bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Third distant recurrence of benign thymoma in a patient with myasthenia gravis
Authors: Van Backer Justin Tyler , Cedeno-Rodriguez Alex , Nabagiez John
Published: April 2019

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease where antibodies attack the presynaptic terminals at the neuromuscular junction causing progressive weakness. Associated with thymomas, resection can improve symptoms. A 29-year-old woman with MG who underwent two previous thymectomies, at ages 11 and 15 presented 14 years later with recurrent MG symptoms and an anterior mediastinal mass. Robotic-assisted thoracoscopic excision of the mediastinal mass was performed without complications. She recovered well and had improvement of her MG symptoms. Thymectomy can significantly improve symptoms in MG even for patients who do not have a thymoma. Reports of distant benign thymoma recurrence are rare. MG patients require continued monitoring and vigilance, even after thymectomy. Benign thymomas can recur even after significant time intervals, and utilisation of the robotic platform for recurrent thymoma excision is safe, even following two sternotomies. Patient symptoms improve with redo thymectomy.
Managing health research capacity strengthening consortia: a systematised review of the published literature
Authors: Tagoe Nadia , Molyneux Sassy , Pulford Justin , Murunga Violet I , Kinyanjui Sam
Published: April 2019

Background

Locally relevant research is considered critical for advancing health and development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Accordingly, health research capacity strengthening (HRCS) efforts have intensified, increasingly through consortia. Yet, the knowledge base for managing such consortia is not well defined. This review aimed to ascertain the scope and quality of published literature on HRCS consortium management processes, management-related factors influencing consortium operations and outcomes, and the knowledge gaps.

Methods

Given the paucity of published HRCS literature, a ‘systematised review’ as outlined by Grant and Booth was conducted, modelling the systematic review process without restriction to research-based publications. A systematic search in PubMed and Scopus was carried out coupled with a manual search for papers using reference checking and citation searching. A quality appraisal of eligible articles using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was undertaken. Thematic synthesis was used to analyse the extracted data.

Results

The search identified 55 papers, made up of 18 empirical papers and 37 commentaries focusing on consortium-based HRCS initiatives involving LMICs and reporting management-related data. The review indicates increasing efforts being made in the HRCS field in reporting consortia outcomes. However, it highlights the dearth of high-quality empirical research on HRCS consortium management and the nascent nature of the field with most papers published after 2010. The available literature highlights the importance of relational management factors such as equity and power relations in influencing consortium success, though these factors were not explored in depth. Operational management processes and their role in the capacity strengthening pathway were rarely examined.

Conclusion

Findings indicate a weak evidence base for HRCS consortium management both in terms of quantity and conceptual depth, demonstrating the need for an expanded research effort to inform HRCS practice.
Walk, Talk and Listen: a pilot randomised controlled trial targeting functional fitness and loneliness in older adults with hearing loss
Authors: Jones Charlotte A , Siever Jodi , Knuff Kate , Van Bergen Colin , Mick Paul , Little Jonathan , Jones Gareth , Murphy Mary-Ann , Kurtz Donna , Miller Harry
Published: April 2019

Background

Age-related hearing loss (HL) is a prevalent disability associated with loneliness, isolation, declines in cognitive and physical function and premature mortality. Group audiological rehabilitation (GAR) and hearing technologies address communication and cognitive decline. However, the relationship between loneliness, physical function and GAR among older adults with HL has not been studied.

Objectives

Explore the impact of a group exercise and socialisation/health education intervention and GAR on physical function and loneliness among older adults with HL.

Trial design

A Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)-based, 10-week, single-blind, pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Participants

Ambulatory adults aged 65 years or older with self-reported HL.

Interventions

Seventy-one participants were screened. Thirty-five were randomised to intervention (strength and resistance exercise, socialisation/health education) and GAR (hearing education, communication strategies, psychosocial support) or control (n=31): GAR only.

Outcomes

Ninety-five per cent of eligible participants were randomised. GAR and exercise adherence rates were 80% and 85%, respectively. 88% of participants completed the study. Intervention group functional fitness improved significantly (gait speed: effect size: 0.57, 30 s Sit to Stand Test: effect size: 0.53). Significant improvements in emotional and social loneliness (effect size: 1.16) and hearing-related quality of life (effect size: 0.76) were related to GAR attendance and poorer baseline hearing-related quality of life. Forty-two per cent of participants increased social contacts outside the study.

Discussion

Walk, Talk and Listen was feasible and acceptable. Exercise and socialisation/health education improved loneliness and key fitness measures but provided no additional benefit to GAR only for loneliness. This is the first preliminary evidence about the benefits of exercise on fitness and GAR on loneliness among older adults with HL.

Implications

This pilot trial provides key information on the sample size required for a larger, longer term RCT to determine the enduring effects of this holistic intervention addressing the negative psychosocial and musculoskeletal downstream effects of HL among older adults.
Cost-effectiveness of faecal calprotectin used in primary care in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wong Chiew Hsia , Chavannes Mallory , Mohammadi Tima , Rosenfeld Greg
Published: April 2019

Objective

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, autoimmune, gastrointestinal disorder. Canada has one of the highest prevalence and incidence rates of IBD in the world. Diagnosis is challenging due to the similarity of symptoms to functional gastrointestinal disorders. Faecalcalprotectin (FC) is a biomarker for active mucosal inflammation and has proven effective in the diagnosis of IBD. Our study objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of adding an FC test compared with standard practice (blood test) in primary care among adult patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Design

We constructed a decision analytic tree with a 1-year time horizon. The cut-off level of 100 µg/g was used for FC testing. Probabilistic analyses were conducted for the base case and all scenarios.

Setting

Canadian health sector perspective.

Population

A hypothetical cohort of adult patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms in the primary care setting.

Interventions

FC test compared with blood test.

Main outcome measures

Costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of FC test expressed as cost per QALY gained compared with blood test and time to IBD diagnosis.

Results

FC testing is expected to cost more ($C295.1 vs $C273.9) than standard practice but yield little higher QALY (0.751vs0.750). The ICER of FC test was $C20 323 per QALY. Probabilistic analysis demonstrated that at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $C50 000 per QALY, there was 81.3% probability of FC test being cost-effective. The use of FC test in primary care reduced the time to IBD diagnosis by 40.0 days (95% CI 16.3 to 65.3 days), compared with blood testing alone.

Conclusions

Based on this analysis of short-term outcomes, screening adult patients in primary care using FC test at a cut-off level of 100 µg/g is expected to be cost-effective in Canada.
Real-world persistence and adherence with oral bisphosphonates for osteoporosis: a systematic review
Authors: Fatoye F , Smith P , Gebrye T , Yeowell G
Published: April 2019

Objectives

This study examined patient adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in real-world settings.

Methods

A systematic review was completed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database NHS EED) databases were searched for studies published in English language up to April 2018. Prospective and retrospective observational studies that used prescription claim databases or hospital medical records to examine patient adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonate treatment among adults with osteoporosis were included. The Newcastle–Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies.

Results

The search yielded 540 published studies, of which 89 were deemed relevant and were included in this review. The mean age of patients included within the studies ranged between 53 to 80.8 years, and the follow-up varied from 3 months to 14 years. The mean persistence of oral bisphosphonates for 6 months, 1 year and 2 years ranged from 34.8% to 71.3%, 17.7% to 74.8% and 12.9% to 72.0%, respectively. The mean medication possession ratio ranged from 28.2% to 84.5%, 23% to 50%, 27.2% to 46% over 1 year, 2 years and 3 years, respectively. All studies included scored between 6 to 8 out of 9 on the NOS. The determinants of adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates included geographic residence, marital status, tobacco use, educational status, income, hospitalisation, medication type and dosing frequency.

Conclusions

While a number of studies reported high levels of persistence and adherence, the findings of this review suggest that patient persistence and adherence with oral bisphosphonates medications was poor and reduced notably over time. Overall, adherence was suboptimal. To maximise adherence and persistence to oral bisphosphonates, it is important to consider possible determinants, including characteristics of the patients.
Are changes in physical fitness, body composition and weight associated with exercise attendance and dropout among fitness club members? Longitudinal prospective study
Authors: Gjestvang Christina , Stensrud Trine , Haakstad Lene A H
Published: April 2019

Objectives

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate if changes in physical fitness, body composition and weight are associated with exercise attendance and dropout among fitness club members. Secondary, we wanted to identify motives for fitness club membership and exercise.

Setting

New members at 25 fitness clubs in Oslo, Norway.

Participants

In total, 125 new fitness club members were recruited. Eligible criteria were <4 weeks of membership, untrained (exercising <60 min once a week) and ≥18 years. At inclusion, and after 3 (n=87) and 12 months (n=64), participants answered a questionnaire (including motives for membership and exercise, and attendance) and performed measurements of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), one repetition maximum (bench press and leg press), body composition and weight. In total, 56 participants underwent measurements at all time points. Based on self-reported attendance, participants were divided into three groups: regular attendance (≥2 sessions per week), low attendance (<2 sessions per week) and exercise dropout (no sessions the last month).

Results

At 3 months, regular attendees had significantly higher VO2maxthan dropout (6.54 mL/min/kg, 95% CI 2.00 to 11.07, p=0.003). At 12 months, a difference in VO2maxof 5.32 mL/min/kg (95% CI −0.08 to 10.72, p=0.054) was found between regular attendees and dropout, and between regular and low exercise attendance (6.17 mL/min/kg, 95% CI 0.19 to 12.15, p=0.042). VO2maxwas the only factor showing an association with attendance. No differences or associations were observed in maximal muscle strength or body composition between the three groups. Primary motive for fitness club membership and exercise was increase in physical fitness (92.8%).

Conclusions

VO2maxwas the only factor associated with exercise attendance at two time points. Increased physical fitness was primary motive for fitness club membership and exercise.
Sports-related concussion (SRC) assessment in road cycling: a systematic review and call to action
Authors: Elliott Jonathan , Anderson Richard , Collins Stephen , Heron Neil
Published: April 2019

Background

Sports-related concussion (SRC) is a recognised risk in road cycling and can have serious health consequences. Recent high-profile cases of professional road cyclists continuing to participate in races despite suffering obvious SRC have highlighted the difficulties in assessing SRC within road cycling.

Purpose

To undertake a systematic review of the literature on SRC assessment in road cycling.

Study design

Systematic review.

Methods

Literature describing SRC assessment in road cycling was identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for eligibility and a qualitative analysis was undertaken of included studies.

Results

From 94 studies identified, two were included for review. Gordonet aldescribe the presentation of a single case of paediatric concussion following a cycling crash. They highlight the utility of SRC evaluation using the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) as well as the importance of a stepwise return-to-play protocol. Greve and Modabber discuss a number of traumatic brain injuries that occurred during the 2011 road cycling season and, as a minimum, call for riders to be withdrawn from competition following loss of consciousness or amnesia. Both studies are at high risk of bias and of low quality.

Conclusion

Road cycling poses unique challenges for the assessment of SRC. This review illustrates the lack of published evidence to advise effective means of SRC assessment within road cycling. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) regulations advise the use of SCAT-5 for concussion assessment but this tool is impractical, requiring modification for use in road cycling. We would like to call on the UCI to hold a consensus meeting to establish an evidence-based SRC assessment protocol and return-to-riding protocol for road cycling.
Chronic conditions as predictors of later life disability employment exit: a gendered analysis
Authors: Holman Daniel
Published: April 2019

Objectives

Increasing life expectancy has led governments to implement reforms aimed at delaying retirement. Chronic conditions are an important barrier to this given their association with pain, functional limitations, depression and ultimately lower life expectancy. Chronic diseases are gendered in terms of these characteristics, as well as their population prevalence. I examined the extent to which gender moderates the extent to which different chronic conditions lead to disability employment exit, the proportion of exits they account for and key mediators in this process.

Methods

Data from waves 1 to 8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing were analysed. I followed employees aged 50–70 years until they experienced disability employment exit, or were censored. I analysed the influence of chronic conditions, functional limitations, pain, depressive symptoms and subjective life expectancy using discrete time survival analysis. All analyses were carried out separately by gender if a significant interaction was found. The mediation analysis was carried out using the Karlson/Holm/Breen method.

Results

No significant gender interactions were found for the risk of chronic conditions on disability employment exit. Lung disease (OR 4.1; 95% CI 2.8 to 5.9), cancer (OR 2.9; 95% CI 2.1 to 4.0) and arthritis (OR 2.6; 95% CI 2.1 to 3.3) were the strongest determinants. Depressive symptoms (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.5 to 4.1) were also a strong determinant, and along with arthritis, explained a greater proportion of women than men’s exits given differences in prevalence. Pain and various types of functional limitations were important mediators of exit as well as determinants in their own right.

Conclusion

The results suggest that gender differences in the prevalence of different chronic conditions result in differences in the proportion of disability employment exits they account for in the population. Targeted and tailored interventions, for example, in the workplace might take this into account.
Impact of autoimmune rheumatic diseases on birth outcomes: a population-based study
Authors: Strouse Jennifer , Donovan Brittney M , Fatima Munazza , Fernandez-Ruiz Ruth , Baer Rebecca J , Nidey Nichole , Forbess Chelsey , Bandoli Gretchen , Paynter Randi , Parikh Nisha , Jeliffe-Pawlowski Laura , Ryckman Kelli K , Singh Namrata
Published: April 2019

Objectives

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) affect women of childbearing age and have been associated with adverse birth outcomes. The impact of diseases like ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on birth outcomes remains less studied to date. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of ARDs on preterm birth (PTB), congenital anomalies, low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA), in a large cohort of women.

Methods

We conducted a propensity score-matched analysis to predict ARD from a retrospective birth cohort of all live, singleton births in California occurring between 2007 and 2012. Data were derived from birth certificate records linked to hospital discharge International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision codes.

Results

We matched 10 244 women with a recorded ARD diagnosis (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), antiphospholipid syndrome, PsA); ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to those without an ARD diagnosis. The adjusted OR (aOR) of PTB was increased for women with any ARD (aOR 1.93, 95% CI 1.78 to 2.10) and remained significant for those with RA, SLE, PsA and JIA. The odds of LBW and SGA were also significantly increased among women with an ARD diagnosis. ARDs were not associated with increased odds of congenital anomalies.

Conclusion

Consistent with prior literature, we found that women with ARDs are more likely to have PTB or deliver an SGA infant. Some reassurance is provided that an increase in congenital anomalies was not found even in this large cohort.
Internet addiction: evaluation and treatment
Authors: Young Kimberly S
Published: April 2019

Practitioners need to be aware of new type of addiction
Planning you elective - France
Authors: Briant-Evans Toby
Published: April 2019

Bhanu Krishnan
and
Toby Briant-Evans
fill you in on what you need to know to do an elective full of the proverbial French charm
Educational diabetes
Authors: Haycock Adam
Published: April 2019

Adam Haycock
and
G B Ajayi
describe an alarming new syndrome that affects mainly students
THE ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE FOR CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS AND TRADE ON BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE COUNTRIES: A SPATIAL PANEL DATA APPROACH
Authors: KHAN YASIR , BIN QIU
Published: April 2019

This paper empirically examines the nexus between CO2 emissions and international trade for the 65 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) economies over the period of 1985–2017. We first consider the cross-sectional dependence and slope homogeneity test in the panel, and we observed from the results that there is substantial heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. We employed the results of the common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) estimator and determined that for all 65 BRI economies, foreign direct investment inflow, gross domestic product (GDP) squared and urbanization had a positive and significant impact on carbon emissions (CO2). Moreover, this study found that foreign direct investment inflow led to an increase in carbon emissions in BRI countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Europe. Finally, on the basis of the panel causality test, we found evidence of various causality associations among the selected variables across the regions. These findings are significant for the related policymakers in BRI countries, as they can assist in developing appropriate carbon emission, trade and energy policies with the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
CNNs Based Viewpoint Estimation for Volume Visualization
Authors: Shi Neng , Tao Yubo
Published: April 2019

Viewpoint estimation from 2D rendered images is helpful in understanding how users select viewpoints for volume visualization and guiding users to select better viewpoints based on previous visualizations. In this article, we propose a viewpoint estimation method based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for volume visualization. We first design an overfit-resistant image rendering pipeline to generate the training images with accurate viewpoint annotations, and then train a category-specific viewpoint classification network to estimate the viewpoint for the given rendered image. Our method can achieve good performance on images rendered with different transfer functions and rendering parameters in several categories. We apply our model to recover the viewpoints of the rendered images in publications, and show how experts look at volumes. We also introduce a CNN feature-based image similarity measure for similarity voting based viewpoint selection, which can suggest semantically meaningful optimal viewpoints for different volumes and transfer functions.
Uniform Sampling Through the Lovász Local Lemma
Authors: Guo Heng , Jerrum Mark , Liu Jingcheng
Published: April 2019

We propose a new algorithmic framework, called
partial rejection sampling
, to draw samples exactly from a product distribution, conditioned on none of a number of bad events occurring. Our framework builds new connections between the variable framework of the Lovász Local Lemma and some classical sampling algorithms such as the cycle-popping algorithm for rooted spanning trees. Among other applications, we discover new algorithms to sample satisfying assignments of
k
-CNF formulas with bounded variable occurrences.
Co-saliency Detection with Graph Matching
Authors: Li Zun , Lang Congyan , Feng Jiashi , Li Yidong , Wang Tao , Feng Songhe
Published: April 2019

Recently, co-saliency detection, which aims to automatically discover common and salient objects appeared in several relevant images, has attracted increased interest in the computer vision community. In this article, we present a novel graph-matching based model for co-saliency detection in image pairs. A solution of graph matching is proposed to integrate the visual appearance, saliency coherence, and spatial structural continuity for detecting co-saliency collaboratively. Since the saliency and the visual similarity have been seamlessly integrated, such a joint inference schema is able to produce more accurate and reliable results. More concretely, the proposed model first computes the intra-saliency for each image by aggregating multiple saliency cues. The common and salient regions across multiple images are thus discovered via a graph matching procedure. Then, a graph reconstruction scheme is proposed to refine the intra-saliency iteratively. Compared to existing co-saliency detection methods that only utilize visual appearance cues, our proposed model can effectively exploit both visual appearance and structure information to better guide co-saliency detection. Extensive experiments on several challenging image pair databases demonstrate that our model outperforms state-of-the-art baselines significantly.
A Local Mean Representation-based
K
-Nearest Neighbor Classifier
Authors: Gou Jianping , Qiu Wenmo , Yi Zhang , Xu Yong , Mao Qirong , Zhan Yongzhao
Published: April 2019

K
-nearest neighbor classification method (KNN), as one of the top 10 algorithms in data mining, is a very simple and yet effective nonparametric technique for pattern recognition. However, due to the selective sensitiveness of the neighborhood size
k
, the simple majority vote, and the conventional metric measure, the KNN-based classification performance can be easily degraded, especially in the small training sample size cases. In this article, to further improve the classification performance and overcome the main issues in the KNN-based classification, we propose a local mean representation-based
k
-nearest neighbor classifier (LMRKNN). In the LMRKNN, the categorical
k
-nearest neighbors of a query sample are first chosen to calculate the corresponding categorical
k
-local mean vectors, and then the query sample is represented by the linear combination of the categorical
k
-local mean vectors; finally, the class-specific representation-based distances between the query sample and the categorical
k
-local mean vectors are adopted to determine the class of the query sample. Extensive experiments on many UCI and KEEL datasets and three popular face databases are carried out by comparing LMRKNN to the state-of-art KNN-based methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LMRKNN outperforms the related competitive KNN-based methods with more robustness and effectiveness.
Performance Output Tracking for a One‐Dimensional Wave‐Heat Cascade System with Unmatched Disturbance
Authors: Liu Yulong
Published: April 2019

The objective of this paper is to solve the performance output regulation problem for a wave‐heat cascade system with unmatched disturbance. Applying the series expansion, the auxiliary trajectory for the cascade system is constructed and the unmatched disturbance is rejected. Meanwhile, the controller and observer only based on error signal are designed, and the performance output regulation problem is solved. Under the control feedback, the performance output can track the reference signal, and the regulation error goes to zero asymptotically. Finally, some numerical simulations are presented for illustration.
Research Progress on the Animal Models of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Current Status and Further Perspectives
Authors: Pan Yingying , Cao Mingzhu , You Danming , Qin Genggeng , Liu Zhi
Published: April 2019

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major concern in clinical studies as well as in postmarketing surveillance. It is necessary to establish an animal model of DILI for thorough investigation of mechanisms of DILI and searching for protective medications. This article reviews the current status and future perspective on establishment of DILI models based on different hepatotoxic drugs, as well as the underlying mechanisms of liver function damage induced by specific medicine. Therefore, information from this article can help researchers make a suitable selection of animal models for further study.
Transcatheter Proximal Coil Blocking with n-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate Injection via the Pulmonary Artery Alone for Rasmussen’s Aneurysm
Authors: Ugajin Atsushi , Fujii Hiroyuki , Nakamura Hiroyasu , Fujita Akifumi , Sasaki Takahiro , Mato Naoko , Sugimoto Hideharu
Published: April 2019

Rasmussen’s aneurysm is a peripheral pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP) within a tuberculosis cavity. Because it can be perfused from the bronchial and pulmonary arterial circulations, combined embolization via the bronchial and pulmonary arteries is sometimes required. Herein, we present case of a 51-year-old man with Rasmussen’s aneurysm that was successfully treated by proximal coil blocking with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) injection via the pulmonary artery alone. With proximal coil blocking, a sufficient amount of NBCA could be injected without unintended reflux of the NBCA cast to the proximal pulmonary artery. To our knowledge, there has been no report that attempted NBCA injection under proximal coil blocking for Rasmussen’s aneurysm. Our treatment approach may be safe and effective for infectious lung disease-related PAP, which has to be treated from the pulmonary artery side.
Microenvironment ofMycobacterium smegmatisCulture to Induce Cholesterol Consumption Does Cell Wall Remodeling and Enables the Formation of Granuloma-Like Structures
Authors: dos Santos Ana Cristina Doria , Marinho Victor Hugo de Souza , Silva Pedro Henrique de Aviz , Macchi Barbarella de Matos , Arruda Mara Silvia Pinheiro , Silva Edilene Oliveira da , do Nascimento José Luiz Martins , Sena Chubert Bernardo Castro de
Published: April 2019

Pathogenic species of mycobacteria are known to use the host cholesterol during lung infection as an alternative source of carbon and energy. Mycobacteria culture in minimal medium (MM) has been used as anin vitroexperimental model to study the consumption of exogenous cholesterol. Once in MM, different species of mycobacteria start to consume the cholesterol and initiate transcriptional and metabolic adaptations, upregulating the enzymes of the methylcitrate cycle (MCC) and accumulating a variety of primary metabolites that are known to be important substrates for cell wall biosynthesis. We hypothesized that stressful pressure of cultures in MM is able to induce critical adaptation for the bacteria which win the infection. To identify important modifications in the biosynthesis of the cell wall, we cultured the fast-growing and nonpathogenicMycobacterium smegmatisin MM supplemented with or without glycerol and/or cholesterol. Different from the culture in complete medium Middlebrook 7H9 broth, the bacteria when cultured in MM decreased growth and changed in the accumulation of cell wall molecules. However, the supplementation of MM with glycerol and/or cholesterol recovered the accumulation of phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs) and other phospholipids but maintained growth deceleration. The biosynthesis of lipomannan (LM) and of lipoarabinomannan (LAM) was significantly modulated after culture in MM, independently of glycerol and/or cholesterol supplementation, where LM size was decreased (LM13-25KDa) and LAM increased (LAM37-100KDa), when compared these molecules after bacteria culture in complete medium (LM17-25KDaandLAM37-50KDa). These changes modified the cell surface hydrophobicity and susceptibility against H2O2. The infection of J774 macrophages withM. smegmatis,after culture in MM, induced the formation of granuloma-like structures, while supplementation with cholesterol induced the highest rate of formation of these structures. Taken together, our results identify critical changes in mycobacterial cell wall molecules after culture in MM that induces cholesterol accumulation, helping the mycobacteria to increase their capacity to form granuloma-like structures.
A Simplified Model for Dynamic Response Analysis of Framed Self‐Centering Wall Structures under Seismic Excitations
Authors: Hu Xiaobin , Lu Chen , Zhu Xiaoqing
Published: April 2019

This paper presents a simplified model for dynamic response analysis of the framed self‐centering wall (FSCW) structure under seismic excitations. In the analysis model, the frame is equivalent as a single‐degree‐of‐freedom system and collaborates with the self‐centering (SC) wall to resist lateral loads. By way of pushover analysis of a typical FSCW structure, the proposed analysis model is validated by comparing the analysis results with those obtained from the finite element analysis method. Using the analysis model, motion equations of the FSCW structure under seismic excitations are established and solved through numerical simulations. Finally, a comprehensive parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of a variety of design parameters on seismic responses of the FSCW structure. It shows that improving the yield force or elastic stiffness of the frame can help greatly lessen seismic responses of the FSCW structure in terms of the rotation angle of the SC wall.
Application of Data Science Technologies in Intelligent Prediction of Traffic Congestion
Authors: Yang Xu , Luo Shixin , Gao Keyan , Qiao Tingting , Chen Xiaoya
Published: April 2019

In recent years, with the rapid development of economy, more and more urban residents, while owning their own motor vehicles, are also troubled by the traffic congestion caused by the backward traffic facilities or traffic management methods. The loss of productivity, car accidents, high emissions, and environmental pollution caused by traffic congestion has become a huge and increasingly heavy burden on all countries in the world. Therefore, the prediction of urban road network traffic flow and the rapid and accurate evaluation of traffic congestion are of great significance to the study of urban traffic solutions. This paper focuses on how to apply data science technologies on vehicular networks data to present a prediction method for traffic congestion based on both real-time and predicted traffic data. Two evaluation frameworks are established, and existing methods are used to compare and evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the presented method.
Targeted Delivery of Paclitaxel in Liver Cancer Using Hyaluronic Acid Functionalized Mesoporous Hollow Alumina Nanoparticles
Authors: Gao Yu , Hu Lili , Liu Ying , Xu Xiaoyan , Wu Chao
Published: April 2019

Hyaluronic acid functionalized mesoporous hollow alumina nanoparticles (HMHA) were used as a tumor-targeted delivery carrier for liver cancer therapy. Paclitaxel (PAC) incorporated in the carrier by the adsorption method was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. PAC was found to be in an amorphous state. The hyaluronic acid coated on the surface of mesoporous hollow alumina nanoparticles (MHA) regulated the drug release rate and the loaded samples obtained a sustained drug release. In vitro experiments demonstrated that paclitaxel-hyaluronic acid functionalized mesoporous hollow alumina nanoparticles (PAC-HMHA) had a high cellular uptake, which increased the drug level in tumor tissues and was beneficial to promote apoptosis. An in vivo tumor inhibition rate study demonstrated that PAC-HMHA (64.633 ± 4.389%) had a better antitumor effect than that of paclitaxel-mesoporous alumina nanoparticles (PAC-MHA, 56.019 ± 6.207%) and pure PAC (25.593 ± 4.115%). Therefore it can be concluded that PAC-HMHA are a prospective tumor-targeted delivery medium and can be useful for future cancer therapy.
GC-MS Analysis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Shammah (Smokeless Tobacco) Samples of Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia as Promoter of Cancer Cell Proliferation
Authors: Khalid Asaad , Alhazmi Hassan A. , Abdalla Ashraf N. , Ahsan Waquar , Sultana Shahnaz , Al Bratty Mohammed , Javed Sadique A. , Rehman Zia ur
Published: April 2019

Shammah is a locally manufactured form of smokeless tobacco (ST) which is traditionally used in Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. Presence of a high concentration of nicotine, in addition to various other toxic and carcinogenic constituents, makes it a serious human health threat. It is an admixture containing powdered tobacco, along with several additives, such as lime, ash, black pepper, volatile oils, and flavoring agents. This study was conducted to investigate the constituents of eight different samples of widely used shammah varieties in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia using GC-MS and to evaluate their cytotoxic effect against three cancer cell lines representing most of the top malignancies in the region including MCF-7, A2780, and HT29 cancer cells, in addition to MRC5 cells (normal human fetal lung fibroblast) using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of nicotine or 3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)pyridine (2.1–91.9% of total constituents detected) in all ST samples, whereas its derivative (1s,2s)-nicotine-N-oxide (0.23–1.62%) was detected in four samples. In addition, several known carcinogenic constituents were also identified, and their carcinogenicity was confirmed by MTT results, in which, all the eight samples promoted the growth of MCF7, A2780, and HT29 cancer cells. The cytotoxic effects of samples against the normal cells MRC5 was proportional to the number of components detected by GC-MS. The ingestion of these constituents through saliva of shammah consumers could be the reason for many cancers including breast, ovary, and colon cancers. These results support the urgent local and international call to educate the users regarding the deleterious effects of shammah to avoid its use.
Rate Adaptation Mechanism with Available Data Rate Trimming and Data Rate Information Provision for V2I Communications
Authors: Kashihara Shigeru , Sahara Takemi , Kaneda Shigeru , Ohta Chikara
Published: April 2019

We study a rate adaptation mechanism for improving communication performance between a connected vehicle and a roadside unit (RSU) using Wi-Fi during movement in a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) environment. Wi-Fi communication provides various attractive services to connected vehicles during movement. However, as a connected vehicle is generally moving at high speed, the communication performance with an RSU that works as an access point is degraded because wireless link quality fluctuates abruptly and continuously. We then propose a rate adaptation mechanism employing the following two main features to mitigate such deterioration in communication performance: available data rate trimming and data rate information provision. To alleviate degradation of communication, the former avoids usage of excessively low data rates and the latter then provides data rate information suitable for channel quality from a dataset of adequate data rates based on the vehicle’s location and speed. However, the data rate information provided from a dataset may not always be appropriate because of various indefinite factors such as multipath fading and shadowing. Thus, the proposed method also employs a measurement-based function to compensate for such a drawback of the dataset. Simulation experiments evaluate communication performance for 10, 60, and 100 km/h in single-vehicle and multiple-vehicles cases. Simulation results showed that the proposed method overall provides superior communication performance in situations involving more than one vehicle, in comparison with existing counter- and sample-based methods.
Bioavailability and Assessment of Metal Contamination in Surface Sediments of Rades-Hamam Lif Coast, around Meliane River (Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea)
Authors: Ben Amor Rim , Yahyaoui Asma , Abidi Myriam , Chouba Lasaad , Gueddari Moncef
Published: April 2019

The total concentration and the speciation of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr) in surface sediments of Rades-Hamam Lif coast were determined, with particular focus on the effect that urban and industrial waste in the Meliane river has on the estuary and coastal surface sediments of the Rades-Hamam Lif coast, off the Mediterranean Sea. Several geochemical indices were applied to assess the risk of contamination and the environmental risks of heavy metals on surface sediments. The total concentrations of these heavy metals are influenced by runoff, industrial, and urban wastewater. The Cd, Pb, Zn, and Ni are affected by anthropogenic sources, especially at the mouth of the Meliane river. The sequential extraction of Cd was presented dominantly in the exchangeable fraction and thus the high potential bioavailability. In contrast, Cr and Cu were mostly bound to the residual fraction indicating their low toxicity and bioavailability. The order of migration and transformation sequence was Cd > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cu, and the degree of pollution was Cd > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cu.
The Different Effects of IFN-β and IFN-γ on the Tumor-Suppressive Activity of Human Amniotic Fluid-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Du Jingchun , Liu Anqi , Zhu Rui , Zhou Chengbo , Su Heng , Xie Guie , Deng Yingshan , Xu Xia
Published: April 2019

Current studies have shown that type I or II interferon-modified mesenchymal stem cells have great potential for the application of tumor-targeted therapy, but the underlying mechanism remains largely elusive. Here, we compared the different effects of IFN-β and IFN-γ on the antitumor activity of human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AFMSCs) and revealed the potential mechanism. In detail, AFMSCs primed with IFN-β or IFN-β plus IFN-γ, not IFN-γ, inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells in an immunocompetent mouse H460 subcutaneous model, although they all inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells in an immunocompromised mouse H460 subcutaneous model. TRAIL expressed by IFN-β- or IFN-γ-primed AFMSCs specifically exerted the antitumor effect of AFMSCs. AFMSCs primed with IFN-γ highly expressed immunosuppressive molecule IDO1, but IFN-β counteracted the IFN-γ-initiated IDO1 expression. 1-MT (IDO1 inhibitor) decreased TRAIL, but increased IDO1 expression in AFMSCs primed with interferon. As a result, AFMSCs primed with IFN-β or IFN-γ had the antitumor activity, and 1-MT failed to enhance the antitumor effect of IFN-γ-primed AFMSC in vitro and in the immunocompromised mouse H460 subcutaneous model. Furthermore, the expression of TRAIL in AFMSCs was upregulated by apoptotic cancer cells and this positive feedback intensified the antitumor effects of IFNs-primed AFMSCs. The different target gene expression profiles of AFMSCs regulated by IFN-β and IFN-γ determined the different antitumor effects of IFN-β- and IFN-γ-primed AFMSCs on tumor cells. Our finding may help to explore a clinical strategy for cancer intervention by understanding the antitumor mechanisms of MSCs and interferon.
Body Mass Index and Primary Headache: A Hospital-Based Study in China
Authors: Huang Qingqing , Yu Huiqing , Zhang Ningning , Guo Bingling , Feng Changyan , Wang Shiqiang , Liang Xiping
Published: April 2019

Objective. Primary headache and obesity are highly prevalent disorders in the general population. Although many studies have reported an association between the two, there is still no overall comprehension about this relationship. To gain a more accurate understanding in this regard, we analyzed data from a 2011 cross-sectional study in Chongqing, China. Methods. Patients with a chief complaint of headache were administered a headache questionnaire and diagnosed by neurology doctors in accordance with the International Classification of Headache Disorders 2nd Edition (ICHD-II) criteria. Patients aged < 18 years or diagnosed with secondary headache were excluded. Results. Of 1327 patients who cited headache as the chief complaint, 16 were excluded for missing data, while 396 were diagnosed with chronic headache (177 chronic migraine [CM], 186 chronic tension-type headache [CTTH], and 33 other chronic headache) and 915 with episodic headache (369 episodic migraine [EM], 319 episodic tension-type headache [ETTH], and 227 other episodic headache). Chronic headache patients had a higher number of headache days per month, longer duration of headache history, and greater tendency to overuse analgesics than episodic headache patients. The CM and ETTH patients were more apt to be overweight and had a significantly greater body mass index (BMI; p < 0.05) than the EM and CTTH patients. Overweight (odds ratio [OR] = 3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19–8.81) and obesity (OR = 28.63; 95% CI, 2.96–276.6) were independently associated with CM but not with other headaches, and this association was not influenced by other factors such as medication overuse. Conclusions. The relationship between headache and overweight/obesity varies depending on the type of primary headache. CM patients are more likely to have a higher body mass index than EM patients, while ETTH patients are more likely to be overweight/obese than CTTH patients.
The Relationship between Serum Bilirubin and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Zhao Xiaojing , Li Linzhen , Li Xueting , Li Jiajia , Wang Di , Zhang Hongjie
Published: April 2019

The associations between serum total bilirubin (sTB) levels, inflammatory marker levels, and disease activity are not well understood in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The present study investigated the association between sTB levels and disease activity in patients with IBD. We conducted a retrospective study with a total of 242 consecutive patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 211 consecutive patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). The Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score was used to assess disease activity in patients with CD and the Mayo score of patients with UC. 255 clinically healthy subjects comprised the control group, which come from the same geographic area as the IBD group. We retrieved the clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with IBD from the medical records. Patients with IBD displayed significantly lower sTB levels than controls. sTB levels were negatively associated with C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fecal calprotectin (FC), and hemoglobin (Hb) levels in patients with IBD. Additionally, there was a negative association between sTB levels and the CDAI score of patients with CD. sTB levels were also negatively associated with the Mayo score of patients with UC. IBD patients had lower sTB levels when compared with controls, and there was a negative correlation between sTB levels and disease activity in patients with IBD. Increased reactive oxygen species production in IBD is likely to be responsible for increased consumption of bilirubin in patients with IBD, leading to further intestinal injury. Reducing oxidative stress may be therapeutic for these patients.
Rare Association between Giant Right Ventricular Myxoma and Right Coronary Artery Tumour Blush with Complicating Pulmonary Tumour Embolism
Authors: Goh Robin Yeong Hong , Mehrotra Shreeja , Buchholz Stefan , Mehrotra Deepak , Morton Allison
Published: April 2019

Cardiac myxoma is a benign primary cardiac tumour which can present with nonspecific symptoms of right heart failure, syncope, exertional dyspnea, and pulmonary embolism. We describe a case of a right ventricular myxoma complicated with bilateral pulmonary embolism, with an incidental right coronary artery fistula but otherwise normal coronary anatomy on coronary angiogram. This case report emphasizes the importance of performing a transesophageal echo in the setting of pulmonary embolism to search for the origin of thrombus/tumour, and performing a comprehensive assessment is also necessary to rule out coronary artery disease, coronary artery fistula that may also represent a tumour blush.
Criminal Behaviour Associated with a Novel Mutation in the VPS13A-Gene Causing Chorea-Acanthocytosis
Authors: Elmgreen Søren Bruno
Published: April 2019

Heralded by obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, chorea-acanthocytosis may initially present in a psychiatric setting. As insidious onset of involuntary movements is commonly precipitated by dopamine blocking agents, this may not prompt further neurological investigation until symptoms progress after withdrawal of the suspected offending drug. Oromandibular dystonia and frontal disinhibition should call for early neurologic evaluation.