bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on Interaction Mechanism of Natural Gas Pipe-Landslide System Reinforced by Micropile Groups Based on Model Test
Authors: Guan Wei , Wu Honggang , Wu Daoyong , Tang Lin , Wei Hong
Published: October 2022

Natural gas pipeline projects in mountainous areas are inevitably affected by geological disasters such as landslides, which pose a serious threat to the safe operation of pipelines along the routes crossing landslide areas. In this paper, based on a pipe-landslide project in a mountainous area in southwest China, the interaction mechanism and failure evolution process of the landslide-pipeline system reinforced by two kinds of micropiles are studied through indoor large-scale physical model tests, and some suggestions on the support work of the pipe-landslide project are put forward according to the test results. It was found that the deformation process of the engineering system composed of landslide, micropile, and pipeline presents a high degree of synergy under the external force and mainly experiences four stages: initial deformation period, uniform deformation period, accelerated deformation period, and residual deformation period. The bending deformation of the perforated pipe micropile is large at the 1/4 position of the pile top from the pile bottom, and the deformation of the screw micropile near the sliding surface is serious. The pipeline welding port is the weak position of the pipeline; after the failure of the pile, the pipeline interface is first cracked, along the interface position along the two ends of the tear, and finally completely broken. The screw micropile cannot effectively resist the landslide thrust at a large load level, so the risk of pipeline damage is greater. The yield strength and ultimate strength of the perforated pipe micropile are greater than those of the screw micropile, and the perforated pipe micropile can still exert a certain residual resistance after reaching the ultimate bearing capacity, which has a beneficial effect on the reinforcement of the pipeline crossing the landslide system. The research results provide important reference value for landslide-pipeline treatment engineering.
In-Silico Exploration of Plant Metabolites as Potential Remedies of Norovirus
Authors: Alam Zenifer , Bappy Md. Nazmul Islam , Sultana Abida , Laskar Fayeza Sadia , Miah Kawsar , Zinnah Kazi Md. Ali , Saha Sudeb
Published: October 2022

Research is still being carried out to develop specific medications or vaccinations to fight norovirus, a key contributor to foodborne illness. This study evaluated certain plant-based active chemicals as prospective candidates for such treatments using virtual screening techniques and other computer assessments. Twenty (20) plant metabolites were tested against the norovirus VP1, VP2, P48, and P22 protein domains using the molecular docking method. In terms of the lowest global binding energy, Asiatic acid, avicularin, guaijaverin, and curcumin exhibited the highest binding affinity with all selected proteins. Each viral protein’s essential binding sites with the potential drugs and drug surface hotspots were uncovered. The ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) analysis was used to further analyze the pharmacological profiles of the top candidates. According to the results, none of the substances showed any adverse consequences that would reduce their drug-like properties. According to the analysis of the toxicity pattern, no detectable tumorigenic, mutagenic, irritating, or reproductive effects of the compounds were discovered. However, among the top four alternatives, curcumin exhibited the highest levels of cytotoxicity and immunotoxicity. These discoveries may open the way for the development of effective norovirus therapies and safety measures. Due to the positive outcomes, we strongly propose more in vivo experiments for the experimental validation of our findings.
Shared Cancer Dataset Analysis Identifies and Predicts the Quantitative Effects of Pan-Cancer Somatic Driver Variants
Authors: Landau Jakob , Tsaban Linoy , Yaacov Adar , Ben Cohen Gil , Rosenberg Shai
Published: October 2022

Driver mutations endow tumors with selective advantages and produce an array of pathogenic effects. Determining the function of somatic variants is important for understanding cancer biology and identifying optimal therapies. Here, we compiled a shared dataset from several cancer genomic databases. Two measures were applied to 535 cancer genes based on observed and expected frequencies of driver variants as derived from cancer-specific rates of somatic mutagenesis. The first measure comprised a binary classifier based on a binomial test; the second was tumor variant amplitude (TVA), a continuous measure representing the selective advantage of individual variants. TVA outperformed all other computational tools in terms of its correlation with experimentally derived functional scores of cancer mutations. TVA also highly correlated with drug response, overall survival, and other clinical implications in relevant cancer genes. This study demonstrates how a selective advantage measure based on a large cancer dataset significantly impacts our understanding of the spectral effect of driver variants in cancer. The impact of this information will increase as cancer treatment becomes more precise and personalized to tumor-specific mutations.

Significance:

A new selective advantage estimation assists in oncogenic driver identification and relative effect measurements, enabling better prognostication, therapy selection, and prioritization.
Mediastinal Abscess Formation after EUS-Guided Sampling in a Young Patient with Sarcoidosis: Be Aware of the Increased Risk!
Authors: Bispo Miguel , Marques Susana , de Campos Sara Teles , Rio-Tinto Ricardo , Fidalgo Paulo , Devière Jacques
Published: October 2022

International guidelines establish EUS-guided sampling as safe and accurate for the evaluation of mediastinal solid lesions, such as lymphadenopathies of unknown origin, and point out an increased risk of severe infectious complications induced by needle puncture in mediastinal cystic lesions. A retrospective case series and a systematic review documented an increased risk of mediastinal abscess formation after EUS-guided lymph nodes sampling in patients with sarcoidosis. The authors describe a case of a 38-year-old male patient with a final diagnosis of sarcoidosis, who developed a large mediastinal abscess after EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy of mediastinal lymphadenopathies. Endoscopists should be aware of the potential increased risk of severe infectious complications when sampling mediastinal lymph nodes in suspected sarcoidosis, and a strategy to minimize such risk should be pursued.
“Contra el canon” de Andrea Giunta: uma narrativa sobre história da arte para um mundo sem centro
Authors: Abreu Simone Rocha de
Published: October 2022

Defender as vanguardas latino-americanas das décadas de 1940 e 1950 como simultâneas aos cânones europeus é a principal contribuição de Andrea Giunta no livro Contra el Canon. El arte contemporáneo en un mundo sin centro [Contra o Cânone. Arte contemporânea em um mundo sem centro, trad. nossa], lançado em 2020 na Argentina. A autora vai além, afirmando que admitir as vanguardas artísticas latino-americanas como simultâneas às europeias possibilita que nos concentremos no que há de específico em cada movimento latino-americano. Esta maneira de refletir sobre as vanguardas latino-americanas favorece a percepção das especificidades desses fenômenos artísticos, como a denominação que os artistas latino-americanos atribuíram às suas produções, ao invés de empregar terminologias criadas na Europa. O modelo analítico proposto por Giunta deixa de conceber as vanguardas latino-americanas como periféricas ou derivadas das vanguardas europeias e assim destrói a hierarquização que convencionalmente se impôs ao processo de análise baseado no binômio centro e periferia. A autora estabelece as suas análises da historiografia da arte a partir da interdisciplinaridade que funde conhecimentos de história, sociologia, política e conhecimentos específicos das linguagens artísticas.
A persistência da memória histórica na Arte Latino-Americana: Livio Abramo e Alfredo Quiroz
Authors: Nepomuceno Maria Margarida Cintra
Published: October 2022

A ausência de uma tradição acadêmica na arte em boa parte dos países da América Latina levou as iniciativas modernistas a conviverem, com estilos, escolas e projetos estéticos híbridos, inclusive com a pintura histórica, dentro de um processo de transformação complexo de renovação na arte, repleto de antagonismos e paradoxos. Esse cenário só pode ser compreendido à luz de muitos estudos e dentro de uma perspectiva própria, onde as referências não se encontram na História da Arte europeia, mas nas histórias latino-americanas e no percurso de seus principais agentes. Arrisco-me a promover algumas aproximações entre as experiências artísticas do brasileiro Lívio Abramo e do paraguaio Alfredo Quiroz, mesmo que percorram temporalidades bem diversas. Procuro mostrar que tanto Lívio Abramo (década de 60) quanto Alfredo Quiroz (em 2021) assumem posturas contra hegemônicas na arte no que se refere à interpretação clássica dos fatos históricos. Ambos subvertem a ordem acadêmica tradicional da leitura dos fenômenos históricos e da transposição para a arte, deslocando-se do que é característico desse gênero de pintura. Através da análise específica do fazer artístico da pintura de história dos artistas citados, mobilizo outras produções de arte para compreender a persistência da memória histórica no campo da arte da América Latina, desde as academias até os dias atuais e pretendendo contribuir para novas definições da arte latino-americana.
A viagem de Abdias Nascimento a Buenos Aires: teatro, política e negritude numa chave transnacional
Authors: Almeida Eliane de Souza , Gionco Pamela
Published: October 2022

O presente trabalho tem como foco traçar panorama histórico da passagem de Abdias  Nascimento pela América Latina, no início dos anos 1940, até sua estada de um ano, em Buenos Aires, como participante nas atividades pós-espetáculos e nas discussões sobre dramaturgia na companhia teatral Teatro Del Pueblo. Acreditamos que esta experiência por parte do então jornalista e depois dramaturgo, ativista e deputado nacional, influenciou diretamente sua concepção do Teatro Experimental do Negro, em seu retorno ao Brasil. Estamos interessados em pensar nesta viagem e nos vínculos estabelecidos com o Teatro del Pueblo a partir de uma perspectiva transnacional e interdisciplinar que nos permita refletir sobre a construção local de arquivos, a circulação de práticas teatrais políticas e a recuperação da memória da comunidade negra na Argentina.
Reprodutibilidade do teste de 10 repetições máximas em idosas
Authors: Vieira Elciana de Paiva Lima , Deserto Abílio Douglas Valadares , Alves Júnior Edmundo Drummond , Gurgel Jonas Lírio
Published: October 2022

Pouco se sabe sobre o número de sessões necessárias para estabilização da carga máxima em 10 repetições em idosos não treinados. Objetivo: Verificar a reprodutibilidade do teste de 10 RM em mulheres com mais de 60 anos que não apresentam experiência prévia com treinamento de força. Método: Vinte e duas idosas (67,73 ± 5,43 anos) participantes somente da ginástica do programa Prev Quedas realizaram as sessões de teste-reteste de 10 RM em quatro exercícios: cadeira extensora, tríceps no pulley, mesa flexora e rosca direta bíceps. O programa Prev Quedas é um programa de extensão que oferece atividades físicas ao público de todas as idades de forma gratuita visando contribuir para prevenção de quedas. Foram utilizados os testes de ANOVA unidirecional com post hoc de Bonferroni, plotagem de Bland-Altman e Coeficiente de Correlação Intraclasse (CCI) com intervalo de confiança de 95%. Resultados: Os níveis de reprodutibilidade foram excelentes em todos os exercícios variando de 0,83 a 0,95 não havendo diferença significativa entre as sessões. A concordância entre as sessões teste-reteste foi classificada como boa para todos os exercícios. A literatura apresenta uma carência com relação à reprodutibilidade dos testes de 10 RM, principalmente para idosos. Porém, os dados de reprodutibilidade do presente estudo concordam com aqueles referentes aos testes de 1 RM aplicados em adultos jovens. Conclusão: Com base nos achados apresentados, parece haver necessidade da realização de 2 sessões de avaliação para estabilização da carga em 10 repetições máximas para idosas não treinadas.
Tradução, adaptação transcultural e análise das propriedades de medida da versão português – brasileiro do questionário Cares of Older People in Europe Index (COPE Index)
Authors: Giannini Juliana de Barros Lopes , Freitas Diego Galace de , Manzoni Ana Carolina Taccolini
Published: October 2022

Objetivo: Realizar a tradução e adaptação transcultural do COPE Index para o português-brasileiro e analisar as propriedades de medida do questionário em cuidadores de pacientes com deficiência de qualquer idade. Métodos: A primeira etapa foi a tradução e adaptação transcultural do questionário (n= 31). Seguida pela avaliação das propriedades de medida (n= 101). Os participantes foram cuidadores informais de pacientes com deficiência de qualquer idade, atendidos no Serviço de Reabilitação de Fisioterapia Neurofuncional e Musculoesquelética da Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo (ISCMSP). Os dados foram coletados entre agosto/2018 e dezembro/2019. A análise estatística foi feita pelo software SPSS®, versão 13.0. As entrevistas foram realizadas em três momentos diferentes, e todos responderam o Formulário Demográfico, COPE Index, Burden Interview – Zarit e WHOQOL – Bref. Resultados: Na primeira etapa, alguns termos foram discutidos na etapa de Comitê de experts, o teste da versão pré-final foi realizado e os participantes não tiveram dúvidas. Na segunda etapa, a consistência interna, medida pelo α de Cronbach, variou entre 0,54 a 0,67, a confiabilidade foi classificada como substancial (ICC= 0,81), os valores de erro de medida nos três domínios foram considerados muito bons, foi encontrada correlação moderada entre o Impacto Negativo e Burden Interview – Zarit, o Valor Positivo e Relações Sociais do WHOQOL – Bref e Qualidade de Suporte e WHOQOL – Bref, e foi encontrado efeito teto no Valor Positivo e Qualidade de Suporte. Conclusão: A tradução e adaptação do COPE Index se mostrou satisfatória, com valores moderados ao avaliar suas propriedades de medida, sugerindo seu uso no auxílio das equipes de saúde.
Sexualidade: implicações no cotidiano de pessoas com lesão medular
Authors: Santana Caroline Nascimento , Rebellato Carolina
Published: October 2022

A lesão medular altera funções motoras e sensitivas, podendo causar limitações de atividades e restrição de participação. Nesse contexto, é frequente a presença de alterações da sexualidade, relacionadas a diminuição da função sexual, libido, baixa autoestima e aceitação social. Apesar disso, a sexualidade e seus desdobramentos têm sido pouca integrada no processo de reabilitação dessas pessoas. Objetivo: Compreender a sexualidade da pessoa com lesão medular, suas vivências e estratégias utilizadas, bem como a atuação de profissionais de saúde nessa área a partir da percepção de pessoas com lesão medular. Método: Estudo descritivo de análise qualitativa, que incluiu 12 pessoas com lesão medular, de idades entre 23 e 56 anos, usuários do Projeto Praia Para Todos, Rio de Janeiro. A coleta de dados foi realizada através de entrevista gravada por telefone. Os instrumentos utilizados foram Ficha de identificação sociodemográfica, roteiro de entrevista semiestruturado e Quociente Sexual. A inferência e interpretação dos dados foram realizados após transcrição das entrevistas na íntegra. Resultados: A lesão medular acarretou mudanças na vivência da sexualidade em aspectos físicos, psicossociais e ambientais. As principais estratégias utilizas foram mudança de hábitos, utilização de equipamentos, técnicas, medicamentos e busca por rede de suporte social. Embora o processo de reabilitação tenha se dado através de equipe multidisciplinar, foi identificado ausência de abordagem da sexualidade. Conclusão: Sugere-se mais estudos que visem identificar as limitações, barreiras e estratégias utilizadas por pessoas com lesão medular e outras deficiências, bem como o esclarecimento a profissionais de saúde sobre a importância da atuação nesse campo.
Estadiamento demencial e a correlação com o desempenho funcional de idosos com doença de Alzheimer: um estudo transversal
Authors: Santos Fernando Sluchensci dos , Gonçalves Renan Felipe Pereira , Bonini Juliana Sartori
Published: October 2022

Objetivo: Avaliar o estadiamento demencial e o desempenho físico-funcional, bem como suas possíveis correlações, de idosos diagnosticados com Doença de Alzheimer, atendidos por um centro de referência. Método: Estudo clínico transversal de abordagem quantitativa. Foram avaliados idosos de ambos os sexos com idade igual e/ou superior a 60 anos, que tivessem o diagnóstico médico comprovado para Doença de Alzheimer. Os idosos foram avaliados por meio do Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Teste de Sentar e Levantar de Rikli & Jones, Escala de Equilíbrio de Berg e por meio do Clinical Dementia Rating Score (CDR). A análise estatística e os gráficos foram realizados com o Software IBM Statistics SPSS 20. O nível significância foi 0,05. Resultados: Compuseram a amostra 46 indivíduos de ambos os sexos com idade média de 78,72±7,37 anos. Os indivíduos foram divididos em idosos frágeis e não frágeis. Os idosos também foram classificados em demência questionável a leve e demência moderada a grave e comparados. Ocorreu correlação significativa entre idade e TUG (r= 0,532; p= 0,041), entre idade e Berg (r= -0,343; p= 0,040), entre TUG e Berg (r= -0,562; p= 0,029), e entre o teste de sentar-levantar e Berg (r= 0,706; p= 0,003). Conclusão: Os idosos avaliados apresentaram desempenho inferior aos descritos na literatura para os instrumentos avaliativos propostos nessa pesquisa, o que indica que está diretamente relacionado ao seu desempenho em testes físico-funcionais.
Facilitadores do acesso da pessoa com deficiência aos serviços de saúde: revisão de escopo
Authors: Silva Simone Vieira da , Clemente Karina Aparecida Padilha , Vieira Gislene Inoue , Bortoli Maritsa Carla de , Toma Tereza , Ramos Vinícius Delgado , Brito Christina May Moran de
Published: October 2022

Objetivo: Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar as evidências científicas globais e locais relativas aos facilitadores que promovem o acesso de pessoas com deficiência aos serviços de saúde. Métodos: Realizou-se uma revisão de escopo, estabelecendo-se a pergunta norteadora: “Quais são os principais facilitadores que as pessoas com deficiência encontram no acesso a serviços de saúde?” O levantamento dos artigos foi realizado em julho de 2019, em seis bases de dados de literatura científica. Dos 1.155 documentos identificados nas buscas, após seleção por título e resumo, foram lidas 170 publicações na íntegra e incluídas 76 revisões da literatura, que foram categorizadas conforme referencial teórico. Resultados: A revisão elenca os facilitadores identificados por prestadores de serviços e por pessoas com deficiência e os seus familiares e/ou cuidadores, em todos os níveis de complexidade dos cuidados de saúde. Os facilitadores foram categorizados pelas diferentes dimensões do acesso e da Lei Brasileira de Inclusão. Os principais facilitadores identificados, tanto pelos usuários dos serviços quanto pelos prestadores de serviço, incluem a disponibilidade de programas de promoção à saúde, profissionais capacitados, informações sobre os serviços prestados, orientação em cuidados de saúde, serviços de cuidados específicos de reabilitação e suporte social. Conclusões: Evidenciamos que faltam estudos nacionais sobre esta temática e que os facilitadores para o acesso aos serviços de saúde para as pessoas com deficiência precisam ser mais profundamente abordados na literatura cientifica como um todo. O melhor entendimento desta realidade é de grande valia para o incremento de políticas públicas e implementação de estratégias voltadas à promoção do acesso aos serviços de saúde.
Learning Fair Representations via Rate-Distortion Maximization
Authors: Chowdhury Somnath Basu Roy , Chaturvedi Snigdha
Published: October 2022

Text representations learned by machine learning models often encode undesirable demographic information of the user. Predictive models based on these representations can rely on such information, resulting in biased decisions. We present a novel debiasing technique, Fairness-aware Rate Maximization (FaRM), that removes protected information by making representations of instances belonging to the same protected attribute class uncorrelated, using the rate-distortion function. FaRM is able to debias representations with or without a target task at hand. FaRM can also be adapted to remove information about multiple protected attributes simultaneously. Empirical evaluations show that FaRM achieves state-of-the-art performance on several datasets, and learned representations leak significantly less protected attribute information against an attack by a non-linear probing network.
Two new species and two new records of the genus Tenuibaetis Kang & Yang, 1994 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) from Indian Himalaya
Authors: KUBENDRAN T. , VASANTH M. , SUBRAMANIAN K. A. , GATTOLLIAT JEAN-LUC , SELVAKUMAR C. , JABEEN FATIMA , SINHA BIKRAMJIT
Published: October 2022

As part of ongoing exploration of the mayflies of streams and rivers of Indian Himalayan regions, we describe two new species of the genus Tenuibaetis based on recently collected materials from Western Himalaya viz., Tenuibaetis himani Kubendran, Vasanth & Subramanian sp. nov. and Tenuibaetis kangi Kubendran, Vasanth & Subramanian sp. nov. Additionally, two new records from Eastern Himalaya viz., T. arduus (Kang & Yang, 1994) and T. inornatus (Kang & Yang, 1994) are presented. The biological notes of the stream/rivers are appended. A key to the known Indian species of the genus Tenuibaetis and a distribution maps are provided.
Juvenile morphology of the ornamental crab Mithraculus forceps A. Milne-Edwards, 1875 (Crustacea, Brachyura)
Authors: GALIOTTI LUCAS LOPES , ANTUNES MARIANA , BOLLA EDUARDO A. JR , NEGREIROS-FRANSOZO MARIA LUCIA
Published: October 2022

The morphology of juveniles of Mithraculus forceps A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, raised in the laboratory, is described. The larvae were obtained from ovigerous females collected in the wild, maintained in the rearing system for culture of crabs (400 L). A total of 229 larvae (zoea I), from 7 females were distributed in lots of 20 larvae kept in glass flasks (500 ml), with seawater circulation and temperature and salinity constants, which were checked daily for molts or deaths. After the larvae reached the juvenile stage, exuviae and dead specimens were deposited in a scientific collection. We analyzed the external morphology (N = 10 ind.) of each size class (total = 8). We determined the number of size classes, based on carapace width CW vs. carapace length CL (mm) and its dispersion points, in which we can observe non-hierarchical groupings with no size classes overlapping. We analyzed the relative growth of the juveniles using the technique “Standard Major Axis’’ (Type II regression). The relationships CW vs. CL and CW vs. AW showed negative allometry (b < 1; p < 0.05). The relationships CW vs. CPH and CW vs. CPL are isometric (b = 1; p > 0.05). The most remarkable morphological characters of the juveniles (first size class) are the following: spines at the anterior margin of the carapace, inner marginal teeth in the propodus and dactylus of the chelipeds, number of articles in the antennular endopod and the maxillular endopod, absence of setae on the maxillar endopod, and absence of rudimentary pleopods.
The Effects of Exposure Methods on the Toxicity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles
Authors: Yang Wanqing , Zhu Jingyao , Xie Shichen , Yang Dicheng , Xu Yan , Zhu Jun
Published: October 2022

In recent years, with the widespread use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs), more and more attentions are being given to its biological toxicity, the toxicity of ZnO NPs under different exposure methods is necessary to investigate. In this study, we prepared two ZnO dispersions
with different particle sizes, namely small-size ZnO (S-ZnO) and Bigsize ZnO (B-ZnO), using polycarboxylic acid as dispersant. Mice were poisoned by intravenous injection and inhalation, respectively. The respiration coefficient, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Zn content in the organs of the
mice were detected. It was discovered that ZnO NPs with smaller particle diameter can cause more serious toxicity in vivo after intravenous exposure and respiratory exposure. In addition, the mice showed symptoms of dyspnea after respiratory exposure and a massive number of fibroblasts
were found in the alveolar structure of the lungs. In the intravenous injection group, the content of Zn in the liver and spleen of mice increased significantly, resulting in organ edema, and the organ coefficient of mice increased. Finally, the increase of GSH/GSSG indicated that cells were
regulated under the antioxidant mechanism, which accelerated the removal of H2O2 from cells. In addition, the increase of GSH+GSSG content also indicated that ZnO NPs stimulated the creation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in organs of experimental animals.
AAV-ie-mediated UCP2 overexpression accelerates inner hair cell loss during aging in vivo
Authors: Zhao Chunli , Yang Zijing , Chen Zhongrui , Liang Wenqi , Gong Shusheng , Du Zhengde
Published: October 2022

Background

Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), activated by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vivo, has the dual effect of reducing ROS to protect against oxidative stress and reducing ATP production to regulate cellular metabolism. Both the UCP2 and ROS are increased in cochleae in age-related hearing loss (ARHL). However, the role of UCP2 in sensory hair cells in ARHL remains unclear.

Methods

Male C57BL/6 J mice were randomly assigned to an 8-week-old group (Group 1), a 16-week-old group (Group 2), a 16-week-old + adeno-associated virus-inner ear (AAV-ie) group (Group 3), and a 16-week-old + AAV-ie-UCP2 group (Group 4). Mice aged 8 weeks were administrated with AAV-ie-GFP or AAV-ie-UCP2 via posterior semicircular canal injection. Eight weeks after this viral intervention, hearing thresholds and wave-I amplitudes were tested by auditory brainstem response (ABR). Subsequently, the cochlear basilar membrane was dissected for investigation. The number of hair cells and inner hair cell (IHC) synapses, the level of ROS, and the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα), were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. In addition, mitochondrial function was determined, and the expression of AMPKα and UCP2 proteins was further evaluated using western blotting.

Results

Mice with early-onset ARHL exhibited enhanced oxidative stress and loss of outer hair cells and IHC synapses, while UCP2 overexpression aggravated hearing loss and cochlear pathophysiological changes in mice. UCP2 overexpression resulted in a notable decrease in the number of IHCs and IHC synapses, caused ATP depletion and excessive ROS generation, increased AMPKα protein levels, and promoted IHC apoptosis, especially in the apical and middle turns of the cochlea.

Conclusion

Collectively, our data suggest that UCP2 overexpression may cause mitochondrial dysfunction via energy metabolism, which activates mitochondrion-dependent cellular apoptosis and leads to IHC loss, ultimately exacerbating ARHL.
Cardiac cephalalgia: a narrative review and ICHD-3 criteria evaluation
Authors: Navarro-Pérez María Pilar , Bellosta-Diago Elena , Olesen Jes , Santos-Lasaosa Sonia
Published: October 2022

Background

Cardiac cephalalgia is an unusual condition that occurs during an episode of myocardial ischemia. Information about cardiac cephalalgia is scarce and its characteristics and physiopathology remain unclear. Our aim is to provide a narrative review of clinical characteristics and physiopathology of cardiac cephalalgia and to evaluate the current diagnostic criteria. 

Methods

A search through PubMed was undertaken for studies on cardiac cephalalgia published until 20th September 2022. We summarized the literature and provide a comprehensive review of the headache characteristics and possible mechanisms. We also evaluated current International Classification of Headache Disorders third edition diagnostic criteria based on prior reported cases. 

Results

In total, 88 cases were found. Headache characteristics were variable. Occipital location and throbbing pain were the most frequently reported. Headache was accompanied in most cases by cardiac symptoms. Criterion B was fulfilled by 98% of cases, criterion C1 by 72%, and criteria C2a and C2b by 37 and 93.2%, respectively. Regarding headache features described in diagnostic criterion C3, ‘moderate to severe intensity’, ‘accompanied by nausea’, ‘not accompanied by photophobia or phonophobia’ and ‘aggravated by exertion’, were reported in 75, 31, 55 and 55% of cases, respectively.

Conclusion

Cardiac cephalalgia characteristics are variable and the headache features described in the diagnostic criterion C3 might not be adequate. Given that cardiac cephalalgia can be the manifestation of a life-threatening condition it is important to increase the knowledge about this entity.
Neoplastic cell enrichment of tumor tissues using coring and laser microdissection for proteomic and genomic analyses of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Li Qing Kay , Hu Yingwei , Chen Lijun , Schnaubelt Michael , Cui Zhou Daniel , Li Yize , Lu Rita Jui-Hsien , Thiagarajan Mathangi , Hostetter Galen , Newton Chelsea J. , Jewell Scott D. , Omenn Gil , Robles Ana I. , Mesri Mehdi , Bathe Oliver F. , Zhang Bing , Ding Li , Hruban Ralph H. , Chan Daniel W. , Zhang Hui
Published: October 2022

Background

The identification of differentially expressed tumor-associated proteins and genomic alterations driving neoplasia is critical in the development of clinical assays to detect cancers and forms the foundation for understanding cancer biology. One of the challenges in the analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the low neoplastic cellularity and heterogeneous composition of bulk tumors. To enrich neoplastic cells from bulk tumor tissue, coring, and laser microdissection (LMD) sampling techniques have been employed. In this study, we assessed the protein and KRAS mutation changes associated with samples obtained by these enrichment techniques and evaluated the fraction of neoplastic cells in PDAC for proteomic and genomic analyses.

Methods

Three fresh frozen PDAC tumors and their tumor-matched normal adjacent tissues (NATs) were obtained from three sampling techniques using bulk, coring, and LMD; and analyzed by TMT-based quantitative proteomics. The protein profiles and characterizations of differentially expressed proteins in three sampling groups were determined. These three PDACs and samples of five additional PDACs obtained by the same three sampling techniques were also subjected to genomic analysis to characterize KRAS mutations.

Results

The neoplastic cellularity of eight PDACs ranged from less than 10% to over 80% based on morphological review. Distinctive proteomic patterns and abundances of certain tumor-associated proteins were revealed when comparing the tumors and NATs by different sampling techniques. Coring and bulk tissues had comparable proteome profiles, while LMD samples had the most distinct proteome composition compared to bulk tissues. Further genomic analysis of bulk, cored, or LMD samples demonstrated that KRAS mutations were significantly enriched in LMD samples while coring was less effective in enriching for KRAS mutations when bulk tissues contained a relatively low neoplastic cellularity.

Conclusions

In addition to bulk tissues, samples from LMD and coring techniques can be used for proteogenomic studies. The greatest enrichment of neoplastic cellularity is obtained with the LMD technique.
The resistomes of Mycobacteroides abscessus complex and their possible acquisition from horizontal gene transfer
Authors: Chong Shay Lee , Tan Joon Liang , Ngeow Yun Fong
Published: October 2022

Background

Mycobacteroides abscessus complex (MABC), an emerging pathogen, causes human infections resistant to multiple antibiotics. In this study, the genome data of 1,581 MABC strains were downloaded from NCBI database for phylogenetic relatedness inference, resistance profile identification and the estimation of evolutionary pressure on resistance genes in silico.

Results

From genes associated with resistance to 28 antibiotic classes, 395 putative proteins (ARPs) were identified, based on the information in two antibiotic resistance databases (CARD and ARG-ANNOT). The ARPs most frequently identified in MABC were those associated with resistance to multiple antibiotic classes, beta-lactams and aminoglycosides. After excluding ARPs that had undergone recombination, two ARPs were predicted to be under diversifying selection and 202 under purifying selection. This wide occurrence of purifying selection suggested that the diversity of commonly shared ARPs in MABC have been reduced to achieve stability. The unequal distribution of ARPs in members of the MABC could be due to horizontal gene transfer or ARPs pseudogenization events. Most (81.5%) of the ARPs were observed in the accessory genome and 72.2% ARPs were highly homologous to proteins associated with mobile genetic elements such as plasmids, prophages and viruses. On the other hand, with TBLASTN search, only 18 of the ARPs were identified as pseudogenes.

Conclusion

Altogether, our results suggested an important role of horizontal gene transfer in shaping the resistome of MABC.
Genome-associations of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase producing (ESBL) or AmpC producing E. coli in small and medium pig farms from Khon Kaen province, Thailand
Authors: Pires João , Huber Laura , Hickman Rachel A. , Dellicour Simon , Lunha Kamonwan , Leangapichart Thongpan , Jiwakanon Jatesada , Magnusson Ulf , Sunde Marianne , Järhult Josef D. , Van Boeckel Thomas P.
Published: October 2022

Thailand is undergoing rapid intensification of livestock production where small subsistence farms and medium sized commercial farms coexist. In medium farms, antimicrobials are prescribed by a veterinarian, whereas in small farms antimicrobial use remains largely unsupervised. The impact of these differences as well as other farming practices on the emergence and composition of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) remains largely unknown. We analyzed 363 genomes of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase producing (ESBL) and/or AmpC producing Escherichia coli recovered from humans and pigs at small and medium farms from the Khon Kaen province, Thailand. We tested for genome-wide associations to identify links between ARGs, host, and farm size. Pig isolates from small farms were associated with mcr and qnr genes conferring resistance to colistin and fluoroquinolones, respectively. In contrast, pig isolates from medium farms were associated with ARGs conferring resistance to drugs commonly used on medium farms (i.e., streptomycin). ESBL plasmids from small farms co-carried ARGs conferring resistance to critically important antimicrobials more frequently compared to plasmid from medium farms. Frequent ARG combinations included blaCTX-M-55 + qnrS1 (29.8% vs 17.5% in small and medium farms, respectively), blaCTX-M-55 + qnrS1 + mcr-3.19 (5% vs 0%), blaCTX-M-14 + qnrS1 (9.3% vs 6.2%), and blaCTX-M-14 + qnrS1 + mcr-1.1 (3.1% vs 0%). The co-location on plasmids of ARGs conferring resistance to critically important antimicrobials as defined by the World Health Organization is concerning, and actions to curb their spread are urgently needed. Legislation on limiting antimicrobial sales and initiatives to better inform farmers and veterinarians on appropriate antimicrobial usage and farm biosecurity could help reduce antimicrobial use on farms.
Detection of C8/T1 radiculopathy by measuring the root motor conduction time
Authors: Park Dougho , Lee Sang-Eok , Cho Jae Man , Yang Joong Won , Yang Donghoon , Kim Mansu , Kwon Heum Dai
Published: October 2022

Background

Root motor conduction time (RMCT) can noninvasively evaluate the status of the proximal root segment. However, its clinical application remains limited, and wider studies regarding its use are scarce. We aimed to investigate the association between C8/T1 level radiculopathy and RMCT.

Methods

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Subjects were extracted from a general hospital’s spine clinic database. A total of 48 C8/T1 root lesions from 37 patients were included, and 48 C8/T1 root levels from control subjects were matched for age, sex, and height. RMCT was measured in the abductor pollicis brevis muscle and the assessment of any delays owing to C8/T1 radiculopathy.

Results

The RMCT of the C8/T1 radiculopathy group was 1.7 ± 0.6 ms, which was significantly longer than that in the control group (1.2 ± 0.8 ms; p = 0.001). The delayed RMCT was independently associated with radiculopathy (adjusted odds ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.27; p = 0.011) after adjusting for the peripheral motor conduction time, amplitude of median compound motor nerve action potential, and shortest F-wave latency. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve for diagnosing C8/T1 radiculopathy using RMCT was 0.72 (0.61–0.82). The RMCT was significantly correlated with symptom duration (coefficient = 0.58; p < 0.001) but was not associated with the degree of arm pain.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate the clinical applicability of the RMCT by demonstrating its utility in diagnosing radiculopathy at certain spinal levels.
Axillary vein thrombosis 30 h after caesarean section: a case report and literature review
Authors: Cai Benshuo , Li Gang
Published: October 2022

Background

Axillary vein thrombosis is a very rare disorder. However, a case of axillary vein thrombosis shortly after caesarean section has not been reported previously. We report a case of axillary vein thrombosis 30 h after caesarean section due to an unidentified aetiology.

Case

A 37-year-old multiparous woman developed swelling and pain of the forearm and hand 30 h after undergoing a caesarean section. Doppler ultrasonography revealed a 14.9 mm × 5.3 mm thrombosis in the left axillary vein although a prophylaxis of anticoagulation was administrated. After an adjusted-dose of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) was administered, the patient recovered and was discharged.

Conclusion

Obstetricians should be fully aware of the possibility of upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) despite its rarity, especially after the surgery. Lying in the lateral decubitus position for long periods postoperatively should be avoided as much as possible.
HELENA: HER2-Low as a prEdictive factor of response to Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in eArly breast cancer
Authors: Cherifi François , Da Silva Angélique , Johnson Alison , Blanc-Fournier Cécile , Abramovici Olivia , Broyelle Antonin , Levy Christelle , Allouache Djelila , Hrab Ioana , Segura Carine , Morel Adeline , Villemin Maud , Boscher Clémence , Dubot-Poitelon Coraline , Rottier Pauline , Lequesne Justine , Emile George
Published: October 2022

Background

HER2 expression has a prognostic and predictive impact in early-stage breast cancer (BC). HER2 positive BC (immunohistochemistry (IHC) score 3 + or 2 + with in situ hybridization (ISH) amplification) are treated with HER2 targeted therapies. The concept of HER2-low BC (IHC score 1 + or 2 + without ISH amplification) is drawing attention as anti-HER2 treatment has recently shown efficacy in this subgroup. We aimed to explore the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in HER2-low early BC according to the HER2 score (1 + or 2 + without amplification).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study in two French comprehensive cancer centers. All patients with HER2-low BC treated with NAC from January 2014 to December 2020 were included. The primary objective was to analyze the pathological complete response (pCR) rate to NAC using the Sataloff or RCB system, according to the HER2 score. Secondary objectives were to assess disease free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and to explore the immune environment through the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), according to HER2 expression. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

Results

We included 237 tumors for 229 patients. Of these, 160 (67.5%) tumors were HER2 1 + , 77 (32.5%) were HER2 2 + , and 152 (64.1%) were hormone receptor (HR) positive. The median age was 53.9 years. No differences in tumor characteristics were observed between HER2 1 + and HER2 2 + subgroups. pCR was achieved in 38 tumors (17%), without any difference between HER2 1 + and HER2 2 + subgroups (p = 0.77). DFS and OS were significantly different between HER2 1 + and HER2 2 + patients (HR = 0.41,CI95%[0.17;0.97] p = 0.037 and HR = 0.31,CI95%[0.09;1.02] p = 0.042, respectively). HER2 status was still associated with DFS and OS after adjustment for age, HR status and NLR, with better outcomes in favor of HER2 score 2 + (HR = 0.35 [0.15–0.84] and HR = 0.24 [0.07–0.81], respectively). NLR was not associated with worse DFS or OS.

Conclusion

In HER2-low early BC, no differences in pCR were observed between HER2 1 + and HER2 2 + tumors, however patients with HER2 2 + tumors had a better DFS and OS than those with HER2 1 + . Further investigations are needed to describe the intrinsic differences in the spectrum of HER2-low BC.
Explainable machine learning methods and respiratory oscillometry for the diagnosis of respiratory abnormalities in sarcoidosis
Authors: de Lima Allan Danilo , Lopes Agnaldo J. , do Amaral Jorge Luis Machado , de Melo Pedro Lopes
Published: October 2022

Background

In this work, we developed many machine learning classifiers to assist in diagnosing respiratory changes associated with sarcoidosis, based on results from the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT), a non-invasive method used to assess pulmonary mechanics. In addition to accurate results, there is a particular interest in their interpretability and explainability, so we used Genetic Programming since the classification is made with intelligible expressions and we also evaluate the feature importance in different experiments to find the more discriminative features.

Methodology/principal findings

We used genetic programming in its traditional tree form and a grammar-based form. To check if interpretable results are competitive, we compared their performance to K-Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, AdaBoost, Random Forest, LightGBM, XGBoost, Decision Trees and Logistic Regressor. We also performed experiments with fuzzy features and tested a feature selection technique to bring even more interpretability. The data used to feed the classifiers come from the FOT exams in 72 individuals, of which 25 were healthy, and 47 were diagnosed with sarcoidosis. Among the latter, 24 showed normal conditions by spirometry, and 23 showed respiratory changes. The results achieved high accuracy (AUC > 0.90) in two analyses performed (controls vs. individuals with sarcoidosis and normal spirometry and controls vs. individuals with sarcoidosis and altered spirometry). Genetic Programming and Grammatical Evolution were particularly beneficial because they provide intelligible expressions to make the classification. The observation of which features were selected most frequently also brought explainability to the study of sarcoidosis.

Conclusions

The proposed system may provide decision support for clinicians when they are struggling to give a confirmed clinical diagnosis. Clinicians may reference the prediction results and make better decisions, improving the productivity of pulmonary function services by AI-assisted workflow.
Influence of baseline arterial stiffness on effects of intensive compared with standard blood pressure control: a post hoc analysis of the STEP trial
Authors: Song Qirui , Ling Qianhui , Bai Jingjing , Zhang Hongwei , Bu Peili , Chen Fang , Wu Shouling , Zhang Weili , Chen Mulei , Cai Jun
Published: October 2022

Background

The benefits and risks of intensive versus standard systolic blood pressure (SBP) treatment in older patients with arterial stiffness (AS) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the interaction between the baseline AS and SBP treatments on cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods

In this post hoc analysis of the Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial, we involved 6865 participants with complete data regarding baseline brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Patients were categorized by baseline AS status (AS, baPWV ≥ 1800 cm/s; non-AS, baPWV < 1800 cm/s). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular events. The secondary outcomes were stroke, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), major cardiovascular events (MACE), and all-cause death. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios for the outcomes.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 2.69 years, a total of 248 primary outcome events and 81 all-cause deaths occurred. The hazard ratios for the primary outcome were 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54–1.09) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.43–0.92) in the AS and non-AS groups, respectively (P for interaction = 0.43), and that for stroke was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.33–1.02) and 0.48 (95% CI, 0.23–0.99) in the AS and non-AS groups, respectively (P for interaction = 0.68). Effects of intensive SBP treatment on safety outcomes and all-cause death were also similar in the two groups (P for interaction > 0.05 for all).

Conclusions

In the STEP trial, the beneficial effects of intensive SBP treatment were similar among those in the AS group and the non-AS group at baseline.

Trial registration

STEP ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03015311. Registered 2 January 2017.
The effects of visual context on visual-vestibular mismatch revealed by electrodermal and postural response measures
Authors: Al-Sharif Doaa S. , Tucker Carole A. , Coffman Donna L. , Keshner Emily A.
Published: October 2022

Background

No objective criteria exist for diagnosis and treatment of visual-vestibular mismatch (VVM).

Objective

To determine whether measures of electrodermal activity (EDA) and trunk acceleration will identify VVM when exposed to visual-vestibular conflict.

Methods

A modified VVM questionnaire identified the presence of VVM (+ VVM) in 13 of 23 young adults (34 ± 8 years) diagnosed with vestibular migraine. Rod and frame tests and outcome measures for dizziness and mobility were administered. Participants stood on foam while viewing two immersive virtual environments. Trunk acceleration in three planes and electrodermal activity (EDA) were assessed with wearable sensors. Linear mixed effect (LME) models were used to examine magnitude and smoothness of trunk acceleration and tonic and phasic EDA. Welch’s t-test and associations between measures were assessed with a Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Effect sizes of group mean differences were calculated.

Results

Greater than 80% of all participants were visually dependent. Outcome measures were significantly poorer in the + VVM group: tonic EDA was lower (p < 0.001) and phasic EDA higher (p < 0.001). Postural accelerations varied across groups; LME models indicated a relationship between visual context, postural, and ANS responses in the + VVM group.

Conclusions

Lower tonic EDA with + VVM suggests canal-otolith dysfunction. The positive association between vertical acceleration, tonic EDA, and visual dependence suggests that increased vertical segmental adjustments are used to compensate. Visual context of the spatial environment emerged as an important control variable when testing or treating VVM.