bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced nuclear Y-box binding protein-1 expression predicts poor prognosis in close association with mammalian target of rapamycin expression in endometrial cancer
Authors: Yoshimitsu Teruyuki , Nishio Shin , Park Jongmyung , Nasu Hiroki , Matsukuma Ken , Tasaki Kazuto , Katsuda Takahiro , Terada Atsumu , Tsuda Naotake , Kawahara Akihiko , Akiba Jun , Kuwano Michihiko , Ushijima Kimio
Published: May 2023

Background
Enhanced expression of oncogenic Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) predicts prognostic outcomes in patients with various human malignancies, including ovarian cancer, in close association with aberrant expression of genes involved cell proliferation, survival, and resistance to anti-cancer therapy. We examined whether YB-1 could predict the prognostic outcomes of patients with endometrial cancer and whether enhanced YB-1 expression affects the expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a key effector of the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mTOR pathway, in endometrial cancer.
Methods
We examined expression levels of YB-1 and mTOR in tumor samples of 166 patients with endometrial cancer who underwent surgery at our hospital, including those with endometrioid grade 1–3 tumors, serous carcinoma, and stage I-IV disease. Expression levels of YB-1 and mTOR were assessed by immunohistochemical analysis. The correlation between expression levels of YB-1 or mTOR and prognosis was confirmed by biostatistical analysis.
Results
The positivity rate of nuclear YB-1 expression was 9.4%. YB-1 expression was significantly associated with poor progression-free survival (P = 0.012) and overall survival (P = 0.003). Among 166 tumors, 59 (35.5%) expressed mTOR. Nuclear YB-1 expression also correlated with mTOR expression (P = 0.006). We observed similar results when examining only patients who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy.
Conclusions
Enhanced nuclear YB-1 expression could predict poor outcomes in endometrial cancer, and was significantly closely associated with enhanced mTOR expression. Herein, we discuss whether activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through enhanced mTOR expression relates to enhanced YB-1 expression, thereby affecting the prognostic status of endometrial cancer.
Adults Feeding on Pollen Diet Influence Biology and Life Table Parameters of the Ectoparasitoid, Habrobracon hebetor
Authors: Hadidi Mohammad Saeid , Askarianzadeh Alireza , Abbasipour Habib
Published: May 2023

Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hym.: Braconidae) is a polyphagous and gregarious-ectoparasitoid that can parasitize the larvae of some Lepidoptera pest species. This research studied the effect of feeding adult wasps from different pollen diets on the longevity, fecundity rate, and survival rate of H. hebetor. This experiment was conducted in seven pollen diets with four replications. The diets included control, rapeseed, apple, peach, almond, date, and honeybee pollen. Also, honey and vitamin C were used in all diets. The experiments were performed in controlled conditions. According to the results, pollen diets did not significantly affect longevity. Still, fecundity showed a significant increase in honeybee, rapeseed, and date pollen diets compared to the control. Honeybee and rapeseed pollen diets have the highest increase in fecundity and were in the same group. According to the obtained results of analysis of variance, values of the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), grass reproduction rate (GRR), net reproduction rate (R0), and doubling time (DT) in different pollen diets showed a significant difference. The intrinsic rate of increase of H. hebetor was significantly higher in the almonds pollen diet (0.065 ± 0.003 d− 1) compared to others. The maximum value of grass reproduction rate (GRR) and net reproduction rate (R0) related to the date pollen diet (3.38 ± 0.32 and 2.61 ± 0.39 female/female). The minimum population doubling time (DT) was related to the almonds pollen diet (10.58 ± 0.6 d). Therefore, a diet containing pollen plays an important role in the intrinsic rate of increase and other growth parameters of H. hebetor parasitoids. Totally almond, date palm, rapeseed, and honeybee pollen diets were more suitable for mass rearing the parasitoid wasp.
Blockchain-Cloud Integration: Comprehensive Survey and Open Research Issues
Authors: Ghanmi Houaida , Hajlaoui Nasreddine , Touati Haifa , Hadded Mohamed , Muhlethaler Paul
Published: May 2023

Cloud computing has attracted great interest in various scientific and technical fields recently as one of the widely adopted networking technologies. Despite their many benefits and applications, it still faces many security and trust challenges, including managing and controlling services, privacy, data integrity in distributed databases, data backup, and synchronization. Moreover, due to its centralized architecture, and lack of transparency and traceability, the results of the trust assessment cannot be fully recognized by all users. However, creating a trust-based transaction environment has become its key factor. Blockchain, with its nature of decentralization and security, can be leveraged to address these challenges and build a distributed and decentralized trust architecture, due to the underlying characteristics such as transparency, traceability, decentralization, security, immutability, and automation. This article makes a comprehensive study of how blockchain is applied to deliver security services in the cloud computing model, focusing on up-to-date approaches, opportunities, and future directions. This survey also discusses the benefits of the technical fusion of blockchain and cloud. It provides a classification of proposed systems based on privacy and key sharing, data sharing, authentication and access control, as well as auditing and data integrity. Finally, the main conclusions of this study will be the challenges and future directions to stimulate further research in this promising field.
Mitigation of microbial degradation of X80 carbon steel mechanical properties using a green biocide
Authors: Li Zhong , Yang Jike , Lu Shihang , Dou Wenwen , Gu Tingyue
Published: May 2023

Most microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) studies focus on the threat of pinhole leaks caused by MIC pitting. However, microbes can also lead to structural failures. Tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS) biocide mitigated the microbial degradation of mechanical properties of X80 pipeline steel by Desulfovibrio ferrophilus, a very corrosive sulfate reducing bacterium. It was found that 100 ppm (w/w) THPS added to the enriched artificial seawater (EASW) culture medium before incubation resulted in approximately 3-log reduction in sessile cell count after a 7-d incubation at 28oC, leading to 94% weight loss reduction. The X80 dogbone coupon incubated with 100 ppm THPS for 7 d suffered only 3% loss in ultimate tensile strain and 0% loss in ultimate tensile strength compared with the abiotic control in EASW. In comparison, the no-treatment X80 dogbone suffered losses of 13% in ultimate tensile strain and 6% in ultimate tensile stress, demonstrating very good THPS efficacy.
Comparisons of Bone and Muscle Performance in Patients with Single or Multiple Vertebral Fractures
Authors: Zhang Chenggui , Li Yang , Wang Guodong , Sun Jianmin
Published: May 2023

Patients with multiple fractures tend to be at higher risk of further fractures and are generally associated with more complex and serious clinical problems than patients with single fractures. Musculoskeletal health of patients with single or multiple vertebral fractures has not been thoroughly compared. Therefore, we aimed to compare the BMD, bone turnover, muscularity, fatty infiltration of muscle, and prevalence of co-morbidities in patients with single and multiple vertebral fractures. We recruited 100 patients with single fracture (age 66.96 ± 8.24 years) and 100 with multiple fractures (age 69.90 ± 7.80 years); performed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry of the femoral neck, hip, and lumbar vertebrae; and measured biochemical markers of bone turnover, muscularity, and fatty infiltration. Patients with multiple vertebral fractures had lower hip BMD (p = 0.010) than those with single fractures, but there was no difference in femoral neck and lumbar vertebral BMD nor in muscularity. However, fatty infiltration, an indicator of muscle quality, was significantly higher in participants with multiple fractures (p = 0.006). Diabetes was significantly more common in patients with multiple fractures (p = 0.042). There were no significant differences in markers of bone turnover, and Seperman analyses showed no correlations of CTX-1 or tPINP with the BMD of the hip, femoral neck, or lumbar spine. However, high CTX-1 was associated with high tPINP (r = 0.4805; p < 0.0001), and marked fatty infiltration was associated with low hip, lumbar vertebral, and femoral neck BMD. Cox regression analyses showed that age (OR 1.057; 95% CI 1.016–1.101; p = 0.006) and low hip BMD (OR 0.016; 95% CI, 0.000–0.549; p = 0.022) were associated with a higher risk of multiple fractures. In conclusion, hip BMD may be a more sensitive indicator for reflecting the fracture severity, patients with multiple fractures tend to have worse skeletal and muscular health, including lower hip BMD and more fatty infiltration of muscle, implying that they should be targeted clinically.
Old foes following news ways? - Pandemic-related changes in the epidemiology of viral respiratory tract infections
Authors: Maison Nicole , Omony Jimmy , Rinderknecht Sophia , Kolberg Laura , von Both Ulrich , von Mutius Erika , Hübner Johannes , Meyer-Bühn Melanie
Published: May 2023

Introduction
Following lockdown periods and restricting public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory tract infections (RTIs) rose significantly worldwide. This led to an increased burden on children's hospitals compromising medical care of acutely and chronically ill children. We characterized changes in the epidemiological pattern of circulating respiratory viral infections.
Methods
We assessed the number of patients with RTIs and the annual distribution of virus detections between 2019 and 2022 based on 4809 clinical samples (4131 patients) from a German pediatric tertiary care-center. We investigated the impact of lockdown periods on spectra of circulating respiratory viruses, pattern of coinfections, age, and seasonality of infections.
Results
A fourfold increase in the number of respiratory virus detections was observed in 2019 vs 2022 with numbers doubling in 2022 (vs 2021). In 2022, seasonal patterns of virus circulation were less pronounced and appeared to have disappeared for Rhino/Enterovirus. SARS-CoV-2, Parainfluenza- and human Metapneumovirus detections increased significantly in 2022 (2019 vs 2022, p < 0.01). Coinfections with multiple viruses occurred more frequently since 2021 compared to pre-pandemic years, especially in younger children (2019 vs 2022, p < 0.01).
Conclusion
Compared to pre-pandemic years, we observed a dramatic increase in pediatric RTIs with an incrementing spectrum of viruses and a predominance in Rhino/Enterovirus infections – leading to a high rate of hospital admissions, particularly in conjunction with other viruses. This caused an acute shortage in medical care and may also be followed by an increase of virus-triggered secondary chronic respiratory diseases like asthma - rendering a burden on the health system.
An Institutional Experience of Haematoma Management After Head and Neck Onco-surgeries
Authors: Dhondge Rajendra , Hussain Mohsina , Shaikh Ahmer Arif , Roy Sirshendu , Nagarkar Raj
Published: May 2023

Management of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma mainly consists of controlling the primary tumour and regional cervical nodal metastases if any. Surgical complications lead to increased hospital stay, further surgical interventions and sometimes a fatal outcome. Postoperative neck hematoma is one such potential and dreaded complication of head and neck surgeries leading to infection, airway obstruction, compression of the surrounding structures causing free flap failure or sometimes may even lead to death. Haematoma might arise from any of the unaddressed neck vessels or some major vessels in the primary site which were inadvertently injured. To minimise the incidence, we in our institute have formulated an institutional protocol and followed it stringently for all patients undergoing neck dissection and free flap reconstruction. Between August 2017 to March 2019 out of 548 patients operated and reconstructed with free flap, 24 patients (4.38%) had developed a post-operative haematoma. However, after following our protocol, the incidence of haematoma drastically decreased and out of 1234 patients operated between April 2019 to December 2022 only 14 patients (1.13%) developed haematoma of the neck. Though ours is a pilot study, we feel that our protocol is easy to follow, and we have applied it successfully in surgical practice and decreased the incidence of post-operative hematoma.
The role of NSE and Tau proteins in identifying Sepsis-associated Delirium: a cross- sectional pilot study
Authors: Pinto Agnes , Carvalho Maira , Barbeiro Hermes , Gomez Luz , Maia Ian , Marchini Júlio Flávio Meirelles , Garcez Flávia Barreto , Avelino-Silva Thiago Junqueira , Soler Lucas , Mochetti Matheus , Souza Heraldo , Alencar Julio Cesar Garcia
Published: May 2023

Background Sepsis-associated delirium is a cerebral manifestation commonly occurring in patients with sepsis and is thought to occur due to a combination of neuroinflammation and disturbances in cerebral perfusion, the blood brain barrier (BBB) and neurotransmission. This cross-sectional pilot study aims to evaluate plasma levels and possible correlation between brain cell damage biomarkers (neuron-specific enolase [NSE] and Tau proteins) in patients with delirium and sepsis, and to obtain tools that identify sepsis in patients with delirium admitted in the Emergency Department. Results We analyzed 25 patients, and 14 (56%) had sepsis. Septic patients had higher NSE (2.7ng/mL, [95% CI: 2.2–3.2] vs. 1.7ng/mL, [95% CI: 0.8–2.5], p < 0.003) and Tau (94.2pg/mL, [95% CI: 77.0-111.3] vs. 57.8pg/mL, [95% CI 31.2–84.5], p < 0.003) than non-septic patients. The best cutoffs for NSE and Tau protein were 2.08ng/mL (LR positive: 4.71, LR negative: 0.17) and 59.27pg/mL (LR positive 3.40, LR negative: 0.09) respectively. We found a 90% specificity for developing sepsis in patients with both NSE above 1.59ng/mL and Tau above 59.27pg/mL. Conclusions NSE and Tau proteins, biomarkers of brain injury, are higher in septic patients than non-septic when analyzed older patients with delirium. Therefore, we suggest that plasma levels of these proteins may be further studied as tools to identify infectious etiology of delirium in older patients in Emergency Departments.
HIPPO: HIstogram-based Pseudo-POtential for scoring protein-ssRNA fragment-based docking poses
Authors: Kravchenko Anna , De Vries Sjoerd Jacob , Smaïl-Tabbone Malika , de Beauchene Isaure Chauvot
Published: May 2023

Motivation
: The RNA-Recognition motif (RRM) is a protein domain that binds single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) and is present in as much as 2% of the human genome. Despite this important role in biology, RRM-ssRNA interactions are very challenging to study on the structural level because of the remarkable flexibility of ssRNA. In the absence of atomic-level experimental data, the only method able to predict the 3D structure of protein-ssRNA complexes with any degree of accuracy is ssRNA’TTRACT, an ssRNA fragment-based docking approach using ATTRACT. However, this approach has limitations, such as the production of only a handful of near-native poses amid many non-natives, and the frequent failure of the ATTRACT scoring function (ASF) to recognize these near-natives. Nevertheless, since ASF parameters are not ssRNA-specific and were determined in 2010, there is substantial opportunity for enhancement.
Results
Here we present HIPPO, a composite RRM-ssRNA scoring potential derived analytically from contact frequencies in near-native versus non-native docking models. Validated on a fragment-based docking benchmark of 57 experimentally solved RRM-ssRNA complexes, HIPPO achieved a 3-fold or higher enrichment for half of the fragments, versus only a quarter with ASF. In particular, HIPPO drastically improved the chance of very high enrichment (12-fold or higher), a scenario where the incremental modelling of entire ssRNA chains from fragments becomes viable. However, for the latter result, more research is needed to make it directly practically applicable. Regardless, our approach already improves upon the state of the art in RRM-ssRNA modelling and is in principle extendable to other types of protein-nucleic acid interactions.
Temperature Inhibition of Plasma-Driven Methane Conversion in DBD Systems
Authors: Akintola Ibukunoluwa , Rivera-Castro Gerardo , Yang Jinyu , Secrist Jeffrey , Hicks Jason C. , Veloso Felipe , Go David B.
Published: May 2023

Low-temperature non-thermal plasmas (LTPs) produce highly reactive chemical environments made up of electrons, ions, radicals, and vibrationally excited molecules. These reactive species, when combined with catalysts, can help drive thermodynamically unfavorable chemical reactions at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure. One potential area of impact is the direct coupling of methane (CH4) with nitrogen (N2) to produce value-added chemicals via a plasma-assisted catalytic process. To effectively create these plasma catalytic systems, a fundamental understanding of the plasma-phase chemistry alone is imperative. While there have been many studies on methane plasmas and how certain operating conditions (i.e., gas composition and power) affect the plasma, there is limited understanding on how changing bulk reaction temperature affects the plasma properties and ensuing plasma chemistry. In this work, we use a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to investigate the effects of temperature on the reaction chemistry and the plasma’s electrical properties in various methane-gas mixtures. Results show that increasing temperature leads to a reduction in methane conversion as well as changes to both the gas and dielectric material pre-breakdown, which manifests itself in temperature-dependent electrical properties of the plasma. Experiments at various temperatures and power show a positive correlation between key electrical plasma properties (average charge and lifetime per filament) and the measured methane conversion as a function of temperature.
Vegetation-based Approach for Rotational Landslide Activity Classification: Case Study of Kundasang, Sabah
Authors: Salleh Mohd Radhie Mohd , Rahman Muhammad Zulkarnain Abdul , Ismail Zamri , Khanan Mohd Faisal Abdul , Kanniah Kasturi Devi , Ariffin Azman , Kadir Wan Hazli Wan , Tam Tze Huey , Asmadi Mohd Asraff
Published: May 2023

Background
Mapping and monitoring the state of activity of landslides is crucial for effective landslide management and risk assessment. This study presents a novel approach using vegetation anomalies indicator (VAI) derived from high-resolution remotely sensed data for landslide state of activity mapping. The study focuses on the Kundasang area in Sabah, Malaysia, known for its tectonic activity. High-resolution remotely sensed data were utilized to assist in the manual inventory process of landslide activities and to generate VAIs as input for modeling.
Results
The landslide inventory process identified active, dormant, and relict landslides. The resulting inventory map was divided into training (70%) and validation (30%) datasets for modeling purposes. Seven main VAIs, including canopy gap, mature woody vegetation, primary forest, Root Strength Index (RSI), and water-loving tree, were produced and used as the input for the classification process using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) methods. The result showed that SVM outperforms ANN for both deep-seated and shallow rotational landslides, with an overall accuracy of 68.6% and 80.7%, respectively. Furthermore, an evaluation of SVM revealed that the radial basis function (RBF) kernel yielded the highest accuracies, whereas ANN performed best with a hyperbolic tangent (tanh) activation function.
Conclusion
The accurate classification of landslide state of activity using VAI provides several benefits, including the ability to map and classify landslide activity in forested areas, characterize vegetation characteristics specific to each activity state, and enable continuous monitoring in areas where field monitoring is impractical. This research opens new possibilities for more accurate landslide activity mapping and monitoring, thereby improving disaster risk reduction and management in tectonically active regions.
The Effect of Probiotics on Treatments in Patients Affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zhang Wenluo , Lin Beibei , Lei Yue , Zhang Yu , Cao Qian , Xu Mengque , Zhang Yu
Published: May 2023

Background: Gut dysbiosis has been associated with development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Over the last two decades, many publications have focused on the role of probiotics in IBD. However, studies regarding the treatment of IBD with probiotics have not yielded consistent results.
Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics in IBD therapy.
Results: A total of seven studies met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis, which included 879 participants. We finally selected five endpoints to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics, 3 indicators showed the statistical difference, including C-reactive protein (CRP)(OR: -2.45, 95% CI: -3.16, -1.73, P< 0.01), the number of fecal Bifidobacterium (OR: 3.37, 95%CI: 3.28, 3.47, P< 0.01) and Lactobacillus(OR: 2.00, 95%CI: 1.91, 2.09, P< 0.01) . The other two indicators including the disease activity of Crohn’s Disease (CD) (OR: -0.17, 95%CI: -1.46, 1.12, P=0.80) and ulcerative colitis(UC) (OR: -0.31, 95%CI: -1.36, 0.74, P=0.56) showed no statistical difference, while the OR reflected the beneficial relationship between probiotics and IBD.
Conclusion: Supplementation of probiotics can improve clinical symptoms in IBD patients, reduce the serological inflammation level, and regulate the intestinal microenvironment, but more RCTs are needed.
Dynamic characteristics simulation of a temperate glacier based on an Elmers/Ice model
Authors: Zhen Wu , Huiwen Zhang , Anan Chen
Published: May 2023

A large number of temperate glaciers are distributed in the southwest of China. Due to the effects of perennial high temperatures and excess rainfall, the movement and variations of these temperate glaciers are quite different from those of continental glaciers. To further understand the regulation of changes intemperate glaciers, we simulated the variations in the dynamic characteristic of the Hailuogou(HLG)glacier under the conditions of warm and wet climate based on the Elmer/Ice model in this study. The ice velocity, temperature and deviatoric stress in different directions were calculated. The results were as follows:(1)The high temperature in the ablation zone led to the long-term high-speed movement of glaciers;(2) Stress simulation showed that many areas of the HLG glacier were under the action of tensile force, and there was a certain compressive force occurred only at the positions where the upstream ice surface became narrow from wide, indicating that the viscosity of ice body was low; (3) Because the ice body was in a low viscosity state for a long time, the mass loss caused by ice flow and ablation was great, thus the ablation zone was in a large negative mass balance state. Moreover, the changes of the HLG glacier over the next 40 years were simulated based on two kinds of climatic scenario(RCP4.5 andRCP8.5).The results presented that the ice flow flux in the glacial accumulation zone was difficult to compensate for the mass loss in the ablation zone under the current state of mass balance variation, and then the ablation zone would shrink in the next 40 years. Thus, this study also revealed that temperate glaciers were more sensitive to climate than continental glaciers.
Systemic immune response in young and elderly patients after traumatic brain injury
Authors: Magatti Marta , Pischiutta Francesca , Ortolano Fabrizio , Pasotti Anna , Caruso Enrico , Cargnoni Anna , Papait Andrea , Capuzzi Franco , Zoerle Tommaso , Carbonara Marco , Stocchetti Nino , Borsa Stefano , Locatelli Marco , Erba Elisa , Prati Daniele , Silini Antonietta R , Zanier Elisa R , Parolini Ornella
Published: May 2023

Background
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide. In addition to primary brain damage, systemic immune alterations occur, with evidence for dysregulated immune responses in aggravating TBI outcome and complications. However, immune dysfunction following TBI has been only partially understood, especially in the elderly who represent a substantial proportion of TBI patients and worst outcome. Therefore, we aimed to conduct an in-depth immunological characterization of TBI patients, by evaluating both adaptive (T and B lymphocytes) and innate (NK and monocytes) immune cells of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected acutely (< 48h) after TBI in young (18–45 yo) and elderly (> 65 yo) patients, compared to age-matched controls, and also the levels of inflammatory biomarkers.
Results
Our data show that young respond differently than elderly to TBI, highlighting the immune unfavourable status of elderly compared to young patients. While in young only CD4 T lymphocytes are activated by TBI, in elderly both CD4 and CD8 T cells are affected, and are induced to differentiate into subtypes with low cytotoxic activity, such as central memory CD4 T cells and memory precursor effector CD8 T cells. Moreover, TBI enhances the frequency of subsets that have not been previously investigated in TBI, namely the double negative CD27-IgD- and CD38-CD24- B lymphocytes, and CD56dimCD16- NK cells, both in young and elderly patients. TBI reduces the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, and the expression of HLA-DM, HLA-DR, CD86/B7-2 in monocytes, suggesting a compromised ability to drive a pro-inflammatory response and to efficiently act as antigen presenting cells.
Conclusions
We described the acute immunological response induced by TBI and its relation with injury severity, which could contribute to pathologic evolution and possibly outcome. The focus on age-related immunological differences could help design specific therapeutic interventions based on patients’ characteristics.
Developing a Nomogram Model and Prognostic Analysis of Nasopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Liu Ke , Wang Juan
Published: May 2023

Background
Nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (NPSCC) is a common histo-logical subtype of nasopharyngeal cancer with a generally poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to identify factors affecting the survival prognosis of NPSCC patients and develop a specialized nomogram model.
Methods
We extracted clinical data of 1235 diagnosed cases of NPSCC from the SEER database using SEER*Stat software. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to explore clinical factors that impact the prognosis of NPSCC patients. Based on significant independent factors, we developed a nomogram to predict the 1, 3, and 5 years overall survival rates. The discriminative and predictive abilities of the nomogram were evaluated using C-index, calibration curve, area under the curve (AUC), and receiver operating characteristic curve. We evaluated the clinical value of the nomogram using decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curve (CIC).
Results
We performed a cohort analysis on 846 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer in the training cohort. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed age, race, marital status, primary tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, SJCC stage, primary tumor size, Lung metastasis and brain metastasis as independent prognostic factors for NPSCC patients, which we used to construct the nomogram prediction model. The C-index of the training cohort was 0.737. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the AUC of the OS rate at 1, 3, and 5 years in the training cohort was > 0.75. The calibration curves of the two cohorts showed good consistency between the predicted and observed results. DCA and CIC demonstrated that the nomogram prediction model had good clinical benefits.
Conclusions
The nomogram risk prediction model for NPSCC patient survival prognosis, constructed in this study, has exhibited excellent predictive capability. This model can be employed for swift and precise assessment of individualized survival prognosis. It can offer valuable guidance to clinical physicians in diagnosing and treating NPSCC patients.
Investigating the Role of Bisphenol A in the Prevalence of Breast Cancer in Pakistani Population
Authors: Ishtiaq Ayesha , Nasrullah Maryam Anayat , Khan Jahangir Sarwar , Malik Sara , Tareen Usman , Anees Mariam , Sultan Aneesa , Murtaza Iram
Published: May 2023

Breast cancer is an abnormal division of breast cells. Bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental toxicant is identified as an emerging risk factor for breast cancer development. However, to the best of our knowledge no previous study has investigated the BPA levels in breast cancer patients in Pakistan. The present study sought to explore the role of BPA in tumor growth among the Pakistani population. As an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), BPA has greater potential to initiate tumorigenic events in breast tissue by the generation of oxidative stress. The level of BPA in the serum samples of breast cancer patients was significantly (p ≤ 0.01) high as compared to normal control. Histological analysis of breast cancer tissue samples revealed distinct subtypes of tumor such as ductal carcinomain situ(DCIS)) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). There was a significant (p ≤ 0.01) increase in ROS level while significant (p ≤ 0.01) decrease in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes in malignant breast tissue samples as compared to normal tissue samples. We found upregulated expression of p53, ZEB1 and WNT1 genes at mRNA level in malignant breast tissue samples by 17 folds, 328 folds and 35 folds respectively. p53 protein expression in malignant breast tissue samples was also enhanced at the translational level. Conclusively, the current findings suggest a relationship between BPA and the progression of breast cancer among the Pakistani population.
TREM-1, TREM-2 and their association with disease severity in patients with COVID-19
Authors: Fan Ruyue , Cheng Zuowang , Huang Zhisheng , Yang Ying , Sun Na , Hu Bin , Hou Peibin , Liu Bo , Huang Chuanjun , Liu Shuai
Published: May 2023

Background Delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment caused by limited biomarkers were associated with outcomes of COVID-19 patients. It is necessary to find other promising biomarkers and candidate targets for defining dysregulated inflammatory state besides the typical biomarkers and drug targets have been used clinically.Methods In a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with varying degrees of illness severity, we characterized TREM-1 and TREM-2 expression in plasma and on the surface of cell subpopulations using ELISA and flow cytometry, respectively. And their correlations with disease severity and contrast with main clinical indicators were evaluated.Results We found the increased expression of soluble TREM-1 and TREM-2 in plasma from COVID-19 patients compared to the control group. Moreover, membrane-bound TREM-1 and TREM-2 expression was also upregulated on the cell surface of circulating blood T cells from COVID-19 patients. Correlation analysis results showed the sTREM-2 level was negatively correlated with PaO2/FiO2, but positively correlated with CRP, PCT and IL-6 level. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves presented that TREM-1 and TREM-2 exhibited strong predictive abilities, and their expression was equal to CRP and IL-6, and better than leukocytes or neutrophil absolute count and PCT in distinguishing disease severity.Conclusion These results highlighted the important role of TREM-1 and TREM-2 in viral infection. TREM-2 and TREM-1 were critical host immune factors in response to SARS-COV-2 infection and could serve as potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of COVID-19.
Utilizing a Systematic Approach to Predict Resource Needs for Health Care Interventions
Authors: Reddy Aparna , Abe-Nornes Fumiya , Haskell Alison , Venkat Advaidh , Venkatasubramanian Krithika , Saito Momoka , Zhang Yiran , Niktafar Hooman , Leveque Anthony , Kedroske Beth , Ramnath Nithya , Cohn Amy
Published: May 2023

Background Screening interventions are critical for early detection and prevention of more advanced disease states. However, promising screening interventions often fail to be fully adopted. We have observed that these failures may be due, not to the quality of the screening intervention itself, but rather to the failure of resource allocation to successfully implement the screening intervention. Determining the appropriate resources required for a population-wide screening intervention may be challenging for healthcare systems.Methods Recognizing that those designing screening interventions often have great clinical expertise but are less experienced in implementation, we have created a systematic scenario planning tool that can be utilized by a variety of intervention programs to (a) calculate resource needs required for a given target population and (b) identify potential bottlenecks when resources are allocated to an existing program.Demonstrative Results : We used estimates from the Lung Precision Oncology Program at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) as a demonstrative example of the use of this tool.Conclusion We have developed, and will make available for use by others, a straightforward but robust tool for estimating resource needs for screening interventions, specifically in the area of lung cancer screening. In the future, we will continue to refine this tool by incorporating variability in system parameters and identifying how potential resources could be distributed in a steady-state system over time.
Mechanism elucidation of color formation in sugarcane juice during enzymatic
Authors: Casarotti Gabriel Gianjope , Oliveira Bruna , Stanisic Danijela , Schwab Nicolas Vilczaki , Eberlin Marcos Nogueira , Tasic Ljubica , de Aguiar Claudio Lima
Published: May 2023

Although sugarcane is economically important, few studies have been reported on enzymatic browning mechanisms in sugarcane juice. Using advanced analytical techniques, a model study with gallic acid and sugarcane oxidases was carried out to elucidate the mechanisms for colored compounds formation in sugarcane juice. Optimized reactions were determined as a combination of temperature at 50 °C and pH 5. The conversion rate of gallic acid by oxidases was 0.21 mg L-1 h-1. Even though the gallic acid conversion (an important phenolic acid in sugarcane) to o-quinones has been demonstrated, we reported that the end products on enzymatic browning reactions are nitrogenous compounds. Aspartate took part in the condensation reactions mimicing similar reactions among gallic acid and amino acids.
Microplastics distribution in sediments collected from Myanmar
Authors: Tun Thant Zin , MON Ei Ei , Nakata Haruhiko
Published: May 2023

Microplastics (MPs) distributions have been increasingly reported in the terrestrial areas worldwide but a little information is available for ASEAN regions. In this study, 68 sediment samples of drainage channels, lakes, rivers and beach from Myanmar were collected between 2014 and 2018, and analyzed to investigate the status of MPs concentration and prevalence. The high concentrations of MPs in sediments were found in urban cities called Yangon (13,855 pieces/kg dry weight), Mandalay (11,946 pieces/kg), and Pathein (12,583 pieces/kg), which were two orders of magnitude greater than the MPs concentrations in sediments collected in rural towns called Wundwin. These results suggested that difference in high population densities and high municipal solid waste generation rate are related to the MPs contamination in sediments. Polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate with fragments, lines/fibers and films/sheets were major polymers and shape in the sediment samples analyzed from Myanmar. To our knowledges, this is the first study to report the distribution of MPs in sediments from Myanmar.
Prevalence of Common and Rare Ophthalmic Findings in the Adult Population
Authors: Prat Daphna Landau , Kapelushnik Noa , Zloto Ofira , Leshno Ari , Klang Eyal , Sina Sigal , Segev Shlomo , Arazi Mattan , Soudry Shahar , Simon Guy J. Ben
Published: May 2023

Purpose
To examine the ophthalmic data from a large database, and to investigate ophthalmic findings of the eye and its adnexa, including differences in age and sex.
Methods
Retrospective analysis including medical data of all consecutive individuals whose medical records were stored in the Institute of Medical Survey database at a tertiary medical center between 2001–2020. The main outcome measures included the prevalence of ophthalmic findings.
Results
Data was derived from 184,589 visits of 36,762 patients (mean age 52 years, 68% males). The prevalence of the following eye pathologies were extracted. Eyelids: blepharitis (n = 4885, 13.3%), dermatochalasis (n = 4666, 12.7%), ptosis (n = 677, 1.8%), ectropion (n = 73, 0.2%), and xanthelasma (n = 160, 0.4%). Anterior segment: pinguecula (n = 3368, 9.2%), pterygium (n = 852, 2.3%), and cataract or pseudophakia (n = 9381, 27.1%). Cataract type (percentage of all phakic patients): nuclear sclerosis (n = 8908, 24.2%), posterior subcapsular (n = 846, 2.3%), capsular anterior (n = 781, 2.1%). Pseudophakia was noted in n = 1697 patients (4.6%), and n = 229 (0.6%) had posterior subcapsular opacification. Optic nerve head (ONH): peripapillary atrophy (n = 4947, 13.5%), tilted disc (n = 3344, 9.1%), temporal slope (n = 410, 1.1%), ONH notch (n = 61, 0.2%), myelinated nerve fiber layer (n = 94, 0.3%), ONH drusen (n = 37, 0.1%), optic pit (n = 3, 0.0%), and ON coloboma (n = 4, 0.0%). Most pathologies were more common in males except for ONH findings. Similarly, most pathologies demonstrated a higher prevalence with increasing age.
Conclusions
Normal ophthalmic data and the prevalence of ocular pathologies provided were extracted from a very large database of random subjects seen at a single tertiary medical center.
Single-Mode Hollow-Core Anti-Resonant Waveguides for Low-Loss THz Wave Propagation
Authors: Xue Lu , Sheng Xinzhi , Mu Qiyuan , Kong Depeng , Wang Zhaojin , Chu Paul Kim Ho , Lou Shuqin
Published: May 2023

A single-mode hollow-core anti-resonant (HC-AR) waveguide designed for low-loss terahertz (THz) wave propagation is fabricated by three-dimensional (3D) printing. Compared to similar structures reported recently, the rotating-nested semi-elliptical tubes (SETs) in the HC-AR THz waveguide cladding suppress multiple high-order modes (LP11, LP21, and LP02 modes) at the same time giving rise to enhanced single-mode transmission and low losses. Three HC-AR THz waveguides with different wall thicknesses are produced using two photosensitive resins and analyzed by THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The experimental results show that the electric field distributions at the output end of these waveguides have a Gaussian-like distribution reflecting that of the single mode. The smallest transmission losses determined by the ‘cut-back’ method are 0.03 cm− 1 at 0.31 THz for sample A, 0.02 cm− 1 at 0.4 THz for sample B, and 0.01 cm− 1 at 0.23 THz for sample C. The consistent experimental and simulated results reveal that the HC-AR THz waveguide has many advantages over current ones by achieving low losses and single-mode operation simultaneously.
Every child comes with his or her own blessings: The perceptions and belief systems of indegenous Bakiga Men regarding LARCs use by their rural women
Authors: Kibonire Ronald Arineitwe , Mphuthi DAVID Ditaba
Published: May 2023

Worldwide complications associated with pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period claim the lives of many women. Contraception, especially the use of long-acting reversible methods (LARCs), is one of the most effective interventions for reducing maternal mortality. LARCs aid in the postponement of pregnancy and allow for longer intervals between deliveries. However, the use of LARCs remains minimal globally and in Uganda due to male partners' lack of acceptability. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the perceptions and belief systems of rural indigenous Bakiga Ugandan men regarding their rural women's use of LARCs. The study was conducted in the districts of Rubanda, Uganda. Using purposeful sampling, the researcher selected 45 married males aged 20 to 49 for focus group interviews and 15 for individual interviews, for a total of 60 participants. For both individual and focus group interviews, the researcher employed semi-structured questions. Transcribing the interviews, organising the field notes, sorting and saving the data, listening to recordings, looking through the interviews and field notes, coding and categorising the data, and finally finding the emergent themes from the phenomena were all used to analyse the data. According to these research findings, rural indigenous Bakiga Ugandan men's perceptions, and belief systems regarding the use of LARCs by their rural wives served as obstacles to the method's acceptance. Among the perceptions were low libido, effects on body organs, infertility, arm paralysis, adultery, difficulties with the removal and management of side effects, difficulties in feature deliveries, excessive weight gain, conceiving while on a method, the desire for balanced sex, and having the desired number of children. The research also found religious and cultural views as belief systems the men had. The study recommends creating an environment conducive to the provision of LARC services, policymakers and the Ministry of Education and Sports should train pre-service and in-service healthcare personnel to provide LARC services. Other recommendations include enhancing social and behavioural change communication, improving service delivery for LARCs, and instituting robust monitoring and evaluation systems for LARCs.
Development of an Elliptical Perturbation System that provides unexpected perturbations during in-place walking (the EPES system)
Authors: Sade Shoval , Pickholtz Hodaya , Melzer Itshak , Shapiro Amir
Published: May 2023

Background: ‘Perturbation-based balance training’ (PBBT) is a training method that was developed to improve balance reactive responses to unexpected balance loss. This training method is more effective in reducing fall rates than traditional balance training methods. Many PBBTs are performed during standing or treadmill walking which targeted specifically step reactive responses, we however, aimed to develop and build a mechatronic system that can provide unexpected perturbation during in-place walking the Elliptical Perturbation System (the EPES system), with the aim of improving specifically the trunk and upper limbs balance reactive control.
Methods: This paper describes the development, and building of the EPES system, using a stationary Elliptical Exercise device, which allows training of trunk and upper limbs balance reactive responses in older adults.
Results: The EPES system provides 3-dimensional small, controlled, and unpredictable sudden perturbations during stationary in-place walking. We developed software that is able to identify a trainee's trunk and arms reactive balance responses using a stereo camera. After identifying an effective trunk and arms reactive balance response, the software controls the EPES system motors to return the system to its horizontal baseline position after the perturbation. The system thus provides closed-loop feedback for a person's counterbalancing trunk and arm responses, helping to implement implicit motor learning for the trainee. The pilot results show that the EPES software is able to successfully identify balance reactive responses among participants who are exposed to a sudden unexpected perturbation during in-place walking on the EPES system.
Conclusions: EPES trigger reactive balance responses involving counter-rotation action of body segments and simultaneously evoke arms, and trunk reactive response, thus reactive training effects should be expected.
Risk of Falls and Strategies to Reduce Fall Rates in Nursing Homes
Authors: Brahmbhatt Viraj
Published: May 2023

Falls are a serious concern among the elderly community and contribute danger through immediate harm as well as persistent risk that carries on after the fall. One in four elderly adults fall every year resulting in 32,000 annual deaths due to falls. After a fall, there may be weakness, ongoing pain, concussive symptoms, and loss of confidence. Falls are most likely to occur while attempting to stand up or sit down. Currently, there are many interventions in use to prevent falls such as alarms, restraints, hip protectors, and lowering bed height. Studies have found these interventions to be ineffective at reducing fall rates and fall injury. These measures are applicable for falls that occur while sitting or lying down and as such do not account for falls that occur while standing or while attempting to stand. International efforts using staff have shown promising results in reducing falls. This model may be applicable to the American nursing home. In this model, staff assist residents in everyday tasks and are available to help when residents need help standing up or sitting down. Currently, nursing homes are short staffed. Factors such as low wages, poor working conditions, and too many tasks per worker have been cited as contributing to low employment. Additionally, loose governmental regulations on the number of residents per nurse allow for nursing homes to be operational despite being understaffed. Prevention of falls may be best addressed through an active staff that routinely visits resident rooms and assists in walking, getting up, and sitting down. Staff should be responsible for eliminating trip hazards in patient rooms. The Biden administration announced efforts to improve nursing home conditions in early 2022. Governmental interventions in the form of mandating increased staffing and wages for nursing home staff may be effective at reducing fall rates within nursing homes.