bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Airborne and Gastrointestinal Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 Pathways
Authors: Santa-Coloma Tomás
Published: April 2020

Since there is not a clear consensus about the possibility for COVID-2 to be an airborne disease, exists a controversy regarding the need to use surgical masks to prevent its spread. Here, using the Kepler conjecture for ideal packaging, the number of virions of different sizes that can be accommodated inside droplets was calculated and are proportional to the 3rd potency of the droplet/virion diameter. The differences between particles of 5 um and 100 μm are around four orders of magnitude, explaining why the airborne spread is much more difficult but still possible. There is no solid evidence yet that the airborne coronaviruses may reach enough concentration to infect, but this may be the case under certain circumstances. The WHO partially recognizes now this fact in a warning to health workers (from my point of view too late, as it was the declaration of a pandemic). Another issue is whether the virus stays infective in aerosols generated from patients. This has not been directly proved yet except with artificial aerosols, but there are no reasons why the virus cannot remain in the air and be infective if the viral charge and time of exposure are enough. We must also consider whether the virus can infect the intestine; there are some signs in this sense. Finally, and most importantly, we need to reduce interactions by using surgical masks to flatten the curve, leave the quarantine and avoid a rebound. For cultural reasons, a social distance of 2 meters (2M) is extremely hard to manage. Surgical masks do reduce the interactions in conditions of proximity and, therefore, help to “flatten the curve”. The WHO and CDC “laissez-faire” on this matter do not help and we are running out of time. Anticipated actions, such as the use of surgical masks for the general population, are critical.
EFFECT OF WATER SALINITY ON TISSUE MINERALISATION IN PENAEUS VANNAMEI (BOONE, 1931)
Authors: Jannathulla R. , Syama Dayal J. , Ambasankar K. , Chitra V. , Muralidhr M.
Published: April 2020

A 45-days indoor laboratory trial was performed with juveniles of Penaeus vannamei (3.11±0.64 g) to evaluate the effect of salinity on mineral contents in different tissues. Juveniles of P. vannamei were acclimatised to different salinity levels of 3, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60, using sea salt or freshwater at the rate of 2 per day from the original salinity. A total of 45 pre-acclimatised shrimps were taken for each treatment with three replications. At the end of the experimental period, shrimps were dissected to remove hepatopancreas, muscle and exoskeleton after collecting haemolymph; which were subjected to mineral analysis by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Calcium deposition was reduced by 55 and 40% in muscle and exoskeleton, respectively, whereas it increased by 142% in hepatopancreas of shrimp reared in 60 compared to 20 salinity. Magnesium and sodium content increased with increasing salinity in all the tissues except in muscle. Of all the macro elements, phosphorus (7.66 to 9.17 g kg-1) was high in muscle and calcium was predominant in exoskeleton (44.30 to 79.98 g kg-1) while sodium dominated in haemolymph (159.34-327.73 mmol l-1) compared to other elements. Shrimps reared in various salinities did not show significant difference in nutritional value in terms of mineral content in muscle. Results indicated that P. vannamei is a very efficient osmoregulator in low saline environment, in particular at 10 to 30 compared to the extreme high saline environment (60).
EFFECT OF SALINITY ACCLIMATISATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF HORMONES ON OOCYTE MATURATION, OVULATION AND SPAWNING OF GOLDSPOT MULLET LIZA PARSIA (HAMILTON, 1822) REARED IN BRACKISHWATER POND
Authors: Kumar Prem , Biswas G. , Ghoshal T.K. , Christina L. , Behera P. , Kailasam M.
Published: April 2020

In this study, anTwo separate experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of salinity acclimatisation and administration of hormones on oocyte growth of Liza parsia (Hamilton, 1822). In the first experiment, broodstock fishes in the sex ratio of 2:1 (male:female) were acclimatised to 30 ppt salinity (which is the desired salinity for breeding L. parsia) in 24, 48 and 72 h of duration (n=6). Oocyte diameter from the experimental fishes were measured before and after salinity acclimatisation. The results showed that the acclimatisation to breeding salinity reduced oocyte diameter (p<0.05) in female fish and increased sperm relative mortality (p<0.05) in male fish. In the second experiment, males and females in the similar sex ratio (2:1) were acclimatised to the desired salinity of 30 ppt in 24 h. Subsequently, carp pituitary gland extract (PGE), human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), combination of PGE+HCG and luteinising hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) with dopamine antagonist (DA) metoclopramide were injected intramuscularly, The dosages used were: PGE- 0.01 and 0.02 mg g-1; HCG - 20 and 40 IU g-1, LHRHa - 10 and 20 µg kg-1 as primary and secondary doses, respectively. Metoclopramide was injected at the dose of 15 mg kg-1 along with LHRHa. Results of the second experiment indicated that the administration of PGE or PGE+HCG is essential for final oocyte maturation and ovulation in salinity acclimatised L. parsia.
EFFECTIVE UTILISATION OF POULTRY BYPRODUCT MEAL AS AN INGREDIENT IN THE DIET OF GENETICALLY IMPROVED FARMED TILAPIA (GIFT), CULTURED IN RESERVOIR CAGES IN TAMIL NADU, SSOUTH INDIA
Authors: Felix N. , Prabu E. , Upadhyay Aurobinda
Published: April 2020

Evaluation of efficiency of poultry byproduct meal (PBM) as alternative protein source by replacing fish meal (FM) in the diets of GIFT strain of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was carried out in cages installed in Poondi Reservoir, Tamil Nadu, South India. Six isonitrogenous (30% protein) and isolipidic (7% lipid) diets were formulated using graded levels of PBM protein to replace FM protein. Each diet was fed to two replicate groups of GIFT tilapia with mean initial weight of 20.38±0.0678 g, for 60 days in cages. The best growth performances in terms of mean weight gain (116.72 g), best food conversion ratio (FCR, 1.14) and maximum hepatosomatic index (HIS, 2.47) values were observed in GIFT tilapia fed PBM diet with 40% fish meal replacement. However, no significant (p>0.05) differences were observed in the whole body proximate composition of fish fed control and treatment diets. It was concluded that, poultry byproduct meal can replace 40% fish meal protein in the diets of GIFT tilapia cultured in reservoir cages without compromising growth, FCR and whole body proximate composition. The study suggests that poultry byproduct meal could effectively replace fish meal without affecting growth and feed conversion of the fish. The findings thus may pave a productive way for reducing environmental pressure of disposal of slaughter house waste.
DETERMINANTS OF AGRICULTURE-RELATED LOAN DEFAULT: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA
Authors: Yin Zhichao , Meng Lei , Sha Yezhou
Published: April 2020

This paper investigates agriculture-related loan default in 2002–2009 through a largedata set from a leading Chinese state-owned bank. Using logit regression, we findthe default rate on agriculture-related loans is significantly higher than that on non–agriculture-related loans. We find that base interest rates, loan maturity, the typeof collateral, firm size, ownership structure, and managerial quality rating have asignificant impact on agriculture-related loan default, but this also depends on howagriculture-related loans are defined. The results provide insight into the real impactof monetary policy on agriculture-related lending.
INCOME EXPECTATIONS, CREDIT TO HOUSEHOLDS, AND PROPERTY PRICES: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA AND BRAZIL
Authors: Ali Ahmed Huson
Published: April 2020

We investigate the long-term cointegration relation between residential property prices,household credit expansion, and household income expectations and identify thechannels through which income expectation impacts residential property prices in theshort term for Indonesia and Brazil. We find that improved income expectations raisethe demand for credit, impacting residential property prices. Similar improvementsin income expectations also serve as important indicators for credit policy decisions,making more funding available to the household sector against the backdrop of risingproperty prices. In the short run, property prices respond significantly to one-timeshocks in income expectations in Indonesia, while credit to households respondspositively to property prices and private consumption expenditures in Brazil.
SPREAD OF ICT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES: A PANEL STUDY
Authors: Makun Keshmeer Kanewar , Jayaraman T K
Published: April 2020

This paper investigates the impact of information and communications technology(ICT) on economic growth in Pacific Island countries by employing an augmentedproduction function model and panel data analysis from 2002 to 2017. The empiricalfindings reveal that ICT-related indicators have a positive and significant impact on theeconomic growth process, along with the fundamental variable of capital stock. Theeffect of control variables such as foreign direct investment and exports have a positiveeffect on the real gross domestic product per capita, whereas inflation has a negativeeffect. The sensitivity evaluation of ICT indicators with different control variablesproduces consistent evidence of ICT’s effect on economic growth. Policymakersas well as ICT stakeholders should enhance investments for improving ICT-relatedinfrastructure and promoting technology to boost economic growth in Pacific Islandcountries.
INCOME STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN INDONESIA
Authors: Ali Mohsin , Khattak Mudeer Ahmed
Published: April 2020

Banks have tried to compensate for the decline in their profits due to increasedcompetition by shifting their focus toward non-intermediation activities. This paperassesses the impact of these non-intermediation activities on the profitability and riskof Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia. We use a system generalized methodof moments estimator to control for the simultaneity for all the banks in our samplefor the period from 2007 to 2017. Our results suggest that non-intermediation incomehas a positive impact on bank performance. We find no difference between Islamicand conventional banks in terms of the link between non-intermediation income andperformance.
IMPACT OF REMITTANCES ON PRIVATE SECTOR CREDIT IN THE PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES
Authors: Chen Hong , Chand Shamal , Singh Baljeet
Published: April 2020

We examine the effect of remittances on private sector credit in the Pacific Islandcountries (PICs) using the data from 58 developing countries from 2004 to 2016. Theanalysis provides strong evidence that the effect of remittance inflows on privatesector credit for PICs is positive and higher than that for other developing countries.In addition, the per capita gross domestic product, official development assistance,the number of bank branches, and institutional quality are also positively associatedwith private sector credit in PICs, while the Consumer Price Index is negativelyassociated with private sector credit. These results have important implications for thedevelopment of financial sector in PICs.
DO NATURAL DISASTERS INCREASE FINANCIAL RISKS? AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: Zhang Li Wan , Chang Chun-Ping
Published: April 2020

Using an unbalanced panel data consisting of deaths from natural disasters and fivefactors of financial risks in 136 countries, this paper analyzes the effect of naturaldisasters on different financial risks. The conclusions are as follows: (1) naturaldisasters lead to financial crisis by reducing GDP and trade and increasing domesticand foreign debt; (2) the effects of natural disasters on financial risks are dynamic andlong term, with the effect weakening with time; and (3) the negative effects of naturaldisasters on financial risks in high-income and OECD countries are smaller than thoseof low-income and non-OECD countries.
Analysis of Factors that Influence Accounting Students Choose Career As A Public Accountant
Authors: Hasim Fu'at , Darmayanti Novi , Dientri Alfian Manaf
Published: April 2020

The selection of a career for students of accounting was the initial stage of the establishment of a career. After completion of the period of study College, career options for graduates in accounting not addressed only on the accounting profession but there were also other options for a career. There were several factors that affect students' career selection accounting for a career in public accounting. A sample of 115 students accounting for UNISDA and UNISLA. Methods of analysis used was logistic regression with SPSS version 22. The type of data being used was the primary data obtained from the questionnaire respondents. From the results of testing hypotheses obtained that the factors of financial rewards and social values significantly influential partially against the interest of the students in the choosing a career as a public accountant.
La gestión de los sistemas socio-ecológicos de la Bahía de Cádiz: ¿nuevas políticas públicas con viejos instrumentos?
Authors: Barragán Muñoz Juan Manuel , Andrés García María de
Published: April 2020

La Bahía de Cádiz es un ámbito geográfico que alberga cinco sistemas socio-ecológicos bien diferenciados. La hipótesis de trabajo asume el importante papel que las políticas públicas han tenido en los cambios de los sistemas socio-ecológicos de la Bahía de Cádiz. Los objetivos del artículo pretenden demostrar, por un lado, que el modelo de desarrollo ha tenido como consecuencia la pérdida de servicios ecosistémicos. Por otro, se intentará demostrar que los instrumentos de gestión pública no son eficientes para proteger y conservar estos sistemas socio-ecológicos. Los cambios en estos sistemas socio-ecológicos han sido muy significativos en los últimos 60 años. Esto es fácilmente visible desde un punto de vista territorial. Una primera evaluación de los principales servicios ecosistémicos, así como su incidencia en el bienestar humano, describe un proceso (DPSIWR) de insostenibilidad. En la segunda parte de la investigación se han analizado con detenimiento 15 instrumentos diferentes de gestión pública, desarrollados entre 2004 y 2018. Estos instrumentos se interpretan como las respuestas que ofrecen las políticas públicas a los problemas de la Bahía de Cádiz. Después, los 15 casos elegidos se han contrastado en forma de 18 preguntas. Todo parece indicar serias dificultades para implementar nuevas políticas con antiguos criterios.
Residual Oil - Can We Recover It Economically?
Authors: Holm L. W.
Published: April 2020

1972–1973 Distinguished Lecture

This is the informal text of a talk delivered to several groups of engineers under the auspices of SPE.

When a question is used as the title of a talk, the audience has very right to expect a direct answer. Well, the answer to this one is "Yes, residual oil can be recovered economically," and I'll give you several field cases to back up that answer. However, I know that I'm not going to convince you that easily, because you'll note that these are rather special cases. But then, therein lies a message-every application of an advanced recovery process is a special case and must be treated so if we're going to apply them profitably. Let's briefly review this list (FIGURE 1) of economically successful special applications of advanced recovery processes:There have been two successful HIGH-PRESSURE MISCIBLE-GAS FLOODS (greater than 4500 psi flood pressure)—Block 31 and Fairway, both in Texas. At Fairway, water and miscible gas have been injected alternately, and Fairway is well on the way to 70 MM additional barrels of oil. In Block 31, flue gas was injected following miscible hydrocarbon gas to continue the miscible drive. For both projects, a 50% recovery is projected, as compared with 35% estimated for waterflood.About 700 acres of the Glen Hummel field, Texas, were involved in a successful COMBUSTION PROJECT (FIGURE 2). Over 800,000 incremental barrels of 20 degrees API, 72 cp oil have been recovered in four years. A 56% ultimate recovery is anticipated as compared with 15% primary recovery. OIP was 1800 STB/AF.
Emerging pesticides responsible for suicide in rural Sri Lanka following the 2008-2014 pesticide bans
Authors: Weerasinghe Manjula , Pearson Melissa , Konradsen Flemming , Agampodi Suneth , Sumith J.A. , Jayamanne Shaluka , Senanayake S.M.H.M.K. , Rajapaksha Sandamali , Eddleston Michael
Published: April 2020

Background Sri Lanka has reduced its overall suicide rate by 70% over the last two decades through means restriction, through means restriction, through a series of government regulations and bans removing highly hazardous pesticides from agriculture. We aimed to identify the key pesticide(s) now responsible for suicides in rural Sri Lanka to provide data for further pesticide regulation.Methods We performed a secondary analysis of data collected prospectively during a cluster randomized controlled trial in the Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka from 2011-16. The identity of pesticides responsible for suicides were sought from medical or judicial medical notes, coroners’ records, and the person’s family. Trend analysis was done using a regression analysis with curve estimation to identify relative importance of key pesticides. Results We identified 337 suicidal deaths. Among them, the majority 193 (57.3%) were due to ingestion of pesticides while 82 (24.3%) were due to hanging. A specific pesticide was identified in 105 (54.4%) of the pesticide suicides. Ingestion of carbosulfan or profenofos was responsible for 59 (56.2%) of the suicides with a known pesticide and 17.5% of all suicides. The increasing trend of suicides due to carbosulfan and profenofos over time was statistically significant (R square 0.846, F 16.541, p 0.027). Conclusion Ingestion of pesticides remains the most important means of suicides in rural Sri Lanka. The pesticides that were once responsible for most pesticide suicides have now been replaced by carbosulfan and profenofos. Their regulation and replacement in agriculture with less hazardous pesticides will further reduce the incidence of both pesticide and overall suicides in rural Sri Lanka.
The dietary antioxidant quercetin reduces hallmarks of bleomycin-induced lung fibrogenesis in mice
Authors: Boots Agnes Wilhelmina , Veith Carmen , Albrecht Catrin , Bartholome Roger , Drittij Marie Jose , Claessen Sandra , Bast Aalt , Rosenbruch Martin , Jonkers Leonie , Schooten Frederik-Jan van , Schins Roel
Published: April 2020

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, lethal disease of which the etiology is still not fully understood. Current treatment comprises two FDA-approved drugs that can slow down yet not stop or reverse the disease. As IPF pathology is associated with an altered redox balance, adding a redox modulating component to current therapy might exert beneficial effects. Quercetin is a dietary antioxidant with strong redox modulating capacities that is suggested to exert part of its antioxidative effects via activation of the redox-sensitive transcription factor Nrf2 that regulates endogenous antioxidant levels. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate if the dietary antioxidant quercetin can exert anti-fibrotic effects in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrogenesis through Nrf2-dependent restoration of redox imbalance. Methods Homozygous Nrf2 deficient mice and their wildtype littermates were fed a control diet without or with 800 mg quercetin per kg diet from 7 days prior to a single 1 µg/2µl per g BW bleomycin challenge until they were sacrificed 14 days afterwards. Lung tissue and plasma were collected to determine markers of fibrosis (expression of extracellular matrix genes and histopathology), inflammation (pulmonary gene expression and plasma levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNFα) and Keratinocyte Chemoattrachtant (KC)), and redox balance (pulmonary gene expression of antioxidants and malondialdehyde-dG (MDA)- DNA adducts). Results Mice fed the enriched diet for 7 days prior to the bleomycin challenge had significantly enhanced plasma and pulmonary quercetin levels (11.08 ± 0.73 µM versus 7.05 ± 0.2 µM) combined with increased expression of Nrf2 and Nrf2-responsive genes compared to mice fed the control diet in lung tissue. Upon bleomycin treatment, quercetin-fed mice displayed reduced expression of collagen (COL1A2) and fibronectin (FN1) and a tendency of reduced inflammatory lesions (2.8 ± 0.7 versus 1.9 ± 0.8). These beneficial effects were accompanied by reduced pulmonary gene expression of TNFα and KC, but not their plasma levels, and enhanced Nrf2-induced pulmonary antioxidant defences. In Nrf2 deficient mice, no effect of the dietary antioxidant on either histology or inflammatory lesions was observed. Conclusion Quercetin exerts anti-fibrogenic and anti-inflammatory effects on bleomycin-induced pulmonary damage in mice possibly through modulation of the redox balance by inducing Nrf2. However, quercetin could not rescue the bleomycin-induced pulmonary damage indicating that quercetin alone cannot ameliorate the progression of IPF.
Molecular marker assisted gene stacking for disease resistance and quality genes in the dwarf mutant of an elite common wheat cultivar Xiaoyan22
Authors: zheng weijun , Li Song , Liu ZiHui , Zhou Qi , Feng Yanru , Chai ShouCheng
Published: April 2020

Background: Development of wheat cultivars with multiple disease resistance and high quality are major objectives in modern wheat breeding programs. Gene stacking is an efficient approach to achieve this target. In this study, we pyramided yellow rust resistance gene (Yr26), powdery mildew resistance gene (ML91260) and high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits Dx5+Dy10 into the dwarf mutant of an elite wheat cultivar, Xiaoyan22. Results: Six pyramided wheat lines were obtained by molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) and field evaluation of disease resistance. The desirable agronomic traits of pyramided lines, their identity with the original cultivar Xiaoyan22 except for plant height, tiller number and disease resistance, was achieved in this study. Meanwhile, the yield of pyramided lines is higher than Xiaoyan22 in the field test. In addition, analysis of flour quality indicated that the dough stability time of pyramided lines was longer than that of Xiaoyan22. Conclusions: Six pyramided wheat lines with two disease resistance and high quality were achieved in this study. It is feasible to improve multiple agronomic traits simultaneously by rational application of MAS.
Various effects of the expression of the xyloglucanase gene from Penicillium canescens in transgenic aspen under semi-natural conditions
Authors: Vidyagina Elena O. , Subbotina Natalia M. , Belyi Vladimir A. , Lebedev Vadim G. , Krutovsky Konstantin V. , Shestibratov Konstantin A.
Published: April 2020

Background: Recombinant carbohydrases genes are used to produce transgenic woody plants with improved phenotypic traits. However, cultivation of such plants in open field is challenging due to by a number of problems. Therefore, additional research is needed to alleviate them. Results: Results of successful cultivation of the transgenic aspens (Populus tremula) carrying the recombinant xyloglucanase gene (sp-Xeg) from Penicillium canescens in semi-natural conditions are reported in this paper for the first time. Change of carbohydrate composition of wood was observed in transgenic aspens carrying the sp-Xeg gene. The transformed transgenic line Xeg-2-1b demonstrated accelerated growth and increased content of cellulose in wood of trees growing in both greenhouse and outside in comparison with the control untransformed line Pt. The accelerated growth was observed also in the transgenic line Xeg-1-1c. Thicker cell-wall and longer xylem fiber were also observed in both these transgenic lines. Undescribed earlier considerable reduction in the wood decomposition rate of the transgenic aspen stems was also revealed for the transformed transgenic lines. The decomposition rate was approximately twice as lower for the transgenic line Xeg-2-3b in comparison with the control untransformed line Pt. Conclusion: A direct dependence of the phenotypic and biochemical traits on the expression of the recombinant gene sp-Xeg was demonstrated. The higher was the level of the sp-Xeg gene expression, the more markedly were changes in the phenotypic and biochemical traits. All lines showed phenotypic changes in the leave traits. Our results showed that the plants carrying the recombinant sp-Xeg gene do not demonstrate a decrease in growth parameters in semi-natural conditions. In some transgenic lines, a change in the carbohydrate composition of the wood, an increase in the cell wall thickness and a decrease in the rate of decomposition of wood were observed.
Analysis of the Status Quo of the Elderly’s Demands of medical and elderly care Combination in the Underdeveloped Regions of Western China and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study of Lanzhou
Authors: Wang Jiancheng , Wang Yunhua , Cai Hui , Zhang Juxia , Pan Bei , Bao Guoxian , Guo Tiankang
Published: April 2020

Background: This study aims to analyze the current demand of senior citizen in Lanzhou, China for the combination of medical and elderly care services and identify the factors influencing their needs. Methods: 7500 participants aged 60 or above living in Lanzhou, China were recruited, a unified questionnaire concerning the elderly's demand of the service combining medical and elderly care has been adopted to conduct a survey on these subjects. The status quo of the demand of the service combining medical and elderly care and its influencing factors were analyzed with the single-factor Chi-square test and multi-factor binomial logistic regression method. Results: 3,772 of 7,320 seniors have the demand of the service combining medical and elderly care, accounting for 53.15%. Different genders, marital status, degree of education, occupation before retirement, number of children, monthly income, health self-assessment status, endowment insurance type, medical insurance type, current way of elderly nursing, old-age demands, self-care ability, and the knowledge of combining medical and elderly care, the willingness to pay for the combination of medical and elderly care have statistical significance (P＜0.05) with the elderly's needs of combination of medical and elderly care in Lanzhou, whereas different ages, living styles, and the prevalence rate of chronic diseases, have no statistical significance (P＞0.05) with the elderly's needs of combination of medical and elderly care in Lanzhou. The number of children, types of medical insurance, and willingness to pay for the combination of medical treatment and nursing are major influencing factors among complex factors influencing the elderly's demand of the service combining medical and elderly care in Lanzhou.Conclusions: The low knowledge rate and demand rate, the number of children, the type of medical insurance, and the willingness to pay the medical-nursing combination service for the elderly in Lanzhou have a great impact on the elderly's demand rate of combining medical and elderly care. Meanwhile, relevant government departments should focus more on the promotion of the endowment model of combining medical and elderly care and provide integrated medical care services by integrating multiple resources, and improving social security.
Associations between individual perceptions of PM2.5 pollution and pulmonary function in Chinese middle-aged and elderly residents
Authors: Chen Qi , Zhang Jiayao , Xu Yan , Sun Hong , Ding Zhen
Published: April 2020

Background: PM2.5 pollution has become a major public health concern in urban China. Understanding the residents’ individual perceptions toward haze pollution is critical for policymaking and risk communication. However, the perceptions of middle-aged and elderly residents, who particularly vulnerable to haze pollution, are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore their risk perceptions of haze pollution and investigate its relationship with health status and pulmonary function parameters.Methods: A cross-sectional study of 400 randomly sampled individuals (aged 40 to 90 years) was conducted in Wuxi, a typical PM2.5-polluted city in Jiangsu Province, China (during 2015-2017, daily average concentration of PM2.5 was 52.7 μg/m3). Each participant’s demographic and health information, individual perception and pulmonary function outcomes were collected to explore the relationships between perception factors and personal characteristics and pulmonary function parameters, using linear models.Results: We found that the mean values for controllability (5 ± 2.8) and dread of risk to oneself (levels of fear for haze-related harm to oneself) (6.9 ± 2.5) were the lowest and the highest values, respectively, in our study. Education and average family income were positively related with all individual perception factors, while age was negatively associated. A history of respiratory disease was positively associated with all individual perception factors except controllability. Significant positive associations were observed between PEF (coefficients ranged from 0.18 to 0.22) and FEF75% (coefficients ranged from 0.18 to 0.29) with a variety of individual perception factors.Conclusions: There were a lack of concern and knowledge, weak self-protection consciousness and a strong dread of PM2.5 pollution among the middle-aged and elderly residents in Wuxi. Their individual perceptions were associated with age, education levels, average family income, history of respiratory disease, PEF and FEF75%. Our findings may help policymakers develop effective policies and communication strategies to mitigate the hazards of haze among older residents.
Clinical features in primary care electronic records before diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis: a nested case-control study.
Authors: Bashir Mohammed Talha , Iversen Lisa , Burton Christopher
Published: April 2020

Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) often has a long period from first symptom presentation to diagnosis. We examined the occurrence of symptoms, prescriptions and diagnostic tests in primary care electronic records over time prior to a diagnosis of AS.Methods Nested case-control study using anonymised primary care electronic health records from Scotland. Cases were 74 adults with a first diagnosis of AS between 2000 and 2010. Controls were matched for age, sex and GP practice: (a) 296 randomly selected adults (b) 169 adults whose records contained codes indicating spinal conditions or symptoms. We extracted clinical features (symptoms, AS-related disorders, prescriptions and diagnostic tests). Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the association between clinical features (both individually and in combinations) and diagnosis of AS. We examined the associations between clinical features and diagnosis over time prior to diagnosis.Results Several new composite pointers were predictive of AS: including distinct episodes of axial pain separated by more than 6 months (OR 12.7, 95% CI 4.7 to 34.6); the occurrence of axial pain with and tendon symptoms within the same year (OR 21.7, 95% CI 2.6 to 181.5); and the co-occurrence (within 30 days) of axial pain and a prescription for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (OR 10.4, 95%CI 4.9 to 22.1). Coded episodes of axial pain increased steadily over the three years before diagnosis. In contrast, large joint symptoms and enthesopathy showed little or no time trend prior to diagnosis. Conclusions We identified novel composite pointers to a diagnosis of AS in GP records. These may represent valuable targets for diagnostic support systems.
Percutaneous Mastoid Electrical Stimulator Improves Poststroke Depression and Cognitive F unction in Patients with Ischaemic Stroke: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind, and Sham-controlled Study
Authors: Lu Taoli , He Lanying , Zhang Bei , Wang Jian , Zhang Lili , Dong WeiWei , Yang Hao
Published: April 2020

Background : Poststroke depression can lead to functional dependence, cognitive impairment and reduced quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a percutaneous mastoid electrical stimulator (PMES) plus antidepressants on poststroke depression and cognitive function. Methods: This study was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, and sham-controlled study . A total of 258 clinically depressed ischaemic stroke patients within 14 days of index stroke were randomly assigned to the PMES plus antidepressant (PMES group, N=125) and sham plus antidepressant (sham group, N=133) groups. All patients underwent the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) test at 2 weeks (baseline), and 6 months(M6) after ischaemic stroke. Primary outcomes were the percentage of patients showing a treatment response (≥50% reduction in HRSD score) and depression remission (HRSD score≤9) at 6 months. The secondary outcome was the percentage of patients with a MoCA score <26 . Results: The percentages of patients showing a treatment response and depression remission were significantly higher in the PMES group than in the sham group (57.60% vs 41.35%, P=0.009; 44.00% vs 29.32%, P=0.014 respectively). The mean value of the HRSD score change [M(month)6-baseline] was significantly higher in the PMES group than in the sham group at 6 months (-11.93 ±5.32 vs -10.48 ± 6.10, P = 0.036, respectively). The percentage of patients with MoCA scores <26 was lower in the PEMS group than in the sham group(12.0% vs 24.06%, P=0.012,respectively), and the mean value of the MoCA score change (M6-baseline) was higher in the PMES group than in the sham group (3.50±2.55 vs 2.72±2.52, P=0.005,respectively). Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that PMES adjunctive to antidepressant therapy is effective in reducing depression, achieving remission in the short term, and improving cognition. Trial registration: This trial was retrospectively registered (registration number: ChiCTR1800016463) on 03 June 2018
Telomere Length in Patients with Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia
Authors: Nanthatanti Nithita , Tantiworawit Adisak , Piriyakhuntorn Pokpong , Rattanathammethee Thanawat , Hantrakool Sasinee , Chai-Adisaksopha Chatree , Rattarittamrong Eakarat , Norasetthada Lalita , Tuntiwechapikul Wirote , Fanhchaksai Kanda , Charoenkwan Pimlak , Kumfu Sirinart , Chattipakorn Nipon
Published: April 2020

Background: Thalassemia is a hereditary hemolytic anemia with a severity ranging from mild, non-transfusion dependent to severe chronic anemia requiring lifelong transfusion. Transfusional iron overload is a major complication in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT). Telomeres are sequences of nucleotides forming the end caps of chromosomes that act as a DNA repair system. Iron overload in thalassemia can cause increased oxidative stress which leads to cellular damage and senescence. This may result in telomere length shortening. The degree of telomere length shortening may reflect the severity of thalassemia. Methods: This research aimed to study the leukocyte telomere length in patients with TDT in comparison to non-thalassemic individuals and to identify the clinical and laboratory parameters that are associated with telomere length. We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients with TDT aged ≥18 years. Leukocyte telomere length was measured by real-time quantitative PCR. Results: Sixty-five patients with TDT were enrolled onto the study. There were 37 female patients (54.4%). The median age was 27 (18-57) years, and mean pre-transfusion hemoglobin level was 7.1±1.07 g/dL. The mean telomere to single copy gene (T/S) ratios of patients with TDT and the controls were 0.72±0.18 and 0.99±0.25, respectively (p <0.0001). There was a significant correlation between the T/S ratio and age (p = 0.0002), and hemoglobin level (p = 0.044). There was no correlation between telomere length and other factors. Conclusions: Our study showed that TDT patients had shorter leukocyte telomere length compared with controls. Leukocyte telomere shortening in TDT was an aging-dependent process and associated with lower hemoglobin level.
Prdx1 Promotes the Loss of Primary Cilia in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Qiongzhen , Li Jinmeng , Yang Xiaoning , Ma Junfeng , Gong Fanghua , Liu Yu
Published: April 2020

Background: Loss of primary cilia is frequently observed in tumor cells, suggesting that the absence of this organelle may promote tumorigenesis through aberrant signal transduction, the inability to exit the cell cycle, and promotion of tumor cell invasion. Primary cilia loss also occurs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells, but the molecular mechanisms that explain how ESCC cells lose primary cilia remain poorly understood.Methods: Inhibiting the expression of Prdx1 in the ESCC cells to detect the up-regulated genes related to cilium regeneration and down-regulated genes related to cilium disassembly by Gene chip. And, mice and cell experiments were carried to confirm the role of the HEF1-Aurora A-HDAC6 signaling axis in ESCC.Results: In this study, we found that silencing Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1) restores primary cilia formation, and over-expressing Prdx1 induces primary cilia loss in ESCC cells. We also showed that the expression of Prdx1 regulates the action of the HEF1-Aurora A-HDAC6 signaling axis to promote the disassembly of primary cilia, and suppression of Prdx1 results in decreased tumor formation and tumor mass volume in vivo.Conclusions: These results suggest that Prdx1 is a novel regulator of primary cilia formation in ESCC cells.
Efficient identification of patients eligible for clinical studies using case-based reasoning on Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE).
Authors: Shi Wen , Kelsey Tom , Sullivan Frank
Published: April 2020

Background: Trials often struggle to achieve their target sample size with only half doing so. Some researchers have turned to Electronic Health Records (EHRs), seeking a more efficient way of recruitment. The Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE) obtained patients’ consent for their EHRs to be used as a searching base from which researchers can find potential participants. However, due to the fact that EHR data is not complete, sufficient or accurate, a database search strategy may not generate the best case-finding result. The current study aims to evaluate the performance of a case-based reasoning method in identifying participants for population-based clinical studies recruiting through SHARE, and assess the difference between its resultant cohort and the original one deriving from searching EHRs. Methods: A case-based reasoning framework was applied to 119 participants in nine projects using two-fold cross-validation, with records from a further 86,292 individuals used for testing. A prediction score for study participation was derived from the diagnosis, procedure, pharmaceutical prescription, and laboratory test results attributes of each participant. Evaluation was conducted by calculating Area Under the ROC Curve and information retrieval metrics for the ranking list of the test set by prediction score. We compared the most likely participants as identified by searching a database to those ranked highest by our model. Results: The average ROCAUC for nine projects was 81% indicating strong predictive ability for these data. However, the derived ranking lists showed lower predictive performance, with only 21% of the persons ranked within top 50 positions being the same as identified by searching databases. Conclusions: Case-based reasoning is may be more effective than a database search strategy for participant identification for clinical studies using population EHRs. The lower performance of ranking lists derived from case-based reasoning means that patients identified as highly suitable for study participation may still not be recruited. This suggests that further study is needed into improvements in the collection and curation of population EHRs, such as use of free text data to aid reliable identification of people more likely to be recruited to clinical trials.
Endowments or Returns to Endowments or Both? Deciphering Disparities in Childhood Stunting in Bihar, India
Authors: Ghosh Saswata , Sharma Santosh Kumar , Bhattacharya Debarshi
Published: April 2020

Background Unacceptably high rate of childhood stunting for decades remained a puzzle in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Despite various programmatic interventions, nearly half of the under-five children (numerically about 10 million) are still stunted in this resource-constrained state. Data and Methods Using four successive rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data spread over more than two decades and by employing quantile regressions and counterfactual decomposition (QR-CD), the present study aims to assess effects of various endowments as well as returns to those endowments in disparities in childhood stunting over the period. Results The results show that although child’s height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) disparity was largely accounted for differing levels of endowments during earlier decade, in the later periods, inadequate access to the benefits from various development programmes was also found responsible for HAZ disparities. Moreover, effects of endowments and their returns vary across quantiles. We argue that apart from equalizing endowments, ensuring adequate access to different nutrition-centric programmes are essential to lessen the burden of childhood stunting. Conclusion The state must focus on intersectoral convergence of different schemes in the form of state nutrition mission, and, strengthen nutrition-centric policy processes and their political underpinnings to harness better dividend.
Transcriptomic and physiological analyses of rice seedlings under different nitrogen supplies provide insight into the regulation involved in axillary bud outgrowth
Authors: Wang Rongna , Qian Junjie , Fang Zhongming , Tang Jihua
Published: April 2020

Background: N is an important macronutrient required for plant development and significantly influences axillary bud outgrowth, which affects tillering and grain yields of rice. However, how different N concentrations affect axillary bud growth at the molecular and transcriptional levels remains unclear. Results: In this study, morphological changes in the axillary bud growth of rice seedlings under different N concentrations ranging from low to high levels were systematically observed. To investigate the expression of N-induced genes involved in axillary bud growth, we used RNA-seq technology to generate mRNA transcriptomic data from two tissue types, basal parts and axillary buds, of plants grown under six different N concentrations. In total, 10,221 and 12,180 DEGs induced by LN or HN supplies were identified in the basal parts and axillary buds, respectively, via comparisons to expression levels under NN level. Analysis of the coexpression modules from the DEGs of the basal parts and axillary buds revealed an abundance of related biological processes underlying the axillary bud growth of plants under N treatments. Among these processes, the activity of cell division and expansion was positively correlated with the growth rate of axillary buds of plants grown under different N supplies. Additionally, TFs and phytohormones were shown to play crucial roles in determining the axillary bud growth of plants grown under different N concentrations. Further validation of OsGS1;2 and OsGS2 , the rice mutants of which presented altered tiller numbers, validated our transcriptomic data. Conclusion: These results indicate that different N concentrations affect the axillary bud growth rate, and our study revealed comprehensive expression profiles of genes that respond to different N concentrations, providing an important resource for future studies attempting to determine how axillary bud growth is controlled by different N supplies.
Estrogen receptor α phosphorylated at Ser216 confers inflammatory function to mouse microglia
Authors: Shindo Sawako , Chen Shih-Heng , Gotoh Saki , Yokobori Kosuke , Hu Hao , Ray Manas , Moore Rick , Nagata Kiyoshi , Martinez Jennifer , Hong Jau-Shyong , Negishi Masahiko
Published: April 2020

Background Estrogen receptor α (ERα) has been suggested to regulate anti-inflammatory signaling in brain microglia, the only resident immune cells in the brain. ERα conserves the phosphorylation motif at Ser216 within the DNA binding domain. Previously, Ser216 was found to be phosphorylated in neutrophils infiltrating into the mouse uterus and to enable ERα to regulate migration. Given the implication of this phosphorylation in immune regulation, ERα was examined in mouse microglia to determine if Ser216 is phosphorylated and regulates microglia’s inflammation. It was found that Ser216 was constitutively phosphorylated in microglia and demonstrated that in the absence of phosphorylated ERα in ERα KI brains microglia inflamed, confirming that phosphorylation confers ERα with anti-inflammatory capability. ERα KI mice were obese and weakened motor ability. Methods Mixed glia cells were prepared from brains of 2-days-old neonates and cultured to mature and isolate microglia. An antibody against an anti-phospho-S216 peptide of ERα (αP-S216) was used to detect phosphorylated ERα in double immunofluorescence staining with ERα antibodies and a microglia maker Iba-1 antibody. A knock-in (KI) mouse line bearing the phosphorylation-blocked ERα S216A mutation (ERα KI) was generated to examine inflammation-regulating functions of phosphorylated ERα in microglia. RT-PCR, antibody array, ELISA and FACS assays were employed to measure expressions of pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines at their mRNA and protein levels. Rotarod tests were performed to examine motor connection ability.Results Double immune staining of mixed glia cells showed that ERα is phosphorylated at Ser216 in microglia, but not astrocytes. Immunohistochemistry with an anti-Iba-1 antibody showed that microglia cells were swollen and shortened branches in the substantial nigra (SN) of ERα KI brains, indicating the spontaneous activation of microglia as observed with those of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated ERα WT brains. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were up-regulated in the brain of ERα KI brains as well as cultured microglia, whereas anti-inflammatory cytokines were down-regulated. FACS analysis showed that the number of IL-6 producing and apoptotic microglia increased in those prepared from ERα KI brains. Times of ERα KI mice on rod were shortened in Rotarod tests. Conclusions Blocking of Ser216 phosphorylation aggravated microglia activation and inflammation of mouse brain, thus confirming that phosphorylated ERα exerts anti-inflammatory functions. ERα KI mice enable us to further investigate the mechanism by which phosphorylated ERα regulates brain immunity and inflammation and brain diseases.