bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced pyruvate metabolism in plastids by overexpression of putative plastidial pyruvate transporter in Phaeodactylum tricornutum
Authors: Seo Seungbeom , Kim Joon , Lee Jun-Woo , Nam Onyou , Chang Kwang Suk , Jin EonSeon
Published: June 2020

Background: The development of microalgal strains for enhanced biomass and biofuel production has received increased attention. Moreover, strain development via metabolic engineering for commercial production is being considered as the most efficient strategy. Pyruvate is an essential metabolite in the cells and plays an essential role in amino acid biosynthesis and de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in plastids. Although pyruvate can be a valuable target for metabolic engineering, its transporters have rarely been studied in microalgae. In this study, we aimed to identify the plastidial pyruvate transporter of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and utilize it for strain development.Results: We identified putative pyruvate transporter localized in the plastid membrane of Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Transformants overexpressing the pyruvate transporter were generated to increase the influx of pyruvate into plastids. Overexpression of a plastidial pyruvate transporter in P. tricornutum resulted in enhanced biomass (13.6% to 21.9%), lipid contents (11% to 30%), and growth (3.3% to 8.0%) compared to those of wild type during one-stage cultivation. Conclusion: To regulate the pyruvate influx and its metabolism in plastids, we generated transformants overexpressing the putative plastidial pyruvate transporter in P. tricornutum. They showed that its overexpression for compartmentalizing pyruvate in plastids could be an attractive strategy for the effective production of biomass and lipids with better growth, via enhanced pyruvate metabolism in plastids.
Quantitative analysis of differentially expressed proteins in psoriasis vulgaris using tandem mass tags and parallel reaction monitoring
Authors: Li Yu , Lin Peng , Wang Siyao , Li shuang , Wang Rui , Yang Lin , Wang Hongmei
Published: June 2020

Background: psoriasis vulgaris (PV) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease with epidermal hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis. Methods: the study was to elucidate the pathogenesis of PV by quantitative proteomic analysis of skin lesion biopsies of PV and healthy tissues with tandem mass tags (TMTs) coupled with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS. Results: a total of 4562 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between PV lesional tissues (n = 11) and healthy tissues (n = 11) were identified, of which 299 were upregulated and 206 were downregulated using |fold change| > 1.3 as the cutoff threshold. The Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the DEPs were mainly enriched in the activation of immune cells (drug metabolism pathway, NOD-like pathway, and IL-17 pathway), cell proliferation (ribosomal pathway, DNA replication pathway, and base replication pathway), metabolism-related pathways (fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, PPAR pathway, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and cortisol synthesis and breakdown), and glandular secretion (saliva secretion, gastric acid secretion, and pancreatic fluid secretion). Thirteen DEPs that were relatively highly expressed in the drug metabolism pathway were validated with parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), of which MPO, TYMP, IMPDH2, GSTM4, and ALDH3A1 were highly expressed in PV, whereas CES1, MAOB, MGST1, and GSTT1 were less expressed in PV. Conclusions: These findings confirmed that these proteins participate in the drug metabolism-other enzyme pathways and play crucial roles in the activation and proliferation of immune cells in the pathogenesis of PV.
Hospital Incident Command Groups' Performance During Major Incident Simulations: A Prospective Observational Study.
Authors: Murphy Jason Patrick , Kurland Lisa , Rådestad Monica , Rüter Anders
Published: June 2020

Background Hospital incident command groups’ (HICG) performance may have a profound impact on hospital response to major incidents. Previous research has assessed hospital incident command group capacity as opposed to performance and factors associated to performance. The objective was to assess associations between decision-making and staff procedure skills of the hospital incident command group.Methods This was a prospective observational study using performance indicators to assess hospital incident command groups’ decision-making and performance. A total of six hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden, with their respective HICGs participated. Associations between decision-making skills and staff procedure skills during major incident simulations were assessed using measurable performance indicators Results Decision-making skills are correlated to staff procedure skills and overall HICG performance. Proactive decision-making skills had significantly lower means than reactive decision-making skills and are significantly correlated to staff procedure skills.Conclusion There is a significant correlation between decision-making skills and staff procedural skills. Hospital incident command groups’ proactive decision-making abilities tended to be less developed than reactive decision-making abilities. These proactive decision-making skills may be a predictive factor for overall hospital incident command group performance. A lack of proactive decision-making ability may hamper efforts to mitigate the effects of a major incident.
Identification of circular RNA hsa_circ_0044556 and its effect on the progression of colorectal cancer
Authors: Jing Liang , Wu Junhui , Tang Xiaocheng , Ma Min , Long Fei , Tian Buning , Lin Changwei
Published: June 2020

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of noncoding RNAs. Increasing evidence indicates that circRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. However, the role of circRNA hsa_circ_0044556 in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. Methods: First, we searched for differentially expressed circRNAs using a circRNA microarray in paired CRC and adjacent normal tissues. The circRNA hsa_circ_0044556 was screened out from the existing CRC circRNA microarray in the Gene Expression Omnibus database and our microarray. The clinical significance of hsa_circ_0044556 expression level in CRC patients was then investigated. Finally, the functions of the targets of this circRNA were determined in CRC cell lines.Results:Hsa_circ_0044556 was highly expressed in CRC patients and was positively correlated with tumor stage and lymph node metastasis. In CRC cell lines, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells were inhibited by knocking down hsa_circ_0044556 expression.Conclusion: Hsa_circ_0044556 promoted the progression of CRC. It is possible that hsa_circ_0044556 will become a novel biomarker or therapeutic target for CRC.
MicroRNA-214-3p Inhibits the Stem-Like Properties of Lung Squamous Cell Cancer by Targeting YAP1
Authors: Lu Tingting , Yang Ying , Li Ziming , Lu Shun
Published: June 2020

Background: Emerging evidence reveals that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in tumor progression, but the underlying mechanism of microRNAs in lung squamous cell cancer (LSCC) remains unclear. Method : Western-blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR) were carried out to detect mRNA and protein expression. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony-forming assay or sphere-forming assay, respectively. Results: MiR-214-3p was markedly de-regulated in LSCC tissues and was inversely related to the level of Yes-associated protein1 (YAP1), which is the core transcription regulator of the Hippo signaling pathway. Kaplan-Meier survival curves illustrated that patients with high miR-214-3p expression demonstrated more favorable clinical outcomes. MiR-214-3p overexpression (OE) repressed proliferation and cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) properties in vitro and in vivo xenograft mouse model. Mechanistically, luciferase activity assay revealed that miR-214-3p directly targets YAP1 by specifically binding on the 3’ UTR of YAP1. Conclusion: MiR-214-3p plays a pivotal role in CSCs properties by targeting YAP1, which provides a potential treatment strategy for LSCC patients.
Time series modeling of air pollution and its association with season and climate variables in istanbul, turkey
Authors: al-najjar hazem , Al-Rousan Nadia , Elhaty Ismail A.
Published: June 2020

Air pollution depends on seasons, wind speed, temperature, wind direction and air pressure. The effect of different seasons on air pollution is not fully addressed in the reported works. The current study investigated the impact of season on air pollutants including SO2, PM10, NO, NOX, and O3 using Nonlinear AutoregRessive network with eXogenous inputs (NARX) method. In the applied methodology, a feature selection was used with each pollutant to find the most important season(s). Afterward, six models are designed based on the feature selection to show the impact of seasons in finding the concentration of pollutants. A case study is conducted on Esenyurt which is one of the most populated and industrialized places in Istanbul to validate the proposed framework. The performance of using all of the designed models with different pollutants showed that using season effect led to improving the performance of predictor and generating high R2 and low error functions.
In Vitro Anti Sickling Activity of HyphaeneThebaica Fruits Extract on Sickle Cell
Authors: Fadlalla Toga Abdalazim , Yousif Nusiba Abdullah , Omer Rayan Hamid , Elbasheir Mohamed Mobarak , Elradi WalaEldin Osman , Abdallah Elharam Ibrahim
Published: June 2020

Background: Traditional medicine had been used alongside synthetic pharmaceutical products to enhance health management. Due to the high mortality rate of sickle cell patients, previous studies have been indicated that some medicinal plants have shown an anti-sickling activity, which indicates a new therapeutic way to manage people who are affected by these disorders. The current study aimed to assess in vitro-anti-sickling activity of Hyphaene thebaica (H thebaica) (Doum) fruit. Materials and methods: Blood samples used in the evaluation of the anti-sickling activity of Hyphaene Thebaica Fruits extract in this study was taken from patients known to had Sickle cell disease (HB -SS ) attending the Sickle Cell Clinic in Khartoum state. Emmel test was used to assess anti-sickling activity of this plant. Result: A significant increase in the percentage of unsickled Red blood cells with p-value 0.05 >was observed after incubation of RBCs with 2% sodium metabisulfite in the presence of three different concentration (1000, 500 and 250) μg/ml of Hyphened thebaica for two type of extraction (aqueous and methanol) extract. Conclusion: This study approved that H.thebaica (Doum ) fruit extract had a strong anti- sickling activity ; it could be used for management of sickle cell disease.
Decreased Apolipoprotein A-I Level Indicates Poor Prognosis in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Shen Jing , Yang Ronghui , Yang Wei
Published: June 2020

Background Recent studies have reported of an association between Abnormal lipid metabolism and many kind of malignant tumors, and the level of lipid varies with the outcome of the disease. Some data have indicated that the serum level of Apolipoprotein A-I(Apo A-I) in serum was down-regulated in some tumors, but there is few report about it in hodgkin lymphoma. In this study, we aimed to determine the change and clinical significance of serum level Apolipoprotein A-I in hodgkin lymphoma patients. Methods A total of 88 newly diagnosed cases of HL were analyzed retrospectively. Results Our study showed that the serum level of ApoA-I has significant differences in some clinical features of HL, and it dynamically changed with different stages. Divied patients by whether remission or not, we noticed that the non-remission group had lower ApoA-I than remission group. According the result of multivariate analysis decreased ApoA-I reduction become the independent risk factors of HL. On the basis of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis between high ApoA-I subgroup and low ApoA-I subgroup . we found the lower ApoA-I patients had short OS rate and PFS. The serum ApoA-I level was able to differentiate cases with poor outcomes from cases with good outcomes.Conclusions Our results showed that the serum level of ApoA-I was helpful for predicting HL prognosis.
Maternal Childhood Experiences and Rapid Repeat Pregnancy in a Low-Income, Urban Cohort
Authors: Shreffler Karina M. , Joachims Christine N. , Tiemeyer Stacy
Published: June 2020

Background

Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP; < 18 months between pregnancies) is associated with higher risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. Drawing from attachment theory, we sought to examine the association between maternal childhood neglect and RRP as well as identify a protective childhood experience—caregiving—that reduces the impact of childhood neglect for RRP.
Methods

Data for the current study came from a prospective clinic-based cohort study conducted in 2017–2018 in a South-Central U.S. state. The sample includes 111 pregnant women (ages 17–38) who had been pregnant more than once. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the associations between maternal childhood experiences and number of RRP.
Results

On average, participants reported 1.02 RRP. Approximately 35% of the sample reported experiencing neglect during childhood. Controlling for sociodemographic, psychological, and childhood characteristics, childhood neglect was positively associated with RRP, whereas caregiving responsibilities during childhood was negatively associated with RRP. Interaction results indicate that the association between childhood neglect and RRP only holds for those who did not have caregiving responsibilities during childhood.
Conclusions

Study findings highlight the importance of childhood experiences for RRP. Further research is needed to explore the moderating effect of caregiving and its implications for (1) treatment of childhood neglect and (2) prevention of RRP.
Serum CA19-9 Level is Correlated with Liver Inflammation, Cirrhosis, and Poor Prognosis after Curative Resection in Hepatitis B-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wang Ying-Ying , Yang Bo , Chen Lu , Zhang Ze-Wu , Cao Guang-Tai , Huang Xiao-Yu , Li Guang-Hao , Li Hui-Kai , Cui Yun-Long , Wu Qiang , Zhang Ti , Song Tian-Qiang , Li Qiang
Published: June 2020

Background: The relationship between serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. To explore the prognostic value of preoperative CA19-9 in α-fetoprotein (AFP)-positive and -negative HCC with hepatitis B virus (HBV) background (HBV-HCC).Methods: We evaluated HBV-HCC patients who underwent curative resection (Cohort 1). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed, and the clinicopathological characteristics were compared according to a CA19-9 cutoff of ≥ 39 U/ml. Immunohistochemical staining of CA19-9 in HCC tumor tissue and background liver were quantified in another cohort of 216 patients with resected HCC (Cohort 2). Immunohistochemical staining or serum CA19-9 level was also compared between patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) (Cohort 3).Results: In Cohort 1, CA19-9 ≥ 39 U/ml was an independent risk factor for RFS (HR=1.507, 95% CI=1.087-2.091, p=0.014) and OS (HR=1.646, 95% CI=1.146-2.366, p=0.007) in both AFP-positive and AFP-negative patients. CA19-9 ≥ 39 U/ml was also associated with significantly higher incidence of macrovascular invasion compared with CA19-9 < 39 U/ml (23.0% vs. 7.2%, p=0.002), elevated aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index, and lower albumin. In contrast, no association was found between CA19-9 and systemic inflammation. CA19-9 expression was found exclusively in the background liver but not in HCC tumor cells. In contrast, tumor tissue was the main source of CA19-9 in ICC patients.Conclusions: CA19-9 ≥ 39 U/ml was associated with lower OS and RFS in both AFP-positive and negative HCC patients. CA19-9 is secreted by the background liver but not by tumor cells. Thus, CA19-9 is a prognostic marker for liver inflammation and cirrhosis in HCC.
The Clinical Value of Ficolin-3 Gene Polymorphism in Rheumatic Heart Disease. An Egyptian Adolescents Study
Authors: Gomaa Maher H. , Khidr Emad Gamil , Elshafei Ahmed , Hamza Hala S. , Fattouh Aya M. , El-Husseiny Ahmed A. , Aglan Ahmed , Eldeib Mahmoud Gomaa
Published: June 2020

Background: The innate immunity molecules against Streptococcus pyogenes infections include ficolin-3 that was thought to have a role in autoimmune diseases resulting from this infection such as rheumatic fever (RF) which goes on and leads to its most serious sequel, rheumatic heart disease (RHD). We aimed in this study to disclose if there is an association between ficolin-3 gene polymorphisms (rs4494157 and rs10794501) and RF with or without RHD for the first time in Egyptian adolescents. Methods: This study was carried out on 160 RF patients; eighty patients had RHD and eighty didn't have RHD. Besides, eighty ethnically and age-matched healthy subjects were selected as control. Ficolin-3 gene polymorphisms (rs4494157 and rs10794501) were genotyped by TaqMan® allelic discrimination assay. Serum ficolin-3 was quantitatively determined by ELISA. Results: Regarding ficolin-3 gene polymorphisms; no differences in the frequency of rs10794501 were found between the investigated groups, while polymorphism of rs4494157 showed a significant correlation between AA homozygous genotype, high serum ficolin-3, and RHD risk. Conclusion: Elevated serum ficolin-3 and carriage of AA genotype of rs4494157 appeared to be involved in RF and RHD pathogenesis and may be predictive tools for early recognition of RHD prone RF patients, and subsequent early prophylactic interventions.
Longevity of Chinese Chestnut Correlates with Stable Root Microbiomes
Authors: Cheng Xu , Yan Zhichun , Schmitz Lucas , Schneijderberg Martinus , Yan Jundi , Ge Yueyang , Lan Yanping , Wang Yiyang , Li Guangdong , Yang Liu , Qin Ling , Cao Qingqin , Bisseling Ton
Published: June 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Stent Placement versus Stent Placement Alone for Malignant Biliary Obstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Hongyang , Zhu Chunxian , Sun Leimin
Published: June 2020

Background: Malignant biliary obstruction was typically diagnosed at an advanced stage due to painless jaundice. Stent placement is the therapy of choice in this set of patients. Radiofrequency ablation is an ablative therapy which has been well recognized for treating malignant biliary strictures. This meta-analysis aims to help to better understand the safety and efficacy of biliary Radiofrequency ablation combined with stent placement. Methods: Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) were searched for randomized controlled trials and observational studies up to April 2020. Results: The mean difference in survival time was 54.87 days (95% confidence interval CI, 34.6-75.14), meaning patients performed with radiofrequency ablation benefit more. Reconstructed Kaplan-Meier data showed improved survival in joint intervention with RFA (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95%CI, 1.34-1.75; P < .001). However, no survival benefit was observed in the extrahepatic distal cholangiocarcinoma. With regard to patency time, the mean difference was 42.88 days (95%CI, 34.02-51.37). Reconstructed Kaplan-Meier data showed improved survival in the radiofrequency ablation treated group (hazard ratio, 1.629; 95%CI, 1.35-1.96; P < .001). Concerning postoperative complications such as abdominal pain, cholangitis and pancreatitis, our analysis did not show a significant difference between the radiofrequency ablation treatment group and the controls. Conclusion: Radiofrequency ablation plus stent resulted in improved survival and stent patency, with longer median survival and patency time than stent alone.
Genomic Predictions for Muscle Yield and Fillet Firmness in Rainbow Trout using Reduced-Density SNP Panels
Authors: Al-Tobasei Rafet , Ali Ali R. , Garcia Andre L. S. , Lourenco Daniela , Leeds Tim , Salem Mohamed
Published: June 2020

Background One of the most important goals for the rainbow trout aquaculture industry is to improve muscle yield and fillet quality. Previously, we showed that a 50K transcribed-SNP chip can be used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with muscle yield and fillet firmness. In this study, data from 1,568 fish genotyped for the 50K transcribed-SNP chip and ~774 fish phenotyped for muscle yield and fillet firmness were used in a single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) model to compute the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV). In addition, pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction (PBLUP) was used to calculate traditional, family-based estimated breeding values (EBV). Results The genomic predictions outperformed the traditional EBV by 35% for muscle yield and 42% for fillet firmness. The predictive ability for muscle yield and fillet firmness was 0.19 - 0.20 with PBLUP, and 0.27 with ssGBLUP. Additionally, reducing SNP panel densities indicated that using 500 – 800 SNPs in genomic predictions still provides predictive abilities higher than PBLUP. Conclusion These results suggest that genomic evaluation is a feasible strategy to identify and select fish with superior genetic merit within rainbow trout families, even with low-density SNP panels.
Combined Analysis of the Aberrant Epigenetic Alteration of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Xing Xiao-liang , Yao Zhi-Yong , Zhang Ti , Zhu Ning , Liu Xingyu , Xiao Liyun , Cheng Kang , Huang Zhi , Liu Yuanwu , Peng Jing
Published: June 2020

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer which could be classified as colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and rectum adenocarcinoma (READ) mainly. Accumulating evidence indicatedmethylations are involved in multiple tumors.MethodsTo know the effect of abnormal methylation in COAD, READ and CRC, we downloaded methylation and mRNA data of COAD and READ from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. And then, we used DESeq2, ChAMP, DAVID 6.8, Cytoscape_3.7.2 and Correlation analysis to identify the potential biomarkers.ResultsWe obtain 12 potential biomarkers (APBB1, CDC42SE2, EIF4E3, FBXO17, FES, GNPNAT1, HSPA1A, OSBPL3, RORC, SALL1, SPEG, and TCF7L1) directly associated with the pathologic TNM of COAD maybe regulated by 28 differential methylations; 2 potential biomarkers (AQP1 and HOXA3) directly associated with pathologic NM maybe regulated by 8 differential methylations; and 15 potential biomarkers (ADAMTSL3, ANXA9, APBB1, AQP1, C2CD4A, CLIP3, DNAJC15, EIF4E3, FAM160A1, GNG4, HLX, HSPA1A, LAYN, NR3C2, and SYT1)directly associated with the pathologic TNM of COAD maybe regulated by 29 differential methylations. Furthermore, weconstruct the network of differential methylation and differential expression genes. In addition, we also obtain 1 methylation (cg18149207), 2 methylations (cg02000808 and cg21134232) and 2 methylations (cg04408595 and cg19413725) associated with the overall survival.ConclusionOur results provide an analysis of theoretical knowledge and clinical outcomes, but more researches are needed to confirm our findings.
Item Response Theory Analysis of the Hospitalized Patients Spiritual Needs Questionnaire
Authors: Hosseini Fahimeh Alsadat , Guardia Joan , Momennasab Marzieh , Yektatalab Shahrzad , Zareiyan Armin , Thomson Brian
Published: June 2020

Background: Hospitalized patients Spiritual Needs Questionnaire (HPSNQ) has been developed in Iran. This paper uses the classical test theory (CTT) to test the validity of the HPSNQ. Using Item response theory, a scale can be constructed with items that can be interpreted regarding the spiritual needs of patients revealing evidence that calls for more effective health interventions regarding meeting the spiritual needs of patients. Analysis of the hospitalized patients Spiritual Needs Questionnaire using Item Response Theory with the aim of providing insight into the functioning of the questionnaire to improve the psychometric robustness of the instrument. Methods: This analytical study was carried out in 2018 on 301 subjects hospitalized in non-acute wards of hospitals in Shiraz, Iran. The analysis was carried out using Item Response Theory: The dimensionality, assessing the items parameters evaluation, and the scale construction were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, item-to-total correlations and confirmatory factor analysis was done for investigation of dimensionality. The Gradual Response Model of Samejima was used to estimate the item parameters, and the MPLUS software was utilized to analyses the data.Results: Findings revealed that HPSNQ scales are highly unidimensional. In this study, regarding the dimension of “relationship with God”, very high discriminations were observed among all items, whereas the items in “peaceful environment” had relatively low discriminations, hence was not as informative as the items of “relationship to god”.Conclusions: Whereas the psychometric properties of the HPSNQ was generally supported from an IRT perspective, there was also evidence of further improvement for this measure. It seems that the nature of the construct under study, has a significant impact on the items’ discrimination and information value; however, the wording correction or deletion of certain items or even the response options used in this tool may significantly increase the reliability of the tool.
Association Between Commuting Time and Sickness Absence in the Context of China: Transmission Channels and Heterogeneous Effects
Authors: Zicheng Wang , Jiachun Liu , GUO MURONG
Published: June 2020

Background: Most of employees in urban China have experienced a heavy commuting burden，which has become an urgent issue that should be solved in the process of new urbanization strategy. However, not only has the exploration of relationship between the commuting and sickness absence been still scant in China, but also there is no discussion made to analyze the mechanism linking the commuting time and sickness absence. To address these gaps, this study firstly investigates the commuting-absence linkage as well as the potential transmission channel between them.Methods: Using a unique dataset of 2013 Matched Employer-Employee Survey (CMEES) in China, current study apply the zero-inflated negative binomial model to explore the association.Results: Long commute is significantly related with increased sickness absence. A longer commuting is associated with poorer self-rated health status and a higher degree of psychological depression, and it also is highly related with an increase of their BMI index, annual medical expenses as well as the risk of obesity. However, the commuting is not correlated with the overtime length and probability of overtime. Conclusion: The longer commute induces to lower productivities through the increased sickness absence, and the potential linkage of commute-sickness absence is mainly transmitted through their health-related outcomes.
Comparative Study of Preoperative Scores to Predict Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Gastric and Colon Cancers: A Case Control Study
Authors: Zheng Xiangjian , Chen Xiaodong , Li Min , Li Chunmeng , Shen Xian
Published: June 2020

Background:Surgery combined with chemo-radiotherapy is a recognized model for the treatment of gastric and colon cancers. Lymph node metastasis determines the patient's surgical or comprehensive treatment plan.The purpose of this study was to compare preoperative scores to better predict lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric and colon cancers.Methods:A total of 768 patients with gastric cancer (312) and colon cancer (462) were enrolled in our study. Preoperative serum markers, immune markers, and clinical tumor characteristics were evaluated by single-factor analysis. Logistic analysis was used to identify independent predictors of lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric and colon cancers. These independent risk factors were integrated into preoperative scores, which was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:The result showed that serum markers (CA125, hemoglobin, albumin), immune markers (S100, CD31, d2–40), and tumor characteristics (pathological type, tumor size) were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric and colon cancers. The preoperative scores reliably predicted lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric and colon cancers with a higher area under the ROC curve (0.901). Compared to the other independent risk factors, the area under the ROC curve of this indicator was 0.923 and 0.870, for gastric and colon cancers, respectively. Based on the ROC curve, the ideal cutoff value of preoperative scores to predict lymph node metastasis was established to be 287. Conclusion: The preoperative scores is a useful indicator that could be used to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric and colon cancers.
Effect of activity level after TKA on the relative bone mineral density measured on standard radiographs in periprosthetic tibial bone: a five-year follow-up study
Authors: Liu Yong , He Peiheng , Li Xing , Ye Yongheng , Liu Minghao , Chen Weizhi , XU Dongliang
Published: June 2020

Background

To suggest the best activity level to guide clinical rehabilitation by evaluating the effect of activity level on BMD in the proximal tibia 5 years after TKA.
Methods

In 121 patients, the UCLA activity rating was evaluated, and the relative BMD in periprosthetic tibial bone was measured by ImageJ software on anteroposterior X-ray images. ANOVA, chi-squared test, paired t test and nonlinear regression were used for data analysis.
Results

Activity level significantly affected rBMD in the proximal tibia, with the smallest reduction in rBMD observed with moderate activity. The difference in rBMD% between the lateral and medial metaphysis was significant. The regions with a significant difference in rBMD% between the lateral and medial metaphysis were closest to the base plate of the prosthesis. The lateral and medial regions closest to the stem of the prosthesis showed no significant difference in rBMD%.
Conclusions

Moderate-intensity functional exercise is recommended within 3 years after TKA.
Changes in local bone mineral density in patients with rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and its guiding significance for treatment
Authors: Liu Hao , Gu Sanjun , Liu Jun , Wu Yongwei , Rui Yongjun
Published: June 2020

Background

It is recognized that there are many factors that affect the outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) reconstruction. However, there were few studies on the effect of local bone conditions on the reconstruction of the ACL. This study aimed to summarize the changes in local bone mineral density (BMD) of the knee after rupture of the ACL and to guide the treatment.
Methods

Eighty patients with ACL rupture treated in our department from January 2017 to April 2019 were routinely measured for local BMD before surgery, and according to the BMD, the appropriate method of ligament reconstruction and fixation under arthroscopy was selected: if the local BMD of the affected knee was not significantly lower than that of the healthy side, squeeze fixation was used, and suspension fixation was used when the local BMD of the affected knee was lower than that of the healthy knee. The conditions of tunnel cutting or screw splitting and tunnel enlargement or screw pull-out were observed during the operation, and the fixation mode was adjusted in time according to the situation. The function of the knee joint was evaluated regularly by physical examination, imaging data, the IKDC scale and the Lysholm score table after the operation.
Results

A total of 80 patients with unilateral ACL rupture were included in this group. There were 44 males and 36 females. Sixty-eight patients had decreased BMD in the affected knee. The BMD of patients with a history of more than 3 months was lower than that of patients with a history of less than 3 months. Tunnel enlargement and screw pull-out occurred in 2 patients, screw splitting occurred in 1 patient, and no adverse conditions occurred in the rest of the patients. In 3 patients, the fixation mode was adjusted in time during the operation. The patients were followed for 12 months (mean 20.65 ± 5.12 months). The IKDC score increased from 43.07 ± 2.66 before the operation to 89.17 ± 3.28 at the final follow-up, and the Lysholm score increased from 43.49 ± 2.38 to 89.67 ± 2.97.
Conclusions

The measurement of local BMD before surgery is of guiding significance for the selection of reconstruction and fixation of the ACL. It is recommended that patients undergo surgical reconstruction within 3 months after injury. When the BMD of the affected knee decreases significantly to at least 70% lower than that of the healthy side, suspension fixation is recommended and the brace fixation time is prolonged.
The Dynamics on Hammer with Three Freedoms and Friction Vibration by Lagrange Equation in Robotic Arm
Authors: xu run
Published: June 2020

The dynamic equation of three freedoms and frictionimpulsion vibration is established hammer in robotic arm by Larange equation. It is based on one of two freedoms. It is found that the first and second items is long and others is concise which is found in kinetic equation in this study.
Hip torsional deformities at lumbar disc disease
Authors: ISIN YAGMUR , KAYA EROL , HAPA ONUR , KIZMAZOGLU CEREN , GURSAN ONUR
Published: June 2020

Background

Presence of lumbar spine disorder with hip diseases is defined as Hip-Spine syndrome, there might be a relation between hip torsional deformities and lumbar disc disease which has not clarified previously. Purpose of the present study was to find whether hip torsional parameters (femur, acetabular anteversion) and clinical findings (hip range of motion, hip score) differ at patients with lumbar disc disease.
Methods

Patients with lomber disc herniation (n: 20) and control subjects (n: 20) without any lumbar spine or hip disease were enrolled. Femoral anteversion (FeAv), acetabular anteversion (AA), center of edge angle (CE), degree of hip flexion, extension, Harris Hip scores (HHS) were evaluated bilaterally.
Results

HHS score, degree of extension plus flexion was lower at diseased side when it is compared to the control subjects (p < 0.001). Unilaterally affected patients had lower AA than control subjects (AA: 13 ± 40 vs16 ± 20 p:0.01). Mechanic and /or hip torsional parameters especially the acetabular retroversion may have an etiopathogenetic role at unilateral lumbar disc disease.
Engineered Cerebral Organoids Recapitulate Adult Tau Expression and Disease-relevant Changes in Tau Splicing
Authors: Lovejoy Christopher , Alatza Argyro , Arber Charles , Galasso Grant , Bradshaw Teisha Y. , Verheyen An , Lashley Tammaryn , Revesz Tamas , Hardy John , Karch Celeste M. , Wray Selina
Published: June 2020

The tauopathies are a collection of clinically and pathologically diverse neurodegenerative disorders characterised by tau pathology. The tau protein exists as multiple protein isoforms in the adult human CNS, generated by alternative splicing of the MAPT gene. Disruptions to tau splicing are associated with a number of tauopathies, however, in vitro and in vivo models to understand the consequences of disrupted tau splicing have been lacking, due in part to species differences in tau splicing and the developmental regulation of tau in human neurons. We investigated the utility of iPSC-derived cerebral organoids to model key aspects of tau biology. Cerebral organoids showed high variability in neuronal content and tau expression. To reduce this heterogeneity, we generated engineered cerebral organoids (enCORs), which use a floating scaffold to increase the efficiency of neural induction and reduce heterogeneity. We show that enCORs provide a robust and reproducible in vitro system for the analysis of tau expression and splicing in a 3D model. To investigate the effect of tau mutations, we generated enCORs from an isogenic series of iPSC with the MAPT 10+16 and P301S mutations. The presence of tau splicing mutations results in disease-associated alterations in tau expression, specifically a dose-dependent increase in 4R tau isoforms in the presence of the MAPT 10+16 variant. While the developmental regulation of tau splicing is conserved, maturation of tau splicing is accelerated in 3D cultures compared to 2D cultures. Finally, enCORs with coding mutations in MAPT are able to produce seed-competent tau species, suggesting enCORs recapitulate early features of tau pathology. In summary, enCORs provide a novel, robust in vitro system for the study of tau in development and disease.
COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes and Nationality: Results from a Nationwide Registry in Kuwait
Authors: Hamadah Hala , Alahmad Barrak , Behbehani Mohammad , Al-Youha Sarah , Almazeedi Sulaiman , Al-Haddad Mohannad , Jamal Mohammad H. , Al-Sabah  Salman
Published: June 2020

Background: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have flagged racial and ethnic differences in health outcomes in western countries as an urgent global public health priority. Kuwait has a unique demographic profile with two-thirds of the population consisting of non-nationals, most of which are migrant workers.Objective: We aimed to explore whether there is a significant difference in health outcomes between non-Kuwaiti and Kuwaiti patients diagnosed with COVID-19.Methods: We used a prospective COVID-19 registry of all patients (symptomatic and asymptomatic) in Kuwait who tested positive from February 24th to April 20th, 2020 , collected from Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Hospital, the officially-designated COVID-19 healthcare facility in the country. We ran separate logistic regression models comparing non-Kuwaitis to Kuwaitis for death, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia.Results: The first 1,123 COVID-19 positive patients in Kuwait were all recruited in the study. About 26% were Kuwaitis and 73% were non-Kuwaiti. With adjustments made to age, gender, smoking and selected co-morbidities, non-Kuwaitis had two-fold increase in the odds of death or being admitted to the intensive care unit compared to Kuwaitis (OR: 2.14, 95% CI 1.12-4.32). Non-Kuwaitis had also higher odds of ARDS (OR:2.44, 95% CI 1.23-5.09) and pneumonia (OR: 2.24, 95% CI 1.27-4.12).Conclusion: This is the first study to report on COVID-19 outcomes between Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti patients. The current pandemic may have amplified the differences of health outcomes among marginalized subpopulations. A number of socioeconomic and environmental factors could explain this health disparity. More research is needed to advance the understanding of policymakers in Kuwait in order to make urgent public health interventions.
Pictures of X-Rays Displayed in Monitors for Deep Learning-Based COVID-19 Screening: Implications for Mobile Application Development
Authors: Silva Pedro , Luz Eduardo , Moreira Gladston , Gomes Caio , Viana Larissa , Silva Rodrigo
Published: June 2020

As the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic, Artificial Intelligence, in particular, Deep Learning (DL) have been called up for help. Several recent research papers have shown the usefulness of these techniques for COVID-19 screening in Chest X-Rays (CXRs). To make this technology accessible and easy to use for the healthcare workers a natural path is to embed it into a mobile app. In these cases, however, the DL models must be prepared to receive as inputs pictures taken with the smartphones.Trying to raise awareness about the limitations of these models in a real-world setup, in this work, a dataset of CXR pictures taken of computer monitors with smartphones is built and DL models are evaluated on it. The results show that the current models are not able to correctly classify this kind of input. In the tested setup, augmenting the dataset with such pictures has shown to mitigate the problem, but it was not enough to raise accuracy to acceptable levels. As an alternative, this work shows that it is possible to build a model that discards pictures of monitors such that the COVID-19 screening module does not have to cope with them.
Machine Learning Algorithms Using Logistic Regression for Predicting Neurosurgical Outcomes
Authors: Fatima Nida
Published: June 2020

Background: Preoperative prognostication of clinical and surgical outcome in patients with neurosurgical diseases can improve the risk stratification, thus can guide in implementing targeted treatment to minimize these events. Therefore, the author aims to highlight the development and validation of predictive models determining neurosurgical outcomes through machine learning algorithms using logistic regression.Methods: Logistic regression (enter, backward and forward) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method for selection of variables from selected database can eventually lead to multiple candidate models. The final model with a set of predictive variables must be selected based upon the clinical knowledge and numerical results.Results: The predictive model which performed best on the discrimination, calibration, Brier score and decision curve analysis must be selected to develop machine learning algorithms. Logistic regression should be compared with the LASSO model. Usually for the big databases, the predictive model selected through logistic regression gives higher Area Under the Curve (AUC) than those with LASSO model. The predictive probability derived from the best model could be uploaded to an open access web application which is easily deployed by the patients and surgeons to make a risk assessment world-wide.Conclusions: Machine learning algorithms provide promising results for the prediction of outcomes following cranial and spinal surgery. These algorithms can provide useful factors for patient-counselling, assessing peri-operative risk factors, and predicting post-operative outcomes after neurosurgery.
Human Peripheral Blood-derived Mast Cells Contribute to Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Bronchial Epithelial Cells in the Presence of IL-1β
Authors: Wang Xian-Song , Xie Li , Zheng Kaiyu
Published: June 2020

Background: Bronchial epithelial to mesenchymal transition （EMT）is an important mechanism for the airway remodeling in asthmatics. Mast cell is one of the critical effector cells in pathogenesis of asthma. Although mast cells have been shown to release a plethora of pro-fibrotic factors with the potential to induce EMT, it is not clear whether mast cells also directly have an impact on the bronchial EMT. In this study, we investigated the contribution of human mast cells to EMT in human bronchial epithelial cell line 16-HBE. Methods: Human peripheral blood-derived mast cells were co-cultured with 16-HBE cells. The protein and mRNA expression of E-cadherin and vimentin in 16-HBE cells were analyzed by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR. A scratch wound assay was performed to evaluate the migratory properties of the 16-HBE cells.Results: Mast cells alone failed to produce significant effects on the epithelial morphology, mobility, and expression of E-cadherin and vimentin. However, mast cells in combination of interleukin (IL)-1β significantly decreased E-cadherin expression but increased vimentin expression in the co-cultured 16-HBE cells, which exhibited a spindle-like appearance with reduced cell junctions and enhanced migration. The down-regulation of E-cadherin expression and up-regulation of vimentin expression were not abrogated by the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 neutralizing antibody.Conclusion: Mast cells combined with IL-1β, not mast cells alone, were able to induce EMT in 16-HBE cells through a TGF-β1-independent mechanism. The results of in vitro culture suggest the possibility that mast cells contribute to human bronchial epithelial EMT in the asthmatic airway tissues with high level of IL-1β.
Article Variation and Tradeoff of Leaf Traits of Karst Shrub in Southwest China
Authors: zou zhigang , Zeng Fuping , Zeng Zhaoxia , Liao Jianxiong , Du Hu , Zhang Hao
Published: June 2020

Long-term droughts were found to have guided the environmental selection ofshrub plant characteristics in a karst region of China, as the plants were found to have developed a set of leaf trait combinations,includinga small specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area (LA), and large leaf dry matter content (LDMC), that are known to be suitable for drought environments.Leaf traits of plants are not only the intuitive and operable taxonomic traits in plant taxonomy, but also reflect the responses and adaptations of plants to their habitats. This is helpful when trying to understand the role of environmental screening and when filtering plant functional traits. The objective of this investigation was to determine the leaf trait variations, adaptations, and patterns in the shrubs from a karst region in China.Weinvestigated 11 leaf traits to quantify the variations in their trade-offs and the trait–habitat /species relationships for the shrubs at theHuanjiang karst ecosystem observation and research station, China, using multivariate analyses.There were significant intraspecific and interspecific changes in the leaf traits ofthe shrub plants, and there were differences among the traits. Except for carbonmass, nitrogenarea, and phosphorousarea, the interspecific variations of the leaf traits were generally higher than the interspecific variation. The correlation between the leaf traits in the karst shrubs was also significant. Species differences had a higher explanatory degree for the leaf traits than topography or soil nutrients. The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of the variations in leaf traits in the karst shrubregions and the adaptative strategies of the plants in degraded habitats.Furthermore, these results may provide scientific information to help guide vegetation recovery programs in the karst region of southwest China.