bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Free Curcumin and Curcumin Nanocapsules on Viability and Oxidative Status of Neural Cell Lines
Authors: BISSACOTTI BIANCA FAGAN , Copetti Priscila , Gundel Samanta , Machado Alencar , Sagrillo Michele , Ourique Aline , Morsch Vera , Bottari Nathieli , Silva Aleksandro da
Published: March 2021

Curcumin is an active polyphenol substance found in the highest concentrations in the roots of Curcuma longa. Its health benefits have led to recent increases in the consumption of curcumin. It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and is a potent neuroprotective against diseases of the brain. Nevertheless, its low bioavailability and its relative difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier limit curcumin’s use for these purposes. Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles may be an effective treatment for several diseases although there is a paucity of studies reporting its safety in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, this study aimed to identify non-neurotoxic concentrations of free curcumin and two nanoformulations of curcumin. Cell lines BV-2 and SH-SY5Y, both originating from the CNS, were evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment with free curcumin and nanocapsules We measured viability, proliferation and dsDNA levels. We measured levels of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide as proxies for oxidative stress in culture supernatants. We found that free curcumin was toxic at 10 and 20 µM, principally at 72 h. Nanoformulations were more neurotoxic than the free form. Safe concentrations of free curcumin are between 1-5 µM, and these concentrations were lower for nanoformulations. We determined the ideal concentrations of free curcumin and nanocapsules serving as a basis for studies of injuries that affect the CNS.
A Novel Investigation Into the Edge Effect Reduction of 4340 Steel Disc Through Induction Hardening Process Using Magnetic Flux Concentrators
Authors: Parvinzadeh Mahyar , Karganroudi Sasan Sattarpanah , Omidi Narges , Barka Noureddine , Khalifa Mohamed
Published: March 2021

Induction hardening serves as one of the best mass production processes used recently due to its ability to quickly generating high-intensity heat in a well-defined location of the part. Numerous advantages of this method make it a reliable technique to produce a thin martensite layer on the part surface that has compressive residual stresses. In this regard, the presented study is devoted to investigating utilizing induction heating for surface hardening of AISI 4340 steel disc. The purpose is to evaluate the performance of magnetic flux concentrators and the effects of the induction process parameter on the case-depth and edge effect in the surface hardening of the disc. Once the proper range of parameters is defined, Taguchi experimentation planning is used to frame comprehensive experimentation with the minimum possible trial. Then, the case-depth of discs is evaluated on their cross-sections (edge and middle plane) through hardness profile measurement of samples using a micro-indentation hardness machine. The results are then statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to determine the best combination of parameters to achieve maximum case-depth yet minimum edge effect. The goodness-of-fit regression models are then developed to predict the case-depth profile as a function of machine parameters based on linear regression utilizing case-depth responses in the edge and middle plane of discs. Results imply that maximum case-depth with minimum edge effect can be produced by using the highest heating time along with the average amplitude of the power, axial gap, and radial gap. This study gives a good exploration of case-depths optimized by setting up process parameters when magnetic flux concentrator is utilized, thus, a guideline to reduce discs edge effect in induction surface hardening application is given.
Association of Dispatcher-assisted, Chest Compression-only Resuscitation With Annual Increases in Survival From Unwitnessed Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrests
Authors: Morita Hideki , Inaba Hideo , Ushimoto Tomoyuki , Ito Yoshinori , Wato Yukihiro
Published: March 2021

Background: Many out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases are unwitnessed. For both unwitnessed and witnessed cases, recent guidelines endorse the dispatcher’s instruction of compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation to lay rescuers without previous resuscitation training. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the composition of bystander resuscitation based on the combination of rescue breathing and dispatcher-assisted resuscitation, and the association of the changes in bystander resuscitation content with annual outcome improvement in unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases.Method: Retrospective analysis of prospective national cohort study in a population-based setting. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in 2009–2016 (986,760 cases) were reviewed to provide a complete dataset for analyses (941,858 cases). Main outcome was neurologically favorable survival at 1 month.Results: Of the 941,858 cases, the rates of neurologically favorable survival adjusted for prehospital confounders continuously increased annually. When classified into 5 groups according to the contents of resuscitation, the proportions of the dispatcher-assisted compression-only resuscitation group increased annually, whereas the proportions of the other groups decreased. That is, the shift from standard (defined as the combination of chest compressions and rescue breathings) to compression-only bystander resuscitation were observed for both unwitnessed and bystander-witnessed cases. In unwitnessed cases, the survival rate of the dispatcher-assisted compression-only resuscitation group was always lower than that of the no-resuscitation group during the study period. On the other hand, the survival rate of dispatcher-assisted standard resuscitation group exceeded that of the no-resuscitation group at the end of the study period (adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.41; 1.02–1.93), and the increase in survival rate was prominent compared to that of the dispatcher-assisted compression-only resuscitation group (adjusted unit odds ratio/year; 95% CI, 1.15; 1.08–1.24 vs. 1.04; 1.00–1.07).Conclusions: The proportions of dispatcher-assisted compression-only resuscitation group increased annually, but its survival rate of the neurologically favorable 1-month did not exceed compared to that of the no-resuscitation group in unwitnessed cases. The dispatcher-assisted compression-only resuscitation did not appear to be an ideal management for unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases.
Investigation of the Transmission Accuracy of Ball Screw Considering Errors and Preloading Level
Authors: Wang Kai , Zhou Chang-Guang , Ou Yi , Feng Hu-Tian
Published: March 2021

Transmission accuracy is one of the most important parameters in ball screw mechanism (BSM), however, very few researches can be found on the transmission accuracy modelling for BSM. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel model to predicate the transmission accuracy of BSM considering the manufacturing errors, installation errors, as well as the errors due to the contact deformation under different loading status. Meanwhile, the transmission accuracy of a typical BSM under five different preloading levels is measured on the basis of a transmission accuracy measuring system. The experimental results show that the difference is 21.6% under no preload condition, and is less than 11% under different preload conditions, largely owing to the uneven distribution of clearance can increase the travel deviation. Further analysis shows that the eccentricity error, which belongs to the installation error, is the most important factor, mainly generating the periodic fluctuation and amplitude of the transmission error. More importantly, the travel deviation increases with the increase of the preload, which indicates that the transmission accuracy of the BSM deteriorates when the load is increased.
Non-traumatic Ectopia Lentis in a Pediatric Ophthalmology Practice, Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Ugalahi Mary Ogbenyi , ONEBUNNE Ezinne Obioma , Olusanya Bolutife Ayokunnu , Baiyeroju Aderonke Mojisola
Published: March 2021

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to describe the clinical profile of patients with non-traumatic Ectopia lentis in a pediatric ophthalmology clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria.METHODS: The clinical records of children ≤ 16 years diagnosed with non- traumatic ectopia lentis at the Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic, University College Hospital Ibadan, from May 1, 2015 to Dec 31, 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Information on demographic data, family history, visual acuity (VA), mean refractive error (spherical equivalent), and management was retrieved.RESULTS: Clinical records of 25 patients were reviewed. The mean age was 8.9 (±3.41) years with a range of 2-15 years. Sixteen (64%) patients were males. All the patients had bilateral involvement. A positive family history of ectopia lentis was elicited in 6 (24%) patients. Thirteen (52%) patients had a Marfanoid habitus and superior displacement of the lens was observed in 26(52%) eyes. The presenting visual acuity was ≤ 6/36 in 38 (76%) eyes. The spherical equivalent of the refractive errors ranged from -20.00DS to +13.25DS. Twenty (40%) eyes underwent surgery within the period of the study and the best corrected postoperative visual acuity improved by 2 or more lines in 12 (60%) of operated eyes.CONCLUSION: Severe visual morbidity was common in this cohort of patients with Ectopia lentis in our practice. Treatment provided some improvement in vision which highlights the need to encourage early presentation for care. Detailed family history is important as a few of the patients were diagnosed on our request to examine siblings with visual impairment.
Energy Efficient Localization through Node Mobility and Propagation Delay Prediction in Underwater Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Nain Mamta , Goyal Nitin
Published: March 2021

The long propagation delay of sensor nodes' messages and flexibility are the mobile target localization scheme's principal tasks in Underwater Wireless Sensor Network (UWSN). As propagation delay is one of the principal aspects, disturbing the time harmonisation of underwater sensor nodes, a long-lasting delay must be assessed and adjusted to attain precise localization. In this article, we suggest an energy-efficient localization scheme based on Mobility and Propagation delay prediction. The system model comprises Surface buoys that drift on the water surface, Anchor nodes which drift at various water depths and Ordinary nodes that are extensively disseminated at different profundity. Anchor node mobility prediction procedure is intended to analyze and record its speed at every localization period. Then, the propagation delay is expected and compensated to attain precise localization. The ordinary nodes make localization, utilizing the expected speed vectors got from the anchor nodes. The replicating outcomes, exhibit that the suggested method increases overall energy efficiency.
Polar Coded Cooperative Differential Spatial Modulation Based on Plotkin Construction and Quasi-uniform Puncturing
Authors: Zeng Jiangli , Lu Weiyan
Published: March 2021

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Sugammadex Compared to Neostigmine for Reversal of Neuromuscular Block in Patients Undergoing Kidney Transplantation. A Retrospective Cohort, Case-Control Study.
Authors: Carron Michele , Adreatta Giulio , Pesenti Elisa , Cassai Alessandro De , Feltracco Paolo , Linassi Federico , Sergi Massimo , Bella Caterina Di , Bello Marianna Di , Neri Flavia , Silvestre Cristina , Furian Lucrezia , Navalesi Paolo
Published: March 2021

Background: The impact of sugammadex in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing kidney transplantation is still far from being defined. The aim of the study is to compare sugammadex to neostigmine for reversal of rocuronium- and cisatracurium-induced neuromuscular block (NMB), respectively, in patients undergoing kidney transplantation.Methods: A retrospective, observational study was performed. A total of 350 patients undergoing kidney transplantation, equally divided between a sugammadex group (175 patients) and a neostigmine group (175 patients), were considered. Postoperative kidney function, evaluated by monitoring of serum creatinine and urea and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), was the endpoint. Other endpoints were anaesthetic and surgical times, post-anaesthesia care unit length of stay, postoperative intensive care unit admission, and recurrent NMB or complications.Results: No significant differences in patient or, with the exception of drugs involved in NMB management, anaesthetic and surgical characteristics were observed between the two groups. Serum creatinine (median [interquartile range]: 596.0 [478.0-749.0] vs 639.0 [527.7-870.0] μmol/L, p=0.0128) and serum urea (14.9 [10.8-21.6] vs 17.1 [13.1-22.0] mmol/L, p=0.0486) were lower, while eGFR (8.0 [6.0-11.0] vs 8.0 [6.0-10.0], p=0.0473) was higher in the sugammadex group than in the neostigmine group after surgery. The sugammadex group showed significant lower incidence of postoperative severe hypoxemia (0.6% vs 6.3%, p=0.006), shorter PACU stay (70 [60-90] min vs 90 [60-105] min, p<0.001), and reduced ICU admissions (0.6% vs 8.0%, p=0.001).Conclusions: Compared to neostigmine for reversal of NMB, sugammadex resulted in a better recovery profile in patients undergoing kidney transplantation.
Preoperative Plasma D-Dimer Independently Predicts Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Undergoing Radical Resection
Authors: Chen Haoda , Li Fanlu , Zou Siyi , Xie Junjie , Zhang Jun , Deng Xiaxing , Chen Hao , Shen Baiyong
Published: March 2021

Background: Elevated plasma D-dimer levels have been reported as an unfavorable prognostic indicator in many solid tumors. However, there are limited relevant studies in pancreatic cancer patients following radical surgery, and the clinical significance remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of preoperative plasma D-dimer in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) undergoing resection.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients who consecutively underwent radical surgery for PDAC by laparotomy or robotic surgery from December 2011 to December 2018. Baseline clinicopathologic characteristics, preoperative laboratory parameters and follow-up information were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the prognostic value of preoperative plasma D-dimer.Results: Among 1351 patients, elevated preoperative plasma D-dimer levels (≥ 0.55 ng/mL) were found in 417 (30.9%) patients. 312 (23.09%) underwent minimally invasive robotic pancreatectomy. The median overall survival (OS) of patients with elevated D-dimer levels was 6.3 months shorter than that of patients with normal D-dimer levels (15.0 months vs 21.3 months, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that elevated D-dimer levels independently predicted poorer OS (hazard ratio: 1.33, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.51, p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that D-dimer was a reliable prognostic factor in patients who underwent R0 resection. In addition, integration of D-dimer, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and NLR provided a better prognostic model for PDAC patients before operation.Conclusion: An elevated preoperative plasma D-dimer level was a reliable independent prognostic factor for OS in patients with PDAC undergoing resection. Combination of D-dimer, CA19-9 and NLR can enhance the prognostic accuracy before operation.
A Systematic investigation on structural and optical properties of sol-Gel spin coating fabricate CdS Nanocrystalline thin films: Effect of Ni doping
Authors: SHARMA BRIJLATA , Lalwani Rajesh , Das Ruby , Raghuwanshi Devi Singh
Published: March 2021

In the present work, we have successfully fabricated undoped and Ni-doped Nanocrystalline CdS thin film on an ultrasonically cleaned glass substrate employing the Sol-Gel spin coating technique. The structural and spectroscopic properties of the films were investigated using XRD spectra, UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra respectively. The X-Ray diffraction spectra revealed the polycrystalline nature of films with cubic structure and (111) as preferred orientation. The average particle size evaluated by the Debye-Scherrer formula lying in the range 6.65nm to 12.05 nm for the deposited films. According to UV-VIS Spectroscopy, the average transmittance of films in the visible region varies between 70–90%. The optical band gap of CdS thin film was evaluated from absorption spectra. The bandgap of the deposited films is in the range of 2.48 eV to 2.70 eV which is higher than that of bulk CdS (2.42eV). This verifies the blue shifting in band edge of CdS Nanocrystalline thin films due to the quantum confinement effect. Photoluminescence spectra of the thin film showed that the fundamental band edge emission peak centred at 485nm also called blue band emission.
Intra-articular injection of PDGF-BB explored in a novel in vitro model mobilizes mesenchymal stem cells from the synovium into synovial fluid in rats
Authors: Endo Kentaro , Horiuchi Kiyotaka , Katano Hisako , Ozeki Nobutake , Sakamaki Yuriko , Koga Hideyuki , Sekiya Ichiro
Published: March 2021

Background

Drugs that can induce mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) mobilization from synovium into synovial fluid will enable regenerative medicine in joints without use of exogenous MSCs. An in vitro synovial MSC migration model had previously been developed for screening but had problems in practical application. We herein developed a novel in vitro model, explored cytokines for synovial MSC mobilization with this model, and verified whether MSCs in synovial fluid increase following intra-articular injection of the cytokine.
Methods

Human synovial MSCs embedded in a mixture of Matrigel and type 1 collagen hydrogel were placed on a culture insert and then put in medium containing migration factor. Of the six cytokines, we identified the one that mobilizes the highest number of MSCs. PDGF-BB or PBS was injected into rat knees, and 48 h later, synovial fluid was collected and cultured. The cells were examined for MSC properties.
Results

PDGF-BB was the most effective for synovial MSC mobilization among six cytokines. The effect of PDGF-BB was inhibited by a PRGFR inhibitor. Injection of PDGF-BB into rat knees increased colony-forming cells in the synovial fluid. These cells had surface epitopes and multipotency comparable to MSCs and a higher capacity for proliferation, colony formation, and chondrogenesis.
Conclusions

This novel in vitro model recapitulated the migration of MSCs from synovium into synovial fluid. Our exploration of cytokines revealed that PDGF-BB strongly induced in vitro synovial MSC migration, while intra-articular injection of PDGF-BB increased in vivo MSC numbers in synovial fluid in rats.
Improvement of BNSGAII to Increase the Accuracy and Reduction of Feature Selection Subsets
Authors: Farimani Hojjat Farrahi , Bahrepour Davoud , Kamel Seyed Reza , Ghaemi Reza
Published: March 2021

Feature selection is a process for the elimination of irrelevant and redundant features from a dataset in order to improve learning performance in terms of accuracy and time to build a model from the subsets. The conventional techniques in this regard have limitations such as the high computational overhead for training, even in moderate datasets. Although attention has been paid to the development of rapid and accurate detection techniques, finding a dataset of features that could increase detection accuracy is paramount. The issue with feature selection is the NP-hard problem; therefore, an optimal solution cannot be guaranteed. The present study aimed to propose a new solution for the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA II) by making it binary through the Sigmoid transfer function and a thresholding device for binary feature selection in order to improve the performance in feature selection problems in terms of the accuracy and reduction of the subset dimensions. In addition, the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in reducing the mentioned parameters was measured through comparison with other methods in the four datasets of breast cancer, hepatitis, heart, and diabetes.
Assessing Health Seeking Behaviour and Malaria Prevention Practices Among Communities in Four Districts of the Volta Region of Ghana
Authors: Orish Verner N. , Maalman Raymond Saa-Eru , Donkor Otchere Y. , Ceruantes Barbara Yordanis Henandez , Osei Eric , Amu Hubert , Appiah Prince Kubi , Konlan Kennedy Diema , Mumuni Hadiru , Kim Eunji , Kim Siwoo , Jung Hajun , Ofori-Amoah Jones , Kofie Philip , Adjuik Martin , Alhassan Robert Kaba , Donkor Ernestina Safoa , Zottor Francis Bruno , Kweku Margaret , Amuna Paul , Kim So Yoo , Gyapong John Owusu
Published: March 2021

Background: Malaria is a preventable disease that causes huge morbidity and mortality in malaria-endemic areas especially among children and pregnant women. The malaria control program focuses on the prevention of mosquito bites using Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and mosquito aerosol spray and coil, and prevention of severe disease among those infected through prompt and adequate treatment. The success of the malaria control program in Ghana is dependent on the malaria prevention practices of people in the community. Therefore, this study evaluated the malaria prevention practices of participants in four districts of the Volta Region of Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Ketu South, Nkwanta South, Hohoe Municipality and Ho West districts of the Volta Region of Ghana. Questionnaire were administered to adults who consented to each household visited. Questions were asked on the socio-demographics and malaria prevention practices of the households. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23 with frequency distribution done for all the variables. Pearson chi-square was used to determine the significant association between socio-demographics and malaria prevention practices, and logistic regression was used to analyze the strength of the association. Result: Of the 668 participants that had a fever within the past 3 days, 268 (40.1%) visited a patent medicine store and 156(23.4%) visited health facilities. Out of the 2493 participants; 2234 (89.6%) owned ITN and 1528 (68.4%) used ITN a night before this study, 768(30.8%) used mosquito aerosol spray and 368 (15%) used mosquito coil. More females significantly owned ITN than males (1293, 92.4%, p ≤0.001). Participants from Ketu South had 1.5 times higher odds of owning an ITN (AOR, 1.56 [95% 1.09-2.22]; p=0.01). Conclusion: There is high ownership of ITNs but relatively low utilization among the community members. Education on malaria prevention practices should be intensified and continuous among the population of the Volta Region to ensure the success of malaria control in the region.
Association Between Regular Arrangement of Collecting Venules and Helicobacter Pylori Status in Routine Endoscopy
Authors: Yuan Cong , Lin Xue-Mei , Ou Yan , Cai Lin , Cheng Qian , Zhou Ping , Liao Juan
Published: March 2021

Background: The sensitivity of regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC)-positive pattern for predicting Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-negative status greatly altered from 93.8% to 48.0% in recent two decades of various studies, while the reason behind it remained obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of RAC as an endoscopic feature for judging H. pylori status in routine endoscopy and reviewed the underlying mechanism.Methods: A prospective study with high-definition non-magnifying endoscopy was performed. RAC-positive and RAC-negative patients were classified according to the collecting venules morphology of the lesser curvature in gastric corpus. Gastric biopsy specimens were obtained from the lesser and greater curvature of corpus with normal RAC-positive or abnormal RAC-negative mucosal patterns. H. pylori status was established by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Results: 41 RAC-positive and 124 RAC-negative patients were enrolled from June 2020 to September 2020. The prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with RAC-positive pattern and RAC-negative pattern was 7.3% (3/41) and 71.0% (88/124), respectively. Among all 124 RAC-negative patients, 36 (29.0%) patients were H. pylori-negative status. Ten patients (32.3%) demonstrated RAC-positive pattern in 31 H. pylori-eradicated cases. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of RAC-positive pattern for predicting H. pylori negative status were 51.4% (95%CI, 0.395-0.630), 96.7% (95%CI, 0.900-0.991), 92.7% (95%CI, 0.790-0.981), and 71.0% (95%CI, 0.620-0.786), respectively.Conclusions: RAC presence can accurately rule out H. pylori infection of gastric corpus, and H. pylori-positive status cannot be predicted only by RAC absence in routine endoscopy.Trial registrationThe present study is a non-interventional trial.
Immunogenicity and Efficacy Evaluation of Vero Cell-Adapted Infectious Bursal Disease Virus LC-75 Vaccine Strain in Ethiopia 
Authors: Kebebe Wakjira , Bitew Molalegne , Dawo Fufa , Mammo Bedaso , Mohammed Hawa , Yami Martha , Getachew Belayneh , Abayneh Takele , Gelaye Esayas
Published: March 2021

Background: Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is an avian viral pathogen that causes infectious bursal disease (IBD) of chickens. The disease is endemic in Ethiopia since 2002 and vaccination is the major means of disease prevention and control. IBD vaccine is produced in Ethiopia using primary chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell; which is time-consuming, laborious, and uneconomical. The present study was carried out to develop cell-based IBDV LC-75 vaccine using Vero cells, and to evaluate the immunogenicity and protection level.Results: Identity of the vaccine seed was confirmed using gene-specific primers using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Confluent monolayer of Vero cells was infected with vaccine virus and serial passage continued till passage ten. Characteristic virus induced cytopathic effect was observed starting from passage 2 on the third day post-infection. The infectious titer of adapted virus showed a linear increment along the passage level. Virus induced specific antibody was determined using indirect ELISA after vaccination of 14 days old chicks through ocular route. Accordingly, the antibody titer measured from Vero cells vaccinated chicks revealed similar level with the currently available CEF cell-based vaccine. Chicks vaccinated with Vero cell adapted virus showed complete protection against very virulent IBDV, while unvaccinated group had 60% morbidity and 25% mortality.Conclusions: The IBDV vaccine strain well adapted on Vero cells and found to be immunogenic induces antibodies development and successfully protects chicks against challenging with the circulating field IBDV isolate. Hence, it is recommended to produce IBD vaccine using Vero cell culture with enough quantity to conquer the limitations using CEF cells and thus to vaccinate chicks to protect against IBDV infection.
Spreading Misinformation on Exercise and Health: Analysis of Instagram´s Profiles
Authors: Marocolo Moacir , Meireles Anderson , Souza Hiago Leandro Rodrigues , Mota Gustavo R. , Arriel Rhaí André , Leite Laura Hora Rios
Published: March 2021

Instagram (IG) reaches millions of people, sharing personal content, and also all kinds of information, including those related to exercise and health. However, scientific quality of the posted information is questionable. Thus, this study aimed at analyzing whether exercise and health information posted by main IG Brazilian influencers have technical-scientific accuracy. A personal IG account was created to identify Brazilian IG profiles. The inclusion criteria of the accounts were: 1) having 50% of all the shared posts indeed related to topics about exercise and heath, such as nutrition, health and wellness, medicine and/or physical fitness; and 2) having over followers 100,000. A qualitative analysis revealed that ~75% of the account´s administrators were academically/professionally qualified. However, out of all the posts, only 13 (~2.7%) cited a reference endorsing the information. Moreover, the higher quality of the posts was directly associated with the higher educational qualification of the influencers (r=0.451; p<0.01). Nevertheless, the number of followers was inversely correlated with the educational qualification of the influencers (r=-0.450; p<0.01) and quality of the posts (r=-0.348; p=0.047). We conclude that main IG Brazilian influencers disseminate low-quality information about exercise and health, contributing to the wide-spreading of misinformation to millions of followers.
Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in the emergency department: a rapid review
Authors: Koh Justin Jek-Kahn , Malczewska Madeline , Doyle-Waters Mary M. , Moe Jessica
Published: March 2021

Background

Patients who experience harms from alcohol and other substance use often seek care in the emergency department (ED). Many ED patients with alcohol use disorder will require management of alcohol withdrawal. ED clinicians are responsible for risk-stratifying these patients under time and resource constraints and must reliably identify those who are safe for outpatient management versus those who require more intensive levels of care. Published guidelines for alcohol withdrawal are largely limited to the primary care and outpatient settings, and do not provide specific guidance for ED use. The purpose of this review was to synthesize published evidence on the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome specifically in the emergency department setting.
Methods

We conducted a rapid review by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1980 to 2020). We also searched for grey literature on Google and hand-searched the conference abstracts of relevant addiction medicine and emergency medicine professional associations (2015 to 2020). We included interventional and observational studies that reported outcomes of clinical interventions aimed at treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome in adults in the ED.
Results

We identified 13 studies that met inclusion criteria for our review (7 randomized controlled trials and 6 observational studies). Most studies were at high/serious risk of bias. We divided studies based on intervention and summarized evidence narratively. Benzodiazepines decrease alcohol withdrawal seizure recurrence, but no clear evidence supports the use of one benzodiazepine over another. It is unclear if symptom-triggered benzodiazepine protocols are effective for use in the ED. More evidence is needed to determine if phenobarbital, with or without benzodiazepines, can be used safely and effectively to treat alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Phenytoin does not have evidence of effectiveness at preventing withdrawal seizures in the ED.
Conclusions

Few studies have evaluated the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapies for alcohol withdrawal specifically in the ED setting. Benzodiazepines are the most evidence-based treatment for alcohol withdrawal in the ED. Pharmacotherapies that have demonstrated benefit for treatment of alcohol withdrawal in other inpatient and outpatient settings need to be evaluated in the ED setting before routine use.
Effect of ultrasonic impact time on Microstructure and properties of 7A52 aluminum alloy tandem MIG welded joint
Authors: Chen Furong , Yang Yihang , Li Nan
Published: March 2021

7A52 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) alloy is a high-strength aluminum alloy, its welded joints are often accompanied by defects such as poor wear resistance and low fatigue strength. Herein, we try to optimize the welded joint of 7A52 aluminum alloy by using ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT). Generally, the mechanical properties such as microhardness and fatigue strength of the welded joint after UIT will be improved. 7A52 aluminum alloy tandem metal inert gas (MIG) welded joints with UIT time per unit area of 2.5 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, and 75 min were studied. Through the surface topography, microstructure observation, and mechanical properties test, the time parameters of excessive treatment, lack of treatment, and proper treatment were selected, and the effects of UIT, excessive treatment, lack of treatment, and proper treatment on fatigue strength were analyzed. Test results show that, the mechanical properties of welded joints after UIT are improved. The proper treatment time is 15min and its fatigue strength is 37.86MPa, respectively under the stress ratio of 0.1. Compared to the original welding condition with a fatigue strength of 28.61MPa, the fatigue strength of the welded joints of 7A52 aluminum alloy increased by 32.33%. The largest percentage of grain size reduction occurs when the UIT is 15 min. Moreover, excessive treatment and lack of treatment will not further refine the grains and optimize the mechanical properties.
An integrated method for optimized identification of effective natural inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro
Authors: Liao Qi , Chen Ziyu , Tao Yanlin , Zhang Beibei , Wu Xiaojun , Wang Zhengtao , Yang Li , Wang Qingzhong
Published: March 2021

The current severe situation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been reversed and posed great threats to global health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find out effective antiviral drugs. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) in SARS-CoV-2 serve as a promising anti-virus target due to its essential role in the regulation of virus reproduction. Here, we report an improved integrated approach to identify effective 3CLpro inhibitors from effective Chinese herbal formulas. With this approach, we identified the 5 natural products (NPs) including narcissoside, kaempferol-3-O-gentiobioside, rutin, vicenin-2 and isoschaftoside as potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 candidates. Subsequent molecular dynamics simulation additionally revealed that these molecules can be tightly bound to 3CLpro and confirmed effectiveness against COVID-19. Moreover, kaempferol-3-o-gentiobioside, vicenin-2 and isoschaftoside were first reported to have SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro inhibitory activity. In summary, this optimized integrated strategy for drug screening can be utilized in the discovery of antiviral drugs to achieve rapid acquisition of drugs with specific effects on antiviral targets.
FEM Based Study for Estimation of Applanation Force and Influence of Intraocular Pressure on Tonometry
Authors: Bhat Bharathi , Poojary Rakshath G. , Prabhu Gopalakrishna , Ve Ramesh S.
Published: March 2021

Purpose: Excess force on cornea during eye care testing procedure such as tonometry may damage the internal structure of eye or may result in erroneous results. The proposed work can be utilized or incorporated as an additional feedback mechanism in the technology innovation of design of eye care instruments. Method: This work is focused on biomechanical simulation of human eye to determine applanation force on cornea and also to find the influence of intraocular pressure (IOP) of eye on Tonometry. Results: The results summarise that force applied by the tonometer will increase linearly for increase in deformation of cornea and the junction of cornea and sclera will undergo maximum deformation and hence will experience maximum stress compared to the centre of cornea where tonometer applanates the cornea. Conclusion: The tonometry will result in deformation of cornea in vertical elongation and the maximum stress is concentrated at the tonometer periphery as well as at the junction of cornea and sclera. The investigation also report that rise in IOP of eye demands higher force of applanation to get the prescribed deformation of cornea.
Peripheral Inflammation Is Associated With Brain SPECT Perfusion Changes in Schizophrenia
Authors: Fond Guillaume , GAROSI Alexandra , FAUGERE Mélanie , Campion Jacques-Yves , LANCON Christophe , Boyer Laurent , RICHIERI Raphaelle , Guedj Eric
Published: March 2021

Purpose. Peripheral inflammation is frequent in schizophrenia, and plays a major role in pathophysiology, prognosis, and persistence of psychotic symptomatology under treatment. Aim. To determine the correlation between peripheral inflammation and brain SPECT perfusion in stabilized antipsychotic-treated outpatients with schizophrenia, and to determine whether such perfusion changes are correlated to persistent symptoms. Methods. Highly sensitive C-reactive protein blood level (hs-CRP) and brain SPECT perfusion were assessed in 137 stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia. Whole-brain voxel-based associations were searched with SPM between SPECT perfusion and hs-CRP (correlation analysis to quantitative levels and between-group analysis according to a threshold of 3mg/L). The identified clusters were secondarily correlated with clinical symptoms.Results. After adjustment for age, sex, educational level, illness duration, antidepressant, chlorpromazine equivalent dose, tobacco smoking and obesity, a negative correlation was found between hs-CRP level and the perfusion of 4 brain areas: the right inferior frontal gyrus, the right middle/superior temporal gyrus, the left superior parietal lobe and the right postcentral/transverse temporal gyrus (p-voxel < 0.001, k > 80, uncorrected). An increased perfusion of the left amygdala was found in patients with hs-CRP ≥ 3 mg/L compared to those with hs-CRP level < 3mg/L. A negative correlation was found between perfusion of the right inferior frontal gyrus and the persistence of positive, negative and excitement symptoms under antipsychotic treatment. Conclusion. In stabilized patients with schizophrenia, peripheral inflammation is associated with brain perfusion changes that are correlated with the persistence of psychotic symptomatology.
A Practical Method for Real-Time Detection of Pedicle Wall Breaching During Funneling
Authors: Zarchi Omer , Ohana Nissim , Mercado Eyal , Amitai Amir , Berestizshevsky Yuri , Sheinis Dimitri , Benharroch Daniel , Bar-On Elhanan
Published: March 2021

Background: A reliable, real-time method for the detection of pedicle wall breaching during funnelling in spine deformity surgery could be accessible to any surgeon assisted with neuromonitoring.Methods: Fifty-six consecutive patients (1066 pedicles), who were submitted to spinal deformity surgery from December 2013 to July 2015 were included in the study group. A control group of 13 consecutive patients (226 pedicles) with spinal deformity surgery were operated on from January to December 2013 and were excluded from finder stimulation. In the study cohort, continuous stimulation during funnelling was delivered via a finder and subsequently a compound muscle action potential (CMAP) threshold was determined. Following funnelling, manual inspection of the pedicular internal walls was performed. The CMAP thresholds were compared with the results of palpation to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the technique for detecting pedicular breaching. In order to cover common ranges of damage, the medial and lateral breaches were compared and the concave-apical breaches compared to the non-apical or convex-apical breaches. In addition, a pedicle screw test was estimated for all patients.Results: ROC analysis showed 9 mA cut-off to have a sensitivity of 88.0% and a specificity of 89.5% for predicting pedicular breaching, with an area under the curve of 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.94; P < .001). Using 9 mA threshold as an alert criterion, funnelling at the concave-apical pedicles showed significantly more true and false positive alerts and fewer true negative alerts when compared with the non-apical and convex-apical pedicles (P<.001). Medial breaches had significantly lower stimulation thresholds than lateral breaches (P <.001). Thresholds of screw-testing were significantly higher for study- than for control-patients (P=.002).Conclusions: Finder stimulation has a considerably higher sensitivity and specificity for prediction of pedicular breaching, most prominent for medial breaches. Screw-testing displayed significantly better results in patients undergoing the finder stimulation technique, as compared with the control group. The main advantages of our method are its high safety level and low cost, which may be critical in less affluent countries. Level of evidence III.
The Temporal Structure and Association Networks of Endophytic Bacteria in Pea Roots and Nodules
Authors: Lv Xin , Wang Qiankun , Zhang Xiaoyan , Hao Junjie , Li Li , Chen Wang , Li Haokun , Wang Yuhui , Ma Cuiping , Wang Jialin , Liu Quanlan
Published: March 2021

Background and aims Endophytic bacteria from legume roots and nodules play important roles in regulating plant growth and health. However, little is known about how the endophytic bacteria community changes and how it interacts with each other throughout the plant life cycle. Methods We collected twenty pea cultivars to study the composition and structure of endophytic bacterial community during the whole developmental period using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Results Here we show that the development period significantly affected the structure of root endophytic bacterial community and peas recruit different root microbes during different developmental stages. The complexity of microbial community first increased and then decreased with the growth of pea. Rhizobium began to accumulate in pea seedling roots, and the content peaked at flowering stage and remained at high levels during the mature stage. In the flowering and mature stage, the relative abundance of Pseudomonas increased. Conclusions These findings can deepen the overall understanding of the community structure and interaction network of endophytic bacteria from pea root and nodules, and provide a detail for the establishment of root endophytic bacteria throughout the plant life cycle.
Improving annual precipitation prediction using extreme learning machine with wavelet packet decomposition
Authors: Wang Hua , Wang Wenchuan , Du Yu-jin , Xu Dong-mei , Zhang Yi-duo
Published: March 2021

Accurate precipitation prediction can help plan for different water resources management demands and provide an extension of lead-time for the tactical and strategic planning of courses of action as well as activity. In this paper, a novel merged precipitation prediction framework (ELM-WPD) is proposed on the Extreme learning machine (ELM) with wavelet packet decomposition (WPD). The model can be described as the following: (a) we use the WPD to decompose the original precipitation data into several sub-layers; (b) ELM model is employed to complete the forecasting calculation for the decomposed series; (c) the results are integrated to complete the final prediction. Four quantitative indexes (RMSE, MAE, R and NSEC) are employed for the comparison criteria. The results are compared with Back-propagation neural network (BPNN), autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA), ELM, BPNN-WPD model, ARIMA-WPD, indicating that the ELM-WPD model has better performance than other models used in this paper. Hence, the proposed method can provide higher accuracy and reliability for annual precipitation forecasting and can be extended to similar situations for precipitation forecasting.
Adaption of Hunter’s Method and generation of synthetic series from disaggregation of flow time series, comparative analysis with existing models
Authors: Mera Christian Paúl , Benavides-Muñoz Holger
Published: March 2021

Water demand is a non-deterministic variable; current normative deliver different flow rates than might occur. Adaptations have been developed in different countries mainly for Hunter's method. The Hydro-Sanitary Standard 'Norma Hidrosanitaria Ecuatoriana' (NHE) 2011 in Ecuador proposes a demand calculation through a modification to the Norme Francaise NF P 40–202. This study proposes an adaptation to the Hunter’s Method using a binomial probability function, based on the disaggregation of time series of pressure and flow, during 62 consumption days, in different water meters, in academic facilities in Loja, Ecuador. Flow curves were developed based on consumption units, which gave very assertive values in relation to the maximum recorded flow rates. Also, in order to approach different estimation methods and since water consumption over time follows a Poisson distribution, synthetic series were generated using the Neyman Scott Rectangular Pulse Model (NSRPM), as this is the one that most adheres to the actual user behavior. Maximum flow rate was also determined with Water Demand Calculator (WDC) and NHE 2011 for comparison with NSRP and research results. Current research is an exploratory approach, has a methodological value for subsequent studies. Proposed Hunter's Method adaptation can provide an accurate flow estimation. Flows obtained with NHE 2011 method were closed to observed only in small facilities. NSRPM method showed an exactness high level, with only a 1.1% percentage difference compared to the measured one.
Identification of candidate biomarkers associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of endometrial cancer: a bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Wei Changqiang , Huang Le , Deng Lingjie , Lin Huisi , Pan Weicheng , Pang Lihong
Published: March 2021

Background

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common malignancy tumor that seriously threatens the wellbeing and health of women. This study aimed to map the hub genes and potential pathways that may be involved in EC.
Methods

In our study, three gene expression profiles of GEO and EC data from the TCGA database were analyzed. We performed WGCNA, and Cox regression analyses to screen hub genes and further validated them by using HPA, KM plots, and other databases. We also studied the methylation level by UCSC Xena and mutation of hub genes using Cbioportal .
Results

We identified 363 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (146 upregulated and 217 downregulated genes). Pathway analysis revealed that hub genes are mainly related to cell cycle, DNA damage response, EMT, hormone ER, RAS/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT. Finally, we identified five hub genes that are related to the progression and prognosis of EC and screened several relevant small-molecule drugs.
Conclusions

MTHFD2, KIF4A, TPX2, RPS6KA6, and SIX1 were identified as candidate biomarkers for further basic and clinical research on endometrial cancer.
Diagnosis and treatment of Primary Cardiac Lymphoma: A Case Report
Authors: Ai Zhongping , Jiang Liang , Peng Mingyang , Yin Xindao , Xu Hui
Published: March 2021

Background: Primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) is an extremely rare cardiac tumor and progresses rapidly, which often has short median survival time and poor prognosis unless diagnosed and treated in time.Case presentation: A 61-year-old man was admitted to hospital with repeated chest tightness and pain for 3 days and the right atrial mass by ultrasonography in the other hospital for 1 day. The echocardiography revealed an irregular hyperechoic mass in the right atrium with the size of the mass is about 5.3cm*4.3cm. Partial resection of right atrial tumor under general anesthesia and cardiopulmonary bypass was performed. After operation, enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) showed a mild enhancement mass in the right atrium. The histopathological examination revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma. After careful examination, PCL was diagnosed and chemotherapy of low dose R-CHOP for 6 courses were used. After the last course, enhanced CT examination showed that the tumor almost disappeared and the patient's symptoms improved significantly.Conclusion: PCL is a extraordinarily rare disease with poor prognosis, and it is necessary to improve the awareness of this disease.Prompt diagnosis and timely chemotherapy in combination with surgery could lead to excellent clinical outcomes of the patient with PCL.