bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impacto de la salud bucal en la calidad de vida en pacientes con Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 y Periodontitis del Hospital Regional PNP Arequipa, 2018
Authors:   , Meza Zegarra Solange Ana
Published: March 2023

El propósito de la investigación es determinar si la salud oral afecta la calidad de vida de pacientes con diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 y periodontitis que acuden al Hospital Regional PNP Arequipa, así mismo asociar estos resultados con variables como edad, grado de instrucción, hemoglobina glicosilada e higiene bucal. La hipótesis de esta investigación indica que el estado de la salud bucal afecta la calidad de vida en pacientes con Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 y periodontitis. La población elegida como unidad de estudio fueron todos los pacientes con Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 y periodontitis que acuden a sus controles al Hospital Regional PNP Arequipa; y que cumplan con los criterios de inclusión y exclusión. La población estudiada fue de 45 pacientes. El tipo de estudio es no experimental, descriptivo – relacional, prospectivo y de campo. El instrumento utilizado fue la ficha de observación clínica y para medir la calidad de vida se aplicó el cuestionario OHIP – 14, el cual está debidamente validado. Los resultados obtenidos nos muestran que los pacientes tenían un tiempo de enfermedad de 11 años a más, su hemoglobina glicosilada promedio fue de 8.20; así mismo, en la mayoría de ellos el grado de instrucción que prevaleció fue el secundario. La calidad de vida observada en ellos estuvo entre baja y regular. Hemos demostrado que el grado de instrucción es un factor determinante en la calidad de vida de los pacientes, pues guarda relación significativa y directa, además tiene relación con el estadio de la enfermedad periodontal.
Diferencias en la frecuencia de depresión en personal de salud del Hospital Central Militar de Lima y población general durante la pandemia por COVID-19
Authors:   , Pazos Chambilla Eliana Milagros , Maldonado Chavez Fernandez Alexandra
Published: March 2023

Introducción: Durante la lucha contra el Coronavirus el personal de salud se enfrenta a factores negativos como la gran presión; alto riesgo de infección, inadecuada protección, frustración, aislamiento, pacientes con emociones negativas y el cansancio. Pudiendo repercutir en la salud mental, provocando depresión. Materiales y métodos : Estudio observacional, analítico transversal, en el cual participaron 150 trabajadores de salud que laboran en el Hospital Militar Central en Lima-Perú y un grupo control de 150 personas de población en general. Ambos encontrándose expuestos a la pandemia por COVID 19. Se empleó el cuestionario PHQ9 previamente validado con el fin de detectar sintomatología depresiva de leve a severa. Resultados Este estudio confirma la asociación en la presencia de síntomas de depresión en trabajadores de salud (59%) comparado con el 43% en la población no asociada al área de salud. Se encontró 17% de depresión grado 3 en personal de salud comparado con el 7% de la población en general. Existe 62% de varones con sintomatología depresiva comparado con 46% en mujeres. No hubo grado de significancia entre depresión y edad, estado civil, nivel de instrucción, puesto que desempeñan ni el grado de dificultad para realizar una rutina diaria. Conclusiones: Si bien ambas poblaciones se ven afectadas, cabe resaltar que laborar en el sector salud genera mayor predisposición a presentar estos síntomas, independientemente del tipo de carga laboral y posición en la que uno trabaje, estado civil y edad.
Identification of genetic loci for flag-leaf-related traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and their effects on grain yield
Authors: Wang Ying , Guan Panfeng , Qiao Ling , Yang Chenkang , Li Xiaohua , Zhao Jiajia , Wu Bangbang , Zheng Xingwei , Li Pengbo , Zheng Jun
Published: March 2023

Flag-leaf-related traits including length (FLL), width (FLW), area (FLA), thickness (FLT), and volume (FLV) of flag leaves are the most important determinants of plant architecture and yield in wheat. Understanding the genetic basis of these traits could accelerate the breeding of high yield wheat varieties. The present study used a doubled haploid (DH) population to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for five flag-leaf-related traits and to analyze their correlation with grain-yield-related traits. Leaf thickness at two-thirds of the leaf length from tip to collar represented the average leaf thickness as measured with freehand sections and was used to calculate the leaf volume. This approach is a new means to easily measure FLV. A total of 79 QTL controlling the five traits were detected, explaining 3.09%-14.52% of the phenotypic variation. Among them, 15 stable QTL were identified, including two major QTL for FLT, six for FLW, three for FLA, two for FLT and two for FLV. QFLL-4A, QFLW-4B, QFLA-5D.1, QFLA-7A, QFLA-7D.1, QFLT-2B, QFLT-6A, QFLV-2A and QFLV-7D are likely novel loci. In addition, flag-leaf-related traits and grain-yield-related traits were significantly correlated. Taken together, these results provide a better understanding of the genetic basis underlying flag-leaf-related traits. Also, target regions for fine mapping and marker-assisted selection were identified and these will be valuable for breeding high yielding bread wheat.
Performance Improvement for VOIP Based Systems
Authors: Singh Sarvjit
Published: March 2023

It aims at analyzing the performance of wireless VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) system for packet based (4G/5G) communication using wavelets. Here, transmission system for wireless VOIP is proposed to be prepared on the basis of Wavelet Transform based data (Image and Audio). The working of each wavelet is going to be analyzed on the basis of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Percentage of Retained Signal Energy (PRSE) and Compression Ratio (CR). The other parts of analysis includes Packet Loss (PL), Delay and Throughput. All these parameters are going to be evaluated on raw data (i.e. without using wavelets) and with using different wavelets. The simulation results indicate that the proposed model provides better performance when different wavelets are used as compared to Markov’s model. It has been shown that the results of the Daubechies family are better as compared to its counterparts. This model may be used for high speed IP based cellular system where delay (Latency) gets affected the most. As far as 5G is concerned, it may be used by technique of parallel computing.
Decomposition analysis of health poverty vulnerability and influencing factors among rural women of childbearing age-an empirical analysis based on 2-period panel data in rural Ningxia, China
Authors: Ma Ximin , Qiao. Hui , Hu Zhaoyan
Published: March 2023

Background: The health of rural women of reproductive age is crucial to the sustainable development of individuals, families, and society, and conducting research on the identification of health-poor vulnerable groups and influencing factors is an important basis for adjusting and implementing health poverty alleviation policies, but there are few studies on the health-poor vulnerability of rural women of reproductive age.
Method: Based on the panel data of the Ningxia "Rural Household Health Inquiry Survey" for 2019 and 2022, the four dimensions of household physical capital, financial capital, social capital, and human capital were incorporated into the SLA analysis framework, and the health poverty vulnerability of rural women of reproductive age was measured by using the three-stage feasible generalized least squares method and the Tobit model and Shapley decomposition to analyze the influencing factors of health poverty vulnerability and decompose the contribution of each influencing factor to health poverty vulnerability.
Results: The health poverty status of rural women of reproductive age is not promising, with health poverty vulnerability rates for rural women of reproductive age above 20% in both 2019 and 2022 under different poverty line criteria. Shapley decomposition found that the top four contributors to health poverty vulnerability impact factors in 2019, using poverty line 1 and poverty line 2 as criteria, were household size, annual per capita household income, gift expenditure, and Respondents' self-rated health status. Using poverty line 1 and poverty line 2 as criteria, the top four contributing factors of health poverty vulnerability in 2022 are annual per capita household income, gift expenditure, respondent age, and household poverty.
Conclusion: Strengthening the ex-ante intervention of health poverty among rural women of childbearing age, establishing an early warning mechanism for the risk of returning to poverty due to illness, improving the accurate identification of highly vulnerable rural women of childbearing age, and improving the medical insurance system for rural women of childbearing age can help improve the health poverty of rural women of childbearing age.
Effectiveness of home-based videoconference interventions through Physical Exercise Training, Bright Light Exposure and Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation on Sleep in Older Adults: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Milot Emma , Rehel Stéphane , Langeard Antoine , Bigot Lucile , Pasquier Florane , Matveeff Laura , Gauthier Antoine , Bessot Nicolas , Quarck Gaëlle
Published: March 2023

Background: Aging is characterized by substantial changes in sleep architecture that negatively impact physical fitness, quality of life, mood or cognitive functioning. Older adults often fail to reach the recommended amount of physical activity to prevent the age-related decline sleep function, partly because of geographical barriers. Home-based interventions could overcome these barriers preventing older adults from being active, and administration through videoconference may be an optimal solution. Increasing the availability of synchronisers such as physical activity, light exposure or vestibular stimulation is a good non-pharmacological strategy for circadian rhythms entrainment and could strengthen the sleep-wake cycle and thus improve sleep in the ageing subject. The aims of this study are (1) to evaluate the effects of a remote physical exercise training and a remote physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure, and (2) to study the specific contribution of galvanic vestibular stimulation on sleep in healthy older adults with sleep complaint.
Methods: One hundred healthy older adults (60-70 years old) with sleep complaint will be randomized to a physical exercise training group (n=25), a physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group (n=25), a galvanic vestibular stimulation group (n=25) or a control group (i.e. health education) (n=25). While physical exercise training and health education will be supervised by videoconference at home, bright light exposure (from the physical exercise training combined with bright light exposure group) and vestibular stimulation will be self-administered at home. Pre- and post- tests will be performed to assess: sleep (polysomnography, subjective questionnaires), circadian rhythms (actigraphy, temperature), physical fitness (VO2peak, muscular function, postural control and functional mobility), cognition (executive function, long-term memory), quality of life and mood (anxiety and depression).
Discussion: The results should support the development of recommendations and non-pharmaceutical preventive strategies to maintain or even improve sleep quality in older adults and, consequently, to improve physical fitness, cognition, quality of life and mood throughout aging.
Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT05030389. Registered on September - retrospectively registered.
Level of compassion fatigue and associated factors among nurses working at comprehensive specialized hospitals in northwest Amhara region, Ethiopia 2022
Authors: Adem Mohammed Mechal , Birhanu Yeneabat , Tigabu Mekdes , Bahiru Jemal Mohammed , Endris Adem Hussien
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Nurses are the largest and most important professionals group in the health care sector, and are at risk of developing compassion fatigue. Gaining a better understanding of compassion fatigue and what drives it helps to promote intervention programs aimed at reducing the occurrence of compassion fatigue among nurses. Compassion fatigue is common among nurses, and there are a number of reasons that contribute to its occurrence. Identifying these elements will aid in the development of effective preventative mechanisms.
Method: Institutional based cross sectional study design was conducted among nurses working at Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals in Northwest amhara region. A simple random sampling method was used to select participants. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was entered using Epi info version 7.2.5 software, then exported and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The outcome variable of the study was compassion fatigue transformed into low, medium and high level. Ordinal logistic regression was fitted. Variables with a p value < 0.25 at the bivariable regression analysis level were included in the final multivariable regression model. The model fitness was tested using deviances -2loglikhood ratio reveals p-value= 0.000 and goodness of fit was tested by Pearson and deviances chi-square which reveals p-value= (0.269) and (0.278) respectively. Parallel line test result revealed (p-value= 0.211).
Result: Out of 423 nurses 410 participants were involved in this study with the response rate of 97%. About 112 (27.3%), 164 (40%) and 134 (32.7%) had low, medium and high level of compassion fatigue respectively. Working shift, training, current working unit, work experience, and work place bullying were associated with compassion fatigue.
Conclusion and recommendation: This study showed that nurses experience high level of compassion fatigue. Nurses who had less working experience, working in night and morning shift, training, working in emergency and medical unit and work place bullying were among variables which were significantly associated with level of compassion fatigue. Findings of this study give insights into what should be done to improve the workplace of nurses in northwest Amhara.
Referrals of Patients With Mental Health Problems From Primary Care to Mental Health Services in Spain
Authors: Anguiano Mª Carmen Castillejos , Gómez Elizabet González , Fernández Gema , Küstner Berta Moreno
Published: March 2023

Background. It is estimated that 25% of people may experience one or more mental disorders in their lifetime. In Western countries, individuals with mild mental disorders are treated in Primary Care (PC) while those with more severe mental disorders are treated in Mental Health Services (MHS). The objective of this study was to examine referrals from PC to MHS, with a focus on identifying factors that contribute to patients missing their appointments with MHS and identifying characteristics associated with patients who are discharged after their initial mental health consultation.
Methods. A descriptive, cross-sectional and observational study was carried out. The study analyzed all referrals to the Northern Community Mental Health Unit of Málaga from 1 July to 31 December 2018. Data were collected on factors that could impact patients' failure to attend their MHS appointment and being discharged after their first mental health consultation. The study used descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses.
Results. During the study period, a total of 1,521 referrals were made to MHS. Factors associated with a higher risk of not attending the MHS appointment included longer delays, younger age, female gender, and previous treatment at MHS. Patients who were more likely to be discharged after their first consultation were older, referred from PC, initially attended in PC center rather than mental health center, and did not have diagnoses of schizophrenia-related disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders, or deferred diagnosis.
Conclusions. It is important to develop strategies to reduce missed appointments, as this can have negative impacts on patient outcomes and increase the burden on mental health services. The examination of referrals and factors contributing to missed appointments highlights the need for a more integrated and coordinated approach to mental healthcare delivery. This may involve closer collaboration between primary care providers and mental health specialists, as well as increased investment in community-based MHS and resources.
Determination of a safe sedative combination of dexmedetomidine, ketamine and butorphanol for minor procedures in dogs by use of a stepwise optimization method
Authors: Pownall William Robert Robert , Imboden Tobias Jonas , Rubin Stéphanie Robert , Rohrbach Helene Robert , Spadavecchia Claudia , Schöllhorn Bernhardt
Published: March 2023

Background:In veterinary practice, most minor procedures such as radiographs, skin biopsies and wound treatments require sedation. The combination of butorphanol, ketamine and dexmedetomidine is commonly used, but the ideal dosages for this combination have not been reported. This randomized prospective clinical trial initially tested 8 clinically relevant combinations in a blinded procedure in 50 dogs. The quality of each combination was rated using a purposefully developed negative score (NS; 0-21.5, the lower the NS the better the quality of sedation), to judge the quality of sedation, the occurrence of side effects, and need for additional anaesthetics. Then the combinations were divided into "promising" and "unsatisfactory" subgroups and their centroids Pc and Uc were determined before a new combination (N) was calculated using the formula N=Pc+α*(Pc-Uc). The combination N was tested in 6 dogs and then it replaced the worst of the previous 8 combinations. The same procedure was repeated after each new combination until the NS did not improve any further. As a last step, the best combination was tested in 100 adult dogs undergoing diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.Results:The optimal combination found was dexmedetomidine 0.005 mg/kg, ketamine 1 mg kg-1, and butorphanol 0.3 mg kg-1 with a median NS of 1.5 (interquartile range 1.5-2.4). In all 112 dogs receiving this combination, the quality of sedation was satisfactory and no severe side effects were detected.Conclusions:The application of this optimization method allowed the calculation of an optimal drug combination for sedation in healthy dogs. This combination revealed safe after being tested in 100 animals. This combination can now be used in daily clinical practice for healthy adult dogs undergoing minor procedures.
Evaluation of Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis and Glaucoma
Authors: Üçtepe Furkan , Sultan Pınar , Güngel Hülya , Emre Ufuk
Published: March 2023

Purpose
Glaucoma and multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause optic disc pathology and, in this way, affect optical coherence tomography (OCT) data. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate the changes in the mean, quadrant, and sector data measured by OCT in glaucoma and MS patients.
Methods
The sample of this prospective cohort study consisted of 42 MS patients (84 eyes), 34 Primary open-angle glaucomas (POAG) patients (67 eyes), and 24 healthy control subjects (48 eyes). The MS group was divided into two groups according to the presence of a history of optic neuritis. Accordingly, those with a history of optic neuritis were included in the MS ON group, and those without a history of optic neuritis were included in the MS NON group. The differences between these groups in the mean, quadrant, and sector data related to the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell complex (GCC) were evaluated.
Results
Superior nasal (SN), superior temporal (ST), inferior nasal (IN), and superior quadrant (SUP) values were significantly lower in the glaucoma group than in the MS group (p < 0.05). The mean superior GCC (GCC SUP) value was significantly lower in the MS ON group than in the glaucoma group (p < 0.05). On the other hand, SN, ST, inferior temporal (IT), IN, average RNFL (AVE RNFL), semi-average superior RNFL (SUP AVE RNFL), semi-average inferior RNFL (INF AVE RNFL), SUP, and inferior quadrant RNFL (INF) values were significantly lower in the glaucoma group than in the MS NON group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
RNFL and GCC parameters get thinner in MS and glaucoma patients. While the inferior and superior RNFL quadrants are more frequently affected in glaucoma patients, the affected quadrants vary according to the presence of a history of optic neuritis in MS patients. It is noteworthy that the GCC superior quadrant was thin in MS ON patients. The findings of this study indicate that OCT data may be valuable in the differential diagnosis of glaucoma and MS.
Evaluation of ctDNA in Predicting Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy and Analysis of Residual Disease in Local Advanced Gastric Cancer: Protocol of A Single-Arm Multicenter Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Wei Jiangpeng , Guo Xin , Duan Weiming , Yang Xisheng , Yu Pengfei , Liu Jinqiang , Zhang Hushan , Huang Depei , Yan Zhengqing , Zhao Feilong , Li Xiaohua , Ji Gang
Published: March 2023

Background
In gastric cancer, there is a controversial finding regarding the high recurrence rate after neoadjuvant therapy. The use of ctDNA detection for minimal residual disease (MRD) with plasma genotyping has shown higher sensitivity and specificity compared to imaging and serum markers for predicting recurrence. Therefore, we aim to investigate the perioperative dynamic changes in ctDNA in surgical II-III GS patients and assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Methods
In detail, we will collect blood samples from each patient before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), after NAC, and one month after surgery. We will also collect tumor tissue before and after NAC. Gene mutations will be detected using a 733-gene NGS panel, and DNA concentrations will be measured. To evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment, we will use RECIST Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1).
Discussion
This study aims to assess the correlation between perioperative changes in ctDNA levels and the response to chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer. It will provide evidence that perioperative ctDNA detection may predict early recurrence, highlighting the potential clinical utility of ctDNA in guiding therapeutic decision-making. Compared to tumor tissue biopsy, ctDNA can non-invasively detect more comprehensive genomic information from a limited amount of plasma.
Trial registration:
Registered prospectively in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry with registration number ChiCTR2200060842 on June 12st, 2022.
‘Why do we have to be the gatekeepers?’ Australian general practitioner’s knowledge, attitudes and prescribing intentions on e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid
Authors: Selamoglu Melis , Erbas Bircan , Wilson Hester , Barton Chris
Published: March 2023

Background:A significant policy change impacting the availability of nicotine for use in electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in Australia took effect from October 1, 2021. This change meant that nicotine containing liquids for use with e-cigarettes would only be available by prescription from a medical practitioner as part of a smoking cessation plan. This study aimed to explore General Practitioner’s (GP’s) perceptions about the role of e-cigarettes, and understand factors informing their intentions to prescribe nicotine e-liquid as part of a smoking cessation plan.Methods:In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen GP’s. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to classify, describe and report themes in the data. QSR NVivo was used to aid coding, thematic analysis and retrieval of quotes.Results:Australian GP’s had diverse views on recommending e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids to patients and prescription of nicotine e-liquid. Some GP’s were willing to prescribe nicotine e-liquid for e-cigarettes to patients if other methods of smoking cessation had not worked but there were concerns, and uncertainty, about the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. There was poor understanding of the current policy and legislation about e-cigarettes in Australia. Mostly the GP’s in this sample did not feel confident or comfortable to prescribe, or have discussions about e-cigarettes with patients.Conclusion:Australian GP’s have diverse attitudes on recommending e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and prescribing nicotine e-liquids. Clarity in guidelines and consumer product information are required to enable GP’s to provide consistent and accurate advice to patients that wish to use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.
Synergistic effects of cannabidiol and cytokine-induced killer cells via the modulation of TRPV2 channel and intracellular p-ERK 1/2 expression on non-small cell lung cancer cells
Authors: Li Yutao , Sharma Amit , Hoffmann Michèle J. , Skowasch Dirk , Essler Markus , Schmidt-Wolf Ingo G. H.
Published: March 2023

A multitude of findings from the cell cultures and animal studies are available to support the anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids cannabidiol (CBD). Since CBD acts on multiple molecular targets, its clinical adaptation, especially in combination with cancer immunotherapy regimen remains a serious concern. Considering this, herein, we extensively studied the effect of CBD on the cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells immunotherapy approach using multiple non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells harboring diverse genotypes. Our analysis showed that, a) CB2 receptor surface and intracellular expression increased significantly in NSCLC cells following co-culture with CIK cells, b) CBD exerts a pronounced synergistic effect on CIK-mediated lysis, resulting in a substantial increase in IFN-γ production, c) CBD explicitly promotes the CD25+CD69+ population and CD62L−CD45RA+ terminal effector memory (EMRA) population in NKT-CIK cells, suggesting an activation and effector memory T-cell differentiation. Of interest, we observed that clinically relevant CBD concentrations enhanced the calcium influx (mediated by the TRPV2 channel) and p-ERK expression directly in CIK cells, while in cancer cells it induced DNA double-strand breaks via upregulation of histone H2AX phosphorylation. Notably, the migration and invasion ability of NSCLC cells suppressed by CBD (in the absence of CIK cells) was rescued using the TRPV2 antagonist (Tranilast). We further investigated the epigenetic effects of this synergy and found that combining CBD with CIK cells decreased the LINE-1 mRNA expression and the global DNA methylation level in NSCLC cells carrying KRAS mutation. Taken together, CBD holds a great potential for treating NSCLC with CIK cell immunotherapy and its complete success requires careful consideration of the patients' genetic background.
Role of endoscopic ultrasound in staging and vascular assessment of pancreatic cancer
Authors: El-Nady Mohammed Ali , Hassan Amro Metwaly , Haridy Mustafa Ahmed , Abdelwahid Saad Rizk , Mohammed Mohammed Fakhry , Mohamed Omran , Abdelrazzak Emad , Ead Khalid Abdelazeem
Published: March 2023

Background: computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen with contrast is the gold standard method for the evaluation of pancreatic cancer concerning staging and vascular assessment. however, not all patients can be evaluated by contrast-enhanced CT abdomen as those with an allergy to the contrast agent, pregnancy, and renal impairment, in addition to hazards of radiation and non-availability of tissue sampling in CECT abdomen .so this study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic ability of Endoscopic Ultrasound for staging and vascular assessment of pancreatic cancer in comparison to CT abdomen with contrast.
Method: fifty patients with cancer pancreas were evaluated by CECT and EUS as regard staging and vascular invasion. The vascular assessment was done by dividing the EUS findings into three types by the relationship between tumors and major vessels, type 1, clear invasion, encasement of the vessel by a tumor or tumor that contacts a vessel wall more than 180o; type2, Abutment, a tumor that contacts a vessel wall but less than 180o and type 3, clear non-invasion, the existence of distance between a tumor and a vessel. We regarded type 1 and type 2 as signs of vascular invasion and type 3 as a sign of vascular non-invasion, these findings were compared with the findings of the CECT abdomen. The endoscopist was blind to the CT result before the EUS examination.
Result: as regards staging of pancreatic cancer EUS showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 100% for all. and as regard vascular invasion EUS showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 100%,95.93%, and 96% respectively for venous invasion and 95.65%,100%, and 99.5% for arterial invasion.
Conclusion: EUS can evaluate staging and vascular invasion of pancreatic cancer with very high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to the extent it can replace CT in evaluation, with the superiority of EUS due to tissue sampling.
Ulcerative Aspergillus tracheobronchitis in a severe burn victim without immune deficiency: a case report
Authors: Tong Xingyi , Liu Jingjing , Xiao Xuefei
Published: March 2023

Background
Ulcerative Aspergillus tracheobronchitis is a rare invasive pulmonary Aspergillus disease, which is commonly seen in patients with immunocompromised function, but rarely seen in those with immunocompetent.
Case presentation
We describe a rare case of ulcerative Aspergillus tracheobronchitis in a 29-year-old man with severe burn and with immunocompetent. The man was admitted to the intensive care unit for a severe burn. Bronchial ulcer was detected via the bedside bronchoscopy, Aspergillus hyphae and spores were revealed via endobronchial biopsy and the ulcer was improved after systemic and local anti-Aspergillus treatment. These findings confirmed a diagnosis of ulcerative Aspergillus tracheobronchitis.
Conclusion
Clinicians should be reminded that Aspergillus tracheobronchitis can occur in patients without immune deficiency, particularly in patients who inhale large amounts of Aspergillus and with injured airway.
Acute isolation is associated with increased reward responsiveness in human adolescents
Authors: Tomova Livia , Towner Emily , Thomas Kirsten , Blakemore Sarah-Jayne
Published: March 2023

Social connection is a basic human need and particularly important during adolescence. How a lack of connection impacts adolescent behaviour is unclear. To address this question, we employed experimental short-term isolation, first, to assess how isolation affects reward seeking and reward learning in adolescents aged 16-19 years and, second, whether virtual interactions remediate isolation effects. Isolation was associated with faster decisions to exert effort for rewards and higher reward learning, especially from social feedback. These effects were stronger in participants who reported higher levels of loneliness following isolation. Virtual interactions remediated effects only partially and were associated with lower learning from social feedback. We explored predictors of sensitivity to isolation and found that participants with lower neural reward sensitivity at baseline showed stronger effects of isolation. These results demonstrate that, in adolescents, isolation is associated with higher reward responsiveness, a key driver of motivation and decision-making.
Glow discharge nitriding of nanobainitic X37CrMoV5-1 steel
Authors: Skołek Emilia , Chmielarz Krzysztof , Marciniak Szymon , Wierzchoń Tadeusz
Published: March 2023

One of the methods of improving mechanical properties of steels is nanostructuring via austempering, which leads to formation of a nanobainitic microstructure - a fine carbide-free bainitic ferrite plates with retained austenite. Due to high density of grain and interphase boundaries, this microstructure provides high tensile strength. Moreover, high amount of retained austenite guarantees high ductility and fracture toughness. However, retained austenite may also decrease hardness and wear resistance. Thus, to improve the properties of the surface an additional process is necessary. There are several methods of surface engineering which allow to produce hard diffusive layer, however most them are usually carried out at a temperature, in which nanobainite decomposes and loses its high properties. The purpose of the present work was to produce hard and wear-resistant nitrided diffusion layers on nanobainitic X37CrMoV5-1 steel surface during glow discharge nitriding, while keeping microstructure in core of the sample almost intact. Two temperatures of a nitriding were chosen. Obtained results were compared to the layers produced at quenched and tempered substrate to determine the influence of the microstructure of the substrate on the kinetics of the layer’s growth. The microstucture of the layers were described and their properties such as microhardness and wear resistance were investigated.
Log-normalizing to read depth outperforms compositional data transformations in machine learning applications
Authors: Yerke Aaron , Brumit Daisy , Fodor Anthony
Published: March 2023

Background: Normalization, as a pre-processing step, can significantly affect the resolution of machine learning analysis for microbiome studies. There are countless options for normalization scheme selection. In this study, we examined compositionally aware algorithms including the additive log ratio (alr), the centered log ratio (clr), and a recent evolution of the isometric log ratio (ilr) in the form of balance trees made with the PhILR R package. We also looked at compositionally naïve transformations such as raw counts tables and a transformation that log-normalizes samples to the average read depth (which we call “lognorm”).
Results: In our evaluation, we used 62 metadata variables culled from four publicly available datasets at the Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) level with a random forest machine learning algorithm, which demonstrate that random forest was reliably among the most effective machine learning classification algorithms. We found that different common pre-processing steps in the creation of the balance trees made very little difference in overall performance. Overall, we found that the compositionally aware data transformations such as alr, clr, and ilr (PhILR) performed generally slightly worse or only as well as compositionally naïve transformations. However, the lognorm transformation outperformed all other transformations by a small but reliably statistically significant margin.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that minimizing the complexity of transformations while correcting for read depth may be a generally preferable strategy in preparing data for machine learning compared to more sophisticated, but more complex, transformations that attempt to better correct for compositionality.
The Interface between Abortion Practice and Community Response in Amhara Region, North Eastern Ethiopia, 2017: A cross-sectional Study
Authors: Birhanu Antehunegn
Published: March 2023

Background
The issue of abortion is as old as human existence. People have used it as a fertility control from the distant past to the present. It is a universal and global phenomenon that existing competing sociocultural discourses can influence. These discourses, in turn, have profoundly affected women's abortion experiences (reason, intentions, and decision-making process) and on the negative attitude of the community towards abortion, particularly in patriarchal societies.
Objective
To examine the interface between the lived experience of women and the community's attitudes towards abortion in Woldia Town, North Wollo Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia, in 2017.
Method
This study employed a mixed approach: quantitative (household survey) and qualitative (focus group discussions, in-depth interviews with key informants, and case studies) to collect relevant data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed thematically and presented together with the quantitative.
Result
Numerous contextual and structural level factors hampered the practice of safe abortion in general, the lived experience of women who had induced abortions and the larger community's attitude towards abortion in particular. The constraining nature of such factors was more visible in abortion practice than in their enabling influence on the lives of women who performed an induced abortion.
Conclusion
This study claims that structural factors (religion, morality, medico-legal discourses, and gender roles) influenced the smooth functioning of safe abortion, women's reproductive rights and lived experiences on the one hand, and the community's attitude towards abortion on the other. As a result, the abortion experience of women is the result of both agency and structural level factors. Similarly, the community's negative attitude towards abortion stigmatized women in practicing induced abortion. This study's findings proposed policy implications at the agency and structural levels in addressing the prevailing problems associated with societal stigma, health complications, and psychological distress of women practicing abortion.
Tax Administration Digitization and Corporate Tax Avoidance: A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the Golden Tax III Project in China
Authors: Su Larry
Published: March 2023

This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the governance effect of tax administration digitization on corporate tax avoidance. Using data from 2,032 firms publicly listed in China during 2010 and 2020, our paper is among the first to report that the development of digital technologies such as big data and cloud computing has a restraining effect on corporate tax avoidance behavior. Our study is based on the Golden Tax III project implemented by the Chinese government from 2013 to 2016 as a quasi-natural experiment. Our time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) model shows that the digitization of tax collection and management effectively reduces corporate tax avoidance behavior. Moreover, this impact is larger for private firms, firms in regions with low financial development, firms with low auditor quality, and firms with low internal control quality. Our results are robust to parallel trend tests, placebo tests for causal inference, alternative measures of tax avoidance, and other tax-related policy specifications. Our findings suggest that governments should continue to promote digitization of tax administration, create a fair business environment for the development of private enterprises, deepen market-oriented reform in regions with low financial development, and improve the internal control mechanisms of publicly listed firms.
JEL Classification: H26; H32; G30
A risk scoring system for early diagnosis of anastomotic leakage after subtotal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer
Authors: Sugita Shizuki , Miyata Kazushi , Shimizu Daisuke , Ebata Tomoki , Yokoyama Yukihiro
Published: March 2023

Purpose.Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most critical postoperative complications after subtotal esophagectomy in patients with esophageal cancer. This study attempted to develop an optimal scoring system for stratifying the risk for AL.
Methods. The study included 171 patients who underwent subtotal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer followed by esophagogastrostomy in the cervical region from January 2011 to April 2021 at Nagoya University Hospital. AL was defined by radiologic or endoscopic evidence of anastomotic breakdown using some modalities. A risk scoring system for early diagnosis of AL was established using factors determined in the multivariate analysis. A score was calculated for each patient, and the patients were classified into three categories according to the risk for AL: low-, intermediate-, and high-risk. The trend of the risk for AL among the categories was evaluated.
Results. Twenty-nine patients (17%) developed AL. Multivariate analysisdemonstrated that sinistrous gross features of drain fluid (P <0.001; odds ratio (OR), 10.2), radiologic air bubble sign (P <0.001; OR, 15.0), and the level of drain amylase ≥280 U/L on postoperative Day 7 (P <0.001; OR, 9.0) were significantly associated with AL.According to the matching number of the above three risk factors and categorization into three risk groups, the incidence of AL was 6.1% (8/131) in the low-risk group, 45.5% (15/33) in the intermediate-risk group, and 85.7% (6/7) in the high-risk group (area under curve, 0.81; 95%confidence interval, 0.72–0.90).
Conclusions. The present AL-risk scoring system may be useful in postoperative patientcare after subtotal esophagectomy.
Validation of A-VENA Criteria in Distinguishing Tumor from Bland Portal Vein Thrombus in Liver Transplant Candidates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Tang Bingjun , Li Sijia , Tong Xuan , Tang Rui , Aini Abudusalamu , Xiao Ying , Zhang Chen , Lu Qian , Dong Jiahong
Published: March 2023

Background: The A-VENA criteria for distinguishing tumor portal vein thrombus(PVT) from bland PVT has not been validated.
Methods: Clinical data from January 2018 to December 2021 of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) with PVT patients who underwent liver transplantation (LT) were retrospectively collected. The diagnostic performance of A-VENA criteria was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Diagnostic factors for tumor PVT were evaluated by multivariable analysis. Modified criteria were proposed based on the results of multivariable analysis.
Results: Of 49 HCC with PVT patients, 26 were pathologically confirmed as tumor PVT and 23 were confirmed as bland PVT. Tumor PVT group has a larger proportion of ‘AFP level >1000 ng/mL’ (61.5% vs 17.4%, P=0.002), ‘enhancement of PVT’ (92.3% vs 13.0%, P<0.001), ‘neovascularity’ (65.4% vs 8.7%, P<0.001), and ‘PVT adjacent to HCC’ (88.5% vs 21.7%, P<0.001). Portal vein expansion was not statically different in two groups (50.0% vs 34.8%, P=0.285). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.918 for A-VENA criteria (≥3) in distinguishing tumor PVT from bland PVT. Neovascularity (P=0.986) were not independently significant diagnostic factors. The AFP level > 400 ng/mL, enhancement of PVT, and adjacent to HCC were significant in multivariable analysis. The presence of ≥2 criteria of the three (AEA criteria) best characterized tumor PVT with an AUC of 0.978, 100% sensitivity, 95.7% specificity, 96.3% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value.
Conclusions: A-VENA criteria could accurately distinguish tumor PVT from bland PVT in LT candidates. Proposed AEA criteria (the presence of at least 2 of the following: AFP >400 ng/dL, PVT enhancement, and adjacent to HCC) is an alternative tool for the diagnosis of tumor PVT.
The core exosome proteome of Trichomonas vaginalis
Authors: Ong Seow-Chin , Cheng Wei-Hung , Ku Fu-Man , Tsai Chih-Yu , Huang Po-Jung , Lee Chi-Ching , Yeh Yuan-Ming , Lin Rose , Luo Hong-Wei , Chiu Cheng-Hsun , Tang Petrus
Published: March 2023

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis is an anaerobic parasitic protozoan of the human urogenital tract. Infection can cause vaginitis in women and urethritis in men. Accumulated reports indicated that exosomes released by protozoan parasites play important roles in transmitting information and substances between cells and mediating communication during host-parasite interactions in several parasitic infections. However, current knowledge on the protein contents in T. vaginalis exosome is mainly generated from three previous studies which used different T. vaginalis isolates as an experimental model. Therefore, whether T. vaginalis exosomes comprise a common set of proteins (core exosome proteome) is still unclear.
Methods: To explore the core exosome proteome in T. vaginalis, we used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify the contents of sucrose ultracentrifugation-enriched exosome isolated from six isolates.
Results: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the presence of exosomes in the enriched fraction with the classical cup-shaped morphology and size around 150 nm. Proteomic analysis identified a total of 1870 proteins from exosomal extracts. There were 1207 exosomal-specific proteins after excluding 436 contaminant proteins. Among these, 72 common exosomal-specific proteins were expressed in all six isolates. Compared with three published T. vaginalis exosome proteome datasets, we identified 16 core exosomal-specific proteins. These core exosomal-specific proteins included tetraspanin (TvTSP1), the classical exosome marker, and proteins mainly involved in catalytic activity and binding such as ribosomal proteins, ras-associated binding (Rab) proteins, and heterotrimeric G proteins.
Conclusions: Our study highlighted the importance of using supernatant fraction from exosomal extract as a control to remove contaminant proteins. In addition, we compiled a reference core exosome proteome of T. vaginalis, which is important for developing a fundamental understanding of exosome-mediated cell communication and host-parasite interaction.
A Hybrid Metaheuristic based on the Firefly and Bat Algorithms to Solve the Alternative Subgraphs Assembly Line Balancing Problem
Authors: AKPINAR Şener , Palamut Ummuhan
Published: March 2023

Assembly line balancing problem is the process of assigning a set of tasks to a group of stations, considering the precedence relations between tasks. Precedence relations are commonly definite, however, tasks may have alternative precedence relations due to different mounting alternatives. In the presence of alternative precedence relations, the classical balancing problem becomes more complicated given that two interdependent problems, namely selection and balancing, must be solved hierarchically. This type of balancing problem is named as the Alternative Subgraph Assembly Line Balancing Problem (ASALBP). This current paper concerns itself to develop an efficient solution procedure for the ASALBP by hybridizing the firefly and bat algorithms. The proposed hybrid algorithm is evaluated on a set of benchmark problems and numerically compared against the standard firefly and bat algorithms, and some formerly developed heuristic methods. Computational results reveal the satisfactory performance of the proposed algorithm in solving ASALBP instances.