bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initial screening of covid-19 patients based on body mass index, blood glucose level and clinical characteristics
Authors: Chandra Fioni , Ginting Sahna Ferdinand , Ginting Chrismis Novalinda , Ikhtiari Refi
Published: July 2023

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM), chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia causing immune response dysfunction and decontrolled pathogens' spread. DM patients are more vulnerable towards infection. Regarding COVID-19 infection, it is essential and urgent to develop initial screening of DM or non-DM patients to establish effective clinical treatment.Objective: Understanding the implementation of initial screening for Diabetes Mellitus based on Blood Glucose Level (BGL) and Body Mass Index (BMI) as guidance in clinical care and how it affects BGL and clinical parameters of DM and non-DM patients indicated positive COVID-19.Methods: This research uses cohort retrospective study. COVID-19 patients in Royal Prima Hospital Medan match the purposive sampling inclusion criteria included in the research for further review through patient’s medical record. 168 samples were divided into 54 DM and 114 non-DM patients. The variables are BMI and BGL. Data will be analyzed using Independent Sample T-Test.Results: Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients are dyspneu, chest pain, cough, fever, epigastric pain, etc. Result shows that majority of respondents have normal BMI without DM (72.8%). The Independent Sample T-Test analysis result shows a significant difference in BMI and BGL between DM and non-DM patients.Conclusion: Clinical evidence shows significant differences in BMI and BGL between DM and non-DM patients with COVID-19. Thus, BMI and BGL could be used as the initial screening to develop effective clinical treatment of controlled BGL of DM and non-DM COVID-19 patients based on clinical parameters evaluation.
Testosterone undecanoate treatment for muscle weakness in a male with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism delayed puberty: A case report
Authors: Rizal Dicky Moch , Septiyorini Nandia
Published: July 2023

Puberty is a series of physical development and sexual maturation that aims to achieved reproductive capacity. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis has an important role in the normal process of puberty. Disruption in the HPG axis causes hormonal disturbances, one of which is hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, which is associated with delayed puberty. Hormonal disorders can also cause various problems besides the reproductive system, such as muscle weakness, lack of energy, and an increased risk of bone fractures. We report the case of a male patient who complained of predominant muscle weakness, did not show signs and symptoms of puberty, and had an idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism who unresponsive to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) therapy. We decided to administered Testosterone Undecanoate (TU) therapy to overcome the problem of delayed puberty and complaints of muscle weakness experienced by the patient. TU therapy has shown beneficial effects in these patients by increasing testosterone levels, increasing penis length, and eliminating complaints of muscle weakness.
Factors related to health services access for people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia
Authors: Mulyawijaya Afief , Nugroho Afrizal Adi , Alsayla Dinda , Fathin Hasnadya , Nurshifa Anindya , Kuntari Titik , Dharma Benyamin Tri
Published: July 2023

Background: HIV/AIDS is a global health problem, including in Indonesia. PLWHA's access to health services has not been evenly distributed. Only about 63% of PLWHA received initial antiretroviral therapy, 18% died, and 25.4% experienced drug withdrawal. Therefore, research is needed to determine the factors influencing the access of PLWHA to health services.Objective: This study aims to determine the factors related to access to health facilities in Indonesia for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Indonesia.Methods: This study uses secondary data from the 2017 IDHS. The case group was PLWHA, who had not visited a healthcare provider in the last six months. The control group was PLWHA patients who visited a healthcare provider during the last six months. The variables were the patient's and their partner's education level, types of residence, occupation, health insurance, type of health facility, and access to health facilities in the last six months. Multivariate analysis was performed by logistic regression.Results:The PLWHA access to health services was not significantly related to education level, spouse's education level, type of residence, occupation, and type of health insurance (p-value >0.05). The access is significantly related to the health facility types (OR= 4.04; 95% CI 1.173-13.955).Conclusion: The factor determining access to health services for PLWHA in Indonesia is the type of health facility. The government must make various efforts to improve the quality of facilities and services in all health facilities types to increase the number of PLWHA who undergo tests and therapy.
Successful systemic propranolol treatment for periocular capillary hemangioma in Indonesian infant girls: A case series
Authors: Anggraini Neni , Mutmainah
Published: July 2023

Capillary hemangioma (CH) is the most prevalent benign tumour in children. Most cases showed spontaneous involution without any intervention. However, approximately 10% of all CH patients require treatment. Most cases of periocular capillary hemangioma (PCH), especially orbital form, risk significant morbidity; therefore, aggressive treatment is needed. Studies showed a superior outcome of systemic propranolol for CH compared to standard therapy (corticosteroids). We present cases with different PCH types successfully treated with systemic propranolol. Five patients with different types of PCH were given systemic propranolol. One patient presented with a lesion at birth, while others were less than ten months of age. Oral propranolol was given at 0.5 mg/kg body weight (BW) as the initial dose for two weeks. The dose was gradually increased to 2.0 mg/kg BW within 1-18 months of treatment. All patients showed sufficient initial responses regarding mass reduction and colour change within 2-12 weeks. No complications or adverse effects were observed. The regimen of 2.0 mg/kg BW systemic propranolol treatment was considered safe and beneficial for PCH.
The effect of murottal Al Qur'an on the dysmenorrhea intensity among senior high school students
Authors: Az Zahra Fathimah , Wahyuliati Tri
Published: July 2023

Background: Dysmenorrhea or pain during menstruation is due to excessive contractions during the sloughing of the uterine wall with symptoms of cramping pain in the lower abdomen. The incidence of primary dysmenorrhea in Indonesia is 54.89%. However, many teenagers do not know how to manage the pain. The pharmacological therapy of dysmenorrhea includes painkillers and anti-prostaglandin, while the non-pharmacological approach includes distraction therapy. One of the distraction therapy that is easy to do is murottal Al-Qur’an.Objective: This study observed the role of listening to murottal Al-Qur’an on the intensity of dysmenorrhea among senior high school students.Methods: The design of this study is a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with a control group design. There were 100 subjects aged 15-18 years old. The sampling technique applied purposive sampling. Data analysis of this study applied Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, relative risk (RR), and number needed to treat (NNT) test.Results: The mean pain level in the experimental and control group were 5.42 and 5.56 before intervention. After therapy, the pain level decreased to 2.86 and 5.30 in the experimental and control group, respectively. There was a significant difference in the pain level before and after in the experiment group (p <0.001). Relative risk showed that murottal intervention decreases the pain level by 3.267 times. NNT of the study was 1.467.Conclusion: Murottal Al-Qur’an significantly reduced the degree of pain with a p-value <0.001
Knowledge of pregnant women regarding maternity facility-based delivery at primary health care facilities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa
Authors: Mlotshwa Puseletso Ruth , Sibiya Maureen Nokuthula
Published: July 2023

For women giving birth, every moment of delay in receiving skilled care significantly increases the risks of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal death. More than half of all births in developing countries including South Africa, take place outside a health facility and without skilled birth attendants. This has therefore, made it difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of global reduction in maternal mortality, which is a key health challenge globally, especially in developing countries and sub-Saharan Africa in particular. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the views of pregnant women regarding facility-based delivery. Focus group discussions were used to gather information from the pregnant women. Information was collected from six groups of pregnant women who had delivered babies at the antenatal care facilities in the past years. Results showed several factors associated with the failure to use institutional delivery service, such as long distance from the health care facility, lack of transport, lack of transport fare, shortages of skilled staff, failure to disclose pregnancy, cultural and religious beliefs, and staff attitudes.
Optimum Path Planning Using Dragonfly-Fuzzy Hybrid Controller for Autonomous Vehicle
Authors: Dubey Varsha , Barde Snehlata , Patel Brijesh
Published: July 2023

Navigation is the most challenging issue in autonomous vehicles. Researchers in the current era have developed many Artificial Intelligence techniques to navigate, generate paths, and avoid obstacles for optimum path planning for autonomous vehicles. Different studies have investigated bio-inspired techniques to overcome the navigation issue, including obstacle avoidance. This paper uses new meta-heuristic optimization techniques called Dragonfly Algorithm (DA) to set the goal by detecting and avoiding obstacles with minimum human interference. For effective results, the Dragonfly-Fuzzy hybrid algorithm is analyzed over the unstructured environment because individual techniques may not be sure of an optimal solution over all configurations. The main advantage of the proposed hybrid controller is that it combines the multiple features of different approaches into a single controller. This paper compares simulation and experimental findings over various environmental conditions to the individual algorithm. Regarding time and path optimization, the hybrid Dragonfly-Fuzzy controller performs better than the respective controller.
Short hybrid floating-point formats based on 16-bit for FPGA-based arithmetic implementations
Authors: Ibarra-Carrillo Mario Alfredo , Molina-Lozano Herón , Montiel-Pérez Jesús Yaljá
Published: July 2023

Nowadays, there are implemented devices whose purpose is to perform massive computations by saving resources at the time they reduce the latency of arithmetic operations. These devices are usually GPUs, FPGAs and other specialised devices such as "Coral". Neural networks, digital filters and numerical simulators take advantage of the massively parallel operations of such devices. One way to reduce the amount of resources used is to limit the size of the registers that store data. This has led to the proliferation of numeric formats with a length of less than 32 bits, known as short floating point or SFP. We have developed several SFP’s for use in our neural network accelerator design, allowing for different levels of accuracy. We use a 16-bit format for data transfer and different formats can be used simultaneously for internal operations. The internal operations can be performed in 16-bit, 20-bit and 24-bit. The use of registers larger than 16-bit allows the preservation of fractional information while increasing precision. By leveraging some of the FPGA’s arithmetic resources, our design outperforms designs implemented from scratch and is competitive with specialized arithmetic circuits already implemented in the FPGA.
Kernel-based Regularized EEGNet using Centered Alignment and Gaussian Connectivity for Motor Imagery Discrimination
Authors: Tobon-Henao Mateo , Álvarez-Meza Andrés , Castellanos-Dominguez Germán
Published: July 2023

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) from electroencephalography (EEG) provide a practical approach to support human-technology interaction. In particular, motor imagery (MI) is a widely-used BCI paradigm that guides the mental trial of motor tasks without physical movement. Here, we present a deep learning methodology, named Kernel-based Regularized EEGNet (KREEGNet), leveled on Centered Kernel Alignment and Gaussian Functional Connectivity, explicitly designed for EEG-based MI classification. The approach proactively tackles the challenge of intra-subject variability brought on by noisy EEG records and the lack of spatial interpretability within end-to-end frameworks applied for MI classification. KREEGNet is a refinement of the widely accepted EEGNet architecture, featuring an additional kernel-based layer for regularized Gaussian functional connectivity estimation based on CKA. The superiority of KREEGNet is evidenced by our experimental results from binary and multi-class MI classification databases, outperforming the baseline EEGNet and other state-of-the-art methods. Further exploration of our model’s interpretability is conducted at individual and group levels, utilizing classification performance measures and pruned functional connectivities. Our approach is a suitable alternative for interpretable end-to-end EEG-BCI based on deep learning.
Advance in Microfluidics Techniques for Rapid Detection of Pesticide Residues in Food
Authors: Jiang Zhuoao , Zhuang Yu , Guo Shentian , Sohan A S M Muhtasim Fuad , Yin Binfeng
Published: July 2023

Food safety is a significant issue that affects people worldwide and is tied to their lives and health. The issue of pesticide residues in food is just one of many issues related to food safety, which leave residues in crops and are transferred through the food chain to human consumption. Foods contaminated with pesticide residues pose a serious risk to human health, including carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption. Although traditional methods including gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, chromatography and mass spectrometry can be used to achieve quantitative analysis of pesticide residues, the disadvantages of these techniques, such as being time-consuming and costly and requiring specialist staff, limit their application. Therefore, there is a need to develop rapid, effective and sensitive equipment for the quantitative analysis of pesticide residues in food. Microfluidics is rapidly emerging in a number of fields due to its outstanding strengths. This paper summarizes the application of microfluidic techniques to pyrethroid, carbamate, organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides, as well as to commercial products. Meanwhile, the paper also outlines the development of microfluidics in combination with 3D printing technology and nanomaterials for the detection of pesticide residues in food.
Basin Entropy and Shearless Barrier Breakup in Open Non-Twist Hamiltonian Systems
Authors: De Souza Leonardo Costa , Mathias Amanda Carolina , Haerter Pedro , Viana Ricardo Luiz
Published: July 2023

We consider open non-twist Hamiltonian systems represented by an area-preserving two-dimensional map describing incompressible planar flows in the reference frame of a propagating wave, and possessing exits through which map orbits can escape. The corresponding escape basins have a fractal nature that can be revealed by the so-called basin entropy, a novel concept developed to quantify final-state uncertainty in dynamical systems. Since the map considered violates locally the twist condition, there is a shearless barrier that prevents global chaotic transport. In this paper we show that it is possible to determine the shearless barrier breakup by considering the variation of the escape basin entropy with a tunable parameter.
WHORU: Improving Abstractive Dialogue Summarization with Personal Pronoun Resolution
Authors: Zhou Tingting
Published: July 2023

With the abundance of conversations happening everywhere, dialogue summarization plays an increasingly important role in the real world. However, dialogues inevitably involve lots of personal pronouns, which hinder the performance of existing dialogue summarization models. This work proposes a framework named WHORU to inject external personal pronoun resolution (PPR) information into abstractive dialogue summarization models. To reduce time and space consumption, we further propose a simple and effective PPR method for the dialogue domain. Experiments demonstrated the superiority of the proposed methods. More importantly, we achieve new SOTA results on SAMSum and AMI datasets.
An Atypical Presentation of Early Periprosthetic Infection After Cervical Disc Arthroplasty
Authors: Nigh Evan D. , Finkel Ryan A. , Sayari Arash J. , Lanman Todd H. , Baron Eli M. , Cuellar Jason M
Published: July 2023

Case:

A 22-year-old woman with Klippel-Feil syndrome who underwent cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) presented 3 months postoperatively with worsening neck pain and radiculopathy. Work-up was negative for infection, but single-photon emission computed tomography revealed increased metabolic activity in the vertebral body below the implant. During revision, the implant was grossly loose and multiple cultures grew Cutibacterium acnes. She was treated with an antibiotic course and conversion to anterior fusion without recurrence.

Conclusion:

This report highlights the rare presentation of an early periprosthetic infection after CDA caused by C. acnes.
Case Report of Successful Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Palumbo Brian T. , Shen Victor , Andrews Reed , Scott Richard
Published: July 2023

Case:

A 63-year-old woman with 46-year-old bilateral cemented total knee arthroplasty (TKA) presented to our clinic for routine evaluation. She was diagnosed with idiopathic juvenile arthritis at the age of 17. Radiographically she had well-fixed implants bilaterally without bone-cement lucency. She is ambulating without a limp, pain, or an assistance aid.

Conclusion:

We report TKA implants that lasted for 46 years. Literature suggests that most TKAs can last up to 20 to 25 years, but there are few reports that document implant survivorship longer than that. Our report demonstrates the possibility of long survivorship in TKA implants.
Docker containers and images for Robot Operating System (ROS)--based applications
Authors: Naser Amir , Ennasr Osama , Soylemezoglu Ahmet , Glaspell Garry
Published: July 2023

Docker is a tool designed to make it easier to create, deploy, and run applications by using containers. Containers allow a developer to package and ship out an application with all of the parts it needs, such as libraries and other dependencies. Herein, we investigate using a Docker image to deploy and run our Robot Operating System (ROS)–based payload on a robot platform. Ultimately, this would allow us to quickly and efficiently deploy our payload on multiple platforms.
PROTOCOL OF EXTRACORPOREAL PURIFICATION TECHNIQUES
Authors: González-Fernández María , Quílez-Trasobares Nerea , Barea-Mendoza Jesús A , Molina-Collado Zaira , Arias-Verdú Dolores , Barrueco-Francioni Jesús , Seller-Pérez Gemma , Herrera-Gutiérrez Manuel E. , Riera José Ángel Sánchez-Izquierdo
Published: July 2023

Extracorporeal purification techniques (EPT) are complex techniques with a growing application, yet they can induce complications. A standardized approach and strict monitoring of their application are crucial to ensure patient safety. In this protocol, we describe the main indications, modalities, vascular accesses, therapy dosage, and dynamic adjustment for EPT. Additionally, we provide management algorithms that can help professionals to facilitate the adjustment of these therapies, as well as the identification of alarms, understanding of problems, and potential solutions. The application of this protocol and the evaluation of its results through a specific registry and study (DIALYREG) aims to standardize and systematize our clinical practice to improve the quality of care for our patients.
Distinct patterns of gene expression changes in the colon and striatum of young mice overexpressing alpha-synuclein support Parkinson Disease as a multi-system process
Authors: Videlock Elizabeth Jane , Hatami Asa , Zhu Chunni , Kawaguchi Riki , Chen Han , Khan Tasnin , Yehya Ashwaq Hamid Salem , Stiles Linsey , Joshi Swapna , Hoffman Jill M. , Law Ka Man , Rankin Carl Robert , Chang Lin , Maidment Nigel T. , John Varghese , Geschwind Daniel H. , Pothoulakis Charalabos
Published: July 2023

Background: Evidence supports a role for the gut-brain axis in Parkinson Disease (PD). Mice overexpressing human wild type α–synuclein (Thy1-haSyn) exhibit slow colonic transit prior to motor deficits, mirroring prodromal constipation in PD. Identifying molecular changes in the gut could provide both biomarkers for early diagnosis and gut-targeted therapies to prevent progression.

Objective: To identify early molecular changes in the gut-brain axis in Thy1-haSyn mice through gene expression profiling.

Methods: Gene expression profiling was performed on gut (colon) and brain (striatal) tissue from Thy1-haSyn and wild-type (WT) mice aged 1 and 3 months using 3′ RNA sequencing. Analysis included differential expression, gene set enrichment and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA).

Results: At one month, differential expression (Thy1-haSyn vs WT) of mitochondrial genes and pathways related to PD was discordant between gut and brain, with negative enrichment in brain (enriched in WT) but positive enrichment in gut. Linear regression of WGCNA modules showed partial independence of gut and brain gene expression changes. Thy1-haSyn-associated WGCNA modules in the gut were enriched for PD risk genes and PD-relevant pathways including inflammation, autophagy, and oxidative stress. Changes in gene expression were modest at 3 months.

Conclusions: Overexpression of haSyn acutely disrupts gene expression in the colon. While changes in colon gene expression are highly related to known PD-relevant mechanisms, they are distinct from brain changes, and in some cases, opposite in direction. These findings are in line with the emerging view of PD as a multi-system disease.
Experimental Validation of a New Self-isolated Four-port MIMO Antenna System for Heterogeneous Wireless applications
Authors: Sharma Madan Kumar , Hasan Syed Faraz
Published: July 2023

In this communication, a compact size quad-port MIMO antenna is presented for use in wireless networks including WLAN, Wi-MAX, LTE, UWB and 5G. Significant design challenges for MIMO antenna like size optimization and isolation improvement have been addressed in this study. A four-element self-isolated MIMO antenna is derived from single UWB antenna element. Port-isolation of the antenna is achieved by systematic placement of antenna element on the small size\(\left(25 \mathbf{m}\mathbf{m}\times 25 \mathbf{m}\mathbf{m}\right)\)substrate. The parametric optimization of the antenna is carried out for impedance bandwidth and isolation. The antenna prototype is designed, tested and validated (by comparing simulated and measured results) in this work. In-band reflection \({( \mathbf{S}}_{11}< -10 \mathbf{d}\mathbf{B})\) offered by the proposed antenna is 2 GHz – 30 GHz. Without use of any decoupling structure, the antenna port is isolated by more than − 40 dB. The antenna diversity performance is assessed by the evaluation of Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC), Total Active Reflection Coefficient (TARC) and 3D radiation patterns. Comparative study of the proposed antenna is carried out with recent reported literature. The proposed antenna is compact in size, offers larger fractional bandwidth (175%), increased isolation (≤ -40 dB), reduced ECC (0.003), and decreased value of TARC (≤ -20 dB).
Digital Psychosocial Follow-up for Survivors of Childhood Critical Illness: Protocol for a Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Hagen Marte Hoff , Jaccheri Letizia , Papavlasopoulou Sofia , Hartvigsen Gunnar , Sæter Thorstein
Published: July 2023

Background: The aim of this systematic literature review is to explore a selection of existing digital solutions for psychosocial follow-up for children who survived a critical illness with research questions based on the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) model.
Methods: A five-stage iterative process for systematic literature review in software engineering guided by Kitchenham will be used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses will guide the reporting of the review. The abstract and indexing database Scopus will be used with a search strategy based on the PICO model. The records will be managed in the software EndNote and selected by eligibility criteria based on the PICO and Study design framework. This framework is also used for extraction in the data collection process. The included studies will be assessed for risk of bias with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and synthesized qualitatively by Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis framework and quantitatively with meta-analysis when possible. The meta-analysis will calculate the effect measures using forest plots based on the method of DerSimonian and Laird. Heterogeneity is explored with meta-regression. The robustness of the meta-analysis is assessed with sensitivity meta-analyses, and the risk of bias due to missing results in synthesis is assessed with funnel plots. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach evaluates the certainty of the evidence of the review.
Discussion: This review will inform about the existing digital psychosocial follow-ups for survivors of childhood critical illness, which can lead to improved solutions and life quality for this group.
Registration: The review is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database with registration number CRD42022364703.
Determining the function of ripening associated genes and biochemical changes during tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) fruit maturation
Authors: Shetty Nandini Prasad , Dorairaj Darshan , Sharma Shivangi , Mawale Kiran Suresh , Puthusseri Bijesh , Parvatam Giridhar
Published: July 2023

This article aimed to explore biochemical alterations and gene changes during tomato fruit development and ripening. During fruit ripening, color changes and texture softening was observed, along with an increase in the accumulation of reducing sugar and total carotenoids. Free radical content was elevated during the early stages of ripening and it declined at the later stages. Activity of α-mannosidase,β-N-acetyl hexosaminidase,and polygalacturonase was measured. qPCR experiments revealed that the α-mannosidase gene was upregulated during the breaker (1.2 fold) stages of tomato ripening, the β-N-acetyl Hexosaminidase gene was upregulated throughout the breaker (2 fold) and pink (1.2 fold)stages of tomato ripening, and the β-xylosidase gene was upregulated significantly during the breaker stage(3.9 fold) of tomato ripening. The current findings revealed that the genes α-mannosidase,β-N-acetyl hexosaminidase, ethylene-responsive factors, aminocylco propane carboxylic oxidase, pectin methylesterase, and have significant associations with textural softening which was confirmed through correlation coefficient during tomato fruit ripening.
Non-permissive CHO cells; A rapid approach for purification of recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus-1
Authors: Kelishadi Mishar , Shahsavarani Hosein , Tabarraei Alijan , Shokrgozar Mohammad Ali , Rahimi Amirabbas Rahimi , Teimoori-Toolabi Ladan , Azadmanesh Kayhan
Published: July 2023

Exploiting herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has recently emerged as a new strategy to improve the treatment of patients with various cancers resistant to chemotherapy and associated with a poor prognosis due to its ability to infect tumor cells without causing harm to healthy cells. It has been suggested as a new platform for cancer therapy. Gene-modification techniques such as conventional homologous recombination or CRISPR/Cas9 system are utilized to introduce site-specific mutations in targeted viral genes. Although, the CRISPR-Cas9 system could significantly increase the efficiency of homologous recombination; nevertheless the process of purifying recombinant variants can be tedious. Here we present a rapid, innovative method using non-permissive hamster ovary (CHO) cells which is a remarkable improvement on the previously mentioned tedious process. Using this strategy, only 1–2 rounds of plaque purification would suffice. Our proposed protocol demonstrated high potential as a worthy alternative way for the current approaches of the isolation and purification of the fluorescent reporter genes-expressing recombinant HSV-1 by plaque assay using CHO cells.
FSP1 is a predictive biomarker of osteosarcoma cells’ susceptibility to ferroptotic cell death and a potential therapeutic target
Authors: Pańczyszyn Elżbieta , Saverio Valentina , Monzani Romina , Gagliardi Mara , Corazzari Marco
Published: July 2023

Human osteosarcoma (OS) is a relatively rare malignancy preferentially affecting long body bones which prognosis is often poor also due to the lack of effective therapies. Clinical management of this cancer basically relies on surgical removal of primary tumor coupled to radio/chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most osteosarcoma cells are resistant to conventional therapy, with the undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) giving rise to gene expression reprogramming, thus increasing cancer cell invasiveness and metastatic potential. Alternative clinical approaches are thus urgently needed. The recently described ferroptotic cell death represents, in this context, an attractive new strategy to efficiently kill cancer cells, since most chemoresistant and mesenchymal-shaped tumors display high susceptibility to pro-ferroptotic compounds. However, cancer cells also evolved anti-ferroptotic strategies which somehow sustain their survival upon ferroptosis induction. Indeed, here we show that osteosarcoma cell lines display heterogeneous sensitivity to ferroptosis execution, correlating with mesenchymal phenotype, which is consistently affected by the expression of the well-known anti-ferroptotic factor FSP1. Interestingly, inhibiting the activity or expression of FSP1 will restore cancer cell sensitivity to ferroptosis. Moreover, we also found that: i) AKRs might also contribute to resistance; ii) NRF2 enhances FSP1 expression upon ferroptosis induction; iii) while p53 regulates FSP1 basal expression in OS cells. In conclusion, FSP1 expression can potentially be used as a valuable predictor marker for OS sensitivity to ferroptosis and a new potential therapeutic target.
Role of GLIS3 in thyroid development and in the regulation of gene expression in thyroid specific Glis3KO mice
Authors: Kang Hong Soon , Grimm Sara A , Liao Xiao-Hui , Jetten Anton M.
Published: July 2023

Loss of GLI-Similar 3 (GLIS3) function in mice and humans causes congenital hypothyroidism (CH). In this study, we demonstrate that GLIS3 protein is first detectable at E15.5 of murine thyroid development, a time when GLIS3 target genes, such as Slc5a5 (Nis), become also expressed. We further show that Glis3KO mice do not display any major changes in prenatal thyroid gland morphology indicating that CH in Glis3KO mice is due to dyshormonogenesis rather than thyroid dysgenesis. Analysis of thyroid-specific Glis3 knockout (Glis3-Pax8Cre) mice fed either a normal or low-iodine diet (ND or LID) revealed that, in contrast to ubiquitous Glis3KO mice, thyroid follicular cell proliferation and the expression of cell cycle genes were not repressed suggesting that the inhibition of thyroid follicular cell proliferation in ubiquitous Glis3KO mice is related to loss of GLIS3 function in other cell types. However, the expression of several thyroid hormone biosynthesis-, extracellular matrix (ECM)-, and inflammation-related genes was still suppressed in Glis3-Pax8Cre mice particularly under conditions of high blood levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). We further demonstrate that treatment with TSH, protein kinase A (PKA) or adenylyl cyclase activators or expression of constitutively active PKA enhances GLIS3 protein and activity, suggesting that GLIS3 transcriptional activity is regulated in part by TSH/TSHR-mediated activation of the PKA pathway. This mechanism of regulation provides an explanation for the dramatic increase in GLIS3 protein expression and the subsequent induction of GLIS3 target genes, including several thyroid hormone biosynthetic genes, in thyroid follicular cells of mice fed a LID.
Interventional therapy for descending necrotizing mediastinitis caused by oral and maxillofacial infection
Authors: Zhou Gang , Li Xiaobing , Qi Yu , Li Xiangnan , Xie Weihong , Wang Haibin , Yin Meipan , Ma Yaozhen , Wu Gang
Published: July 2023

Background Necrotizing mediastinitis is a life-threatening condition resulting from spread of oral and maxillofacial infections into the mediastinum. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of interventional therapy of descending necrotizing mediastinitis.Methods The data of 44 patients with descending necrotizing mediastinitis treated by fluoroscopy-guided placement of mediastinal abscess drainage tube at our hospital from September 2011 to September 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Diagnosis was based on clinical manifestations, esophagography, and plain and enhanced computed tomography of neck and chest.Result The mediastinal drainage tube was successfully placed in all patients. A total of 66 drainage tubes were placed (47 percutaneously and 19 via the nose). The technical success rate was 100%. One patient died of intracranial infection 15 days after interventional therapy. The abscess cavity healed completely in the other 43 patients. The mean time to removal of the drainage tube was 41.5 ± 26.0 (19–105) days. The clinical success rate was 97.8%.Conclusion Interventional therapy appears to be a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for descending necrotizing mediastinitis caused by spread of oral and maxillofacial infection.
Inferring causal relationships between metabolites and polycystic ovary syndrome using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies
Authors: Meng Xiang-He , Liu Xiao-Wen , Zhang Jing-Xi , Xie Shun , Liu Lv-Jun , Wen Li-Feng , Deng Ai-Min , Mao Zeng-Hui
Published: July 2023

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphology. Previous studies have suggested that metabolites may play a pivotal mediating role in the progression of phenotypic variations. Although several metabolites had been identified as potential markers for PCOS, the relationship between blood metabolites and PCOS was not comprehensively explored. Previously, Pickrell et al. designed a robust approach to infer evidence of a causal relationship between different phenotypes using independently putative causal SNPs. Our previous paper extended this approach to make it more suitable for cases where only a few independently putative causal SNPs were identified to be significantly associated with the phenotypes (i.e., metabolites). When the most significant SNPs in each independent locus (the independent lead SNPs) with p-values of < 1 × 10−5 were used, 3 metabolites (2-tetradecenoyl carnitine, threitol, 1-docosahexaenoylglycerophosphocholine) causally influencing PCOS and 2 metabolites (asparagine, and phenyllactate) influenced by PCOS were identified, (relative likelihood r < 0.01). Under a less stringent threshold of r < 0.05, 7 metabolites (trans-4-hydroxyproline, glutaroyl carnitine, stachydrine, undecanoate, 7-Hoca, N-acetylalanine and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate) were identified. Taken together, this study can provide novel insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PCOS; whether these metabolites can serve as biomarkers to predict PCOS in clinical practice warrants further investigations.
Attitudes of Syrian Medical Students Regarding Robotic Surgery: Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Swed Sarya , Bohsas Haidara , Alibrahim Hidar , Rakab Amine , Hassan Noheir A.I. , Nasif Mohamed Nour , Cheema Huzaifa Ahmad , Sawaf Bisher , Elsayed Mohamed , Rehman Mohammad Ebad Ur , Shoib Sheikh , Hafez Wael
Published: July 2023

Background The purpose of this research was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of Syrian Arab republic medical students concerning robotic surgery.Methods An online cross-sectional study was conducted in Syria from 5 April to 17 may, 2022. The research included undergraduate medical students from government and private Syrian universities. The questionnaire was taken from a previous study and then modified to suit Syrian students, which was used to assess attitudes about robotic surgery.Results 862 medical students from governmental (92.2%) and private (7.8%) medical colleges filled out the online survey. 40.8% were interested in surgery specialties and, nearly half (46.3%) considered themselves as no tech-savvy persons. However, just 22.6% had prior robotic surgical knowledge, where the largest source of knowledge was the internet. A majority of the students (57.3%) had a favorable attitude toward robotic surgery, and 59.1% of them believed that the use of robots will lead to improvements in the results of surgical procedures. 40% of the participants considered that Syrian patients would not accept it. Furthermore, 40% were worried that robots could take the place of surgeons in the future, and (50.6%) believe this might make surgeons weak, hesitant, and less professional.Conclusion A large number of medical students in Syria have no experience with robotic surgery and know nothing about the procedures. Several recommendations should be made to improve clinical teaching using modern technology and robotic surgery, particularly for medical students interested in surgery.
On the polygonal wear evolution of locomotive wheels due to wheel/rail flexibility and its mitigation measures
Authors: Yang Yunfan , Chai Feifan , Liu Pengfei , Ling Liang , Wang Kaiyun , Zhai Wanming
Published: July 2023

Wheel polygonal wear can immensely worsen wheel/rail interactions and vibration properties of the train and track, and ultimately, lead to the shortening of service life of railway components. At present, wheel/rail medium- or high-frequency frictional interactions are perceived as an essential reason of the high-order polygonal wear of railway wheels, which are potentially resulted by the flexible deformations of the train/track system or other external excitations. In this work, the effect of wheel/rail flexibility on polygonal wear evolution of locomotive wheels is explored with aid of the long-term wheel polygonal wear evolution simulations, in which different flexible modeling of the wheel/rail coupled system is implemented. Further, the mitigation measures for the polygonal wear of locomotive wheels are discussed. The results point out that the evolution of polygonal wear of locomotive wheels can be veritably simulated with consideration of the flexible effect of both wheelset and rails. Execution of mixed-line operation of locomotives and application of multi-cut wheel re-profiling can effectively reduce the development of wheel polygonal wear. This research can provide a deepgoing understanding of polygonal wear evolution mechanism of locomotive wheels and its mitigation measures.
Analysis of Furca Lesions in Molars by Cone Beam Computerized Tomography
Authors: SILVA SOUZA RAYLLA JENNIFER , VIEIRA FALABELLA MÁRCIO EDUARDO , JONAS PEREIRA JOSÉ
Published: July 2023

Furcation lesions are characterized by bone resorption and attachment loss into the interradicular space. Accurate diagnosis of periodontal disease affecting the furcation area requires periodontal examination and imaging. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is capable of generating accurate and reliable submillimeter resolution images in all space dimensions and plays a role in the evaluation and treatment planning of molars with furcation (FL) damage. the objective of the research was to evaluate tomographic aspects of furcation lesions, measure attachment loss and rank the FL.
METHODOLOGY: retrospective observational cross-sectional study, CBCT scans were analyzed with a sample consisting of 560 teeth of patients of both sexes, aged between 30 and 70 years. Bone loss in height/width/depth of the interradicular area was analyzed, based on this measurement, it was classified into degrees I, II and III and its prevalence was evaluated according to its distribution by sex and age, and the most affected teeth.
RESULTS: FL grade II were the most observed in both upper and lower molars. The group of teeth most affected by FL were the upper molars, most frequently in females in group I (41-50 years), classified as grade II in buccal and distal furcations and grade I in mesial furcations. In lower molars, the highest frequency was FL grade II in females in groups 1 (30-40 years) and 2 (41-50 years) and, FL grade III in males in group III (51-70 years).
CONCLUSION: CBCT proved to be effective for the diagnosis of FL and may contribute to an accurate diagnosis and consequent better treatment plan.
Stretchable ionic-electronic bilayer hydrogel electronics enabled in situ detection of solid-state epidermal biomarkers
Authors: Liu Yuxin , Arwani Ruth , Goh Wei Peng , Yang Weifeng , Liu Yin , Leong Fong Yew , Tan Sherwin , Zheng Xin Ting , Yu Yong , Jiang Changyun , Sundarapandi Archana , Ang Yuan Ching , Teo Siew Lang , Su Xinyi , Li Hongying , Liu ZhuangJian , Chen Xiaodong , Yang Le
Published: July 2023

Continuous and in situ detection of biomarkers in biofluids (e.g., sweat) can provide critical health data but is limited by biofluids accessibility. Here, we report a sensor design that enables in situ detection of solid-state biomarkers ubiquitously present on human skin. We deploy an ionic-electronic bilayer hydrogel to facilitate the sequential dissolution, diffusion and electrochemical reaction of solid-state analytes. We demonstrate continuous monitoring of water-soluble analytes (i.e., solid lactate) and water-insoluble analytes (i.e., solid cholesterol) with ultralow detection limits of 0.51 nmol cm-2 and 0.26 nmol cm-2, respectively. Additionally, the bilayer hydrogel electrochemical interface reduces motion artifacts by three times compared to conventional liquid-sensing electrochemical interfaces. In a clinical study, solid-state epidermal biomarkers measured by our stretchable wearable sensors showed a high correlation with biomarkers in human blood and dynamically correlated to physiological activities. These results present routes to universal platforms for biomarker monitoring without the need for biofluid acquisition.
An audit to assess and improve the quality of referrals received by Community Dental Services from General Dental Practitioners for the one-off treatments of patients under 18 years, with inhalation sedation and general anaesthesia, in Salford
Authors: Bharadia Tara , Gnanasekharan Lokanath
Published: July 2023

Background
In Greater Manchester, 9 per 1000 children have dental treatment under sedation. Many of the referrals received are poor quality and therefore rejected - this results in patients having further pain, time off school and difficulty eating. The aim is to assess and improve the quality of dental referrals for patients under 18 years, received from general dental practitioners to Salford CDS.
Methods
50 referrals were assessed to calculate the frequency of each error as well as how many errors were recorded per referral. We ran our second cycle 6 months later.
Results
Cycle 1 had a 48% acceptance rate. Most referrals had 2 errors, and almost 2 in 5 IHS referrals are not being justified appropriately by the GDP or no diagnosis. We made changes (contacting our triaging hub, local GDPs and creating local triaging guidance) and ran our second cycle 6 months later which showed a 66% acceptance rate.
Conclusions
While the results of this audit are good, further quality improvement projects are needed to make sustainable changes. To get the best treatment for the patients, GDPs should be made aware of the limitations when they provide poor referrals, and the implications of this for the patient.
Ultrahigh dielectric permittivity and ferroelectric polarization in size-scaled Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin-film capacitors
Authors: Jiang Anquan , Zhang Wendi , Jiang Jun , Cheng Yan
Published: July 2023

The ever-shrinking electrostatic capacitor with its high dielectric permittivity and ferroelectric polarization can store large quantities of electrical charge and energy for compact electronics and electrical power systems, leading to applications including volatile/nonvolatile high-storage-density memories and energy-efficient complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices. Innovative use of CMOS-compatible HfO2-based materials with high permittivities of 27–52 and polarizations of 17–50 μC/cm2 could foster their integration into few-nanometre-scale devices. Here we report giant remanent polarization of 331 μC/cm2 for a 0.3-μm-sized Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin-film capacitor, combined with ultrahigh linear permittivity of ≥921, stored charge density of 295 μC/cm2 and energy density of 566 J/cm3 within a 4.4-μm-sized capacitor when the material’s ferroelectricity disappears suddenly after polarization fatigue, much better than relaxor ferroelectric thin films (133–152 J/cm3). The giant polarization originates from formation of high-density Zr-rich polar clusters near the edge region of the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 thin-film capacitor after plasma treatment and remains unchanged at low temperatures. This enables high-density integration of extremely scaled logic and memory devices for low-voltage operation.
Evaluating the Seismic Behavior of RC Structures: A Comparative Study of Framed Tube and Shear Wall Systems for Varying Numbers of Stories
Authors: Sutar Sourabh , Patil Rahul D.
Published: July 2023

Through a comparison of framed tube systems and shear wall systems for various story counts, this work evaluates the seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The goal is to use the ETABS software to evaluate how well these structural systems perform when subjected to seismic and wind loads. Analysis of storey displacements, a crucial performance metric for both lateral load resisting systems, is the study's main objective. To analyse structures, we use the Response Spectrum Method. The findings show that the framed tube structure outperforms the shear wall system in terms of seismic resistance, showing decreased displacements, greater drift ratios, increased base shear forces, and improved structural ductility. These results imply that framed tube structures can be used as workable substitutes for tall buildings situated in seismic regions. To avoid excessive deformation and failure, it is necessary to include enough stiffness and strength in the design phase. The study also highlights how crucial it is to look into how material properties, loading patterns, and interactions between the structure and the ground affect these systems' seismic stability. The findings of this study show the earthquake resistance and dependability of framed tube structures and have major implications for high-rise building design and construction in seismic regions.