bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical Changes of Apple (Malus domestica) Fruit Cultivars as Influenced by Maturity Stages and Postharvest Management Practices
Authors: Teferra Tadesse , Mezgebe Abadi , Lencha Eden
Published: June 2021

This research was conducted to understand changes of physicochemical properties of fruits of three apple cultivars as influenced by stage of maturity and packaging types over storage period of three weeks. The research was designed to replicate practices by the producers and along the value chains and to assess the fruit quality under the conditions of the major markets in the region. All the measured physicochemical parameters significantly varied with the cultivars, maturity stage at harvest and packaging types. Higher firmness was recorded for the samples harvested about two weeks before the optimal maturity, usually practiced by significant number of producers to gain market advantage. Lower total soluble solids corresponded to the early harvested samples regardless of cultivars and packaging types. The firmness was observed decreasing over the storage periods whereas the total soluble solids increased, which is associated to improving sensorial quality for the early harvested cultivars as the soluble solids are mainly sugars. The early harvesting resulted in fruits of inferior desirability including extreme hardness, firmness and low total soluble solids that may have high sourness and less sweet taste. Awareness creation for the producers on the quality and advantages of harvesting their produces at optimal maturity and practicing good postharvest management is required.
Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries
Authors: Pulos Nicholas , Shaughnessy William J. , Spinner Robert J. , Shin Alexander Y.
Published: June 2021

» The incidence of brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI) in the United States is declining and now occurs in <1 per 1,000 births.

» The gold standard for predicting the need for early intervention remains serial examination.

» Early treatment of BPBI with reconstructive surgery requires the ability to perform both interposition nerve grafting and nerve transfers.

» Given the heterogeneity of lesions, the evidence is largely limited to retrospective comparative studies and case series.
Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Authors: Sekeitto Allan Roy , van der Jagt Kaeriann , Sikhauli Nkhodiseni , Mokete Lipalo , Bowers Alban Gerard , van der Jagt Dick Ronald
Published: June 2021

» Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare congenital disorder that affects connective tissue.

» Modern medicine has mitigated the mortality that is associated with OI, allowing patients to live a near-normal life span.

» The degenerative process in OI is probably accelerated because of subclinical intra-articular fractures, joint laxity, and distorted femoral and acetabular anatomy.

» Total hip arthroplasty is seldom performed in patients with OI; it is technically difficult due to bone fragility, deformity, soft-tissue alteration, acetabular protrusion, the risk of intraoperative and postoperative fractures, and joint laxity.

» This review highlights that patients with OI need hip arthroplasty procedures at an early age and that early revision surgery can be expected. New-generation uncemented implants may improve implant survivorship.
Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medications in Patients with RA and SLE Undergoing Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery
Authors: Saunders Noah E. , Holmes James R. , Walton David M. , Talusan Paul G.
Published: June 2021

» Recent literature has shown that continued use rather than discontinuation of various antirheumatic agents throughout the perioperative period may present an opportunity to mitigate the risks of elective surgery.

» For patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, perioperative management of medication weighs the risk of infection against the risk of disease flare when immunosuppressive medications are withheld.

» Broadly speaking, current evidence, although limited in quality, supports perioperative continuation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, whereas biologic drugs should be withheld perioperatively, based on the dosing interval of the specific drug.

» For any withheld biologic drug, it is generally safe to restart these medications approximately 2 weeks after surgery, once the wound shows evidence of healing, all sutures and staples have been removed, and there is no clinical evidence of infection. The focus of this recommendation applies to the optimization of wound-healing, not bone-healing.

» In most cases, the usual daily dose of glucocorticoids is administered in the perioperative period rather than administering “stress-dose steroids” on the day of surgery.
Clinical Use of Talar Prostheses
Authors: Dimitrov Andrea S. , Westover Lindsey , Jomha Nadr M.
Published: June 2021

» The blood supply to the talus is vulnerable to damage, making the talus susceptible to osteonecrosis, with limited treatment options.

» Talar bone replacement has been investigated as a treatment option to preserve ankle function and maintain limb length.

» Successful talar bone replacements have been performed for the past >35 years, with variations in design, methods of fixation, materials, and manufacturing techniques.

» The designs of talar prostheses range from custom-made partial (talar body) or total prostheses to prefabricated universal (non-custom-made) prostheses.

» Total talar prostheses have been demonstrated to function better than partial talar prostheses; however, there is a need for long-term studies regarding custom-made total talar prostheses and prefabricated universal talar prostheses in order to determine their long-term effectiveness.
New capabilities in CREATE™-AV Helios Version 11
Authors: Wissink Andrew , Dylan Jude , Jayaraman Buvana , Roget Beatrice , Lakshminarayan Vinod , Sitaraman Jayanarayanan , Bauer Andrew , Forsythe James , Trigg Robert , Peters Nicholas
Published: June 2021

CREATE™-AV Helios is a high-fidelity coupled CFD/CSD infrastructure developed by the U.S. Dept. of Defense for aeromechanics predictions of rotorcraft. This paper discusses new capabilities added to Helios version 11.0. A new fast-running reduced order aerodynamics option called ROAM has been added to enable faster-turnaround analysis. ROAM is Cartesian-based, employing an actuator line model for the rotor and an immersed boundary model for the fuselage. No near-body grid generation is required and simulations are significantly faster through a combination of larger timesteps and reduced cost per step. ROAM calculations of the JVX tiltrotor configuration give a comparably accurate download prediction to traditional body-fitted calculations with Helios, at 50X less computational cost. The unsteady wake in ROAM is not as well resolved, but wake interactions may be a less critical issue for many design considerations. The second capability discussed is the addition of six-degree-of-freedom capability to model store separation. Helios calculations of a generic wing/store/pylon case with the new 6-DOF capability are found to match identically to calculations with CREATE™-AV Kestrel, a code which has been extensively validated for store separation calculations over the past decade.
Propagandized Adversary Populations in a War of Ideas
Authors: Bishop Donald M.
Published: June 2021

Disinformation, the disruptive effects of social media, and the prospect of information warfare increasingly preoccupy national security thinkers. In the twentieth century, years of prewar and wartime propaganda by the Axis powers and the Soviet Union made the World Wars and the Cold War longer and more costly. In this century, China and North Korea represent two nations that have propagandized their populations for 70 years, hardening them against informational initiatives. What are the lessons? How should the United States assemble a strategy to counter propaganda’s effects?
Representation of Armed Forces Through Cinematic and Animated Pieces: Case Studies
Authors: Cserkits Michael
Published: June 2021

In this article, the author will examine the representation of armed forces in cinematic productions and anime, with case studies of the United States and Japan. e sample will consist of a movie that has a clear involvement of the United States armed forces and of an anime series that was cofinanced by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The analytical method used will be textual analysis, in combination with videography, a method that supports interaction analysis of moving images. In comparing those two different approaches of the armed forces of Japan and the U.S. military, the author hopes to shed light on not simply the representation of the groups but also desired self-identification of the respective armed forces.
Streaming the Battlefield: A Theory of the Internet's Effect on Negotiation Onset
Authors: Patrick Anthony
Published: June 2021

This article explores the effects of social media penetration and internet connectivity on the likelihood that parties within a conventional intra-state conflict will enter negotiations. The proliferation of advanced information communications technologies, coupled with violent political collective action, calls for further examination of how these variables intertwine to affect conflict patterns. Beginning with a discussion on communications technology and the bargaining model of war, the author presents a theoretical model that seeks to create a foundation that can be used for future empirical testing.
Differentiation protocol for generating functional pancreatic β cells from human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Liu Haisong , Li Ronghui , Liao Hsin-Kai , Belmonte Juan Carlos Izpisua
Published: June 2021

The efficient generation of pancreatic β cells from human pluripotent stem cells may allow us to study their biological characteristics and use them for the treatment of type I diabetes. The protocol we present in the study provides an efficient method for producing β cells using either human embryonic stem cells or human induced pluripotent stem cells as the starting material.
Developing a multi-functional sensor for cell traction force, matrix remodeling and biomechanical assays in self-assembled 3D tissues in vitro
Authors: Emon Bashar , Joy M Saddam H , Saif M Taher A
Published: June 2021

Cell-matrix interactions, mediated by cellular force and matrix remodeling, result in a dynamic reciprocity that drives numerous biological processes and disease progression. Currently, there is no available method for direct quantification cell traction force and matrix remodeling in 3D matrices as a function of time. To address this long-standing need, we recently developed a high-resolution microfabricated sensor1 that measures cell force, tissue-stiffness and can apply mechanical stimulation to the tissue. Here the tissue self-assembles and self-integrates with the sensor. With primary fibroblasts, cancer cells and neurons, we demonstrated the feasibility of the sensor by measuring single/multiple cell force with a resolution of 1 nN, and tissue stiffness1 due to matrix remodeling by the cells. The sensor can be translated into a high-throughput system for clinical assays such as patient-specific drug and phenotypic screening. In this paper, we present the detailed protocol for manufacturing the sensors, preparing experimental setup, developing assays with different tissues, and for imaging and analyzing the data.
Documenting Patients’ and Providers’ Preferences When Proposing a Randomized Controlled Trial: A Qualitative Exploration
Authors: Oberoi Devesh , Kwok Cynthia , Li Yong , Railton Cindy , Horsman Susan , Reynolds Kathleen , Joy Anil A. , King Karen Marie , Lupichuk Sasha Michelle , Speca Michael , Culos-Reed Nicole , Carlson Linda E , Giese-Davis Janine
Published: June 2021

Background
With advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, women with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) are living longer, increasing the number of patients receiving post-treatment follow-up care. Best-practice survivorship models recommend transitioning ESBC patients from oncology-provider (OP) care to community-based care. While developing materials for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the feasibility of a nurse-led Telephone Survivorship Clinic (TSC) for a smooth transition of ESBC survivors to follow-up care, we sought to explore patients’ and OPs’ reactions to our proposed recruitment methods.
Methods
We used a qualitative study design with content analysis, and a two-pronged approach. We interviewed OPs, seeking feedback on ways to recruit their ESBC patients for the trial, and ESBC patients, seeking input on a questionnaire package assessing outcomes and processes in the trial.
Results
OPs identified facilitators and barriers and offered suggestions for study design and recruitment process improvement. Facilitators included the novelty and utility of the study and simplicity of methods; barriers included lack of coordination between treating and discharging clinicians, time constraints, language barriers, motivation, and using a paper-based referral letter. OPs suggested using a combination of electronic and paper referral letters and supporting clinicians to help with recruitment. Patient advisors reported satisfaction with the content and length of the assessment package. However, they questioned the relevance of some questions (childhood trauma) while adding questions about trust in physicians and proximity to primary-care providers.
Conclusion
OPs and patient advisors rated our methods for the proposed trial highly for their simplicity and relevance then suggested changes. These findings document processes that could be effective for cancer-patient recruitment in survivorship clinical trials.
Laboratory Studies on The Effect of MSW Leachate on Soil by Using One-Dimensional Soil Column Method
Authors: Rajapriya R , Murugaiyan V
Published: June 2021

To understand the soil-pollutant interaction geo-environmental engineer design a hydraulic barrier to control the transport of pollutant through the soil and minimize the pollution of affecting the soil properties. Hence, in this study one-dimensional soil column method was stimulated similar to the field conditions. The extraction of leachate from the municipal solid waste was manipulated based on the annual precipitation data. The test result showed that the concentration of extracted leachate was increased up to 45 days and slightly decreased by increasing the addition of water. The interaction of extracted leachate changes the soil characteristics (i.e., increasing tendency by period). The result showed that the LL and PL of the soil was increased by increasing the addition of leachate. The UCS was increased from 167.80 kPa to 176.54 kPa up to 75th days and then decreased gradually at 95th to 105th days. Conversely, hydraulic conductivity was decreased at the initial stage and then gradually increased at the end of the experiment. These changes in the soil characteristics are mainly due to the alters of soil particles into dispersive structure with more effective pore space, which reduces the soil strength and increases the permeability value.
Protective role of Salvia miltiorrhiza Polysaccharides on Florfenicol Induced Oxidative and Apoptotic Injury of Liver in Broilers
Authors: Wang Xiao , Cui Yuqing , Han Chao , Geng Yumeng , Zhang Di , Liu Wei , Shi Wanyu , Bao Yongzhan
Published: June 2021

Salvia miltiorrhiza Polysaccharides (SMPs) can alleviate liver injury in mice, but there are few reports on liver injury of broilers, especially the liver injury caused by antibiotics. To explore the hepatoprotective effects of SMPs against florfenicol (FFC) induced broilers liver injury, the broilers were treated with FFC and SMPs. The results showed SMPs could significantly inhibit the decrease of weight gain and the increase of liver index induced by FFC (P < 0.05). SMPs could significantly reduce the contents of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum and the malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in liver tissues (P < 0.05), also significantly increased the content of total protein (TP) in serum and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) in liver tissues (P < 0.05). QPCR and western bolt results showed that SMPs significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1), cytochrome P4502H1 (CYP2H1), nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone-1 (NQO-1) in liver tissue, also significantly reduced the rate of hepatocyte apoptosis and the mRNA and protein expression of p53, cytochrome-C (CytC), caspase-3 in liver tissue (P < 0.05). The results demonstrated that SMPs can inhibit the oxidative stress in hepatocytes by regulating the related proteins in Nrf2 pathway, thereby reducing the apoptosis of hepatocytes, and protecting liver injury.
Respiratory Depression Following Cesarean Delivery With Single-Shot Spinal With 100 μg Morphine
Authors: CE Hiroki Onodera , Ida Mitsuru , Naito Yusuke , Akasaki Yuka , Kinomoto Akane , Kawaguchi Masahiko
Published: June 2021

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the rate of cumulative bradypnea time (total bradypnea time/total monitoring time) and its related factors in these parturients.Methods: This was a prospective observational study of women undergoing elective and non-elective cesarean delivery under single-shot spinal including 0.1 mg morphine. The Berlin Questionnaire was used to screen for sleep apnea syndrome preoperatively. Respiratory rate and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were monitored continuously using an adhesive acoustic respiration sensor and pulse oximeter, respectively, at least 6 hours after cesarean delivery. Bradypnea was defined as a respiratory rate < 8 bpm lasting at least 25 s (sustained bradypnea) and at least 15 s (immediate bradypnea), respectively. Hypoxemia was defined as SpO2 < 92% lasting at least 25 s (sustained hypoxemia) and at least 15 s (immediate hypoxemia) multiple regression analysis was applied to assess related factors to the rate of cumulative sustained bradypnea.Results: Of 159 patients with a mean body mass index of 26.0 kg/m2, the Berlin Questionnaire was positive in 16.3%, and 77 (48.4%) experienced sustained bradypnea. The median rate of cumulative sustained bradypnea time was 0.70 % (interquartile range 0.35 to 1.45) without any related factors. The incidence of immediate bradypnea and sustained and immediate hypoxemia were 58.5%, 24.5%, and 37.7%, respectively. However, none of the factors were statistically significant. Conclusion: After cesarean delivery performed with intrathecal morphine 0.1 mg, respiratory depression events were commonly observed. However, the rate of cumulative bradypnea time was very low and there were no related factors.Trial registration number and date of registration: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN 0035832) and Dec. 24th, 2018
Pars Plana Lensectomy and Iris-Claw Artisan Intraocular Lens Implantation in Patients with Marfan Syndrome
Authors: Karimi Saeed , Karjou Zahra , Yaghoobi Mohadeseh , Nikkhah Homayoun , Safi Sare
Published: June 2021

Purpose: To evaluate the visual and anatomical outcomes of pars plana lensectomy and iris-claw artisan intra-ocular lens (IOL) implantation in the patients with subluxated crystalline lens secondary to Marfan syndrome.Methods: In this retrospective case series, we evaluate the records of all patients with Marfan syndrome and moderate to severe crystalline lens subluxation who underwent pars plana lensectomy/anterior vitrectomy and implantation of iris-claw artisan IOL at referral hospital from September 2015 to October 2019.Results: Twenty-one eyes of fifteen patients (10 males and 5 females) with the mean age of 24.47 ± 19.14 years were included. Mean best-corrected visual acuity was improved from 1.17 ± 0.55 logMAR to 0.64 ± 0.71 logMAR at the final follow-up visit (P <0.001). The mean intraocular pressure did not change significantly (P = 0.971). The final refraction showed a mean sphere of 0.54 ± 2.46 D and a mean cylinder -0.81 ± 1.03 at the mean axis of 57.92 ± 58.33 degrees. One eye developed rhegmatogenous retinal detachment two months after surgery.Conclusion: Pars plana lensectomy and iris-claw artisan IOL implantation seem to be a useful, impressive and safe procedure with a low rate of complications in Marfan patients with moderate to severe crystalline lens subluxation. Visual acuity was significantly improved with the acceptable anatomical and refractive outcomes.
The Prognosis of Pulmonary Sarcomatoid Carcinoma: Development And Validation of A Nomogram Based On SEER
Authors: Xie Yuanyuan , Lin Zhiyong , Shi Haochun , Sun Xiang , Gu Lizhong
Published: June 2021

Background: The rarity of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) and the lack of prospective clinical trials have led to limited knowledge of its clinical characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the survival and prognostic factors of PSC and to build a nomogram for clinical practice.Methods: Eligible patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2016 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. e compared the clinical characteristics and survival times of PSC patients with those of lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients. We also used univariate and multivariable Cox regression to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) among patients with PSC, while a visual nomogram was established to judge the prognosis. Discrimination, calibration, clinical utility, and reproducibility were validated by Harrell’s concordance index (C-index), the area under the curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA).Results: A total of 400 PSC patients (0.42%) were identified in the SEER database, while 58474 and 33637 patients were diagnosed with LADC and LSCC, respectively. Age, T stage, grade, surgery and radiation were shown to be significant prognostic factors in the Cox regression analyses and were included in the nomogram as predictors. The C-index of the nomogram in the validation set was 0.759. The AUC also demonstrated the good performance of the nomogram, and DCA demonstrated its good clinical applicability.Conclusion: We established a novel nomogram to predict the prognosis of PSC, which can help clinicians make tailored decisions and adjust follow-up management strategies and can provide accurate and individualized survival predictions.
Micropulse Transscleral Cyclophotocoagulation: One-year Results and Comparison of two Different Laser Settings in Severe Glaucoma
Authors: Chemello Francesca , Barosco Guido , Rodella Anna , Ceruti Piero , Morbio Roberta , Marcigaglia Mattia , Marchini Giorgio
Published: June 2021

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-CPC) as a therapeutic option for severe glaucoma and to compare two different durations of treatment.Methods: Retrospective observational study of 40 eyes of 40 patients affected by different types of glaucoma treated with micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation at 2000 mW for a duration of either 90 seconds per hemisphere (20 patients) or 80 seconds per hemisphere (20 patients) at 31.3% duty cycle. As main outcomes were evaluated postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) and topical drugs reduction. Complications of the treatment and a comparative analysis of 2 different durations as secondary outcomes.Results: MP-CPC was successful in 26 patients (65%) and achieved a significant IOP reduction of 34.4% (p<0.001) after 12 months. The mean number of topical antiglaucoma medications has not statistically decreased from baseline (3.4 ± 1.0) to 12 months (3.2 ± 0.8). One case of IOP spike (>35 mmHg) and 1 case of cystoid macular oedema were the only complications detected. The comparison between the 90 seconds per hemisphere and the 80 seconds per hemisphere group did not show any statistically significant difference in IOP reduction, topical medication burden and incidence of complications.Conclusion: MP-CPC demonstrated to be an effective and safe treatment in lowering the IOP. Glaucoma topical medications did not significantly reduce. From our comparative analysis reducing the duration of treatment seems not to affect the outcomes.
Insulin Smart Drug Delivery Nanoparticles of Aminophenylboronic acid–POSS Molecule at Neutral pH
Authors: Kim Won Jung , Kwon Yong Jin , Ye Sang Kyu , Kim Kyu Oh
Published: June 2021

Self-regulated “smart” insulin administration system that mimic pancreatic endocrine function would be highly desirable for diabetes management. Here, a glucose-responsive continuous insulin delivery system is developed, where novel polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane (POSS) modified with 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) were used to encapsulate insulin (insulin entrapment efficiency : 73.2%; loading capacity : 50.5%) to prepare a fast response, high stability, good distribution, and excellent biocompatible system. Micelles self‐assembled from these molecules possess glucose‐responsiveness at varying glucose concentrations. The interaction of the PBA and diol containing insulin via boronate ester bond and its interchange with glucose was investigated by FT-IR, 1H NMR and XPS. Furthermore, the successful glucose-triggered release of insulin from the POSS-APBA micelles was investigated at neutral pH. A linear graph was plotted with the measured released insulin vs glucose concentrations, with a linear correlation coefficient (R2) value close to 1. When confirming intracellular apoptosis signaling, cleaved caspase 3 and caspase 9 were not increased by 640 µg/ml POSS-APBA and POSS-APBA@Insulin in HeLa cells and HDF cells. Application in the biomedical field for controlled delivery of insulin appear to be promising.
Combinatorial Treatment of Tinzaparin and Chemotherapy can Induce a Significant Antitumor Effectin Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Sarantis Panagiotis , Bokas Alexandros , Papadimitropoulou Adriana , Koustas Evangelos , Theocharis Stamatios , Papakotoulas Pavlos , Schizas Dimitrios , Papalampros Alexandros , Felekouras Evangelos , Papavassiliou Athanasios G , Karamouzis Michalis V.
Published: June 2021

Background: Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is recognized as a highly thrombogenic tumor, with over 20% of patients suffering from venous thromboembolism during the disease. Thus, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) such as Tinzaparin is routinely used for PC patients. On the basis of combinatorial therapy approach to treating highly malignant and refractory cancers such as PC, we hypothesized that Tinzaparin can augment the effectiveness of traditional chemotheurapeutic drugs and induce efficient antitumor activity.Methods: PANC-1 and MIAPaCa-2 were incubated alone or in combination with Tinzaparin, Nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine. In vivo evaluation of these compounds was performed at NOD/SCID mouse using a model injected with PANC-1.Results: Tinzaparin enhances the anti-tumor effect of Nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine in mtKRAS PC cell lines via apoptosis at in vitro experiments. The triple combination acts through induction of apoptosis, reduction of the proliferative potential and angiogenesis hence contributing to a decrease in tumor volume observed in vivo. Tumor reduction observed in mice receiving the triple combinational chemotherapy, was 74.5% compared to the control. The triple regime provided an extra 8.2% and 24.3% tumor reduction compared to the control and the double combination (gemcitambine plus Nab-paclitaxel) respectively.Conclusions: Combinatorial strategy can create novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of patients with Pancreatic Cancer, achieving a better clinical outcome and prolonged survival. Further prospective randomized research is recommended and the investigation of various concentrations of Tinzaparin above of 150 UI/Kg, would potentially provide a valuable synergistic effect to the conventional therapeutic compounds.
Demographic Profile and Clinical Course of Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy in Mexican Patients.
Authors: Barrera-Sanchez Maximiliano , Hernandez-Camarena Julio C. , Ruiz-Lozano Raul E. , Valdez-Garcia Jorge E. , Rodriguez-Garcia Alejandro
Published: June 2021

Purpose
To describe the demographic characteristics and clinical course of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) in a Mexican-mestizo population.
Methods
A retrospective observational and longitudinal study was performed in consecutive patients with the clinical diagnosis of Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy seen at our institution. Initial and last follow-up best corrected visual acuity, slit-lamp findings, and specular microscopy endothelial morphometric parameters were analyzed.
Results
One hundred and two eyes belonging to 51 patients were included in the analysis. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 69 years (range, 25–87 years) with a female-to-male ratio of 3.3:1. Visual loss (59.8%) and fluctuating matutine vision (7.8%) were the most common complaints at presentation. Regarding FECD staging, 65 (63.7%) were classified as stage-I FECD, 21 (20.6%) stage-II, and 15 (14.7%) as stage-III. A high percentage of eyes (44%) presented visual impairment (≤ 20/40) at presentation, and the presence of isolated corneal guttata was the most common stage of presentation (64%) at slit-lamp examination. Fifty-nine (57.8%) eyes did not require any medical or surgical management, and 17% of the evaluated eyes finally required a corneal transplantation, being penetrating keratoplasty with 8 (44.4%) eyes the most frequent technique performed.
Conclusion
Demographical characteristics of Fuchs dystrophy regarding age at presentation, gender distribution, and clinical stage at the time of diagnosis did not differ significantly from other international reports. Almost 20% of these patients will require keratoplasty during the disease, emphasizing the need for safer and more reproducible keratoplasty techniques.
Spatiotemporal Patterns in a General Networked Activator-Substrate Model
Authors: Chen Mengxin , Zheng Qianqian , Wu Ranchao , Chen Liping
Published: June 2021

For the purpose of understanding the spatiotemporal pattern formation in the random networked system, a general activator-substrate model with network structure is introduced. Firstly, we investigate the boundedness of the non-constant steady state of the elliptic system of the continuous media system. It is found that the non-constant steady state admits their upper and lower bounds with certain conditions. Then, one investigates some properties and non-existence of the non-constant steady state with the no-flux boundary conditions. The main results show that the diffusion rate of activator should greater than the diffusion rate of substrate. Otherwise, there might be no pattern formation of the system. Afterwards, a general random networked activator-substrate model is made public. The conditions of the stability, the Hopf bifurcation, the Turing instability and a co-dimensional-two Turing-Hopf bifurcation are yield by the method of stability analysis and bifurcation theorem. Finally, we choose a suitable sub-system of the general activator-substrate model to verify the theoretical results, and full numerical simulations are well verified these results. Especially, an interesting finding is that the stability of the positive equilibrium will switch from unstable to stable one with the change of the connection probability of the nodes, this is different from the pattern formation in the continuous media systems.
Protective Effects of Berberine as A Natural Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Agent Against Nephrotoxicity Induced by Cyclophosphamide in Mice
Authors: Mombeini Mohammad Amin , Kalantar Hadi , Sadeghi Elahe , Goudarzi Mehdi , Khalili Hamidreza , Kalantar Mojtaba
Published: June 2021

Purpose
Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating agent with nephrotoxicity that constraints its clinical application. Berberine is an isoquinoline derivative alkaloid with biological functions like antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. The current research intended to examine the nephroprotective impacts of berberine against cyclophosphamide-stimulated nephrotoxicity.
Methods
Forty animal subjects were randomly separated into five categories of control (Group I). Cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg, i.p., on 7th day) (Group II), and groups III and IV that received berberine 50 and 100 mg/kg orally for seven days and a single injection of cyclophosphamide on 7th day. Group V as berberine (100 mg/kg, alone). On day 8, blood samples were drawn from the retro-orbital sinus to determine serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) as biomarkers for kidney injury. Nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities as oxidative stress factors, tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) levels as inflammatory mediators were assessed in kidney tissue.
Results
The results of this study demonstrated that berberine was able to protect remarkably the kidney from CP-induced injury through decreasing the level of BUN, Cr, NGAL, KIM-1, NO, MDA TNF-α, IL-1β and increasing the level of GSH, CAT, SOD and GPx activities.
Conclusion
Berberine may be employed as a natural agent to prevent cyclophosphamide-induced nephrotoxicity through anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Necropotosis-Induciable Nanoliposomes for Enhanced Cancer Sonoimmunotherapy in Vitro
Authors: Li Meng-meng , Zhu Ya , Yang Mi , Cao Yang , Ran Haitao , Zhang Wei
Published: June 2021

Background: Necroptosis has emerged as a therapeutic target for stimulating antitumor immune responses in dying tumor cells. However, its suppressed expression of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), a key enzyme in necrosis in most cancer cells, limits the clinical translation to exploiting necroptosis.Design: We fabricated a multifunctional phase-transition nanoparticles platform by constructing Lip-ICG-PFP-cRGD, utilizing liposome and indocyanine green (ICG) as the shell and perfluoropentane (PFP) as the core. The platform system represented the combination of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) and immunotherapy for cancer treatment by inducing necroptosis and disrupting the cell membrane through the acoustic cavitation effect mediated by ultrasound. In addition to their inherent contrasting ability under photoacoustic imaging, our liposomes may also be used as an ultrasound imaging probe after being irradiated with low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU).Results: We demonstrate that nanoparticles can trigger necroptosis in ovarian cancer cells, which ruptures cell membrane by acoustic cavitation effect. When exposed to LIFU, the nanoparticles effectively facilitate the release of damage-associated molecular patterns by inducing burst-mediated cell-membrane decomposition. Moreover, the PFP phase change caused RIPK3/MLKL-independent necroptosis by acoustic cavitation effect, resulting in the release of biologically active DAMPs (CRT and HMGB1) to facilitate antitumor immunity. Therefore, necroptosis-inducible nanoparticles remarkably enhance antitumor immunity by activating CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and maturing dendritic cells in vitro. Conclusion: We have successfully synthesized Lip-ICG-PFP-cRGD nanoparticles, which can achieve SDT and provoke necroptosis by bubble-mediated cell membrane rupture. The innovative nanoparticle causes immunogenic cell death in cancer cells via RIPK3-independent necroptosis, which is a promising enhancer for cancer immunotherapy.
Recurrent Events Analysis with Piece-wise exponential Additive Mixed Models
Authors: Ramjith Jordache , Bender Andreas , Roes Kit C. B. , Jonker Marianne A.
Published: June 2021

Background: Recurrent events analysis plays an important role in many applications, including the study of chronic diseases or recurrence of infections. Historically, most models for the analysis of time-to-event data, including recurrent events, have been based on Cox proportional hazards regression. Recently, however, the Piece-wise exponential Additive Mixed Model (PAMM) has gained popularity as a flexible framework for survival analysis. While many papers and tutorials have been presented in the literature on the application of Cox based models, few papers have provided detailed instructions for the application of PAMMs and to our knowledge, none exist for recurrent events analysis. Methods: The PAMM is introduced as a framework for recurrent events analysis. We describe the application of the model to unstratified and stratified shared frailty models for recurrent events. We illustrate how penalized splines can be used to estimate non-linear and time-varying covariate effects without a priori assumptions about their functional shape. The model is motivated for both, analysis on the gap timescale ("clock-reset") and calendar timescale ("clock-forward"). The data augmentation necessary for the application to recurrent events is described and explained in detail. Results: Simulations confirmed that the model provides unbiased estimates of covariate effects and the frailty variance, as well as equivalence to the Cox model when proportional hazards are assumed. Applications to recurrence of staphylococcus aureus and malaria in children illustrates the estimation of seasonality, bivariate non-linear effects, multiple timescales and relaxation of the proportional hazards assumption via time-varying effects. The R package pammtools has been extended to facilitate estimation, visualization and interpretation of PAMMs for recurrent events analysis. Conclusion: PAMMs provide a flexible framework for the analysis of time-to-event and recurrent events data. The estimation of PAMMs is based on Generalized Additive Mixed Models and thus extends the researcher’s toolbox for recurrent events analysis.
A Cooperative Mobile Robot and Manipulator System (Co-MRMS) for Transport and Lay-up of Fibre Plies in Modern Composite Material Manufacture
Authors: Yang Manman , Yu Leijian , Wong Cuebong , Mineo Carmelo , Yang Erfu , Bomphray Iain , Huang Ruoyu
Published: June 2021

Composite materials are widely used in industry due to their light weight and specific performance. Currently, composite manufacturing mainly relies on manual labour and individual skills, especially in transport and lay-up processes, which are time-consuming and prone to errors. As part of a preliminary investigation into the feasibility of deploying autonomous robotics for composite manufacturing, this paper investigates a cooperative mobile robot and manipulator system (Co-MRMS) for material transport and composite lay-up, which mainly comprises a mobile robot, a fixed-base manipulator and a machine vision sub-system. In the proposed system, marker-based and Fourier transform-based machine vision approaches are used to achieve high accuracy capability in localisation and fibre orientation detection respectively. Moreover, a particle based approach is adopted to model material deformation during manipulation within robotic simulations. As a case study, a vacuum suction based end-effector model is developed to deal with sagging effects and to quickly evaluate different gripper designs, comprising of an array of multiple suction cups. Comprehensive simulations and physical experiments, conducted with a 6-DOF serial manipulator and a two-wheeled differential drive mobile robot, demonstrate the efficient interaction and high performance of the Co-MRMS for autonomous material transportation, material localisation, fibre orientation detection and grasping of deformable material. Additionally, the experimental results verify that the presented machine vision approach achieves high accuracy in localisation (the root mean square error is 4.04 mm) and fibre orientation detection (the root mean square error is 1.84°).
Association of Waist Circumference With Blood Pressure and Familial Dietary Habits in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northeastern China.
Authors: Tang Xiao , Liu Yang , Hu Jiajin , Zhai Lingling , Jia Lihong , Ding Ning , Ma Yanan , Wen Deliang
Published: June 2021

BackgroundChildhood obesity increases the risk of elevated blood pressure (BP) in children. However, which obesity indicator is most closely associated with BP remains debatable. Moreover, the familial dietary environments play important roles on obesity, but which dietary factors are strong and independent ones for childhood obesity is unclear. Our study aimed to determine the superior indices associated with BP among body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Then, determine the independent familial dietary factors for those superior indices.Method605 children aged 2 to 6, as well as their parents were involved in this study. The children’s weights, heights, WC and BP were measured. Information on familial environments was obtained by asking the parents to complete questionnaires. BMI, WC and WHtR were standardized into their standardized z-score values and categorical variables of these three obesity indices were defined as BMI Category, WC Category and WHtR Category. Logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between standardized z-score of BMI, WC, WHtR and elevated BP. Multivariate stepwise linear regression and multivariate stepwise logistic regression were used to determine the independent factors for obesity indicators that were closely with BP.ResultsNumerical obesity indices associated with BP were, in order of decreasing association: WC, BMI and WHtR. The categorical variable that most closely associated with BP was WC Category. Parental BMI, birth weight of children, eating wheat as staple food, appetite, eating speed, snacking while watching TV, parental encouragement to eat a diverse assortment of foods and drinking milk were independent factors for WC in males or females. The risk of abdominal obesity would increase 1.375 times in males and 1.631 times in females if appetite increased one level. If eating speed increased one level, the risk of abdominal obesity would increase 1.165 times in males and 0.905 times in females. Children who drank milk greater than 6 times per week had a 0.546 times lower risk of abdominal obesity than those did not.ConclusionWC had the closest association with BP. Besides genetics, familial diet were independent factors for WC and abdominal obesity in preschool children.
Distributed Compressed Sensing Based Channel Parameter Estimation for MIMO-FBMC Communications
Authors: Wang Han , Wang Xianpeng
Published: June 2021

For the sparse correlation between channels in multiple input multiple output filter bank multicarrier with offset quadrature amplitude modulation (MIMO-FBMC/OQAM) systems, the distributed compressed sensing (DCS)-based channel estimation approach is studied. A sparse adaptive distributed sparse channel estimation method based on weak selection threshold is proposed. Firstly, the correlation between MIMO channels is utilized to represent a joint sparse model, and channel estimation is transformed into a joint sparse signal reconstruction problem. Then, the number of correlation atoms for inner product operation is optimized by weak selection threshold, and sparse signal reconstruction is realized by sparse adaptation. The experiment results show that proposed DCS-based method not only estimates the multipath channel components accurately but also achieves higher channel estimation performance than classical orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) method and other traditional DCS methods in the time-frequency dual selective channels.
DoE Directed Optimization, Development and Characterization of Resveratrol Loaded Nlc System for the Nose to Brain Delivery in the Management of Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Kumar Nitish , Gupta Ghanshyam Das , Arora Daisy
Published: June 2021

Nose to brain delivery of resveratrol can be a very useful method to overcome the limitations possessed by conventional delivery approaches namely, hepatic metabolism, low bioavailability and half-life of resveratrol, and presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB). The objective of this research work was to develop and optimize the resveratrol-loaded NLCs and coating these carriers with chitosan to increase the residence time of the formulation into the nasal cavity and enhanced permeation across the nasal mucosa. Three CQAs (Particle size, Entrapment efficiency, and PDI), and CMAs (Solid: total lipid concentration, surfactant concentration, and bioactive amount) were selected and the formulation was optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) approach. The optimized batch was evaluated for physicochemical characteristics such as particle size (168.24 ± 8.24 nm), PDI (0.151 ± 0.003), and entrapment efficiency (77.42 ± 3.76 %). This optimized batch was coated with chitosan, which produced coated NLCs with a particle size of 317.7 ± 15.9 nm, and PDI was 0.089 ± 0.009. The morphological study using TEM confirmed the spherical shape, size, and surface coating of the NLCs. Furthermore, both the uncoated and coated particles were analyzed for in vitro resveratrol release, ex vivo diffusion study, and antioxidant assay. NLCs was founded to show sustained in vitro release characteristic, and enhanced bioactive diffusion across the nasal mucosa compared to the bioactive solution of resveratrol. The antioxidant assay revealed that the antioxidant property of resveratrol was intact in the formulation, and a slight increase in antioxidant activity of the formulation was also observed which may be due to the presence of sesame oil in the formulation. These results indicated that the chitosan-coated NLCs can be used to deliver therapeutic moieties more efficiently via the nose to brain drug delivery.
Baseline Viral Load Predicts Antiretroviral Therapy Outcomes Among HIV-Infected Patients: An Observational Cohort Study
Authors: Zhou Chao , Zhang Wei , Lu Rong-Rong , Ouyang Lin , Xing Hui , Shao Yi-Ming , Wu Guo-Hui , Ruan Yu-Hua
Published: June 2021

Background

Many factors are associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes. Viral load (VL) is a strong predictor of disease progression among HIV-infected patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of baseline VL on treatment-related mortality and virologic failure.
Methods

This retrospective study observed HIV-infected patients who were initiated on ART between 2012 and 2018 in Chongqing, China. Mortality assessment included the early mortality rate (deaths within the first 12 months) and the overall mortality rate (deaths during entire observation period). Virologic failure was defined as VL ≥ 200 copies/mL at 12 (range 9–15) months after treatment initiation. Cox proportional hazards regression and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the effects of baseline VL on mortality and virologic failure.
Results

The cohort included 9791 HIV patients; 50.1% of patients had baseline VL test at ART initiation, and only 18.4% had a baseline VL level of < 10,000 copies/mL. ART initiation at higher VL was significantly associated with the early mortality (10,000–99,999 copies/mL: AHR = 2.4; ≥100,000 copies/mL: AHR = 3.4) and the overall mortality (≥ 100,000 copies/mL: AHR = 1.7). Patients with VL ≥ 100,000 copies/mL and without baseline VL at ART initiation had higher virologic failure rate (AOR = 3.5 and AOR = 3.2, respectively).
Conclusions

ART initiation with higher VL was significantly associated with a greater risk of mortality and virologic failure, especially in the early stage of treatment. Baseline VL is essential for medical staff as it allows monitoring of treatment effect and allows for interventions to reduce HIV transmission. Continued efforts are needed to enhance the coverage of baseline VL testing.