bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sequential retinal pigment epithelium tears following intravitreal Ranibizumab injections for age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Venkatesh Ramesh , Agrawal Rohit , Thomas Sherina , Reddy Nikitha Gurram , Gupta Aditi , Yadav Naresh Kumar , Chhablani Jay
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To report a case of sequential retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears following intravitreal Ranibizumab injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

Retrospective, observational case

Case description

A 75-year-old hypertensive male was diagnosed with active neovascular AMD and pre-existing RPE tear in the left eye. His presenting best-corrected visual acuity was counting finger @ 1 metre, <N36 in the right eye and 6/9, N8 in the left eye respectively. The right eye fundus had a scarred choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV) with extensive hard exudates. The left eye fundus showed active CNV, subretinal fluid and haemorrhage and a large RPE tear inferior to the fovea with rolled up margins. Following treatment with intravitreal Ranibizumab injection (Accentrix®, Alcon, 0.5 mg/0.05 ml) at monthly intervals, patient developed two extra RPE tears following each injection adjacent to the existing RPE tear. At the final follow-up visit, his CNV had regressed and visual acuity was maintained at 6/6, N6. No additional RPE tears were noted.

Conclusion

Pathogenesis of sequential RPE tears remains unclear. There is a need to look out for new RPE tears which can affect vision in a patient with neovascular AMD following CNV treatment.
Single-hand preloaded intraocular lens implantation through a screw-type single use injector
Authors: Danese Carla , El Jabali Abdallah , Lanzetta Paolo
Published: April 2022

Introduction

The most common intraocular lens (IOL) injectors are syringe- and screw-type. Screw-type injectors are useful to control IOL injection speed, but the surgeon needs to use both hands during implantation. It may result in a lack of eye stability, especially under topical anesthesia.

Methods

In this paper a single hand implantation technique is described. The second hand is used to hold a second instrument into the anterior chamber in order to stabilize the eye and aid the correct IOL positioning into the capsular bag.

Results

Surgery was performed uneventfully on six eyes of four patients, affected by senile corticonuclear cataract. In all cases the operation was conducted without complications. All the IOLs were well centered.

Conclusions

The technique is safe and easy to replicate, however the shape of the injector plunger needs to be adequate.
Risk factors of infection of totally implantable venous access port: A retrospective study
Authors: Guan Xiaonan , Yan He , Zhang Jianjun , Li Yanbing , Zhou Yiming
Published: April 2022

Background:

Infection is the most frequent complication associated with the use of totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP). This retrospective study was conducted to determine the risk factors affecting TIVAP-related infection.

Methods:

A total of 1406 patients implanted with TIVAP at our center were included in this retrospective study. Incidence of perioperative infection, patient characteristics and bacteriologic data were retrieved and analyzed. Univariable analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine the risk factors.

Results:

Overall, 72 (5.1%) patients had perioperative infection, and TIVAP was finally removed from 12 (0.85%) patients. There was significantly more hematologic malignancy in the infection group, compared to the non-infection group. Patients with chemotherapy and infection within 30 days before operation also had more infections. There were more inpatients in the infection group than in the non-infection group. The rate of hematoma was higher in the infected patients. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that hematoma (OR 5.695, p < 0.001), preoperative hospital stay (⩾14d) (OR 2.945, p < 0.001), history of chemotherapy (OR 2.628, p = 0.002), history of infection (within 30 days) (OR 4.325, p < 0.001) were independent risk factor for infection.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated that hematoma, preoperative hospital stay (⩾14d), history of chemotherapy and history of infection (within 30 days) are independent risk factor for all patients.
Indigenous pedagogies and online learning environments: a massive open online course case study
Authors: Tessaro Danielle , Restoule Jean-Paul
Published: April 2022

This study is based on a massive open online course titled Aboriginal Worldviews in Education, which was created and instructed using various Indigenous pedagogies. Despite significant pedagogical differences between massive open online course and Indigenous pedagogical learning environments, this study builds the case that various Indigenous pedagogies can effectively be incorporated in a massive open online course. The study found that holistic pedagogies were effectively applied by centering course creation and instruction around Medicine Wheel teachings. The article details the various experiential and self-reflective activities that were applied to the massive open online course, and that were found to effectively address the spiritual, emotional, and physical quadrants of the Medicine Wheel that are normally overlooked in courses that stress intellectual learning. The article also suggests directions for the development and redevelopment of massive open online courses to better include Indigenous pedagogies.
Can participation in learning abroad mobility support pro-European Union attitudes among youth?
Authors: Öz Yakup , Van Praag Lore
Published: April 2022

The role of education in the development of pro-EU attitudes is often examined by focusing on the association of educational attainment and the development of pro-EU attitudes. However, student exchanges and youth mobility have also become pillars of the foundation of the European Higher Education Area, figuring out the Maastricht Treaty and the Bologna Declaration. Accordingly, based on a utilitarian approach, the current study investigates the role of participation in learning abroad mobility in the development of positive views on the EU. In doing so, Flash Eurobarometer 478 data was used and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed by student and non-students groups of youth in the new (NMS) and old (EU15) member states. The findings show that the role of participation depends on the degree of positive views, and it makes a significant contribution to having Very Positive views on the EU among non-students in both national groups and students in the NMS. Findings also demonstrate that participation is more important than consideration in the development of Very Positive views. So, even if respondents could have already been supportive of the EU before participation, participation also takes their positive views on the EU to a higher level.
Creating complementarities: How entrepreneurs mobilize crowdfunding and local ecosystems
Authors: Manning Stephan , Rauch Madeleine , Vavilov Stanislav
Published: April 2022

Entrepreneurs increasingly tap into both spatial and digital resource environments to mobilize critical resources in support of new ventures. Yet, we know surprisingly little about how entrepreneurs make joint use of these environments. Linking the recent debate on spatial and digital affordances to the resource mobilization literature, this study examines how entrepreneurs mobilize critical resources from local ecosystems and the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in complementary ways. We discuss two strategies of resource mobilization. (1) The circular strategy, which is mainly applied by social ventures, leverages community narratives and support for crowdfunding campaigns to strengthen and expand the very community support the campaigns are based on. (2) The cumulative strategy, which is mainly applied by commercial high-tech ventures, mobilizes the symbolic value of local institutional ties to attract crowdfunding backers and uses crowdfunding success to attract new resource-holders in local ecosystems. Our findings contribute to research on entrepreneurial resource mobilization and our understanding of the interplay of spatial and digital affordances.
A Novel Way of Measuring Dual-Task Interference: The Reliability and Construct Validity of the Dual-Task Effect Battery in Neurodegenerative Disease
Authors: Longhurst Jason K. , Rider John V. , Cummings Jeffrey L. , John Samantha E. , Poston Brach , Held Bradford Elissa C. , Landers Merrill R.
Published: April 2022

Background. Decreased automaticity is common among individuals with neurodegenerative disease and is often assessed using dual-task (DT) paradigms. However, the best methods for assessing performance changes related to DT demands remain inconclusive.

Objective. To investigate the reliability and validity of a novel battery of DT measures (DT Effect—Battery (DTE-B)) encompassing three domains: task-specific interference, task prioritization, and automaticity.

Methods. Data for this retrospective cross-sectional study included 125 participants with Parkinson’s disease (PD), 127 participants with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and 84 healthy older adults. Reliability analyses were conducted using a subset of each population. DTE-B measures were calculated from single and DT performance on the Timed Up and Go test and a serial subtraction task. Construct validity was evaluated via associations within the DTE-B and with theoretically supported measures as well as known-groups validity analyses.

Results. Good to excellent reliability was found for DTE-B measures of task interference (motor and cognitive DT effects) (ICCs≥.658) and automaticity (combined DT effect (cDTE)) (ICCs≥.938). Evidence for convergent validity was found with associations within the hypothesized constructs. Known-groups validity analyses revealed differences in the DTE-B among the healthy group and PD and AD groups ( ps≤.001), excepting task prioritization ( ps≥.061).

Conclusions. This study provides evidence to support the DTE-B as a reliable measure of multiple constructs pertinent to DT performance. The cDTE demonstrated evidence to support its validity as a measure of automaticity. Further investigation of the utility of the DTE-B in both PD and AD, as well as other populations, is warranted.
Evaluation of AI-Based Segmentation Tools for COVID-19 Lung Lesions on Conventional and Ultra-low Dose CT Scans
Authors: Aiello Marco , Baldi Dario , Esposito Giuseppina , Valentino Marika , Randon Marco , Salvatore Marco , Cavaliere Carlo
Published: April 2022

A reliable diagnosis and accurate monitoring are pivotal steps for treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Chest computed tomography (CT) has been considered a crucial diagnostic imaging technique for the injury assessment of the viral pneumonia. Furthermore, the automatization of the segmentation methods for lung alterations helps to speed up the diagnosis and lighten radiologists’ workload. Considering the assiduous pathology monitoring, ultra-low dose (ULD) chest CT protocols have been implemented to drastically reduce the radiation burden. Unfortunately, the available AI technologies have not been trained on ULD-CT data and validated and their applicability deserves careful evaluation. Therefore, this work aims to compare the results of available AI tools (BCUnet, CORADS AI, NVIDIA CLARA Train SDK and CT Pneumonia Analysis) on a dataset of 73 CT examinations acquired both with conventional dose (CD) and ULD protocols. COVID-19 volume percentage, resulting from each tool, was statistically compared. This study demonstrated high comparability of the results on CD-CT and ULD-CT data among the four AI tools, with high correlation between the results obtained on both protocols (R > .68, P < .001, for all AI tools).
Far from the eyes, far from the heart: COVID-19 confinement dampened sensitivity to painful facial features
Authors: Antico Lia , Corradi-Dell’Acqua Corrado
Published: April 2022

In the last 2 years, governments of many countries imposed heavy social restrictions to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, with consequent increase of bad mood, distress, or depression for the people involved. Few studies investigated the impact of these restrictive measures on individual social proficiency, and specifically the processing of emotional facial information, leading to mixed results. The present research aimed at investigating systematically whether, and to which extent, social isolation influences the processing of facial expressions. To this end, we manipulated the social exclusion experimentally through the well-known Cyberball game (within-subject factor), and we exploited the occurrence of the lockdown for the Swiss COVID-19 first wave by recruiting participants before and after being restricted at home (grouping factor). We then tested whether either form of social segregation influenced the processing of pain, disgust, or neutral expressions, across multiple tasks probing access to different components of affective facial responses (state-specific, shared across states). We found that the lockdown (but not game-induced exclusion) affected negatively the processing of pain-specific information, without influencing other components of the affective facial response related to disgust or broad unpleasantness. In addition, participants recruited after the confinement reported lower scores in empathy questionnaires. These results suggest that social isolation affected negatively individual sensitivity to other people’s affect and, with specific reference to the processing of facial expressions, the processing of pain-diagnostic information.
The pre- and post-pitch-entry physical and technical responses of rugby league interchange players according to starting status
Authors: Hills Samuel P. , Crang Zachary L. , Russell Mark , Johnston Rich D.
Published: April 2022

This study quantified the activities of interchange players during the 15 min before and 20 min after initial pitch-entry (INTentry) or re-entry (INTre−entry) for substitutes and starters, respectively, and identified relationships between pre- and post-pitch-entry responses. Fourteen semi-professional rugby league players wore Microelectromechanical Systems and were filmed throughout 10 matches in which they were interchanged (68 observations). Twelve physical and technical variables were analyzed for the pre-match warm-up, five, 10, and 15 min before INTentry or INTre−entry (physical variables only), and five min epochs following match-introduction. Linear mixed models indicated that during the 0–5 min following INTentry, physical and technical responses were typically greater (∼7.1% to 66.3%) than subsequent epochs while total (∼6.2%) and high-speed (37.1%) distance also exceeded the 0–5 min after INTre−entry (p < 0.05). Edge forwards reached higher peak speeds (11.4% to 11.7%) than hookers and middle forwards, but hookers completed more passes (87.4% to 90.5%). Pre-pitch-entry movements were positively associated with post-pitch-entry tackles (r = 0.43 to 0.49) and high-speed distance (r = 0.46), but negatively associated with total distance (r = −0.32 to −0.68). Within tolerable limits, increasing the activity performed during the ∼15 min before pitch-entry could benefit high-speed match-play performance indicators. Transient changes in post-pitch-entry physical and technical responses could reflect self-pacing strategies, contextual factors, or perceived preparedness. The apparent absence of progressive performance-limiting fatigue, characterized by a plateau in responses after the initial five min following INTentry or INTre−entry, may suggest a role for interchange players to provide a more sustained impact and thus achieve interchange objectives.
The Demand for Specialization and Its Influence on the Design of Inpatient Nursing Units: Can Standardized Design Be Done Once and for All?
Authors: Xuan Xiaodong , Duan Xiaoxia , Feng Zihao
Published: April 2022

Objectives:

This study explores the specialized nursing requirements of different clinical departments and their influence on the design of nursing units, which ultimately improves the nursing staff’s efficiency and work experience.

Background:

Specialization of nursing work is important in the provision of quality of healthcare. Most of the research related to nursing units has focuses on general medical–surgical nursing units and has not differentiated between clinical departments.

Method:

This study was conducted in one inpatient building at a large general hospital in China. Survey data were collected from 11 clinical departments via questionnaire, and interviews were conducted in 10 of the clinical departments.

Results:

All 11 clinical departments had significant differences in their evaluations of and requirements for the arrangement of their physical space. Specialized requirements were found in three areas: nursing work processes, arrangement and needs of clinical spaces, and allocation of facilities and equipment.

Conclusion:

Evaluation of the specialized requirements of different clinical departments would contribute to the body of knowledge on nursing unit design and has a positive effect on the development and improvement of design theory. Suggestions for how the design of nursing units could be improved to support the specialized demands of different departments are provided.
Factors predicting 12-month retention in care for minority women living with HIV
Authors: Ingram Mercedes V. , Amodei Nancy , Perez Veronica Villela , German Victor
Published: April 2022

Objectives:

Retention in HIV medical care is associated with improved clinical outcomes and reduced mortality. The present study was conducted to identify significant predictors of 1-year retention in care for a sample of minority women whose engagement in HIV care at baseline varied along the care continuum from newly diagnosed to lost-to-care.

Methods:

One hundred sixty-five cisgender and transgender women living with HIV in a southern US state were offered a multicomponent retention intervention that included outreach, medical case management (MCM), patient navigation services (PN), and a group intervention for stigma. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed to identify baseline and intervention predictors of retention in care at 12 months following enrollment.

Results:

Multilevel logistic regression analysis revealed that baseline characteristics such as working significantly reduced the odds of being retained as did increasing CD4 counts. However, greater amounts of patient navigation and medical case management services received increased the odds of being retained.

Conclusion:

MCM services designed to accelerate coordination and linkage or re-linkage to primary care and PN services to help navigate the complex system of HIV offered in the present study are particularly effective for minority women who lack health insurance, have low CD4 counts, and are unemployed.
A ubiquitous healthcare system of 3D printing facilities for making dentures: Application of type-II fuzzy logic
Authors: Chiu Min-Chi , Chen Tin-Chih Toly
Published: April 2022

A ubiquitous healthcare (UH) system of multiple 3D printing facilities is established in this study for making dentures. The UH system receives orders from dental clinics, and then distributes the dentures to be printed among 3D printing facilities to save time. Compared with existing systems for similar purposes, the UH system has two novel features. The first is the consideration of the possibility of reprinting in formulating the plan to avoid replanning. The other is the cooperation with home delivery services that have gradually become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic to save transportation time. The new features are subject to considerable uncertainties. To account for the uncertainties, both printing time and transportation time are modelled using interval type-II trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Subsequently, an interval type-II fuzzy mixed integer-linear programming (FMILP) model is formulated and optimized to plan the operations of the UH system. A case study has been conducted to illustrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. According to experimental results, the proposed methodology was able to shorten the order fulfillment time by up to 9%.
Neighborhood socioeconomic status, relative household income, and life satisfaction of Chinese mainland migrants in Hong Kong
Authors: Zeng Donglin , Zhang Zhuoni
Published: April 2022

This paper examines the life satisfaction of Chinese mainland migrants compared to that of Hong Kong natives, using microdata from the 2011 Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics (HKPSSD) and aggregated neighborhood data from the 2011 Hong Kong Census. We find that Chinese mainland migrants have significantly lower life satisfaction than Hong Kong natives. As neighborhood socioeconomic status rises, life satisfaction increases, yet the positive effect is smaller for Chinese mainland migrants than for Hong Kong natives. Relative household income in the neighborhood is also positively related to life satisfaction, but the effect is larger for Chinese mainland migrants, suggesting that relative status affects life satisfaction much more for Chinese mainland migrants than for Hong Kong natives.
China Survey Report on High Schools' Online Learning Status During the Pandemic
Authors: Guo Congbin , Xu Zhuzhu , Fang Chenchen , Qin Bo
Published: April 2022

Highlights

We examined the results of a large-scale national survey of online secondary education in China. The online survey of 33,194 high school students and 5,667 teachers has provided comprehensive and representative data regarding the quality of online education and its implementation during the pandemic. Questionnaire surveys administered to students and teachers in different grades and comparative analysis of different cohorts revealed group heterogeneity of the online learning effect. The findings have elucidated the emergency teaching situation in China during the pandemic, yielding targeted suggestions for school education following the resumption of classes.
Correlation of tibiofemoral joint-space width with the clinico-radiological scoring of knee osteoarthritis – a comparison between anteroposterior and lyon-schuss radiographic views
Authors: Jalan Divesh , Gupta Akshat , Khera Pushpinder , Saxena Suvinay , Maley Deepak , Elhence Abhay
Published: April 2022

Background

The degree of joint space narrowing measured on radiographs provide a reliable estimate of the extent and severity of Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. While the standing antero-posterior (AP) view radiographs have been used traditionally, recent studies suggest that the Lyon-Schuss (LS) view is able to detect early OA changes better. The present study was, therefore, conducted to make an objective comparison between the two views with respect to their corelation with the patient's clinical and radiological scores.

Methods

Forty patients (80 knees) were included in this cross-sectional study. Medial as well as lateral tibiofemoral joint space widths (JSW) were measured using vernier callipers on printed, calibrated radiographic images. Knee Society Score (Function) (KSS-F) was used as the clinical outcome measure while Ahlbäck grade was used for determining radiological severity. JSW was correlated with KSS-F and the Ahlbäck grade using Spearman's rho correlation coefficient. Reproducibility of the method was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results

Average age of the participants was 60 ± 7.65 (range 50–78) years, with 18 males and 22 females. ICC for intraobserver reliability was 0.97 and for inter-observer reliability, was 0.91 (AP view) and 0.92 (LS view), respectively. Medial JSW measurements taken on the AP view were found to have a significantly higher degree of correlation with both KSS-F and Ahlbäck grade ( p  < 0.05) than those obtained from the LS view.

Conclusion

Although the LS view may be more sensitive for detecting early OA changes in knee, particularly in the lateral tibiofemoral compartment, the present study shows that AP view correlates better with the patient's overall clinical and radiological profile.
Pandemics and Patients with Chronic Diseases: A Study on the Health Care System in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Authors: Kumari Rakhi , Bhattacharyya Subhra
Published: April 2022

COVID-19 lockdown had an impact on access to essential health care services, especially for people suffering from chronic diseases. Non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, anaemia etc. posed many inconveniences to the patients and the health care system during this pandemic situation. This study records the response of the islanders regarding their experiences during the lockdown, and keeping the island situation in purview, it also suggests some preparedness measures for the future.

To highlight the problems faced by these patients during the lockdown, a study was conducted in two different areas of Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Andaman and Nicobar Administration provided utmost care during this period that included preventive and supportive health care services to each household and all communities residing in the remote islands too. Several measures were taken to control the spread of infection among the islanders. As the focus shifted towards handling the COVID patients, there had been certain problems faced by chronically ill patients and their need for health care. The study was taken up in two villages in Port Blair, that is, Dairy Farm and Junglighat. In this study, it was observed that 41% of the males and 35% of the females suffer from hypertension and 36% of males and 44% of females suffer diabetes, respectively, in the study area, and 16.6% suffer from both these diseases. Pearson’s correlation calculated between hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease of male and female patients of all age groups shows a strong positive correlation. The results are significant at p < 0.05. During lockdown, several of them faced problems, as they were reluctant to visit health centres for the fear of contracting the disease. The virus being more harmful to comorbid conditions, these patients required additional attention. Numerous patients, who were referred to mainland India for treatment, as advanced medical facilities that were unavailable on the island, could not go due to the unavailability of transport during the period of lockdown. This aggravated the burden of these diseases enormously.

There must be a way where the Island’s health sector can provide access to regular essential health care services to people suffering from chronic diseases during health disaster as such. Their health care should not be restricted and then the fear and commotion in the minds of people regarding their health can be resolved.
The Impact of Health Professionals’ Language on Patient Experience: A Case Study
Authors: Katz Naomi T. , Jones Jade , Mansfield Leanne , Gold Michelle
Published: April 2022

When people become patients, they become vulnerable to their healthcare system and healthcare clinicians. In this case study, we describe an example of patient distress caused by language overheard in the perioperative environment. Clinicians need to be mindful that the language we use may have a significant impact on patient experience, be it during direct conversation or from conversations overheard. This is an important component of patient-centered care.
Ribociclib-Induced Pseudo-Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Sy-Go Janina Paula T. , Yarandi Niloufarsadat , Schwartz Gary L. , Herrmann Sandra M.
Published: April 2022

The combination of endocrine therapy and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors is currently one of the preferred first-line regimens for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. CDK 4/6 inhibitors can cause serum creatinine (SCr) elevation and corresponding estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reduction without affecting kidney function by inhibiting tubular secretory transporters in the kidneys—a phenomenon called pseudo-acute kidney injury (pseudo-AKI). We report a case of a 69-year old woman found to have elevated SCr while on ribociclib for treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Further evaluation with cystatin C-based eGFR and measured GFR by urinary iothalamate clearance revealed values close to her baseline Cr-based eGFR prior to initiation of treatment with ribociclib. She was therefore diagnosed with ribociclib-induced pseudo-AKI. Treatment with ribociclib was continued with steady favorable response. This case highlights that, in addition to true AKI, ribociclib can cause pseudo-AKI. Alternative methods of kidney function assessment may be necessary in patients who develop elevated SCr while on this medication to help discriminate between artifactual and true kidney function impairment. Doing so can help avoid unnecessary work-up and/or premature discontinuation of the treatment.
Understanding Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate’s protective effect against Cisplatin-induced toxic side effects in Rats
Authors: Al Masri Nasser , AlMadani Abdullah , Hussien Fuad , Alkhlaiwi Ahmad Ali , Azmi Sarfuddin
Published: April 2022

Through the examination of biochemical parameters (creatinine and BUN) and oxidative stress values (TBRAS, Catalase activity, and GSH), we have attempted to evaluate the protective effect of PDTC against toxic consequences of CIS treatment. In the study, animals (Rats Wistar) were randomly assigned to one of four groups of six animals each: untreated or treated with vehicle (group-1), treated with PDTC (group-2), treated with CIS (group-3), and treated with a combination of CIS and PDTC (group-4). In this study, two tissues were chosen to investigate oxidative stress (a toxic side effect), and these tissues were the kidney and the ileum. In CIS treatment, the level of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) exponentially increased and simultaneous treatment of CIS and PDTC restored their levels. Similarly, treatment of CIS, considerably increases lipid peroxidation, i.e., TBRAS level in both tissue Kidney and intestine, however, treatment in the combination of PDTC, substantially retained their level similar to the vehicle-treated group. In contrast, Catalase activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were compromised in the kidney after CIS treatment, but significantly increased in the intestinal tissue compared to the untreated group, and treatment with PDTC restored Catalase activity and GSH levels in both tissues to levels comparable to the untreated group. Thus, the study indicated that oxidative stress is caused by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) or a depleted antioxidant system, or both, which ultimately result in side toxic effects toward the different organs.
Seismic gap between buildings founded on different soil types experiencing pounding during earthquakes
Authors: Miari Mahmoud , Jankowski Robert
Published: April 2022

Several formulas have been suggested in the literature to evaluate the minimum seismic gap that would prevent collisions between adjacent buildings during earthquakes, including those based on the absolute sum of the peak displacements (ABS), square root of the sum of the squares (SRSS), the double difference (DDC) method, Australian code, and approach proposed by Naderpour et al. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the influence of the seismic gap on the behavior of buildings experiencing pounding, as well as verify the accuracy of these five formulas for structures founded on different soil types. Three buildings (4-story, 6-story, and 8-story buildings) were considered and three pounding scenarios were modeled. In the first part of the study, these three pounding scenarios were analyzed by considering three different seismic gaps (1 mm, 1 cm, and 1 m). In the second part, the accuracy of the aforementioned formulas was verified for buildings founded on different soil types (hard rock, rock, very dense soil and soft rock, stiff soil, and soft clay soil). The results indicated that the seismic gap had a significant influence on the response of colliding buildings, including the peak story accelerations and pounding forces. Moreover, increasing the gap did not always lead to a reduction in the effects of pounding, unless it was large enough to eliminate structural collisions during earthquakes. In addition, all five formulas were found to provide poor estimates when considering different soil types. The ABS and the Naderpour et al. formulas were found to always be conservative, but they overestimated the minimum gap that would prevent pounding. Moreover, the DDC and Australian code formulas provided overestimate, accurate, and underestimate results, and the SRSS formula provided both accurate and overestimate results.
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on severe asthma care in Europe: will care change for good?
Authors: Eger Katrien , Paroczai Dora , Bacon Alison , Schleich Florence , Sergejeva Svetlana , Bourdin Arnaud , Vachier Isabelle , Zervas Eleftherios , Katsoulis Konstantinos , Papapetrou Dimosthenis , Kostikas Konstantinos , Csoma Zsuzsanna , Heffler Enrico , Canonica Giorgio Walter , Grisle Ineta , Bieksiene Kristina , Palacionyte Jolita , ten Brinke Anneke , Hashimoto Simone , Smeenk Frank W.J.M. , Braunstahl Gert-Jan , van der Sar Simone , Mihălţan Florin , Nenasheva Natalia , Peredelskaya Marina , Zvezdin Biljana , Čekerevac Ivan , Hromiš Sanja , Ćupurdija Vojislav , Lazic Zorica , Milenkovic Branislava , Dimic-Janjic Sanja , Yasinska Valentyna , Dahlén Barbro , Bossios Apostolos , Lazarinis Nikolaos , Aronsson David , Egesten Arne , Munir Abul Kashem Mohammad , Ahlbeck Lars , Janson Christer , Škrgat Sabina , Edelbaher Natalija , Leuppi Joerg , Jaun Fabienne , Rüdiger Jochen , Pavlov Nikolay , Gianella Pietro , Fischer Reta , Charbonnier Florian , Chaudhuri Rekha , Smith Steven James , Doe Simon , Fawdon Michelle , Masoli Matthew , Heaney Liam , Haitchi Hans Michael , Kurukulaaratchy Ramesh , Fulton Olivia , Frankemölle Betty , Gibson Toni , Needham Karen , Howarth Peter , Djukanovic Ratko , Bel Elisabeth , Hyland Michael
Published: April 2022

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put pressure on healthcare services, forcing the reorganisation of traditional care pathways. We investigated how physicians taking care of severe asthma patients in Europe reorganised care, and how these changes affected patient satisfaction, asthma control and future care.

Methods

In this European-wide cross-sectional study, patient surveys were sent to patients with a physician-diagnosis of severe asthma, and physician surveys to severe asthma specialists between November 2020 and May 2021.

Results

1101 patients and 268 physicians from 16 European countries contributed to the study. Common physician-reported changes in severe asthma care included use of video/phone consultations (46%), reduced availability of physicians (43%) and change to home-administered biologics (38%). Change to phone/video consultations was reported in 45% of patients, of whom 79% were satisfied or very satisfied with this change. Of 709 patients on biologics, 24% experienced changes in biologic care, of whom 92% were changed to home-administered biologics and of these 62% were satisfied or very satisfied with this change. Only 2% reported worsening asthma symptoms associated with changes in biologic care. Many physicians expect continued implementation of video/phone consultations (41%) and home administration of biologics (52%).

Conclusions

Change to video/phone consultations and home administration of biologics was common in severe asthma care during the COVID-19 pandemic and was associated with high satisfaction levels in most but not all cases. Many physicians expect these changes to continue in future severe asthma care, though satisfaction levels may change after the pandemic.
Severe pulmonary hypertension associated with lung disease is characterised by a loss of small pulmonary vessels on quantitative computed tomography
Authors: Alkhanfar Dheyaa , Shahin Yousef , Alandejani Faisal , Dwivedi Krit , Alabed Samer , Johns Chris , Lawrie Allan , Thompson A.A. Roger , Rothman Alexander M.K. , Tschirren Juerg , Uthoff Johanna M. , Hoffman Eric , Condliffe Robin , Wild Jim M. , Kiely David G. , Swift Andrew J.
Published: April 2022

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with chronic lung disease (CLD) predicts reduced functional status, clinical worsening and increased mortality, with patients with severe PH-CLD (≥35 mmHg) having a significantly worse prognosis than mild to moderate PH-CLD (21–34 mmHg). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the association between computed tomography (CT)-derived quantitative pulmonary vessel volume, PH severity and disease aetiology in CLD.

Methods

Treatment-naïve patients with CLD who underwent CT pulmonary angiography, lung function testing and right heart catheterisation were identified from the ASPIRE registry between October 2012 and July 2018. Quantitative assessments of total pulmonary vessel and small pulmonary vessel volume were performed.

Results

90 patients had PH-CLD including 44 associated with COPD/emphysema and 46 with interstitial lung disease (ILD). Patients with severe PH-CLD (n=40) had lower small pulmonary vessel volume compared to patients with mild to moderate PH-CLD (n=50). Patients with PH-ILD had significantly reduced small pulmonary blood vessel volume, compared to PH-COPD/emphysema. Higher mortality was identified in patients with lower small pulmonary vessel volume.

Conclusion

Patients with severe PH-CLD, regardless of aetiology, have lower small pulmonary vessel volume compared to patients with mild–moderate PH-CLD, and this is associated with a higher mortality. Whether pulmonary vessel changes quantified by CT are a marker of remodelling of the distal pulmonary vasculature requires further study.
Safety of prolonged treatment with bedaquiline in programmatic conditions
Authors: Zhurkin Dzmitriy , Gurbanova Elmira , Campbell Jonathon R. , Menzies Dick , Setkina Svetlana , Hurevich Hennadz , Solodovnikova Varvara , Viatushka Dzmitry , Altraja Alan , Skrahina Alena
Published: April 2022

Bedaquiline is now considered a first-line medicine for treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB). We evaluated the safety of treatment with bedaquiline for longer than 190 days in individuals with RR-TB under programmatic conditions.

In a prospective cohort study enrolling pulmonary RR-TB patients, we initiated bedaquiline-based treatment at a tertiary hospital in Belarus. We defined standard bedaquiline use as <190 days and prolonged as ≥190 days. We recorded adverse events (AEs) and classified their seriousness and relation to bedaquiline. Our primary outcome in regression analyses was the incidence of serious AEs occurring within 5 months of bedaquiline cessation. We used generalised estimating equations to estimate the adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) of serious AEs between the prolonged and standard bedaquiline groups.

We enrolled 113 patients, 83 (73%) of whom received standard and 30 (27%) received prolonged treatment. A total of 2030 AEs occurred during treatment. Of these, 63 (3.1%) were serious AEs occurring within 5 months of bedaquiline cessation; QTcF prolongation was the most common bedaquiline-related serious AE. The incidence of serious AEs per 100 person-months was 5.4 (3.9 to 7.2) in the standard group and 4.4 (2.6 to 7.0) in the prolonged group. In adjusted analyses, serious AEs were no different (aIRR: 0.82, 95% CI 0.42–1.61) in the prolonged group. One patient in the standard bedaquiline group died of acute cardiopulmonary failure deemed possibly related to bedaquiline.

Prolonged use of bedaquiline under programmatic conditions appears safe. Clinicians should carefully monitor QTcF interval since its prolongation was commonly observed.
Algorithm for DNA sequence assembly by quantum annealing
Authors: Nałęcz-Charkiewicz Katarzyna , Nowak Robert M.
Published: April 2022

Background

The assembly task is an indispensable step in sequencing genomes of new organisms and studying structural genomic changes. In recent years, the dynamic development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods raises hopes for making whole-genome sequencing a fast and reliable tool used, for example, in medical diagnostics. However, this is hampered by the slowness and computational requirements of the current processing algorithms, which raises the need to develop more efficient algorithms. One possible approach, still little explored, is the use of quantum computing.

Results

We present a proof of concept of de novo assembly algorithm, using the Genomic Signal Processing approach, detecting overlaps between DNA reads by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient and formulating the assembly problem as an optimization task (Traveling Salesman Problem). Computations performed on a classic computer were compared with the results achieved by a hybrid method combining CPU and QPU calculations. For this purpose quantum annealer by D-Wave was used. The experiments were performed with artificially generated data and DNA reads coming from a simulator, with actual organism genomes used as input sequences. To our knowledge, this work is one of the few where actual sequences of organisms were used to study the de novo assembly task on quantum annealer.

Conclusions

Proof of concept carried out by us showed that the use of quantum annealer (QA) for the de novo assembly task might be a promising alternative to the computations performed in the classical model. The current computing power of the available devices requires a hybrid approach (combining CPU and QPU computations). The next step may be developing a hybrid algorithm strictly dedicated to the de novo assembly task, using its specificity (e.g. the sparsity and bounded degree of the overlap-layout-consensus graph).
RNA-seq coupling two different methods of castration reveals new insights into androgen deficiency-caused degeneration of submaxillary gland in male Sprague Dawley rats
Authors: Han Xingfa , Xia Xue , Zhuo Yong , Hua Lun , Yu Guozhi , Bu Guixian , Cao Xiaohan , Du XiaoGang , Liang Qiuxia , Zeng Xianyin , Meng Fengyan
Published: April 2022

Background

Salivary gland (SMG) degeneration and dysfunction are common symptoms that occur after sex hormone deprivation, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Additionally, immunocastration, which causes drop of sex hormones, has been developed as an alternative to surgical castration, however whether it exerts similar effects as surgical castration on the salivary glands is unknown. Through histological and RNA-seq analysis, we assessed changes in morphology and transcriptome of SMG in response to immunocastration (IM) versus surgical castration (bilateral orchiectomy, ORC).

Results

Compared to entire males (EM), ORC caused severe degeneration of SMG in rats, as evidenced by both decreased (P < 0.01) SMG weight and organ index, and by decreased (P < 0.01) quantity of SMG acini and ducts. IM had minimal effects (P > 0.05) on SMG weight and organ index, but it still caused degeneration (P < 0.05) of the acini and ducts. Even though, the quantity of both SMG acini and ducts was much higher (P < 0.001) in IM than in ORC. Functional enrichment analysis of the common regulated genes by ORC/IM revealed disrupted epithelial cell development, angiogenesis, anatomical structure morphogenesis and enhanced cell death are associated with SMG degeneration in deprivation of androgens. Integrated data analysis shown that there existed a selective hyperfunction of SMG ribosome and mitochondrion in ORC but not in IM, which might be associated with more severe degeneration of SMG in ORC than in IM.

Conclusions

Our findings suggested that both surgical castration and immunocastration caused SMG degeneration by disrupting epithelial cell development, angiogenesis, anatomical structure morphogenesis and enhancing cell death. But, surgical castration selectively induced hyperfunction of SMG ribosome and mitochondrion, thus causing more severe degeneration of SMG than immunocastration.
Physiological attributes and transcriptomics analyses reveal the mechanism response of Helictotrichon virescens to low temperature stress
Authors: Cheng Mingjun , Cui Kuoshu , Zheng Mingmin , Yang Tao , Zheng Junjun , Li Xiaofeng , Luo Xuan , Zhou Yang , Zhang Ruizhen , Yan Donghai , Yao Mingjiu , Iqbal Muhammad Zafar , Zhou Qingping , He Ruyu
Published: April 2022

Background

Helictotrichon virescens is a perennial grass that is primarily distributed in high altitude areas of 2000 ~ 4500 m. It is widely cultivated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China, strongly resistant to cold, and an essential part of the wild herbs in this region. However, the molecular mechanism of the response of H. virescens to low temperature stress and the key regulatory genes for specific biological processes are poorly understood.

Results

Physiological and transcriptome analyses were used to study the cold stress response mechanism in H virescens. During the low temperature stress period, the content of chlorophyll a and b decreased more and more with the delay of the treatment time. Among them, the difference between the controls was not significant, and the difference between the control and the treatment was significant. At the same time, the expression of related differential genes was up-regulated during low temperature treatment. In addition, the plant circadian pathway is crucial for their response to cold stress. The expression of differentially expressed genes that encode LHY and HY5 were strongly up-regulated during cold stress.

Conclusions

This study should help to fully understand how H. virescens responds to low temperatures. It answers pertinent questions in the response of perennial herbs to cold stress, i.e., how light and low temperature signals integrate to regulate plant circadian rhythms and Decrease of content of chlorophylls (which can be also accompanied with decrease of total quantity of reaction centers) leads to an increase in photosynthetic damage.