bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optical Studies of doped Nd2O3 Nanoparticles for LED applications
Authors: Antoinette M M
Published: October 2022

Rare earth sesquioxide nanoparticles have been immensely used in wide range of diverse photoluminescent applications. In the present investigation, we report a simple and less expensive technique of synthesizing pure and doped Nd2O3 nanocrystalline powders using combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis was done to study the structural characterization of the prepared samples. The surface morphology of the prepared samples was studied with the help of SEM analysis. The surface micrographs showed small amount of agglomeration. The UV-Vis data analysis and photoluminescence studies were carried out to understand the optical properties of the samples. On doping the optical properties of the synthesized samples were enhanced, and these properties revealed that they can be promising materials for LED applications.
Polarization-insensitive broadband perfect metamaterial absorber in the optical region
Authors: Kumar Raj , Singh Bipin K , Pandey Praveen C
Published: October 2022

Metamaterials (MTMs) have various applications like plasmonic sensors, light trapping, light detector, color imaging, real invisible clock, magnetic resonance imaging, thermal imaging, solar cells, etc. We have used CST software to simulate four nano-rings-based broadband MTM absorbers in this paper. The simulated structure consists of three layers in the form of a metal-dielectric-metal that exhibit a good impedance near unity with plasmonic resonance characteristics. Tungsten (W) is chosen as the metal and silicon dioxide (SiO2)as the dielectric. The designed structure exhibits an average absorption of 98.19% at the applied wavelength and also exhibits broadband absorption with almost perfect absorption. The physical dimensions, as well as the design of the proposed absorber, have been studied parametrically. Absorber performance has been investigated for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes at wide angles up to 50°, which may be helpful for solar thermo-photovoltaic (STPV) and solar power harvesting device applications. For solar cell applications, we have calculated numerical values of short circuit current density (Jsc) and efficiency (η).
Fabrication of TiO2 based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell using Nerium oleander as a sensitizer
Authors: Jayachithra J V , Elampari K , Meena M
Published: October 2022

The globe has already started using renewable energy sources, mainly solar energy, to meet the rising need for energy. The Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC), one of many varieties of solar cells, is now popular because of its low manufacturing cost and ability to function in low light. In this work, TiO2 and erbium-doped TiO2 are chosen as photoanode and Nerium oleander as a sensitizer. The photoanode materials are prepared by one-step microwave assisted hydrothermal method. These nanomaterials and sensitizer are characterized by various characterization techniques that show significant results. The designed DSSC is evaluated by the current-voltage properties study. The efficiency of the fabricated TiO2 and Er-doped TiO2 based DSSCs is found to be 0.95 % and 2.95 % respectively.
Investigation of low-cost magnesium stannate transparent conductive oxide layer: optical, structural and electrical properties and photovoltaic applications
Authors: Kiruthiga G. , Rajni K S , Raguram T , Eswaramoorthy Nandhakumar , Pitchaiya Selvakumar
Published: October 2022

In this research investigation we reveal the development of Magnesium Tin Oxide (MTO) as Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) material. It is the best replacement for the existing TCO materials. In the present work, Tin (II) Chloride and Magnesium Acetate are (MA: SC) taken in different ratios (0.1M: 0.1 M- S1C, 0.1M: 0.2M- S2C, 0.1M: 0.3M-S3C, 0.1M: 0.4M-S4C, 0.1M: 0.5M-S5C) and the prepared solution is coated at the deposition temperature of 400° C by NSP technique. The deposited thin films are then annealed at a very high temperature of 500°C for three hours. A structural study explains that the prepared films exhibiting a strong diffraction peak, corresponding to the plane (105) magnesium tin oxide of rhombohedral structure. It is noted that the value of thickness is varied from 210nm to 480 nm when the molar concentration of Tin (II) chloride increases from 0.1M to 0.5M. The maximum transmittance obtained is more than 80% with a wider band gap of 3.89eV. FE-SEM shows improved crystallinity, development of grain size and the attainment of uniformity in grain distribution after annealing. From EDAX analysis, it is noted that when the concentration of Tin (II) Chloride as well as annealing temperature increases, the presence of unwanted elements is reduced and hence the purity is improved. FTIR result shows the presence of functional groups present in the prepared MTO thin films. From the studies of Hall Effect measurements, the value of the resistivity is measured and it is in the order of 10−3(Ω cm). Photo-anodes and counter electrodes of DSSC are prepared with MTO as TCO substrate, and the cell efficiency is measured. The discussions explain that DSSC constructed with platinum coated on MTO (S5C) as counter electrode and TiO2 coated on MTO (S5C) as photo anode shows a better power conversion efficiency of 3.28% than the rest of the other cells.
Study of the capacitance and conductance (C - V – F & G – V – F) of the Thin Film based Cu/p-SnSe Schottky Barrier Junction
Authors: Jagani Hirenkumar Shantilal , Patel Abhishek B. , Vyas C. U. , Navapariya Mayuri , Bhoraniya Karan , Pathak V. M.
Published: October 2022

SnSe, the well-known transition metal chalcogenide family member is perceived to be preferable for its tremendous device applications. Here, the authors have tried to fabricate a p-SnSe/Cu Schottky junction diode. The Capacitance(C)–Voltage (V) & Conductance(C)–Voltage(V) characteristics with different frequency(f) of the fabricated diode were studied at the applied bias voltage -1 to 1 V in f range from the 0.1 MHz to 1 MHz at room temperature. Effect of applied Frequencies on various parameter: Series Resistance (Rs), Insulator layer capacitance (Cox), and Interface States density (Nss) were evaluated by means of maximum capacitance (Cm) along with maximum conductance (Gm) in the region were strong gathering region. From the results confirm negative resistance at low frequencies due to negative reactance, but at high frequencies resistance becomes positive, which depicts novel capacitive properties which can be applicable for novel applications of SnSe-based diode.
Ab initio investigation of electronic structure and topological features in ErNiSb and ErSb compounds
Authors: Lukoyanov A V , Baidak S T
Published: October 2022

This manuscript is devoted to the electronic structure, as well as magnetic properties, investigations of the ternary ErNiSb and binary ErSb intermetallic compounds using GGA+U within so called ab initio approach. Our detailed study of the band structure obtained with accounting for electronic correlations in the narrow-gap semiconductor ErNiSb and semimetal ErSb is performed in order to identify topological features.
Synthesis and characterization of bismuth ferrite-barium titanate nano composites
Authors: Sharon V.S , Malini K.A , Arun K.J
Published: October 2022

Bismuth ferrite and Strontium doped bismuth ferrite(Bi1-xSrxFeO3(x=0.0,0.3,0.5,0.7) samples are synthesized by the modified sol-gel technique which is a simple and economic technique.Composites of bismuth ferrite and barium titanate in the ratio 2:1 and 1:2 and Bi1-xSrxFeO3 – BaTiO3 (x=0.3,0.5,0.7) with the ratio 2:1 are synthesized by solid-state reaction technique. The formation of composites of bismuth ferrite with rhombohedral structure and space group R3c and barium titanate with tetragonal structure and space group P4mm is identified using XRD. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the composites are investigated at room temperature and are reported in this paper.
Extraction and Hydrolysis of Naringin from Citrus fruit peels
Authors: Sant Akrati , Ahmad Imran , Bhatia Sonika
Published: October 2022

Naringenin, a flavonoid belonging to the flavanones subclass has been reported to have several promising biological activities like antioxidant, antitumor, anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory & estrogenic activities. Naringin is found in the glycosidic form in citrus fruits like grapefruit, orange, and lemons. Naringenin is obtained by the hydrolysis of the glycoside naringin. In the present study, environmentally benign extraction methods have been reported for the extraction of naringin from the peels of grapefruit (Citrus X paradisi), an agricultural waste of the fruit juice industry. Successful isolation of naringin from both fresh and dry albedo of grapefruit has been carried out under three different conditions to yield pure white crystalline naringin. Further, simple acidic hydrolysis under three different conditions has been standardized to yield naringenin in a relatively good yield. Characterization of both naringin and naringenin has been done using NMR and thin layer chromatography.
Cyto-toxic Effect of Nano Ceria bio fabricated with DNA
Authors: Prabha Jyothi P S , Tharayil Nisha J
Published: October 2022

Cancer is a condition arising from the deregulation of several genes which causes change in normal cells to cancerous ones. The objective of all cancer treatment research is to eradicate cancer with little effect on normal cells. Nanostructured ceria of very small dimension (≈5nm) synthesized by co-precipitation method using deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA) as capping agent has shown a promising antioxidant activity over almost all free radicals. Excessive reactive oxygen species have significant influence in the origination and development of numerous ailments, including cancer. So, the cyto-toxic effect of synthesized nanoceria on normal cells as well as on colon cancer cells is investigated. Inverted phase contrast microscope succeeded by MTT assay method were used to observe the survivability of cells. The investigation reveals a significant decline in the viability of cells when nanoceria, in the concentration range of 6.25–100μg/ml, was used on human cancer cells for 24,48 and 72 hours. The results showed that the activity of nanostructured ceria significantly depends on dose and time. For normal cells the reduction is less i.e., more than 75% of the cells are viable even if the concentration increases to 100μg/ml. But for cancer cells the percentage of viability decreases. Our study come up with a result that DNA assisted synthesized nanoceria has considerable cytotoxic effect, which seems likely to be effective as an anticancer agent while protecting healthy tissues.
Synthesis of nanohybrid reinforced electrospun methylcellulose/ polyvinyl alcohol /polyethylene glycol nanofiber: study of material properties for possible biomedical applications
Authors: Ali Mir Sahidul , Ali Mir Sahanur , Orasugh Jonathan Tersur , Chattopadhyay Dipankar
Published: October 2022

Over the past few epochs, emerging transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDSs) have gotten major devotion through incessant level of interest. The effort of this work is to understand the influence of nano-reinforcing agent on the morphology, property and its drug carrying capacity of the nanohybrid reinforced ketorolac tromethamine (KT) drug loaded electrospun nanofibrous web. In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) extracted successfully from jute fibres (JF) and nanocollagen (NCG) was isolated from waste fish scales for the assembling of CNC-NCG reinforced MC/PVA/PEG electrospun nanofibrous bio-nanocomposites (BNCs) mat for transdermal drug delivery applications. The isolated nanoparticles (CNC & NCG) and the synthesized electrospun bio-nanocomposite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).
Crystal structure and magnetism of rare earth intermetallic compound Dy0.33Ho0.33Er0.33Ni
Authors: Mohapatra Abhaya Prasada , Chelvane J. Arout , Morozkin A. V. , Ramaprabhu S. , Nirmala R.
Published: October 2022

Multi-component rare earth intermetallic compound Dy0.33Ho0.33Er0.33Ni has been prepared by arc melting and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and magnetization experiments. The sample crystallizes in orthorhombic FeB-type structure at 300 K and ferromagnetically orders around 40 K (TC). The TC is close to the average value of the ferromagnetic transition temperatures of DyNi, HoNi and ErNi compounds. Magnetization has been measured as a function of field up to 15 kOe and low field magnetocaloric effect around the magnetic transition temperature is computed.
A Monge normal form for the rolling distribution
Authors: Randall Matthew
Published: October 2022

Using a parametrisation of

s

l
2

sl_2

given by the second prolongation of the group action of unimodular fractional linear transformations as presented in an article of Clarkson and Olver, we find a Monge normal form for the distribution associated to the rolling of two hyperboloid surfaces over each other without slipping or twisting.
Polyploidy: its consequences and enabling role in plant diversification and evolution
Authors: Heslop-Harrison J S (Pat) , Schwarzacher Trude , Liu Qing
Published: October 2022

Background

Most, if not all, green plant (Virdiplantae) species including angiosperms and ferns are polyploids themselves or have ancient polyploid or whole genome duplication signatures in their genomes. Polyploids are not only restricted to our major crop species such as wheat, maize, potato and the brassicas, but also occur frequently in wild species and natural habitats. Polyploidy has thus been viewed as a major driver in evolution, and its influence on genome and chromosome evolution has been at the centre of many investigations. Mechanistic models of the newly structured genomes are being developed that incorporate aspects of sequence evolution or turnover (low-copy genes and regulatory sequences, as well as repetitive DNAs), modification of gene functions, the re-establishment of control of genes with multiple copies, and often meiotic chromosome pairing, recombination and restoration of fertility.

Scope

World-wide interest in how green plants have evolved under different conditions – whether in small, isolated populations, or globally – suggests that gaining further insight into the contribution of polyploidy to plant speciation and adaptation to environmental changes is greatly needed. Forward-looking research and modelling, based on cytogenetics, expression studies, and genomics or genome sequencing analyses, discussed in this Special Issue of the Annals of Botany, consider how new polyploids behave and the pathways available for genome evolution. They address fundamental questions about the advantages and disadvantages of polyploidy, the consequences for evolution and speciation, and applied questions regarding the spread of polyploids in the environment and challenges in breeding and exploitation of wild relatives through introgression or resynthesis of polyploids.

Conclusion

Chromosome number, genome size, repetitive DNA sequences, genes and regulatory sequences and their expression evolve following polyploidy – generating diversity and possible novel traits and enabling species diversification. There is the potential for ever more polyploids in natural, managed and disturbed environments under changing climates and new stresses.
Genome-wide Mendelian randomization and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses identify the causal effects of COVID-19 on 41 cytokines
Authors: Wang Chao , Yu Rui , Zhang Sainan , Zhao Yue , Qi Changlu , Zhu Zijun , Chen Xinyu , Bi Jianxing , Xu Peigang , Cheng Liang , Zhang Xue
Published: October 2022

The elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines have attracted much attention during the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The conclusions of current observational studies are often controversial in terms of the causal effects of COVID-19 on various cytokines because of the confounding factors involving underlying diseases. To resolve this problem, we conducted a Mendelian randomization analysis by integrating the GWAS data of COVID-19 and 41 cytokines. As a result, the levels of 2 cytokines were identified to be promoted by COVID-19 and had unsignificant pleiotropy. In comparison, the levels of 10 cytokines were found to be inhibited and had unsignificant pleiotropy. Among down-regulated cytokines, CCL2, CCL3 and CCL7 were members of CC chemokine family. We then explored the potential molecular mechanism for a significant causal association at a single cell resolution based on single-cell RNA data, and discovered the suppression of CCL3 and the inhibition of CCL3-CCR1 interaction in classical monocytes (CMs) of COVID-19 patients. Our findings may indicate that the capability of COVID-19 in decreasing the chemotaxis of lymphocytes by inhibiting the CCL3-CCR1 interaction in CMs.
HAT: haplotype assembly tool using short and error-prone long reads
Authors: Shirali Hossein Zade Ramin , Urhan Aysun , Assis de Souza Alvaro , Singh Akash , Abeel Thomas
Published: October 2022

Motivation

Haplotypes are the set of alleles co-occurring on a single chromosome and inherited together to the next generation. Because a monoploid reference genome loses this co-occurrence information, it has limited use in associating phenotypes with allelic combinations of genotypes. Therefore, methods to reconstruct the complete haplotypes from DNA sequencing data are crucial. Recently, several attempts have been made at haplotype reconstructions, but significant limitations remain. High-quality continuous haplotypes cannot be created reliably, particularly when there are few differences between the homologous chromosomes.

Results

Here, we introduce HAT, a haplotype assembly tool that exploits short and long reads along with a reference genome to reconstruct haplotypes. HAT tries to take advantage of the accuracy of short reads and the length of the long reads to reconstruct haplotypes. We tested HAT on the aneuploid yeast strain Saccharomyces pastorianus CBS1483 and multiple simulated polyploid datasets of the same strain, showing that it outperforms existing tools.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/AbeelLab/hat/.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
EcoTransLearn: an R-package to easily use transfer learning for ecological studies—a plankton case study
Authors: Wacquet Guillaume , Lefebvre Alain
Published: October 2022

In recent years, Deep Learning (DL) has been increasingly used in many fields, in particular in image recognition, due to its ability to solve problems where traditional machine learning algorithms fail. However, building an appropriate DL model from scratch, especially in the context of ecological studies, is a difficult task due to the dynamic nature and morphological variability of living organisms, as well as the high cost in terms of time, human resources and skills required to label a large number of training images. To overcome this problem, Transfer Learning (TL) can be used to improve a classifier by transferring information learnt from many domains thanks to a very large training set composed of various images, to another domain with a smaller amount of training data. To compensate the lack of ‘easy-to-use’ software optimized for ecological studies, we propose the EcoTransLearn R-package, which allows greater automation in the classification of images acquired with various devices (FlowCam, ZooScan, photographs, etc.), thanks to different TL methods pre-trained on the generic ImageNet dataset.

Availability and implementation

EcoTransLearn is an open-source package. It is implemented in R and calls Python scripts for image classification step (using reticulate and tensorflow libraries). The source code, instruction manual and examples can be found at https://github.com/IFREMER-LERBL/EcoTransLearn.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
‘Have They Talked About Us At All?’ The Moral Distress of Healthcare Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Investigation in the State of Texas
Authors: Fantus Sophia , Cole Rebecca , Hawkins Lataya , Chakraborty Priyanjali
Published: October 2022

Amid the ongoing pandemic, as overburdened and underfunded health systems are requiring health care social workers (HSWs) to assume responsibilities beyond their scope of practice, institutional constraints have undoubtedly heightened encounters of moral distress (MD). MD is the psychological disequilibrium that arises when institutional factors obligate an individual to carry out a task that violates their professional and/or personal ethics. Our qualitative study investigated HSWs’ (n = 43) MD in Texas during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from our study indicate that MD occurs across five levels: (i) patient care decisions; (ii) personal care decisions; (iii) team/unit decisions; (iv) organisational decisions; and (v) social justice decisions. MD is rooted in systems that disproportionately impact historically excluded populations, including social inequities such as financial instability, homelessness and substance use. Organisations need to explicitly consider social justice initiatives that seek to identify growing disparities in care that have been at the forefront of the pandemic; macro-level perspectives that expand MD must address social and health inequities that impede daily tasks of all health care workers. MD encounters that are rooted in social determinants of health can inform supervision, education and practice to ameliorate HSWs’ value conflict.
Precuneus magnetic stimulation for Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized, sham-controlled trial
Authors: Koch Giacomo , Casula Elias Paolo , Bonnì Sonia , Borghi Ilaria , Assogna Martina , Minei Marilena , Pellicciari Maria Concetta , Motta Caterina , D’Acunto Alessia , Porrazzini Francesco , Maiella Michele , Ferrari Clarissa , Caltagirone Carlo , Santarnecchi Emiliano , Bozzali Marco , Martorana Alessandro
Published: October 2022

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is emerging as a non-invasive therapeutic strategy in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease patients primarily show alterations of the default mode network for which the precuneus is a key node. Here, we hypothesized that targeting the precuneus with TMS represents a promising strategy to slow down cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease patients.

We performed a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, phase 2, 24-week trial to determine the safety and efficacy of precuneus stimulation in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Fifty Alzheimer’s disease patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either receive precuneus or sham rTMS (mean age 73.7 years; 52% female). The trial included a 24-week treatment, with a 2-week intensive course in which rTMS (or sham) was applied daily five times per week, followed by a 22-week maintenance phase in which stimulation was applied once weekly. The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale–Sum of Boxes was selected as the primary outcome measure, in which post-treatment scores were compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes included score changes in the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale, Mini-Mental State Examination and Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living scale. Moreover, single-pulse TMS in combination with EEG was used to assess neurophysiological changes in precuneus cortical excitability and oscillatory activity.

Our findings show that patients that received precuneus repetitive magnetic stimulation presented a stable performance of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale–Sum of Boxes score, whereas patients treated with sham showed a worsening of their score. Compared with the sham stimulation, patients in the precuneus stimulation group also showed also significantly better performances for the secondary outcome measures, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale, Mini-Mental State Examination and Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living scale. Neurophysiological results showed that precuneus cortical excitability remained unchanged after 24 weeks in the precuneus stimulation group, whereas it was significantly reduced in the sham group. Finally, we found an enhancement of local gamma oscillations in the group treated with precuneus stimulation but not in patients treated with sham.

We conclude that 24 weeks of precuneus rTMS may slow down cognitive and functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease. Repetitive TMS targeting the default mode network could represent a novel therapeutic approach in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Striatal resting-state connectivity after long-term diacetylmorphine treatment in opioid-dependent patients
Authors: Schaub Anna-Chiara , Vogel Marc , Baumgartner Sophie , Lang Undine E , Borgwardt Stefan , Schmidt André , Walter Marc
Published: October 2022

New treatment approaches for opioid-dependent patients include injectable opioid agonist treatment with diacetylmorphine. While evidence has shown beneficial clinical effects of diacetylmorphine, it is still not clear how long-term diacetylmorphine treatment affects the brain and whether functional brain changes are accompanied by clinical improvements. Therefore, this prospective case-control study focuses on long-term effects of diacetylmorphine on resting-state functional connectivity.

We included opioid-dependent patients (N = 22, age range 33–58, 16 males) treated with diacetylmorphine and healthy controls (N = 9, age range 27–55, 5 males) that underwent two MRI assessments approximately nine years apart. For the patients, the assessments took part shortly after the diacetylmorphine intake to be able to explore changes in resting-state functional connectivity in brain regions related to the stage of binge and intoxication (caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens).

A cluster in the right superior frontal gyrus was detected, showing over nine years an increase in functional connectivity originating from the left caudate and the left accumbens in patients but not in healthy controls. These connectivity changes in patients were related to the duration of the diacetylmorphine treatment at the follow-up, indicating smaller increases in functional connectivity with longer treatment duration (r = 0.63, P < 0.01).

These results suggest that long-term diacetylmorphine treatment in opioid-dependent patients increases fronto-striatal connections, an effect that is linked to the duration of the treatment duration. Future research needs to further address the wide-ranging effects of diacetylmorphine on brain functioning and deepen the understanding of their clinical relevance.
Reproductive biology ofGazella arabica: Predictors of offspring weight and short- and long-term offspring survival
Authors: Martin Ryan A , Riesch Rüdiger , Plath Martin , Al Hanoosh Naif A , Wronski Torsten
Published: October 2022

Reproductive traits are central to organismal fitness, and so the factors influencing patterns of reproduction and offspring survival are at the heart of biology. Making use of breeding data collected over 16 years at the King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre in Saudi Arabia, we investigated the reproductive biology of Arabian gazelles Gazella arabica. Offspring survival was mainly a function of birth weight, with heavier offspring having higher survival rates than lighter offspring. However, while sons were heavier than daughters, daughters had higher survival rates. We could not find evidence that giving birth to sons negatively impacts offspring weight in the following year. We uncovered large narrow-sense heritability (h2) in offspring weight at birth, while maternal effects (m2) on birth weight were of lesser importance. However, maternal effects on offspring survival were strong until weaning age, while paternal effects dominated survival to sexual maturity and first reproduction. We propose that variation in maternal postnatal care might overshadow the effects of maternal inheritance of birth weights, while the overall strong heritability of weight at birth and the paternal effects on survival illustrates strong variance in sire fitness based on genetic quality, suggesting a role for sexual selection by female mate choice in wild populations.
Systematic lung ultrasound in Omicron-type vs. wild-type COVID-19
Authors: Banai Ariel , Lupu Lior , Shetrit Aviel , Hochstadt Aviram , Lichter Yael , Levi Erez , Szekely Yishay , Schellekes Nadav , Jacoby Tammy , Zahler David , Itach Tamar , Taieb Philippe , Gefen Sheizaf , Viskin Dana , Shidlansik Lia , Adler Amos , Levitsky Ekaterina , Havakuk Ofer , Banai Shmuel , Ghantous Eihab , Topilsky Yan
Published: October 2022

Aims

Preliminary data suggested that patients with Omicron-type-Coronavirus-disease-2019 (COVID-19) have less severe lung disease compared with the wild-type-variant. We aimed to compare lung ultrasound (LUS) parameters in Omicron vs. wild-type COVID-19 and evaluate their prognostic implications.

Methods and results

One hundred and sixty-two consecutive patients with Omicron-type-COVID-19 underwent LUS within 48 h of admission and were compared with propensity-matched wild-type patients (148 pairs). In the Omicron patients median, first and third quartiles of the LUS-score was 5 [2–12], and only 9% had normal LUS. The majority had either mild (≤5; 37%) or moderate (6–15; 39%), and 15% (≥15) had severe LUS-score. Thirty-six percent of patients had patchy pleural thickening (PPT). Factors associated with LUS-score in the Omicron patients included ischaemic-heart-disease, heart failure, renal-dysfunction, and C-reactive protein. Elevated left-filling pressure or right-sided pressures were associated with the LUS-score. Lung ultrasound-score was associated with mortality [odds ratio (OR): 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.18; P = 0.03] and with the combined endpoint of mortality and respiratory failure (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07–1.22; P < 0.0001). Patients with the wild-type variant had worse LUS characteristics than the matched Omicron-type patients (PPT: 90 vs. 34%; P < 0.0001 and LUS-score: 8 [5, 12] vs. 5 [2, 10], P = 0.004), irrespective of disease severity. When matched only to the 31 non-vaccinated Omicron patients, these differences were attenuated.

Conclusion

Lung ultrasound-score is abnormal in the majority of hospitalized Omicron-type patients. Patchy pleural thickening is less common than in matched wild-type patients, but the difference is diminished in the non-vaccinated Omicron patients. Nevertheless, even in this milder form of the disease, the LUS-score is associated with poor in-hospital outcomes.
Comparison of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol equations in patients with dyslipidaemia receiving cholesterol ester transfer protein inhibition
Authors: Martin Seth S , Ditmarsch Marc , Simmons Mark , Alp Nicholas , Turner Traci , Davidson Michael H , Kastelein John J P
Published: October 2022

Aims

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) lowering is imperative in cardiovascular disease prevention. We aimed to compare accuracy of three clinically-implemented LDL-C equations in a clinical trial of cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibition.

Methods and results

Men and women aged 18–75 years with dyslipidaemia were recruited from 17 sites in the Netherlands and Denmark. Patients were randomly assigned to one of nine groups using various combinations of the CETP inhibitor TA-8995 (obicetrapib), statin therapy, and placebo. In pooled measurements over 12 weeks, we calculated LDL-C by the Friedewald, Martin/Hopkins, and Sampson equations, and compared values with preparative ultracentrifugation (PUC) LDL-C overall and with a special interest in the low LDL-C/high triglycerides subgroup. There were 242 patients contributing 921 observations. Overall median LDL-C differences between estimates and PUC were small: Friedewald, 0.00 (25th, 75th: −0.10, 0.08) mmol/L [0 (−4, 3) mg/dL]; Martin/Hopkins, 0.02 (−0.08, 0.10) mmol/L [1 (−3, 4) mg/dL]; and Sampson, 0.05 (−0.03, 0.15) mmol/L [2 (−1, 6) mg/dL]. In the subgroup with estimated LDL-C <1.8 mmol/L (<70 mg/dL) and triglycerides 1.7–4.5 mmol/L (150−399 mg/dL), the Friedewald equation underestimated LDL-C with a median difference versus PUC of −0.25 (−0.33, −0.10) mmol/L [−10 (−13, −4) mg/dL], whereas the median difference by Martin/Hopkins was 0.00 (−0.08, 0.10) mmol/L [0 (−3, 4) mg/dL] and by Sampson was −0.06 (−0.13, 0.00) mmol/L [−2 (−5, 0) mg/dL]. In this subgroup, the proportion of LDL-C observations <1.8 mmol/L (<70 mg/dL) that were correctly classified compared with PUC was 71.4% by Friedewald vs. 100.0% by Martin/Hopkins and 93.1% by Sampson.

Conclusion

In European patients with dyslipidaemia receiving a CETP inhibitor, we found improved LDL-C accuracy using contemporary equations vs. the Friedewald equation, and the greatest accuracy was observed with the Martin/Hopkins equation.

Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01970215
Early anticoagulation after aortic valve replacement with porcine bioprosthesis randomized control trial (ANTIPRO)
Authors: Fernandez Amparo , Loza Gimena , Parma Gabriel , Florio Lucia , Estigarribia Jorge , Soca Gerardo , Robaina Ricardo , Duran Ariel , Brusich Daniel , Dayan Victor
Published: October 2022

OBJECTIVES

Most evidence for anticoagulation (AC) in aortic bioprosthesis is centred on embolic events, bleeding and reintervention risk. The effect of AC on haemodynamics has not been previously assessed. Our hypothesis was that patients with early AC after aortic valve replacement (AVR) with porcine bioprosthesis have better haemodynamics at 1 year of follow-up.

METHODS

Prospective, randomized, open-label trial conducted at 2 cardiac surgery centres. All patients undergoing AVR with porcine bioprosthesis were consecutively recruited. The anticoagulated group received warfarin + aspirin and the non-anticoagulated (control) only aspirin. The primary outcome was mean gradient after 1 year of AVR and change in New York Heart Association class. Secondary outcomes were major and minor bleeding, embolic events and prosthetic leak.

RESULTS

Of 140 participants in the study, 71 were assigned to the anticoagulated group and 69 to the control group. The mean age of the overall population was 72.4 (SD: 7.1) years. Global EuroSCORE was 7.65 (SD: 5.73). At 1 year, the mean gradient was similar between both groups [18.6 (SD: 1.1 mmHg) and 18.1 (SD: 1.0 mmHg) in the control and anticoagulated groups, respectively, P = 0.701]. No differences in functional class at 3 months or 1 year were found among groups. No differences were found among groups in the secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of 3 months of oral AC to anti-aggregation treatment was not detected to affect bioprosthetic haemodynamics nor functional class at 1 year after AVR. Likewise, AC does not lead to the higher incidence of complications.
Social and cultural mobility: rising to the middle class and cultural practices in contemporary Finland
Authors: Kallunki Jarmo
Published: October 2022

How does social mobility influence cultural taste and participation? Cultural reproduction theory predicts little change, while cultural mobility theory suggests more substantial makeover. This article explores the influence of upward educational and occupational mobility in reading literature, participation in highbrow activities, television watching, and music and food tastes, focusing on mobility from the secondary-level education and the working class to the higher education and the middle class. By analysing survey data (N = 2,813) collected in Finland in 2007 and 2018 with ordinary least squares regression, we show that educational mobility and occupational mobility are mostly differently related to tastes and participation. Both educationally and occupationally upwardly mobile people tend to participate more in highbrow activities, watch less television and dislike meat-heavy food, as is more typical to their social destination than to their social origins. Conversely, the educationally upwardly mobile, again more typical to their destination, tend to read more books, like light-ethnic food and classical music, and dislike popular folk, but occupational mobility is not associated with reading or liking light-ethnic food, and the occupationally mobile retain their original tastes in classical and popular folk music when education is controlled for. We discuss the implications of our results.
Interventions to improve teamwork and wellbeing in primary care settings: a mixed method review
Authors: Panagioti M , Tyler N , Hodkinson A
Published: October 2022

Background

General practices are experiencing increasing pressures due to rising demand, declining staff numbers, and knock-on impacts on patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic has added further challenges and reinforced the importance of teamwork and organisational settings. We undertook a mixed-method systematic review to explore which interventions can improve teamwork within primary care and improve inter-sector partnerships with other health and social care services.

Methods

Five major bibliographic databases were systematically searched for relevant studies from inception to February 2022. We included controlled intervention study designs and linked qualitative studies. For amenable data, meta-analysis is being undertaken using random effects models taking into account the between study heterogeneity (quantified using the I2 statistic) and potential publication bias (funnel plots and Egger's test). The qualitative studies are analysed using thematic analyses.

Results

The original search yield of 3012 studies, of which 14 studies with 1,534 participants were include in our analyses. Most of the evaluated interventions focused on improving non-technical skills and provided evidence of improvements in the quality of teamwork in primary care. Meta-analysis and narrative synthesis is undertaken to examine the impact of the teamwork interventions on staff outcomes (team attitudes, knowledge, and functioning; wellbeing), and patient outcomes (e.g. quality of patient care, patient satisfaction/experience).

Conclusions

The findings provide information of immediate importance for the mental health and wellbeing and teamwork support of professionals entering primary care and for the organisation of primary care services.
Do preventive child examinations in general practice reduce the risk of overweight and obesity?
Authors: Heuckendorff S , Eggertsen C , Thomsen JL , Fonager K
Published: October 2022

Background

The prevalence of children with overweight and obesity is increasing. General practitioners in Denmark follow children throughout early childhood via the preventive child health examinations. These examinations are offered to all children from birth to the age of five. Thus, the general practitioners have a unique opportunity for early tracing and identification of overweight and obesity, but the impact of the examinations are not examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between attending preventive child health examinations and the risk of overweight and obesity at the age of six both for the total pediatric population and within groups of vulnerable children such as children of parents with low educational level or low household income.

Methods

A population-based birth cohort study was conducted including all Danish children born from 2000-2012 using the Danish nationwide registers. Data included information on child participation in preventive health examinations at general practice, height and weight at the age of six, and parental information on socioeconomic factors.

Results

The analyses included 801,444 children. Attending preventive child health examinations were not associated with a lower risk of overweight at the age of six. A lower risk of obesity was seen in children attending the examinations, both in the general population (RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.66-0.76) and within vulnerable groups (low level of maternal education: RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.72-0.89), low household income (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72-0.87). The risk of obesity was greater in the vulnerable groups than in the not-vulnerable groups.

Conclusions

Attending preventive child health examinations were associated with a lower risk of obesity at the age of six, but not overweight. This was seen for both the general pediatric population and within vulnerable groups. The lowest risk of obesity was seen in the not-vulnerable groups.

Key messages

• The results indicated that attending preventive child health examinations in general practice reduced the risk of obesity at the age of six, but not the risk of overweight.

• The lowest risk of obesity was seen in the not-vulnerable groups attending the preventive child health examinations in general practice.
Delivering actionable infodemic insights and recommendations for the COVID-19 pandemic response
Authors: Purnat TD , Ishizumi A , Yau B , White B , Bertrand-Ferrandis C , Briand S , Nguyen T
Published: October 2022

Issue

The COVID-19 pandemic and current recovery efforts have been complicated by a parallel infodemic. The infodemic has manifested itself in the rapid spread of questions, concerns and misinformation that can affect population attitudes and behavior harmful to health -promoting stigma and discrediting science, non-recommended treatments and cures, politicizing health programs and eroding trust in health workers and health systems.

Description

WHO's COVID-19 Pillar 2 (risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management) developed an integrated public health infodemic insights methodology for weekly analysis of social media, traditional media and other data sources to identify, categorize, and understand the key concerns and narratives expressed, and inform risk communication and response activities.

Results

The infodemic characterization, integrated analysis and insights generation consisted of a 3-step mixed-methods approach. First, data was collected from publicly available social and news media and categorized into categories of conversations by a COVID-19 public health taxonomy. Second, the dataset was analyzed and compared week-on-week to identify changes in narratives and conversation sentiment. Third, the digital infodemic intelligence was reviewed by a group of subject matter experts and triangulated with other data sources to derive infodemic insights and provide recommendations for action for the week. The methodology has been applied to inform COVID-19 response, COVID-19 vaccine demand promotion, and preparing for mass gatherings or mass immunization campaigns.

Lessons

The methodology for infodemic intelligence generation and integration has introduced evidence-based analytical practices for generation of infodemic insights and recommendations for action into the work of WHO. It must be further adapted for use by different health programmes and preparedness functions, and is described WHO Field Infodemiology Manual.

Key messages

• Health authorities can use infodemic insights to respond to people’s concerns, questions and information deficits in a timely and effective manner.

• An evidence-based methodology has been developed and validated to generate infodemic insights and recommendations for action during an acute health event or emergency.
Data-driven policy making: a key step for the healthcare system
Authors: Malatre A , Ros E , Millet L
Published: October 2022

The work presented in this workshop suggest important room for improvement in data-driven health policy making in France and in Germany. We identify data generated by healthcare systems can be mobilized to inform four different aspects of public health and health care policy making:

1. Supporting patient-centered evaluation of healthcare services: micro-level data collection is key to developing evaluation tools which can be used to improve quality of care and patient experience, as evidenced by the development of PROMS and PREMS.

2. Adapting care supply to population needs: meso-level data collection enables local and national policy makers to design and implement healthcare programs and investments which fit population needs.

3. Developing targeted prevention policies: meso-level data collection can also be used to identify health hazards, improve population safety and limit health impact of exposure to sanitary and environmental risks, allowing local and national policy makers to articulate prevention strategies.

4. Informing healthcare research: patient and meso-level data are invaluable resources for health and life-sciences research, supporting identification of biomarkers and development of diagnostic tools and treatment.

Additionally, we identify that all four of these aspects of data-driven policy have implications at a local, national, and European level. In light of this, Institut Montaigne strongly advocates for a population-based approach, as implemented in Canada, relying on multiple datasets as well as individual and collective responsibility. We also stress the need for coordination at a European level, aware the current implementation of the European Health Data Space is an opportunity to leverage information from EU-wide databases. Data-driven public health and health care policy is a tool of public value and its use is critical to ensuring resilience of current health systems and addressing future crises.
Depression among survivors of 1988 Spitak earthquake in Armenia: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Demirchyan A
Published: October 2022

Background

Mental health-related consequences of disasters can be very long lasting. Depression is one of the most prevalent psychopathologies among disaster survivors. Yet, compared to PTSD, it is studied much less among disaster victims. Studies of depression decades after the exposure are extremely rare. This study evaluated the prevalence and predictors of depression in a prospective cohort of Spitak earthquake survivors 23 years after the event.

Methods

A geographically stratified urban sub-sample of 1785 individuals underwent all three baseline waves of the cohort study during 1990-1992 and provided detailed sociodemographic, earthquake exposure and physical and mental health-related information. In 2012, 83.3% (n = 1487) of this subsample was traced and 40.6% (n = 725) interviewed. Depression status was measured via validated and adapted Armenian-language CES-D scale. A fitted linear regression model identified predictors of depression score in 2012.

Results

Twenty-three years after the exposure, the rate of depression in this cohort was 25.4%. Depression was highly comorbid with anxiety (62.0%) and PTSD (36.8%). Factors positively associated with depression score included number of stressful life events (95% CI 0.33, 1.20), poor self-rated health (95% CI 2.45, 5.40), earthquake-related deaths in the family (95% CI 0.12, 3.80), and strong phobia and fear at baseline (95% CI 0.51, 2.96). Age (95% CI -0.15, -0.06), social support score (95% CI -0.83, -0.55), quality of life score (95% CI -15.83, -10.77), and being married (95% CI -2.61, -0.35) were protective for depression. The fitted model explained 46.6% of the variance in the depression score.

Conclusions

This study found an increased prevalence of depression among earthquake survivors over two decades after the exposure. The identified potentially modifiable predictors of long-term depression create prerequisites for planning better targeted mental health recovery interventions among disaster survivors.

Key messages