bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Histological and Histochemical studies of Esophagus in Mabuya aurata septemaeniata
Authors: Khalaf Anam S. , AL-nakeeb Gazwa D.
Published: March 2024

The wall of the esophagus in Mabuya aurata septemaeniata as in high vertebrates consists of four layers, mucosa, submucosa,muscularis and serosa. Mucosa forms many unorganized short and long folds penetrate inside the esophageal cavity. Mucosa contains two sub layers, first one is lining epithelium which includes two types of cells, simple ciliated columnar epithelial cells and goblet cells, second one is lamina properia. Mucosa does not have muscularis mucosa. There is no esophageal glands within esophagus. Many special stains were used as (Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS)) to detect Carbohydrates in goblet cells. Alcian blue were used to detect the amount of goblet cells within lining epithelium. Alcian blue + PAS together confirm that the secreted mucin from goblet cells was acidic.
A theoretical Design of a cover for lowering the solar cells temperature and enhance their performance
Authors: Al-Arab Husam S.
Published: March 2024

In this research, main types of optical coatings are presented which are used as covers for solar cells, these coatings are reflect the infrared (heat) from the solar cell to increase the efficiency of the cell (because the cell’s efficiency is inversely proportional to the heat), then the theoretical and mathematical description of these optical coatings are presented, and an optical design is designed to meet this objective, its optical transmittance was calculated using (MATLAB R2008a) and (Open Filters 1.0.2) programs
A study of the effect of new cobalt (II) complex and cyclophosphamide drug on (GPT, ALP) activity by using in vivo system
Authors: Murtadha Jinan H.
Published: March 2024

The present work involved a study the effect of cobalt(II) complex with formula [CoL(H2O)NO3] .4ETOH where L=Nitro [5-(P-nitro phenyl) -4-phenyl-1,2,4 traizole-3-dithiocarbamato hydrazide] aqua. (4) Ethanol and anti-cancer drug - cyclophosphamide on specific activity of two liver enzymes (GPT,ALP) by utilizing an in vivo system in female mice. On the enzymatic level an inhibition in the activity of GPT was noticed in different body organs such as liver, kidney and lung. The inhibition was noticed in both test and cyclophosphamide drug (cp). Mice were treated with three doses of cyclophosphamide (90,180, 250) ?g/ mouse for three days. The same doses were used for the cobalt (II) complex. The liver shows the highest rate of(GPT) inhibition compared to other organs. The ratio was about 90% at three doses of cobalt (II) complex, this ratio was similar to ratio inhibition of cyclophosphamide at the same doses. On the contrary the enzyme ALP showed high activation in different organs such as liver, kidney and lung in both groups, test and cyclophosphamide drug (cp) at the three doses (90, 180, 250) ?g /mouse. The result showed the highest ratio of activation in the kidney comparable with other organs. The maximum activation of cobalt(II) complex was about 1198% at a concentration 180µg/mouse.There are significant differences(P
Efficacy of some local isolates of Beauveria bassiana(Bals.) and Metarhizium anisopliae (Met.) in control of mosquito larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus (Say)
Authors: Hamad Bassim Sh. , Khudair Mohammed W. , Kathiar Soolaf A. , Abdullatif Ahmed M.
Published: March 2024

The main aim of this study is to investigate the ability of four local entomopathogenic isolates Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) and Metarhizium anisopliae (Met.) to control the mosquito larvae in the lab. The results revealed that the isolate (MARD48) B .bassiana reduced the survival rate of the mosquito larvae to (80%) followed by the isolate M. anisopliae (MARD10) to (90%) in the first two days of treatment, and 60 and 66% respectively in the third day. The results also showed that the isolate B. bassiana (MARD48) killed 50% of the population (LC50) with the concentration 1×104 conidia/ml compared to 1×107 conidia/ml for the isolates B. bassiana (MARD14) and M. anisopliae (MARD10), and 1×108 conidia/ml for the isolate B .bassiana (MARD76). The shortest lethal time was at concentration 1×107 conidia/ml within 3.3 day for the isolate B. bassiana (MARD48); while, it was 2.3 day for the isolate M. anisopliae (MARD10) of the concentration of 6 1×1011 spores / ml . According to the results, the isolate B. bassiana (MARD48) revealed the lowest concentration killed 50% (LC50) of the population and shortest time.
Find the concentration of radon gas emitted naturally from the bones and skin of some kinds of birds and local and imported chicken available in the City of Baghdad
Authors: Mryoush Atheer Qassim
Published: March 2024

In the present research we the study the deposition of radioactive elements naturally and particularly radioactive radon gas in parts of the body of organisms which are of direct relevance to human life in the city of Baghdad as the samples which were collected from the bones and skin of some kinds of birds and chicken based on the principle that radioactive elements are concentrated always on the bones. We use of this as the exercise detector impact nuclear (CR-39), using the technology Cylindrical diffusion , the results indicated that the largest concentration of radon found in the bone bird Seagull tapered as it was (625 ± 37) Bq.cm-3, and less concentration of radon gas in the chicken bones of Al-kafeel as it was (105 ± 10) Bq.cm-3 as well as in chicken bones of Al-muriad to be reached (110±10)Bq.cm-3 either in the skin reached the highest concentration in the skin of seagulls tapered(610 ± 20) Bq.cm-3 and the lowest value in the skin local chicken as it was (90 ± 9) Bq.cm-3 .
Some Results on Pure Submodules Relative to Submodule
Authors: Dakheel Shireen O. , Adeb Noor R.
Published: March 2024

Let R be a commutative ring with identity 1 and M be a unitary left R-module. A submodule N of an R-module M is said to be pure relative to submodule T of M (Simply T-pure) if for each ideal A of R, N?AM=AN+T?(N?AM). In this paper, the properties of the following concepts were studied: Pure essential submodules relative to submodule T of M (Simply T-pure essential),Pure closed submodules relative to submodule T of M (Simply T-pure closed) and relative pure complement submodule relative to submodule T of M (Simply T-pure complement) and T-purely extending. We prove that; Let M be a T-purely extending module and let N be a T-pure submodule of M. If M has the T-PIP, then N is T-purely extending.
Two telomere-to-telomere gapless genomes reveal insights into Capsicum evolution and capsaicinoid biosynthesis
Authors: Guo Li , Chen Weikai , Wang Xiangfeng , Sun Jie , Wang Xinrui , Zhu Zhangsheng , Ayhan Dilay Hazal , Yi Shu , Yan Ming , Zhang Lili , Meng Tan , Mu Yu , Li Jun , Meng Dian , Bian Jianxin , Wang Ke , Wang Lu , Chen Shaoying , Chen Ruidong , Jin Jingyun , Li Bosheng , Zhang Xingping , Deng Xingwang , He Hang
Published: March 2024

Chili pepper (Capsicum), one of oldest domesticated crops in human history, is best known for its unique fruit pungency given by capsaicinoids. The evolutionary history of capsaicinoid biosynthesis and the mechanism of tissue-specificity remain obscured due to the lack of high-quality Capsicum genomes. Here, we assembled two telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free genomes for C. annuum and its wild non-pungent relative C. rhomboideum to dissect the evolution of fruit pungency in chili peppers. We precisely delineated Capsicum centromeres which, unlike Arabidopsis and human centromeres, lacked high-copy centromeric tandem repeats but were extensively invaded by CRM LTR retrotransposons. Phylogenomics estimated the evolutionary timings of capsaicinoid biosynthesis, and revealed eroded coding and regulatory regions of key biosynthesis genes in non-pungent species such as C. rhomboideum. We also found conserved placenta-specific accessible chromatin regions likely allowing tissue-specific biosynthesis gene co-regulation. Finally, from detected copy number variants of capsaicinoid biosynthesis genes using the C. annuum T2T genome as reference, we trained a machine-learning model to predict pungency for genomic selection. The new T2T genomic resources will accelerate chili pepper breeding, metabolic engineering and enrich our understanding of Capsicum biology and genome evolution.
Epicardial placement of human placental membrane allografts in coronary artery bypass graft surgery is associated with reduced post-operative atrial fibrillation
Authors: Khalpey Zain , Kumar Ujjawal , Hitscherich Pamela , Deckwa Jessa , Chnari Evangelia , Long Marc
Published: March 2024

Background
Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurs in up to 40% of patients following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and is associated with higher risk of stroke and mortality. This study investigates how POAF may be mitigated by epicardial placement of aseptically processed human placental membrane allografts (HPMAs) before pericardial closure in CABG surgery.

Methods
This retrospective observational study of patients undergoing CABG surgery excluded patients with pre-operative heart failure, chronic kidney disease, 1 or a history of atrial fibrillation. The “treatment” group (n = 24) had three HPMAs placed epicardially prior to partial pericardial approximation and chest closure; the control group (n = 54) did not receive HPMA.

Results
HPMA-treated patients saw a significant, greater than four-fold reduction in POAF incidence compared to controls (35.2% to 8.3%, p = 0.0136). Univariate analysis demonstrated that HPMA treatment was associated with an 83% reduction in POAF (OR = 0.17, p = 0.0248). Multivariable analysis yielded similar results (OR = 0.07, p = 0.0156) after controlling for other covariates. Overall length of stay (LOS) between groups was similar, but ICU LOS trended lower with HPMA treatment (p = 0.0677). Post-operative inotrope and pressor requirement were similar among groups. There was no new-onset post-operative heart failure, stroke or death reported up to thirty days in either group.

Conclusions
Epicardial HPMA placement can be a simple intervention at the end of CABG surgery that may provide a new approach to reduce post-operative atrial fibrillation by modulating local inflammation, possibly reducing ICU and hospital stay, and ultimately improving patient outcomes
Vestibular perceptual learning improves self-motion perception, posture, and gait in older adults
Authors: Fitze Daniel , Ertl Matthias , Radlinger Lorenz , Mast Fred
Published: March 2024

Vestibular motion perception declines with age, increasing the risk of falling substantially.
We performed a two-week perceptual learning intervention using a self-motion direction discrimination task (2800 training trials per person) on a 6DOF motion platform in healthy older adults (n=40, aged 70-88yr).
Linear inter-aural and angular roll tilt vestibular thresholds improved with training (95\% credible interval for pre/post difference), suggesting altered sensitivity
post-training.
Moreover, improved perceptual abilities transfer to actual posture (reduced sway) and gait parameters.
Passive self-motion discrimination training provides a new and promising way to counteract age-related sensory decline. It can reduce the risk of falling, and thereby maintain individual autonomy and quality of life.
Molecular Dynamics Analysis of Subsurface Brittleness Mechanism of Nanocrystalline 3C-SiC Rough Friction Surface
Authors: Ning Xiang , Wu Nanxing , Zhang Rumeng , Liu Dongliang , Wang Xiang , Li Jiao
Published: March 2024

To study the effect of polycrystalline 3C-SiC rough friction surface on the mechanism of subsurface brittleness during nanocrystalline grinding. The mechanism of subsurface brittleness in the nano-grinding process of polycrystalline 3C-SiC friction surface is analyzed by molecular dynamics method. Combined with the characteristics of polycrystalline grains constructed by Voronoi method, the initial grinding model of rough friction surface polycrystalline 3C-SiC and diamond abrasive particles is constructed. The processing mechanism of 3C-SiC is analyzed by post-processing methods such as dislocation defect analysis, atomic arrangement analysis and stress analysis. At 2.6nm, "stress concentration" occurs between the abrasive particles and the workpiece, forming a "heart-shaped" force shape. The larger the grain size, the smaller the crystal hardness, the greater the possibility of crystal fracture, and it is obvious in the larger crystal size, crystal fracture and vacancy at 8nm. The results show that the rough friction surface of polycrystalline 3C-SiC helps to reduce the damage deformation of the subsurface, and the crossing mechanism between grain and grain boundary can also effectively improve the damage of the subsurface.
Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity in Chiral Crystals
Authors: Yan Binghai , Yan Qun , Li Yongkang , Felser Claudia
Published: March 2024

Chirality is a fundamental property of great importance in physics, chemistry, and biology, and is recently found to generate unexpected spin polarization for electrons passing through organic molecules, known as chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS).
CISS shows promising application potential in spintronic devices, spin-controlled chemistry and enantiomer separation. It focuses on organic molecules that exhibit poor electronic conductivity and inherent complexities, such as the debated role of SOC at the molecule-metal interface.
In this work, we go beyond organic molecules and study chiral solids with excellent electrical conductivity, intrinsic SOC and topological electronic structures. We demonstrate that electrons exhibit both spin and orbital polarization as they pass through chiral crystals. Both polarization increases with material thickness before saturating to the bulk values.
The spin polarization is proportional to intrinsic SOC while the orbital polarization is insensitive to SOC. The large spin polarization comes with strong electrical magnetochiral anisotropy in the magneto-transport of these chiral crystals (e.g., RhSi). Our work reveals the interplay of chirality, electron spin, and orbital in chiral crystals, paving the way for developing chiral solids for chirality-induced phenomena.
Changes in dynamic electrocardiogram after COVID-19 infection: a self-controlled study
Authors: Wang Liying , Gao Jie , Wang Xinkang
Published: March 2024

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) not only causes respiratory system damage, but also cardiovascular system. Previous studies had shown that COVID-19 can cause abnormal changes in ECG, however few studies reported changes in dynamic electrocardiogram before and after COVID-19 infection.
Methods: A retrospective review of patients who were first diagnosed with COVID-19 and underwent dynamic electrocardiogram from Fujian Provincial Hospital between January 1, 2023 and April 30, 2023.In which who had received at least once dynamic electrocardiogram between January 1, 2018 and December 20, 2022 were included in our study. The differences of dynamic electrocardiogram before and after COVID-19 infection were compared and analyzed.
Results: A total of 144 COVID-19 patients were included(67 males，mean age 56±14.3). After COVID-19, the mean heart rate and minimum heart rate increased, the total number of atrial premature, atrial tachycardia and ventricular premature contractions bigeminy，the incidence of T wave changes were increased, SDNN, SDNN index, PNN50, HF and LF were decreased(all p< 0.05).
Conclusion:Dynamic electrocardiogram showed increased arrhythmia and decreased heart rate variability after-COVID-19 , indicating that COVID-19 has damage to the cardiovascular system, which can provide reference for clinical diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
A Game-Theoretic Exploration with Surplus Profit-Sharing in a Three-Channel Supply Chain, Featuring E-Commerce Dynamics
Authors: Vatanara Maryam , Rabbani Masoud , Heydari Jafar
Published: March 2024

In a three-channel supply chain, coordination can be especially challenging especially when a manufacturer has to work with a retailer and an online platform. In such a scenario, sales efforts can be critical to the success of the supply chain. However, there is a risk of free riding behavior by either the retailer or the manufacturer, which can lead to suboptimal sales performance. This article will explore the centralized and the decentralized models by the use of game theory (Nash and Stackelberg) and eventually tries to coordinate the three-channel supply chain with the help of Operational Research (OR) to optimize the decision-making and create a win-win situation. Numerical examples are provided to prove the efficiency of the presented models. Finally, the models are evaluated through sensitivity analysis, and managerial insights are provided to enhance the applicability of the models for coordinating a three-channel supply chain.
Triglyceride–glucose index and serum uric acid on the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events after PCI: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Huo Li-Kun , Hu Su-Tao , Zhang Yu-Kun , Zhao Wen-Juan , Ji Xiang , Chen Kang-Yin , Liu Tong
Published: March 2024

Background：Both serum uric acid (SUA) levels and TyG index have been reported to associate with adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. Limited evidence has focus on the combined and mediating effects of TyG on the association between SUA and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Methods：In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 6923 patients who underwent PCI were included. The patients were grouped based on the cut-off value of the TyG index and the sex-specifc criteria of hyperuricemia (HUA).
The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and target lesion revascularization.
Cox regression analysis was conducted to estimate the association of TyG index and SUA with clinical outcome. A mediation analysis was performed to assess whether TyG index mediates the relationship between SUA and MACCE.
Results：During a median of 693 days follow-up, 756 (10.9%) patients experienced MACCE. Compared with the Non-HUA/L-TyG group, the HUA/H-TyG group experienced the highest MACCE risk[hazard ratio(HR): 1.455,95% confidence interval(CI): 1.177–1.799, p < 0.001], followed by the HUA/L-TyG group(HR: 1.342, 95% CI: 1.093–1.647, p = 0.005) and Non-HUA/H-TyG (HR: 1.226, 95% CI: 1.007–1.493, p = 0.043). The TyG index significantly mediated 50.25% of the relationship between SUA and MACCE (p < 0.001).
Conclusions：In patients undergone PCI, the TyG index and HUA synergically increased the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and TyG index partially mediated the association between HUA and clinical outcomes, which emphasizes that combining TyG and SUA can help identify high risk patients.
Emergent collective alignment gives competitive advantage to longer cells during range expansion
Authors: Jauffred Liselotte , Berg Nathan van den , Thijssen Kristian , Nguyen Thu , Sarlet Adrien , Cordero Mireia , Vázquez Alba , Mitarai Namiko , Doostmohammadi Amin
Published: March 2024

Bacteria’s competition for nutrients and territory drives biofilm evolution (1 –4). The factors determining the outcome of competition among diverse bacterial species have a broad impact on a wide range of pathological (5), environmental (6), and microbiome interactions (7). While motility-related traits (8 – 11) and specific molecular mechanisms (12 , 13) have been identified as potential winning attributes in bacteria, a shared and universally conserved feature determining competition remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a simple morphological feature of individual bacteria, cell aspect ratio, provides a winning trait for the population. Using range expansion experiments (14), we show that relatively longer bacteria robustly conquer the expanding front, even when initially in minority. Using an agent based model of dividing bacteria, we reveal that the takeover mechanism is their emergent collective alignment: groups of locally aligned bacteria form "nematic arms" bridging the central region of the colony to the expanding front. Once at the front, bacteria align parallel to it and block the access of shorter bacteria to nutrients and space. We confirm this observation with single-cell experiments and further generalise our findings by introducing a generic continuum model of alignment-dominated competition, explaining both experimental and cell-based model observations. Moreover, we extend our predictions to spherical range expansions (15) and confirm the competitive advantage of being longer, even though the effect is less pronounced than in surface-attached colonies. Our results uncover a simple, yet hitherto overlooked, mechanical mechanism determining the outcome of bacterial competition, which is potentially ubiquitous among various bacteria. With the current advances in genetic engineering, varying aspect ratios can work as a simple tunable mechanism for the on-demand setting of the outcome of bacterial competitions with widespread implications for biofilm control.
Proteomics and Machine Learning in the Prediction and Explanation of Low Pectoralis Muscle Area
Authors: Enzer Nicholas A. , Chiles Joe , Mason Stefanie , Shirahata Toru , Castro Victor , Regan Elizabeth , Choi Bina , Yuan Nancy F. , Diaz Alejandro A. , Washko George R. , McDonald Merry-Lynn , Estépar Raul San José , Ash Samuel Y.
Published: March 2024

Low muscle mass is associated with numerous adverse outcomes independent of other associated comorbid diseases. We aimed to predict and understand an individual’s risk for developing low muscle mass using proteomics and machine learning. We identified 8 biomarkers associated with low pectoralis muscle area (PMA). We built 3 random forest classification models that used either clinical measures, feature selected biomarkers, or both to predict development of low PMA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for each model was: clinical-only = 0.646, biomarker-only = 0.740, and combined = 0.744. We displayed the heterogenetic nature of an individual’s risk for developing low PMA and identified 2 distinct subtypes of participants who developed low PMA. While additional validation is required, our methods for identifying and understanding individual and group risk for low muscle mass could be used to enable developments in the personalized prevention of low muscle mass.
An MRI-Based Deep Learning Radiomics Nomogram Analysis for Prediction of Postoperative Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy
Authors: Wu Rong-Rong , Xie Xing-Yun , Zhou Yi-Min
Published: March 2024

Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the value of combining radiomics features and deep learning features to construct Nomogram for non-invasive prediction of postoperative lymph node metastasis (LNM) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for cervical cancer, to assist clinical decision-making and diagnosis.
Method
Two hundred and sixty-five cervical cancer patients were divided into training (n = 212) and test (n = 53) sets in an 8:2 ratio. Radiomics features were extracted from Axial Liver Acquisition with Volume Acceleration plus Contrast enhancement (Ax-LAVA + C) sequences of MRI, and deep learning (DL) features were extracted using the Inception V3 model. The features selected by LASSO were combined with four machine learning algorithms to construct models to evaluate the predictive value of the radiomics features and DL features for postoperative LNM in cervical cancer patients operated after NACT. A Nomogram was constructed based on Logistic Regression model combining radiomics score (rad-score) and DL-score.
Results
In the radiomics model, the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) outperforms other machine learning algorithms, with AUCs of 0.79,0.80 in the training set and test set, respectively. In the DL model, Support Vector Machine (SVM) outperforms other machine learning algorithms with AUCs of 0.78,0.78 in the training set and test set, respectively. The Nomogram constructed by combining radiomics features and deep learning features has an AUC of 0.93,0.89 in the training set and test set, respectively. It outperforms the radiomics model and the DL model. The decision curve analysis (DCA) shows that the Nomogram has good clinical benefits.
Conclusion
Radiomics models and deep learning models can effectively predict LNM status after NACT in cervical cancer patients. The Nomogram constructed by combining radiomics and DL features has better prediction performance compared with the radiomics model and DL model.
Aerosol-type Classification Based on AERONET Version 3 Data: A Case Study of Two Major Cities in Pakistan
Authors: Zeeshan Muhammad
Published: March 2024

In the Earth’s atmosphere, aerosols are among the most variable components that significantly impact the Earth's climate and largely vary in their form. This study investigated the temporal distribution of atmospheric particles over two megacities in Pakistan for the period 2015–2023, offering an aerosol-type classification based on the Particle linear depolarization ratio (PLDR) and Single-scattering albedo (SSA) at 1020 nm, retrieved from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Version 3.0 Level 2.0 inversion products. The results revealed that Lahore had comparatively greater average values for aerosol optical depth (AOD 440nm) and Ångstroṁ exponent (AE 440nm-870nm) than did Karachi. The contribution of fine (coarse) −mode aerosols to the total volume concentration dominates at lower (higher) PLDRs. The dust ratio (Rd) parameter indicated that coarse-mode aerosols were dominant at both sites, with occurrence rates of 86% at Lahore and 99% at Karachi. Pure dust (PD) particles have a greater frequency of occurrence (43.16%) and pollution-dominated mixture (PDM) aerosols (44.14%) in the atmospheres of Lahore and Karachi, respectively, but dust-dominated mixture (DDM) has a lower frequency of occurrence (33.91% and 29.63%, respectively). The annual incidence rates of dust-free pollution aerosols (SA, MA, WA, and NA) were lower (25.62% at Lahore, 27.87% at Karachi) at both sites than those of dust-containing aerosols (28.47% at Lahore, 30.43% at Karachi). Weakly absorbing (WA) and Non-absorbing (NA) aerosols are more dominant than strong absorbing (SA) and moderately absorbing (MA) aerosols. In addition, seasonally, the winter season is strongly affected by PD (85.42%) and DDM (54.39%), the spring season is strongly affected by WA (55.53%) and PDM (68.61%), the summer is strongly affected by NA (Lahore: 64.94%, and Karachi: 57.22%), and the autumn season is strongly affected by WA (Lahore: 51.56%, and Karachi: 49.46%) aerosols, over Lahore and Karachi.
A Quantitative Analysis of Mandatory Wellness Assessments for 1st and 3rd Year Medical Students at the University of Ottawa
Authors: Haykal Kay-Anne , Zombre Ines , Laprade Selena , Duquet Miryam , Joseph Joseph
Published: March 2024

Background
An alarming prevalence of burnout among medical students has been reported in many countries, including Canada. To design resilience and wellness programs, it is important to explore individual risk factors. This article presents an example of a Wellness Assessment Program for medical students at the University of Ottawa. The overall goal was to identify risk factors for poorer mental health outcomes among medical students at the University of Ottawa.
Methods
We conducted a quantitative study to determine risk factors for mental health, among MD-A (1st year only), MD-B (1st year only), MD-C (1st and 3rd year) and MD-D (1st and 3rd year).
Results
Risk factors that significantly impacted the mental health of 1st and 3rd year medical students at the University of Ottawa were physical health, sleep/fatigue, social support, education and career, stress, and drug and/or alcohol use. Students who were originally from Ottawa had more social support and less stress and drug and/or alcohol use (p < 0.001;p = 0.009). Being in the Francophone cohort had a positive effect on physical health, but a negative effect on psychological/emotional health (p = 0.039;p = 0.004). There was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.021) between the psychological/emotional health of 1st year students (M = 0.7895) and 3rd year students (M = 0.8923) when co-variates (risk factors) were not considered.
Conclusion
In the current context of the limited effectiveness of measures to address the negative impacts of medical education on student well-being, this study showed that efficient use of the wellness program data can identify risk factors that have a significant impact on wellness.
Post-transplant cyclophosphamide separates graft-versus host disease and graft versus leukemia effects after HLA- matched stem-cell transplantation for AML
Authors: Shimoni Avichai , Peczynski Christophe , Labopin Myriam , Kulagin Alexander , Meijer Ellen , CORNELISSEN Jan , Choi Goda , Sanz Jaime , Rovira Montse , Gorkom Gwendolyn Van , Kröger Nicolaus , Koc Yener , Vydra Jan , Díez-Martín Jose Luis , Solano Carlos , Patel Amit , Chiusolo Patrizia , Ciceri Fabio , Nagler Arnon , Mohty Mohamad
Published: March 2024

The association of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (SCT) is well-established but was not confirmed in modern era and following post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy). We assessed GVHD/ GVL association in AML patients following HLA-matched SCT with standard calcineurin-based (n = 12,653) or PTCy-based (n = 508) GVHD prophylaxis. Following standard prophylaxis, the rates of acute GVHD grade II-IV and III-IV, chronic GVHD and extensive chronic GVHD were 23.8%, 7.5%, 37.0% and 16.3%, respectively. Acute GVHD grade II and III-IV were associated with lower relapse [hazard-ratio (HR) 0.85, P = 0.002; HR 0.76, P = 0.003, respectively)], higher non-relapse mortality (NRM) (HR 1.5, P < 0.001; HR 6.21, P < 0.001) and lower overall-survival (OS) (HR 1.49, P < 0.001; HR 6.1, P < 0.001). Extensive chronic GVHD was associated with lower relapse (HR 0.69, P < 0.001), higher NRM (HR 2.83, P < 0.001) and lower OS (HR 2.74, P < 0.001). Following PTCy, GVHD rates were 22.8%, 6.2%, 35.5% and 17.7%, respectively. Acute GVHD grade II-IV was not associated with relapse (HR 1.37, P = 0.15) but predicted higher NRM (HR 3.34, P < 0.001) and lower OS (HR 1.92, P = 0.001). Chronic GVHD was not prognostic for these outcomes. In conclusion, GVHD and GVL are strongly associated in contemporary SCT. However, following PTCy, GVHD is not associated with reduced relapse.
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric and adult patients with haemophilia
Authors: Zhang Shu-xia , Xie Bangxiang , Lin Yanfang , Chen Chunrong , Yang Shu , Xu Shujuan , Li Xin , Chen Jing , Yang Feng’e , Huang Meijuan
Published: March 2024

Background:The COVID-19-associated mortality rate of haemophilia patients is similar to that of the general population, but the risk of hospitalization and bleeding is higher. However, the specific impact of this infection on haemophilia patients has not been reported yet. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the infection susceptibility, symptoms, drug use, and social intercourse of patients with haemophilia.
Methods: A survey was distributed to a total of 265 patients with haemophilia [adult (n = 185) and pediatric patients (n = 80)] in the Fujian haemophilia therapeutic center (Fuzhou City, China) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and data were collected between January 2022 and January 2023. The impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection on haemophilia symptoms, drug use, and social intercourse of these patients were investigated, and the association between the recovery time and disease conditions was explored in infected patients.
Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with adult patients, pediatric patients had reduced social intercourse and outdoor activities because of the fear of contracting COVID-19 (85.0% vs. 66.5%; P = 0.002). Bleeding events were also significantly fewer in children than in adults (61.2% vs. 81.1%; P = 0.001). The SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was significantly higher in patients living in urban areas than in those living in rural areas (74.3% vs. 53.6%; P < 0.001). The duration of achieving symptomatic recovery from COVID-19 was not significantly associated with hemorrhage, type and classification of haemophilia, presence of inhibitors, complications, and vaccination status.
Conclusion: Having COVID-19 infection did not significantly influence the symptoms and treatments in patients with haemophilia. Compared with adults, pediatric patients had significantly fewer bleeding events.
Pan-Genome Analysis with Virulence Factors: Charting the Genomic Landscape of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)
Authors: Salian Lavanya Shankar , Sajeevan Anusree , K Krishna Prasath S , S Suma Mohan , Solomon Adline Princy
Published: March 2024

Urinary tract infections remain a worldwide health challenge, affecting over 150 million individuals annually, with significant morbidity and healthcare costs. Escherichia coli is the chief uropathogen (50–90%) in uncomplicated, community-acquired urinary tract infections. Numerous virulence factors are expressed by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), allowing the bacteria to cause urinary tract infections. Despite large-scale sequencing efforts to raise clinical awareness of UPEC, not much is known about the diversity and functions of virulence factors. To understand and elucidate the genetic diversity, evolutionary characteristics, and virulence profile, efforts were taken to construct the pan-genome of UPEC using 212 publicly available complete genome sets. The UPEC pan-genome was open in nature i.e. its size increases indefinitely when adding new genomes and showed extensive genome variability. These UPEC strains had diverse virulence gene content, and four potential core virulence genes (dhak, fimH-1, H-2, uspABCDFG, yehD) have been identified. The conserved mechanisms for their pathogenicity were related to adherence, motility, and immune modulation. The study underscores the crucial role of bacterial adhesins, particularly fimH, in mediating UPEC attachment to uroepithelial cells, enhancing persistence, and resisting mechanical elimination by urine flow. The investigation into fimH single-nucleotide polymorphisms aids in understanding UPEC epidemiological types. The datasets provide in-depth analysis of genomic diversity and virulence profiles of UPEC strains, paving the way for the development of effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the identified virulence factors with further research can serve as potential targets for vaccine and antibiotic development, facilitating genetic studies and clinical research for enhanced UTI management.
The correlation between the expression of serum intestinal mucosal barrier function markers and the natural killer cell in peripheral blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Yun Yang , An Jia , Zhang Fen , Bu Yu-Jie , Cen Xing , Zhao Gui-Fang , Lian Fen-Ping , Wang Yi-Qi , Zhang Sheng-Xiao , Chen Jun-Wei
Published: March 2024

Background
Dysfunction of the intestinal mucosal barrier may be closely related to the development of autoimmune diseases such as SLE. However, there are fewer studies in this area. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between the expression of serum markers for intestinal mucosal barrier function and the lymphocyte subsets in patients with SLE.
Methods
30 SLE patients and 10 healthy individuals were collected in the study. 30 SLE were divided into disease activity group and non-disease activity group according to their SLEDAI score. The levels of serum markers of mucosal barrier function were determined by Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The number of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were measured by Flow Cytometry (FCM). The levels of plasma cytokine were detected by Cytometric Bead Array (CBA).
Results
Compared with the healthy control group, the level of serum zonulin [13.33 (8.69, 28.83) vs5.25 (3.78, 9.25), P < 0.001] and IFABP [2.53 (1.87, 3.38) vs1.68 (1.66, 2.01), P = 0.004] in the SLE patients were increased. Compared with the SLE non-disease active group, the expression level of serum zonulin was significantly higher than that in the SLE disease active group [25.17 (16.78, 33.99) vs 8.74 (6.81, 12.60), P < 0.001]. The expression level of serum zonulin in SLE patients was positively correlated with ESR (r = 0.424, P = 0.020), anti-ds-DNA antibody (r = 0.629, P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with C3 (r=-0.441, P = 0.015); the expression level of IFABP was negatively correlated with C3(r=-0.380, P = 0.038)and C4 (r=-0.432, P = 0.017). There was a negative correlation between the expression level of serum zonulin and the absolute number of total NK cells in peripheral blood in patients with SLE (r=-0.380, P = 0.038). There was a positive correlation between the expression level of serum zonulin and IFN-γ in patients with SLE (r = 0.561, P = 0.015).
Conclusion
Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction is a common occurrence in SLE patients, and it is related to disease activity and antibody production. It can be used as an evaluation indicator of disease progression. The dysfunction is associated with dysregulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes, especially NK cells, in SLE patients. It may be one of the causes of immune homeostasis imbalance in SLE patients.
Real World Barriers to Diagnostic Cardiac Imaging in Adults with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Murray Peter C. , Pollock Ailis , Hewitt Katie , O'sullivan Jennifer , Sheahan Richard
Published: March 2024

Aims:
Cardiomyopathy is universally penetrant in young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and is increasingly the preponderant cause of death. We sought to determine the rates of, and reasons for, failed diagnostic cardiac imaging in our DMD multidisciplinary care centre as well as the level of agreement between imaging modalities, in order to guide the optimal strategy for cardiac imaging in these patients.
Methods and results:
We followed all patients attending a Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Adult DMD clinic over 4 years. All attendees underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and were offered referral for cardiac MRI (CMR). Age, cardiac medications, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), ambulatory status, airway adjuncts and presence and degree of cardiac fibrosis were recorded. A total of 33 patients enrolled, median age 20, with mean follow-up of 3 years and 3 months. Mean LVEF was 51% at enrollment and 45% at follow-up. Presence of any degree of mitral regurgitation correlated strongly to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. CMR was completed in just 25% of patients, all of whom had extensive midwall fibrosis. Of those in whom CMR failed, 52% were unable to lie flat or position correctly for scanning, predominantly due to muscle contractures. Despite suboptimal TTE imaging in 75%, there was good agreement in LVEF between CMR and TTE.
Conclusion:
We found a high rate of failure to complete diagnostic cardiac imaging in this group of patients with impaired mobility. Our study highlights the importance of multimodality imaging, and practical strategies to overcome environmental obstacles to diagnostic imaging, to better guide aggressiveness of treatment for DMD and its inherent cardiomyopathy.
Novel Multi-factor Predictive Model for Postoperative Survival in Gallbladder Cancer: A Multi-Center Study
Authors: Deng Kaige , Xing Jiali , Xu Gang , Jin Bao , Leng Zijian , Wan Xueshuai , Xu Jingyong , Shi Xiaolei , Qiao Jiangchun , Song Jinghai , Yang Jiayin , Zheng Yongchang , Sang Xinting , Du Shunda
Published: March 2024

Background and study purpose:
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly aggressive malignancy, and surgery is the primary curative option. However, postoperative survival of patients with GBC remains limited. This study aimed to develop a practical model for predicting the postoperative overall survival (OS) of patients with GBC. The model aims to guide surgical decisions and benefit-risk assessments, addressing an unmet need in current practice.
Methods
A total of 287 patients from three medical institutions were analyzed. Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen for prognostic factors. Bidirectional stepwise multivariate Cox regression analysis was used for the feature selection. A nomogram was constructed to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year postoperative survival rates. The predictive performance of the nomogram was assessed using Harrell's concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and calibration curves. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to compare survival between the high-risk and low-risk groups determined by the nomogram. Decision curves were used to evaluate the clinical benefits of the nomograms. After training in one institution, internal and external validation were performed in the other two institutions to assess the reliability of the nomogram.
Results
Eight factors were selected via stepwise regression: TNM stage, serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), R0 resection, body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (aCCI), and serum platelet count. The C-index values were 0.770 and 0.757 before and after bootstrap resampling, respectively. The time-dependent C-index consistently exceeded 0.70 from 6 months to 5 years postoperatively, significantly outperforming TNM staging and CA199 levels. Time-dependent ROC analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of over 75% when predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year postoperative survival. The calibration curves demonstrated good concordance between the predicted and observed 1-, 3-, and 5-year postoperative survival rates. The high-risk group identified by the nomogram exhibited significantly better survival than the low-risk group in both the overall population and in late-stage patients. Decision curves indicated the superior clinical benefits of the novel model compared to TNM staging and CA199 levels. The model performance in the validation process was comparable to that in the training process, demonstrating good reliability.
Conclusions
Our innovative multi-factor nomogram exhibits excellent discriminative and predictive efficacy, along with robust generalizability. The nomogram model has the potential to be a high-quality tool for forecasting postoperative survival in GBC, aiding clinical decision-making.
Predictive Role of Internalized Shame, Fear of Negative Evaluation on Social Anxiety among Transgenders
Authors: Babu Kiran , Joy Molly , Johnson Aksa , V Sukumar , R Chinnaiyan
Published: March 2024

This study investigates how internalized guilt and fear of being judged negatively influence social anxiety in transgender people, using the Internalized Shame Scale [9] and the Fear of Negative Assessing [24] trans men and trans women and the Adult Social Anxiety Scale. People who identified as transgender participated in the study using a purposive sampling technique and a correlational research design. The research included only transgender women (n = 22) and men (n = 10). The age of participants from South Indian states varied between her 18 years and her 50 years (M = 27.12, SD = 6.22). The outcomes of the research show that the trans women experience moderate social anxiety and significant fear of being negatively evaluated and internalizing shame. Social anxiety, internalized shame, and Fear of receiving a poor grade is positively connected. The findings of a multiple regression analysis showed that social anxiety was strongly predicted by internalized guilt and fear of receiving a poor judgment. Talking to strangers, engaging with individuals of the opposite sex, public speaking, and interacting with powerful people can all cause anxiety and discomfort. Summary of the present findings reveal that uncertainty transgender persons are more likely to experience a range of problems, such as: Social anxiety, psychological discomfort, and agony from being associated with prejudice in many vocations on a regular basis. It has been noted that support from friends, family, and the social network can minimize mental health problems. The distinction between transman and transwoman may have been driven by internalized guilt, fear of being judged negatively, and social anxiety since changing to a female may cause greater losses than a transgender man does.
An Improved 3D Printing Extrusion Defect Detection Method Based On YOLO-v8
Authors: Cao Ming , Fu Lijun , Ai Fanrong , Zhou Kui
Published: March 2024

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology finds widespread use in consumer and industrial manufacturing. However, large-scale 3D printers in the manufacturing industry encounter challenges like extended printing times, high nozzle flow, and maintaining flow stability. Addressing these issues necessitates thorough research and optimization of 3D printers to enhance printing efficiency and stability. This study proposes a real-time monitoring system for identifying flow defects in large 3D printers using machine vision. The system comprises a camera capturing extrusion images, a computer processing real-time screens, and a lower computer within the monitoring system designed for real-time monitoring and correction of flow quality in large 3D printers. Defects are detected and image data captured by adjusting the extrusion speed, while an attention mechanism module optimizes the YOLOv8 model. The model is trained for deep learning using mAP50 as the performance evaluation index, achieving a mean average precision (mAP) of 92.1%. Subsequently, the optimized model is deployed on a host computer. Upon detecting flow defects, it sends commands to a Raspberry Pi, generating G-code commands to adjust extrusion speed and relay them to the 3D printer. This enables real-time monitoring and automatic calibration of the printing process. The study presents an effective solution for real-time monitoring and calibration in closed-loop processes within additive manufacturing.
Extremal trees with respect to bi-Wiener index
Authors: Chen Ximei , Karimi Sasan Karimi , Xu Kexiang , Lewinter Marty , Choi Eric , Delgado Anthony , Doslic Tomislav
Published: March 2024

In this paper we introduce and study a new graph-theoretic invariant called the bi-Wiener index. The bi-Wiener index Wb(G) of a bipartite graph G is defined as the sum of all (shortest-path) distances between two vertices from different parts of the bipartition of the vertex set of G. We start with providing a motivation connected with the potential uses of the new invariant in the QSAR/QSPR studies. Then we study its behavior for trees. We prove that, among all trees of order n ≥ 4, the minimum value of Wb is attained for the star Sn, and the maximum Wb is attained at Pn for even n, or at Pn and Bn(2) for odd n where Bn(2) is a broom with maximum degree 3. We also determine the extremal values of the ratio Wb(Tn)/W(Tn) over all trees on a given number of vertices n. At the end, we indicate some open problems and discuss some possible directions of further research.
AMS Subj. Class. (2020): 05C05, 05C09, 05C12, 05C92