bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging and DWI for evaluation of prognostic factors in cervical carcinoma: a prospective preliminary study
Authors: Zhang Weijing , Lu Nian , He Haoqiang , Liu Huiming , Zhu Fengting , Ma Lidi , Luo Yingwei , Qian Long , Meng Tiebao , Xie Chuanmiao
Published: November 2022

Objectives:

To determine the values of quantitative metrics derived from synthetic MRI (SyMRI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in evaluating the prognostic factors of cervical carcinoma (CC).

Methods:

In this prospective study, 74 patients with pathologically confirmed CC were enrolled. Pretreatment quantitative metrics including T1, T2 and ADC values were obtained from SyMRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) sequences. The values of all metrics were compared for different prognostic features using Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariate logistic regression analysis were utilized to evaluate the diagnostic performance of quantitative variables.

Results:

T1 and T2 values of parametrial involvement (PMI)-negative were significantly higher than those of PMI-positive (p = 0.002 and < 0.001), while ADC values did not show a significant difference. The area under curve (AUC) of T1 and T2 values for identifying PMI were 0.743 and 0.831. Only the T2 values showed a significant difference between the lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI)-negative and LVSI-positive (p < 0.001), and the AUC of T2 values for discriminating LVSI was 0.814. The differences of T1, T2, and ADC values between the well/moderately and the poorly differentiated CC were significant (all p < 0.001). The AUCs of T1, T2 and ADC values for predicting differentiation grades were 0.762, 0.830, and 0.808. The combined model of all metrics proved to achieve good diagnostic performance with the AUC of 0.866.

Conclusion:

SyMRI may be a potential noninvasive tool for assessing the prognostic factors such as PMI, LVSI, and differentiation grades in CC. Moreover, the overall diagnostic performances of synthetic quantitative metrics were superior to the ADC values, especially in identifying PMI and LVSI.

Advances in knowledge:

This is the first study to assess the utility of SyMRI-derived parameters and ADC value in evaluating the prognostic factors in CC.
Risk factors and housing effect on malaria infection: A case-control study
Authors: Setiyadi Noor Alis , Handayani Ira , Sayono Sayono , Pumpaibool Tepanata , Chakim Irfanul
Published: November 2022

Background: This study aims to demonstrate the different risk factors between low and high endemicity area and housing effect on malaria infection.

Methods: This study is a case-control study with a ratio of 1:2 comparing low (Jambi) and high (Sumba) endemicity areas. Initial screening of malaria was done to assign cases and controls following inclusion criteria. The selected cases and controls were then assessed with a structured questionnaire in relation to risk factors of malaria infection. Additionally, to discover the impact of house type on malaria infection, a total of 72 houses was observed in a series of six weeks (between 28 June and 12 August 2018) human landing catch (HLC) observations that includes three types of houses; malaria, non-malaria, and permanent dwellings. The HLC was done indoors and outdoors for each house type each night. A weekly screening was taken to monitor the malaria infection rate of each house type.

Results: Jambi and Sumba shared several similar individual and environmental risk factors. However, agricultural activity or visiting forestry areas is a protective factor for malaria infection in Jambi but is a risk factor in Sumba. The general linear mixed univariate model result indicates the difference in risk factor variables between Jambi and Sumba. The entomological survey found that only malaria houses significantly differed in the number of means collected mosquitoes compared with the other type of houses. Weekly screening found that the incidence rate of malaria houses is highest among others.

Conclusion: The risk factors are inevitably crucial for malaria prevention strategy. Risk factor management needs to consider the location where the endemicity level may differ for each risk factor, and housing improvement is not a proper strategy before controlling other environmental factors.
Gene expression data visualization tool on the o²S²PARC platform
Authors: Ben Aribi Hiba , Ding Mengyuan , Kiran Anmol
Published: November 2022

Background: The identification of differentially expressed genes and their associated biological processes, molecular function, and cellular components are important for genetic diseases studies because they present potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Methods: In this study, we developed an o²S²PARC template representing an interactive pipeline for the gene expression data visualization and ontologies data analysis and visualization.  To demonstrate the usefulness of the tool, we performed a case study on a publicly available dataset.

Results: The tool enables users to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and visualize them in a volcano plot format. The ontologies associated with the DEGs are determined and visualized in barplots.

Conclusions: The “Expression data visualization” template is publicly available on the o²S²PARC platform.
MODERNIZATION OF THE DIRECT-ACTING DIESEL FUEL SUPPLY SYSTEM BY INCREASING THE INJECTION INTENSITY
Authors: Gabdrafikov Fanil' , Muslimov Ilshat
Published: November 2022

The research was carried out with the aim of increasing the intensity and pressure of fuel injection in direct-acting fuel supply systems of a diesel engine to improve the quality of its work and reduce consumption. To achieve it, on the basis of theoretical studies, the cam profile of the diesel fuel equipment was modernized using the sinusoidal law of plunger motion. The resulting analytical expression of the sinusoidal law of plunger displacement (from the condition of ensuring its shockless and continuous movement along the cam) makes it possible to calculate the cam profile, which provides an increase in the flow rate and high fuel injection pressure. Taking into account the boundary conditions (based on the overall dimensions of the existing 4UTNI pump) and the permissible level of load on the shaft bearing, the profile, speed and acceleration of the cam were calculated. The manufactured experimental pump with a calculated camshaft of a sinusoidal profile showed good results in comparative tests with the existing standard diesel high-pressure pump D-144. For the improved high-pressure fuel pump, the injection intensity and injection pressure in the nominal mode were 9% higher compared to the standard 4UTNI pump, at a low crankshaft speed, the pressure was 20% higher, and the flow rate was 35%. Increasing the injection rate and fuel injection pressure reduces the pusher lift time. At the same time, the cross-sectional uniformity of fuel supply at a shaft speed of n= 1000 min-1 increases by 1.1%, at n= 200 min-1 - by 18%.
Professionally important qualities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and their impact on success
Authors: Metelev Aleksandr , Shustova Yuliya
Published: November 2022

The article is of an overview nature, it examines approaches to determining professionally important qualities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and their impact on success. Research method: analysis of scientific literature and regulatory sources, comparison method, tabular way of presenting data. As a result of the study, it was revealed that in the scientific literature there are significant contradictions in the allocation of professionally important qualities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, as well as in the selection of criteria and indicators of the success of their activities. Currently, due to the digitalization of all types of activities, new types of crimes are emerging that require new methods of investigation and continuous improvement of the professional qualities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies. Success in the activities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies includes the presence of personal and professional components. Diagnostics of professionally important qualities and their impact on the success of activities should be carried out from the point of view of a systematic approach and take into account a set of diagnostic criteria and indicators. The results of the study are a stage in the development of a methodology for diagnosing professionally important qualities of employees of the preliminary investigation bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, taking into account the specifics of their activities and current trends in criminal proceedings.
A rare presentation of acute kidney failure due to retroperitoneal fibrosis as a result of gastric linitis plastica: a case-based review
Authors: Habib Anne-Marie
Published: November 2022

This case study details the experience of a 52-year-old Dutch man, with a 4-month history of epigastric pain and weight loss, who was presented to a urology team and found to have rapidly deteriorating renal function with bilateral hydronephrosis. This prompted his admission to hospital for insertion of bilateral JJ ureteral stents. However, the patient's kidney function continued to worsen despite relief of the obstruction. He became increasingly oliguric and was referred to the renal service. Retroperitoneal fibrosis with acute kidney injury resulting from both obstruction and compression of the urinary system was suspected. Treatment with high-dose steroid was initiated. Shortly after, the patient's urine volume began to increase and his kidney function improved drastically. This avoided the need for dialysis. A month after discharge, the patient was diagnosed with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells of the stomach, a diagnosis consistent with linitis plastica.
Multispectral intraoperative imaging for the detection of the hemodynamic response to interictal epileptiform discharges
Authors: Laurence Audrey , Toffa Dènahin H. , Peng Ke , Robert Manon , Bouthillier Alain , Nguyen Dang K. , Leblond Frederic
Published: November 2022

Interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) are brief neuronal discharges occurring between seizures in patients with epilepsy. The characterization of the hemodynamic response function (HRF) specific to IEDs could increase the accuracy of other functional imaging techniques to localize epileptiform activity, including functional near-infrared spectroscopy and functional magnetic resonance imaging. This study evaluated the possibility of using an intraoperative multispectral imaging system combined with electrocorticography (ECoG) to measure the average HRF associated with IEDs in eight patients. Inter-patient variability of the HRF is illustrated in terms of oxygenated hemoglobin peak latency, oxygenated hemoglobin increase/decrease following IEDs, and signal-to-noise ratio. A sub-region was identified using an unsupervised clustering algorithm in three patients that corresponded to the most active area identified by ECoG.
Computational adaptive holographic fluorescence microscopy based on the stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm
Authors: Zhang Wenxue , Man Tianlong , Zhang Minghua , Zhang Lu , Wan Yuhong
Published: November 2022

Optical aberrations introduced by sample or system elements usually degrade the image quality of a microscopic imaging system. Computational adaptive optics has unique advantages for 3D biological imaging since neither bulky wavefront sensors nor complicated indirect wavefront sensing procedures are required. In this paper, a stochastic parallel gradient descent computational adaptive optics method is proposed for high-efficiency aberration correction in the fluorescent incoherent digital holographic microscope. The proposed algorithm possesses the advantage of parallelly estimating various aberrations with fast convergence during the iteration; thus, the wavefront aberration is corrected quickly, and the original object image is retrieved accurately. Owing to its high-efficiency adaptive optimization, the proposed method exhibits better performances for a 3D sample with complex and anisotropic optical aberration. The proposed method can be a powerful tool for the visualization of dynamic events that happen inside cells or thick tissues.
Solid-state biased coherent detection of ultra-broadband terahertz pulses generated in a spintronic emitter for high repetition rate, low pulse energy lasers
Authors: Suter Tim , Tomasino Alessandro , Savoini Matteo , Houver Sarah , Morandotti Roberto , Johnson Steven L. , Abreu Elsa
Published: November 2022

We report the coherent generation and detection of terahertz (THz) pulses featuring a spectral bandwidth in the range of 0.1-9 THz achieved via the use of a high repetition rate (250 kHz), low pulse energy (6.2 µJ) laser system. More specifically, we test and evaluate a solid-state biased coherent detection device in combination with a spintronic emitter. We demonstrate the use of this combination of techniques to measure the ultra-broadband THz frequency optical properties of bulk crystalline materials with time-domain spectroscopy.
Experimental realization of a high precision tunable hexagonal optical lattice
Authors: Liu Jin-Yu , Luo Guang-Quan , Wang Xiao-Qiong , Hemmerich Andreas , Xu Zhi-Fang
Published: November 2022

Hexagonal optical lattices offer a tunable platform to study exotic orbital physics in solid state materials. Here, we present a versatile high-precision scheme to implement a hexagonal optical lattice potential, which is engineered by overlapping two independent triangular optical sublattices generated by laser beams with slightly different wavelengths around 1064 nm. This enables us to precisely control the detailed structure of the hexagonal lattice by adjusting the relative position and the relative lattice depth of the two triangular optical sublattices. Taking advantage of the sensitive dependence of the second Bloch band on small lattice deformations, we propose a strategy to optimize the optical lattice geometry with an extremely high precision. This method can also be extended to other lattice configurations involving more than two sublattices. Our work provides the experimental requirements in the search for novel orbital physics of ultracold atoms, for example, in the flat p-band of the hexagonal optical lattice.
Estimation of the perceptual color gamut on displays
Authors: Xu Lihao , Ye Qichen , Luo Ming Ronnier
Published: November 2022

A new method was developed to evaluate the perceived gamut of a display. A multispectral image of a white gypsum sphere was projected onto various highly chromatic lights, producing a series of images with distinct hue perceptions at the gamut boundary of displays. These images were subsequently used in a psychophysical experiment to examine the perceived color gamut. Afterwards, the visual results were further compared with the prediction results from various uniform color spaces (UCSs) and color appearance models (CAMs). The present results demonstrate that CAM16-UCS provides the most accurate prediction across the entire color gamut, whereas the cyan-to-blue region is more poorly predicted than the other hue regions for all CAMs and UCSs investigated.
Open-path anti-pollution multi-pass cell-based TDLAS sensor for the online measurement of atmospheric H2O and CO2 fluxes
Authors: Gu Mingsi , Chen Jiajin , Mei Jiaoxu , Tan Tu , Wang Guishi , Liu Kun , Liu Gang , Gao Xiaoming
Published: November 2022

We report an open-path and anti-pollution multi-pass cell based tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensor, which was designed for online measurement of atmospheric H2O and CO2 fluxes. It is mainly composed of two plano-convex mirrors coated on a convex surface, which makes it different from traditional multi-pass cells. This design does not allow a direct contact between the coating layer of the lens and air, thereby realizing the anti-pollution effect of the coating layer. Two DFB lasers operating at 1392 nm and 2004 nm were employed to target H2O and CO2 absorption lines, respectively. Allan analysis of variance indicated that detection limits of H2O and CO2 were 5.98 ppm and 0.68 ppm, respectively, at an average time of 0.1 s. The sensor performance was demonstrated by measuring CO2 and H2O flux emissions at Jiangdu Agricultural Monitoring Station in Jiangsu Province. The results were compared with those obtained using the commercial instrument LI-7500, which is based on non-dispersive infrared technology. The developed gas analysis instrument exhibited good consistency with commercial instruments, and its accuracy was comparable; thus, it has strong application prospects for flux measurements in any ecosystem.
Theory of colliding-probe atomic magnetometry: breaking the symmetry-enforced magneto-optical rotation blockade
Authors: Deng L.
Published: November 2022

We show theoretically the presence of an optical field polarization rotation blocking mechanism in single-probe-based magnetic field sensing schemes, revealing the root cause for extremely small nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR) signal in single-probe-based atomic magnetometers. We present a colliding-probe atomic magnetometer theory, analytically describing the principle of the first nonlinear-optical atomic magnetometer. This new atomic magnetometry technique breaks the NMOR blockade in single-probe atomic magnetometers, enabling an energy circulation that results in larger than 20-dB enhancement in NMOR signal as well as better than 6-dB improvement of magnetic field detection sensitivity. Remarkably, all experimental observations reported to date can be qualitatively well-explained using this colliding-probe atomic magnetometry theory without numerical computations. This colliding-probe atomic magnetometry technique may have broad applications in scientific and technological fields ranging from micro-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging to cosmic particle detection.
Ultra-compact Archimedes spiral plasmonic lens with a circular groove for low power optical trapping in the far-field region
Authors: Oktafiani Fitri , Chen Jun-Quan , Lee Po-Tsung
Published: November 2022

Particle levitation is crucial in optical trapping considering contamination and alteration of the character of the particle due to physical contact with the structure. A strong field gradient along the optical axis is required in this case. To manipulate the particle at a distance from the surface, we propose an Archimedes spiral plasmonic lens with a circular groove (CG-ASPL). The optical properties and parameters influencing the trapping performance of CG-ASPL are fully analyzed and discussed. By illuminating the structure with circular polarization and structure optimization, we can reduce the required optical power down to 2.4 mW for trapping particle of 1 µm in diameter with groove width and height of 100 and 125 nm, respectively. The particle can be stably trapped with trapping potential of 4138 kBT/W in the far-field region (1.1λ) owing to constructive interference of the scattered SPP waves. Furthermore, this structure is ultra-compact with a size of about 6.7 µm in diameter. We believe the results demonstrated in this work would be very useful for lab-on-a-chip applications and many others.
Silicon optical phased array with calibration-free phase shifters
Authors: Li Wenlei , Chen Jingye , Liang Dong , Dai Daoxin , Shi Yaocheng
Published: November 2022

Optical phased array (OPA) based on silicon photonics is considered as a promising candidate for realizing solid-state beam steering. However, the high refractive index contrast of the silicon waveguides leads to conventional silicon based OPA suffering from large random phase errors, which require complex post-processing such as time-consuming phase calibration. We propose and demonstrate a calibration-free silicon OPA with optimized optical waveguides width as well as the compact 90° waveguide bends beyond the single mode regime. By using grouped cascaded phase shifters, it is able to reduce the number of control electrodes from N to log2(N). A 16-channel OPA has been demonstrated with continuous beam steering over the field of view controlled by only four control voltages without any calibration.
Cryogenic mid-wave infrared hyperspectral Fabry-Perot filter based on a tensile-strained single-layer subwavelength grating mirror
Authors: Mao Haifeng , Dong Xianshan , Liu Yihui , Silva Dilusha , Faraone Lorenzo
Published: November 2022

We report here the first demonstration of a cryogenic mid-wave infrared (MWIR) hyperspectral fixed-cavity Fabry-Perot filter based on a suspended tensile-strained single-layer 2-D subwavelength grating (SWG) mirror. Optical design optimization of the 2-D SWG mirror and parameter tolerance study are performed. For the first time, process control of grating air-hole sidewall angle and the grating air-hole fill-factor fabrication error caused by e-beam lithography electron-scattering effect is reported. At 80 K, namely the operating temperature of MWIR photodetectors, the as-fabricated suspended 2-D SWG mirror has achieved excellent surface flatness with a slight center-to-edge bowing of 15 nm over a 1-mm2 large mirror area and a high average reflectivity of 0.97 across a wavelength range of 3.72-5 µm, which represents an unprecedentedly wide fractional bandwidth Δλ/λc of 30%. The cryogenically cooled Fabry-Perot filter exhibits an unrivaled high spectral resolution of 10 nm that far exceeds the optical requirement for MWIR hyperspectral imaging applications.
1.7 µm - 1.73 µm tunable ultrafast Raman fiber laser pumped by 1.6 µm dissipative soliton pulses
Authors: Yang Haolin , Zhang Ruili , Jiang Xiaogang , Evans Julian , He Sailing
Published: November 2022

Here, we report an all-fiber tunable ultrafast Raman laser synchronously pumped by a home-made 1.6 µm dissipative soliton (DS) picosecond (ps) laser, which produces Stokes light beyond 1.7 µm. The Raman gain medium is a segment of highly germanium-doped (Ge-doped) fiber offering a high Raman gain coefficient at the target wavelength. Once the Raman conversion cavity is synchronized with the pump light, a stable 1.7 µm Raman laser (the first Stokes light) can be obtained at a low pump threshold. The maximum output power of the 1.7 µm Raman laser can reach ∼ 22.62 mW. The wavelength tuning operation is independent of tunable pump source and intra-cavity filter. By adjusting the intra-cavity delay line simply, the different spectral component within the broad Raman gain bandwidth can be selectively synchronized with the pump light so that the Raman laser wavelength can be tuned continuously from 1702.6 nm ∼ 1728.84 nm. This tunable 1.7 µm waveband ultrafast laser will have potential applications in multiphoton microscopy for e.g. deep bio-imaging.
Aids for color vision deficiency: introduction to the feature issue
Authors: Valero E. M. , Neitz J. , Drum B.
Published: November 2022

Approximately 8% of Caucasian males and 0.5% of females have congenital red-green color vision deficiencies (CVD), and a number of eye diseases are accompanied by acquired CVD. This feature issue includes ten contributions regarding existing and proposed algorithms and devices intended to help CVD subjects compensate for their color deficiencies. It also addresses limitations in the effectiveness of CVD aids for subjects with different types and degrees of color vision deficiency.
Observation of strong terahertz field-induced second harmonic generation in plasma filaments
Authors: Garriga Francis Kareem J. , Pac Chong Mervin Lim , Yiwen E , Zhang X.-C.
Published: November 2022

We report the observation of terahertz field-induced second harmonic (TFISH) generation produced by directly mixing an optical probe beam onto femtosecond plasma filaments. The produced TFISH signal is spatially separated from the laser-induced supercontinuum by impinging on the plasma at a noncollinear angle. The conversion efficiency of the fundamental probe beam to its second harmonic (SH) beam is greater than 0.02%, which represents a record in optical probe to TFISH conversion efficiency that is nearly five orders of magnitude larger than previous experiments. We also present the terahertz (THz) spectral buildup of the source along the plasma filament and retrieve coherent terahertz signal measurements. This method of analysis has the potential to provide local electric field strength measurements inside of the filament.
Ratiometric optical thermometry based on upconversion luminescence with different multi-photon processes in CaWO4:Tm3+/Yb3+ phosphor
Authors: Peng Lixin , Wang Changwen , Li Leipeng , Qin Feng , Zhang Zhiguo
Published: November 2022

Ratiometric optical thermometry based on upconversion (UC) luminescence with different multi-photon processes in CaWO4:Tm3+,Yb3+ phosphor was developed. A new fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) thermometry, utilizing the ratio of the cube of 3F2,3 emission to the square of 1G4 emission of Tm3+ and retaining the feature of anti-interference of excitation light source fluctuations, is proposed. Under the hypotheses of the UC terms being neglected in the rate equations and the ratio of the cube of 3H4 emission to the square of 1G4 emission of Tm3+ being a constant in a relatively narrow temperature range, the new FIR thermometry is valid. The correctness of all hypotheses was confirmed by testing and analyzing the power-dependent emission spectra at different temperatures and the temperature-dependent emission spectra of CaWO4:Tm3+,Yb3+ phosphor. The results prove that the new ratiometric thermometry based on UC luminescence with different multi-photon processes is feasible through optical signal processing, and maximum relative sensitivity of the thermometry is 6.61% K−1 at 303 K. This study provides guidance in selecting UC luminescence with different multi-photon processes to construct ratiometric optical thermometers with anti-interference of excitation light source fluctuation.
Ultrafast laser writing of arbitrary long low-loss waveguides in optical fibers
Authors: Colliard Léo , Bilodeau Guillaume , Boilard Tommy , Lapointe Jerome , Vallée Réal , Bernier Martin , Bellec Matthieu
Published: November 2022

We propose an innovative femtosecond laser writing approach, based on a reel-to-reel configuration, allowing the fabrication of arbitrary long optical waveguides in coreless optical fibers directly through the coating. We report few meters long waveguides operating in the near-infrared (near-IR) with propagation losses as low as 0.055 ± 0.004 dB/cm at 700 nm. The refractive index distribution is shown to be homogeneous with a quasi-circular cross section, its contrast being controllable via the writing velocity. Our work paves the way for the direct fabrication of complex arrangements of cores in standard and exotic optical fibers.
Direct model-based wavefront sensorless method with a fixed number of measurements
Authors: Taghinia Parham , Clare Richard , Weddell Stephen , Yang Le
Published: November 2022

In wavefront sensorless (WFSL) adaptive optics, the intensity image in the observation plane, instead of the wavefront sensor, is utilised to estimate the input aberration. The number of intensity measurements is critical for applications with ever-changing phase aberration, such as astronomical imaging. This paper details two direct WFSL methods that need a fixed number of intensity measurements to estimate the input aberration. The proposed methods adopt a zonal approach rather than a modal one to estimate the phase aberration. Simulation results demonstrate that after applying the proposed methods, the aberration correction percentage can rise by approximately 70% for large aberrations.
Ultrafast quantum dynamics driven by the strong space-charge field of a relativistic electron beam
Authors: Cesar D. , Acharya A. , Cryan J. P. , Kartsev A. , Kling M. F. , Lindenberg A. M. , Pemmaraju C. D. , Poletayev A. D. , Yakovlev V. S. , Marinelli A.
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we
illustrate how the Coulomb
field of a highly relativistic electron beam can be shaped into a
broadband pulse suitable for driving ultrafast and strong-field
physics. In contrast to a solid-state laser, the Coulomb field creates
a pulse that can be intrinsically synchronized with an x-ray free
electron laser (XFEL), can have a cutoff frequency broadly tunable
from THz to extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and that acts on target systems
as a “half-cycle” impulse. Explicit examples are presented to
emphasize how the unique features of this excitation can be a tool for
novel science at XFEL facilities such as the Linac Coherent Light
Source (LCLS).
Vernetzungsplattformen im Gesundheitswesen: Eine multimethodische Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse
Authors: Beinke Max , Flok Aleksandra , Buskase Marvin , Behne Alina , Oesterreich Thuy Duong , Teuteberg Frank
Published: November 2022

Die Kommunikation zwischen Gesundheitsakteuren und Patienten geht oft mit einem enormen organisatorischen Aufwand, Lücken im Informationsaustausch und Missverständnissen einher, welche die Abstimmung und die Prozesse zwischen allen Akteuren erschweren. Eine digitale Lösung für diese Herausforderungen bilden Vernetzungsplattformen. Der vorliegende Artikel leistet mithilfe einer multimethodischen Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse einen Beitrag in der Domäne E‑Health in Deutschland. Es werden Kosten- und Nutzenaspekte bei der Anwendung von Vernetzungsplattformen für drei zentrale Gesundheitsakteure (Apotheken, Arztpraxen und Kliniken sowie Pflegedienste) als auch für Patienten herausgearbeitet. Die daraus resultierende Transparenz von Kosten und Nutzen bietet die Möglichkeit, ex-ante Bewertungen von Vernetzungsplattformen im Gesundheitswesen durchzuführen. Weiterhin wird ein Überblick darüber geschaffen, welche Mehrwerte Plattformen für die Gesundheitsakteure in den Bereichen Kommunikations‑, Informations- und Medikationsmanagement leisten können.
Transcriptional licensing is required for Pyrin inflammasome activation in human macrophages and bypassed by mutations causing familial Mediterranean fever
Authors: Mangan Matthew S. J. , Gorki Friederike , Krause Karoline , Heinz Alexander , Pankow Anne , Ebert Thomas , Jahn Dieter , Hiller Karsten , Hornung Veit , Maurer Marcus , Schmidt Florian I. , Gerhard Ralf , Latz Eicke
Published: November 2022

Pyrin is a cytosolic immune sensor that nucleates an inflammasome in response to inhibition of RhoA by bacterial virulence factors, triggering the release of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β. Gain-of-function mutations in the MEFV gene encoding Pyrin cause autoinflammatory disorders, such as familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and Pyrin-associated autoinflammation with neutrophilic dermatosis (PAAND). To precisely define the role of Pyrin in pathogen detection in human immune cells, we compared initiation and regulation of the Pyrin inflammasome response in monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM). Unlike human monocytes and murine macrophages, we determined that hMDM failed to activate Pyrin in response to known Pyrin activators Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) toxins A or B (TcdA or TcdB), as well as the bile acid analogue BAA-473. The Pyrin inflammasome response was enabled in hMDM by prolonged priming with either LPS or type I or II interferons and required an increase in Pyrin expression. Notably, FMF mutations lifted the requirement for prolonged priming for Pyrin activation in hMDM, enabling Pyrin activation in the absence of additional inflammatory signals. Unexpectedly, in the absence of a Pyrin response, we found that TcdB activated the NLRP3 inflammasome in hMDM. These data demonstrate that regulation of Pyrin activation in hMDM diverges from monocytes and highlights its dysregulation in FMF.
Trans-regulatory changes underpin the evolution of the Drosophila immune response
Authors: Ding Shuai Dominique , Leitão Alexandre B. , Day Jonathan P. , Arunkumar Ramesh , Phillips Morgan , Zhou Shuyu Olivia , Jiggins Francis M.
Published: November 2022

When an animal is infected, the expression of a large suite of genes is changed, resulting in an immune response that can defend the host. Despite much evidence that the sequence of proteins in the immune system can evolve rapidly, the evolution of gene expression is comparatively poorly understood. We therefore investigated the transcriptional response to parasitoid wasp infection in Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia. Although these species are closely related, there has been a large scale divergence in the expression of immune-responsive genes in their two main immune tissues, the fat body and hemocytes. Many genes, including those encoding molecules that directly kill pathogens, have cis regulatory changes, frequently resulting in large differences in their expression in the two species. However, these changes in cis regulation overwhelmingly affected gene expression in immune-challenged and uninfected animals alike. Divergence in the response to infection was controlled in trans. We argue that altering trans-regulatory factors, such as signalling pathways or immune modulators, may allow natural selection to alter the expression of large numbers of immune-responsive genes in a coordinated fashion.
Mosaic patterns of selection in genomic regions associated with diverse human traits
Authors: Abraham Abin , LaBella Abigail L. , Capra John A. , Rokas Antonis
Published: November 2022

Natural selection shapes the genetic architecture of many human traits. However, the prevalence of different modes of selection on genomic regions associated with variation in traits remains poorly understood. To address this, we developed an efficient computational framework to calculate positive and negative enrichment of different evolutionary measures among regions associated with complex traits. We applied the framework to summary statistics from >900 genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and 11 evolutionary measures of sequence constraint, population differentiation, and allele age while accounting for linkage disequilibrium, allele frequency, and other potential confounders. We demonstrate that this framework yields consistent results across GWASs with variable sample sizes, numbers of trait-associated SNPs, and analytical approaches. The resulting evolutionary atlas maps diverse signatures of selection on genomic regions associated with complex human traits on an unprecedented scale. We detected positive enrichment for sequence conservation among trait-associated regions for the majority of traits (>77% of 290 high power GWASs), which included reproductive traits. Many traits also exhibited substantial positive enrichment for population differentiation, especially among hair, skin, and pigmentation traits. In contrast, we detected widespread negative enrichment for signatures of balancing selection (51% of GWASs) and absence of enrichment for evolutionary signals in regions associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. These results support a pervasive role for negative selection on regions of the human genome that contribute to variation in complex traits, but also demonstrate that diverse modes of evolution are likely to have shaped trait-associated loci. This atlas of evolutionary signatures across the diversity of available GWASs will enable exploration of the relationship between the genetic architecture and evolutionary processes in the human genome.
Estimation of the morbidity and mortality of congenital Chagas disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Matthews Sarah , Tannis Ayzsa , Puchner Karl Philipp , Bottazzi Maria Elena , Cafferata Maria Luisa , Comandé Daniel , Buekens Pierre
Published: November 2022

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi which can be transmitted from mother to baby during pregnancy. There is no consensus on the proportion of infected infants with clinical signs of congenital Chagas disease (cCD). The objective of this systematic review is to determine the burden of cCD. Articles from journal inception to 2020 reporting morbidity and mortality associated with cCD were retrieved from academic search databases. Observational studies, randomized-control trials, and studies of babies diagnosed with cCD were included. Studies were excluded if they were case reports or series, without original data, case-control without cCD incidence estimates, and/or did not report number of participants. Two reviewers screened articles for inclusion. To determine pooled proportion of infants with cCD with clinical signs, individual clinical signs, and case-fatality, random effects meta-analysis was performed. We identified 4,531 records and reviewed 4,301, including 47 articles in the narrative summary and analysis. Twenty-eight percent of cCD infants showed clinical signs (95% confidence interval (CI) = 19.0%, 38.5%) and 2.2% of infants died (95% CI = 1.3%, 3.5%). The proportion of infected infants with hepatosplenomegaly was 12.5%, preterm birth 6.0%, low birth weight 5.8%, anemia 4.9%, and jaundice 4.7%. Although most studies did not include a comparison group of non-infected infants, the proportion of infants with cCD with clinical signs at birth are comparable to those with congenital toxoplasmosis (10.0%-30.0%) and congenital cytomegalovirus (10.0%-15.0%). We conclude that cCD burden appears significant, but more studies comparing infected mother-infant dyads to non-infected ones are needed to determine an association of this burden to cCD.
Human African trypanosomiasis cases diagnosed in non-endemic countries (2011–2020)
Authors: Franco Jose R. , Cecchi Giuliano , Priotto Gerardo , Paone Massimo , Kadima Ebeja Augustin , Simarro Pere P. , Diarra Abdoulaye , Sankara Dieudonné , Zhao Weining , Dagne Daniel Argaw
Published: November 2022

Background

Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is transmitted by tsetse flies in endemic foci in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of international travel and population movements, cases are also occasionally diagnosed in non-endemic countries.

Methodology/Principal findings

Antitrypanosomal medicines to treat the disease are available gratis through the World Health Organization (WHO) thanks to a public-private partnership, and exclusive distribution of the majority of them enables WHO to gather information on all exported cases. Data collected by WHO are complemented by case reports and scientific publications. During 2011–2020, 49 cases of HAT were diagnosed in 16 non-endemic countries across five continents: 35 cases were caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, mainly in tourists visiting wildlife areas in eastern and southern Africa, and 14 cases were due to T. b. gambiense, mainly in African migrants originating from or visiting endemic areas in western and central Africa.

Conclusions/Significance

HAT diagnosis in non-endemic countries is rare and can be challenging, but alertness and surveillance must be maintained to contribute to WHO’s elimination goals. Early detection is particularly important as it considerably improves the prognosis.
MSFF-Net: Multi-Stream Feature Fusion Network for surface electromyography gesture recognition
Authors: Peng Xiangdong , Zhou Xiao , Zhu Huaqiang , Ke Zejun , Pan Congcheng
Published: November 2022

In the field of surface electromyography (sEMG) gesture recognition, how to improve recognition accuracy has been a research hotspot. The rapid development of deep learning provides a new solution to this problem. At present, the main applications of deep learning for sEMG gesture feature extraction are based on convolutional neural network (CNN) structures to capture spatial morphological information of the multichannel sEMG or based on long short-term memory network (LSTM) to extract time-dependent information of the single-channel sEMG. However, there are few methods to comprehensively consider the distribution area of the sEMG signal acquisition electrode sensor and the arrangement of the sEMG signal morphological features and electrode spatial features. In this paper, a novel multi-stream feature fusion network (MSFF-Net) model is proposed for sEMG gesture recognition. The model adopts a divide-and-conquer strategy to learn the relationship between different muscle regions and specific gestures. Firstly, a multi-stream convolutional neural network (Multi-stream CNN) and a convolutional block attention module integrated with a resblock (ResCBAM) are used to extract multi-dimensional spatial features from signal morphology, electrode space, and feature map space. Then the learned multi-view depth features are fused by a view aggregation network consisting of an early fusion network and a late fusion network. The results of all subjects and gesture movement validation experiments in the sEMG signal acquired from 12 sensors provided by NinaPro’s DB2 and DB4 sub-databases show that the proposed model in this paper has better performance in terms of gesture recognition accuracy compared with the existing models.
Cardiometabolic risk profiles in a Sri Lankan twin and singleton sample
Authors: Harber-Aschan Lisa , Bakolis Ioannis , Glozier Nicholas , Ismail Khalida , Jayaweera Kaushalya , Pannala Gayani , Pariante Carmine , Rijsdijk Fruhling , Siribaddana Sisira , Sumathipala Athula , Zavos Helena M. S. , Zunszain Patricia , Hotopf Matthew
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes is a priority in low- and middle-income countries, especially in South Asia where these are leading causes of morbidity and mortality. The metabolic syndrome is a tool to identify cardiometabolic risk, but the validity of the metabolic syndrome as a clinical construct is debated. This study tested the existence of the metabolic syndrome, explored alternative cardiometabolic risk characterisations, and examined genetic and environmental factors in a South Asian population sample.

Methods

Data came from the Colombo Twin and Singleton follow-up Study, which recruited twins and singletons in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2012–2015 (n = 3476). Latent class analysis tested the clustering of metabolic syndrome indicators (waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, medications, and diabetes). Regression analyses tested cross-sectional associations between the identified latent cardiometabolic classes and sociodemographic covariates and health behaviours. Structural equation modelling estimated genetic and environmental contributions to cardiometabolic risk profiles. All analyses were stratified by sex (n = 1509 men, n = 1967 women).

Results

Three classes were identified in men: 1) “Healthy” (52.3%), 2) “Central obesity, high triglycerides, high fasting plasma glucose” (40.2%), and 3) “Central obesity, high triglycerides, diabetes” (7.6%). Four classes were identified in women: 1) “Healthy” (53.2%), 2) “Very high central obesity, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, raised fasting plasma glucose” (32.8%), 3) “Very high central obesity, diabetes” (7.2%) and 4) “Central obesity, hypertension, raised fasting plasma glucose” (6.8%). Older age in men and women, and high socioeconomic status in men, was associated with cardiometabolic risk classes, compared to the “Healthy” classes. In men, individual differences in cardiometabolic class membership were due to environmental effects. In women, genetic differences predicted class membership.

Conclusion

The findings did not support the metabolic syndrome construct. Instead, distinct clinical profiles were identified for men and women, suggesting different aetiological pathways.
Prevalence of visual snow and relation to attentional absorption
Authors: Costa Rui Miguel , Campos Pedro , Wiborg Madalena , Rebôlo Catarina , Wittmann Marc , Kornmeier Jürgen
Published: November 2022

Visual snow is a condition of unclear prevalence characterized by tiny flickering dots throughout the entire visual field. It appears to result from visual cortex hyperactivity and possibly correlates with propensity to be engrossed in sensory and imaginary experiences (absorption). The prevalence and correlates of visual snow, and emotional reactions to it, were explored in the general Portuguese population with three studies with online surveys. In Study 1, 564 participants were shown an animated graphic simulation of visual snow and asked to rate how frequently they have similar percepts on a scale anchored by 0% and 100% of their waking time. They also reported their degree of distress and fascination resulting from visual snow. Absorption was measured with the Modified Tellegen Absorption Scale. 44% of respondents reported they see visual snow at least 10% of the time, and 20% reported seeing it between 80% and 100% of the time. Similar to findings in clinical samples, the frequency of visual snow correlated with tinnitus frequency and entoptic phenomena, but not with ophthalmologic problems. It was confirmed that visual snow is related to absorption. Although distress caused by visual snow was generally absent or minimal in our samples, a substantial minority (28%) reported moderate to high levels of distress. High fascination with visual snow was reported by 9%. In Studies 2 and 3, visual snow was measured by means of verbal descriptions without graphic simulation (“visual field full of tiny dots of light” and “world seen with many dots of light”, respectively). The results were similar to those in Study 1, but seeing visual snow 80%-100% of the time was less frequent (6.5% in Study 2 and 3.6% in Study 3). Visual snow has been insufficiently investigated. More research is needed to uncover underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and psychological and behavioral correlates.
Improved DNA extraction on bamboo paper and cotton is tightly correlated with their crystallinity and hygroscopicity
Authors: Ye Xiaojun , Lei Bo
Published: November 2022

DNA extraction, a vital pre-requisite for most biological studies, continues to be studied extensively. According to some studies, DNA shows a certain degree of absorbability on filter paper made of plant fiber-based adsorbent material. However, the principle underlying such specific adsorption as well as plant species associated with plant fiber-based adsorbents and optimized extraction conditions have not yet been studied. This study demonstrates the tight correlation between crystallinity and hygroscopicity in plant fiber-based adsorbents used for DNA extraction and proposes the concept of DNA adsorption on plant fiber-based adsorbents, for the first time. We also explored optimal extracting and eluting conditions and developed a novel plant fiber-based DNA extraction method that was quadruple times more powerful than current approaches. Starting with the screening of various types of earthed plant fiber-based adsorbents, we went on to mine new plant fiber-based adsorbents, bamboo paper and degreased cotton, and succeeded in increasing their efficiency of DNA extraction to 4.2 times than that of current approaches. We found a very strong correlation between the crystallinity and hygroscopicity of plant fiber-based adsorbents which showed efficiency for DNA extraction, and thus propose a principle that potentially governs such specific adsorption processes, in the hope that this information may guide related multidisciplinary research studies in the future. Nanodrop, electrophoresis and PCR were selected to demonstrate the quantity, quality, integrity and utility of the extracted DNA. Furthermore, crystallinity, hygroscopicity, pore size distribution and composition of plant fiber-based adsorbents were studied to explore their correlation in an attempt to understand the principle underlying this particular type of adsorption. The findings of this study may be further extended to the extraction of other types of nucleic acids with similar biochemical properties.