bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ability of Shock Index In Detecting Postpartum Haemorrhage: A Retrospective Case-Control Study
Authors: Huang Liqiong , Gan Xiaoqin , Luo Dan , Zhang Jiajia , Wu Mengjun , Xiong Zheng'ai
Published: January 2022

Background: shock index (SI), calculated as the ratio of heart rate (HR) to systolic blood pressure (SBP), is used to measure the degree of hypovolemia in shock states. Little literature reported on the role of SI in detecting postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in obstetrics. This study aimed to determine whether SI was superior to clinical criteria to identify PPH, to identify independent risk factors of surgical intervention and blood transfusion.Materials and Methods: Records were retrospectively examined for patients who experienced PPH (n=305) or not (n=305). HR and SBP were recorded at five different time points from admission to postpartum 24 h. The performance of vital signs based on area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the ability among peak SI, HR, SBP for estimating PPH. Two formulas using the fitted curve in a scatter plot (maximum SI and blood loss postpartum 24 h based on draps weighing method against blood loss postpartum 24 h with hemoglobinometry, respectively) were provided to determine the ability between SI and draps weighing method in detecting PPH. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were used to determine predictors of surgical intervention and blood transfusion. The sensitivity and specificity of SI for predicting transfusion were calculated. Results: SI had the highest AUROC of 0.646 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.590-0.700] and 0.665 (95% CI, 0.582-0.748) for PPH of ≥1,000 and ≥1,500 ml. SI was inferior to drapes weighing method (coefficient of correlation, 0.351 vs 0.759) in estimating PPH. Caesarean delivery, placenta previa were independent risk factors for surgical interventions and transfusion. Body mass index(BMI) and peak SI ≥1 were also independent risk factors for transfusion. The SI ≥ 1 predicted transfusion with a specificity of 0.81, negative predictive value 82% but sensitivity of only 0.39. Conclusions: The peak SI may be superior to HR or SBP for detecting PPH. However, due to the low correlation with blood loss, the severity of PPH needs to be judged accompanied with other signs and symptoms. SI < 1 may indicate no blood transfusion needed.
Unique metabolic profiles of Blautia wexlerae achieve beneficial effects for the control of obesity and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Hosomi Koji , Saito Mayu , Park Jonguk , Murakami Haruka , Shibata Naoko , Ando Masahiro , Nagatake Takahiro , Konishi Kana , Ohno Harumi , Tanisawa Kumpei , Mohsen Attayeb , Chen Yi-An , Kawashima Hitoshi , Natsume-Kitatani Yayoi , Oka Yoshimasa , Shimizu Hidenori , Furuta Mari , Tojima Yoko , Sawane Kento , Saika Azusa , Yonejima Yasunori , Takeyama Haruko , Matsutani Akira , Mizuguchi Kenji , Miyachi Motohiko , Kunisawa Jun
Published: January 2022

The gut microbiome is an important determinant in various diseases. Here we performed a cross-sectional study of Japanese adults and identified the Blautia genus, especially B. wexlerae, as a commensal bacterium that is inversely correlated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Oral administration of B. wexlerae to mice induced metabolic changes and anti-inflammatory effects that decreased both high-fat diet–induced obesity and diabetes. The beneficial effects of B. wexlerae were mediated directly by unique amino-acid metabolism to produce S-adenosylmethionine, acetylcholine, and l-ornithine and indirectly by carbohydrate metabolism resulting in the accumulation of amylopectin and production of succinate, lactate, and acetate and simultaneous modification of the gut bacterial composition. These findings reveal unique regulatory pathways of host and microbial metabolism that may provide novel strategies in preventive and therapeutic approaches for metabolic disorders.
Generation of the wheat mutants with high iron (Fe) and expression analysis of the responsive genes involved in iron accumulation and ethylene response
Authors: Li Na , Li Yuetong , Sun Jiawei , Sui Xinying , Yu Yanchong , Dong Chun-Hai
Published: January 2022

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important staple crops, feeding one-third of the global population. Among the mineral nutrients, iron (Fe) is one of the necessary trace elements for human body. Iron deficiency will lead to various diseases. Although some progress has been made on the Fe biofortification aimed at increasing the levels of the essential mineral in the staple crop, little is known about the molecular regulations of the Fe accumulation-associated gene expressions in the wheat plant. In the present study, two wheat mutant lines with high ferric contents were identified. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the differentiated expression genes (DEGs) were involved in different biological processes such as catalytic reaction, translation, biologic regulations, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and stress signaling. Further study revealed that the responsible genes for Fe homeostasis such as TaFIBP (encoding a ferric ion binding protein), TaZIP29 (a ZRT/IRT-like protein (ZIP) encoding gene) and TaYSL1 (wheat homologue of the Arabidopsis yellow stripe-like protein encoding gene) were highly induced when treated with exogenous Fe in the wheat mutant lines. In addition, it was observed that the ethylene sensitivity of the wheat mutant lines with high iron were obviously altered. And, the transcript levels of the ethylene responsive genes (TaERF1, 2, 3, 4, 6) were significantly affected in the wheat mutant lines, suggesting that ethylene may participate in regulation of the iron accumulation in wheat. All these results advance our understanding of the molecular regulations in the Fe accumulation of wheat.
SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis promotes PDAC liver metastasis outgrowth through enhancing Warburg effect
Authors: Wang Kun , He Min , Fan Xin , Zhou Jian , Yang Jian , Wang Lin , Zhao Zhihong , Dai Chun , Zhang Zixiang
Published: January 2022

Background: Patients bearing liver metastasis of pancreatic adeno carcinoma (PDAC) suffer from poor prognosis due to its short duration and high mortality. Complex tumor microenvironment (TME) exists in liver metastatic niches and tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) have play vital roles in metastasis generation and outgrowth. Methods: We set off from investigating the aggregation and infiltration of TAMs at metastasis sites of PDAC and further evaluated related prognosis using clinical samples, discovering the critical roles of SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis have played in PDAC liver metastasis. We thus performed intrasplenic injection mouse models assessed by CT combined in vivo imaging with organ reconstruction and KrasG12D/Trp53R172H/Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse models for in vivo study and CCK-8 assays for in vitro study. In mechanism investigation, we observed the alterations of glucose consumptions, lactate productions and expression of key enzymes involved in glycolysis induced by SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis. Seahorse system measuring extracellular acid rate (ECAR) was also utilized.Results: We have demonstrated that M2 TAMs enriched liver metastatic niches predicted poor prognosis. Further studies have unveiled that TAMs derived secreted protein SEMA5A could bind to tumor cell expressed PLXNB3 and thus facilitated the proliferation ability of which. The activation of SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis increased glucose consumption and lactate production of tumor cells via modulating location of HIF-1α and stimulating expressions of glycolysis related genes.Conclusion: We have discovered that SEMA5A-PLXNB3 axis could achieve tumor cell proliferation and survival via enhancing aerobic glycolysis termed as Warburg effects. Targeting this axis may be a potential therapeutic approach for PDAC patients with unresectable liver metastasis.
Effect of environmental conditions on physical properties of maize root mucilage.
Authors: Knott Mathilde , Ani Mina , Kroener Eva , Diehl Dörte
Published: January 2022

High viscosity, low surface tension and hydrophobicity are specific properties of maize root mucilage which contribute to modulate the spatial configuration of the liquid phase in soil pores. Being a hotspot for nutrient absorption, root exudation and microbial activity, the rhizosphere soil solution is suspected to chemically vary strongly upon time. Although the physical properties of maize root mucilage have been repeatedly measured in the last years, their variation upon a changing chemical environment and understanding of the chemical mechanisms governing these properties remain unexplored. Therefore, we investigated how flow and surface properties of maize root mucilage varied by changes in pH, CaCl2 and lecithin concentrations. Results reveal that the physical properties of mucilage can strongly vary depending on the environmental conditions. Low surface tension of maize root mucilage at pH7 was increased by addition of calcium. Upon pH change and lecithin addition, hydrophobic mucilage turned hydrophilic. Viscosity of mucilage decreased with increasing Ca concentration above 2.5 mM, the addition of 0.5 mg/L lecithin and a pH rise to 9. Such variations strongly suggest that the role of mucilage in hydraulic processes in the rhizosphere depends on changes of solutes concentration and composition, which themselves vary according to plant growth and soil water content. It seems that mucilage can best serve as a hydraulic bridge only under certain chemical environments, whose spatio-temporal occurrence in the changing rhizosphere remains to be defined.
Defective excitation-contraction coupling and mitochondrial respiration precede mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation in spinobulbar muscular atrophy skeletal muscle
Authors: Marchioretti Caterina , Zanetti Giulia , Gherardi Gaia , Nogara Leonardo , Roberta Andreotti , Martini Paolo , Marcucci Lorenzo , Canato Marta , Nath Samir , Zuccaro Emanuela , Chivet Mathilde , Mammucari Cristina , Pacifici Marco , Raffaello Anna , Rizzuto Rosario , Mattarei Andrea , megighian aram , Sorarù Gianni , Pegoraro Elena , Belluzzi Elisa , Pozzuoli Assunta , Biz Carlo , Ruggieri Pietro , Romualdi Chiara , Lieberman Andrew , Babu Gopal , Sandri Marco , Blaauw Bert , Basso Manuela , Pirazzini Marco , Pennuto Maria
Published: January 2022

Polyglutamine (polyQ)-expanded androgen receptor (AR) causes spinobulbar muscular atrophy. Skeletal muscle is a primary site of polyQ-expanded AR toxicity, however it remains to be established what the early pathological processes are and how they unfold during disease progression. Using transgenic, knock-in SBMA mice and patient-derived muscle biopsies, we show that polyQ-expanded AR alters the generation of intrinsic muscle force prior to denervation. The pattern of expression of genes encoding key components of the excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) machinery is altered in the muscles of presymptomatic mice and patients. Altered mitochondrial respiration is another early event followed by stimulus-dependent accumulation of calcium into mitochondria during disease onset and structural organization alterations of the muscle triad. Surgical castration and AR silencing prevented early pathological processes. These observations show that androgen-dependent deregulations of ECC and defective mitochondrial respiration are early but reversible events followed by altered muscle force, contraction dynamics, and calcium dyshomeostasis.
Applying Declarative Analysis to Industrial Automotive Software Product Line Models
Authors: Shahin Ramy , Toledo Rafael , Hackman Robert , S Ramesh , Atlee Joanne M. , Chechik Marsha
Published: January 2022

Software Product Lines (SPLs) are families of related software products developed from a common set of artifacts. Most existing analysis tools cannot be applied to an entire SPL, but rather must be applied an SPL’s products one at a time. Some tools have been redesigned or re-implemented to support the kind of variability exhibited in SPLs, but this usually takes a lot of eﬀort and is error-prone. Declarative analyses written in languages like Datalog have been collectively lifted to SPLs in prior work, which enables the application of existing declarative analyses to SPLs.In this paper, we apply ﬁve declarative analyses (behaviour alteration, re-cusion analysis, simpliﬁable global variable analysis, and two of their variants) to a set of automotive software product lines from General Motors. We discuss the design of the analysis pipeline used in this process, present its scalability results, and provide a means to visualize the analysis results for a subset of products ﬁltered by feature expression. We also reﬂect on some of the lessons learned throughout this project.
Molecular mapping of the Aegilops speltoides-derived leaf rust resistance gene Lr36 in common wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Authors: Pourkhorshid Zahra , Dadkhodaie Ali , Niazi‎ Ali
Published: January 2022

Leaf rust caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks. is the most prevalent wheat rust worldwide and occurs annually wherever wheat is grown. The most economical and environmentally friendly method to control this fungal disease is genetic resistance, which is achieved through deploying effective resistance genes. Tightly-linked molecular markers facilitate gene tagging and their deployment with other resistance genes which in turn contribute to durable leaf rust resistance.‎ The leaf rust resistance gene Lr36 derived from Aegilops speltoides Taush and introgressed into hexaploid wheat by backcrossing, is located on chromosome 6BS. Despite detection of low frequencies of virulence for this gene, no molecular markers are available for marker-assisted selection in disease resistance breeding. Therefore, this research aimed at analysis of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers linked with Lr36 in an F2 population from a cross between the Lr36-carrying line (ER84018) and the susceptible cultivar; Boolani. Of 36 primer pairs on chromosome 6BS tested for polymorphism in parents and resistant and susceptible bulks, eight were polymorphic of which the markers Xgwm88 and Xcfd13 flanked Lr36 by 3.8 and 5.2 cM, respectively. Evaluation of these markers on 35 genotypes from different backgrounds including few Australian wheat leaf rust differential sets, Iranian landraces and cultivars, and several cultivars and/or breeding lines from Switzerland and Afghanistan, confirmed that they can be used in selection for Lr36 in wheat breeding programs.
ZMIZ1 Affects Invasion and Metastasis of Wilms Tumor by Regulating Notch Signaling Pathway
Authors: Wang Jing , Li Na , Zheng He , Lee Learn-Han , Ser Hooi-Leng , Jiang Li , Chen Jian , Wang Jing
Published: January 2022

BackgroundAs kidney cancer affects children primarily, Wilms tumor (WT) is known as pediatric embryonic cancer stemmed from pluripotent embryonic renal precursor cells. Among many studied genes, ZMIZ1 has been implicated in cancer etiology, but its specific role in tumor development and progression remains questionable. MethodsThe expression of ZMIZ1 in WT was evaluated by searching the bioinformatics database. Clinical samples of WT tissue were collected, and the expression of ZMIZ1 in tumor and adjacent normal tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Lentivirus was applied to downregulate ZMIZ1 in human WT cells. The effect of ZMIZ1 gene on invasion and metastasis of tumor cells was analyzed by wound healing assays and Transwell assays. QRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of key genes in the Notch signaling pathway. Finally, to investigate the function of ZMIZ1 gene in vivo, a nude mouse lung metastasis model was constructed, and immunohistochemistry was performed.ResultsImmunohistochemistry revealed a significant up-regulation of ZMIZ1 in WT tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. A thorough analysis of the Oncomine database yield similar results, supporting the role of ZMIZ1 in WT. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that the knockdown of ZMIZ1 inhibited the invasion and metastasis of WT. Moreover, further studies demonstrated that ZMIZ1-mediated invasion and metastasis of WT depended on the Notch signaling pathway. ConclusionIn a word, ZMIZ1 may be a potential target to affect the invasion and metastasis, which might provide a new promising therapeutic strategy for WT.
Early Life Circadian Rhythm Disruption Alters Brain and Behavior in Adulthood
Authors: Ameen Rafal W. , Warshawski Allison , Fu Lucia , Antle Michael C
Published: January 2022

Healthy sleep supports robust development of the brain and behavior. Modern society presents a host of challenges that can impair and disrupt critical circadian rhythms that reinforce optimal physiological functioning, including the proper timing and consolidation of sleep. While the acute effects of inadequate sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms are being defined, the adverse developmental consequences of disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms are understudied. Here, we exposed mice to disrupting light-dark cycles from birth until weaning and demonstrate that such exposure has adverse impacts on brain and behavior as adults. Mice that experience early-life circadian disruption exhibit more anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze, poorer spatial memory in the Morris Water Maze, and impaired working memory in a delayed match-to-sample task. Additionally, neuron morphology in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex is adversely impacted. Pyramidal cells in these areas had smaller dendritic fields, and pyramidal cells in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus also exhibited diminished branching orders. Disrupted mice were also hyperactive as adults, but otherwise exhibited no alteration in adult circadian locomotor rhythms. These results highlight that circadian disruption early in life may have long lasting and far-reaching consequences for the development of behavior and the brain.
Evaluation of the Performance of CMIP6 Model Simulations for the Asian-Pacific Region: Perspectives from Multiple Dimensions
Authors: Song Shuaifeng , Zhang Xuezhen , Yan Xiaodong
Published: January 2022

A comprehensive climate model assessment from multiple dimensions is critical for model selection to reduce uncertainties. Here, we evaluated the performance of seven models involved in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project-6 (CMIP6) by comparing the simulated meteorological variables at the near-surface (sea ice cover and sea surface temperature) and pressure levels (air temperature, specific humidity, zonal wind, meridional wind, and geopotential height at 850 hPa, 500 hPa, and 200 hPa) to those using ERA5 reanalysis data for the 1995-2014 period from the perspectives of climatological and interannual variability. Then, a comprehensive rating index approach was applied to rank the models. The results show that the CMIP6 models could mostly reproduce the spatial variability of the climatology. However, there were also systematic biases. The sea ice cover and sea surface temperature exhibited noticeable biases of approximately -13.2% and 0.6 °C, respectively. Additionally, all models underestimated air temperature and geopotential height, while overestimating specific humidity in the middle troposphere and zonal and meridional wind speeds in the upper troposphere. Regarding interannual variability, the CMIP6 models performed well for the variables at a pressure level of 850 hPa and with sea ice cover. Taken together, all variables showed that NorESM2-MM exhibited good performance in terms of climatology, while MPI-ESM1-2-LR exhibited good interannual variability. Overall, in regard to the comprehensive rate index, MPI-ESM1-2-LR performed the best among the seven models. This study provides valuable scientific references for selecting the available CMIP6 models as lateral boundary conditions towards dynamical downscaling over Asian-Pacific area.
Management of health information of Nepalese labour migrants
Authors: Karkee Rajendra , Gurung Minani , Poudel Lisasha , Baral Chiranjivi , Adhikary Pratik , KC Radheshyam Krishan , Gurung Sundip , Gajdadziev Vasil , Duigan Patrick , Inkochasan Montira , Wickramage Kolitha Prabhash , Gurung Ganesh
Published: January 2022

IntroductionThe monitoring and improvementof the health of labour migrants (LMs) require sufficient health data to be recorded and managed. In this context, this study was conducted to understand the management of health information of Nepalese Labour Migrants (NLMs).MethodsThis is an explorative qualitative study. Stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in maintaining the health data of NLMs were first mapped, physically visited, and any documents or information was collected. Then, sixteen key informant interviews were conducted among these stakeholders related to labor migrants' health information management and challenges. A checklist extracted information from the interviews, and thematic analysis was carried out to summarize the challenges.ResultsGovernment agencies, non-governmental organizations, and Government approved private medical centers are involved in generating and maintaining the health data of NLMs.TheForeign Employment Board (FEB) records deaths and disabilities of NLMs while at work abroad and maintains an online portal of the Foreign Employment Information Management System (FEMIS) to collect and report migration-related data. Health assessment of NLMs is a mandatory procedure before departure, which is done through the government-approved pre-departure private medical assessment centers. The health records from these assessment centers are first recorded in paper-based form and then entered into an online electronic form to be stored by the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE). The filled-up paper forms are sent to District Health Offices, which further report the data to the Department of Health Services (DoHS), Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and associated governmental infectious diseases centers. However, there is no formal health assessment of NLMs upon arrival to Nepal. Key informants raised various issues and concerns in maintaining health records of NLMs, which were grouped into three themes: lack of interest to develop a unified online system; need of competent human resources and equipment; and inclusion of various health indicators.ConclusionThe FEB and government-approved private assessment centers are the main stakeholders in keeping the health records of NLMs.Health records of NLMs have not been systematically kept in one database and shared with governmental health agencies. It is necessary to keep health records electronically in one database with relevant health indicators on departing and arriving NLMs.
Downregulation of RRS1 Inhibits Proliferation, Migration, And Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition In Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Li Zhi , Wang Jitao , Liu Chengyu , Li Jinlong , Zhang Xiaochong , Zhao Xiaoling , Zhang Kunpeng , Zhen Zhongguang , Liu Dengxiang , Liao Yong
Published: January 2022

Background: Regulator of ribosome rynthesis 1 (RRS1) is an important nuclear protein involved in the biogenesis of ribosomes, and its relationship with a variety of cancers is confirmed by several studies. However, the underlying mechanism of RRS1-related carcinogenesis remains largely elusive.Methods: In this study, we aimed to investigated the role of RRS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by detecting the expression level of RRS1 in HCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues and its effect on the proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of HCC. Results: Compared with para-carcinoma tissues, the expression of RRS1 was significantly higher in HCC tissues, which is associated with the poor prognosis for HCC patients. In addition, knockdown RRS1 in HCC cell lines inhibited proliferation, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conclusions: Our results indicated that RRS1 played an important role in proliferation, migration and EMT process of HCC. Hence, RRS1 might emerge as a promising therapeutic target for HCC.
DFT analysis of valproic acid adsorption onto Al12/B12-N12/P12 nanocages with solvent effects
Authors: Al-Otaibi Jamelah S , Mary Y.Sheena , Mary Y.Shyma
Published: January 2022

Using density functional theory, the adsorption of valproic acid onto the surface of fullerene-like nanocages was investigated. Valproic acid interact the nanocages through the carboxylic group with energies of -144.14, -109.71, -105.22 and -84.96 kcal/mol. The FMOs energy levels were considerably altered upon adsorption, resulting in a reduction in energy gap and increase in electrical conductivity. This suggests that nanocages could be used as sensors as well as options for drug administration in biological systems. Solvation effects in water are also reported.
A CRISPR-based ultrasensitive assay redefines “undetectable” SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in kidney transplant recipients after COVID-19 vaccination
Authors: Tang Yanan , Song Turun , Gao Lu , Yin Saifu , Ma Min , Tan Yun , Wu Lijuan , Lin Tao , Li Feng
Published: January 2022

An ultrasensitive assay for the detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is critically needed for evaluating the adaptive humoral immune response and infection rates in immunocompromised subpopulations. Here, we report an Ultrasensitive CRISPR-based Antibody Detection (UCAD) assay that translates the detection of serum antibodies against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into CRISPR-based nucleic acid testing in a homogeneous solution and is thus 10,000 times more sensitive than the commercial immunoassay. The UCAD assay, which has been validated with 65 clinical anti-RBD-positive and 72 anti-RBD-negative sera collected from the general population, achieves 100% sensitivity and 97.2% specificity. We finally deployed UCAD to evaluate the levels of serum anti-RBD IgG and IgM in a cohort of 85 vaccinated kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), an especially vulnerable patient population with reported seroconversion rates of only 4-48%. Among the 85 vaccinated KTRs, UCAD successfully identified 68 seroconversion positive sera that were previously determined to contain “undetectable” levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 using a clinical chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) and has revealed significant differences in the levels of plasmablasts, type-2 T helper (Th2) cells, and type-17 T helper (Th17) cells between the UCAD-identified seroconversion positive and negative groups. As UCAD is a solution-based ultrasensitive assay that does not require specialized equipment or tedious operational and washing steps, we anticipate that it will find wide applications for clinical uses in both centralized laboratories and point-of-care settings.
Pattern and determinants of contraceptive use among the Muslim women in Wajir and Lamu counties in Kenya: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Abdi Batula , Okal Jerry , Serour Gamal , Were Vincent , Temmerman Marleen , Gichangi Peter
Published: January 2022

Improving access to family planning (FP) is associated with positive health benefits that includes averting nearly a third of all maternal deaths and 10% of childhood deaths. Kenya has made great strides in improving access to family planning services. However, amid this considerable progress, regional variation has been noted. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study that involved 663 Muslim women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from Wajir and Lamu counties in Kenya between March and October 2018. Eligible women were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic information and history of family planning use. Simple and multiple logistic regression were used to identify determinants of family planning use. The results were presented as Crude Odds Ratio crude (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) ratios at 95% confidence interval. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOf the 663 Muslim women of reproductive age consenting to participate in the study, 51.5%, n=342 and 48.5%, n=321 were from Lamu and Wajir County, respectively. The prevalence of women currently using contraceptive was 18.6 percent (n=123). In Lamu, the prevalence was 32.8%, while in Wajir, it was 3.4 percent.The determinants of current contraceptive use in Lamu include; marital status, age at marriage employment status, discussion with a partner on FP, acceptability of FP in Culture, and willingness to obtain information on FP. While in Wajir, determinants of current contraceptive use were education, Family planning allowed in Islam.ConclusionsOur study found moderately high use of contraceptives among Muslim women of reproductive age in Lamu county and very low contraceptive use among women in Wajir. There is need for family planning programs to address issues of male involvement in reproductive health given the patriarchal nature of the two communities. It is critical for the government to invest in women and girls education to enhance their ability to make informed decisions; particularly in Wajir where FP uptake is low with low education attainment. Further, our findings highlight the need for culturally appropriate messages and involvement of religious leaders to demystify the myths and misconception around family planning and Islam.
Effects of magma-generation and migration on the expansion and contraction history of the Moon.
Authors: U Kenyo , Hasumi Hiroki , Ogawa Masaki
Published: January 2022

Geological and geodetic observations of the Moon from spacecraft revealed that it expanded by a few km for the first several hundred million years and then contracted later. The period when the planet expanded most coincides with that when the mare volcanism of the Moon was active. Given the high initial temperature of the deep mantle inferred from the giant impact and mantle overturn hypotheses of the Moon, the observed early expansion is difficult to account for by thermal expansion only. To understand the observed radial change of the Moon, we numerically calculated the thermal evolution of a one-dimensional spherically symmetric mantle caused by transport of heat, mass, and incompatible heat-producing elements (HPEs) by migration of magma that is generated by internal heating. The mantle is assumed to be enriched in HPEs at its base in the initial condition. The calculated mantle expands for the first several hundred million years by melting of the deep mantle and upward migration of the generated magma to the uppermost mantle; the top of the partially molten region rises up to the depth level of around 300 km, shallow enough to generate mare basalts of the Moon. The migrating magma, however, extracts HPEs from the deep interior, and the planet then contracts gradually by cooling and solidification of the partially molten mantle. We obtained a thermal history that is consistent with the observed history of radial change of the Moon when the initial mid-mantle temperature \({T}_{M}\approx 1600 K\) and the initial ratio of the concentration of HPEs in the crust to that of the mantle \({F}_{crst}\le 12\). This initial state of the mantle inferred from its thermal history constrains the earliest evolution of the Moon dominated by the magma ocean and mantle overturn.
Comparison of the clinical features, viral shedding and immune response in vaccine breakthrough infection by the Omicron and Delta variants
Authors: Young Barnaby , Fong Siew-Wai , Chang Zi Wei , Tan Kai Sen , Rouers Angeline , Goh Yun Shan , Tay Douglas Jie Wen , Ong Sean W. X. , Hao Ying , Chua Siang Li , Chavatte Jean-Marc , Cui Lin , Tay Matthew , Lin Raymond Tzer Pin , Renia Laurent , Leo Yee-Sin , Chu Justin Jang Hann , Lye David , Ng Lisa Fong Poh
Published: January 2022

BackgroundOn 26 November 2021, the World Health Organization designated the B.1.1.529 lineage of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the fifth variant of concern, Omicron. Infections have quickly spread worldwide, but understanding of the viral dynamics and the cytokine and cellular immunological response during infection remain limited.MethodsDetailed patient-level data from 174 age-matched patients with sequence confirmed Omicron or Delta infection admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore were analyzed in an observational cohort study. Peripheral blood samples for measurement of SARS-CoV-2 immunological parameters were obtained from a subset. Respiratory samples were collected for viral cultures and correlated to corresponding PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values. ResultsOmicron and Delta variant infections in this hospitalized cohort were mild with only 3 (3%) and 14 (16%) developing pneumonia respectively. Omicron infections were more likely to present with sore throat (46.0 vs x23.0%, p=0.005). Neutrophil counts and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly lower among the Omicron cohort (Median neutrophil 2.95 [IQR 2.16 – 3.96] vs 4.60 [IQR 3.76 – 6.10] x 109/L , p<0.001; Median CRP 5.7 [IQR 2.0 – 10.0] vs 12.0 [IQR 6.1 – 22.0] mg/L, p<0.001). Trough polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle threshold (Ct) values were significantly higher with Omicron infection (17.6 [IQR 16.3 – 19.3] vs 14.9 [IQR 13.9 – 19.0], p=0.001). The pattern and rate of rise in Ct values was similar between Omicron and Delta. At the time of infection, Omicron infected patients had lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines Vaccine breakthrough infections with the Omicron variant had a low concentration of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors at the acute phase of infection, but a more robust IFN-γ response. Less dysregulated immune cell profiles were also observed, including a lower immature neutrophil cell count in Omicron breakthrough casesConclusionsOmicron infections resulted in mild vaccine breakthrough illness in the majority of patients. Compared with Delta, Omicron infections were more frequently associated with upper respiratory tract infections, had lower viral loads, lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and less dysregulated immune cell profiles.
Overlapping Group Screening for Detection of Gene-environment Interactions with Application to TCGA High-dimensional Survival Genomic Data
Authors: Wang Jie-Huei , Wang Kang-Hsin , Chen Yi-Hau
Published: January 2022

Background: In the context of biomedical and epidemiological research, gene-environment (G-E) interaction is of great significance to the etiology and progression of many complex diseases. In high-dimensional genetic data, two general models, marginal and joint models, are proposed to identify important interaction factors. Most existing approaches for identifying G-E interactions are limited owing to the lack of robustness to outliers/contamination in response and predictor data. In particular, right-censored survival outcomes make the associated feature screening even challenging. In this article, we utilize the overlapping group screening (OGS) approach to select important G-E interactions related to clinical survival outcomes by incorporating the gene pathway information under a joint modeling framework.Results: Simulation studies under various scenarios are carried out to compare the performances of our proposed method with some commonly used methods. In the real data applications, we use our proposed method to identify G-E interactions related to the clinical survival outcomes of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal carcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas clinical survival genetic data, and further establish corresponding survival prediction models. Both simulation and real data studies show that our method performs well and outperforms existing methods in the G-E interaction selection, effect estimation, and survival prediction accuracy.Conclusions: The OGS approach is useful for selecting important environmental factors, genes and G-E interactions in the ultra-high dimensional feature space. The prediction ability of OGS with the Lasso penalty is better than existing methods. The same idea of the OGS approach can apply to other outcome models, such as the proportional odds survival time model, the logistic regression model for binary outcomes, and the multinomial logistic regression model for multi-class outcomes.
Gene Profiling of SEC13, SMAD7, GHRL, Long Non-Coding RNA GHRLOS, HIF-1α In Gastric Cancer Patients
Authors: Hussein Neveen A. , Rashad Mona M. , Ibrahim Azza S. , Hussein Amr M. , Mohamed Hagar M.
Published: January 2022

Background: Even with considerable progress in cancer researches, gastric cancer is still one of the global health problems. Recognition of the differential expressed genes in GC is the most appropriate approach for establishing new diagnostic targets. This study evaluates SEC13, SMAD7, GHRL, lncRNA GHRLOS, HIF-1α genes profiling as well as HIF-1α protein level for GC.Methods: The expression of selected genes, serum HIF-1α and CEA protein levels were determined for 50 GC patients and 50 healthy controls by real-time RT-PCR, ELISA, and ELICA respectively. The sensitivities of these parameters as diagnostic biomarkers were evaluated.Results: SMAD7, HIF-1α expression, serum HIF-1α, and CEA level were significantly upregulated in GC patients as compared to the control group and had significant positive correlations between most of them. On the other hand, SEC13, GHRL, and LncRNA GHRLOS expression were significantly downregulated in GC patients and had significant positive correlations with each other. Significant negative correlations were observed between most of both groups. All studied parameters were associated with GC clinical stages except SMAD7 was associated with stage IV only and GHRL did not associate with tumor stages.Conclusions: All studied parameters may be promising biomarkers for the early diagnosis of GC. SMAD7, HIF-1α gene, and HIF-1α protein may be jointly implicated in cancer development and prognosis, while SEC13, GHRL, and lncRNA GHRLOS may act as tumor suppressors.
Detection and Parameter Estimation of Multicomponent LFM Signal based on Nonlinear Transformation under the Impulsive Noise
Authors: Li Li , Shi Xiaofei , He Mingyan
Published: January 2022

The linear frequency modulated (LFM) signal has been widely implemented in broadband wireless communications in high-speed vehicles, such as internet of vehicles(IoV), because of its excellent characteristic of long time interval and wide frequency band. In this paper, a novel method, which employs the fractional Fourier transform and the Tuneable-Sigmoid transform, is proposed to estimate parameters of multicomponent LFM signals in Internet of Vehicles(IoV) under the impulsive noise environment. For the optimization in the fractional Fourier domain, an algorithm based on peak searching is proposed. And for multicomponent signals, we further propose a signal separation technique in the fractional Fourier domain which can effectively suppress the interferences on the detection of the weak components brought by the stronger components, and estimate parameters of LFM signals. Moreover, boundedness and the complexity analysis of Tuneable-Sigmoid-FFRT to the noise are presented to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. In additional, the Cramér–Rao bound for parameter estimation is derived and computed in closed form, which shows that better performance has been achieved. Both theoretical analysis and simulations demonstrate the superior performances of the proposed approach over other existing methods.
Response Parameters that Control the Service, Safety and Collapse Performances of a 253 m Tall Concrete Core Wall Building in Istanbul
Authors: Budak Erhan , Sucuoglu Haluk , Celik Ozan Cem
Published: January 2022

Seismic performance of a 253 m tall reinforced concrete core wall building in Istanbul, designed according to performance-based seismic design principles, is assessed for determining the response parameters that control the serviceability, safety and collapse performance limit states. Serviceability performance is evaluated under the 50year wind and 43-year earthquake whereas safety performance is assessed under the 2475-year earthquake. Collapse performance is elaborated through incremental dynamic analysis. Our study revealed that the service performance is controlled by the maximum interstory drift limits specified for wind loads, and safety performance is controlled by the flexural steel strain limits of coupling beams. Collapse occurs in two consecutive stages: flexural collapse of coupling beams, followed by crushing of concrete at critical shear wall segments. Collapse spectra are defined for these two collapse limit states. Collapse spectra can be extrapolated from the 2475-year maximum considered earthquake (MCE) spectrum provided that the prevailing inelastic mechanisms are similar under the MCE and collapse ground motions. The building displays a significantly higher seismic performance at all performance levels, which is primarily attributed to the overstrength due to the limitation of axial stresses on vertical members under design earthquake load combination. The annual frequency of the mean earthquake ground motions that leads to incipient collapse is determined as 8·10 -5 , which is significantly lower than the annual frequency of 2475-year ground motions.
Primary Intraspinal Tumors in China: A Consecutive Surgical Series of 589 Patients
Authors: Si Meng , Cong Menglin , Wang Dandan , Hou Yong , Nie Lin , Ma Hecheng
Published: January 2022

Purpose: Primary intraspinal tumors are rare tumors of the central nervous system. There is a paucity of detailed clinical data on the tumors for neurosurgeons. The paper is to report the clinical characters of 589 patients with primary intraspinal tumors in China.Methods: Medical records of 589 patients with primary intraspinal tumor treated surgically with pathologic confirmation from January 2015 to December 2019 in our hospital were collected and reviewed. In each case, data about patient's age at surgery, sex, clinical presentation, anatomical location, vertebral levels and histological diagnosis were obtained and analyzed.Results: The entire cohort included 281 (47.7%) males and 308 (52.3%) females with a mean age of 48.1 years. Primary intraspinal tumors were most likely occurred on thoracic levels, counting 38.7%, compared with cervical 25.1% and lumbar 33.7%. 80.3% (472/589) of intraspinal tumors were intradural extramedullary, and 5.60% (33/589) were intramedullary, and 13.07% (77/589) were epidural. The pathological diagnoses included schwannoma (52.8%), meningioma (10.4%), cyst (8.0%), teratoma (24,4.1%), ependymoma (23,3.9%), and angioma (23,3.9%), and females had a higher incidence of meningiomas than males, with a male/female of 0.20. Pain, numbness, weakness, and sensory disturbances were most common presentations of the intraspinal tumor, which was determined partially by the vertebral level distribution and anatomical location.Conclusions: This large single-center clinical study adds new insights into the descriptive epidemiology and characters of primary intraspinal tumors by providing in-depth analyses of these tumors, which is of vital importance in planning studies on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the tumors.
Bacteria and Antimicrobial Resistance in Children at Damascus Hospital
Authors: Kahal Fares , Mohsen Fatema , Helwani Ahmed , Bani Maher Al
Published: January 2022

Background

Antimicrobial resistance is the third top-ranking global causative of death.
Aims

The aim is to evaluate antimicrobial resistance and sensitivity to aid the assessment of the efficacy in Syrian management protocols.
Methods

A retrospective study was conducted to analyze children with positive culture results presenting with nosocomial or community-acquired infections in Damascus Hospital, Damascus, Syria.
Results

117 patients with 183 positive culture results were included in the study. The most antibiotic-resistant bacterium was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The highest bacterial antibiotic resistance occurred with Ceftriaxone, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (89%), Escherichia coli (77%), Enterobacter (74%), and Proteus (42%). Staphylococcus sensitivity towards vancomycin was only 3%. The mortality was 19(16%), nosocomial infection 11(55%) and community infections 9(45%).
Conclusion

The efficacy of the remaining antibiotics to which the bacteria are sensitive must be maintained through rationalization of its use. Strict precautionary measures must be implemented to ban the illegal dispensation of antibiotics.
What is the impact of covid-19 pandemic era on Pregnant Women sero-positivity for Syphilis among women attending antenatal care in India and number of babies diagnosed with Congenital Syphilis?
Authors: Kumar Piyush
Published: January 2022

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) still continue to be a major public health problem globally, affecting the quality of life as well as causing serious morbidity and mortality. STIs have a direct and significant impact on reproductive and child health. They can directly cause infertility, cancers as well as pregnancy complications, and indirectly affects individual economies. The information on the number of PW found to be sero positive for Syphilis among women attending antenatal care in India and number of babies diagnosed with Congenital Syphilis is collected from HMIS electronic records of MoHFW, Government of India with key objective to know about the impact of covid-19 era i.e. 2020 and 2021 on prevalence of syphilis by comparing it with the pre pandemic era of 2018 and 2019. I collected sero positivity data for Syphilis among women attending antenatal care in India and number of babies diagnosed with Congenital Syphilis across 36 states and union territories of India including all health facilities viz. public, private, rural, urban health facilities. The data is collected, observed and analyzed with Microsoft office software. Among 254705.2 averages per month number of PW (pregnant women) tested using POC test for Syphilis, 2144.4 averages per month were sero positive for Syphilis giving a sero-prevalence of 0.84% in 2021(Jan to May). Of 175579.75 averages per month number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis, 855.58 averages per month were sero positive for Syphilis giving a sero-prevalence of 0.49% in 2020(Jan to Dec). Of 53313.66 averages per month number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis, 419.33 averages per month were sero positive for Syphilis giving a sero-prevalence of 0.79% in 2019 (Jan to Dec). Of 11364.75averages per month number of PW tested using POC test for Syphilis, 339.08 averages per month were sero positive for Syphilis giving a sero-prevalence of 2.98% in 2018 (Jan to Dec).
The Turkish version of the İkigai-9 Scale: A validity and reliability study
Authors: Belice Tahir , Yıldırım Nejla Özkan , Gursoy Utkucan , Murakami Ikuko , Demir Ismail , Yüksel Arif , Akçiçek Selahattin Fehmi
Published: January 2022

The aim: İkigai, or well-being, has been associated with many positive outcomes in the physical and mental health of elderly people. In the present study, we conducted a validity and reliability study of the İkigai-9 scale in Turkish society and outlined its associations with facets of well-being.Methods: A translation, re-translation method was used to create linguistic equivalence of the İkigai-9 scale in the Turkish language. The correlations between the İkigai-9 Turkish version with the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale Short Form and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were studied. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with volunteers regarding the scale. Data were saved in excel files and analyzed with SPSS (IBM SPSS for Windows, ver.24).Results: The findings confirmed the validity and reliability of the İkigai-9 Turkish version using 382 participants. The total scores on the İkigai-9 Turkish version were correlated positively with mental well-being and negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and depression (p<0.05). Moreover, the total İkigai-9 Turkish version scores had a positive correlation with age (p<0.05) but did not differ according to gender (p>0.05).Conclusions: İkigai and studies related to the concept of mental well-being should be widened and expanded across nations. These studies could be beneficial to healthcare providers to attenuate the impact of suffering from various diseases. We present the İkigai-9 Turkish version for further study in both in the national and international contexts that healthcare workers could compare their results in other countries.