bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy plus Bevacizumab Combined with Total Mesorectal Excision in Treating Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients with BRAF Mutation: Clinical Benefit and Safety
Authors: Song Jintian , Wang Yi , Yu Hui , Zheng Liang , Cai Xiongchao , Chen Yigui
Published: December 2021

Objective. To investigate clinical benefit and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) plus bevacizumab combined with total mesorectal excision (TME) in treating patients with BRAF-mutated locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods. This study included LARC patients with BRAF mutation admitted to the Oncology Department of Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fujian Cancer Hospital, between June 2013 and December 2018. Patients in the control group received a standard treatment regimen of TME combined with NAC (

n
=
45

), and patients in the observation group received NAC plus bevacizumab combined with TME (

n
=
55

). The short-term clinical efficacy of the two groups after NAC treatment was observed and compared, including differences in the pathological downstaging rate. The incidence of perioperative complications and adverse reactions during neoadjuvant therapy was compared to evaluate the safety of the treatment. Besides, the relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients were analyzed to evaluate the long-term clinical benefit of the treatment. Results. Compared with the control group, the ypT staging rate (

p
=
0.014

) in the observation group was markedly lower. In addition, patients in the observation group had a prominently lower overall incidence of complications (

p
<
0.001

) during the perioperative period and a remarkably lower incidence of leukopenia (

p
=
0.037

) during neoadjuvant therapy. In terms of long-term clinical benefit, the RFS of patients in the observation group was evidently longer (

p
=
0.037

) than that in the control group. Conclusion. Compared with TME plus NAC treatment, the short-term and long-term clinical benefits are higher and safety is more favorable of NAC plus bevacizumab combined with TME in treating LARC patients.
A Colored Traveling Salesman Problem with Varying City Colors
Authors: Meng Xianghu , Li Jun , Zhou MengChu
Published: December 2021

A colored traveling salesman problem (CTSP) is a path optimization problem in which colors are used to characterize diverse matching relationship between cities and salesmen. Namely, each salesman has a single color while every city has one to multiple salesmen’s colors, thus allowing salesmen to visit exactly once the cities of their colors. It is noteworthy that cities’ accessibilities to salesmen may change over time, which usually takes place in the multiwarehouse distribution of online retailers. This work presents a new CTSP with dynamically varying city colors for describing and modeling some scheduling problems with variable city accessibilities. The problem is more complicated than the previously proposed CTSP with varying edge weights. In particular, the solution feasibility changes as the cities change their colors, that is, a feasible original solution path may become no longer feasible after city colors change. A variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm is presented to solve the new problem. Specifically, a dynamic environment simulator with an adjustable frequency and amplitude is designed to mimic such color changes. Then, direct-route encoding, greedy initialization, and appropriate population immigrant are proposed to form an enhanced VNS, and then its performance is evaluated. The results of extensive experiments show that the proposed VNS can quickly track the environmental changes and effectively resolve the problem.
miRNA-576 Alleviates the Malignant Progression of Atherosclerosis through Downregulating KLF5
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Lihui , Wang Ting , Li Caige , Jiao Lijing , Zhao Zhansheng , Li Yongjun
Published: December 2021

Objective. To elucidate the role of microRNA-576 (miRNA-576) in alleviating the deterioration of atherosclerosis (AS) through downregulating krüpple-like factor 5 (KLF5). Materials and Methods. The AS model in mice was first constructed. Body weight, inflammation degrees, blood lipid, and relative levels of KLF5, miRNA-576, caspase-3, and bcl-2 in AS mice and control mice were compared. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to evaluate the binding between miRNA-576 and KLF5. RAW264.7 cells were treated with 200 mg/L ox-LDL for establishing in vitro high-fat model. Regulatory effects of miRNA-576/KLF5 on relative levels of β-catenin and inflammatory factors in RAW264.7 cells were explored. Results. Body weight was heavier in AS mice than in controls. Protein levels of KLF5 and caspase-3 were upregulated, while bcl-2 was downregulated in AS mice. In particular, protein level of KLF5 was highly expressed in aortic tissues of AS mice. TC and LDL increased, and HDL decreased in AS mice compared with controls. Inflammatory factor levels were markedly elevated in AS mice. KLF5 was verified to be the target gene binding miRNA-576. Overexpression of miRNA-576 downregulated KLF5, inflammatory factors, and β-catenin in ox-LDL-treated RAW264.7 cells. Regulatory effect of miRNA-576 on the release of inflammatory factors in RAW264.7 cells could be partially abolished by KLF5. Conclusions. miRNA-576 alleviates malignant progression of AS via downregulating KLF5.
Secure Real-Time Artificial Intelligence System against Malicious QR Code Links
Authors: Al-Zahrani Mohammed S. , Wahsheh Heider A. M. , Alsaade Fawaz W.
Published: December 2021

Recently, hackers intend to reproduce malicious links utilizing several ways to mislead users. They try to control victims’ machines or get their data remotely by gaining access to private information they use via cyberspace. QR codes are two-dimensional barcodes with the capacity to encode various data types and can be viewed by digital devices, such as smartphones. However, there is no approved protocol in QR code generation; therefore, QR codes might be exposed to several questionable attacks. QR code attacks might be perpetrated using barcodes, and there are some security countermeasures. Some of these solutions are restricted to malicious link detection techniques with knowledge of cryptographic methods. Therefore, this study aims to detect malicious links embedded in 1D (linear) and 2D (QR) codes. A cybercrime attack was proposed based on barcode counterfeiting that can be used to perform online attacks. A dataset of 100000 malicious and benign URLs was created via several resources, and their lexical features were obtained. Analyses were conducted to illustrate how different features and users deal with online barcode content. Several artificial intelligence models were implemented. A decision tree classifier was identified as the most suitable model for identifying malicious URLs. Our outcomes suggested that a secure artificial intelligence barcode scanner (BarAI) is recommended to detect malicious barcode links with an accuracy of 90.243%.
Novel Multicentric Hepatic Lymphoma with Extrahepatic Biliary Obstruction Associated with Duodenal Perforation in a Cat
Authors: Hildebrandt Isabella , Rudinsky Adam , Parker Valerie , Winston Jenessa , Wood Alexandra , Evans Samantha , Howard James
Published: December 2021

An 11-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat was presented for evaluation due to clinical deterioration and potential extrahepatic biliary obstruction (EHBO). Further investigations confirmed EHBO and revealed severe and previously unreported comorbidities. On initial examination, the cat was markedly icteric with a poor body condition score and severe muscle wasting. Serum chemistry and complete blood count showed evidence of cholestasis and anemia. Primary diagnostics and therapeutics targeted these abnormalities. Abdominal ultrasound revealed peritoneal effusion, multifocal mixed echogenic hepatic and splenic foci, small intestinal thickening, cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis, and common bile duct and pancreatic duct dilation with evidence of obstruction. Peritoneal effusion cytology confirmed septic peritonitis. Hepatic and splenic cytology was consistent with lymphoma. Based on these results, euthanasia was elected by the owners of the animal. Necropsy confirmed the ultrasound diagnoses, septic peritoneal effusion associated with a duodenal perforation, multiorgan lymphoma, and common bile duct carcinoma. Flow cytometry classified the lymphoma as a double-negative phenotype of T-cell lymphoma (CD3+ and CD5+, but CD4- and CD8-) present in the duodenum and liver and suspected in the spleen which has previously not been reported in cats. This case report documents a cat with EHBO caused by multiple disease processes including a novel T-cell lymphoma phenotype, biliary carcinoma, duodenal perforation and septic abdomen, and choleliths, as well as inflammatory hepatobiliary disease.
Fast Realization of Collision Risk Calculation in Power Line Patrol Flight Based on CUDA
Authors: Liao Jiandong , Zhang Ying , Li Guoqiang
Published: December 2021

In this paper, a low-altitude risk collision model based on CUDA is designed to avoid problems that may occur in the process of unmanned aerial power patrol. By collecting and analyzing the data related to the unmanned aerial power patrol task, the collision accident probability is extracted and the probability distribution model and the influence of weather factors on the collision risk are combined. The model validates the collision risk of unmanned aerial vehicles in different locations and verifies the reliability and computational efficiency of the model based on different operating systems. The model algorithm can effectively improve the response time to avoid collision risk during UAV patrol and reduce the risk level of UAV collision accidents.
Service Partition Method Based on Particle Swarm Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Xia Hong , Dong Qingyi , Gao Hui , Chen Yanping , Wang ZhongMin
Published: December 2021

It is difficult to accurately classify a service into specific service clusters for the multirelationships between services. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a service partition method based on particle swarm fuzzy clustering, which can effectively consider multirelationships between services by using a fuzzy clustering algorithm. Firstly, the algorithm for automatically determining the number of clusters is to determine the number of service clusters based on the density of the service core point. Secondly, the fuzzy c‐means combined with particle swarm optimization algorithm to find the optimal cluster center of the service. Finally, the fuzzy clustering algorithm uses the improved Gram‐cosine similarity to obtain the final results. Extensive experiments on real web service data show that our method is better than mainstream clustering algorithms in accuracy.
Risk Assessment of Rollover and Skidding due to Pavement Roughness and Differential Settlement for Enhancing Transportation Safety
Authors: Sun Lu , Chen Luchuan , Yin Yanna , Tian Yao , Zhang Xuanyu
Published: December 2021

In this paper, a closed-loop simulation of vehicle dynamics in CarSim is utilized as surrogate measures to study the effect of pavement roughness and differential settlement on risk of vehicle rollover and skidding. It is found that the influence of pavement roughness on vehicle rollover is significant and the influence of pavement roughness on vehicle skidding is insignificant. The influence of pavement roughness of grade A and B on safety margin of vehicle rollover can be negligible. Pavement roughness of grade C and D significantly reduces the safety margin of vehicle rollover. A 5 cm settlement difference on pavement reduces the safety margin of vehicle skidding on a good road. When the settlement difference is 5 cm, the vehicle rollover and skidding are greatly affected by the lane-changing speed. It provides an effective and general method based on vehicle dynamics for studying transportation safety as well as for setting up criteria for pavement maintenance.
The Investigation of Mixed Ferrofluids Containing Iron Oxide nanoparticles and Microspheres
Authors: Ganachari Sharanabasava V. , Patil Veerabhadragouda B. , Banapurmath Nagaraj R. , Soudagar Manzoore Elahi M. , Shahapurkar Kiran , Elfasakhany Ashraf , Alsehli Mishal , Yavagal Akshata , Mogre Pradyumna , Hiremath Vijayakumar M , Hallad Shankar A.
Published: December 2021

The aim of the present work is the synthesis and characterization of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are coated with oleic acid and polyvinyl butyral and mixed with microspheres and further developed ferrofluids with silicon oil. Studies of the performance of the nanoparticles in these ferrofluids with and without coating agents were carried out. The nanoparticles were synthesized using the chemical co‐precipitation technique and coated with oleic acid and polyvinyl butyral, and it further mixed with microsphere ferrofluids and developed using silicon oil. The prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their coated forms of oleic acid and polyvinyl butyral were mixed with microspheres; furthermore, ferrofluids were developed with silicon oil. All forms of these ferrofluids are characterized for morphology and phase purity (SEM, XRD, and FTIR). The iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles have shown different magnetic properties, differentiating macroscopic iron oxide in suspended particles. The ratio of surface to volume increases along with the decrease in atomic size, essential for assessing the surface morphological properties. The magneto‐rheological (MR) fluids were determined, and shear stress of Expancel microsphere mixed iron oxide nanoparticle with and without them was found almost equal. However, the ferrofluid with PVB coated nanoparticles and microspheres emerged as a stable rheological ferrofluid, sustaining high shear stress and low viscosity with increasing shear rate. Also, shear rates up to 650 s−1 have been observed, showing very high shear stress withstanding capacity. The stability and performance of the magnetic colloidal ferrofluids depend on the thermal contribution and the balance between attractive/repulsive interactions.
Cataract Disease Detection by Using Transfer Learning-Based Intelligent Methods
Authors: Hasan Md Kamrul , Tanha Tanjum , Amin Md Ruhul , Faruk Omar , Khan Mohammad Monirujjaman , Aljahdali Sultan , Masud Mehedi
Published: December 2021

One of the most common visual disorders is cataracts, which people suffer from as they get older. The creation of a cloud on the lens of our eyes is known as a cataract. Blurred vision, faded colors, and difficulty seeing in strong light are the main symptoms of this condition. These symptoms frequently result in difficulty doing a variety of tasks. As a result, preliminary cataract detection and prevention may help to minimize the rate of blindness. This paper is aimed at classifying cataract disease using convolutional neural networks based on a publicly available image dataset. In this observation, four different convolutional neural network (CNN) meta-architectures, including InceptionV3, InceptionResnetV2, Xception, and DenseNet121, were applied by using the TensorFlow object detection framework. By using InceptionResnetV2, we were able to attain the avant-garde in cataract disease detection. This model predicted cataract disease with a training loss of 1.09%, a training accuracy of 99.54%, a validation loss of 6.22%, and a validation accuracy of 98.17% on the dataset. This model also has a sensitivity of 96.55% and a specificity of 100%. In addition, the model greatly minimizes training loss while boosting accuracy.
Automatic Classification and Analysis of Music Multimedia Combined with Hidden Markov Model
Authors: Chen Yanjiao
Published: December 2021

Music multimedia is one of the more popular types of digital music. This article is based on the hidden Markov model (HMM) and proposed this kind of music multimedia automatic classification method. The method not only analyzes the characteristics of traditional music in detail but also fully considers the important characteristics of other music. At the same time, it uses bagging to train two groups of HMMs and automatically classifies them to achieve a better classification effect. This paper optimizes the variable parameters from different aspects such as model structure, data form, and model change to obtain the optimal HMM parameter value. This method not only considers the prior knowledge of feature words, word frequency, and number of documents but also fuses the meaning of the feature words into the hidden Markov classification model. Finally, by testing the hidden Markov model used in this paper on the music multimedia data set, the experimental results show that the method in this paper can effectively perform automatic classification according to the melody characteristics of music multimedia.
Blockchain Ecosystem for Credit Transfer in Education
Authors: Manoj R. , Joshi Sandeep , Dabholkar Utkarsh , Prakash Panicker Ganesh , Peter Kuriakose Kevin , Zaguia Atef , Monirujjaman Khan Mohammad
Published: December 2021

Data is the key to measuring educational effectiveness promptly. But data and education are trapped and siloed across centralized systems, causing information discrepancies and inaccuracies. This has caused countless delayed opportunities, academic credential disagreements, and never-ending confusion around learning potency. This lack of transparency, despite having its fair share of usefulness, has also been quite burdensome. To alleviate this issue, our team has developed a blockchain protocol that verifies professional certifications that have been earned both locally and through another well-established online educational portal. This system allows accuracy, reliability, and immutability that has never been implemented. This foundation of clear, verified data will then be used further to power blockchain-based applications. The result is that our attempt at a versatile, holistic, and decentralized view of educational performance ensures the best e-learning outcome for students and teachers alike.
SARS-CoV-2 and Streptococcus pneumoniae Coinfection in a Previously Healthy Child
Authors: Vu Kimberly C. , Heresi Gloria P. , Chang Michael L.
Published: December 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This novel coronavirus has been responsible for a pandemic that continues to devastate nations worldwide. COVID-19, like other viruses, causes pneumonia. However, unlike other viral respiratory tract infections such as influenza, bacterial coinfection in COVID-19 patients has uncommonly been described in adult and pediatric patients. We report a case of Streptococcus pneumoniae and COVID-19 coinfection in a previously healthy 4-year-old child.
Peritoneal Vicenza “Short” Catheter Outcomes and Comparison with International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis Guidelines
Authors: Milan Manani Sabrina , Virzì Grazia Maria , Tantillo Ilaria , Giuliani Anna , Dian Silvia , Marcello Matteo , Costa Elisa , Marturano Davide , Ronco Claudio , Zanella Monica
Published: December 2021

Introduction: A well-functioning peritoneal catheter is key to success of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The Vicenza “short” catheter is a modified Tenckhoff catheter with a shorter intraperitoneal segment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of catheter-related complications and catheter survival rate using the Vicenza “short” catheter, according to the goals suggested by the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) guidelines. Second, we compared insertion techniques used in our center. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort, single-center study analyzing incident PD patients undergoing Vicenza “short” peritoneal catheter placement between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. As clinical outcomes, we evaluated catheter patency at 12 months, exit-site/tunnel infection and peritonitis within 30 days of catheter insertion, visceral injury, or significant hemorrhage during the procedure, in accordance with ISPD guidelines. Results: The percentage of patency at 12 months for all catheter insertion methods was 88.91%, and the percentage for laparoscopic placement was 93.75%. The exit-site/tunnel infection and peritonitis occurring within 30 days of catheter insertion were, respectively, 0.75% and 2.2%; the visceral injury leading to intervention was 0.75%. We did not have any case of significant hemorrhage. All results were in line with ISPD guidelines. Conclusion: We conclude that the Vicenza “short” catheter is a suitable device for peritoneal access. The implantation procedure is safe and easy to perform, and both nephrologists and surgeons can do it. A confident use and a proper implantation of the Vicenza “short” catheter help achieve the clinical ISPD goals for the PD access procedure in terms of catheter survival and complication rates.
Effects of Fatty Acid Amide Hydroxylase Inhibitor URB597 on the Catecholaminergic Activity of the Adrenal Medulla in Stressed Male and Female Rats
Authors: Ferizovic Harisa , Spasojevic Natasa , Jankovic Milica , Stefanovic Bojana , Dronjak Sladjana
Published: December 2021

Introduction: The present study examined the effects of fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor URB597 on the level of plasma catecholamine and their content, synthesis, and degradation in the adrenal medulla of male and female rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). Material and Methods: Male and female Wistar rats were exposed to the 6 weeks of CUS and treated intraperitoneally with either 0.3 mg/kg/day of URB597 or vehicle in the last 2 weeks of stress protocol. Catecholamines’ plasma levels and catecholamines’ levels in adrenal medulla were examined using Elabscience ELISA kits. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein in the medulla. Results: The results of our experiment showed that adrenal weights and catecholamine of unstressed control were higher in females and that CUS induced further enlargement of adrenal glands and catecholamine content and its synthesis compared to male rats. CUS caused an increase of plasma norepinephrine and depletion of norepinephrine content as well as unchanged synthesis and degradation of catecholamine in the adrenal medulla of male rats. URB597 reduced enlarged adrenals and catecholamine content and its synthesis in stressed female rats. URB597 reduces increased plasma norepinephrine and restores its content in the adrenal medulla, unchanging the expression of enzyme synthesis, while reduced protein levels of monoamine oxidase A in male rats are exposed to CUS. Discussion: Our results support the role of endocannabinoids as an antistress mechanism that inhibits elevated adrenomedullary activation and promotes its recovery to baseline in both male and female stressed rats.
A Comparison of Epidemiological Characteristics of Central Nervous System Tumours in China and Globally from 1990 to 2019
Authors: Zhu Bo , Wu Xiaomei , Piao Haozhe , Xu Shuang , Yao Bing
Published: December 2021

Background: Despite their great disease burden, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of central nervous system tumours (CNSTs) in China. We used the latest data updated by GBD to analyse the trends of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for CNSTs in China versus globally. Methods: Epidemiological data on CNSTs were extracted from GBD 2019. We used Joinpoint regression analysis to calculate the magnitude and direction of the trends and the age-period-cohort method to analyse the age, period, and cohort effects of the trend. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the 106.52% increase in Chinese incident cases was higher than the global increase (94.35%). The 67.32% increase in cancer deaths and 16.03% increase in DALYs were lower than the global increases (cancer death: 76.36%; DALYs: 40.06%). The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) in China were higher than the global ASIRs, and the increase in China was higher than that globally. Although the age-standardized mortality rates and age-standardized DALY rates in China were higher, their increases in China were less than those globally. Both in China and globally, the number and incidence, mortality, and DALYs by age group showed a bimodal distribution (younger than 5 years and older), and the peak in the older age group showed a backwards trend. The proportion of incident cases, cancer deaths, and DALYs also increased in the older age group. In the age-period-cohort model, the local drifts in the older age group were above zero. Conclusions: The burden of CNSTs is very serious in China, and we should pay attention to the key populations, early diagnosis technology, improvements in medical technology, and ways to reduce medical costs. We believe our results could help policymakers allocate resources efficiently to reduce the burden of CNSTs.
Long-Term Outcomes and Factors Related to the Prognosis of Pure Ovarian Dysgerminoma: A Retrospective Study of 107 Cases
Authors: Xu Tianyun , Sun Fei , Li Yanfang
Published: December 2021

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes and the factors related to patient prognosis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients treated at the Department of Gynecology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, between January 1, 1968, and December 12, 2018. Results: A total of 107 patients were identified. Of all patients, 79 (73.8%) presented with stage I disease, 14 (13.1%) stage II, 13 (12.2%) stage III, and 1 (0.9%) stage IV. All patients received surgery, with 70 (65.4%) undergoing fertility-sparing surgery (FS) and 37 (34.6%) nonfertility-sparing surgery (NFS). Ninety patients received postoperative chemotherapy. Nine of the 43 cases with a lymphadenectomy had metastasis (20.9%). The median follow-up time was 132 months (range, 1–536 months). The overall 5-year and 10-year survival was 95.1% and 91.7%, respectively. The 10-year survival rate for stage I and II–IV patients was 96.1% and 79.1%, respectively (p = 0.008). For the patients undergoing FS and NFS, the 10-year disease-free survival rate was 82.3% and 88.0%, respectively (p = 0.403). The 10-year disease-free survival rate for patients with or without lymphadenectomy was 95.1% and 78.4%, respectively (p = 0.040), and it was 92.5% and 76.0%, respectively (p = 0.041), for those with or without omentectomy. Fifteen patients relapsed, and 4 of them (26.7%) had recurrence in the lymph nodes. Eleven of the 15 relapsed patients (73.3%) had been successfully salvaged. Limitations: As a study of a rare disease, our analysis was limited by its small sample size and the deemed disadvantage of a retrospective study. Conclusion: Excellent treatment results can be achieved in dysgerminoma patients who received proper treatment. Lymphadenectomy may improve patient survival. Relapsed patients can also be successfully salvaged.
Secular Trends in the Incidence, Prevalence, and Medications for Epilepsy from 2007 to 2015 in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Study
Authors: Chou I.-Jun , Chung Ting-Ting , Liu Yi-Hsuan , Hung Po-Cheng , Lin Jainn-Jim , Chiou Meng-Jiun , See Lai-Chu , Lin Kuang-Lin , Wang Huei-Shyong
Published: December 2021

Background: Patients with epilepsy have a higher mortality rate than the general population. Up-to-date estimates of epilepsy incidence, prevalence, and medication use are critical to assist policymaking. Methods: Using the National Taiwan Insurance Research Database, the standardized incidence and prevalence of epilepsy were estimated in each calendar year from 2007 to 2015. We used the incident cases of epilepsy to analyze the change in prescribing patterns from 2007 to 2015. Joinpoint regression was used to estimate secular trends. Results: From 2007 to 2015, the age- and sex-standardized incidence decreased from 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70–0.73) to 0.54 (95% CI 0.53–0.55) per 1,000 person-years, giving an annual percentage change (APC) of −2.73 (p < 0.05). Among patients younger than 20 years, the incidence did not change significantly. The age- and sex-standardized prevalence decreased from 6.94 (95% CI 6.90–6.98) to 6.86 (95% CI, 6.82–6.89) per 1,000 people, giving an APC of −0.31 (p < 0.05). However, the prevalence increased in the 35- to 49- and 50- to 64-year age-groups. The most common first-line anticonvulsant was phenytoin in 2007 and valproate in 2015. The use of levetiracetam, clobazam, and valproate increased during the study period, with APCs of 25.48% (95% CI 19.97–31.24), 6.41 (3.09–9.85), and 2.83 (1.51–4.16), respectively. The use of carbamazepine, phenytoin, and topiramate decreased; the APCs were −23.86% (95% CI −25.25 to −22.44), −6.61 (−8.40 to −4.79), and −4.29% (−7.87 to −0.57), respectively. Conclusions: The overall prevalence and incidence of epilepsy decreased slightly from 2007 to 2015. The prescribed first-line anticonvulsant also changed over time.
Left Atrial Remodeling and Cerebrovascular Disease Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Continuously Monitored Patients
Authors: Bertelsen Litten , Diederichsen Søren Zöga , Frederiksen Kristian Steen , Haugan Ketil Jørgen , Brandes Axel , Graff Claus , Krieger Derk , Højberg Søren , Olesen Morten S. , Biering-Sørensen Tor , Køber Lars , Vejlstrup Niels , Hasselbalch Steen Gregers , Svendsen Jesper Hastrup
Published: December 2021

Background: Atrial remodeling is associated with future atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke. AF has been associated with cognitive impairment and cerebral white matter lesions. We wished to investigate the possible direct association between atrial remodeling and cerebrovascular disease in patients with and without AF documented by implantable loop recorder (ILR). Methods: Cardiac and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging were acquired in a cross-sectional study, including participants ≥70 years of age with stroke risk factors without known AF. Cerebrovascular disease was visually rated using the Fazekas scale and number of lacunar strokes. Left atrial (LA) and ventricular volumes and function were analyzed. Associations between atrial remodeling and cerebrovascular disease were assessed with logistic regression models. The analyses were stratified according to sinus rhythm or any AF during 3 months of continuous ILR monitoring to account for subclinical AF. Results: Of 200 participants investigated, 87% had a Fazekas score ≥1 and 45% had ≥1 lacunar infarct. Within 3 months of ILR monitoring, AF was detected in 28 (14%) participants. For participants with sinus rhythm (n = 172), lower LA passive emptying fraction was associated with Fazekas score after multivariable adjustment (OR [95% CI]: 0.51 [0.27; 0.86] p = 0.02), and increased LA maximum (OR [95% CI]: 1.38 [1.07; 1.82] p = 0.01) and minimum volumes (OR [95% CI]: 1.48 [1.03; 2.17] p = 0.04) were associated with lacunar infarcts. There were no significant associations in patients with AF. Conclusion: In AF-free patients, as documented by ILR monitoring, we found an independent association between LA passive emptying fraction and Fazekas score and between atrial volumes and lacunar infarcts.
Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in 2 Men
Authors: Gupta Sudhir , Su Houfen , Agrawal Sudhanshu
Published: December 2021

Introduction: In the trials of corona virus vaccines, detailed analyses of subsets of lymphocytes were not carried out. We present perhaps the most comprehensive immunological analysis of 29 subsets of B and T cells in 2 healthy subjects receiving 2 doses of the Pfizer SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine. Methods: Analyses were performed prior to vaccination, 3 weeks following the 1st dose, and 4 weeks following the 2nd dose. Total, naïve (TN), and different memory and effector subsets (TCM, TEM, and TEMRA) of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells; SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific tetramer+, and cytotoxic CD8+ T; subsets of T follicular cells (TFH, TFH1, TFH2, TFH1/TFH17, and TFH17); B-cell subsets (mature B cells, naive B cells, transitional B cells, marginal zone B cells, class-switched memory B cells, germinal center B cells, and CD21low B cells), and plasmablasts; and regulatory lymphocytes (CD4+ Treg, CD8+ Treg, Breg, and TFR cells) were evaluated with specific monoclonal antibodies by flow cytometry. Results: A lack of COVID-19 IgG antibodies after the 1st dose in one of 2 subjects was associated with increased regulatory lymphocytes and decreased plasmablasts. Seroconversion after the 2nd dose in this subject was associated with decreased TFR cells and increased plasmablasts. In both subjects, CD4 TEM and CD8 TCM were markedly increased following the 2nd dose. TFH1 and regulatory lymphocytes were increased (except Breg) following the 1st dose. A striking increase in SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells was observed following the 2nd dose. Conclusion: Our data support the need for 2nd dose of vaccine to induce strong SARS-CoV-2 CD8 T-cell specific response and generation of memory subsets of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Regulatory lymphocytes appear to play a role in the magnitude of response.
Prevalence and Outcomes Associated with Hyperuricemia in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19
Authors: Chauhan Kinsuk , Pattharanitima Pattharawin , Piani Federica , Johnson Richard J. , Uribarri Jaime , Chan Lili , Coca Steven G.
Published: December 2021

Introduction: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) can increase catabolism and result in hyperuricemia. Uric acid (UA) potentially causes kidney damage by alteration of renal autoregulation, inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, activation of the pro-inflammatory cascade, and crystal deposition. Hyperuricemia in patients with COVID-19 may contribute to acute kidney injury (AKI) and poor outcomes. Methods: We included 834 patients with COVID-19 who were >18 years old and hospitalized for >24 h in the Mount Sinai Health System and had at least 1 measurement of serum UA. We examined the association between the first serum UA level and development of acute kidney injury (AKI, defined by KDIGO criteria), major adverse kidney events (MAKE, defined by a composite of all-cause in-hospital mortality or dialysis or 100% increase in serum creatinine from baseline), as well as markers of inflammation and cardiac injury. Results: Among the 834 patients, the median age was 66 years, 42% were women, and the median first serum UA was 5.9 mg/dL (interquartile range 4.5–8.8). Overall, 60% experienced AKI, 52% experienced MAKE, and 32% died during hospitalization. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory values, a doubling in serum UA was associated with increased AKI (odds ratio [OR] 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–4.1), MAKE (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7–3.5), and in-hospital mortality (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3–2.3). Higher serum UA levels were independently associated with a higher level of procalcitonin (β, 0.6; SE 0.2) and troponin I (β, 1.2; SE 0.2) but were not associated with serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6. Conclusion: In patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, higher serum UA levels were independently associated with AKI, MAKE, and in-hospital mortality in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, hyperuricemia was associated with higher procalcitonin and troponin I levels.
The Association between Myopia and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wu Jian , Hao Jie , Du Yifan , Cao Kai , Lin Caixia , Sun Runzhou , Xie Yuan , Wang Ningli
Published: December 2021

Background: Previous studies identified myopia as a risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). However, recent studies have shown different results, and the definitive relationship between myopia and POAG remains controversial. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between myopia and POAG. Methods: Published articles were searched from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases between 1970 and 2020. A pooled analysis of the odds ratios (ORs) was performed using a random-effects model. Results: Data on the association between myopia and POAG were obtained from 16 cross-sectional studies, and the pooled OR was 2.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77–2.89, p < 0.001) in random-effects model (I2 = 86%; p < 0.01). For the relationship of myopia and POAG progression, data from 7 longitudinal cohort studies were included, and the pooled OR was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.73–0.99, p = 0.042) in the random-effects model (I2 = 88%; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that myopia may be a risk factor associated with POAG and a possible protective factor for POAG progression. It may be due to myopia with the presence of a lamina cribrosa defect, slowing down the visual field loss and also POAG progression. Further research for underlying mechanisms is still needed.
Not So Uncommon Cause of Foot Pain: Cutaneous Hair Splinter of the Sole
Authors: Trüeb Ralph M. , Luu Ngoc-Nhi Catharina , Gavazzoni Dias Maria Fernanda Reis
Published: December 2021

Introduction: A fragment of hair penetrating the skin has been referred to as cutaneous pili migrans in the literature. The condition is regarded rare and the cause unknown. Case Presentation: A 55-year-old female experienced painful sensations of the sole. Dermoscopy revealed hair fragments penetrating the skin, and histopathology a hair shaft embedded in the stratum corneum. The hairs were mechanically extracted with immediate relief from the pain. Discussion and Conclusion: Hair splinters of the sole may be a cause of foot pain related to the skin. The hair splinter is yet another form of hair that has embedded itself in the skin. Patients may believe the hair is growing out of the feet, while the soles are among the specialized skin regions that are hairless. The origin of the hair is exogenous and related to an exposure to freshly cut human or animal hair. Cutaneous embedded hairs can be classified based on the clinical presentation, the location, and association with hair follicles into hair splinters, interdigital pilonidal sinus, migrating hair, or ingrown hair. The condition is an important cause of foot pain and should be considered on clinical examination of the skin of the soles.
Metformin Promotes the Hair-Inductive Activity of Three-Dimensional Aggregates of Epidermal and Dermal Cells Self-Assembled in vitro
Authors: Sun Chao , Hu Shuang-Hai , Dong Bing-Qi , Jiang Shan , Miao Fang , Lei Tie-Chi
Published: December 2021

Introduction: Although it has been reported that the antidiabetic drug metformin has multiple extra-hypoglycemic activities, such as anti-oxidation, antiaging, and even antitumor, topical metformin also can induce hair regeneration, but the precise mechanism involved in that process is still unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of metformin on hair growth in a mouse hair-follicle reconstitution model generated by in vitro self-assembled three-dimensional aggregates of epidermal and dermal cells (DCs) (3D aggregates). Methods: Epidermal cells and DCs were isolated and cultured from the mouse skin of 50 C57BL/6 mouse pups (1-day-old). For tracing the distribution of DCs during the self-assembly process of 3D aggregates, the DCs were labeled with Vybrant Dil Cell-Labeling Solution and mixed with epidermal cells at a 1:1 ratio. Formed 3D aggregates were treated with 10 mM metformin and then were grafted into recipient BALB/c nude mice. The biomarkers (hepatocyte growth factor [HGF], prominin-1 [CD133], alkaline phosphatase [ALP], β-catenin, and SRY-box transcription factor 2 [SOX2]) associated with the hair-inductive activity of DCs were detected in the grafted skin tissues and in cultured 3D aggregates treated with metformin using immunofluorescent staining, quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting. Furthermore, the expression levels of CD133 were also examined in DCs with different passage numbers using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Results: Metformin directly stimulates the activity of ALP of cultured 3D aggregates, upregulates both the protein and mRNA expression levels of molecular markers (HGF, CD133, ALP, β-catenin, and SOX2), and improves the survival rate of reconstituted hair follicles. Moreover, we also found that metformin increases the expression of CD133 in DCs thus maintaining their trichogenic capacity that would normally be lost by serial subculture. Conclusions: These results suggest that metformin can promote hair follicle regeneration in vitro through upregulation of the hair-inductive capability of DCs, warranting further evaluation in the clinical treatment of male or female pattern hair loss.
An effective classification approach for big data with parallel generalized Hebbian algorithm
Authors: Hussein Ali Ahmed , A. Ibrahem Alhayali Royida , Mohammed Mostafa Abdulghafoor , Sutikno Tole
Published: December 2021

Advancements in information technology is contributing to the excessive rate of big data generation recently. Big data refers to datasets that are huge in volume and consumes much time and space to process and transmit using the available resources. Big data also covers data with unstructured and structured formats. Many agencies are currently subscribing to research on big data analytics owing to the failure of the existing data processing techniques to handle the rate at which big data is generated. This paper presents an efficient classification and reduction technique for big data based on parallel generalized Hebbian algorithm (GHA) which is one of the commonly used principal component analysis (PCA) neural network (NN) learning algorithms. The new method proposed in this study was compared to the existing methods to demonstrate its capabilities in reducing the dimensionality of big data. The proposed method in this paper is implemented using Spark Radoop platform.
Quality of service performances of video and voice transmission in universal mobile telecommunications system network based on OPNET
Authors: A. S. Lafta Sameer , Abdulkareem Mohaned Mahdi , Ibrahim Raed Khalid , Kareem Marwah M. , Ali Adnan Hussein
Published: December 2021

The universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) has distinct benefits in that it supports a wide range of quality of service (QoS) criteria that users require in order to fulfill their requirements. The transmission of video and audio in real-time applications places a high demand on the cellular network, therefore QoS is a major problem in these applications. The ability to provide QoS in the UMTS backbone network necessitates an active QoS mechanism in order to maintain the necessary level of convenience on UMTS networks. For UMTS networks, investigation models for end-to-end QoS, total transmitted and received data, packet loss, and throughput providing techniques are run and assessed and the simulation results are examined. According to the results, appropriate QoS adaption allows for specific voice and video transmission. Finally, by analyzing existing QoS parameters, the QoS performance of 4G/UMTS networks may be improved.
Implementation of double-layer loaded on octagon microstrip yagi antenna
Authors: Quzwain Kamelia , Ismail Alyani , Yudiansyah Yudiansyah , Rizka Nadia Media , Novfitri Aisyah , Hafiza Lia
Published: December 2021

A double-layer loaded on the octagon microstrip yagi antenna (OMYA) at 5.8 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) Band is investigated in this paper. The double-layer consist of two double positive (DPS) substrates. The OMYA is overlaid with a double-layer configuration were simulated, fabricated and measured. A good agreement was observed between the computed and measured results of the gain for this antenna. According to comparison results, it shows that 2.5 dB improvement of the OMYA gain can be obtained by applying the double-layer on the top of the OMYA. Meanwhile, the bandwidth of the measured OMYA with the double-layer is 14.6%. It indicates that the double-layer can be used to increase the OMYA performance in term of gain and bandwidth.
Comparative review on information and communication technology issues in education sector of developed and developing countries: a case study about Pakistan
Authors: Akram Aasma , Nazir Mohsin , Batool Tayyaba , Zulfiqar Muhammad Imran , Zulfiqar Muhammad Imran , Nazir Maria , Nazir Maria , Azhar Habiba , Azhar Habiba , Murawwat Sadia , Murawwat Sadia
Published: December 2021

The use of information and communication technology is very beneficial in the education sector because it can enhance the quality of education. However, the implementation of ICT in the education sector of developed and developing countries is a challenging task. This paper explains the comparative study of ICT issues in the education sector of developed and developing countries. In particular, we compare issues between Pakistan and high-tech countries. Our study reveals the fact that the education sector is facing numerous ICT problems that are based on culture, finance, management, infrastructure, lack of training, lack of equipment, teacher’s refusal, and ethical issues. At the end of this paper, various issues faced by the implementation of ICT in the education sector of Pakistan have been categorized into various types, namely, infrastructure, lack of IT professionals, lack of high-speed internet and equipment. Our research is based on five key research questions related to ICT issues. We used a mixed approach where the results of this study can be used as a set of guidelines to help make the learning environment technology-oriented, fast, planned, and productive. Future directions are also given at the end of this paper.
Android mobile application for wildfire reporting and monitoring
Authors: Teguh Rony , F. Adji Fengky , Benius Benius , Nur Aulia Mohammad
Published: December 2021

Peat fires cause major environmental problems in Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia and threaten human health and effect the social-economic sector. The lack of peat fire detection systems is one factor that causing these reoccurring fires. Therefore, in this study, we develop an Android mobile platform application and a web-based application to support the citizen-volunteers who want to contribute wildfires reports, and the decision-makers who wish to collect, visualize, and evaluate these wildfires reports. In this paper, the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and a global position system (GPS) sensor from a smartphone’s camera, is a useful tool to show the potential fire and smoke’s close-range location. The exchangeable image (EXIF) file image and GPS metadata captured by a mobile phone can store and supply raw observation to our devices and sent it to the data center through global internet communication. This work’s results are the proposed application easy-to-use to monitoring potential peat fire by location and data activity. This paper focuses on developing an application for the mobile platform for peat fire reporting and a web-based application to collect peat fire location for decision-makers. Our main objective is to detect the potential and spread of fire in peatlands as early as possible by utilizing community reports using smartphones.
Handling concept drifts and limited label problems using semi-supervised combine-merge Gaussian mixture model
Authors: Id Ibnu Daqiqil , Sihombing Pardomuan Robinson , Zakir Supratman
Published: December 2021

When predicting data streams, changes in data distribution may decrease model accuracy over time, thereby making the model obsolete. This phenomenon is known as concept drift. Detecting concept drifts and then adapting to them are critical operations to maintain model performance. However, model adaptation can only be made if labeled data is available. Labeling data is both costly and time-consuming because it has to be done by humans. Only part of the data can be labeled in the data stream because the data size is massive and appears at high speed. To solve these problems simultaneously, we apply a technique to update the model by employing both labeled and unlabeled instances to do so. The experiment results show that our proposed method can adapt to the concept drift with pseudo-labels and maintain its accuracy even though label availability is drastically reduced from 95% to 5%. The proposed method also has the highest overall accuracy and outperforms other methods in 5 of 10 datasets.