bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autonomy, Social Inequality, and Support in Chinese Urban and Rural Adolescents’ Reasoning About the Chinese College Entrance Examination (Gaokao)
Authors: Liu Gloria Xiao Yu , Helwig Charles C.
Published: April 2020

The Gaokao, a mandatory postsecondary entrance examination for all Chinese students, is often associated with psychological stress among Chinese students in their final year of high school. This project was conducted in summer 2017 in urban Beijing and rural Xi’an, China. The purpose is to explore the perspectives of urban and rural secondary school graduates after they have completed the examination, using in-depth clinical interviews. The study draws on Self-Determination Theory and research on moral reasoning to examine several themes surrounding Chinese adolescents’ perceptions of the Gaokao, including general perceptions of the purpose of education, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, sources of support and pressure during study for the Gaokao, and issues of fairness and social inequality. The major findings are that students from all backgrounds reported psychological conflict regarding their general views of the aims of education and the extrinsic pressure deriving from the high-stakes Gaokao examination. Inequality was seen as further exacerbated by family background, resources, and quality of teaching. Urban parents tended to provide more support, both academic and interpersonal. Rural students rated their mental health as significantly lower than urban students during their senior year of high school.
Multifunctional periodontal membrane for treatment and regeneration purposes
Authors: Isik Gulhan , Hasirci Nesrin , Tezcaner Aysen , Kiziltay Aysel
Published: April 2020

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes gum tissue degeneration and alveolar bone and tooth loss. The aim of this study is to develop a multifunctional matrix for the treatment of periodontitis and enhancement of regeneration of the periodontal tissue. The matrix was prepared from vitamin E containing hydrogel made of alginate and gelatin, and doxycycline HCl containing methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone micelles. Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-block-polycaprolactone was synthesized with ring-opening polymerization technique and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel permeation chromatography. Micelles were characterized by measuring zeta potential, hydrodynamic diameter, drug encapsulation efficiency, drug loading capacity, and in vitro drug-release kinetics. Micelles were obtained with an average size of 164 nm and drug loading amount of 5.8%. The activity of doxycycline HCl–loaded micelles and vitamin E containing hydrogels was determined against Escherichia coli ( E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus) with disk diffusion method. Bio-efficacy of micelle-loaded alginate–gelatin hydrogels were tested in vitro using L929 fibroblasts and dental pulp stem cells. Doxycycline HCl–loaded micelles and vitamin E containing hydrogels showed a sustained release and exhibited inhibition zone against E. coli and S. aureus. Hydrogels with vitamin E and doxycycline HCl–loaded micelles promoted osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells. Results suggest that alginate–gelatin hydrogels containing doxycycline HCl–loaded micelles and vitamin E can be good candidates for the treatment of periodontitis and tissue regeneration.
Antimicrobial, biocompatibility, and physicochemical properties of novel adhesive methacrylate dental monomers
Authors: Bienek Diane R , Giuseppetti Anthony A , Okeke Ugochukwu C , Frukhtbeyn Stanislav A , Dupree Peter J , Khajotia Sharukh S , Esteban Florez Fernando L , Hiers Rochelle D , Skrtic Drago
Published: April 2020

For the advancement of Class V restoratives, our goal was to evaluate the physicochemical and mechanical properties, antimicrobial functionality, and cytotoxic potential of novel antimicrobial copolymers. 5-Carboxy-N-(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)-N,N-dimethylpentan-1-aminium bromide (AMadh1) and 10-carboxy-N-(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyldecan-1-aminium bromide (AMadh2) were incorporated into light-curable urethane dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol–extended urethane dimethacrylate, ethyl 2-(hydroxymethyl) acrylate resin (UPE resin). In the AMadhs-UPE resin, the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance, degree of vinyl conversion, flexural strength, elastic modulus, and shear bond strength were assessed. Antimicrobial properties were measured using Streptococcus mutans (planktonic and biofilm). Cytotoxicity was tested using human gingival fibroblasts and mouse connective tissue fibroblasts (ATCC® CCL-1™) exposed to two-fold serial dilutions (≤10.6 mmol/L AMadh1 or ≤8.8 mmol/L AMadh2). At 10% mass of AMadh, the attained degree of vinyl conversion values (AMadh1 = 90.1% and AMadh2 = 88.5%) were not statistically different from the UPE resin (88.1%). At both AMadh levels, the flexural strength was reduced in a dose-dependent manner. Elastic modulus and contact angle were not significantly affected by AMadh1. Variations in elastic modulus and contact angle were observed with AMadh2; however, this does not disqualify it in future design of Class V restoratives. Compared to UPE resin, AMadh1-UPE and AMadh2-UPE (10% mass) copolymers reduced S. mutans biofilm 4.2- and 1.6-fold, respectively (p ≤ 0.006). In direct contact with human gingival fibroblasts or ATCC CCL-1 cells, at biologically relevant concentrations, the AMadhs did not adversely affect cell viability or their metabolic activity. This effort addresses a significant oral health issue associated with elderly populations. Its successful completion is expected to yield dental restoratives with well-controlled biofunction.
Persistent exit-site infection in peritoneal dialysis – An unrecognized window to abdominal viscera
Authors: Domingos Ana Teresa , Malho Guedes Anabela , Mendes Filipa Brito , Vidinha Joana , Bernardo Idalecio , Neves Pedro Leão
Published: April 2020

Exit-site (ES) infection is a common complication in peritoneal dialysis (PD). Pseudomonas spp. is particularly difficult to treat, and catheter removal should be considered in persistent infections. The authors present a chronic ES infection resistant to directed antibiotic therapy in which catheter salvage was not possible. Removal was very difficult due to the presence of white sponge-like tissue with petrous consistency surrounding the catheter, all the way into the peritoneum. Histology revealed well-differentiated adenocarcinoma infiltrates. Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a solid pancreatic (tail) lesion, nodular images on the greater epiploon, an adnexal lesion and a hepatic solid lesion, consistent with metastasis. The patient was referred for palliative care but maintained PD until untreatable pain and deterioration of general status aroused. Somewhere along the course of a chronic ES infection, the peritoneal catheter (and inflammation) was the metastatic path of an unknown pancreatic cancer, with neoplastic tissue reaching the skin. Catheter removal was crucial for diagnosis.
Marshall revisited: EU social policy from a social-rights perspective
Authors: Börner Stefanie
Published: April 2020

The common legal and economic framework of the European Union (EU) has turned the vast socio-economic differences within Europe into virulent problems of social inequality – issues that it attempts to tackle within its limited resources. The article takes the EU’s self-expressed social commitment as a starting point and analyses its approaches to social policy from a social-rights perspective. It first discusses why Marshall’s social-citizenship concept provides a useful analytical tool to assess the social policies enacted so far at the European level and then presents an institutional analysis of the EU’s four major social-policy activities: harmonising, funding, coordination and cooperation. This analysis focuses on the horizontal and vertical relationships and the addressees of these policies to determine how these policies measure up against social-rights standards. The findings point to the poor development of transnational social citizenship given the special nature of EU social policies. The only social rights that exist at the European level are in the field of social-security coordination. And even those are marked by a double selectivity that excludes citizens who are not transnationally active and those who are but lack the necessary means to provide for themselves.
Hsa_circ_0012919 regulates expression of MDA5 by miR-125a-3p in CD4+ T cells of systemic lupus erythematous
Authors: Zhang Chengzhong , Zhang Chao , Ji Jie , Xiong Xixi , Lu Yan
Published: April 2020

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with production of various autoantibodies directed against various autoantigens. But the research on melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) in SLE is still scarce. Here we try to elucidate the effect of hsa_circ_0012919 on MDA5 and its potential clinical value in SLE. CD4+ T cells from SLE patients and healthy control subjects were isolated. Expression of hsa_circ_0012919 and MDA5, and methylation level of MDA5 promoter were detected. Then expression and methylation level of MDA5 promoter was examined after transfection of hsa_circ_0012919-targeted siRNA and plasmids. Expression of hsa_circ_0012919 and MDA5 were further confirmed to be significantly higher in CD4+ T cells of SLE patients ( p < 0.05), methylation level of MDA5 promoter was significantly lower in CD4+ T cells of SLE patients ( p < 0.05), and expression of MDA5 mRNA was correlated with SLE parameters ( p < 0.05). Downregulation or overexpression of hsa_circ_0012919 regulated (1) the expression of MDA5 in a dose-dependent manner and (2) the DNA methylation of MDA5 promoter in CD4+ T cells of SLE. Finally, hsa_circ_0012919 could regulate MDA5 by miR-125a-3p. Hsa_circ_0012919 regulated the expression and methylation of MDA5 in the CD4+ T cells of SLE patients, and hsa_circ_0012919 could regulate MDA5 by miR-125a-3p.
In Vitro Evaluation of a Novel Synthetic Bilirubin Analog as an Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Agent for Pancreatic Islet Transplantation
Authors: Luckring Emilee J. , Parker Patrick D. , Hani Homayoun , Grace Mary H. , Lila Mary A. , Pierce Joshua G. , Adin Christopher A.
Published: April 2020

Bilirubin is a natural cytoprotective agent and physiologic doses have proven to be beneficial in various models of organ and cellular transplantation. Recently, we showed that bilirubin has protective effects in models of pancreatic islet transplantation, preventing cell death associated with islet stress and suppressing the release of damage-associated molecular patterns. Despite these promising therapeutic attributes, the natural bilirubin used in these research studies is animal-derived (porcine), making it unsuitable for clinical application. In the current study, we synthesized two bilirubin analogs that can be produced without the use of animal-derived products. Antioxidant activity for the analogs was measured using the ferric-reducing-ability-of-plasma (FRAP) and 2,2V-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) assays. Dose-dependent cytotoxicity and cytoprotective effects were then demonstrated in isolated rat islets. Compound 1 showed similar antioxidant activity to natural bilirubin. Dose-dependent cytotoxicity was seen following treatment with Compound 1 and natural bilirubin at doses >40 μM, resulting in significantly increased cell death when compared to control islets ( P < 0.05) or islets treated with doses ≤20 μM ( P < 0.05). Following hypoxic challenge, islet cell death was reduced in islets treated with Compound 1 at 10 μM (17.27% ± 0.26%) compared to natural bilirubin at 10 μM (51.36% ± 0.71%; P < 0.0001) or 20 μM (59.02% ± 0.83%; P < 0.0001) and control islets (36.51% ± 0.44%; P < 0.0001). Compound 1 was found to have promising antioxidant and cytoprotective effects, limiting islet cell death in a model of islet transplantation hypoxic stress. Compound 1 may serve as a synthetic drug lead for clinical islet transplantation and further evaluation of this molecule and its analogs is warranted.
The role of online ethics consultation on mental health
Authors: Ohnishi Kayoko , Stone Teresa E , Yoshiike Takashi , Kitaoka Kazuyo
Published: April 2020

Background

Nurses experience moral distress when they cannot do what they believe is right or when they must do what they believe is wrong. Given the limited mechanisms for managing ethical issues for nurses in Japan, an Online Ethics Consultation on mental health (OEC) was established open to anyone seeking anonymous consultation on mental health practice.

Research objective

To report the establishment of the Online Ethics Consultation and describe and evaluate its effectiveness.

Ethical considerations

The research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Research design

This evaluation describes the outcomes of 5 years of operation of the Online Ethics Consultation on mental health in Japan

Participants

The Online Ethics Consultation received 12 emails requesting consultation. Consultees included mental health nurses, psychiatrists, and service users.

Findings

The most common questions directed to the service were about seclusion and physical restraint. Response time from receipt of email to sending a reply was between 1 and 14 days. Despite the disappointing number of consultations, feedback has been positive.

Discussion

The Online Ethics Consultation was established to assist morally sensitive nurses in resolving their ethical problems through provision of unbiased and encouraging advice. Mental health care in Japan has been less than ideal: long-term social hospitalization, seclusion, and restraint are common practices that often lead to moral distress in nurses and the questions received reflected this. The head of the Online Ethics Consultation sent a supportive, facilitative response summarizing the opinions of several consultants.

Conclusion

This study provides key information for the establishment of an online ethics resource the adoption of which has the potential to improve the experience of nurses, allied health and clients of mental health services. This paper has implications for services concerned with improving patient care, managing nurses’ moral distress, building ethics into decision-making.
Sensory Neurons: The Formation of T-Shaped Branches Is Dependent on a cGMP-Dependent Signaling Cascade
Authors: Dumoulin Alexandre , Schmidt Hannes , Rathjen Fritz G.
Published: April 2020

Axon bifurcation – a specific form of branching of somatosensory axons characterized by the splitting of the growth cone – is mediated by a cGMP-dependent signaling cascade composed of the extracellular ligand CNP (C-type natriuretic peptide), the transmembrane receptor guanylyl cyclase Npr2 (natriuretic peptide receptor 2), and the kinase cGKI (cGMP-dependent protein kinase I). In the absence of any one of these components, the formation of T-shaped axonal branches is impaired in neurons from DRGs (dorsal root ganglia), CSGs (cranial sensory ganglia) and MTNs (mesencephalic trigeminal neurons) in the murine spinal cord or hindbrain. Instead, axons from DRGs or from CSGs extend only either in an ascending or descending direction, while axons from MTNs either elongate within the hindbrain or extend via the trigeminal ganglion to the masseter muscles. Collateral formation from non-bifurcating stem axons is not affected by impaired cGMP signaling. Activation of Npr2 requires both binding of the ligand CNP as well as phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues at the juxtamembrane regions of the receptor. The absence of bifurcation results in an altered shape of termination fields of sensory afferents in the spinal cord and resulted in impaired noxious heat sensation and nociception whereas motor coordination appeared normal.
Understanding Physicians’ Perceptions of Overuse of Health Services in Oncology
Authors: Ellen Moriah , Perlman Saritte , Horowitz Einav , Shach Ruth , Catane Raphael
Published: April 2020

Overuse rates in oncology are high, but areas of possible improvement exist for reducing it and improving quality of care. This study explores perceptions and experiences of oncologists in Israel regarding overuse of health services within oncology. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted focusing on causes of overuse, facilitators for reduction, and suggestions for improvement. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed. Physicians reported patient-level causes including “well-informed” and “demanding” patients; physician-level causes including desire to satisfy patients, lack of confidence, time, and skills; and system-level causes like ease of access, and lack of alignment and coordination. Physicians can reduce overuse through patient dialogue, building trust and solidifying patient–physician relationships, and further reduce overuse with better teamwork. Improvements can be made through educational initiatives, and bottom-up solutions. Policy makers and decision makers should develop appropriate interventions addressing health service overuse, including improving patient education and instilling confidence and knowledge in physicians.
Improving outcomes after hip fracture at a safety net hospital with a standardised hip fracture protocol
Authors: Christiano Anthony V , Elsevier Hannah C , Sarker Salman , Agriantonis George , Joseph David , Hasija Rohit
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

standardised protocols for the care of geriatric hip fractures demonstrate improved patient outcomes with decreased cost. The purpose of this study is to evaluate outcomes of a standardised hip fracture protocol at an urban safety-net hospital.

Methods:

All trauma patients presenting to our urban safety-net hospital are included in a trauma database and inpatient outcomes recorded. A hip fracture protocol was introduced at our institution in 2015, which depended on admission to a monitored setting due to the absence of a geriatric co-management service. The database was queried to identify patients surgically treated for a geriatric hip fracture in the 3 years prior to protocol implementation (2012–2014) and patients treated in the 3 years following protocol implementation (2016–2018). Demographics, time to surgery, inpatient complications, and length of stay were compared between groups.

Results:

A total of 633 patients treated operatively for isolated hip fractures were identified, 262 patients in the 2012–2014 pre-protocol cohort, and 371 patients in the 2016–2018 protocol cohort. Following implementation of a hip fracture protocol the number of patients admitted to a surgical service increased from 198 (76%) to 348 (94%, p < 0.005) with the number of patients being admitted to a monitored setting increasing from 40 (15%) to 83 (22%, p = 0.026). The time to surgery was reduced to 2.75 days ( p = 0.054). The complication rate fell from 23% to 4% ( p < 0.0005). Length of stay was significantly reduced from 13.2 days to 12 days ( p = 0.045).

Conclusions:

A hip fracture protocol including admission to a monitored setting can be effectively implemented at an urban safety-net hospital where geriatric co-management is not available. This resulted in a decrease in complications and length of stay. Additional interventions are required to decrease average time to surgery below 36 hours.
Catastrophic failure of the Accolade I hip arthroplasty stem: a retrieval analysis study
Authors: Wylde Christopher W , Jenkins Elizabeth , Pabbruwe Moreica , Bucher Thomas
Published: April 2020

Purpose:

Modular Morse tapered femoral arthroplasty stems have been used for many years with great success and minimal complications. 1 stem, the Accolade by Stryker is noted to have increased failure when used in combination with LFIT V40 CoCr or the MITCH CoCr femoral heads. The failure has been in the form of corrosion, metallosis, fretting and trunnion fracture. This paper explores 10 cases with trunnion failure.

Methods:

A retrospective retrieval analysis of ten femoral stems retrieved at four different centres across Western Australia over a 3-year time frame. Inclusion criteria for this analysis included the use of Accolade 1 TMZF femoral stem plus either a MITCH or LFIT modular head.

Results:

10 Accolade I (Stryker) stems were retrieved as part of the analysis, 6 with the LFIT V40 36-mm femoral head and 4 with a MITCH TRH femoral head. Average in situ time was 8.9 years. The hips were revised for either trunnion dislocation (6 cases) or trunnion fracture (4 cases). A characteristic destructive wear pattern of the femoral taper (trunnion) a “bird beak” appearance was present in all stems. This wear pattern created excessive movement and loosening resulting in a trunnion/head dislocation or brittle fracture of the trunnion.

Conclusions:

Catastrophic femoral neck fracture was likely due to a combination of material composition mismatch and mechanically assisted fretting corrosion at the head-neck junction leading to gross metallosis and failure. We suggest a recall on patients with an Accolade 1 stems in combination with a 36-mm or above LFIT or MITCH head, and for these patients to have clinical and radiological review.
PGcloser: Fast Parallel Gap-Closing Tool Using Long-Reads or Contigs to Fill Gaps in Genomes
Authors: Lu Peng , Jin Jingjing , Li Zefeng , Xu Yalong , Hu Dasha , Liu Jiajun , Cao Peijian
Published: April 2020

Assembled draft genomes usually contain many gaps because of the length limit of next-generation sequencing. Although many gap-closing tools have been developed, most of them still attempt to fill gaps on the basis of next-generation sequencing reads (always < 200 bp). Hence, the gap-filling effect is inferior. Several tools that use long-reads to close gaps have recently been created. However, they require extensive runtimes, which may not be suitable for large genomes. We describe a gap-closing tool called PGcloser, which supports parallel mode and adopts long-reads/contigs to fill gaps in genome sequences. Three tests show that PGcloser is faster than other tools but exhibits similar accuracy. PGcloser is free open-source software that is available at http://software.tobaccodb.org/software/pgcloser .
Regulatory Scrutiny Board: A support for evidence-based policymaking in the European Commission
Authors: Gaffey Veronica
Published: April 2020

The European Commission has strengthened its requirements for impact assessment and evaluation over the years. In 2002, it introduced a requirement for impact assessments for new policy proposals and regulations. Such impact assessments had to define the need for European Union action and analyse a variety of options for action. In 2006, it established an Impact Assessment Board, made up of senior managers from across Commission directorates-general. The Board members worked part-time on the Board and did not sit in judgement on proposals from their own directorate-general.
Characterization of blends of virgin nitrile rubber and compounded nitrile rubber latex waste reclaimed with urea. Part 1: Cure characteristics
Authors: Perera KIDP , Edirisinghe DG , Karunanayake L
Published: April 2020

The objectives of this study were to develop a cost-effective, environmental-friendly, mechanochemical reclaiming process for compounded nitrile rubber (NBR) latex waste generated from the dipping and treatment plants of the glove manufacturing process and evaluate properties of reclaimed NBR and virgin NBR/reclaimed NBR blend compounds. Initially, compounded NBR latex waste containing NBR latex mixed with compounding ingredients was dried and reclaimed mechanically by varying the milling time from 0 min to 12.5 min at 2.5-min time interval. Properties such as initial plasticity, Mooney viscosity, swelling, and cross-link density of the mechanically reclaimed NBR samples were evaluated. Also, a series of mechanochemically reclaimed NBR samples were produced using urea and varying its amount from 0 phr to10 phr at 2 phr intervals and milling according to the selected milling time. The mechanochemically reclaimed NBR samples were also tested for the above properties. Finally, a reclaimed NBR sample was prepared by applying the best urea loading and the optimum milling time. Further, a series of virgin NBR/reclaimed NBR blend compounds was prepared by varying the reclaimed NBR from 0% to 70% at 10% interval. Cure characteristics of the above blend compounds were evaluated and compared with those of the 100% virgin NBR (control) compound. Initial plasticity and Mooney viscosity of mechanochemically reclaimed NBR revealed that urea is effective as a reclaiming agent for dried compounded NBR latex waste. Results in overall indicated that 5 min is the optimum milling time and 6 phr is the optimum loading of urea required to produce the best reclaimed NBR in terms of properties and energy consumption. Minimum torque and cure time of the 50:50 virgin NBR/reclaimed rubber blend compound were higher compared to the control, whereas scorch time, maximum torque, and cure rate index of the former were lower compared to the latter.
Analysis of Cells Proliferation and MicroRNAs Expression Profile in Human Chondrosarcoma SW1353 Cells Exposed to Iodine-125 Seeds Irradiation
Authors: Li Fusheng , Xu Jia , Zhu Yue , Sun Liang , Zhou Renyi
Published: April 2020

Chondrosarcoma is the second most common bone malignancy in adults, and it is often resistant to traditional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Permanent implantation of iodine-125 (125I) seeds has been explored for the treatment of many types of cancer. In this study, the aim was to investigate the proliferative and microRNA (miRNA) effects of125I seeds irradiation on human chondrosarcoma SW1353 cells. First, a new in vitro125I seed irradiation model was established, and cell viability and miRNA microarray assays were performed before and after exposure to the125I seeds. Cell proliferation was inhibited, and miRNA expression was substantially altered by irradiation exposure. The inhibition of cell proliferation was positively correlated with increased radiation doses, with cells showing the highest total radiation dose 7 days after irradiation. A total of 2549 miRNAs were detected in the SW1353 cells after exposure to 6 Gy of radiation, which included 189 differentially expressed miRNAs (98 upregulated and 91 downregulated). Four miRNAs were found to play important roles in the inhibition of cell proliferation after irradiation exposure, including miR-1224-5p, miR-492, miR-135b-5p, and miR-6839-5p. The target genes of the associated miRNAs mentioned were vascular endothelial growth factor A ( VEGFA), C-X-C motif chemokine 12 ( CXCL12), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 3 ( MAP4K3), and apoptosis facilitator Bcl-2-like protein 14 ( BCL2L14). Hence, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway may be involved in how chondrosarcoma cells respond to125I seed irradiation.
Aerial–ground collaborative 3D reconstruction for fast pile volume estimation with unexplored surroundings
Authors: Liu Sheng , Yu Jingxiang , Ke Zhenghao , Dai Fengji , Chen Yibin
Published: April 2020

Fast and accurate pile volume estimation is a very important basic problem in mining, waste sorting, and waste disposing industry. Nevertheless, for rapid changing or badly conditioned piles like stockpiles or landfills, conventional approaches involving massive measurements may not be applicable. To solve these problems, in this work, by utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned ground vehicles equipped with a camera, we propose a collaborative framework to estimate volumes of free-formed piles accurately in short time. Compensating aerial- and ground views enable the reconstruction of piles with steep sides that is hard to be observed by single unmanned aerial vehicle. With the help of red-green-blue image sequences captured by unmanned aerial vehicles, we are able to distinguish piles from the ground in reconstructed point clouds and automatically eliminate concave on the ground while estimating pile volume. In the experiments, we compared our method to state-of-the-art dense reconstruction photogrammetry approaches. The results show that our approach for pile volume estimation has proved its feasibility for industrial use and its availability to free-formed piles on a different scale, providing high-accuracy estimation results in short time.
Sustained adenosine exposure causes endothelial mitochondrial dysfunction via equilibrative nucleoside transporters
Authors: Ko Junsuk , Rounds Sharon , Lu Qing
Published: April 2020

Adenosine is a potent signaling molecule that has paradoxical effects on lung diseases. We have previously demonstrated that sustained adenosine exposure by inhibition of adenosine degradation impairs lung endothelial barrier integrity and causes intrinsic apoptosis through equilibrative nucleoside transporter1/2‐mediated intracellular adenosine signaling. In this study, we further demonstrated that sustained adenosine exposure increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and reduced mitochondrial respiration via equilibrative nucleoside transporter1/2, but not via adenosine receptor‐mediated signaling. We have previously shown that sustained adenosine exposure activates p38 and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases in mitochondria. Here, we show that activation of p38 and JNK partially contributed to sustained adenosine‐induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. We also found that sustained adenosine exposure promoted mitochondrial fission and increased mitophagy. Finally, mitochondria‐targeted antioxidants prevented sustained adenosine exposure‐induced mitochondrial fission and improved cell survival. Our results suggest that inhibition of equilibrative nucleoside transporter1/2 and mitochondria‐targeted antioxidants may be potential therapeutic approaches for lung diseases associated with sustained elevated adenosine.
Surgery for Crohn’s disease during pregnancy: A nationwide survey
Authors: Germain Adeline , Chateau Thomas , Beyer‐Berjot Laura , Zerbib Philippe , Lakkis Zaher , Amiot Aurélien , Buisson Anthony , Laharie David , Lefèvre Jérémie H. , Nancey Stéphane , Stefanescu Carmen , Bresler Laurent , Peyrin‐Biroulet Laurent ,   GETAID Chirurgie
Published: April 2020

Background and aims

Crohn’s disease (CD) frequently affects young women and may require surgery during pregnancy. Data regarding operation for CD in expectant mothers are scare.

Materials and methods

This was a retrospective nationwide survey from the GETAID Chirurgie. Any woman with CD undergoing surgery during pregnancy was eligible.

Results

A total of 15 cases were collected between 1992 and 2015. Most operations were performed due to penetrating or stricturing complications. Mean gestational age at delivery was 34 weeks, with a mean birth weight of 2507 g. Maternal post‐operative complications occurred in two‐thirds of cases. Maternal mortality rate was 6.7% and neonatal mortality rate 9.1%.

Conclusions

This is the largest case series of surgery for CD during pregnancy. This operation may have significant morbidity and mortality for mother, fetus, and newborn. Indication needs to be tailored to maternal status, disease severity, and gestational age. Surgery should be managed by experienced gynecologists, physicians, and surgeons. Active CD may be associated with a greater risk to the fetus than the surgical procedure itself.
Does body mass index influence quality-of-life recovery in individuals who underwent total knee arthroplasty: A prospective study
Authors: Tanaka Shigeharu , Amano Tetsuya , Inoue Yu , Tanaka Ryo , Ito Hideyuki , Morikawa Shinya
Published: April 2020

Background/Purpose:

To clarify the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and quality-of-life (QOL) recovery in individuals who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods:

This prospective cohort study included 80 individuals who underwent TKA. The dependent variable was the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure used for assessing the QOL, and the independent variables were age, sex, BMI, and the Kellgren–Lawrence grade. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to clarify whether BMI was a significant independent variable after accounting for other factors.

Results:

Sex was found to be the only significant predictor ( β = 0.29, p < 0.05), and BMI was not related to QOL recovery in individuals who underwent TKA.

Conclusion:

This result suggests that sex was related to QOL recovery and should be assessed and that BMI was not related to QOL recovery in individuals who underwent TKA. These results may help health-care providers to identify individuals who might struggle with QOL recovery.
Towards sustainable integration: The role of government in facilitating ASEAN integration through education cooperation
Authors: Prateeppornnarong Dhiyathad
Published: April 2020

Economic integration is undoubtedly at the top of the agenda for the ASEAN Community. To pave the way for such integration, serious consideration should also be given to sociocultural aspects of the integration initiatives, especially education cooperation among member states, as such cooperation can act as a stepping stone to a heightened awareness of a regional integration and a growing sense of connectedness to the initiatives. The fact is, however, that ASEAN countries devote little attention to education cooperation compared with other aspects of cooperation. This paper critically examines the development of ASEAN integration by investigating the way in which ASEAN education cooperation arrangements are actualised for the benefit of regional integration. Through the examination, the paper discusses major theories of regional integration, using them to conceptualise ASEAN integration. It also discusses the concepts of government and governance vis-a-vis education, applying them to the ASEAN case.
A Rare Case of Autoimmune Demyelinating Polyneuropathy and Hydrocephalus Secondary to Pembrolizumab
Authors: Arora Aakriti , Shere Amar , Patel Kunal , Gunawardhana Nuwan , LiFuentes Ericka
Published: April 2020

Pembrolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the programmed cell death 1 protein (PD-1) receptor and blocks the inhibitory checkpoint interaction between PD-1 and its ligands. This interaction leads to the upregulation of effector T-cells and downregulating regulatory T-cell production. Although this mechanism is essential for the management of cancer, it may lead to decreased self-tolerance with an autoimmune reaction toward healthy functioning tissue. One of the less commonly reported and less understood immune-related adverse events includes neuromuscular complications. We present a rare case of autoimmune demyelinating polyneuropathy and hydrocephalus secondary to pembrolizumab use for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the cheek.
Public Health Competencies for Chiropractic Programs
Authors: Madigan Dana , Maiers Michele , Pfeifer Joseph
Published: April 2020

The public health contribution of various health care professions is shaped by their education and areas of expertise. Growing recognition of musculoskeletal pain as a top driver of health care expenses and of back pain as the leading cause of years lived with disability suggest a greater public health role for the chiropractic profession in the United States and globally. There is little consensus on the depth or breadth of public health competencies within doctor of chiropractic programs that would optimize public health awareness and advocacy by chiropractic practitioners. Building on public health competencies published by other health care professions, an iterative consensus building process with chiropractic professional and educational leaders was used to generate a core set of public health competencies for the chiropractic profession. Sixteen competencies in four domains were developed and agreed to as necessary for chiropractors to more fully support the public health of the communities they serve and are being incorporated across chiropractic academic entities.
Open-source planning support system for sustainable regional planning: A case study of Stockholm County, Sweden
Authors: Page Jessica , Mörtberg Ulla , Destouni Georgia , Ferreira Carla , Näsström Helena , Kalantari Zahra
Published: April 2020

Population increases and environmental degradation are challenges for urban sustainability. Planning support systems are available to assist local authorities in developing strategies toward sustainability and resilience of urban areas, but are not always used in practice. We adapted an open-source planning support system to the case of Stockholm County, Sweden, where there is a productive working relationship between researchers, city planners, and regional planners. We employed a collaborative approach in extending and updating the planning support system and analyzed the outcomes, in order to both improve the planning support system and to investigate the process of planner engagement in planning support system development. The approach involved systematic interactions with local planning authorities and e.g. additional data processing, integrating scientific knowledge, policy, and engagement by planners in the complex process of planning for sustainable urban development. This made the planning support system more user-friendly for local planners, facilitating adoption by planning authorities through overcoming common quality and acceptance barriers to the use of planning support system in practice. Involving planners in planning support system development thus increases (i) planning support system quality, producing relevant and up-to-date outputs, and (ii) acceptance for planning support system by regional planners. Further assessment is required to determine whether planners can operate the adapted planning support system unaided.
Targeted next-generation sequencing of circulating cell-free DNA vs bone marrow in patients with acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Short Nicholas J. , Patel Keyur P. , Albitar Maher , Franquiz Miguel , Luthra Rajyalakshmi , Kanagal-Shamanna Rashmi , Wang Feng , Assi Rita , Montalban-Bravo Guillermo , Matthews Jairo , Ma Wanlong , Loghavi Sanam , Takahashi Koichi , Issa Ghayas C. , Kornblau Steven M. , Jabbour Elias , Garcia-Manero Guillermo , Kantarjian Hagop M. , Estrov Zeev , Ravandi Farhad
Published: April 2020

Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) allows for noninvasive peripheral blood sampling of cancer-associated mutations and has established clinical utility in several solid tumors. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing of ccfDNA and bone marrow at the time of diagnosis and after achieving remission in 22 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Among 28 genes sequenced by both platforms, a total of 39 unique somatic mutations were detected. Five mutations (13%) were detected only in ccfDNA, and 15 (38%) were detected only in bone marrow. Among the 19 mutations detected in both sources, the concordance of variant allelic frequency (VAF) assessment by both methods was high (R2 = 0.849). Mutations detected in only 1 source generally had lower VAF than those detected in both sources, suggesting that either method may miss small subclonal populations. In 3 patients, sequencing of ccfDNA detected new or persistent leukemia-associated mutations during remission that appeared to herald overt relapse. Overall, this study demonstrates that sequencing of ccfDNA in patients with AML can identify clinically relevant mutations not detected in the bone marrow and may play a role in the assessment of measurable residual disease. However, mutations were missed by both ccfDNA and bone marrow analyses, particularly when the VAF was <10%, suggesting that ccfDNA and bone marrow may be complementary in the assessment and monitoring of patients with AML.
TooT-T: discrimination of transport proteins from non-transport proteins
Authors: Alballa Munira , Butler Gregory
Published: April 2020

Background

Membrane transport proteins (transporters) play an essential role in every living cell by transporting hydrophilic molecules across the hydrophobic membranes. While the sequences of many membrane proteins are known, their structure and function is still not well characterized and understood, owing to the immense effort needed to characterize them. Therefore, there is a need for advanced computational techniques takes sequence information alone to distinguish membrane transporter proteins; this can then be used to direct new experiments and give a hint about the function of a protein.

Results

This work proposes an ensemble classifier TooT-T that is trained to optimally combine the predictions from homology annotation transfer and machine-learning methods to determine the final prediction. Experimental results obtained by cross-validation and independent testing show that combining the two approaches is more beneficial than employing only one.

Conclusion

The proposed model outperforms all of the state-of-the-art methods that rely on the protein sequence alone, with respect to accuracy and MCC. TooT-T achieved an overall accuracy of 90.07% and 92.22% and an MCC 0.80 and 0.82 with the training and independent datasets, respectively.
Heterogeneous multiple kernel learning for breast cancer outcome evaluation
Authors: Yu Xingheng , Gong Xinqi , Jiang Hao
Published: April 2020

Background

Breast cancer is one of the common kinds of cancer among women, and it ranks second among all cancers in terms of incidence, after lung cancer. Therefore, it is of great necessity to study the detection methods of breast cancer. Recent research has focused on using gene expression data to predict outcomes, and kernel methods have received a lot of attention regarding the cancer outcome evaluation. However, selecting the appropriate kernels and their parameters still needs further investigation.

Results

We utilized heterogeneous kernels from a specific kernel set including the Hadamard, RBF and linear kernels. The mixed coefficients of the heterogeneous kernel were computed by solving the standard convex quadratic programming problem of the quadratic constraints. The algorithm is named the heterogeneous multiple kernel learning (HMKL). Using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) in HMKL, we selected the kernel parameters, then we employed HMKL to perform the breast cancer outcome evaluation. By testing real-world microarray datasets, the HMKL method outperforms the methods of the random forest, decision tree, GA with Rotation Forest, BFA + RF, SVM and MKL.

Conclusions

On one hand, HMKL is effective for the breast cancer evaluation and can be utilized by physicians to better understand the patient’s condition. On the other hand, HMKL can choose the function and parameters of the kernel. At the same time, this study proves that the Hadamard kernel is effective in HMKL. We hope that HMKL could be applied as a new method to more actual problems.
Transcriptome analysis reveals differential immune related genes expression in Ruditapes philippinarum under hypoxia stress: potential HIF and NF-κB crosstalk in immune responses in clam
Authors: Nie Hongtao , Wang Huamin , Jiang Kunyin , Yan Xiwu
Published: April 2020

Background

Hypoxia is an important environmental stressor in aquatic ecosystems, with increasingly impacts on global biodiversity. Benthic communities are the most sensitive parts of the coastal ecosystem to eutrophication and resulting hypoxia. As a filter-feeding organism living in the seafloor sediment, Ruditapes philippinarum represents an excellent “sentinel” species to assess the quality of marine environment. In order to gain insight into the molecular response and acclimatization mechanisms to hypoxia stress in marine invertebrates, we examined hypoxia-induced changes in immune-related gene expression and gene pathways involved in hypoxia regulation of R. philippinarum.

Results

We investigated the response of the Manila clam R. philippinarum to hypoxia under experimental conditions and focused on the analysis of the differential expression patterns of specific genes associated with hypoxia response by RNA-seq and time course qPCR analysis. A total of 75 genes were captured significantly differentially expressed, and were categorized into antioxidant/oxidative stress response, chaperones/heat shock proteins, immune alteration, and cell proliferation/apoptosis. Fourteen hypoxia responsive genes were validated significantly up/down regulated at different time 0, 2, 5, and 8 d in gills of R. philippinarum in hypoxia challenged group. Functional enrichment analysis revealed the HIF signaling pathway and NF-κB signaling pathway play pivotal roles in hypoxia tolerance and resistance in R. philippinarum.

Conclusion

The HIF signaling pathway and NF-κB signaling pathway play a critical role in hypoxia tolerance and resistance in Manila clam. The immune and defense related genes and pathways obtained here gain a fundamental understanding of the hypoxia stress in marine bivalves and provide important insights into the physiological acclimation, immune response and defense activity under hypoxia challenge. The reduced metabolism is a consequence of counterbalancing investments in immune defense against other physiological processes.
Clinicopathological characteristics of light chain proximal tubulopathy in Korean patients and the diagnostic usefulness of immunohistochemical staining for immunoglobulin light chain
Authors: Jung Minsun , Lee Youngeun , Lee Hajeong , Moon Kyung Chul
Published: April 2020

Background

Light chain proximal tubulopathy (LCPT) is a rare paraproteinemic renal disease that has been mostly reported in Western patients. LCPT is characterized by the accumulation of immunoglobulin (Ig)-light chain (LC) in the proximal tubule. Immunohistochemical staining for Ig-LC has not been investigated in the context of LCPT. We reported the clinicopathological characteristics and Ig-LC immunoexpression of patients with LCPT for the first time in Korea.

Methods

We reviewed the clinicopathological findings of 5 Korean patients diagnosed with LCPT between 2016 and 2018. In addition, immunohistochemical staining for κ-LC and λ-LC was conducted on paraffin-embedded tissues.

Results

The median age was 63 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 3:2. The primary renal manifestations were either azotemia or tubular proteinuria. All patients were diagnosed with multiple myeloma with monoclonal κ-LC (#1–2) or λ-LC (#3–5) in the serum and urine. Kidney biopsies revealed diverse and subtle alterations of the proximal tubule, including crystallization, vacuolization, and/or swelling. Electron microscopy revealed crystals in patients #1–2 and non-crystalline particles within numerous/large/dysmorphic lysosomes in patients #3–5. Ig-LC restriction was demonstrated in the proximal tubule as κ-type in patients #1–2 and as λ-type in patients #3–5 by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemical staining showed diffuse positivity to κ- and λ-LC, although immunofluorescent staining for κ-LC was focal and weak. LCPT has diverse clinicopathological characteristics and subtle morphological alterations, which necessitate ancillary tests for diagnosis.

Conclusions

We introduced immunohistochemical staining for Ig-LC as a useful tool for the diagnosis of LCPT, especially in the case of κ-type crystals.