bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subliminal Emotional Faces Elicit Predominantly Right-Lateralized Amygdala Activation: A Systematic Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies
Authors: Dahlén Amelia D. , Schofield Aphra , Schiöth Helgi B. , Brooks Samantha J.
Published: July 2022

Prior research suggests that conscious face processing occurs preferentially in right hemisphere occipito-parietal regions. However, less is known about brain regions associated with non-conscious processing of faces, and whether a right-hemispheric dominance persists in line with specific affective responses. We aim to review the neural responses systematically, quantitatively, and qualitatively underlying subliminal face processing. PubMed was searched for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) publications assessing subliminal emotional face stimuli up to March 2022. Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analyses and narrative reviews were conducted on all studies that met ALE requirements. Risk of bias was assessed using the AXIS tool. In a meta-analysis of all 22 eligible studies (merging clinical and non-clinical populations, whole brain and region of interest analyses), bilateral amygdala activation was reported in the left (x = −19.2, y = 1.5, z = −17.1) in 59% of studies, and in the right (x = 24.4, y = −1.7, z = −17.4) in 68% of studies. In a second meta-analysis of non-clinical participants only (n = 18), bilateral amygdala was again reported in the left (x = −18, y = 3.9, z = −18.4) and right (x = 22.8, y = −0.9, z = −17.4) in 56% of studies for both clusters. In a final meta-analysis of whole-brain studies only (n=14), bilateral amygdala was also reported in the left (x = −20.2, y = 2.9, z = −17.2) in 64% of studies, and right (x = 24.2, y = −0.7, z = −17.8) in 71% of studies. The findings suggest that non-consciously detected emotional faces may influence amygdala activation, especially right-lateralized (a higher percentage of convergence in studies), which are integral for pre-conscious affect and long-term memory processing.
The Atypical Effective Connectivity of Right Temporoparietal Junction in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multi-Site Study
Authors: Hao Zeqi , Shi Yuyu , Huang Lina , Sun Jiawei , Li Mengting , Gao Yanyan , Li Jing , Wang Qianqian , Zhan Linlin , Ding Qingguo , Jia Xize , Li Huayun
Published: July 2022

Social function impairment is the core deficit of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although many studies have investigated ASD through a variety of neuroimaging tools, its brain mechanism of social function remains unclear due to its complex and heterogeneous symptoms. The present study aimed to use resting-state functional magnetic imaging data to explore effective connectivity between the right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ), one of the key brain regions associated with social impairment of individuals with ASD, and the whole brain to further deepen our understanding of the neuropathological mechanism of ASD. This study involved 1,454 participants from 23 sites from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) public dataset, which included 618 individuals with ASD and 836 with typical development (TD). First, a voxel-wise Granger causality analysis (GCA) was conducted with the RTPJ selected as the region of interest (ROI) to investigate the differences in effective connectivity between the ASD and TD groups in every site. Next, to obtain further accurate and representative results, an image-based meta-analysis was implemented to further analyze the GCA results of each site. Our results demonstrated abnormal causal connectivity between the RTPJ and the widely distributed brain regions and that the connectivity has been associated with social impairment in individuals with ASD. The current study could help to further elucidate the pathological mechanisms of ASD and provides a new perspective for future research.
Identification and analysis of major flavor compounds in radish taproots by widely targeted metabolomics
Authors: Mei Shiyong , He Zhengjin , Zhang Jifang
Published: July 2022

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is an important Brassicaceous vegetable crop that is cultivated worldwide. The taste of radish can be described as pungent, sweet, and crisp. At present, the metabolic characteristics leading to differences in radish taste remain unclear, due to the lack of large-scale detection and identification of radish metabolites. In this study, UPLC-MS/MS-based targeted metabolome analysis was performed on the taproots of eight radish landraces. We identified a total of 938 metabolites, and each landrace exhibited a specific metabolic profile, making it unique in flavor and quality. Our results show that taste differences among the taproots of different radish landraces can be explained by changes in composition and abundance of glucosinolates, polyphenols, carbohydrates, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, and lipids. This study reveals the potential metabolic causes of variation in the taste and flavor of radish taproots.
Loss of Frizzled 9 in Lung Cells Alters Epithelial Phenotype and Promotes Premalignant Lesion Development
Authors: Sompel Kayla , Dwyer-Nield Lori D. , Smith Alex J. , Elango Alamelu P. , Vanderlinden Lauren A. , Kopf Katrina , Keith Robert L. , Tennis Meredith A.
Published: July 2022

The transmembrane receptor Frizzled 9 (FZD9) is important for fetal neurologic and bone development through both canonical and non-canonical WNT/FZD signaling. In the adult lung, however, Fzd9 helps to maintain a normal epithelium by signaling through peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ). The effect of FZD9 loss on normal lung epithelial cells and regulators of its expression in the lung are unknown. We knocked down FZD9 in human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) lines and found that downstream EMT targets and PPARγ activity are altered. We used a FZD9-/- mouse in the urethane lung adenocarcinoma model and found FZD9-/- adenomas had more proliferation, increased EMT signaling, decreased activation of PPARγ, increased expression of lung cancer associated genes, increased transformed growth, and increased potential for invasive behavior. We identified PPARγ as a transcriptional regulator of FZD9. We also demonstrated that extended cigarette smoke exposure in HBEC leads to decreased FZD9 expression, decreased activation of PPARγ, and increased transformed growth, and found that higher exposure to cigarette smoke in human lungs leads to decreased FZD9 expression. These results provide evidence for the role of FZD9 in lung epithelial maintenance and in smoking related malignant transformation. We identified the first transcriptional regulator of FZD9 in the lung and found FZD9 negative lesions are more dangerous. Loss of FZD9 creates a permissive environment for development of premalignant lung lesions, making it a potential target for intervention.
CT-Only Radiotherapy: An Exploratory Study for Automatic Dose Prediction on Rectal Cancer Patients Via Deep Adversarial Network
Authors: Cui Jiaqi , Jiao Zhengyang , Wei Zhigong , Hu Xiaolin , Wang Yan , Xiao Jianghong , Peng Xingchen
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Current deep learning methods for dose prediction require manual delineations of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) besides the original CT images. Perceiving the time cost of manual contour delineation, we expect to explore the feasibility of accelerating the radiotherapy planning by leveraging only the CT images to produce high-quality dose distribution maps while generating the contour information automatically.

Materials and Methods

We developed a generative adversarial network (GAN) with multi-task learning (MTL) strategy to produce accurate dose distribution maps without manually delineated contours. To balance the relative importance of each task (i.e., the primary dose prediction task and the auxiliary tumor segmentation task), a multi-task loss function was employed. Our model was trained, validated and evaluated on a cohort of 130 rectal cancer patients.

Results

Experimental results manifest the feasibility and improvements of our contour-free method. Compared to other mainstream methods (i.e., U-net, DeepLabV3+, DoseNet, and GAN), the proposed method produces the leading performance with statistically significant improvements by achieving the highest HI of 1.023 (3.27E-5) and the lowest prediction error with ΔD95 of 0.125 (0.035) and ΔDmean of 0.023 (4.19E-4), respectively. The DVH differences between the predicted dose and the ideal dose are subtle and the errors in the difference maps are minimal. In addition, we conducted the ablation study to validate the effectiveness of each module. Furthermore, the results of attention maps also prove that our CT-only prediction model is capable of paying attention to both the target tumor (i.e., high dose distribution area) and the surrounding healthy tissues (i.e., low dose distribution areas).

Conclusion

The proposed CT-only dose prediction framework is capable of producing acceptable dose maps and reducing the time and labor for manual delineation, thus having great clinical potential in providing accurate and accelerated radiotherapy. Code is available at https://github.com/joegit-code/DoseWithCT
IL-6: The Link Between Inflammation, Immunity and Breast Cancer
Authors: Chen Juan , Wei Yanghui , Yang Weiqin , Huang Qingnan , Chen Yong , Zeng Kai , Chen Jiawei
Published: July 2022

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in females. Over the past decades, intensive efforts have been made to uncover the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic factor which has a vital role in host defense immunity and acute stress. Moreover, a wide range of studies have identified the physiological and pathological roles of IL-6 in inflammation, immune and cancer. Recently, several IL-6 signaling pathway-targeted monoclonal antibodies have been developed for cancer and immune therapy. Combination of IL-6 inhibitory antibody with other pathways blockage drugs have demonstrated promising outcome in both preclinical and clinical trials. This review focuses on emerging studies on the strong linkages of IL-6/IL-6R mediated regulation of inflammation and immunity in cancer, especially in breast cancer.
Impairment of RAD17 Functions by miR-506-3p as a Novel Synthetic Lethal Approach Targeting DNA Repair Pathways in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Bagnoli Marina , Nicoletti Roberta , Valitutti Monica , Rizzo Andrea , Napoli Alessandra , Montalvão De Azevedo Rafaela , Tomassetti Antonella , Mezzanzanica Delia
Published: July 2022

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains the most lethal gynecological cancer and development of chemo-resistance is a major factor in disease relapse. Homologous recombination (HR) is a critical pathway for DNA double strand break repair and its deficiency is associated to a better response to DNA damage-inducing agents. Strategies to inhibit HR-mediated DNA repair is a clinical need to improve patients’ outcome. MicroRNA (miRNAs) affect most of cellular processes including response to cancer treatment. We previously showed that miR-506-3p targets RAD51, an essential HR component. In this study we demonstrated that: i) another HR component, RAD17, is also a direct target of miR-506-3p and that it is involved in mediating miR-506-3p phenotypic effects; ii) the impairment of miR-506-3p binding to RAD17 3’ UTR reverted the miR-506-3p induced platinum sensitization; iii) miR-506-3p/RAD17 axis reduces the ability of EOC cell to sense DNA damage, abrogates the G2/M cell cycle checkpoint thus delaying the G2/M cell cycle arrest likely allowing the entry into mitosis of heavily DNA-damaged cells with a consequent mitotic catastrophe; iv) RAD17 expression, regulated by miR-506-3p, is synthetically lethal with inhibitors of cell cycle checkpoint kinases Chk1 and Wee1 in platinum resistant cell line. Overall miR-506-3p expression may recapitulate a BRCAness phenotype sensitizing EOC cells to chemotherapy and helping in selecting patients susceptible to DNA damaging drugs in combination with new small molecules targeting DNA-damage repair pathway.
Utilizing Gut Microbiota to Improve Hepatobiliary Tumor Treatments: Recent Advances
Authors: Qin Hao , Yuan Baowen , Huang Wei , Wang Yan
Published: July 2022

Hepatobiliary tumors, which include cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and gallbladder cancer, are common cancers that have high morbidity and mortality rates and poor survival outcomes. In humans, the microbiota is comprised of symbiotic microbial cells (10-100 trillion) that belong to the bacterial ecosystem mainly residing in the gut. The gut microbiota is a complicated group that can largely be found in the intestine and has a dual role in cancer occurrence and progression. Previous research has focused on the crucial functions of the intestinal microflora as the main pathophysiological mechanism in HCC development. Intestinal bacteria produce a broad range of metabolites that exhibit a variety of pro- and anticarcinogenic effects on HCC. Therefore, probiotic alteration of the gut microflora could promote gut flora balance and help prevent the occurrence of HCC. Recent evidence from clinical and translational studies suggests that fecal microbiota transplant is one of the most successful therapies to correct intestinal bacterial imbalance. We review the literature describing the effects and mechanisms of the microbiome in the gut in the context of HCC, including gut bacterial metabolites, probiotics, antibiotics, and the transplantation of fecal microbiota, and discuss the potential influence of the microbiome environment on cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. Our findings are expected to reveal therapeutic targets for the prevention of hepatobiliary tumors, and the development of clinical treatment strategies, by emphasizing the function of the gut microbiota.
Trends in Oropharyngeal Cancer Incidence Among Adult Men and Women in the United States From 2001 to 2018
Authors: Guo Fangjian , Chang Mihyun , Scholl Matthew , McKinnon Brian , Berenson Abbey B.
Published: July 2022

Background

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was approved in 2006 and has been shown to decrease vaccine-related HPV types in the oropharynx. Its impact on the incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has not been examined. We investigated the impact of HPV vaccination on the incidence of HPV-related OPSCC in the US among male and female adults from different age groups.

Methods

The US Cancer Statistics 2001–2018 database and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program were used in this study. OPSCC incidence was age-adjusted to the US standard population in 2000. Cause-specific 5-year survival probability was calculated using 60 monthly intervals in SEER*Stat software.

Results

Incidence of HPV-related OPSCC was much higher in males than in females. Age-adjusted annual incidence of OPSCC was significantly lower in 2014-2018 than in 2002-2006 among males 20-44 years old (11.4 vs 12.8 per 1,000,000, rate ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.84-0.93) and among females 20-44 years old (3.0 vs 3.6 per 1,000,000, rate ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.78-0.95), but increased in both 45-64 year old and 65+ year old males and females. Joinpoint regression revealed a significant joint in the HPV-OPSCC incidence trend for 20-44-year-old males in 2008 at which time the incidence began to decrease. Except for 20-44 year old females (74.8% in 2002-2006 vs. 75.7% in 2009-2013, p=0.84), cancer-specific 5-year survivals significantly improved for males and females of all age groups.

Conclusions

HPV-related OPSCC was much more common in males. Incidence of HPV-related OPSCC declined among young adults during the vaccination era compared with pre-vaccination era. Cancer-specific 5-year survival was significantly improved in young males but not in young females.
Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with decitabine-containing preconditioning regimen in TP53-mutant myelodysplastic syndromes: A case study
Authors: Wang Yuxin , Sun Yao , Xie Jing , Hu Jiangwei , Liu Na , Chen Jianlin , Li Botao , Lan Sanchun , Niu Jingwen , Wang Lei , Qiao Zhuoqing , Zhang Yu , Ren Jing , Zhang Bin , Qian Liren , Tan Yehui , Dou Liping , Li Yuhang , Hu Liangding
Published: July 2022

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with TP53 mutations has a poor prognosis after transplantation, and novel therapeutic means are urgently needed. Decitabine (Dec) monotherapy has demonstrated improved overall response rates in MDS and acute myeloid leukaemia, although these responses were not durable. This study aimed to preliminary evaluate the efficacy of a Dec-containing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) preconditioning regimen in TP53-mutant MDS. Nine patients with TP53-mutant myelodysplastic syndromes received the decitabine-containing preconditioning regimen and subsequent myeloablative allo-HCT between April 2013 and September 2021 in different centres. At a median follow-up of 42 months (range, 5 to 61 months), the overall survival (OS) was 89% (8/9), progression-free survival (PFS) was 89% (8/9), and relapse incidence was 11.1%. The incidence of severe acute (grade III-IV) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 22.2% (2/9) and that of chronic moderate-to-severe GVHD was 11.1% (1/9). The 1-year GVHD-free/relapse-free survival (GRFS) was 56% (5/9). In conclusion, we found real-world clinical data that supports the use of a Dec-containing preconditioning regimen before allo-HSCT for possible improved outcomes in TP53-mutant MDS patients; there is therefore an urgent call for an in-depth exploration of the involved mechanism to confirm these preliminary findings.
IL-17A Increases Doxorubicin Efficacy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Hum Nicholas R. , Sebastian Aimy , Martin Kelly A. , Rios-Arce Naiomy D. , Gilmore Sean F. , Gravano David M. , Wheeler Elizabeth K. , Coleman Matthew A. , Loots Gabriela G.
Published: July 2022

Due to lack of targetable receptors and intertumoral heterogeneity, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains particularly difficult to treat. Doxorubicin (DOX) is typically used as nonselective neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but the diversity of treatment efficacy remains unclear. Comparable to variability in clinical response, an experimental model of TNBC using a 4T1 syngeneic mouse model was found to elicit a differential response to a seven-day treatment regimen of DOX. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified an increase in T cells in tumors that responded to DOX treatment compared to tumors that continued to grow uninhibited. Additionally, compared to resistant tumors, DOX sensitive tumors contained significantly more CD4 T helper cells (339%), γδ T cells (727%), Naïve T cells (278%), and activated CD8 T cells (130%). Furthermore, transcriptional profiles of tumor infiltrated T cells in DOX responsive tumors revealed decreased exhaustion, increased chemokine/cytokine expression, and increased activation and cytotoxic activity. γδ T cell derived IL-17A was identified to be highly abundant in the sensitive tumor microenvironment. IL-17A was also found to directly increase sensitivity of TNBC cells in combination with DOX treatment. In TNBC tumors sensitive to DOX, increased IL-17A levels lead to a direct effect on cancer cell responsiveness and chronic stimulation of tumor infiltrated T cells leading to improved chemotherapeutic efficacy. IL-17A’s role as a chemosensitive cytokine in TNBC may offer new opportunities for treating chemoresistant breast tumors and other cancer types.
A novel strategy to fuel cancer immunotherapy: targeting glucose metabolism to remodel the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Liu Xu , Zhao Yujie , Wu Xi , Liu Zhihui , Liu Xiaowei
Published: July 2022

The promising results of immunotherapy in tumors have changed the current treatment modality for cancer. However, the remarkable responses are limited to a minority of patients, which is due to immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME). These include the pre-exists of suppressive immune cells, physical barriers to immune infiltration, antigen and antigen presentation deficiency, and expression of inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules. Recently, increasing evidence reveal that tumor metabolism, especially abnormal glucose metabolism of tumors, plays an essential role in tumor immune escape and is a potential target to combine with immunotherapy. By glucose uptake, tumor cells alter their metabolism to facilitate unregulated cellular proliferation and survival and regulate the expression of inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules. Meanwhile, glucose metabolism also regulates the activation, differentiation, and functions of immunocytes. In addition, tumor mainly utilizes glycolysis for energy generation and cellular proliferation, which cause the TME to deplete nutrients for infiltrating immune cells such as T cells and produce immunosuppressive metabolites. Thus, therapeutics that target glucose metabolism, such as inhibiting glycolytic activity, alleviating hypoxia, and targeting lactate, have shown promise as combination therapies for different types of cancer. In this review, we summarized the functions of glucose metabolism in the tumor cells, immune cells, and tumor microenvironment, as well as strategies to target glucose metabolism in combination with immune checkpoint blockade for tumor therapy.
The Key Role of microRNAs in Initiation and Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Khan Suliman , Zhang De-Yu , Zhang Ji-Yu , Hayat Mian Khizar , Ren Jingli , Nasir Safyan , Fawad Muhammad , Bai Qian
Published: July 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main type of primary liver malignancy and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a type of non-coding RNA that regulates gene expression mainly on post-transcriptional level has a confirmed and important role in numerous biological process. By regulating specific target genes, miRNA can act as oncogene or tumor suppressor. Recent evidence has indicated that the deregulation of miR-NAs is closely associated with the clinical pathological features of HCC. However, the precise regulatory mechanism of each miRNA and its targets in HCC has yet to be illuminated. This study demonstrates that both oncogenic and tumor suppressive miRNAs are crucial in the formation and development of HCC. miRNAs influence biological behavior including proliferation, invasion, metastasis and apoptosis by targeting critical genes. Here, we summarize current knowledge about the expression profile and function of miRNAs in HCC and discuss the potential for miRNA-based therapy for HCC.
Exhaled Aerosols in SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase Chain Reaction-Positive Children and Age-Matched-Negative Controls
Authors: Gutmann Desiree , Donath Helena , Herrlich Laura , Lehmkühler Timon , Landeis Anton , Ume Emily R. , Hutter Martin , Goßmann Ann-Kathrin , Weis Frederik , Weiß Maximilian , Rabenau Holger F. , Zielen Stefan
Published: July 2022

Background

Children and adolescents seem to be less affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease in terms of severity, especially until the increasing spread of the omicron variant in December 2021. Anatomical structures and lower number of exhaled aerosols may in part explain this phenomenon. In a cohort of healthy and SARS-CoV-2 infected children, we compared exhaled particle counts to gain further insights about the spreading of SARS-CoV-2.

Materials and Methods

In this single-center prospective observational trial, a total of 162 children and adolescents (age 6–17 years), of whom 39 were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 123 PCR-negative, were included. The 39 PCR-positive children were compared to 39 PCR-negative age-matched controls. The data of all PCR-negative children were analyzed to determine baseline exhaled particle counts in children. In addition, medical and clinical history was obtained and spirometry was measured.

Results

Baseline exhaled particle counts were low in healthy children. Exhaled particle counts were significantly increased in SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive children (median 355.0/L; range 81–6955/L), compared to age-matched -negative children (median 157.0/L; range 1–533/L; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive children exhaled significantly higher levels of aerosols than healthy children. Overall children had low levels of exhaled particle counts, possibly indicating that children are not the major driver of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Trial Registration

[ClinicalTrials.gov], Identifier [NCT04739020].
Increasing Trends of Polypharmacy and Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Lung Cancer Patients in China: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Tian Fangyuan , Chen Zhaoyan , Chen Xi , Zhao Mengnan
Published: July 2022

Objectives: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use are frequent in older lung cancer patients. This study aimed to examine the trends of polypharmacy and PIM use and explore risk factors for PIM use based on the 2019 Beers criteria in older Chinese lung cancer outpatients with multimorbidity.

Methods: A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted using electronic medical data consisting of the prescriptions of older lung cancer outpatients in China from January 2016 to December 2018. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications. The 2019 Beers criteria were used to evaluate the PIM use of older cancer outpatients (age ≥65 years), and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for PIM use.

Results: A total of 3,286 older lung cancer outpatients and their prescriptions were included in the study. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 14.27% in 2016, 16.55% in 2017, and 18.04% in 2018. The prevalence of PIM use, according to the 2019 Beers criteria, was 31.94% in 2016, 35.78% in 2017, and 42.67% in 2018. The two most frequently used PIMs in older lung cancer outpatients were estazolam and tramadol. The logistic regression demonstrated that age 75 to 79, polypharmacy, irrational use of drugs, and lung cancer accompanied by sleep disorders, anxiety or depression, or pain were positively associated with PIM use in older lung cancer outpatients.

Conclusion: The prevalence of polypharmacy and PIM use in older lung cancer outpatients with multimorbidity was high in China, and polypharmacy and PIM use increased over time. Further research on interventions rationing PIM use in the older lung cancer patient population is needed.
Major areas of interest of artificial intelligence research applied to health care administrative data: a scoping review
Authors: Bukhtiyarova Olga , Abderrazak Amna , Chiu Yohann , Sparano Stephanie , Simard Marc , Sirois Caroline
Published: July 2022

Introduction: The ongoing collection of large medical data has created conditions for application of artificial intelligence (AI) in research. This scoping review aimed to identify major areas of interest of AI applied to health care administrative data.

Methods: The search was performed in seven databases: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of science, IEEE, ICM digital library, and Compendex. We included articles published between January 2001 and March 2021, that described research with AI applied to medical diagnostics, pharmacotherapy, and health outcomes data. We screened the full text content and used natural language processing to automatically extract health areas of interest, principal AI methods, and names of medications.

Results: Out of 14,864 articles, 343 were included. We determined ten areas of interest, the most common being health diagnostic or treatment outcome prediction (32%); representation of medical data, clinical pathways, and data temporality (i.e., transformation of raw medical data into compact and analysis-friendly format) (22%); and adverse drug effects, drug-drug interactions, and medication cascades (15%). Less attention has been devoted to areas such as health effects of polypharmacy (1%); and reinforcement learning (1%). The most common AI methods were decision trees, cluster analysis, random forests, and support vector machines. Most frequently mentioned medications included insulin, metformin, vitamins, acetaminophen, and heparin.

Conclusions: The scoping review revealed the potential of AI application to health-related studies. However, several areas of interest in pharmacoepidemiology are sparsely reported, and the lack of details in studies related to pharmacotherapy suggests that AI could be used more optimally in pharmacoepidemiologic research.
What is the physiological impact of reducing the 2,000 m Olympic distance in rowing to 1,500 m and 1,000 m for French young competitive rowers? Insights from the energy system contribution
Authors: Diry Allison , Ratel Sébastien , Nevill Alan , Maciejewski Hugo
Published: July 2022

French rowing federation reduced the competition distance to 1,500 and 1,000 m in rowers under 16- (U16) and 14-year-old (U14) respectively, to prepare them progressively to the Olympic 2,000 m distance in under 18-year-old (U18). This study aimed to check the hypothesis that relative aerobic (%EAe) and anaerobic (%EAn) energy contributions would be comparable between the competition distances since the more oxidative profile of younger age categories could offset the greater anaerobic contribution induced by shorter rowing races. Thirty-one 12- to 17-year-old competitive rowers performed a race of 2,000, 1,500, or 1,000 m on a rowing ergometer according to their age category. %EAe and %EAn were estimated from oxygen consumption, changes in blood lactate concentration and their energy equivalents. %EAe was lower in U16 than U18 (84.7 vs. 87.0%, p < 0.01), and in U14 than U16 (80.6 vs. 84.7%, p < 0.001). %EAn was higher in U16 than U18 (15.3 vs. 13.0%, p < 0.01), and in U14 than U16 (19.4 vs. 15.3%, p < 0.01). The results did not confirm our initial hypothesis since %EAe and %EAn were significantly different between the race distances, and thus age categories. However, %EAn in U18, U16 and U14 were found to be in the range of values previously found in adult rowers over the 2,000 m Olympic distance (12–30%). Therefore, on a practical level, the strategy implemented by the French rowing federation to reduce the competition distance in the younger age categories could be relevant to progressively prepare them to the physiological requirements encountered over the Olympic distance.
Immunization of Broiler Chickens With a Killed Chitosan Nanoparticle Salmonella Vaccine Decreases Salmonella Enterica Serovar Enteritidis Load
Authors: Acevedo-Villanueva Keila , Akerele Gabriel , Al-Hakeem Walid , Adams Daniel , Gourapura Renukaradhy , Selvaraj Ramesh
Published: July 2022

There is a critical need for an oral-killed Salmonella vaccine for broilers. Chitosan nanoparticle (CNP) vaccines can be used to deliver Salmonella antigens orally. We investigated the efficacy of a killed Salmonella CNP vaccine on broilers. CNP vaccine was synthesized using Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) outer membrane and flagella proteins. CNP was stable at acidic conditions by releasing 14% of proteins at pH 5.5. At 17 h post-incubation, the cumulative protein release for CNP was 75% at pH 7.4. Two hundred microliters of PBS with chicken red blood cells incubated with 20 μg/ml CNP released 0% hemoglobin. Three hundred chicks were allocated into 1) Control, 2) Challenge, 3) Vaccine + Challenge. At d1 of age, chicks were spray-vaccinated with PBS or 40 mg CNP. At d7 of age, chicks were orally-vaccinated with PBS or 20 μg CNP/bird. At d14 of age, birds were orally-challenged with PBS or 1 × 107 CFU/bird of S. Enteritidis. The CNP-vaccinated birds had higher antigen-specific IgY/IgA and lymphocyte-proliferation against flagellin (p < 0.05). At 14 days post-infection, CNP-vaccinated birds reversed the loss in gut permeability by 13% (p < 0.05). At 21 days post-infection, the CNP-vaccinated birds decreased S. Enteritidis in the ceca and spleen by 2 Log10 CFU/g, and in the small intestine by 0.6 Log10 CFU/g (p < 0.05). We conclude that the CNP vaccine is a viable alternative to conventional Salmonella poultry vaccines.
Liver organoids: From fabrication to application in liver diseases
Authors: Liu Qianglin , Zeng Anqi , Liu Zibo , Wu Chunjie , Song Linjiang
Published: July 2022

As the largest internal organ, the liver is the key hub for many physiological processes. Previous research on the liver has been mainly conducted on animal models and cell lines, in which not only there are deficiencies in species variability and retention of heritable material, but it is also difficult for primary hepatocytes to maintain their metabolic functions after in vitro expansion. Because of the increased burden of liver disease worldwide, there is a growing demand for 3D in vitro liver models—Liver Organoids. Based on the type of initiation cells, the liver organoid can be classified as PSC-derived or ASC-derived. Liver organoids originated from ASC or primary sclerosing cholangitis, which are co-cultured in matrix gel with components such as stromal cells or immune cells, and eventually form three-dimensional structures in the presence of cytokines. Liver organoids have already made progress in drug screening, individual medicine and disease modeling with hereditary liver diseases, alcoholic or non-alcoholic liver diseases and primary liver cancer. In this review, we summarize the generation process of liver organoids and the current clinical applications, including disease modeling, drug screening and individual medical treatment, which provide new perspectives for liver physiology and disease research.
Effect of Nitrogen Application on the Sensitivity of Desert Shrub Community Productivity to Precipitation in Central Asia
Authors: Zang Yong-Xin , Xu Wen-Xuan , Wu Ke , Yang Wei-Kang
Published: July 2022

Precipitation variability and nitrogen (N) deposition caused by anthropogenic activities could profoundly impact ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling. In desert ecosystems, vegetation is sensitive to changes in precipitation and N deposition. However, the impacts of large changes in precipitation, especially with a concurrent increase in N content, on plant community remain unclear. In this study, we carried out experiments to monitor the impacts of five precipitation levels and two N levels on the plant community function and composition from the Junggar desert in Central Asia during the period 2018–2019. Our results showed that: (1) Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) significantly increased with increasing precipitation, it followed a positive linear model under normal precipitation range, and nonlinear mode under extreme precipitation events; (2) N application led to an increase in ANPP, but did not significantly improve the sensitivity of ANPP to precipitation change; (3) Changes in N content and precipitation, and their impacts on ANPP were mainly driven by plant density. These results provide a theoretical basis for predict the future dynamics of terrestrial vegetation more accurately under climate change and increasing nitrogen deposition.
Developing a CBT-Based Intervention Program for Reducing School Burnout and Investigating Its Effectiveness With Mixed Methods Research
Authors: Ulaş Sümeyye , Seçer İsmaİl
Published: July 2022

This study sets out to develop a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based psychoeducation application to reduce the school burnout levels of secondary school students and to test its effectiveness with the mixed methods research design. For this purpose, qualitative data have been included in the process at three different steps, before, during, and after the experimental application involving an intervention application. The application of the intervention of the research has been carried out with an experimental design with pretest-posttest control group, which is one of the true experimental designs. Experimental and control groups have been determined with 30 students reached by nested sampling method, and the CBT-based psychoeducation practice developed during the research process has been carried out for 9 weeks in the experimental group. During the research, descriptive analysis and content analysis methods have been used in the analysis of qualitative data, normality analysis, and One-Way Analysis of Covariance have been used in the analysis of quantitative data. Findings obtained from the study show that CBT-based psychoeducation practice is an effective approach in reducing school burnout. It has also been determined that the findings obtained from the analysis of the documents obtained during the application and findings from the interview process done after the application coincided with the findings of quantitative methods, and the qualitative findings adequately explain the quantitative findings.
Grief experience among ICU staff with loss of family members during COVID-19 outbreak in IRAN: A qualitative study
Authors: Nohesara Shabnam , Saeidi Mahdieh , Mosavari Hesam , Ghalichi Leila , Alebouyeh Mahmoud Reza
Published: July 2022

Introduction

The COVID-19 crisis created a lot of problems in people's lives. Different lifestyles, mental health, communication, rituals and traditions, particularly those involved in mourning, have changed drastically. Medical staff faced numerous critically ill patients every day. This greatly distressed the staff, especially the ICU staff. The end result was considerable amounts of mental distress for the medical staff who lost family members to COVID-19 making the distress even more complex.

Methods

We carried out this qualitative research to study the grief experiences of 12 Iranian ICU staff members at the Rasoul Akram Hospital who had experienced the loss of a family member to the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects of how their own grief experience and how constant exposure to critically ill patients influenced their work with patients. All semi-structured interviews were held in the presence of a faculty member of the psychiatry department of Iran University of Medical Sciences. The interview on the grief experience among ICU staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, consists of 4 issues: Familiarity, Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grieving the loss of a family member and Effects of parallel grief.

Results

We found five common themes in the result of the experiences of the participants based on content analysis. These consisted of: complex grieving process, new experiences for coping with loss, more empathy for patients, change the meaning of death, and the need for support in work places. Likewise, there were 22 sub themes.

Conclusion

Paying attention to the details of staff members' life, gender differences, and cultural aspects can give us a better understanding and perception of their grief experiences. This understanding brings out valuable points which can help policy makers pass better laws for the wellbeing of society and people in order to promote leadership in turbulent times.
Alterations of Plasma Lipids in Adult Women With Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Depression
Authors: Zhang Ting , Guo Lin , Li Rui , Wang Fei , Yang Wen-mao , Yang Jia-bin , Cui Zhi-quan , Zhou Cui-hong , Chen Yi-huan , Yu Huan , Peng Zheng-wu , Tan Qing-rong
Published: July 2022

Lipidomics has been established as a potential tool for the investigation of mental diseases. However, the composition analysis and the comparison of the peripheral lipids regarding adult women with major depressive depression (MDD) or bipolar depression (BPD) has been poorly addressed. In the present study, age-matched female individuals with MDD (n = 28), BPD (n = 22) and healthy controls (HC, n = 25) were enrolled. Clinical symptoms were assessed and the plasma samples were analyzed by comprehensive lipid profiling based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). We found that the composition of lipids was remarkably changed in the patients with MDD and BPD when compared to HC or compared to each other. Moreover, we identified diagnostic potential biomarkers comprising 20 lipids that can distinguish MDD from HC (area under the curve, AUC = 0.897) and 8 lipids that can distinguish BPD from HC (AUC = 0.784), as well as 13 lipids were identified to distinguish MDD from BPD with moderate reliability (AUC = 0.860). This study provides further understanding of abnormal lipid metabolism in adult women with MDD and BPD and may develop lipid classifiers able to effectively discriminate MDD from BPD and HC.
Job satisfaction among Swedish police officers: The role of work-related stress, gender-based and sexual harassment
Authors: Rostami Arian , Ghazinour Mehdi , Burman Monica , Hansson Jonas
Published: July 2022

The aim of this cross-sectional study is to increase our understanding of job satisfaction in Swedish police officers by taking into account work-related stress, and sexual and gender-based harassment. Data were collected from 152 police officers working in vulnerable areas in Stockholm using sociodemographic questions, the Police Stress Identification Questionnaire (PSIQ), Sexual and gender-based harassment questions, and Job Descriptive Index (JDI). The obtained results indicated that male and female police officers reported the highest satisfaction in “people on your present job.” The lowest score of job satisfaction in both male and female police officers was related to “opportunity for promotion” and then “pay.” There were no significant differences in the subscales of job satisfaction between male and female police officers. The older and more experienced officers, the less satisfaction was reported in “job in general” and more satisfaction reported in “pay.” Comparing job satisfaction between patrol officers and those officers who worked in internal services showed police patrol officers had higher job satisfaction in “job in general,” “work in the present job,” “opportunity for promotion” and “supervision” compared to their counterparts in internal services. There were not any significant differences between the subscales of job satisfaction between male and female police officers. There was not any significant association between job satisfaction subscales and having experience of sexual or gender-based harassment. Among various subscales of police stressors, organizational stress was in negative relation with three domains of job satisfaction; “job in general,” “pay” and “supervision.” Also, hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed organizational stress was most often of predictive impact related to various job satisfaction domains in police officers.
Evaluation of Radiological Health Risks in Popularly Consumed Brands of Sachet Water in Nigeria
Authors: Aladeniyi Kehinde , Olowookere Christopher Jimoh , Khandaker Mayeen Uddin , Alsufyani Sultan J.
Published: July 2022

Radiological investigation of 35 brands of most popularly used sachet drinking water in Ondo state, Nigeria has been carried out using a spectrometric method for evaluating the concomitant health risks to the members of the public. Activity concentrations of the investigated radionuclides 40K, 226R, and 228Ra were in the range from 16.35 ± 4.10 to 199.94 ± 38.40 Bq L−1 with an arithmetic mean (AM) of 66.22 ± 54.99 Bq L−1, from 1.35± 0.79 to 17.06 ± 5.13 Bq L−1 with an AM of 6.88 ± 3.66 Bq L−1, and from 1.95 ± 0.08 to 17.22 ± 3.87 Bq L−1 with an AM of 9.49 ± 4.98 Bq L−1, respectively. The determined annual effective doses and the corresponding excess lifetime cancer risks due to 226Ra and 228Ra were found to exceed the acceptable limits of 0.1 mSv y−1 and 10−3 respectively, as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). This implies a non-negligible carcinogenic health hazard due to the intake of the surveyed drinking water, especially for the lactating babies (0–1) y and teenagers (12–17) y. The data from this research may form an invaluable component of radiometric values of the database in Nigeria, as well as the world for setting up guidelines and control policies for the use of sachet water.
Degarelix vs. leuprorelin for the treatment of prostate cancer in China: A cost-utility analysis
Authors: Yan Jianzhou , Li Caiyun , Zhang Xuefang , Cheng Luyan , Ding Ruilin , Zhang Lingli
Published: July 2022

Objective

To explore the cost-effectiveness of degarelix acetate for injection (degarelix) compared to leuprorelin in prostate cancer (Pca) castration treatment from Chinese healthcare system perspective.

Methods

A Markov model, adapted from the one established in Finland was conducted for the cost-effectiveness analysis of degarelix and leuprorelin for Pca treatment. The main data were derived from global phase III clinical trials of degarelix (CS21), published study and expert surveys. Outcomes, utility and costs of prostate cancer patients were calculated on a 30-year time horizon. The CS21 study based population of intention-to-treat (ITT) population and three scenarios were modeled. Taking three times of the Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (242,928 yuan, 2021) as the acceptable threshold for cost-effectiveness. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed on key parameters, including transition probabilities, costs, utility, and discount rate to test the robustness of the model.

Results

Base case analysis for ITT population revealed that total costs of degarelix and leuprorelin were 566,226 yuan and 489,693 yuan, while the total quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were 5.19 and 4.51 during the 30-year time horizon, resulting an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 112,674 yuan/QALY which was 1.39 times the GDP per capita, lower than willingness-to-pay level of three times the GDP per capita. The results for scenario analyses revealed that compared to leuprorelin, degarelix for Pca treatment in China was cost-effective. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the model was most sensitive to price of 80 mg degarelix, utility of 1st-line therapy, hazard ratio of PSA recurrence, price of 3.75 mg leuprorelin, response rate of docetaxel per cycle, and discount rate of cost. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, compared to leuprorelin, the probability of degarelix to be cost-effective was 53 and 81% for willingness-to-pay threshold of one and three times the GDP per capita.

Conclusion

Compared to leuprorelin, degarelix for prostate cancer treatment is cost-effective. Moreover, scenario, one-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses revealed that the model was robust.
Targeting Impaired Nutrient Sensing via the Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Pathway With Therapeutic Compounds to Prevent or Treat Dementia: A Systematic Review
Authors: Matysek Adrian , Kimmantudawage Sumudu Perera , Feng Lei , Maier Andrea B.
Published: July 2022

Background: Dementia is a global challenge with 10 million individuals being diagnosed every year. Currently, there are no established disease-modifying treatments for dementia. Impaired nutrient sensing has been implicated in the pathogenesis of dementia. Compounds that inhibit the glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) pathway have been investigated as a possible treatment to attenuate the progression of the disease, particularly the suppression of the hyper-phosphorylation process of the tau protein.

Aims: Systematically summarizing compounds which have been tested to inhibit the GSK3 pathway to treat cognitive impairment and dementia.

Methods: PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched from inception until 28 July 2021 for articles published in English. Interventional animal studies inhibiting the GSK3 pathway in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal cognitive ageing investigating the change in cognition as the outcome were included. The Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation’s risk of bias tool for animal studies was applied.

Results: Out of 4,154 articles, 29 described compounds inhibiting the GSK3 pathway. All studies were based on animal models of MCI, AD or normal cognitive ageing. Thirteen out of 21 natural compounds and five out of nine synthetic compounds tested in MCI and dementia animal models showed an overall positive effect on cognition. No articles reported human studies. The risk of bias was largely unclear.

Conclusion: Novel therapeutics involved in the modulation of the GSK3 nutrient sensing pathway have the potential to improve cognitive function. Overall, there is a clear lack of translation from animal models to humans.