bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Etiologies of Long-Term Postcholecystectomy Symptoms: A Systematic Review
Authors: Latenstein Carmen S. S. , Wennmacker Sarah Z. , de Jong Judith J. , van Laarhoven Cornelis J. H. M. , Drenth Joost P. H. , de Reuver Philip R.
Published: April 2019

Background. Cholecystectomy does not relieve abdominal symptoms in up to 40% of patients. With 700,000 cholecystectomies performed in the US, annually, about 280,000 patients are left with symptoms, making this a serious problem. We performed a systematic review to determine the different etiologies of long-term postcholecystectomy symptoms with the aim to provide guidance for clinicians treating these patients.Methods. A systematic search of the literature was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Articles describing at least one possible etiology of long-term symptoms after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this review. Long-term symptoms were defined as abdominal symptoms that were present at least four weeks after cholecystectomy, either persistent or incident. The etiologies of persistent and incident symptoms after LC and the mechanism or hypothesis behind the etiologies are provided. If available, the prevalence of the discussed etiology is provided.Results. The search strategy identified 3320 articles of which 130 articles were included. Etiologies for persistent symptoms were residual and newly formed gallstones (41 studies, prevalence ranged from 0.2 to 23%), coexistent diseases (64 studies, prevalence 1-65%), and psychological distress (13 studies, no prevalence provided). Etiologies for incident symptoms were surgical complications (21 studies, prevalence 1-3%) and physiological changes (39 studies, prevalence 16-58%). Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) was reported as an etiology for both persistent and incident symptoms (21 studies, prevalence 3-40%).Conclusion. Long-term postcholecystectomy symptoms vary amongst patients, arise from different etiologies, and require specific diagnostic and treatment strategies. Most symptoms after cholecystectomy seem to be caused by coexistent diseases and physiological changes due to cholecystectomy. The outcome of this research is summarized in a decision tree to give clinical guidance on the treatment of patients with symptoms after cholecystectomy.
Psychometric Evaluation of Anxiety, Depression, and Sleep Quality after a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Ma Hon-Ping , Chen Po-Shen , Wong Chung-Shun , Chang Cheng-Fu , Ou Ju-Chi , Tsai Yan-Rou , Chiu Wen-Ta , Tsai Shin-Han , Liao Kuo-Hsing , Chiang Yung-Hsiao , Wang Jia-Yi , Chen Kai-Yun , Wu John Chung-Che
Published: April 2019

Introduction. Over 1 million mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) cases are reported annually worldwide and may result in cognitive, physical, and emotional deterioration; depression; anxiety; and sleep problems. However, studies on long-term mTBI effects are limited. This study included 440 patients, and regular follow-ups of psychological assessments were performed for 2 years. Four questionnaires, including the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), Beck’s anxiety inventory (BAI), and Beck’s depression inventory (BDI), were used to evaluate sleep problems, daytime sleepiness, anxiety, and depression, respectively. Results show that BAI and BDI scores considerably improved at the 6th-week, 1st-year, and 2nd-year follow-ups compared to baseline, yet these remained significantly different. In addition, anxiety and depression were prominent symptoms in a select subgroup of patients with poor initial evaluations, which improved over the 2 years. However, the ESS and PSQI scores fluctuated only mildly over the same time span. In conclusion, the mTBI patients showed a gradual improvement of anxiety and depression over the 2 years following injury. While anxiety and depression levels for mTBI patients in general did not return to premorbid status, improvements were observed. Sleep disorders persisted and were consistent with initial levels of distress.
A Flow-Based and Operator-Centric Dynamic Mobility Management Scheme for Proxy Mobile IPv6
Authors: Leiter Ákos , Bokor László
Published: April 2019

The continuous increase of mobile data traffic volume creates new challenges for telecommunication network operators. As a possible solution, many traffic offloading techniques have been proposed. In parallel, there is a trend to handle all the access techniques under the umbrella of IP, including non-3GPP networks (e.g., Wi-Fi), mainly with the help of IPv6. In this paper we provide a new architectural proposal in Evolved Packet Core (EPC) described as flow-based and operator-centric dynamic mobility management with Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6). This new approach is supported by current EPC entities including Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF), and Local Mobility Anchor (LMA) and by defining a novel communication scheme between them. The proposal was evaluated in a virtual testbed environment, and measurements based simulations were carried out where the solution showed significant benefits by enhancing operator flexibility, increasing user experience, and decreasing signaling overhead due to its highly dynamic operation and optimized flow-level behavior.
Ligustrum robustum Intake, Weight Loss, and Gut Microbiota: An Intervention Trial
Authors: Zhou Tao , Chen Jiayi , Chen Yuhang , Xu Jiayi , Liu Sijing , Zheng Tianli , Sun Dianjianyi , Qi Lu , Xiong Jingyuan , Pei Xiaofang
Published: April 2019

Ligustrum robustum (LR) shows antiobesity effects in animal studies. However, little is known about the effect on human. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of LR intake on weight change in obese women and the role of gut microbiota. Thirty overweight and obese female participants (BMI ≥24 kg/m2) were recruited in the current study. The participants drank LR 10g/d for 12 wks. Their body composition and related biomarkers were assessed. Alterations of the gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. The primary outcome was the change in body weight. LR intake resulted in 2.5% weight loss over 12 wks (P<0.01). Change in body fat at 12 wk was -1.77 ± 1.19 kg (P<0.01). In addition, decreased Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio (P=0.03), increased richness (the ACE estimator, P<0.01; the Chao1 estimator, P<0.01), and altered representative taxa of the gut microbiota were observed. Bacteroidaceae, Bacteroides, Bacilli, and Lactobacillales were higher while Ruminococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriales, Lachnospiraceae, Clostridia, and Clostridiales were lower at 12 wk. Moreover, LR intervention decreased fasting glucose (P<0.01), serum leptin (P<0.01), and IL8 (P=0.02) and increased HOMA-β (P<0.01). LR intervention moderately decreased the body weight in overweight and obese women and such effect might be due to modulation of gut microbiota.
Factors Related to Superior and Inferior Hemifield Defects in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma
Authors: Takeuchi Remi , Enomoto Nobuko , Ishida Kyoko , Anraku Ayako , Tomita Goji
Published: April 2019

Purpose. We aimed to investigate factors related to superior and inferior hemifield defects in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods. Sixty-seven subjects with newly diagnosed, untreated POAG underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the disc area, macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC), and circumpapillary retinal nerve ﬁber layer (cpRNFL) thickness within 6 months of the visual field (VF) test. Based on the VF and OCT results, 40 subjects had a superior and 27 an inferior hemiﬁeld defect. Clinical data including visual acuity, refractive error, disc hemorrhage, VF indexes, and medical history were recorded. Results. Average mGCC thickness corresponding to the defective hemifields was thinner in the superior VF defect group than in the inferior VF defect group (P=0.003). Average total deviation (TD) was comparable between the two groups. However, the superior VF defect group had a higher prevalence of defects (P=0.001) and lower TD (P=0.002) within central 5 degrees of VF than the inferior VF defect group. In multivariate regression analyses, the temporal-lower and inferior-temporal cpRNFL thicknesses were significant contributing factors to the inferior mGCC thickness in the superior VF defect group. In the inferior VF defect group, the disc area, family history of glaucoma, and temporal-upper cpRNFL thickness contributed to the superior mGCC thickness. Conclusion. The inferior mGCC thickness corresponding to the superior hemifield defect group was significantly thinner than the superior mGCC thickness corresponding to the inferior hemifield defect group. The factors related to the reduction of the corresponding mGCC thickness may differ between superior VF defect and inferior VF defect groups.
Multiloss Function Based Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Segmentation of Retinal Vasculature into Arterioles and Venules
Authors: Badawi Sufian A. , Fraz Muhammad Moazam
Published: April 2019

The arterioles and venules (AV) classification of retinal vasculature is considered as the first step in the development of an automated system for analysing the vasculature biomarker association with disease prognosis. Most of the existing AV classification methods depend on the accurate segmentation of retinal blood vessels. Moreover, the unavailability of large-scale annotated data is a major hindrance in the application of deep learning techniques for AV classification. This paper presents an encoder-decoder based fully convolutional neural network for classification of retinal vasculature into arterioles and venules, without requiring the preliminary step of vessel segmentation. An optimized multiloss function is used to learn the pixel-wise and segment-wise retinal vessel labels. The proposed method is trained and evaluated on DRIVE, AVRDB, and a newly created AV classification dataset; and it attains 96%, 98%, and 97% accuracy, respectively. The new AV classification dataset is comprised of 700 annotated retinal images, which will offer the researchers a benchmark to compare their AV classification results.
N-Acetylcysteine Attenuates Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury by Inhibiting the C5a Receptor
Authors: Huang Shuai , You Jian , Wang Kun , Li Yueqiang , Zhang Ying , Wei Haotian , Liang Xinjun , Liu Yanyan
Published: April 2019

N-acetylcysteine has been widely used as a nutritional supplement and drug in humans for its antioxidant properties. The complement activation fragment C5a is a strong proinflammatory molecule that mediates cell adhesion, chemotaxis, and the complex biological functions. However, the effect of NAC on the C5a, and the relationship of those two with cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury are unknown. In cisplatin induced AKI mouse model, mice with NAC administration had a marked improvement in renal function (BUN and Cr), decreased pathological damage, reduced inflammation, and alleviated renal oxidative stress. Furthermore, C5a and C5aR expression in the cisplatin-treated group was notably increased compared with the control group, and this increase could be significantly inhibited by NAC. In addition, neutrophils coexpressed distinctly with C5aR, and the number of infiltrating neutrophils (MPO+ly6G+) and inflammatory factors decreased with NAC treatment in the cisplatin-treated group. Overall, these data demonstrate that NAC could ameliorate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice and the protective effects may be conducted by inhibiting the activation of kidney inflammation and the complement system.
Geological Composition and Structure of the Filling Zone and Its Water-Resisting Property Evaluation on the Top of Ordovician Limestone
Authors: Wang Qiqing , Li Wenping , Liu Qiangqiang
Published: April 2019

With the gradual increase in mining depth of coal fields in North China, the threat posed by karstic Ordovician limestone water to the safe stoping of mines is becoming increasingly prominent. Investigating the water-resisting property of the filling zone on the top of the Ordovician limestone provides the key to safe mining under pressure. This paper analyzed the formation process of the filling zone on the top of Ordovician limestone in North China, and by combining analysis results of several geological field investigations on Ordovician outcrops, the filling zone on the top of Ordovician limestone was divided into three water-resisting structures: (1) completely filled, (2) incompletely filled, and (3) nonfilled. Based on the lithological composition, logging curves, and the water inflow status of several field boreholes, various characteristics of these clay-filled zones were used to determine the mudstone content from top to bottom. Using the interbedded mudstone thickness ratio, relative argillaceous content, impermeable filling zone thickness, rock quality designation (RQD), and faulting as evaluation factors, this paper evaluated the water-resisting property of the filling zone in the study area based on feature-weighted fuzzy C-means clustering (WFCM) algorithm and determined the extent of each zone. The completely filled zone accounts for 46.9% of the total area, incompletely filled zone accounts for 23.9%, and the zone not filled with clay material accounts for 29.2%. As indicated by field investigations on the boreholes, the actual percent of each zone is similar to the theoretical results. The study results present a vital guide for Ordovician limestone water control in deep mining.
The Role of Autophagy in Chondrocyte Metabolism and Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Research Review
Authors: Luo Pan , Gao Fuqiang , Niu Dongsheng , Sun Xichun , Song Qiang , Guo Chongjun , Liang Yuqi , Sun Wei
Published: April 2019

Chondrocytes are the sole cellular constituents of normal cartilage. The degeneration and apoptosis of these cells are considered the main cause of osteoarthritis (OA). Previous studies have suggested that the enhancement of autophagy in chondrocytes can delay the progression of osteoarthritis by affecting intracellular metabolic activity, i.e., by regulating the metabolism of nutrients, which can delay cell aging and death. In this review, we explored the relationship between autophagy and chondrocyte metabolism and provided new ideas for the prevention and treatment of OA.
Sequential Interventional Management of Osseous Neoplasms via Embolization, Cryoablation, and Osteoplasty
Authors: Sundararajan Sri Hari , Calamita Steven , Girgis Peter , Ngo Gregory , Ranganathan Srirajkumar , Giglio Marisa , Gendel Vyacheslav , Goyal Sharad , Nosher John , Roychowdhury Sudipta
Published: April 2019

The purpose of this study is to determine if sequential interventional therapy can become a mainstay option in providing palliation from fastidious osseous neoplasms in patients with pain refractory to oral analgesia and radiotherapy. This retrospective monocentric study was approved by our institutional review board. Between July 2012 and August 2014, we reviewed 15 patients (6 women, 9 men; age range of 36-81 years) who underwent embolization followed by cryoablation, with or without osteoplasty. Patient demographics and tumor characteristics, including primary histology and the location of metastasis, were included in our review. Pain intensity at baseline, after radiotherapy, and after sequential interventional therapy was reviewed using the hospital electronic medical record. The use of oral analgesia and procedural complications was also noted. Data was then assessed for normality and a two-tailed Student’s t-test was performed on mean pain scores for difference phases of treatment. While radiotherapy offers pain relief with a mean pain score of 7.25 ±1.5 (p =<.0001), sequential interventional therapy results in better comfort as demonstrated by a mean pain score of 3.9 ± 2.6 (p=.0015). Moreover, all patients who reported oral analgesic use at presentation reported a decrease in their requirement after sequential interventional therapy. Embolization and cryoablation were performed in all patients, while osteoplasty was indicated in 6 cases. There was no difference in postprocedural pain intensity between patients who required osteoplasty and patients who did not (p = 0.7514). There were no complications observed during treatment. This retrospective study shows that sequential intervention with transarterial embolization, cryoablation, and osteoplasty is both safe and efficacious for bone pain refractory to the current standard of care. We demonstrated that this combination therapy has the potential to become an effective mainstay treatment paradigm in the palliative care of osseous neoplasm to improve quality of life.
Extending the Fatigue Life of Steel Truss Bridges with Tuned Mass Damper Systems
Authors: Pipinato Alessio
Published: April 2019

The increasing traffic demand is continuously growing worldwide. Therefore, the life of a large stock of bridges that still exist throughout the world must be extended, ensuring at the same time that safety is not compromised for economic reason. This paper introduces the possibility to control the fatigue life of existing bridges by using a vibration control system. Based on a dynamic optimization analysis, the stresses from traffic on the bridge are obtained. Subsequently, a plate finite element (FE) model of the whole bridge is developed. The equation of motion is presented for a case study bridge, equipped with different tuned mass damper system, and the combination of external loads and train/track interaction with or without the TMD system is developed through own‐developed routines and FEM software. The procedure is showcased for a case study bridge. After gaining the stress states at the critical hotspot, the fatigue crack life is evaluated by using the linear cumulative damage theory. The different TMD solution presented is demonstrated to be able to diminish the stress level in critical hotspots, improving the overall fatigue life of the bridge over an established lifetime.
Long Noncoding RNA in Preeclampsia: Transcriptional Noise or Innovative Indicators?
Authors: Yang Xiuhua , Meng Tao
Published: April 2019

Preeclampsia (PE) is termed as an obstetric issue that is characterized by hypertension (≧140/90 mm Hg), together with proteinuria following 20 weeks of pregnancy. Until today, PE still constitutes a severe threat to the lives of both the mothers and fetuses. In the past, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were considered as the transcriptional noise. However, some investigations have indicated that lncRNAs could be used as innovative indicators in PE. The current review aims to discuss the relationship between lncRNAs and PE in recent years. According to the retrieved data, we concluded that lncRNAs can exert an impact on both the occurrence and development of PE through the changes in the biological functions of trophoblasts, immune regulation, epigenetic regulation, decidualization, and energy metabolism. The mechanisms of lncRNAs in PE will help us to better understand the pathogenesis of PE and help us to find targets for predicting and diagnosing PE in the future.
Effects of Particle Shapes and Sizes on the Minimum Void Ratios of Sand
Authors: Xu Zhaoyang , Xu Ning , Wang Haibo
Published: April 2019

The minimum void ratio is an important parameter for evaluating soil properties. It is closely related to the compressive properties, permeability, and shear strength of soil, and it is affected by particle size distributions and particle shapes. However, existing research generally focuses on modeling the minimum void ratio with the effect of particle size distributions, ignoring the influences of particle shapes on the minimum void ratio. This paper analyzes the influences of particle size distributions and particle shapes on the minimum void ratio using four types of sand and alternative materials. The experiments showed that the minimum void ratio first decreased and then increased with the increase of the fines content. The minimum void ratio reached a minimum value when the proportion of fines content was approximately 40%. The more irregular the particle shapes, the more complicated the contact between particles, the more the void existed between the particles, and the larger the minimum void ratio. Based on the experimental data, a relational model between the minimum value of the minimum void ratio and the particle sizes ratio was derived with binary mixtures of different particle sizes and shapes. This proposed model required only one parameter T, which was closely related to the sphericity of the particles, to predict the minimum value of the minimum void ratio with various fines contents. The experiment results showed that the predicted value was very close to the actual measured value.
Parameter Optimization of a Vertical Spring‐Viscous Damper‐Coulomb Friction System
Authors: Wei Biao , Zhuo Yi , Li Chaobin , Yang Menggang
Published: April 2019

A vertical spring‐viscous damper‐concave Coulomb friction isolation system was firstly proposed, and their parameters were firstly optimized to achieve the best performance under earthquakes. An incremental dynamic analysis method (IDA) and a performance‐based assessment framework were used to calculate the system and assess its seismic vulnerability, respectively. Results show that both the friction force and the horizontal component of spring force gradually increase when an earthquake enforce the isolator to slide from its central location. Although other papers propose that an increase of spring force and a decrease of friction force can reduce the structural residual displacement, this paper can minimize the residual displacement value to be 0 by using a super lubrication in the middle of contact surface and a variable increment ratio of concave friction distribution. The reason is that the horizontal component of spring force is always greater than the friction force within any relative displacement between the structure and the ground in this paper. As for the peak relative displacement and peak acceleration of structure, one is reduced while the other is increased when selecting the optimal isolation parameters. If the structure is very sensitive to the acceleration response, a low friction parameter, a small spring constant, and a small and even zero damping constant could be adopted to yield a small peak acceleration of system. The tightness of vertical spring can be adjusted to be appropriately loose to continuously reduce the structural acceleration response.
Antistress Effects of San-Huang-Xie-Xin Decoction on Restraint-Stressed Mice Revealed by 1H NMR-Based Metabolomics and Biochemistry Analysis
Authors: Peng Wei , Du Huan , Liu Guangli , Zhang Qing , Kuang Tingting , Wang Zhang , Fan Gang
Published: April 2019

San-Huang-Xie-Xin decoction (SHXXD), composed of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, Coptidis Rhizoma, and Scutellariae Radix, is a representative antipyretic and detoxifying prescription in traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we investigated the antistress effects and underlying mechanisms of San-Huang-Xie-Xin decoction (SHXXD) on restraint-stressed mice by 1H NMR-based metabolomics combined with biochemistry assay. A total of 48 male mice (5 weeks old, 18-22 g) were divided randomly into 6 groups (n=8), including the normal group, restraint-stressed group, vitamin C group (positive drug, 17 mg/kg), and 3-dosage groups of SHXXD (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg). The stress model was induced by restraining mice in a polypropylene centrifuge tube for 6 h every day. The rotarod test was performed, and several biochemical indicators were measured. Moreover, other 24 animals were divided into 3 groups (n=8) including the normal group, restraint-stressed group, and SHXXD group (800 mg/kg) for 1H NMR-based metabolomics analysis. Our results showed that SHXXD significantly increased the rotarod time, thymus index, spleen index, and the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and interleukin- (IL-) 2, but decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, corticosterone (CORT), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in restraint-stressed mice. Moreover, the contents of eight endogenous metabolites that were changed by restraint stress were significantly reversed by SHXXD. The results of both metabolomics and biochemical analysis indicated that SHXXD (800 mg/kg, p.o.) could improve the biochemical changes and metabolic disorders in restraint-stressed mice by antioxidation and anti-inflammation, enhancing the body’s immune function and restoring several disturbed metabolic pathways (i.e., lipid metabolism, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, inflammatory injury, and energy metabolism). Taken together, these results indicated that SHXXD has a potential antistress effect in restraint-stressed mice and could be considered as a candidate drug for stress-related disorders.
Experimental Study of the Creep Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete
Authors: Kammouna Zainab , Briffaut Matthieu , Malecot Yann
Published: April 2019

Available researches regarding the effect of a sustained load on concrete are limited and sometimes contradictory. In the specific context of prestressed concrete and more generally for all other concrete structures, the effect of creep on the residual mechanical properties of concrete must be closely studied in order to accurately estimate the residual load capacity of a structure. In this study, therefore, sealed concrete specimens were subjected to sustained compressive and tensile loads; then, at the end of each creep test, the mechanical properties were investigated. Results revealed that when applied at a young age (1 month), the compressive creep load leads to an improvement in both compressive strength and elastic modulus. Conversely, when the load is applied at a later age (3 months), the creep strain acts to lower strength while it has almost no effect on the elastic modulus. The tensile creep was also studied for a single loading age (1 month); creep at this low loading level was found to increase tensile strength yet exerted a negligible visible effect when applied at a high loading level. Hence, the most important conclusion of this study is that the effect of creep on mechanical properties of concrete strongly depends on both loading age and loading direction.
Evaluation of the Eighth Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM Staging System for Gastric Cancer: An Analysis of 7371 Patients in the SEER Database
Authors: Cao Long-Long , Lu Jun , Li Ping , Xie Jian-Wei , Wang Jia-Bin , Lin Jian-Xian , Chen Qi-Yue , Lin Mi , Tu Ru-Hong , Zheng Chao-Hui , Huang Chang-Ming
Published: April 2019

Objective. To investigate the validity of the 8thedition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM staging system for gastric cancer.Methods. The clinicopathologic data of 7371 patients who were diagnosed with gastric cancer and had 16 or more involved lymph nodes (LNs) were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and retrospectively reviewed.Results. Stage migration occurred primarily during stage III between the 7thand 8thedition TNM staging systems. Stages IIIB and IIIC in the 7thedition staging system were divided in the 8thedition and had obvious differences in survival rates (bothP<0.001). The 8thedition TNM stages IIIC and IV showed similar survival rates (P=0.101). The prognosis of patients with T4aN3bM0 was not different from that of patients with TxNxM1 (P=0.433), while the prognosis of patients with T4bN3bM0 was significantly poorer than that of patients with TxNxM1 (P=0.008). A revised TNM system with both T4aN3bM0 and T4bN3bM0 incorporated into stage IV was proposed. Multivariable regression analysis showed that the revised TNM system, but not the 7thand 8theditions, was an independent factor for disease-specific survival (DSS) in the third step of the analysis. Further analyses revealed that the revised TNM system had superior discriminatory ability to the 8thedition staging system, which was also an improvement over the 7thedition staging system.Conclusion. The 8thedition of the AJCC TNM staging system is superior to the 7thedition for predicting the DSS rates of gastric cancer patients. However, for better prognostic stratification, it might be more suitable for T4aN3bM0/T4bN3bM0 to be incorporated into stage IV in the 8thedition TNM staging system.
Stiff Substrates Enhance Endothelial Oxidative Stress in Response to Protein Kinase C Activation
Authors: Urbano Rebecca Lownes , Swaminathan Swathi , Clyne Alisa Morss
Published: April 2019

Arterial stiffness, which increases with aging and hypertension, is an independent cardiovascular risk factor. While stiffer substrates are known to affect single endothelial cell morphology and migration, the effect of substrate stiffness on endothelial monolayer function is less understood. The objective of this study was to determine if substrate stiffness increased endothelial monolayer reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to protein kinase C (PKC) activation and if this oxidative stress then impacted adherens junction integrity. Porcine aortic endothelial cells were cultured on varied stiffness polyacrylamide gels and treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), which stimulates PKC and ROS without increasing actinomyosin contractility. PMA-treated endothelial cells on stiffer substrates increased ROS and adherens junction loss without increased contractility. ROS scavengers abrogated PMA effects on cell-cell junctions, with a more profound effect in cells on stiffer substrates. Finally, endothelial cells in aortae from elastin haploinsufficient mice (Eln+/-), which were stiffer than aortae from wild-type mice, showed decreased VE-cadherin colocalization with peripheral actin following PMA treatment. These data suggest that oxidative stress may be enhanced in endothelial cells in stiffer vessels, which could contribute to the association between arterial stiffness and cardiovascular disease.
Caseous Intracardiac Calcification: A Diagnostic Enigma
Authors: Findlay Simon G. , Child Nicholas M. , Muir Douglas F.
Published: April 2019

Intramyocardial calcification is a rare phenomenon often only discovered on postmortem. We describe the case of a healthy 69-year-old lady diagnosed with idiopathic caseous intracardiac calcification extending from the mitral valve annulus. We present high-quality images and propose an investigatory template for future cases.
Corneal Safety and Stability in Cases of Small Incision Lenticule Extraction with Collagen Cross-Linking (SMILE Xtra)
Authors: Osman Ihab Mohamed , Helaly Hany Ahmed , Abou Shousha Mohsen , AbouSamra Amir , Ahmed Islam
Published: April 2019

Purpose. To assess the safety and stability in cases of small incision lenticule extraction with collagen cross-linking (SMILE Xtra). Methods. This study was a retrospective interventional comparative study that included 60 eyes of 30 patients divided equally into two groups: SMILE Xtra and SMILE alone. The inclusion criteria were patients >18 years of age, myopic error >6 D, thinner cornea <520 microns, and abnormal corneal topography. Outcome data were recorded including uncorrected distance visual acuity and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA), manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), central corneal thickness, average keratometry, endothelial cell density, corneal resistance factor (CRF), and corneal densitometry. The follow-up period was 24 months. Results. There was a significant difference between the 2 groups regarding UDVA, CDVA, and MRSE at 1 month. In the SMILE Xtra group, 90% of eyes had postoperative UDVA of 20/20 and 97% had UDVA of 20/30 at 24 months. At 24 months, 26 eyes (87%) vs. 25 eyes (84%) were within ±0.50 D of attempted correction in SMILE Xtra and SMILE groups, respectively. Regarding stability, both groups showed improvement of MRSE at 1st month postoperatively and remained stable along the 24 months of follow-up. CRF and corneal densitometry were higher in the SMILE Xtra group along the whole follow-up period (p=0.001). Conclusion. Combining corneal cross-linking with SMILE procedure (SMILE Xtra) is a promising tool to prevent ectasia in high-risk patients. It is a safe and simple procedure that can be offered to patients undergoing SMILE with risk for ectasia. Trial registration no: PACTR201810577524718.
The Reproducibility of the Immunohistochemical PD-L1 Testing in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Multicentric Italian Experience
Authors: Vigliar Elena , Malapelle Umberto , Bono Francesca , Fusco Nicola , Cortinovis Diego , Valtorta Emanuele , Spyridon Alexiadis , Bimbatti Manuela , Zocchi Mario , Piva Chiara , Gaudioso Gabriella , Iaccarino Antonino , Morbini Patrizia , Pagni Fabio
Published: April 2019

An important harmonization effort was produced by the scientific community to standardize both the preanalytical and interpretative phases of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemical (IHC) testing in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This analysis is crucial for the selection of patients with advanced-stage tumors eligible for treatment with pembrolizumab and potentially with other anti-PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. This multicentric retrospective study evaluated the reproducibility of PD-L1 testing in the Italian scenario both for closed and open platforms. In the evaluation of the well-known gold-standard combinations (Agilent 22C3 PharmDx on Dako Autostainer versus Roche’s Ventana SP263 on BenchMark), the results confirmed the literature data and showed complete overlapping between the two methods. With regard to the performances by using open platforms, the combination of 22C3 with Dako Omnis or Benchmark obtained good results basically, while the 28,8 clone seemed to be associated with worse scores.
Planning and Design of Low-Power-Consuming Full-Outer-Air-Intake Natural Air-Conditioning System
Authors: Weng Chien-Lun , Kau Lih-Jen
Published: April 2019

A person stays indoors for about 85%∼90% time of his lifetime, and the need for a comfortable indoor environment is getting higher; thus, the air-conditioning dependency becomes intense too. Nowadays, residents focus on both the comfortable living environment and indoor air quality. A closed environment will become hazardous because of carbon dioxide released during respiration and toxic organic solvent vapor released from interior decoration. In order to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ), we must allow outer fresh air into the indoor space and release the dirty air out. But while taking in fresh air, the heat and factory/vehicle exhaust are also introduced. Indoor CO2, HCHO, and VOCs and outer dirty gas threaten human health badly. To solve this problem, we bring up an innovative low-power-consuming full-outer-air-intake natural air-conditioning system that completely separates intake and exhaust air, which is a solution for cross-contamination and makes mass/energy exchange by means of air and water. Design airflow exceeds 300∼500 CFM, steam evaporation mass rate reaches 3.13∼3.88 kg/hr, and heat exchange capacity becomes 1,855∼2,300 kcal/hr. The sensible heat effectiveness is 71%∼112%, and EER exceeds 14.05∼17.42 kcal/W·h. In addition, the system under design can be of positive or negative pressure status according to the user’s or work’s requirement. It creates a comfortable and healthy living environment by supplying clean and fresh outer ambient air with low power consumption.
Pattern Matching for DNA Sequencing Data Using Multiple Bloom Filters
Authors: Najam Maleeha , Rasool Raihan Ur , Ahmad Hafiz Farooq , Ashraf Usman , Malik Asad Waqar
Published: April 2019

Storing and processing of large DNA sequences has always been a major problem due to increasing volume of DNA sequence data. However, a number of solutions have been proposed but they require significant computation and memory. Therefore, an efficient storage and pattern matching solution is required for DNA sequencing data. Bloom filters (BFs) represent an efficient data structure, which is mostly used in the domain of bioinformatics for classification of DNA sequences. In this paper, we explore more dimensions where BFs can be used other than classification. A proposed solution is based on Multiple Bloom Filters (MBFs) that finds all the locations and number of repetitions of the specified pattern inside a DNA sequence. Both of these factors are extremely important in determining the type and intensity of any disease. This paper serves as a first effort towards optimizing the search for location and frequency of substrings in DNA sequences using MBFs. We expect that further optimizations in the proposed solution can bring remarkable results as this paper presents a proof of concept implementation for a given set of data using proposed MBFs technique. Performance evaluation shows improved accuracy and time efficiency of the proposed approach.
Longitudinal Analysis of Stroke Patients’ Brain Rhythms during an Intervention with a Brain-Computer Interface
Authors: Carino-Escobar Ruben I. , Carrillo-Mora Paul , Valdés-Cristerna Raquel , Rodriguez-Barragan Marlene A. , Hernandez-Arenas Claudia , Quinzaños-Fresnedo Jimena , Galicia-Alvarado Marlene A. , Cantillo-Negrete Jessica
Published: April 2019

Stroke is a leading cause of motor disability worldwide. Upper limb rehabilitation is particularly challenging since approximately 35% of patients recover significant hand function after 6 months of the stroke’s onset. Therefore, new therapies, especially those based on brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and robotic assistive devices, are currently under research. Electroencephalography (EEG) acquired brain rhythms in alpha and beta bands, during motor tasks, such as motor imagery/intention (MI), could provide insight of motor-related neural plasticity occurring during a BCI intervention. Hence, a longitudinal analysis of subacute stroke patients’ brain rhythms during a BCI coupled to robotic device intervention was performed in this study. Data of 9 stroke patients were acquired across 12 sessions of the BCI intervention. Alpha and beta event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) trends across sessions and their association with time since stroke onset and clinical upper extremity recovery were analyzed, using correlation and linear stepwise regression, respectively. More EEG channels presented significant ERD/ERS trends across sessions related with time since stroke onset, in beta, compared to alpha. Linear models implied a moderate relationship between alpha rhythms in frontal, temporal, and parietal areas with upper limb motor recovery and suggested a strong association between beta activity in frontal, central, and parietal regions with upper limb motor recovery. Higher association of beta with both time since stroke onset and upper limb motor recovery could be explained by beta relation with closed-loop communication between the sensorimotor cortex and the paralyzed upper limb, and alpha being probably more associated with motor learning mechanisms. The association between upper limb motor recovery and beta activations reinforces the hypothesis that broader regions of the cortex activate during movement tasks as a compensatory mechanism in stroke patients with severe motor impairment. Therefore, EEG across BCI interventions could provide valuable information for prognosis and BCI cortical activity targets.
Efficient and Accurate Frequency Estimator under Low SNR by Phase Unwrapping
Authors: Zhou Shen , Rongfang Liu
Published: April 2019

In the case of low signal‐to‐noise ratio, for the frequency estimation of single‐frequency sinusoidal signals with additive white Gaussian noise, the phase unwrapping estimator usually performs poorly. In this paper, an efficient and accurate method is proposed to address this problem. Different from other methods, based on fast Fourier transform, the sampled signals are estimated with the variances approaching the Cramer‐Rao bound, followed with the maximum likelihood estimation of the frequency. Experimental results reveal that our estimator has a better performance than other phase unwrapping estimators. Compared with the state‐of‐the‐art method, our estimator has the same accuracy and lower computational complexity. Besides, our estimator does not have the estimation bias.
Acupuncture plus Chinese Herbal Medicine for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yan Jing , Miao Zhi-wei , Lu Jun , Ge Fei , Yu Li-hua , Shang Wen-bin , Liu Li-na , Sun Zhi-guang
Published: April 2019

Purpose. To comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D). Methods. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were systemically retrieved from electronic databases from inception to March 2018, including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biological Medical Database (CBM, SinoMed), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Wan Fang Data. Meanwhile, pooled estimates, including the 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated for primary and secondary outcomes of IBS-D patients. Besides, quality of relevant articles was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool, and the Review Manager 5.3 and Stata12.0 softwares were employed for analyses. Results. A total of 21 RCTs related to IBS-D were included into this meta-analysis. Specifically, the pooled results indicated that (1) acupuncture combined with CHM might result in more favorable improvements compared with the control group (relative risk [RR] 1.29; 95% CI 1.24–1.35; P =0.03); (2) the combined method could markedly enhance the clinical efficacy in the meantime of remarkably reducing the scores of abdominal pain (standardized mean difference [SMD] –0.45; 95% CI –0.72, –0.17; P = 0.002), abdominal distention/discomfort (SMD –0.36; 95% CI –0.71, –0.01; P = 0.04), diarrhea (SMD –0.97; 95% CI –1.18, –0.75; P < 0.00001), diet condition (SMD –0.73; 95% CI –0.93, –0.52; P<0.00001), physical strength (SMD –1.25; 95% CI –2.32, –0.19; P = 0.02), and sleep quality (SMD –1.02; 95% CI –1.26, –0.77; P < 0.00001) compared with those in the matched groups treated with western medicine, or western medicine combined with CHM. Additionally, a metaregression analysis was constructed according to the name of prescription, acupuncture type, treatment course and publication year, and subgroup analyses stratified based on the names of prescriptions and acupoints location were also carried out, so as to explore the potential heterogeneities; and (3) IBS-D patients treated with the combined method only developed inconspicuous adverse events; more importantly, the combined treatment had displayed promising long-term efficacy. Conclusions. Findings in this study indicate that acupuncture combined with CHM is suggestive of an effective and safe treatment approach for IBS-D patients, which may serve as a promising method to treat IBS-D in practical application. However, more large-scale, multicenter, long-term, and high-quality RCTs are required in the future, given the small size, low quality, and high risk of the studies identified in this meta-analysis.
A Stress‐Strain Model for Brick Prism under Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Yang Keun-Hyeok , Lee Yongjei , Hwang Yong-Ha
Published: April 2019

This study proposes a simple and rational stress‐strain relationship model applicable to brick masonry under compression. The brick prism compression tests were conducted with different mortar strengths and with constant brick strength. From the observation of the test results, shape of the stress‐strain curve is assumed to be parabola. In developing the stress‐strain model, the modulus of elasticity, the strain at peak stress, and the strain at 50% of the peak stress on the descending branch were formulated from regression analysis using test data. Numerical and statistical analyses were then performed to derive equations for the key parameter to determine the slopes at the ascending and descending branches of the stress‐strain curve shape. The reliability of the proposed model was examined by comparisons with actual stress‐strain curves obtained from the tests and the existing model. The proposed model in this study turned out to be more accurate and easier to handle than previous models so that it is expected to contribute towards the mathematical simplicity of analytical modeling.
An Empirical Study of Machine Learning Algorithms for Stock Daily Trading Strategy
Authors: Lv Dongdong , Yuan Shuhan , Li Meizi , Xiang Yang
Published: April 2019

According to the forecast of stock price trends, investors trade stocks. In recent years, many researchers focus on adopting machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict stock price trends. However, their studies were carried out on small stock datasets with limited features, short backtesting period, and no consideration of transaction cost. And their experimental results lack statistical significance test. In this paper, on large‐scale stock datasets, we synthetically evaluate various ML algorithms and observe the daily trading performance of stocks under transaction cost and no transaction cost. Particularly, we use two large datasets of 424 S&P 500 index component stocks (SPICS) and 185 CSI 300 index component stocks (CSICS) from 2010 to 2017 and compare six traditional ML algorithms and six advanced deep neural network (DNN) models on these two datasets, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that traditional ML algorithms have a better performance in most of the directional evaluation indicators. Unexpectedly, the performance of some traditional ML algorithms is not much worse than that of the best DNN models without considering the transaction cost. Moreover, the trading performance of all ML algorithms is sensitive to the changes of transaction cost. Compared with the traditional ML algorithms, DNN models have better performance considering transaction cost. Meanwhile, the impact of transparent transaction cost and implicit transaction cost on trading performance are different. Our conclusions are significant to choose the best algorithm for stock trading in different markets.
A Pattern-Based Development Approach for Interaction Flow Modeling Language
Authors: Rodriguez-Echeverria Roberto , Preciado Juan C. , Rubio-Largo Álvaro , Conejero José M. , Prieto Álvaro E.
Published: April 2019

Development and deployment technologies for data-intensive web applications have considerably evolved in the last years. Domain-specific frameworks or model-driven web engineering approaches are examples of these technologies. They have made possible to face implicit problems of these systems such as quick evolving business rules or severe time-to-market requirements. Both approaches propose the automation of redundant development tasks as the key factor for their success. The implementation of CRUD operations is a clear example of repetitive and recurrent task that may be automated. However, although web application frameworks have provided mechanisms to automate the implementation of CRUD operations, model-driven web engineering approaches have generally ignored them, so automation has not been properly faced yet. This paper presents a pattern-based development approach for the Interaction Flow Modeling Language as a way to finally automate repetitive specification tasks. Our approach is illustrated by defining and applying IFML patterns for CRUD operations. Additionally, a supporting tool, which enables automation, is shown. The suitability of our approach and the utility of its tool have been evaluated by its application into several real projects developed by a software company specialized in model-driven web application development. The results obtained present evidence of a significant productivity improvement obtained by the automation of the IFML specification of CRUD operations.