bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A retrospective analysis of the efficacy of oral dexamethasone in combination with docetaxel plus ramucirumab therapy for previously treated lung cancer
Authors: Hamai Kosuke , Katsura Ryo , Miyake Shinya , Fujita Suguru , Tada Shinpei , Hirakawa Tetsu , Ueno Sayaka , Tanimoto Takuya , Ishikawa Nobuhisa
Published: September 2022

Purpose
Docetaxel plus ramucirumab (DTX + RAM) therapy is a standard treatment for previously treated lung cancer, but many adverse events has been reported. Therefore, this retrospective study was conducted to examine if the side effects of DTX + RAM therapy can be minimized by the combined use of oral dexamethasone and to assess the therapeutic effect of DTX + RAM in patients with recurrent lung cancer.
Methods
Forty patients with relapsed non-small cell lung cancer who underwent DTX + RAM therapy were divided into two groups based on the concomitant use of oral dexamethasone and compared the therapeutic effects and toxicities of the two groups.
Results
The objective response and tumor shrinkage rates were significantly better in the dexamethasone group (p = 0.0203 and 0.0238, respectively). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.20 months vs. 2.87 months (p = 0.064). On the other hand, the median overall survival (OS) was significantly better in the dexamethasone group (15.17 months vs. 7.37 months, p = 0.0317). Febrile neutropenia was more common in the dexamethasone group, but other side effects were not significantly different between the groups. The frequency of fluid retention within six months of the start of treatment was 10.0% vs. 42.5%, and the fluid retention rate was significantly higher in the non-dexamethasone group (p = 0.039).
Conclusion
Concomitant use of oral dexamethasone during DTX + RAM therapy did not reduce the side effects, but may facilitate the long-term continuation of treatment and contribute to OS prolongation.
Manipulating Exchange Bias in 2D Magnetic Heterojunction for High-performance Robust Memory Applications
Authors: Ye Lei , Huang Xinyu , Zhang Luman , Tong Lei , Li Zheng , Peng Zhuiri , Lin Runfeng , Xue Kan-Hao , Dai Hongwei , Cheng Hui , Branco Danilo de Camargo , Xu Jian-Bin , Han Jun-Bo , Cheng Gary , Miao Xiang Shui , Shi Wenhao
Published: September 2022

The exchange bias (EB) effect plays an undisputed role in the development of highly sensitive, robust, and high-density spintronic devices in magnetic data storage. However, the weak EB field, low blocking temperature as well as the lack of modulation methods seriously limit the application of EB in spintronic devices. Here, we utilized a pressure engineering to efficiently tune the van der Waals (vdW) spacing of the 2D FePSe3/Fe3GeTe2 heterostructures. The EB field (HEB, from 29.2 mT to 111.2 mT) and blocking temperature (Tb, from 20 K to 110 K) are significantly enhanced, and a highly sensitive and robust spin valve is demonstrated. Interestingly, this enhancement of the EB effect was observed in exposed Fe3GeTe2, due to the single domain nature of Fe3GeTe2. Our findings provide new opportunities for the production, exploration, and tuning of magnetic vdW heterostructures with strong interlayer coupling, thereby enabling customized 2D spintronic devices in the future.
Title-Post-diagnostic statin use and breast cancer-specific mortality: a population-based cohort study.
Authors: Scott Oliver William , TinTin Sandar , Harborg Sixten , Kuper-Hommel Marion JJ , Lawrenson Ross , Elwood J Mark
Published: September 2022

Statins are the most widely prescribed cholesterol lowering medications and have been associated with both improved and unchanged breast cancer outcomes in previous studies. This study examines the association between the post-diagnostic use of statins and breast cancer outcomes (death and recurrence) in a large, representative sample of New Zealand (NZ) women with breast cancer.
Methods
Women diagnosed with a first primary breast cancer between 2007 and 2016 were identified from four population-based regional NZ breast cancer registries and linked to national pharmaceutical data, hospital discharges, and death records. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard of breast cancer-specific death (BCD) associated with any post-diagnostic statin use.
Results
Of the 14,976 women included in analyses, 27% used a statin after diagnosis and the median follow up time was 4.51 years. Statin use (vs non-use) was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of BCD (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.74; 0.63-0.86). The association was attenuated when considering a subgroup of ‘new’ statin users (HR: 0.91; 0.69-1.19), however other analyses revealed that the protective effect of statins was more pronounced in estrogen receptor positive patients (HR: 0.77; 0.63-0.94), postmenopausal women (HR: 0.74; 0.63-0.88), and in women with advanced stage disease (HR: 0.65; 0.49-0.84).
Conclusion
In this study, statin use was associated with a statistically significant decreased risk of breast cancer death, with subgroup analyses revealing a more protective effect in ER+ patients, postmenopausal women, and in women with advanced stage disease. Further research is warranted to determine if these associations are replicated in other clinical settings.
Microstrobilinia castrans, a new genus and species of the Sclerotiniaceae parasitizing pollen cones of Picea spp.
Authors: Beenken Ludwig , Stroheker Sophie , Dubach Vivanne , Schlegel Markus , Queloz Valentin , Gross Andrin
Published: September 2022

The fungal pathogens of spruce are well known not only in Europe but worldwide. Therefore, it was all the more surprising to discover a new fungal species and genus in Central Europe that attacks the pollen cones of three spruce species. The new ascomycete forms apothecia on stromatized pollen cones of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Serbian spruce (P. omorika) in mountain areas as well as on West Himalayan spruce (P. smithiana) planted in urban lowland regions of Switzerland and Germany. It was also detected in France, based on sequences found in the GlobalFungi database of fungal occurrences from high-throughput-sequencing metabarcoding studies. The different origins of the host trees in Europe and Asia leave the origin of the fungus unclear. The new fugus might be a neomycet for Europe. A phylogenetic analysis using SSU, LSU, ITS, RPB2 and TEF1 sequences classified the fungus to the family Sclerotiniaceae (Helotiales, Leotiomycetes). However, it differs morphologically to the other genera in this family by an ascus without apical apparatus and four citriform spores. Furthermore, it is the only known cup fungus that parasitizes pollen cones of conifers by stromatizing their tissue and infecting pollen grains. The fungus does not seem to cause major damage to the spruce populations, as only a few pollen cones per tree are affected. All this leads us to describe the newly discovered fungus as the new species and new genus Microstrobilinia castrans, the fungus that castrate pollen cones of spruce.
Efficacy and safety of GLucocorticoid injections into InfrapaTellar faT pad in patients with knee ostEoarthRitiS: protocol for the GLITTERS randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhang Yan , Ruan Guangfeng , Zheng Peng , Huang Sili , Zhou Xiaoni , Liu Xuelian , Hu Wenjie , Feng Huiting , Lin Yangyang , He Juanjuan , Wei Zhenhai , Zhang Jiangshan , Chang Qing , Wei Xiaomei , Fan Tao , Jiang Li , Ding Changhai
Published: September 2022

Background
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent disabling disorder that involves changes in articular cartilage damage, subchondral bone remodeling, synovitis, and abnormal infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP). Due to the complicated etiology and numerous phenotypes of knee OA, limited improvement is achieved for treatments among knee OA patients with different phenotypes. Inflammatory OA phenotype is a typical knee OA phenotype, and individualized treatment targeting on inflammation is a promising way to obtain an optimal therapeutic effect for people with inflammatory knee OA phenotype. Glucocorticoid is a traditional anti-inflammatory drug for knee OA and intra-articular glucocorticoid injections are recommended clinically. However, emerging evidence has shown the repeated intra-articular glucocorticoid injections for a long term would induce cartilage loss. IPFP and its adjacent synovium are considered as the main source of inflammation in knee OA. This GLITTERS trial aims to investigate if a glucocorticoid injection into the IPFP is effective and safe over 12 weeks among knee OA patients with an inflammatory phenotype.
Methods
GLITTERS is a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial among knee OA patients with both Hoffa-synovitis and effusion-synovitis. Sixty participants will be allocated randomly and equally to either the glucocorticoid group or the control group. Each group will receive an injection of glucocorticoid or saline into the IPFP at baseline, and be followed 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Primary outcomes will be changes in knee pain on a visual analogue scale and effusion-synovitis volume measured on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Secondary outcomes will be changes in the total score of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score, MRI-detected Hoffa-synovitis score, quality of life, pain medication use, IPFP volume, and the incidence of adverse reactions. Data analyses based on the intention-to-treat principle will include mixed-effects regressions, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and chi-square tests (or Fisher’s exact test).
Discussion
GLITTERS may provide high-quality evidence for the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided glucocorticoid injections into IPFP among people with inflammatory knee OA in a short term. The results of this trial are expected to provide a reliable reference for a longer-term risk-benefit profile of this treatment in the future.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials. gov NCT05291650. Registered on 23/03/2022.
Electronic Devices and Social Networks Use Out of School and Sleep Conditions: What is the Role of Sports?
Authors: Gaya Anelise Reis , Brum Rodolfo , Brites Keith , Gaya Adroaldo , Schneiders Letícia Borba , Junior Miguel Ângelo Duarte , López-Gil José Francisco
Published: September 2022

Background: It is expected that children involved in daily physical activities and/or sports should be protected from the risk associated with the sedentary profile in sleep conditions. This is because physical activity is a protective behavior and is inversely associated with the early development of risk factors in the young population. Although there are many studies including sleep conditions and physical activity, we still do not know whether regular sports practice could be associated with better sleep conditions. Therefore, this study has the following objectives, (1): to determine which are the most common electronic display devices related to sleep time and conditions; (2) determine which is the most common social network application such as Facebook, Tik-Tok, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp associated with sleep time and conditions and (3) verify the role of sports engagement as protective behavior in these relationships.
Methods: Cross-sectional study, with 1101 Spanish adolescents, between 12 and 17 years old. Age, sex, sleep, psychosocial health, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, adherence to sport, and time spent on screen devices were assessed by questionnaire. Linear regression was applied, adjusting the associated variables. Poisson regression was applied between the sexes. Values of p<0.05 were considered significant. The analyzes were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 27.0.
Results: the cell phone was more associated with sleep time. In boys, time spent on cell phones and video games had a higher prevalence ratio. When psychosocial health was included in the models, we found the greatest association. For girls, time spent on the cell phone was significantly associated with sleep quality, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet became the second most important in the model, followed by psychosocial health and cell phone use. Time spent on WhatsApp was associated with sleep quality only among girls and was the most important variable in the model along with diet and psychosocial health.
Conclusions: Our results suggest a strong relationship between cell phones, video games and social networks with sleep quality and time.
Scoring consistency of standard patients and examiners in the developed dental OSCE system
Authors: Zhu Feng , Wu Li , Shao Xiuxiu , Huang Lijuan , Meng Xiangfeng , Nie Rongrong
Published: September 2022

Objective
This study aimed to investigate the use of standard patients (SPs) and examiners as assessors for scoring in the developed dental objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) system and to evaluate scoring differences between them.
Methods
The doctor–patient communication and clinical examination station in the OSCE examination system was developed. The examination time of this station was 10 min, and the examination institution wrote the script and recruited SPs. A total of 146 examinees receiving standardized training at the Nanjing Stomatological Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, from 2018 to 2021 were assessed. The same examinee was scored by SPs and examiners according to the same scoring rubrics. Subsequently, the SPSS software was used to analyze the examination results of different assessors and evaluate their correlation.
Results
The average score of all examinees at this station was 90.45 ± 3.52 by SPs and 91.53 ± 4.13 by examiners. A significant positive correlation was found between their scores, with a correlation coefficient of 0.746. Thus, the assessors had good reliability and higher consistency.
Conclusions
It was feasible to use SPs directly as assessors. They could provide a simulated and realistic clinical setting and create favorable conditions for comprehensive competence training and improvement for medical students during school.
On-chip black hole: Hawking radiation and curved spacetime in a superconducting quantum circuit with tunable couplers
Authors: Fan Heng , Shi Yun-Hao , Yang Run-Qiu , Xiang Zhongcheng , Ge Zi-Yong , Li Hao , Wang Yong-Yi , Huang Kaixuan , Tian Ye , Song Xiaohui , Zheng Dongning , Xu Kai , Cai Rong-Gen
Published: September 2022

Hawking radiation is one of the quantum features of a black hole that can be understood as a quantum tunneling across the event horizon of the black hole, but it is quite difficult to directly observe the Hawking radiation of an astrophysical black hole. Remarkable experiments of analogue black holes on various platforms have been performed. However, due to the experimental difficulty of accurately constructing curved spacetime and precisely measuring the thermal spectrum, Hawking radiation and its quantum nature, such as entanglement, have not been adequately investigated. Based on the recent architecture breakthrough of tunable couplers for superconducting processors, we experimentally realize an analogue black hole using our newly developed chip with a chain of 10 superconducting transmon qubits with interactions mediated by 9 transmon-type tunable couplers. By developing efficient techniques to engineer the couplings between qubits via tuning couplers, we achieve both flat and curved spacetime backgrounds. The quantum walks of quasi-particle in the curved spacetime reflect the gravitational effect near the black hole, resulting in the behavior of Hawking radiation. By virtue of the state tomography measurement of all 7 qubits outside the analogue event horizon, we show that Hawking radiation can be verified. In addition, an entangled pair is prepared inside the horizon and the dynamics of entanglement in the curved spacetime is directly measured. Our results would stimulate more interests to explore the related features of black holes using the programmable superconducting processor with tunable couplers.
Liquid Ga-In-Sn alloys printing of novel GaInSnO ultra-thin semiconductor films and controllable performance field effect transistors
Authors: Liu Jing , Du Bang-Deng , Li Qian , Meng Xian-Wei
Published: September 2022

Wide bandgap semiconductor Ga2O3 is a high potential material for fabricating next generation power electronics. However, the low conductivity and carrier mobility of Ga2O3 kept standing as big barriers for its practical application. For many years, the efficient and low cost doping process to enhance the conductivity of Ga2O3 is always a technological challenge. Here, we reported a one step synthesis strategy to prepare Ga2O3 doped with In2O3 and SnO2 (GaInSnO) multilayers from liquid Ga-In-Sn alloys’ surface. A large area, controllable thickness and high conductivity GaInSnO multilayers can be facilely obtained by using van der Waals exfoliation at low temperature of 200 ℃. The printed GaInSnO multilayers are transparent and display bandgaps above 4.5 eV. The field effect transistors (FET) based on the printed GaInSnO multilayers show n-type switching with on/off ratio all exceeding 105, a maximum field-effect mobility (µeff) of 65.40 cm2 V−1 s−1, and a minimum sub-threshold swing (SS) of 91.11 mV dec-1 at room temperature. With rinsing Ga concentration in GaInSnO multilayers, the µeff of fabricated FET decrease, while the SS increase. The present method can be further extended to produce various doped Ga2O3 films, and utilized to fabricate electronic and photoelectronic devices based on modified Ga2O3.
Geospatial Analysis of Diabetes Type 2 and Hypertension in South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Zainuddin Andi Alfian , Rahim Amran , Rasyid Haerani , Ramadany Sri , Dharmayani Himawan , Abdullah Andi Afdal
Published: September 2022

The spatial variation of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension and their potential linkage were explored in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The Local Moran’s I, the Getis-Ord, and regression analysis were applied to identify the characteristics involved. The methods were performed based on T2DM and hypertension data from 2017 and 2018. The spatial variation of T2DM and Hypertension showed that the prevalence rate of T2DM tends to form a cluster hotspot and there is no cold spot and spatial outlier. Meanwhile, the prevalence rate of hypertension tends to occur randomly. In analyzing the relationship between T2DM and Hypertension, we utilized the Generalized poisson regression analysis and the result showed that there is a significant relationship between T2DM and hypertension (p-value = 1.695e-10). This research could help policymakers to plan and support projects with the aim of overcoming the risk of T2DM and hypertension.
Factors for incidence risk and prognosis of synchronous brain metastases in pulmonary large cell carcinoma patients: a population-based study
Authors: Zheng Xuan , Mu Shuai , Wang Lijie , Tao Haitao , Huang Di , Huang Ziwei , Li Xiaoyan , Cui Pengfei , Li Tao , Liu Qingyan , Hu Yi
Published: September 2022

Background: Patients with pulmonary large cell carcinoma (LCC) have a high incidence of synchronous brain metastases (SBM) and a poor prognosis. Our study was to evaluate the predictive and prognostic value of the clinical characteristics of pulmonary LCC patients with SBM at initial diagnosis by utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.
Methods: LCC patients, diagnosed from 2010 to 2019, were identified from the latest SEER database which was released in April 2022. Logistic regression and Cox regression were used to identify the predictive and prognostic factors for LCC patients with SBM. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Kaplan-Meier analyses were applied to assess different therapy modalities.
Results: A total of 1,375 LCC patients were enrolled in this study and 216 (15.7%) of them had SBM at the initial diagnosis. The median overall survival(OS) of LCC patients with SBM was 4 months. Multivariate Cox regression identified age 60–79 (OR: 0.57; 95% CI:0.41–0.78; p <0.001), age ≥80 (OR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.12–0.45; p <0.001) and bone metastases (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.22–2.51; p <0.001) as significant independent predictors for developing SBM. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that age 60-79, T stage, bone metastases and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factor for OS. The surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy group, in which all patients were N0 stage and had no other site-specific metastases, exhibited the best median OS of 15 months.
Conclusions: LCC patients with age <60 or bone metastases were more likely to have SBM at initial diagnosis. Age, T stage, bone metastases and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for OS of LCC patients with SBM. Highly selected patients could achieve the best survival benefit from surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Names That Cell: Nomenclature of Cell-Cultivated Meat & Seafood Products
Authors: Malerich Marlana , Bryant Christopher
Published: September 2022

Cell-cultivated meat and seafood is getting closer to a reality for consumers in the US and around the world. However, regulators are still largely lagging behind on regulating production and labelling of these products. In a large experimental study using a representative US sample (N=2,653), we tested 9 different names for 3 different types of meat and seafood products in terms of their clarity, consumer appeal, and communication of safety and allergenicity. We found that terms proposed by the conventional meat and seafood industry including ‘artificial’ and ‘lab-grown’ tended to score low in terms of consumer appeal, purchase intent, and perceived safety, while ‘artificial’ also had the lowest score on clarity and communicating allergenicity. On the other hand, terms proposed by the cell-cultivated industry including ‘Novari’ scored high in terms of appeal and purchase intent, but scored low in terms of clarity. The terms ‘cell-cultured’ and ‘cell-cultivated’ were the best all round labels in terms of clarity, appeal, and communicating safety and allergenicity – in particular, the addition of the prefix ‘cell-’ increased understanding compared to ‘cultured’ or ‘cultivated’ labels. The most-understood label was a short control phrase (‘grown from [animal] cells, not farmed [or fished]’), suggesting that additional wording on packaging could aid consumer understanding in this early stage. A high proportion of consumers were uncertain about the allergen status of cell-cultivated products under all names, suggesting that cell-cultivated products should be labelled as the type of meat they are, and carry applicable allergen information.
IFN-γ mediated-cellular immunity is essential to the vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Wang Xiao-lei , Yuen Terrence Tsz-Tai , Dou Ying , Hu Jingchu , Li Renhao , Zeng Zheng , Lin Xuansheng , Gong Hua-Rui , Yoon Chaemin , Shuai Huiping , Ho Deborah Tip-Yin , Hung Ivan Fan Ngai , Zhang Bao-Zhong , Chu Hin , Huang Jiandong
Published: September 2022

Mass vaccination schemes have been launched for COVID-19 worldwide. However, recent studies have revealed that SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and its sub-lineages efficiently evade humoral immunity from vaccination or previous infection. Therefore, it is of great importance to investigate the contribution of cellular immunity against infection of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of vaccine-induced immunity. By using C57BL/6J and K18-hACE2 mouse models, we demonstrated that BNT162b2 induces robust protective immunity in B-cell deficient (μMT) mice. We further demonstrated that this protection is attributed to the cellular immunity mediated by robust IFN-γ production. In addition, we revealed that SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 could also induce strong cellular responses in vaccinated μMT mice upon viral challenge, which highlights the significance of cellular immunity against the ever-emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants that evade antibody-mediated immunity. Overall, our study provides evidence that BNT162b2 can induce significant protective immunity in mice that are unable to produce antibodies.
Lightweight convolutional neural network models for semantic segmentation of in-field cotton bolls
Authors: Singh Naseeb , Tewari V. K. , Biswas P. K. , Dhruw L. K.
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Robotic harvesting of cotton bolls will incorporate the benefits of manual picking as well as mechanical harvesting. For robotic harvesting, in-field cotton segmentation with minimal errors is desirable which is a challenging task. In the present study, three lightweight fully convolutional neural network models were developed for the semantic segmentation of in-field cotton bolls.

Materials and Methods

Model 1 does not include any residual or skip connections, while model 2 consists of residual connections to tackle the vanishing gradient problem and skip connections for feature concatenation. Model 3 along with residual and skip connections, consists of filters of multiple sizes. Effects of filter size and the dropout rate were studied.

Results

All proposed models segment the cotton bolls successfully with the cotton IoU (intersection-over-union) value of above 88%. The highest cotton IoU of 91.03% was achieved by model 2. The proposed models achieved F1-score and pixel accuracy values greater than 95% and 98%, respectively. The developed models were compared with existing state-of-the-art networks namely VGG19, ResNet18, and InceptionV3. Despite having a limited number of trainable parameters, the proposed models achieved mIoU (mean intersection-over-union) of 93.84%, 94.15%, and 94.65% against the mIoU values of 95.39%, 96.54%, and 96.37% obtained using state-of-the-art networks. The segmentation time for the developed models was reduced up to 52% compared to state-of-the-art networks.

Conclusion

The developed lightweight models segmented the in-field cotton bolls comparatively faster and with greater accuracy. Hence, developed models can be deployed to cotton harvesting robots for real-time recognition of in-field cotton bolls for harvesting.
Early neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with asymptomatic congenital CMV infection.
Authors: Novelli Maria , Natale Fabio , Norcia Anna Di , Boiani Arianna , Temofonte Sara , Calandriello Francesca , Zitarelli Cristina , Caravale Barbara
Published: September 2022

Background
Approximately 85–90% of congenital cytomegalovirus infections are asymptomatic. Few studies have investigated early and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with asymptomatic cCMV, and the data is contradictory. We did investigate the effect of cCMV asymptomatic infection on neurological outcomes and in the cognitive, language and motor development of children at 6 months of age.
Methods
Fifty-six children with cCMV asymptomatic infection were followed for 6 months, surveying their neurological and developmental outcomes. Neurological examination and Bayley-III Scales were performed.
Results
Clinical evaluation revealed that neurological outcomes at 6 months were essentially normal, with minor neurological deficits (i.e., tone abnormalities) in a subgroup of patients. Bayley-III scores were substantially in the normal range, with some 14% showing a score less than 85 (−1SD) in the motor scale. Children's neurological and neurodevelopmental outcomes do not differ according to the trimester of infection.
Conclusions
Infants with cCMV asymptomatic infection may present minor neurological abnormalities in early stages of life. It seems necessary to survey and monitor early and late neurodevelopmental outcomes in the first years of life.
Effects of Covid-19 Vaccines on the Menstrual Cycle: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Authors: Gopaul Chavin , Bassaw Bharat , Ventour Dale , Thomas Davlin
Published: September 2022

Background: Prior clinical studies that sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines did not list menstrual cycle changes as a side-effect. However, following reported cases of menstrual cycle disturbances after vaccination, this study sought to examine the link between Covid-19 vaccination and post-vaccine menstrual cycle abnormalities in pre- and post-menopausal women.
Methods: A cross-sectional research design approach using online surveys was employed to investigate the link between vaccination and changes in menstrual cycle. The participants consisted of a cohort of 657 pre- and post-menopausal women with the majority drawn from the reproductive age group (25-44 years). The inclusion criteria was that participants must have received any type of Covid-19 vaccine, not be pregnant and those that did not have a negative diagnosis in any gynecologic condition. Of the eligible sample size, only 344 participants met the inclusion criteria. The sociodemographic and menstrual cycle data was collected from an online survey. Data was analyzed using descriptive, inferential chi-square tests, logistic regression, and correlation.
Results: The results partially confirmed the findings from prior studies that Covid-19 vaccination is associated with significant changes in the women’s menstrual cycle flow and menstrual period length even after controlling for age, Body Mass Index, and ethnicity. Other menstrual cycle disturbances such as missed periods, cycle regularity, and spotting/vaginal bleeding were noted to be less significant. However, the extent of menstrual cycle changes was less severe and decreased after the second dose vaccination. It was found that 11.1% and 37.5% of post-menopausal women reported menstrual symptoms after the first and the second dose cycle respectively.
Conclusion: The study concludes that although Covid-19 vaccines tend to adversely affect women’s menstrual cycle, these changes are short-lived. The findings have important implications in enhancing the success of Covid-19 vaccination programs by reducing cases of vaccine hesitancy among reproductive-age women.
What motivated men to start PrEP? A cross-section of men starting PrEP in Buffalo City Municipality, South Africa
Authors: Smith Philip John , Daniels Joseph , Bekker Linda-Gail , Medina-Marino Andrew
Published: September 2022

Background
Compared to women, South African men are less likely to know their HIV status (78% vs 89%), have suppressed viral loads (82% vs 90%), or access HIV prevention services. To achieve epidemic control where heterosexual sexual behavior drives transmission, interventions to improve the uptake of HIV testing services (HTS) and prevention services must also target cis-gendered, heterosexual men. There is limited understanding of these men’s needs and wants with regards to accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Methods
Adult men (≥ 18 years) from a peri-urban community in Buffalo City Municipality were offered community-based HTS. Those who received a negative HIV test result were offered community-based, same-day oral PrEP initiation. Men initiating PrEP were invited to participate in a study exploring men’s HIV prevention needs and reasons for initiating PrEP. An in-depth interview guide, developed using the Network-Individual-Resources model (NIRM), explored men’s perceived HIV acquisition risk, prevention needs, and preferences for PrEP initiation. Interviews were conducted by a trained interviewer in isiXhosa or English, audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used, guided by the NIRM to generate findings.
Results
Twenty-two men (age range 18–57 years) initiated PrEP and consented to study participation. Men reported elevated HIV acquisition risk associated with alcohol use and condom-less sex with multiple partners as facilitators driving PrEP initiation. They anticipated social support from family members, their main sexual partner and close friends for their PrEP use, and discussed other men as important sources of support for PrEP initiation. Nearly all men expressed positive views of people using PrEP. Participants believed HIV testing would be a barrier for men interested in accessing PrEP. Men recommended that access to PrEP be convenient, rapid, and community-based (i.e., not clinic-based).
Discussion
Self-perceived risk for HIV acquisition was a major facilitator for men’s PrEP initiation. Although men expressed positive perceptions of PrEP users, they noted that HIV testing may be a barrier to PrEP initiation. Finally, men recommended convenient access points to facilitate PrEP initiation and sustained use. Gender-responsive interventions tailored to men’s needs, wants, and voices will facilitate their uptake of HIV prevention services, and help to end the HIV epidemic.
Effect of mobile phone-based health insurance contribution payment system on retention of coverage in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana: an evaluation study
Authors: Nsiah-Boateng Eric , Musah Mariam , Akuamoah Collins Danso , Asenso-Boadi Francis , Andoh-Adjei Francis-Xavier , Boye Bernard Okoe
Published: September 2022

Background
Ghana introduced a mobile phone-based contribution payment system in its national health insurance scheme (NHIS) in December 2018 to improve the process of enrolment. We evaluated the effect of this digital health intervention on retention of coverage in the Scheme, one year after its implementation.
Methods
We used NHIS enrolment data for the period, 19 December 2018–31 December 2019. Descriptive statistics and propensity-score matching method were performed to examine a sample of 57,993 members’ data.
Results
Proportion of members who renewed their membership in the NHIS via the mobile phone-based contribution payment system increased from 0.4–8.5% whilst those who did so through the office-based system grew from 4.7–6.4% over the study period. The chance of renewing membership was higher by 17.4 percentage points for users of the mobile phone-based contribution payment system, compared to those of the office-based contribution payment system. The effect was greater for the informal sector workers, males and the unmarried.
Conclusions
The mobile phone-based health insurance renewal system is improving coverage in the NHIS particularly for members who hitherto were less likely to renew their membership. Policy makers need to devise an innovative way for new members to enrol via this payment system to accelerate progress towards attainment of universal health coverage. Further study needs to be conducted using mixed-method design with inclusion of more variables.
Impact of Silencing eEF2K Expression on the Malignant Properties of Chordoma
Authors: Aydemir Esra , Tüysüz Emre Can , Bayrak Ömer Faruk , Tecimel Didem , Hızlı-Deniz Ayşen Aslı , Şahin Fikrettin
Published: September 2022

Background Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase, eEF2K) is a calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase that keeps the highest energy consuming cellular process of protein synthesis under check through negative regulation. EEF2K pauses global protein synthesis rates at the translational elongation step by phosphorylating its only kown substrate elongation factor 2 (eEF2), a unique translocase activity in ekaryotic cells enabling the polypeptide chain elongation. Therefore, eEF2K is thought to preserve cellular energy pools particularly upon acute development of cellular stress conditions such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, or infections. Recently, high expression of this enzyme has been associated with poor prognosis in an array of solid tumor types. Therefore, in a growing number of studies tremendous effort is being directed to the development of treatment methods aiming to suppress eEF2K as a novel therapeutic approach in the fight against cancer.
Methods In our study, we aimed to investigate the changes in the tumorigenicity of chordoma cells in presence of gene silencing for eEF2K. Taking a transient gene silencing approach using siRNA particles, eEF2K gene expression was suppressed in chordoma cells.
ResultsSilencing eEF2K expression was associated with a slight increase in cellular proliferation and a decrease in death rates. Furthermore, no alteration in the sensitivity of chordoma cells to chemotherapy was detected in response to the decrease in eEF2K expression which intriguingly promoted suppression of cell migratory and invasion related properties.
Conclusion
Our findings indicate that the loss of eEF2K expression in chordoma cell lines results in the reduction of metastatic capacity.
CT texture analysis in predicting treatment response and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial chemoembolization
Authors: An He , Bhatia Inderjeet , Xie Chuanmiao
Published: September 2022

Background
Using texture features derived from contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) combined with general imaging features as well as clinical information to predict treatment response and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment.
Methods
From January 2014 to June 2020, 301 patients with HCC who underwent TACE were retrospectively reviewed. Their treatment-naïve contrast-enhanced CTs were retrieved and reviewed by two independent radiologists. Four general imaging features were evaluated, including the largest lesion diameter, the number of lesions, the presence or absence of portal vein thrombus and the presence or absence of ascites. Texture features were extracted based on the regions of interest (ROIs) drawn on the slice with the largest axial diameter of all lesions using Pyradiomics. After excluding features with low reproducibility, the remaining features with high prognostic value were selected for further analyses. The data were randomly divided in a ratio of 8:2 for model training and testing. A random forest classifier was built to predict treatment response. Random survival forest and Cox proportional-hazards models were constructed to predict patients’ overall (OS) and progress-free survival (PFS).
Results
We retrospectively evaluated 301 patients (average 55.3 years old) with HCC treated with TACE. After feature reduction and selection, 22 features were included in model construction. The random forest classifier including texture features achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.968 with an accuracy of 88.3% for predicting treatment response, significantly higher than the model without texture features. Along with important clinical and general image features, texture features are significantly correlated with overall and progress-free survival, especially for Gray-level size zone matrix (GLSZM) group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
Random forest algorithm based on texture features combined with general imaging features, and clinical information is a robust method for predicting prognosis in patients with HCC treated with TACE, which may help avoid additional examinations and assist in treatment planning.
Association of circulating MtDNA with CVD in hemodialysis patients: involvement of MtDNA-induced cardiac microvascular inflammation
Authors: Fan Zhen , Feng Ya , Zang Li , Guo Yi , Zhong Xiao-yi
Published: September 2022

Background
Previous studies have shown a role of mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA) in innate immunity. However, the specific role of MtDNA in chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains elusive. This study was designed to investigate the potential relationship between circulating MtDNA and CVD in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, and to examine the damaging effect of exogenous MtDNA on cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) in the uremic milieu.
Methods
Forty-two MHD patients and 36 health controls were enrolled in this study. Plasma cell-free MtDNA was detected by TaqMan-based qPCR assay. The CVD risk markers including high-sensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), fibrinogen, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured by using standard assays. The ten-year cardiovascular risk was assessed using the framingham risk score (FRS). Dialysis systems in MHD patients were used to evaluate the effect of different dialysis modes on the clearance of circulating MtDNA. In vitro study, human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs) were incubated with normal or uremic serum with or without exogenous MtDNA stimulation. Intracellular toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), MCP-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA levels and cytosolic MtDNA contents were detected by qPCR.
Results
Plasma MtDNA was significantly elevated in patients with MHD relative to healthy controls. The MHD patients were subsequently classified into two groups based on the median value of MtDNA. In stratified analyses, the levels of Hs-CRP and MCP-l, and FRS in the high plasma MtDNA group were higher than those in the low plasma MtDNA group. In vitro study, exogenous MtDNA aggravated uremic serum-induced upregulation of ICAM-1 and TNF-α in HCMECs. Also, the addition of MtDNA to the medium resulted in increased cytosolic MtDNA amounts and TLR9 mRNA levels in uremic serum-treated cells. Single routine hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration could partially reduce plasma MtDNA in MHD patients. These two methods seem similar in terms of MtDNA clearance.
Conclusions
We concluded that MtDNA released into the circulation under the uremic toxin environment may has a detrimental effect on cardiovascular system through aggravating microvascular inflammation, and that reducing circulating MtDNA might be a future therapeutic strategy for the prevention of MHD-related CVD.
Association between Surgeon-Patient Race and Gender Concordance and Patient-reported Outcomes Following Breast Cancer Surgery
Authors: Hassan Abbas M , Ketheeswaran Suvethavarshini , Adesoye Taiwo , Shah Shivani A , Cox Solange E , Kapur Sahil K , Checka Cristina M , Offodile Anaeze
Published: September 2022

Purpose: Surgeon and patient-related factors have been shown to influence patient experiences, quality of life (QoL), and surgical outcomes. We examined the association between surgeon-patient race- and gender-concordance with QoL after breast reconstruction.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients who underwent lumpectomy or mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction over a 3-year period. We created the following categories with respect to the race and gender of a patient-surgeon triad: no-, intermediate-, and perfect-concordance. Multivariable regression was used to correlate post-operative global (SF-12) and condition-specific (BREAST-Q) QoL performance with patient-level covariates, gender- and race-concordance.
Results: We identified 375 patients with a mean (±SD) age of 57.6±11.9 years, median (IQR) body mass index of 27.5 (24.0, 32.0), and median morbidity burden of 3 (2, 4). The majority of encounters were of intermediate concordance for gender (70%) and race (52%). Compared with gender discordant triads, intermediate gender concordance was associated with higher SF-Mental scores (b, 2.60; 95% CI, 0.21 to 4.99, p=0.003). Perfect race concordance (35% of encounters) was associated with significantly higher adjusted SF-Physical scores (b, 2.14; 95% CI, 0.50 to 4.22, p=0.045) than the race-discordant group. There were no significant associations observed between race- or gender-concordance and BREAST-Q performance.
Conclusions: Race concordant relationships following breast cancer surgery were more likely to have improved global QoL. Perfect gender concordance was not associated with variation in QoL outcomes. Policy-level interventions are needed to facilitate personalized care and optimize breast cancer surgery outcomes.
ADAR1 has an oncogenic function and can be a prognostic factor in cervical cancer
Authors: Nakamura Keiichiro , Shigeyasu Kunitoshi , Okamoto Kazuhiro , Matsuoka Hirofumi , Masuyama Hisashi
Published: September 2022

Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1), a recently described epigenetic modification, is believed to play a critical oncogenic role in human cancers. However, its functional role and clinical significance in cervical cancer (CC) remain unclear. ADAR1 knockdown was performed to investigate its oncogenic functions in SiHa (HPV16), HeLa (HPV18), and Yumoto (non-HPV) CC cell lines. Cytoplasmic and nuclear ADAR1 expression were examined to clarify their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in patients with CC. This resulted in increased apoptosis and necroptosis in HPV16 type SiHa, HPV18 type HeLa, and non-HPV-type Yumoto in CC cell lines. Progression-free survival (PFS) rates of patients exhibiting high cytoplasmic and nuclear ADAR1 expression were poorer than those in the other groups (p=0.016). Multivariate analysis indicated that the combination of higher cytoplasmic and nuclear ADAR1 expression was an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with CC (P = 0.017). ADAR1 could be a potential therapeutic target in HPV-positive or -negative CC cell lines. The combination of cytoplasmic and nuclear ADAR1 provides a better prognostic factor marker in CC.
Accretion disks, quasars and cosmology:meandering towards understanding.
Authors: Czerny Bozena , Cao Shulei , Jaiswal Vikram Kumar , Karas Vladimír , Khadka Narayan , Martínez-Aldama Mary Loli , Naddaf Mohammad Hassan , Panda Swayamtrupta , Nuñez Francisco Pozo , Prince Raj , Ratra Bharat , Sniegowska Marzena , Yu Zhefu , Zajaček Michal
Published: September 2022

As Setti & Woltjer noted back in 1973, quasars could be used to construct the Hubble diagram but the actualapplication was not that straightforward. It took years to implement the idea successfully. Most of the ways to use quasars for cosmology now require an advanced understanding of their structure, step by step. We briefly review this progress, with unavoidable personal bias, and concentrate on bright unobscured sources. We will mention the problem of the gas flow character close to the innermost stable circular orbit close to the black hole, discussed 50 years ago, which later led to the development of the slim disk scenario, but was recently revived in the context of Magnetically Arrested Disks (MAD) and Standard and Normal Evolution (SANE) disk models. We also discuss the hot/warm corona issue, which is still under discussion and complicates the analysis of the X-ray reflection. We present the scenario of the formation of the low ionization part of the Broad Line Region as a mostly failed wind powered by radiation pressure acting on dust (FRADO - Failed Radiatively Driven Dusty Outflow model). Next, we discuss the cosmological constraints that are currently achievable with quasars, mostly concentrating on light echo methods (continuum time delays and spectral line time delays with respect to the continuum) which are (or should be) incorporating the progress mentioned above. Finally, we briefly mention future prospects in this direction.
Revised calculation of the coefficient of parentage in plant breeding
Authors: Hernandez-Suarez Carlos , Montesinos-López Osval
Published: September 2022

Background: The Coefficient of Parentage (COP) between two individuals is the expected inbreeding of their offspring. Originally exploited by animal breeders, is now a routine calculation among plant breeders as part of crop improvement programs.
Results: To calculate the COP between two individuals, one selects an allele at random from the same loci of each individual and calculate the probability that they are identical by descent. Nevertheless, to calculate the COP between two strains, we first need to select an individual at random from each strain to perform the calculation. The sampling process adds some independence that simplifies the calculation in the case of strains. We use this fact to provide a simple methodology to calculate the correct coefficient of parentage between strains.
Conclusions: The COP between strains requires a different calculation than the used to calculate the COP between individuals. Failure to do so may result in an overestimation of the amount of inbreeding.