of highly undersampled, non‐Cartesian real‐time cinek‐space data using a perceptual complex neural network (PCNN)
Authors: Shen Daming , Ghosh Sushobhan , Haji‐Valizadeh Hassan , Pathrose Ashitha , Schiffers Florian , Lee Daniel C. , Freed Benjamin H. , Markl Michael , Cossairt Oliver S. , Katsaggelos Aggelos K. , Kim Daniel
Published: September 2020

Highly accelerated real‐time cine MRI using compressed sensing (CS) is a promising approach to achieve high spatio‐temporal resolution and clinically acceptable image quality in patients with arrhythmia and/or dyspnea. However, its lengthy image reconstruction time may hinder its clinical translation. The purpose of this study was to develop a neural network for reconstruction of non‐Cartesian real‐time cine MRIk‐space data faster (<1 min per slice with 80 frames) than graphics processing unit (GPU)‐accelerated CS reconstruction, without significant loss in image quality or accuracy in left ventricular (LV) functional parameters. We introduce a perceptual complex neural network (PCNN) that trains on complex‐valued MRI signal and incorporates a perceptual loss term to suppress incoherent image details. This PCNN was trained and tested with multi‐slice, multi‐phase, cine images from 40 patients (20 for training, 20 for testing), where the zero‐filled images were used as input and the corresponding CS reconstructed images were used as practical ground truth. The resulting images were compared using quantitative metrics (structural similarity index (SSIM) and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE)) and visual scores (conspicuity, temporal fidelity, artifacts, and noise scores), individually graded on a five‐point scale (1, worst; 3, acceptable; 5, best), and LV ejection fraction (LVEF). The mean processing time per slice with 80 frames for PCNN was 23.7 ± 1.9 s for pre‐processing (Step 1, same as CS) and 0.822 ± 0.004 s for dealiasing (Step 2, 166 times faster than CS). Our PCNN produced higher data fidelity metrics (SSIM = 0.88 ± 0.02, NRMSE = 0.014 ± 0.004) compared with CS. While all the visual scores were significantly different (P< 0.05), the median scores were all 4.0 or higher for both CS and PCNN. LVEFs measured from CS and PCNN were strongly correlated (R2= 0.92) and in good agreement (mean difference = −1.4% [2.3% of mean]; limit of agreement = 10.6% [17.6% of mean]). The proposed PCNN is capable of rapid reconstruction (25 s per slice with 80 frames) of non‐Cartesian real‐time cine MRIk‐space data, without significant loss in image quality or accuracy in LV functional parameters.
COVID‐19 and its Severity in Bariatric Surgery‐Operated Patients
Authors: Bel Lassen Pierre , Poitou Christine , Genser Laurent , Marchelli Florence , Aron‐Wisnewsky Judith , Ciangura Cécile , Jacques Flavien , Moreau Pauline ,   NutriOmics investigators, Oppert Jean‐Michel , Clément Karine
Published: September 2020

Objective

Obesity is a major risk factor for severe forms of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19), but little is known about the post–bariatric surgery (BS) setting. The prevalence of likely COVID‐19 and its risk factors in patients followed up after BS was assessed.

Methods

A total of 738 patients who underwent BS and were followed up at a university medical center were surveyed. A retrospective comparison of characteristics at baseline, 1 year after BS, and at the time of lockdown was performed between patients with COVID‐19–likely events (CL) based on a combination of reported symptoms and those for whom COVID‐19 was unlikely.

Results

CL occurred in 62 (8.4%) patients, among whom 4 (6.4%) had a severe form requiring hospitalization and 1 (1.6%) died. The CL group had a higher proportion of persistent type 2 diabetes (T2D) at last follow‐up (36.2% vs. 20.3%, P = 0.01). BMI at the time of lockdown was lower in the CL group (30.2 ± 5.1 vs. 32.8 ± 6.5 kg/m2; P < 0.01) with higher percent weight loss since BS in the CL group. Severe forms of COVID‐19 requiring hospitalization were associated with persistent T2D at the last follow‐up visit.

Conclusions

In BS patients, CL were associated with persistent T2D and lower BMI.
Resilience of Indian banks: Macroeconomic stress test modeling for credit risk
Authors: Patra Biswajit , Padhi Puja
Published: September 2020

The macro stress testing is an integral part of the credit risk management exercise to judge the strength of banks in hypothetical stress situations. The present paper develops the macroeconomic stress testing model and checks the resilience of banks across different groups of banks in India like the public sector, private, and foreign banks in maintaining the minimum required regulatory capital at the time of stress situations. The stress testing exercise is undertaken by the use of panel data models to evaluate the impact of likely changes in macro parameters on the non‐performing loans under three stress scenarios like baseline, medium, and severe. The impact of these stress testing is substantial for the public sector banks as compared to private and foreign banks. Except for the few banks, all other public sector banks are not able to sustain the macro stress scenarios and became insolvent. In opposite to this, all the foreign banks are able to sustain all the stress scenarios. The private banks are also able to withstand the assumed crisis, except few banks failed to do so. The study may be useful for studying the preparedness of banks to face the crisis period and also helps them to get themselves equipped with the required capital to meet those circumstances.