bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practice of pharmaceutical care by community pharmacists in response to self-medication request for a cough: a simulated client study
Authors: Loh Pengyeow , Lee Jason Whuan Chuian , Karuppannan Mahmathi , Chua Siew Siang
Published: December 2022

Background: Community pharmacy practice worldwide has been shifting from product-focused to patient-oriented. However, due to the absence of separation between prescribing and dispensing in Malaysia, community pharmacists may have limited roles in the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients with chronic diseases. Therefore, the main functions of community pharmacists in Malaysia are related to self-medication requests for minor ailments and the supply of non-prescription medications. The objective of this study was to determine the practice of pharmaceutical care by Malaysian community pharmacists in response to self-medication requests for a cough.
Methods: This study utilised a simulated client method. A research assistant, acting as a simulated client, visited community pharmacies in the Klang Valley, Malaysia to consult the pharmacists on the treatment of a cough experienced by his father. Upon leaving the pharmacy premise, the simulated client entered the pharmacist’s responses in a data collection form which was structured based on pharmacy mnemonics for the response to symptoms, OBRA'90 on counselling elements, the five practice principles of pharmaceutical care by the American Pharmacists Association and literature review. Visits to the community pharmacies were conducted from September to October 2018.
Results: The simulated client visited a total of 100 community pharmacies. None of these community pharmacists practised adequate patients' data collection, with only 13%, 15% and 3% practised all the components studied under medication information evaluation, formulating a drug therapy plan, and monitoring and modifying the plan, respectively. None of the 98 community pharmacists who recommended treatment provided all the counselling elements studied in implementing the drug therapy plan.
Conclusion: The present study showed that community pharmacists in Malaysia were not providing adequate pharmaceutical care services to patients seeking self-medication for a cough. Such practice may compromise patient safety if inappropriate medicines or advice are given.
Estimating generation time of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Italy from the daily incidence rate
Authors: Lippiello Eugenio , Petrillo Giuseppe , Baccari Silvio , de Arcangelis Lucilla
Published: December 2022

The identification of the transmission parameters of a virus is fundamental to identify the optimal public health strategy. These parameters can present significant changes over time caused by genetic mutations or viral recombination, making their continuous monitoring fundamental. Here we present a method, suitable for this task, which uses as unique information the daily number of reported cases. The method is based on a time since infection model where transmission parameters are obtained by means of an efficient maximization procedure of the likelihood. Applying the method to SARS-CoV-2 data in Italy, we find an average generation time z̄ = 3.2 ± 0.8 days, during the temporal window when the majority of infections can be attributed to the Omicron variants. At the same time we find a significantly larger value z̄ = 6.2 ± 1.1 days, in the temporal window when spreading was dominated by the Delta variant. We are also able to show that the presence of the Omicron variant, characterized by a shorter z̄, was already detectable in the first weeks of December 2021, in full agreement with results provided by sequences of SARS-CoV-2 genomes reported in national databases. Our results therefore show that the novel approach can indicate the existence of virus variants, resulting particularly useful in situations when information about genomic sequencing is not yet available. At the same time, we find that the standard deviation of the generation time does not significantly change among variants.
Light Ion Dynamics in the Topside Ionosphere and Plasmasphere during Geomagnetic Storms
Authors: Pakhotin Ivan , Burchill Johnathan , Förster Matthias , Lomidze Levan
Published: December 2022

Storm-time topside ionosphere plasma composition, especially the light ion fraction, is an important parameter which controls magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, plays a part in the growth of local instabilities, and provides information about the ring current, ion upflow, movement of ionization and other important physical processes and parameters. Ion composition is difficult to estimate on fine scales as empirical models tend to be parametrized by fixed inputs, ignoring the role of memory in plasma, and to preferentially capture large scales, while ground radars have limited coverage. In particular, ionospheric composition measurements at mid-latitude are lacking. Here we show, using the new Swarm SLIDEM effective ion mass measurement, a superposed epoch analysis of storm-time dayside and nightside effective ion mass changes, demonstrating the extent and timescales of motion of the [O+]/[H+] transition height with the main phase of geomagnetic storms, as well as directly observing evidence for the latitude dependence of these dynamics.
Prognostic signature of transmembrane protein family gene for Hepatocellular carcinoma patients based on transcriptomics
Authors: Liu Kejun , Lv Yongxue , Tang Chaofeng , Yao Weijie , Yang Bu , Chen Bendong
Published: December 2022

Transmembrane protein (TMEM) genes family are presented in the biological membrane. The TMEM gene family is involved in the proliferation, invasion, and migration of carcinogenesis in digestive system cancers. We therefore probe extremely into the molecular mechanism and prognostic signature of TMEM genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, based on independent prognostic TMEM genes, we established a signature in HCC: risk score= TMEM69*0.196+TMEM39B*0.0196+TMEM67*0.0476+TMEM126A*0.057+TMEM81*0.022+TMEM106C*0.083+TMEM251*0.231. With this signature, patients were grouped into low-risk and high-risk groups, with high-risk groups having poorer survival rates. This signature was validated in an independent cohort of 106 patients. For genes positively co-expressed with TMEM-signature genes, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the genes are enriched mainly in spliceosomes, RNA transport, and the cell cycle. The prognostic model was associated with tumor immune cell infiltration, immune function, and immune checkpoint gene expression. Taken together, our study reveals that TMEM genes family plays an influential role in initiation and progression of HCC. We construct an effective prognostic signature of the TMEM family of genes that can identify high-risk HCC patients, providing a reference for risk prognosis assessment of HCC. Targeting the TMEM gene family in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors promises to provide a fresh perspective on the treatment of HCC.
Liver X receptors in the lung, a link between cigarette smoke and lung cancer
Authors: Wu Wanfu , Sarhadi Mozhgan , song Xiaoyu , Xue Jingling , Dai Yu-bing , Gustafsson Jan-Ake
Published: December 2022

Cigarette smoking (CS) is one of the principal risk factors leading to development of lung cancer. Macrophage dysfunction and immune escape have been suggested as mechanisms of CS-induced lung cancer. Liver X receptors (LXRαβ) play essential roles in the maintenance of the normal functions of macrophages and in modulation of immune system responses. Here we report the spontaneous development, in 18-month-old LXRαβ−/−mouse lungs, of a lesion resembling a rare subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer, i.e., one that is both TTF-1and p63-positive. The lesion is characterized by a high proliferation rate, a marked accumulation of abnormal macrophages, an increase in the number of regulatory T cells and a remarkably low level of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases accompanied by degradation of collagen. In addition, enhanced TGFβ signaling was evidenced by the upregulation of TGFβ1, TGFβR1, TGFβR2, pSMAD2 and SMAD4 and a downregulation of TGFβR3. Examination of a tissue microarray of lung cancer patients with a history of smoking revealed that expression of LXRαβ was repressed in both tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and in cancer cells. There were three correlations: 1) Upregulation of MMP12 in the TAM correlated with downregulation of LXRαβ; 2) shorter overall survival (OS) correlated with high expression of MMP12; 3) longer OS correlated with high expression of either LXRα or LXRβ. The study reveals an unexpected role for loss of LXRαβ in the etiology of TTF-1/p63-positive lung cancer and suggests that maintenance of LXRαβ may have a beneficial role in treatment/prevention of this disease.
Combining Fission-Track Radiography and Scanning Electron Microscopy to Elucidate Uranium Mobility Controls
Authors: Sultana Rakiba , Dangelmayr Martin A , Paradis Charles J , Johnson Raymond H.
Published: December 2022

Residual solid-phase uranium from former mill tailings leachate can contribute to persistent concentrations of uranium in groundwater that exceed regulatory levels. Microscale characterization of uranium-contaminated sediment samples is lacking due to the challenges of detecting uranium at the parts-per-million level and identifying its associations with co-occurring elements. An emerging methodology, fission-track radiography, was applied to detect low-level solid-phase uranium. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy were used to elucidate uranium associations with co-occurring aluminum, iron, and phosphorous. Uranium-contaminated sediments were collected from the upgradient source zone and downgradient plume zone aquifer sediments at Riverton, Wyoming, USA. The combined microscopic analyses showed that the uranium primarily co-occurred with amorphous aluminum hydroxide and ferric hydroxide coatings in the source zone as opposed to proximal crystalline Fe-rich grains. In the plume zone, uranium primarily co-occurred with apatite as opposed to proximal iron sulfides. The unique geochemical associations of solid-phase uranium with co-occurring aluminum hydroxide, ferric hydroxide, and apatite, as opposed to other proximal minerals, suggested that a select suite of equilibrium and kinetic reactions controls its persistence in groundwater. The combined methodology applied in this study pinpointed the potential suite of uranium reactions that can be used to inform geochemical models for further mechanistic insight and forward simulations of the fate and transport of uranium at contaminated sites.
Effects of “Fixation-fusion” Sequence of Lumbar Surgery on Surgical Outcomes for Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: Study Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Zhang Weihang , Mei Zijian , Jiang Jialin , Sun Kaiqiang , Zheng Bin , Meng Yake , Bai Yushu , He Zhimin , Shi Jiangang , Guo Yongfei
Published: December 2022

Background
New-onset neurological symptoms such as numbness and pain in lower extremities might appear immediately after conventional lumbar interbody fusion (LIF) surgery performed in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
Methods and Analysis:
This is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active-controlled trial investigating the clinical outcomes of modified LIF sequence versus conventional LIF sequence in treating patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. A total of 254 eligible patients will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either modified LIF sequence or conventional LIF sequence group. The primary outcome measure is the perioperative incidence of new-onset lower extremity neurological symptoms, including new adverse events of pain, numbness, and foot drop of any severity. Important secondary endpoints include visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score and lumbar Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) recovery rate. Other safety endpoints will also be evaluated. The safety set used for safety data analysis by the actual surgical treatment received and the full analysis set for baseline and efficacy data analyses according to the intent-to-treat principle will be established as the two analysis population in the study.
Conclusion
This study is designed to investigate the clinical outcomes of modified LIF sequence in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. It aims to provide clinical evidence that the modified “fixation-fusion” sequence of LIF surgery is effective in treating lumbar spinal stenosis. (Words: 221)
Trial registration:
http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx ID: ChiCTR2100048507
Dental Caries experience among qat chewers in Jazan population, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Halboub Esam , Alqahtani Ahmed Shaher , Alamri Abdulwahab Ahmed , Kamili Ghazi
Published: December 2022

Aims
There is a considerable debate on the impact of qat chewing on dental and oral health. Thereby, this study aimed at assessing the dental caries among qat chewers (QC) in comparison to non-qat chewers (NQC) in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia
Materials and Methods
A sample of 100 QCs and 100 NQCs were recruited amongst those attended dental clinics, college of dentistry, Jazan University during the 2018–2019 academic year. Their dental health was assessed by three precalibrated male interns using DMFT index. The Care Index (CI), Restorative Index (RI) and Treatment Index (TR) were calculated. Comparisons between both subgroups were done using independent t-test. Multiple linear regression analyses were further conducted to stand on the independent determinants of the oral health among this population.
Results
QCs were unintentionally older (36.55 ± 8.74 years) than NQCs (32.96 ± 8.49 years; P = 0.004). Fifty-six percent of QCs reported brushing their teeth compared to only 35% (P = 0.001). More QCs were of higher educational levels compared to NQC. The mean Decayed [5.91 (5.16)] and DMFT [9.15 (5.87)] were higher compared to NQC [3.73 (3.62) and 6.7 (4.58); P = 0.001 and 0.001, respectively]. The other indices were not different between both subgroups. The multiple linear regression revealed that qat chewing and age, individually or together, as independent determinants for the dental decay, missing, DMFT and TI.
Conclusion
Qat chewing habit has a detrimental impact on dental health. It is associated with higher dental caries and missing teeth, and a lower treatment index.
Efficacy of radiomics model based on the concept of gross tumor volume and clinical target volume in predicting occult lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Chao Zeng , Zhang Wei , Liu Meiyue , Liu Jianping , Zheng Qiangxin , Li Jianing , Wang Zhiwu , Sun Guogui
Published: December 2022

Objective: To extract the gross tumor volume (GTV) and clinical target volume (CTV) of lung cancer from computed tomography (CT) images by radiomics method. To establish a predictive model for occult Lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ A non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on contrast-enhanced CT.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of 598 patients in different hospitals with preoperative enhanced CT presentation of stage I-IIA NSCLC was performed. Of all patients, 119 patients (20%) had postoperative pathology suggestive of LNM. On chest-enhanced CT (CECT) arterial phase pictures, GTV and CTV radiomics characteristics were retrieved. The training group included 401 patients (67 with LNM and 334 without LNM), and the external validation group included 197 patients (52 with LNM and 145 without LNM). For choosing radiomics features, the LASSO regression algorithm was applied. Three models (GTV model, CTV model, and GTV+CTV hybrid model) were developed to predict occult LNM in early NSCLC patients using the screened features. The models were implemented by plotting nomogram plots.
Results: Eight optimal radiomics features were finally locked and significantly correlated with occult LNM (all P<0.05). The ROC curves of the three models showed good predictive effects. The AUC values of the GTV and CTV models in the validation group were 0.821 and 0.812. The AUC of the GTV+CTV hybrid model was significantly better than that of the CTV model (the AUC of the training group and the validation group in the GTV+CTV hybrid model was 0.869 and 0.906, respectively). Moreover, the GTV model (the AUC of the training group and the validation group in the CTV model were 0.834 and 0.812, and the AUC of the training group and the validation group in the GTV model were 0. 845 and 0.821), and statistically significant by Delong test. ROC curve and decision curve showed that the radiomics model had clinical application value.
Conclusions: The radiomics prediction model based on GTV and CTV was developed and verified in this study to be able to predict occult LNM in patients with preoperative clinical stage I-IIA NSCLC, and it was found that the combined model is significantly more accurate than either model operating independently.
Evaluation of multigene assays as predictors for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer patients
Authors: Huo Dezheng , Freeman Jincong , Shubeck Sarah , Howard Frederick , Chen Nan , Nanda Rita
Published: December 2022

OncotypeDX and MammaPrint assays have not been validated to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in early-stage breast cancer patients. We analyzed the 2010–2019 National Cancer Database and found that high OncotypeDX recurrence scores or high MammaPrint scores were associated with greater odds of pCR. Our findings suggest that OncotypeDX and MammaPrint testing predict pCR after NACT, and could facilitate clinical decision making between clinicians and patients.
Associations of socioeconomic status and obesity with hypertension in Tibetan adults in a Chinese plateau area
Authors: Li Yajie , Li Jianbo , Nima Qucuo
Published: December 2022

Background: Previous studies have identified that socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity are associated with hypertension. However, their interaction on hypertension risk has not yet been assessed.
Methods: We used logistic regression models to assess the complex relations of SES and obesity with hypertension.
Results: Compared with individuals of high SES, low and moderate SES were positively associated with high risk of hypertension. SES and obesity have significant additive interaction on hypertension (general obesity by BMI: RERI=1.33, P<0.001; abdominal obesity by WC: RERI=0.76, P<0.001; abdominal obesity by WHtR: RERI=0.96, P<0.001). In people from the low and moderate SES segments, obesity was linked to an increased risk of hypertension, but the correlations were stronger in people from the moderate SES category. Compared with adults of high SES and non obese, those with moderate SES and obesity had a higher risk of hypertension, and ORs were 4.38 (2.80, 6.84) for general obesity by BMI, 3.38 (2.05, 5.57) for abdominal obesity by WC, and 3.18 (1.57, 6.42) for abdominal obesity by WHtR.
Conclusion: There is an independent and additive interaction effect of obesity and SES on the risk of hypertension. Obese people, especially those of moderate and low SES, should reduce weight and waist circumference, and pay more attention to blood pressure.
Patient and family experience in pediatric spine surgery: a social media analysis
Authors: Levett Jordan , Elkaim Lior M. , Weber Michael H. , Yuh Sung-Joo , Lasry Oliver J. , Alotaibi Naif M. , Berven Sigurd , Weil Alexander G.
Published: December 2022

There is little data on patient and caregiver perceptions of spine surgery in children and youth. This study aims to characterize the personal experiences of patients, caregivers, and family members surrounding pediatric spine surgery through a qualitative and quantitative social media analysis.
The Twitter application programming interface was searched for keywords related to pediatric spine surgery from inception to March 2022. Relevant tweets and accounts were extracted and subsequently classified using thematic labels. Tweet metadata was collected to measure user engagement via multivariable regression. Sentiment analysis using Natural Language Processing was performed on all tweets with a focus on tweets discussing the personal experiences of patients and caregivers.
2424 tweets from 1847 individual accounts were retrieved for analysis. Patients and caregivers represented 1459 (79.0%) of all accounts. Posts discussed the personal experiences of patients and caregivers in 83.5% of tweets. Pediatric spine surgery research was discussed in a few posts (n=90, 3.7%). Within the personal experience category, 975 (48.17%) tweets were positive, 516 (25.49%) were negative, and 533 (26.34%) were neutral. Presence of a tag (beta: -6.1, 95% CI -9.7 to -2.5) and baseline follower count (beta<0.001, 95% CI <0.001 to <0.001) significantly affected tweet engagement negatively and positively, respectively.
Patients and caregivers actively discuss topics related to pediatric spine surgery on Twitter. Posts discussing personal experience are most prevalent, while posts on research are scarce, unlike previous social media studies. Pediatric spine surgeons can leverage this dialogue to better understand the worries and needs of patients and their families.
Association between diversity levels of member composition in group activities of older adults and the occurrence of need for care: The JAGES 2013-2019 longitudinal study
Authors: Shimizu Nao , Ide Kazushige , Kondo Katsunori
Published: December 2022

Background
Diverse group participation among older adults is thought to be associated with improved health. We conducted a longitudinal study to examine the association between diversity of group membership and caregiving needs.
Method
We conducted a longitudinal study for the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study with 61,281 participants aged ≥ 65 years who were surveyed in 2013 and followed-up for six years. The diversity levels of the participating members were assessed by (1) continuous variables (range 0–3) with dummy variables corresponding to each diversity factor (sex, age, and region of residence). We adjusted for 12 covariates using Cox hazard survival analysis models with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated for the association between group members’ diversity levels and certification of need for support or care. The same study was conducted when stratified by employment status at baseline.
Results
Participants in more diverse social participation groups were found to have a lower incidence of requiring Long term care.
Conclusion
Compared to those with no participation group, HRs decreased by 14–24% with increasing levels of diversity. The HR for care needed for those in diverse neighborhoods was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.84–0.94). For participants who were currently unemployed, HR reductions ranged from 16–28% with increasing levels of diversity compared to the non-participating group. No association was found for employed participants.
Conclusions
The higher the diversity of participating groups, the lower the HR for certification of support and care requirement among older adults in Japan. Diversity of residential area is a factor associated with certification of need for long-term care. Public health policies that encourage participation in diverse organizations will be important in the future.
Quantifying the independent contributions of climate and land use change to ecosystem services
Authors: Xiao Junzhu , Song Fei , Su Fangli , Song Shuang
Published: December 2022

Ecosystem Services (ESs) are the embodiment of human welfare and play an important part in supporting the sustainable development of human society and regions. Climate change (CLC) and land use change (LUCC) are the most important factors influencing ESs. However, few studies have been devoted to differentiate their independent contributions on ESs. Based on the meteorological, soil, land use, and remote sensing data of Liaoning Province from 2000 to 2020, the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs(InVEST) model and Carnegie-Ames Stanford Approach(CASA) model was applied to construct a scenario simulation framework with three hypotheses(only CLC effect, only LUCC effect and the combined effect of CLC and LULC) to differentiate the independent contributions betwwen CLC and LUCC to net primary productivity(NPP), water yield (WY) and soil retention (SR) change and their dynamic change. The results showed that under the joint effect of CLC and LULC, NPP, WY and SR in Liaoning Province showed a rising trend from 2000 to 2020, increasing by 124.62gC/m², 30.64mm/a and 0.63t/km², respectively. In only CLC effect scenario, WY and SR changed by 6.24% and 2%, respectively, which was more significant than in only LUCC effect scenario. By contrast, NPP changed by 25.71% in only LUCC effect scenario, which was more significant than in only CLC effect scenario. Overall, CLC was the dominant factor of WY and SR change in Liaoning Province, with a independent contributions rate of 81.79%-84.02% and 73.57%-85.44%, respectively, whereas LUCC was the dominant factor of NPP change, with a independent contributions rate of 86.12%-92.50%. The decreased precipitation and the increased temperature were two primary reasons of the fluctuation in the independent contributions rate of CLC to WY and SR change, while the large area damage of forest land and rapid urbanization were two primary reasons of the fluctuation in the independent contributions rate of LUCC to NPP change. The study revealed the affect of different climatic conditions to ESs and the strong conflict between urbanization and ecosystem service provision and provided a theoretical foundation for the increase of ESs and regional sustainable development in Liaoning Province.
Cumulative effect of metabolic syndrome on the risk of retinal vein occlusion in young patients: a nationwide population-based study
Authors: Kim Yeji , Kim Chul Gu , Kim Jong Woo , Han Kyungdo , Kim Jae Hui
Published: December 2022

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the cumulative burden of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on the incidence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in young adults. We included 1,408,093 subjects aged ≥ 20 and < 40 years without a history of RVO who underwent four consecutive annual health examinations during 2009–2012 from the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The metabolic burden was evaluated based on the cumulative number of MetS diagnoses at each health examination (0–4 times) and the cumulative number of each MetS component diagnosed at each health examination (0–4 times per MetS component). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk of RVO according to metabolic burden. The risk of RVO was positively correlated with the cumulative number of MetS diagnoses over the four health examinations. All five MetS components were independently associated with an increased risk of RVO. Subgroup analysis for the impact of MetS on RVO occurrence revealed that MetS had a greater impact on female subjects (P < 0.001). Prompt detection of metabolic derangements and their treatment might be important to decrease the risk of RVO in young adults, especially women.
Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Death Using a Novel Measure: COVID Excess Mortality Percentage
Authors: Yuan Andy , Atanasov Vladimir , Parra Paula Natalia Barreto , Whittle Jeff , Meurer John , Weston Benjamin , Luo Qian (Eric) , Franchi Lorenzo , Zhang Ruohao , Black Bernard
Published: December 2022

COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives and prevented countless adverse patient disease outcomes. Understanding the long-term effectiveness of these vaccines is imperative to developing recommendations for precautions and booster doses. Comparisons between more and less vaccinated groups may be misleading due to selection bias, as these groups may differ in underlying health status and thus risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes. We study all adult deaths over April 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, linked to vaccination records, use mortality from other natural causes to proxy for underlying health, and report relative COVID-19 mortality risk (RMR) for vaccinees versus the unvaccinated, using a novel outcome measure that controls for selection effects. This measure, COVID Excess Mortality Percentage (CEMP) uses the non-COVID natural mortality rate (Non-Covid-NMR) as a measure of population risk of COVID mortality without vaccination. We validate this measure during the pre-vaccine period (r = 0.97) and demonstrate that selection effects are large, with Non-Covid-NMRs for two-dose vaccinees less than half those for the unvaccinated, and Non-COVID NMRs still lower for three dose (booster) recipients. Progressive waning of two-dose effectiveness is observed, with relative mortality risk (RMR) for two-dose vaccinees aged 60 + versus the unvaccinated of 11% during April-June 2021, rising steadily to 36% during the Omicron period (January-June, 2022). Notably, a booster dose reduced RMR to 10–11% for ages 60+. Boosters thus provide important additional protection against mortality.
Time series of oral and oropharyngeal cancer and risk factors for death in Brazil
Authors: Costa Jaqueline Farias Barbosa , Barbosa Kevan Guilherme Nobrega , de França Glória Maria , de Oliveira Catarina Rodrigues Rosa , Barros Herbet Charles Silva , Santos Vanessa de Carla Batista dos , Ferreira Sonia Maria Soares
Published: December 2022

Purpose
Cancer of the mouth and oropharynx is associated with high morbidity and mortality despite new diagnostic and treatment technologies. The aim of this study was to describe a time series of oral and oropharyngeal cancer cases, as well as to evaluate risk factors for death and disease-specific survival (DSS).
Methods
This is a retrospective time series of cases diagnosed between 2017 and 2020 at a referral center in the state of Alagoas. Poisson regression with robust variance and disease-specific-survival (DSS) analysis were performed using “death” as outcome.
Results
The sample consisted of 115 cases of squamous cell carcinoma. The tongue was the most frequently affected site and 56 patients had died. Waiting time for treatment initiation longer than 60 days, presence of palpable lymph nodes, large tumor size, advanced tumor stage, and non-surgical treatment were associated with a higher risk of death.
Conclusion
This study provided insights into the behavior and characteristics of the population with oral and oropharyngeal cancer, as well as into the risk factors for death and factors affecting overall survival.
Compressional behavior of the aragonite-structure carbonates to 6 GPa.
Authors: Vidal-Daza Isaac , Sanchez-Navas Antonio , Hernández-Laguna Alfonso
Published: December 2022

The behavior of aragonite (CaCO3), strontianite (SrCO3 ), cerussite (PbCO3) andwitherite (BaCO3 ) at increasing pressure have been studied up to 6 GPa using density func-tional theory with plane waves. A parallelism of the orthorhombic carbonates with theclosed-packed AsNi structure is considered in our analysis, being the CO2− groups not3centered in the interstice of the octahedron. The decomposition of the unit cell volume intoatomic contributions by using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules has allowed theanalysis of the bulk modulus in atomic contributions. The bulk, axes, interatomic distancesand atomic compressibilities are calculated. The largest compression is on the c crystallo-graphic axis and the c linear modulus has a linear function with the mineral bulk modulus(K0 ). Many of the interatomic distances moduli of the alkaline earth (AE) carbonates show linear functions with the bulk modulus; however, the whole series (including cerussite) onlygives linear functions when K 0 is related either with the CC distances modulus or the mod-ulus of the distances of the C to the faces of the octahedron perpendicular to c. These lastdistances are the projections of the Metal-Oxygen (MO) distances to the center of the octa-hedron. K 0 AE carbonates also show linear functions with the atomic moduli of their cations,however, the whole series show a linear relation with the atomic modulus of C atoms. There-fore, the whole series highlight the importance of the C atoms and their interactions in themechanism of compression of the orthorhombic carbonate series.
Musashi2 binds TGFβR1 regulates mastitis via TGFβ/Smad signaling pathway in dairy cows
Authors: Lyu Chen-Chen , Yuan Bao , Che Hao-Yu , Meng Yu , Zheng Yi , He Yun-Tong , Ji Zhong-Hao , Cong Shuai , Ji Xing-Yu , Jiang Hao , Zhang Jiabao
Published: December 2022

Objective:
Bacteria-induced mastitis is characterized by mammary pain, swelling of the mammary glands, and decreased milk production and quality in cows. Reducing the negative effects of inflammation is a challenge, and the regulatory mechanism of the inflammatory response in mammary epithelial cells is not yet clear.
Results:
Our results indicated that the RNA-binding protein Musashi2 (Msi2) regulates the inflammatory response and the blood-milk barrier in mastitis. Msi2 is commonly enriched in stem cells and tumor cells. We found that Msi2 expression was upregulated during mastitis. Silencing Msi2 in BMECs and mice increased inflammatory factors and tight junctions. Transcriptional profiling analysis revealed that Msi2 silencing increased transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) signaling. RNA-interacting protein immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that Msi2 could affect the translation of transforming growth factor-beta receptor 1 (TGFβR1), thereby affecting TGFβ signaling. Overall, Msi2 silencing reduced inflammatory reactions and repaired the blood-milk barrier during mastitis
Conclusions:
Our findings indicate that Msi2 plays an important role in mastitis by regulating the TGFβ signaling pathway. A decrease in Msi2 can reduce the negative effects of mastitis by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors and increasing tight junction proteins.
Frequency-based Hilbert emotional feature space for emotion detection using machine learning
Authors: Rakesh Raveena Arasikere , Suthaharan Shan
Published: December 2022

Human emotions are high-dimensional and heterogeneous. It is very challenging to study and develop efficient machine learning techniques under these conditions. We define an emotion as a high-dimensional feature vector and treat its features as observations that are drawn from a low-dimensional Hilbert space. We also project every emotional feature vector onto a frequency domain and capture their directional frequencies. Our approach extracts the origins of their spatial frequencies using circularly-connected frequencies in the frequency domain, and constructs a Hilbert emotional feature space (HEFS). We validate the intrinsic features in the proposed HEFS using the classification performance of random forest (RF) classifiers as a quantitative measure. We also use precision scores, confusion matrices, and receiver operating characteristic curves to quantify the classification performance and validate the significance of the modeled frequencies. Our finding is that human emotions can be detected with high-performance scores of RF using the proposed feature vectors.
Determination of Natural Radioactivity Levels and Radiation Hazards from the Soil of Tin Mining in Kyerwa District, Tanzania
Authors: Gurisha Mikidadi S. , Makoba Atumain A. , Banzi Firmi P. , Kiyengo Hellen E.
Published: December 2022

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K in soil samples from the Tin mining in Kyerwa District were measured by gamma spectrometry using Sodium Iodide detector. The results showed that, the mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 90.68, 65.45 and 630.95Bq/kg, respectively. All the activity concentrations in the studied samples were higher than the world average values of 32Bq/kg for 226Ra, 45Bq/kg for 232Th and 420Bq/kg for 40K. Radiological hazard assessments due to these natural radionuclides were carried out. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq), external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin) and radioactivity level Index (Iγ) were calculated to assess the radiological hazards due to presence of natural radionuclides in the soil samples. The results showed that the mean values of Raeq, Hex, Hin and Iγ were 230.6, 0.628, 0.861 and 0.831Bq/kg, respectively. These values were lower than the world criteria values 370 for Raeq, ≤ 1 for Hex, ≤ 1 for Hin and ≤ 1 for Iγ respectively. Absorbed Dose Rate in Air (DR), Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE) and Annual gonadal equivalent dose (AGED) were also estimated for the mining areas in Kyerwa. The results showed that the mean values for DR, AEDE and AGED were 106.8nGy/h, 1.07mSv/y, and 744.4µSvy-1 respectively. The mean values were higher than those of the worldwide average which are 57 nGyh− 1 for DR, 0.07mSv/y for AEDE and 2984µSvy-1 for AGED. Therefore, mining activities in Kyerwa District can poses radiological hazard to the mining community. In this study therefore, we recommend performing periodical inspection at the mining areas, monitoring of the mining workers and the level of activity concentrations of different radionuclides in the mining area.
Global analysis of nonlinear second-mode development in a Mach-6 boundary layer from high-speed schlieren data
Authors: Sousa Cole E. , Kennedy Richard E. , King Rudolph A. , Bathel Brett F. , Weisberger Joshua M. , Laurence Stuart J.
Published: December 2022

The second-mode instability on a 7◦ half-angle sharp cone at Mach 6 is analyzed using high-speed calibrated schlieren imagery at a frame rate near the expected fundamental frequency. Experiments were conducted in the NASA Langley 20-Inch Mach 6 facility at unit Reynolds numbers between 6.56×106 and 9.71×106 m−1. Time-resolved pixel intensity signals throughout the boundary layer are reconstructed using spatially available data in the schlieren images to recover an effective sampling rate of over 10 MHz; these are then converted to quantitative density gradients using a thin-lens-based calibration technique. A global analysis is performed on the schlieren data to investigate the nonlinear growth of the second-mode fundamental and harmonic content. Pointwise measures of the autobicoherence are used to identify specific triadic interactions and the locations of their highest levels of quadratic phase coupling. Significant resonance interactions between the second-mode fundamental and harmonic instabilities were found along with interactions between these and the mean flow. Bispectral mode decomposition is employed to educe the flow structures associated with these interactions. A similar analysis is performed for the power spectrum, with power spectral densities computed for each pixel’s time-series and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition employed to derive the modal structure and energy of the flow at specific frequencies. Comparisons between the bispectral quantities and second-mode power show that nonlinear interactions, particularly resonance interactions, are closely correlated with spatiotemporal modulation of disturbances during the nonlinear stage of transition.
Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane rigid foam by using feedstocks received from renewable and recyclable resources
Authors: Sarim Muntajab , Alavi Mir Mohammad , Dargah Maryam
Published: December 2022

The mimicry reactions used in the industrial field based on pure materials to obtain products is very important in order to achieve a circular economy and a green environment. This time around, the idea is that all raw materials are wastes. In addition to synthesizing biodiesel, this study aims to synthesize polyurethane rigid foams from recyclable materials such as liquid wastes and solid plastic wastes. The study follows preparation of a new class of biopolyols by reacting a mixture of crude glycerin-based polyol and epoxidized used cooking oil with polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, and bisphenol-polycarbonate wastes. Then, fabrication of polyurethane rigid foams by blending synthesized biopolyols with commercial polyol at ratios 20%, 40%, and 60% occurs. The properties of biopolyols and fabricated rigid foams was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectrometer, thermal gravimetric analyzer, scanning electron microscope, and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer. The results show that the biopolyols are valuable products for polyurethane manufactures. Moreover, the fabricated rigid foams show nonsignificant changes at the commercial and industrial level.
Early temporary mechanical circulatory support for cardiogenic shock: an emulated target trial analysis based on a prospective cohort
Authors: Ughetto Aurore , Eliet Jacob , Nagot Nicolas , David Hélène , Bazalgette Florian , Marin Grégory , Kollen Sébastien , Mourad Marc , Zeroual Norddine , Muller Laurent , Gaudard Philippe , Colson Pascal
Published: December 2022

Background: Encouraging results in several series of patients on refractory cardiogenic shock (CS) led to the consideration of including temporary mechanical circulatory support (TMCS) in the guidelines for CS management. Benefit on survival might be improved when TMCS devices are initiated early. This study assessed early TMCS for CS in the real-world condition of a cardiac assistance regional network.
Methods: We examined the clinical features and outcomes of patients treated with TMCS, using data from a prospective cohort of patients admitted for CS in a cardiac assistance regional network. Patients were eligible when CS included systolic blood pressure (SBP) <90 mmHg despite adequate filling pressure or need of catecholamine to maintain SPB>90 mmHg, signs of congestion or tissue hypo-perfusion or blood lactate >2mmol/L. TMCS indication, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) or percutaneous left ventricle assistance (Impella) was based on the initial severity of CS or if shock was refractory to medical treatment. To estimate the effect of early TMCS on mortality, we emulated a target trial of TMCS implantation versus no TMCS within 24 hours of ICU admission. Patients were followed until hospital discharge, death, or 180 days. Inverse probability of treatment weighting with propensity score was used to adjust for confounders.
Results: Among 372 patients, 246 were included in the study: 121 treated by early TMCS (TMCS group) and 125 not treated by early TMCS (controls). Median age was 59.5 years, 71.9% were male, and the main etiologies were acute myocardial infraction (MI) (46.8%) and decompensated heart failure (27.2%). Crude in-hospital mortality was 38% (46/121) in the TMCS group and 22.4% (28/125) in the control group. After emulation, in-hospital mortality was not different between the TMCS group and the control group (HR=0.91, 95%CI:0.65-1.26). In sub-group analyses, in-hospital mortality was not different among patients with MI (HR=0.82, 95%CI:0.52-1.32), with other etiology than MI (HR=1.19, 95%CI:0.70-2.04), and with VA-ECMO only (HR=0.87, 95%CI:0.62-1.22). TMCS patients had two-fold longer hospital stays, and a higher rate of complications than controls.
Conclusion: In this emulated target trial from real-world data, patients with CS treated with early TMCS had no improvement in survival compared to controls.
Trial registration number: NCT03528291, registered trials May 18, 2017
Determinants of Household Food Security Resilience: Lessons from Rwanda
Authors: Bolarinwa Olufemi Daniel , Ogundari Kolawole , Aromolaran Adebayo B.
Published: December 2022

This study contributes to the emerging literature on household food security resilience by harmonizing food security indicators which capture different dimensions of food security, to compute a household food security resilience index that simultaneously reflects different dimensions of food security status. The estimated Poisson model had characteristics of the household, household head, sources of income, asset asset-related variables and other intuitive variables that could affect household food security resilience. Noteworthy in the results are the positive effect of income diversification, household savings, employment of household heads in the non-agricultural sector, gender, job stability, and education on household food security resilience. On the other hand, household size, dependent ratio, household head living away from the family, and being a seasonal worker or a daily paid worker are some variables that negatively impact household food security resilience. Although the negative coefficient of the income-generating sources of household food security resilience seems counterintuitive, this result shows that increase in the number of household businesses could impose time and resource constraints that could ultimately affect the food and nutritional security of the household over time.
A Novel Pythagorean Fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis Model: An Assessment of Indian Public Sector Banks
Authors: Sahil Mohammad Aqil , Kaushal Meenakshi , Lohani Q.M. Danish
Published: December 2022

Fuzzy data envelopment analysis (FDEA) is an efficient modeling technique to rank decision-making units (DMUs) with imprecise inputs/outputs. It is a linear programming problem that constructs an optimal frontier line, known as an efficient frontier. The role of the efficient frontier is to distinguish between the efficient DMUs with inefficient DMUs such that all efficient DMUs lie on the frontier line. Whereas the inefficient DMUs are enveloped by the frontier line. This optimization problem aims to improve the efficiency score of each inefficient DMU, that is, to move them to the efficient frontier. In this study, we propose a novel approach called the Pythagorean approach, which is both input and output oriented. The proposed approach is implemented in the CCR model, and a new version of the BCC model is introduced, namely a novel Pythagorean BCC model. The deterministic form of the Pythagorean BCC model is extended to a fuzzy environment to deal with the vagueness of the given dataset. In the paper, a new form of a non-linear fuzzy number, namely a sine-shaped fuzzy number, has been introduced to display the higher order of uncertainty. Consequently, the Pythagorean BCC model is further extended to a novel Pythagorean fuzzy BCC model. The model's efficacy is finally tested in the Indian public sector banks.