bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unraveling the Treatment Effect of Baricitinib on Clinical Progression and Resource Utilization in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Secondary Analysis of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Randomized Trial-2
Authors: Fintzi Jonathan , Bonnett Tyler , Tebas Pablo , Marconi Vincent C , Levine Corri B , El Sahly Hana M , McLellan Susan L F , Benson Constance A , Rostad Christina A , Ganesan Anuradha , Huprikar Nikhil , Frank Maria G , Mularski Richard A , Atmar Robert L , Park Pauline K , Short William R , Beigel John H , Mehta Aneesh K , Sweeney Daniel A
Published: April 2022

Background

The Adaptive COVID Treatment Trial-2 (ACTT-2) found that baricitinib in combination with remdesivir therapy (BCT) sped recovery in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients vs remdesivir monotherapy (RMT). We examined how BCT affected progression throughout hospitalization and utilization of intensive respiratory therapies.

Methods

We characterized the clinical trajectories of 891 ACTT-2 participants requiring supplemental oxygen or higher levels of respiratory support at enrollment. We estimated the effect of BCT on cumulative incidence of clinical improvement and deterioration using competing risks models. We developed multistate models to estimate the effect of BCT on clinical improvement and deterioration and on utilization of respiratory therapies.

Results

BCT resulted in more linear improvement and lower incidence of clinical deterioration compared with RMT (hazard ratio [HR], 0.74; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.95). The benefit was pronounced among participants enrolled on high-flow oxygen or noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation. In this group, BCT sped clinical improvement (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.51) while slowing clinical deterioration (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.48 to 1.02), which reduced the expected days in ordinal score (OS) 6 per 100 patients by 74 days (95% CI, −8 to 154 days) and the expected days in OS 7 per 100 patients by 161 days (95% CI, 46 to 291 days) compared with RMT. BCT did not benefit participants who were mechanically ventilated at enrollment.

Conclusions

Compared with RMT, BCT reduces the clinical burden and utilization of intensive respiratory therapies for patients requiring low-flow oxygen or noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation compared with RMT and may thereby improve care for this patient population.
The effects of COVID-19 on poisonings in the paediatric emergency department
Authors: Zhang Evangeline W J , Davis Adrienne , Finkelstein Yaron , Rosenfield Daniel
Published: April 2022

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of the pandemic on poisoning in children under 18 years presenting to a tertiary care paediatric emergency department (ED) in Canada.

Methods

We utilized the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) surveillance data to identify children presenting to the Hospital for Sick Children for poisonings during two time periods: pre-pandemic (March 11 to December 31, 2018 and 2019) and pandemic (March 11 to December 31, 2020). Primary outcomes investigated the change in proportion for total poisonings, unintentional poisonings, recreational drug use, and intentional self-harm exposures over total ED visits. Secondarily, we examined the change in proportion of poisonings between age, sex, substance type, and admission requirement pre-pandemic versus during pandemic.

Results

The proportions significantly increased for total poisonings (122.5%), unintentional poisonings (127.8%), recreational drug use (160%), and intentional self-harm poisonings (104.2%) over total ED visits. The proportions over all poisoning cases also significantly increased for cannabis (44.3%), vaping (134.6%), other recreational drugs (54.5%), multi-substance use (29.3%), and admissions due to poisonings (44.3%) during the pandemic.

Conclusion

Despite an overall decrease in ED visits, there was a significant increase in poisoning presentations to our ED during the pandemic compared with pre-pandemic years. Our results will provide better insight into care delivery and public health interventions for paediatric poisonings.
Adolescent Partnership Quality and Emotional Health: Insights from an Intensive Longitudinal Study
Authors: Villalta Sara I , Goldberg Rachel E , Tienda Marta
Published: April 2022

Prior research has documented an association between adolescents’ romantic experiences and poor emotional health. However, lack of intensive longitudinal measurement and an emphasis on negative affect have limited understanding about the extent to which adolescent relationship quality influences the emotional health of adolescents in partnerships, including the potential benefits of high-quality partnerships. Previous research has also been limited in its ability to account for factors that select adolescents into lower or higher quality partnerships. Using biweekly intensive longitudinal data from the mDiary Study of Adolescent Relationships linked to six waves of birth cohort data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this paper uses multilevel mixed-effects models to address three questions: (1) How are changes in partnership quality (defined as validation, frequency of disagreements, and global quality) associated with changes in both positive and negative affect; (2) Do observed associations persist net of factors that potentially select adolescents into lower or higher quality partnerships (e.g., childhood family experiences); and (3) Do associations between partnership quality and affect differ by gender? Results show that higher quality partnerships are associated with both decreases in negative affect and increases in positive affect. There were no significant gender differences on average. The study’s findings highlight the importance of partnership quality as a key source of temporal variation in adolescents’ emotional states.
Toward Precision Medicine with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Diabetes
Authors: Memon Bushra , Abdelalim Essam M
Published: April 2022

Although genome profiling provides important genetic and phenotypic details for applying precision medicine to diabetes, it is imperative to integrate in vitro human cell models, accurately recapitulating the genetic alterations associated with diabetes. The absence of the appropriate preclinical human models and the unavailability of genetically relevant cells substantially limit the progress in developing personalized treatment for diabetes. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide a scalable source for generating diabetes-relevant cells carrying the genetic signatures of the patients. Remarkably, allogenic hPSC-derived pancreatic progenitors and β cells are being used in clinical trials with promising preliminary results. Autologous hiPSC therapy options exist for those with monogenic and type 2 diabetes; however, encapsulation or immunosuppression must be accompanied with in the case of type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, genome-wide association studies-identified candidate variants can be introduced in hPSCs for deciphering the associated molecular defects. The hPSC-based disease models serve as excellent resources for drug development facilitating personalized treatment. Indeed, hPSC-based diabetes models have successfully provided valuable knowledge by modeling different types of diabetes, which are discussed in this review. Herein, we also evaluate their strengths and shortcomings in dissecting the underlying pathogenic molecular mechanisms and discuss strategies for improving hPSC-based disease modeling investigations.
General access to the Liechtenstein UBO-register and how to restrict it
Authors: Konzett Philipp
Published: April 2022

With the advent of the UBO-register in Liechtenstein, a paradigm shift took place; What used to be private affairs became information of public interest. In order to safeguard privacy interests, Liechtenstein law still requires the proof of a legitimate interest when requesting access to UBO-data of trusts and trust-like arrangements and provides for a flexible and generous approach when it comes to exempting entities from access. The article examines under which circumstances the general public has access to the Liechtenstein UBO-register and what is necessary to be able to restrict such access.
Effects of early or conventional weaning on beef cow and calf performance in pasture or drylot environments
Authors: Jaeger John R , Preedy Garrett W , Waggoner Justin W , Harmoney Keith R , Olson K C
Published: April 2022

Performance of cows and calves during 63-d early or conventional weaning periods was evaluated. Spring-calving beef cows (n = 167) of similar age, body condition score (BCS), and body weight (BW = 599 ± 54.5 kg), and their calves (initial BW = 204 ± 26.7 kg; 153 ± 15 d of age) were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 weaning treatments: weaning at 153 d of age followed by 56 days of limit feeding in confinement (E-D), confinement of cow and calf for a 56-d period of limit feeding followed by weaning at 209 d of age (C-D), weaning at 153 d of age followed by a 56-d grazing period (E-P), and a 56-d grazing period for both cow and calf followed by weaning at 209 d of age (C-P). Cows and calves assigned to pasture treatments grazed native range pastures without supplement. Cows and calves assigned to drylot treatments were fed complete diets. Calves assigned to E-D were fed a concentrate-based diet at 2.5% of BW, whereas cows assigned to E-D were fed a forage-based diet at 1.6% of BW. Cows assigned to C-D were offered the diet fed to E-D cows at 2.0% of BW. Calf average daily gain (ADG) was influenced by diet and weaning treatments (diet × weaning, P ≤ 0.03). Cows and calves assigned to all treatments were limit fed common diets for 7 d at the end of our study to equalize gut fill. In general, calves managed in confinement and fed concentrate-based diets (i.e., E-D and C-D) had greater ADG than non-supplemented calves maintained on pasture (i.e., E-P and C-P). Cow BW and BCS change (days 0 to 63) were influenced by both diet and weaning status (P ≤ 0.05). Non-lactating cows maintained on pasture had lesser BW loss than other treatments, whereas non-lactating cows fed in confinement had lesser BCS on day 63 and greater BCS loss from days 0 to 63 than other treatments. Conversely, rump-fat depth on day 63 was greater (P < 0.01) for non-lactating cows maintained on pasture than for lactating cows in either pasture or drylot environments. Similarly, change in rump-fat depth was greatest (diet × weaning, P < 0.01) for non-lactating cows on pasture and least for lactating cows in either pasture or drylot environments. Results were interpreted to indicate that early-weaning spared cow BW and rump fat compared to weaning at conventional ages. Performance of cows appeared to be similar when limit-fed under drylot conditions or maintained in a pasture environment. Conversely, calf performance was generally greater in confinement than on pasture.
Analysing taxi customer-search behaviour using Copula-based joint model
Authors: Huang Helai , Fang Zhenyuan , Wang Yiwei , Tang Jinjun , Fu Xin
Published: April 2022

The drivers of vacant taxis tend to cruise the road network searching new passengers, which leads to additional traffic congestion, air pollution and other problems. This study introduces a Copula-based joint model to analyse destination selection and route choice behaviour in the customer-search process. A multinomial logit model is used to analyse the destination selection behaviour, and a path size logit model is used to explore the routes choice behaviour. Accordingly, the joint model applied Copula function is then established to analyse the correlation between these two behaviours. The destination customer generation rate, destination distance, route customer generation rate, path travel time, cumulative intersection delay, path size and route length are selected as explanatory variables. The taxis trajectory data were collected by global positioning system in Xidan District of Beijing City from September 2014 to February 2015. Using the log-likelihood, Bayesian information criterion as evaluation indexes to measure the fitting result, the joint model applied Copula function has the highest goodness-of-fit. The effect of explanatory variables on customer search behaviour is discussed based on the parameter estimation results. The results of this study are helpful to understand the customer-search behaviour of taxi drivers to reduce operating costs and improve the efficiency of the taxi operation system.
Influencing factors analysis of helmet wearing for electric bicycle riders based on ordinal multinomial logistic model
Authors: Yuan Quan , Shi Haixu , Zhao Junwei , Li Ruimin
Published: April 2022

The helmet of riders of electric bicycles plays an important role in reducing injuries and deaths in traffic accidents. This paper conducts a questionnaire survey, data analysis and modelling to investigate the influencing factors of electric bicycle helmet wearing. First, living area, gender, age, marital status and education level are selected as independent variables for data analysis. The factor analysis divides the sentiments of electric bicyclists for wearing helmets into four aspects: safety perception, practical sensation, satisfaction perception and emergency perception, and ordinal multiple logistic models are built to analyse the influencing factors. The result shows that people aged 18−25, 26−35, 36−45 and 46−55 are 1.3, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.3 times more likely, respectively, to have at least a grade higher safety perception than those aged 56 and over; men are 0.77 times more likely than women to feel at least one grade higher about the practical perception and 1.48 times more than women about the satisfaction perception; people with primary school, junior high school, senior high school, junior college and bachelor's degree education are 1.64, 2.44, 1.50, 1.70 and 1.55 times more likely, respectively, than people with a master's degree to feel at least one grade higher about the satisfaction perception.
Sudden flow induced by mountain ridges beside windbreaks in a railway and its mitigation measures
Authors: Chen Zhengwei , Ni Yiqing
Published: April 2022

The impact of a mountain ridge (MR) on the wind speed distribution and flow structures along a railway, under crosswinds beside a windbreak at attack angles of 90 ° and 105 °, is studied in this paper. Based on the observed flow field deterioration mechanism, mitigation measures are proposed and the corresponding effects are compared, from which the preferred mitigation scheme is determined. For the original MR, the wind speed coefficient U is larger than 1.2 in the range below the train height at both wind angles. With the implementation of the flow field mitigation measures, as the distance (L) increases from the MR to the windbreak, the wind speed decreases linearly for the 90 ° wind angle and quadratically for the 105 ° wind angle. When the mitigation measure with L/h = 8.1 (h is the train height) is adopted, the wind speed coefficient U fluctuates very slightly in the MR area, with −0.2<U<0.05 at both wind angles$.$ Therefore, L/h = 8.1 is recommended to protect the operation safety of trains travelling under strong crosswinds.
ANI analysis of poxvirus genomes reveals its potential application to viral species rank demarcation
Authors: Deng Zhaobin , Xia Xuyang , Deng Yiqi , Zhao Mingde , Gu Congwei , Geng Yi , Wang Jun , Yang Qian , He Manli , Xiao Qihai , Xiao Wudian , He Lvqin , Liang Sicheng , Xu Heng , Lü Muhan , Yu Zehui
Published: April 2022

Average nucleotide identity (ANI) is a prominent approach for rapidly classifying archaea and bacteria by recruiting both whole genomic sequences and draft assemblies. To evaluate the feasibility of ANI in virus taxon demarcation, 685 poxviruses were assessed. Prior to the analysis, the fragment length and threshold of the ANI value were optimized as 200 bp and 98 per cent, respectively. After ANI analysis and network visualization, the resulting sixty-one species (ANI species rank) were clustered and largely consistent with the groupings found in National Center for Biotechnology Information Virus [within the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Master Species List]. The species identities of thirty-four other poxviruses (excluded by the ICTV Master Species List) were also identified. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis and Guanine-Cytosine (GC) content comparison done were found to support the ANI analysis. Finally, the BLAST identity of concatenated sequences from previously identified core genes showed 91.8 per cent congruence with ANI analysis at the species rank, thus showing potential as a marker gene for poxviruses classification. Collectively, our results reveal that the ANI analysis may serve as a novel and efficient method for poxviruses demarcation.
Patient, Public, and Healthcare Professional’s Sepsis Awareness, Knowledge, and Information Seeking Behaviors: A Scoping Review
Authors: Fiest Kirsten M. , Krewulak Karla D. , Brundin-Mather Rebecca , Leia Madison P. , Fox-Robichaud Alison , Lamontagne François , Leigh Jeanna Parsons ,   for Sepsis Canada
Published: April 2022

Objectives:

Sepsis awareness and understanding are important aspects of prevention, recognition, and clinical management of sepsis. We conducted a scoping review to identify and map the literature related to sepsis awareness, general knowledge, and information-seeking behaviors with a goal to inform future sepsis research and knowledge translation campaigns.

Design:

Scoping review.

Setting:

Using Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework, we conducted a systematic search on May 3, 2021, across four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Education Research Complete). Title/abstract and full-text screening was done in duplicate. One researcher extracted the data for each included article, and a second researcher checked data accuracy. The protocol was registered on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YX7AU).

Subjects:

Articles related to sepsis awareness, knowledge, and information seeking behaviors among patients, public, and healthcare professionals.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

Of 5,927 unique studies, 80 reported on patient (n = 13/80;16.3%), public (n = 15/80;18.8%), or healthcare professional (nurses, physicians, emergency medical technicians) (n = 48/80; 60%) awareness and knowledge of sepsis. Healthcare professional awareness and knowledge of sepsis is high compared with patients/public. The proportion of patients/public who had heard of the term sepsis ranged from 2% (Japan) to 88.6% (Germany). The proportions of patients/public who correctly identified the definition of sepsis ranged from 4.2% (Singapore) to 92% (Sweden). The results from the included studies appear to suggest that patient/public awareness of sepsis gradually improved over time. We found that the definition of sepsis was inconsistent in the literature and that few studies reported on patient, public, or healthcare professional knowledge of sepsis risk factors. Most patient/public get their sepsis information from the internet, whereas healthcare professionals get it from their role in healthcare through job training or educational training.

Conclusions:

Patient, public, and healthcare professional awareness and knowledge of sepsis vary globally. Future research may benefit from a consistent definition as well as country-specific data to support targeted public awareness campaigns.
Chin Augmentation With Hyaluronic Acid: An Injection Technique Based on Anatomical Morphology
Authors: Chen Bo , Ma Li , Wang Jingyi
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND

Chin augmentation with hyaluronic acid (HA) injections can effectively improve mental appearance.

OBJECTIVE

To introduce a HA injection technique for chin augmentation and evaluate its clinical effects.

METHODS

A total of 326 patients who received HA injection for chin augmentation from January 2018 to May 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were injected with the technique according to the anatomical morphology of the chin using a needle and cannula. Patient data were collected, the effects were analyzed, and adverse reactions were observed and recorded.

RESULTS

There were 326 patients involved in this study with a mean age of 26.4 years. The median volume of HA injected was 1.85 mL. The shape and contour of the chin was significantly improved in all patients immediately after injection. Most improvements were retained up to 6 months and partial improvements remained visible for 12 months. Swelling and pain occurred in 284 patients (87.1%), local ecchymosis occurred in 31 patients (9.5%), and asymmetry was found in 8 patients (2.5%). There were no other complications such as infection, embolism, necrosis, nodule, or witch's chin. All patients reported satisfaction with results of the HA injections.

CONCLUSION

Injection of HA according to the anatomical morphology of the chin is a safe and effective technique for chin augmentation and results in high patient satisfaction.
The Influence of Body Composition on Bone Health in Long-term Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Childhood and Adolescence: Analyses by Dual-energy Radiograph Absorptiometry and Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography
Authors: Barr Ronald D. , Inglis Dean , Athale Uma , Farncombe Troy , Gordon Christopher L.
Published: April 2022

Background:

The normal interrelationship of body composition with bone health is less clear in the context of disease. Survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exhibit sarcopenic obesity and osteopenia. The impact of body composition on bone health in such survivors was examined.

Subjects and Methods:

Survivors of ALL (N=74), >10 years from diagnosis, underwent dual-energy radiograph absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Results:

Whole-body bone mineral content (WB BMC) Z scores were greater in males than females, but WB BMC indices (WB BMC/height2) were comparable (0.74±0.125 and 0.72±0.069, respectively). WB BMC index (I) and fat-free mass index correlated significantly with trabecular bone mineral density, only in males. Fat mass index and appendicular lean mass index showed no such correlations. WB BMCI and fat-free mass index also correlated, again predominantly in males, with measures of strength in both trabecular and cortical bone. WB BMCI also correlated strongly with trabecular number, thickness, and hole size, also only in males.

Conclusions:

The results point to the need for enhancing muscle mass, measured by appendicular lean mass index, while reducing fat mass and maintaining good bone mineralization in long-term survivors of ALL to ensure the integrity of healthy bones.
Reducing Near Miss Medication Events Using an Evidence-Based Approach
Authors: Smith-Love Janis
Published: April 2022

Background:

Near miss medication events are pervasive without patient harm, mostly because of coincidence. Dynamic clinical environments challenge nurse compliance with medication administration rights and proper use of electronic technology.

Problem:

All nurses are educated in appropriate medication management, but our unit's barcoded medication administration scanning and electronic patient identification practices fell below the 97% benchmarks, representing hundreds of near miss medication events each month.

Approach:

Transformative leadership guided frontline staff to identify gaps in care processes and determined root causes for unsanctioned medication administration practices using a FOCUS (Find-Organize-Clarify-Understand-Select)-PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) methodology.

Outcomes:

An interdisciplinary team committed to zero events of preventable harm overcame challenges to improve care delivery. Medication management scores exceeded organizational benchmarks, with sustainable gains over 2 years.

Conclusions:

A rapid-cycle, evidence-based approach engaged staff to reduce near miss medication events. Workable solutions driven by transparent communication and interpersonal collaboration influenced positive safety behaviors.
When Adenosine Does Not Work
Authors: Shortland Jennifer , Saravu Vijayashankar Sakethram , Sanatani Shubhayan
Published: April 2022

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common arrhythmia in the pediatric population. Adenosine is widely accepted as the first-line pharmacological treatment for hemodynamically stable SVT, constituting a class I recommendation in the 2020 American Heart Association guidelines for pediatric life support (2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care). As most pediatric SVTs are dependent on the atrioventricular node (AVN) for their propagation, and adenosine acts primarily on the AVN, adenosine will frequently terminate the arrhythmia. The term “adenosine failure” is often used to describe when its administration does not result in sustained termination of the tachycardia. Because of its very short half-life, there is confusion between improper delivery, failure to have any effect on the tachycardia, or transient termination. There are some pediatric SVTs, which are not AVN dependent, and which truly are refractory to adenosine. Simultaneous electrocardiogram recording during administration can provide important information to differentiate between adenosine resistance and transient adenosine effect, thus guiding further management.
Multispecialty Physician Online Survey Reveals That Burnout Related to Adverse Event Involvement May Be Mitigated by Peer Support
Authors: Gupta Kiran , Rivadeneira Natalie A. , Lisker Sarah , Chahal Karina , Gross Nate , Sarkar Urmimala
Published: April 2022

Objectives

Involvement in adverse events can negatively impact physician well-being. Because burnout is increasingly recognized as a threat to patient safety, we examined the relationship between physician adverse event involvement and burnout as well as facilitators and barriers to support among physicians experiencing burnout.

Methods

We surveyed physicians in the United States who are members of the networking platform, Doximity. We conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses investigating experiences with adverse events, the impact of adverse events, the type of support the physician sought and received after the event, and burnout.

Results

Across specialties, involvement in an adverse event and burnout was common. Most respondents involved in an adverse event experienced emotional impact, but only a minority received support. Those reporting that the error resulted in emotional impact were more likely to experience burnout (adjusted odds ratio, 1.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–3.07); this association was mitigated by the most common form of support sought, peer support (adjusted odds ratio for burnout among those who received peer support versus those who did not, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.52–0.82). Barriers to support after an adverse event include punitive culture and systems factors such as administrative bureaucracy. Facilitators that emerged include peer, professional, and spiritual support, mentorship, helping others, the learning environment, and improved/flexible working hours.

Conclusions

Physicians who experienced emotional repercussions from adverse events were more likely to report burnout compared with those who did not. Respondents proposed barriers and facilitators to support that have not been widely implemented. Peer support may help mitigate physician burnout related to adverse events.
Improved Readout-Segmented Echo-Planner Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using Simultaneous Multislice Acquisitions at 3 T
Authors: Li Qiao , Jiang TingTing , Wang TingTing , Huang Yan , Hu XiaoXin , Zhang Ling , Liu Wei , Fu CaiXia , Gu YaJia
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study systematically compared the images from readout-segmented echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (RESOLVE-DWI [RS-DWI]) and simultaneous multislice accelerated RESOLVE-DWI (SMS-RS-DWI) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in qualitative and quantitative aspects.

Method

Forty-four patients with NPC were included. The RS-DWI and prototypic SMS-RS-DWI sequences were performed on all patients. Images were qualitatively evaluated by 4 independent radiologists using a 5-point Likert scale. For quantitative evaluation, the maximum and minimum diameters and the maximum tumor areas were determined for both DWI sequences and compared with the T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) to evaluate image distortions. The apparent diffusion coefficient was measured in the slice with the maximum tumor profile.

Results

The SMS-RS-DWI was superior to RS-DWI with respect to overall image quality (3.40 ± 0.53 vs 2.71 ± 0.48, P < 0.0001) and tumor edge sharpness (3.29 ± 0.65 vs 2.64 ± 0.47, P < 0.0001). Susceptibility artifacts were significantly less severe in SMS-RS-DWI than in RS-DWI (0.85 ± 0.57 vs 1.36 ± 0.57, P < 0.0001). There was no significant overestimation or underestimation of the tumor geometry using the SMS-RS-DWI or RS-DWI compared with T2WI. The quantitative analysis showed a slightly higher agreement for SMS-RS-DWI with T2WI than RS-DWI for maximum diameter, minimum diameter, and maximum tumor area. The apparent diffusion coefficient values showed no significant differences between the 2 DWI techniques (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

At 3 T, SMS-RS-DWI is a useful technique for diagnosing NPC. It substantially improves different aspects of image quality by providing higher spatial resolution and fewer susceptibility artifacts with more extensive anatomic coverage compared with RS-DWI.
Does Tocilizumab Influence Ophthalmic Outcomes in Giant Cell Arteritis?
Authors: Bouffard Marc A. , Prasad Sashank , Unizony Sebastian , Costello Fiona
Published: April 2022

Background:

Despite appropriate use of corticosteroids, an important minority of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) develop progressive vision loss during the initial stages of the disease or during corticosteroid tapering. Tocilizumab is the only clearly effective adjunctive treatment to corticosteroids in the management of GCA, but questions regarding its efficacy specifically in the neuro-ophthalmic population and its role in mitigating vision loss have not been broached until recently.

Evidence Acquisition:

The authors queried Pubmed using the search terms “GCA” and “tocilizumab” in order to identify English-language publications either explicitly designed to evaluate the influence of tocilizumab on the ophthalmic manifestations of GCA or those which reported, but were not primarily focused on, ophthalmic outcomes.

Results:

Recent retrospective analyses of populations similar to those encountered in neuro-ophthalmic practice suggest that tocilizumab is effective in decreasing the frequency of GCA relapse, the proportion of flares involving visual manifestations of GCA, and the likelihood of permanent vision loss. Data regarding the utility of tocilizumab to curtail vision loss at the time of diagnosis are limited to case reports.

Conclusions:

Compared with conventional corticosteroid monotherapy, treatment of GCA with both corticosteroids and tocilizumab may decrease the likelihood of permanent vision loss. Further prospective, collaborative investigation between rheumatologists and neuro-ophthalmologists is required to clarify the ophthalmic and socioeconomic impact of tocilizumab on the treatment of GCA.
Chitinophaga hostae sp. nov., isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Hosta plantaginea
Authors: He Shan-Wen , Ma Rong , Zhao Ying-Ying , An Lei , Huang Jun-Hua , Zhang Qi , Han Ji-Gang , Zhang Xiao-Xia
Published: April 2022

A Gram-negative, rod-shaped aerobic bacterium designated as strain 2R12T was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Hosta plantaginea. Phylogenetic analyses based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed that strain 2R12T should be assigned to the genus

Chitinophaga

with the highest sequence similarity to

Chitinophaga arvensicola

DSM 3695T (99.1 %) and

Chitinophaga ginsengisegetis

DSM 18108T (98.6 %). The major fatty acids of strain 2R12T (>10 %) were iso-C15 : 0, C16 :1
ω5c and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids and five unidentified lipids. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. The genomic DNA G+C content was 46.1 mol%. The average nucleotide identity values of strain 2R12T with

C. arvensicola

DSM 3695T and

C. ginsengisegetis

DSM 18108T were 77.9 and 78.8 %, respectively, while in silico DNA–DNA hybridization values for strain 2R12T with these strains were 22.8 and 23.3 %, respectively. Based on comparative analysis of phylogenetic, phylogenomic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain 2R12T represents a novel species in the genus

Chitinophaga

, for which the name Chitinophaga hostae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 2R12T (=ACCC 61757T=JCM 34719T).
Halalkalibacterium roseum gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Balneolaceae isolated from soil
Authors: Wu Shuge , Wang Jingjing , Wang Jianing , Du Xinran , Ran Qi , Chen Qi , Sheng Duohong , Li Yue-zhong
Published: April 2022

A Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, moderately halophilic and facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated YR4-1T, was isolated from a saline-alkali and sorghum-planting soil sample collected in Dongying, Shandong Province, PR China. Growth occurred at 28–45 °C with the presence of 4.0–20.0 % (w/v) NaCl and pH 6.0–9.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that YR4-1T shared the highest similarity of 92.1–92.4 % with the valid published species of

Aliifodinibius

. The isolate formed a separate clade at the genus level in recently described family

Balneolaceae

. The draft genome of strain YR4-1T is 3.83 Mbp long with 44.0 mol% G+C content. The strain possesses several genes involved in the osmotic stress response mechanism and diverse metabolic pathways, probably for the living in saline environment. This may lead to a better understanding of the underrepresented

Balneolaceae

lineage. The major menaquinone was MK-7. The main polar lipid profile was composed of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphoglycolipids, aminophosphoglycolipid, one glycolipid, and four unidentified lipids. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 (35.7 %) and anteiso-C15 : 0 (33.5 %). On the basis of its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain YR4-1T represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Halalkalibacterium roseum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YR4-1T (=CGMCC 1.17777T=KCTC 72795T).
Improving the Diagnosis of SIBO Using an At-Home Handheld App Connected Breath Analysis Device (AIRE)
Authors: Barahona Guillermo , Mc Bride Barry , Moran Áine , Hawamdeh Sahar , Villatoro Luisa , Burns Robert , Konings Bo , Bulat Robert , McKnight Megan , Shortt Claire , Pasricha Pankaj J.
Published: April 2022

INTRODUCTION

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a common yet underdiagnosed condition. Lactulose hydrogen breath tests (LHBT) are typically used to detect SIBO; however, current breath testing methods require specialised, expensive equipment and technical support and are either done at a point-of-care facility and/or have to be mailed to a central laboratory. To address these issues a novel hand-held breath analyzer (AIRE®, FoodMarble) was tested. The aims of this study were first, to perform a technical assessment of the AIRE device, second to compare the performance of the AIRE device against a commercially available mail-in LHBT kit using a zero-inflated negative binomial mixed effect model.

METHODS

Three AIRE devices were tested with certified test gases covering a diagnostically meaningful range (hydrogen mixed with air at 3 ppm, 10 ppm and 50 ppm). For the clinical study, 36 patients suspected to have SIBO presenting to a tertiary level clinic were provided with an AIRE device and performed concurrent LHBTs at home with a mail-in LHBT kit.

RESULTS

The overall average readings (mean ± SD) for the AIRE devices tested at 3 ppm, 10 ppm and 50 ppm H2 were: 3.5 ± 0.7 ppm; 10.7 ± 1.1 ppm and 49.5 ± 2.6 ppm respectively. The overall mean absolute error across the tested devices was 1.2 ppm. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.78, p < 0.001) was demonstrated between AIRE and mail-in kit H2 values.

DISCUSSION

The AIRE device is a compelling alternative to mail-in LHBT kits for the diagnosis of SIBO. The AIRE device may also offer advantages over other traditional breath testing methods.
Optimizing multi-domain hematologic biomarkers and clinical features for the differential diagnosis of unipolar depression and bipolar depression
Authors: Zeng Jinkun , Zhang Yaoyun , YuTao Xiang , Liang Sugai , Xue Chuang , Zhang Junhang , Ran Ya , Huang Songfang , Huang Fei , Si Luo , Li Tao , Deng Wei
Published: April 2022

There is a lack of objective features for the differential diagnosis of unipolar and bipolar depression, especially those that can be easily accessible in practical settings. Some studies have shown that unipolar and bipolar depression have different associations with hematologic biomarkers and clinical features such as the age of onset. However, none of them have used these features for differential diagnosis. We investigated whether biomarkers of complete blood count, blood biochemical markers and clinical features could accurately classify unipolar and bipolar depression using machine learning methods.

1,160 eligible patients were included in this retrospective study (918 with unipolar depression and 242 with bipolar depression). 27 biomarkers of complete blood count,17 blood biochemical markers and 2 clinical features were investigated for the classification. Patient data was split into training (85%) and test set (15%). Using ten-fold cross validation for training, logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were compared with feature selection.

We calculated the AUC, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. The optimal performance was achieved by XGBoost using a combination of selected biomarkers of complete blood count (WBC, PLR, MONO, LYMPH, NEUT Ratio, MCHC, BASO Ratio, LYMPH Ratio), blood biochemical markers (albumin, potassium, chlorine, HCT, calcium, LDL, HDL) and clinical features (disease duration, age of onset). The optimal performances achieved on the open test set were AUC 0.889, sensitivity 0.831, specificity 0.839 and accuracy 0.863. Hematologic biomarkers and onset features seem to be reliable information that could be easily accessible in clinical settings to improve diagnostic accuracy. In addition, we further analyzed the importance of specific blood biomarkers in samples of disease durations <= 3 years and > 3 years. WBC and MONO remained informative across different disease durations. Meanwhile, NEUT, BASO Ratio, HCT and LYMPH, and albumin were more indicative in the short course (<= 3 years), whereas NLR and chlorine were more indicative in the longer course (> 3 years). This may suggest that, given the overall stability of the model, longitudinal changes in biomarkers should be investigated across different disease courses and age groups.
A Novel Application of Neural Networks to Identify Potentially Effective Combinations of Biologic Factors for Enhancement of Bone Fusion/Repair
Authors: Anastasio Albert T , Zinger Bailey S , Anastasio Thomas J
Published: April 2022

Introduction

The use of biologic adjuvants (orthobiologics) is becoming commonplace in orthopaedic surgery. Amongst other applications, biologics are often added to enhance fusion rates in spinal surgery and to promote bone healing in complex fracture patterns. Generally, orthopaedic surgeons use only one biomolecular agent (ie allograft with embedded bone morphogenic protein-2) rather than several agents acting in concert. Bone fusion, however, is a highly multifactorial process and it likely could be more effectively enhanced using biologic factors in combination, acting synergistically. We used artificial neural networks to identify combinations of orthobiologic factors that potentially would be more effective than single agents.

Methods

Available data on the outcomes associated with various orthopaedic biologic agents, electrical stimulation, and pulsed ultrasound were curated from the literature and assembled into a form suitable for machine learning. The best among many different types of neural networks was chosen for its ability to generalize over this dataset, and that network was used to make predictions concerning the expected efficacy of 2400 medically feasible combinations of 9 different agents and treatments.

Results

The most effective combinations were high in the bone-morphogenic proteins (BMP) 2 and 7 (BMP2, 15mg; BMP7, 5mg), and in osteogenin (150ug). In some of the most effective combinations, electrical stimulation could substitute for osteogenin. Some other effective combinations also included bone marrow aspirate concentrate. BMP2 and BMP7 appear to have the strongest pairwise linkage of the factors analyzed in this study.

Conclusions

Artificial neural networks are powerful forms of artificial intelligence that can be applied readily in the orthopaedic domain, but neural network predictions improve along with the amount of data available to train them. This study provides a starting point from which networks trained on future, expanded datasets can be developed. Yet even this initial model makes specific predictions concerning potentially effective combinatorial therapeutics that should be verified experimentally. Furthermore, our analysis provides an avenue for further research into the basic science of bone healing by demonstrating agents that appear to be linked in function.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Bone healing is a highly multifactorial process, and it likely could be more effectively enhanced using combinations of factors rather than single factors in isolation. This study provides a starting point for an integration of biomedical experimentation and computational AI that ultimately could lead to highly sophisticated combinatorial treatments for bone repair and other applications in orthopaedic medicine.
Orthorhombic charge density wave on the tetragonal lattice of EuAl4
Authors: Ramakrishnan Sitaram , Kotla Surya Rohith , Rekis Toms , Bao Jin-Ke , Eisele Claudio , Noohinejad Leila , Tolkiehn Martin , Paulmann Carsten , Singh Birender , Verma Rahul , Bag Biplab , Kulkarni Ruta , Thamizhavel Arumugam , Singh Bahadur , Ramakrishnan Srinivasan , van Smaalen Sander
Published: April 2022

EuAl4 possesses the BaAl4 crystal structure type with tetragonal symmetry I4/mmm. It undergoes a charge density wave (CDW) transition at T
CDW = 145 K and features four consecutive antiferromagnetic phase transitions below 16 K. Here we use single-crystal X-ray diffraction to determine the incommensurately modulated crystal structure of EuAl4 in its CDW state. The CDW is shown to be incommensurate with modulation wave vector q = (0,0,0.1781 (3)) at 70 K. The symmetry of the incommensurately modulated crystal structure is orthorhombic with superspace group Fmmm(00σ)s00, where Fmmm is a subgroup of I4/mmm of index 2. Both the lattice and the atomic coordinates of the basic structure remain tetragonal. Symmetry breaking is entirely due to the modulation wave, where atoms Eu and Al1 have displacements exclusively along a, while the fourfold rotation would require equal displacement amplitudes along a and b. The calculated band structure of the basic structure and interatomic distances in the modulated crystal structure both indicate the Al atoms as the location of the CDW. The temperature dependence of the specific heat reveals an anomaly at T
CDW = 145 K of a magnitude similar to canonical CDW systems. The present discovery of orthorhombic symmetry for the CDW state of EuAl4 leads to the suggestion of monoclinic instead of orthorhombic symmetry for the third AFM state.
Identification of a coherent twin relationship from high-resolution reciprocal-space maps
Authors: Gorfman Semën , Spirito David , Zhang Guanjie , Detlefs Carsten , Zhang Nan
Published: April 2022

Twinning is a common crystallographic phenomenon which is related to the formation and coexistence of several orientation variants of the same crystal structure. It may occur during symmetry-lowering phase transitions or during the crystal growth itself. Once formed, twin domains play an important role in defining physical properties: for example, they underpin the giant piezoelectric effect in ferroelectrics, superelasticity in ferroelastics and the shape-memory effect in martensitic alloys. Regrettably, there is still a lack of experimental methods for the characterization of twin domain patterns. Here, a theoretical framework and algorithm are presented for the recognition of ferroelastic domains, as well as the identification of the coherent twin relationship using high-resolution reciprocal-space mapping of X-ray diffraction intensity around split Bragg peaks. Specifically, the geometrical theory of twinned ferroelastic crystals [Fousek & Janovec (1969).J. Appl. Phys.40, 135–142] is adapted for the analysis of the X-ray diffraction patterns. The necessary equations are derived and an algorithm is outlined for the calculation of the separation between the Bragg peaks, diffracted from possible coherent twin domains, connected to one another via a mismatch-free interface. It is demonstrated that such separation is always perpendicular to the planar interface between mechanically matched domains. For illustration purposes, the analysis is presented of the separation between the peaks diffracted from tetragonal and rhombohedral domains in the high-resolution reciprocal-space maps of BaTiO3and PbZr1−xTixO3crystals. The demonstrated method can be used to analyse the response of multi-domain patterns to external perturbations such as electric field, change of temperature or pressure.
Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 1-(tert-butylamino)-3-mesitylpropan-2-ol hemihydrate
Authors: Khalilov Ali N. , Khrustalev Victor N. , Tereshina Tatiana A. , Akkurt Mehmet , Rzayev Rovnag M. , Akobirshoeva Anzurat A. , Mamedov İbrahim G.
Published: April 2022

The title compound, 2C16H27NO·H2O, crystallizes in the monoclinic P21/c space group with two independent molecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, molecules A and B are linked through the water molecules by intermolecular O—H...O and O—H...N hydrogen bonds, producing chains along the b-axis direction. These chains are linked with neighboring chains parallel to the (103) plane via C—H...π interactions, generating ribbons along the b-axis direction. The stability of the molecular packaging is ensured by van der Waals interactions between the ribbons. According to the Hirshfeld surface study, H...H interactions are the most significant contributors to the crystal packing (80.3% for molecule A and 84.8% for molecule B).
4-Amino-5-(4-bromobenzoyl)-3-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-2-[(2′,3′,4′,6′-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-galactopyranosyl)sulfanyl]thiophene
Authors: Azzam Rasha A. , Elgemeie Galal H. , Gad Nagwa M. , Jones Peter G.
Published: April 2022

In the title compound, C32H29BrN2O10S3, the benzothiazole and thiophene ring systems subtend an interplanar angle of 7.43 (12)°. The NH2 group forms intramolecular hydrogen bonds to Nthiazole and Ocarbonyl. The Sgalactose—Cthiophene bond is short [1.759 (2) Å]. The molecules are connected to form ribbons parallel to the b axis by two `weak' hydrogen bonds and a short Namino...Sgalactose contact.