bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nomogram-Based Prediction of Post-Traumatic Occult Shock: Development and Evaluation of Novel Predictive Scores
Authors: Wang Qiang , Peng Guoxuan , Gan Lebin , Deng Zhihong , Sun Jiali , Wang Jun , Chen Guofen , Zeng Ling , deng jin
Published: May 2020

Background

Shock is a common severe complication of trauma and can result in multiple organ dysfunction and even death. To improve prognosis, it is crucial that clinicians intervene and treat occult shock, which shows no obvious changes in vital signs. The purpose of this study was to develop a new, nomogram-based shock prediction score model that is independent of the trauma injury severity score, abbreviated injury scale, and Glasgow coma scale. Our shock prediction score should help clinicians diagnose post-traumatic occult shock (PTOS) early and intervene promptly to improve patient outcomes.

Patients and methods

This study recruited 1005 injured patients (431 with shock and 574 without shock) from the emergency department of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University. Based on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator technology, 31 commonly used indicators were screened for influence on traumatic shock. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen each independent influencing factor (p < 0.05), construct a nomogram-based prediction model, and formulate a PTOS score. We also estimated the predictive power of the model using C-index and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of PTOS. The stability and net benefit range of this model were evaluated using a calibration diagram, internal grouping data verification, and decision curve analysis.

Results

Six individual influencing factors were selected using multivariate logistic regression to construct the nomogram-based model (systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, white blood cell count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and hematocrit). The incidence of traumatic shock increased with an increase in the PTOS score. The C-index of the PTOS score in the training dataset was 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90– 0.94), and the AUC was 0.92. The C-index of the validation dataset was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.86–0.94), and the AUC value was 0.90. The calibration chart showed that our model had excellent prediction. Decision curve analysis showed that the shock nomogram predictive score was clinically useful when the intervention was decided at a shock probability threshold more significant than 2%.

Conclusion

Using clinical electronic medical record system data, we developed and validated a new PTOS score with high accuracy, stability, and calibration to predict the risk of shock in patients with trauma.
Natural Plant-Based Additives Can Improve Ruminant Performance by Influencing the Rumen Microbiome
Authors: Ornaghi Mariana , Prado Rodolpho M. , Ramos Tatiane R. , Catalano Francisco R. , Mottin Camila , Creevey Christopher J. , Huws Sharon A. , Prado Ivanor N.
Published: May 2020

Background The use of synthetic compounds as growth promoters in animal production, is now limited or even banned by health agencies globally due to human safety concerns. In feedlot cattle, when using high grain diets, it is necessary to supplement the diet with compounds capable of modulating the rumen in order to reduce the incidence of acidosis and improve growth. In this context, natural substances have become promising substitutes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a natural additive blend (NA) on animal performance, the rumen microbiome and ingestive behavior in 40 young bulls.Results The initial and final average body weight was similar (P > 0.05) for all diets, although average daily gain increased linearly (P < 0.01) when NA was fed. However, feed efficiency improved linearly (P < 0.05) by including NA in the diet. Principal volatile fatty acid: acetic, butyric, isovaleric and valeric decreased linearly (P < 0.02) following NA addition. Similarly, NA addition linearly decreased (P < 0.02) the acetate/propionate ratio. The propionate and isobutyric acid concentrations showed a positive quadratic effect (P < 0.05). Furthermore, NA addition reduced ammonia concentrations (P < 0.001) and ruminal pH was not affected (P > 0.05) by the diets. The rumen microbiome was significantly different between beef cattle fed the different treatments (P < 0.05), with a reduction in the archaea, and within the Clostridium, Robinsoniella, Acidaminococcus, Acetitomaculum, Succinimonas and Weissella (P < 0.05) seen when NA was fed. The functional capacity of the rumen microbiome was affected following NA supplementation. Overall, we observed Aldehyde oxidase/xanthine dehydrogenase, molybdopterin binding; RecG, N-terminal antiparallel four helix bundle; Transposase, ISC1217; Restriction endonuclease, type II, XamI; Acyl-protein synthetase, LuxE; ABC-2 transporter; which could be related to the natural additives mechanism of action.Conclusions Animal performance was improved in a dose-dependent manner by natural additive addition to the diet of bulls. These beneficial effects are correlated to changes in the rumen microbiome. Our findings suggest that the natural additive blend used in this study could be used as an alternative natural substitute to synthetic antibiotics for animal production.
WITHDRAWN: BMI status relative to international and national growth references among Pakistani school-age girls
Authors: Karim Asima , Qaisar Rizwan
Published: May 2020

Background
A sizable proportion of school going children from developing countries has abnormal growth parameters, which are often not standardized with international reference values. We intended to evaluate the prevalence of BMI status in schoolgirls of the Punjab by using international and national references.
Methods
In this population based cross-sectional study, 10,050 school-going girls aged 8–16 years from 12 districts of northern, central and southern Punjab were recruited. Estimates of normal weight, underweight, overweight and obesity were calculated in the girls according to three international BMI references including centres for disease control (CDC) 2000, international obesity task force (IOTF) 2012 and world health organisation (WHO) 2007 in addition to national reference for population under study. We used Cohen’s kappa statistics to analyse agreement of our data with reference values.
Results
There was marked overestimation of underweight (23.9%, 14.5%, 15.2% and 4.37%), slight underestimation of overweight (5.3%, 7.3%, 7.9% and 8.97%) and moderate underestimation of obesity (1.9%, 1.5%, 2.2% and 5.67%) according to CDC, IOTF, WHO and local reference, respectively. When the weight status of the study cohort was compared with the local data, we found comparable results in all the four weight categories.
Conclusion
We recommend selection of appropriate reference to estimate prevalence of weight status in school-age girls for devising strategies for public health policy and management.
The Comparison of Efficacy and Complications of Coblation and Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation for V2/V3 Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 292 Cases
Authors: Wang ChenHui , Dou Zhi , Yan MengWei , Zhao Rui , Han YuJie , Ni Jiaxiang
Published: May 2020

Background
Coblation is a novel technique in respect of treating idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. We aimed to identify the efficacy and complications between radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) and coblation for V2/V3 idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia (ITN) and investigate the risk factors associated with postoperative facial numbness.
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed our cohort of 292 patients who had undergone RFT or coblation for V2/V3 ITN. The characteristics of the baseline were collected before surgery. Pain scores, the degree of facial numbness and other complications were evaluated at discharge and 1month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after surgery.
Results
Postoperative pain intensity was apparently alleviated in both groups. The initial and 12-months remission rates were 94.0% and 75.3% in coblation group compared with 96.9% and 78.4% in RFT group (P = 0.462, P = 0.585). The degree of postoperative facial numbness tended to be more severe in RFT group at discharge, 1 month, 6 months and 12 months (P = 0.006, P = 0.026, P = 0.004, P = 0.003). Factors significantly associated with more severe facial numbness were procedure of RFT (OR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.28–0.76, P = 0.002), history of previous RFT at the affected side (OR = 2.33, 95%CI: 1.21–4.48, P = 0.011), and ITN with concomitant continuous pain (OR = 0.36, 95%CI: 0.18–0.71, P = 0.004).
Conclusion
Coblation could reduce the degree of postoperative facial numbness for ITN, and the efficacy was no less effective than RFT. History of previous RFT at the affected side, procedure of RFT, ITN with concomitant continuous pain was identified as significant factors of the development of postoperative facial numbness.
Network Pharmacology Reveals the Multiple Mechanisms of Xiaochaihu Decoction in the Treatment of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Hu Qichao , Wei Shizhang , Wen Jianxia , Zhang Wenwen , Jiang Yinxiao , Qu Caiyan , Xiang Junbao , Peng Xi , Ma Xiao
Published: May 2020

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is a chronic disease worldwide, which poses a huge threat to human health. Xiaochaihu decoction is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription. It has been proven effective in treating NAFLD but its mechanism is still unclear.Objective Multiple mechanisms of Xiaochaihu decoction are explored by identifying and connecting potential targets and active ingredients in the treatment of NAFLD.Methods Active ingredients and related targets of seven herbs were collected from TCMSP database. The related targets of NAFLD were obtained from Genes cards database, TDD and OMIM database. The intersected targets of disease targets and drug targets were input into STRING database to construct protein-protein interaction network. DAVID database was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis.Results After screening and removal of duplicates, a total of 145 active ingredients and 105 potential targets were obtained. PPI network manifested that AKT1, IL6 and JUNwere the key target proteins. The results of GO enrichment analysis mainly involved cytokine receptor binding, cytokine activity, and heme binding. The results of KEGG analysis suggested that the mechanism mainly involved in AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, Hepatitis C, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis. The signaling pathways were further integrated as network manner. The network contained immunity regulation, metabolism regulation and oxidative stress regulation.Conclusion Xiaochaihu decoction plays a key role in the treatment of NAFLD with multiple targets and pathways. Immunity regulation, metabolism regulation and oxidative stress regulation consist of the crucial regulation cores in mechanism.
Efficient and Accurate Single-Base Genome Editing in Corynebacterium Glutamicum by Target-Mismatched CRISPR/Cpf1
Authors: Kim Hyun Ju , Oh Se Young , Lee Sang Jun
Published: May 2020

Background CRISPR/Cpf1 has emerged as a new CRISPR-based genome editing tool because, in comparison with CRIPSR/Cas9, it has a different T-rich PAM sequence to expand the target DNA sequence. Base editing in the microbial genome can be facilitated by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) followed by negative selection with the CRISPR/Cpf1 system. However, single point mutations aided by Cpf1 negative selection have been rarely reported in C. glutamicum.Results This study aimed to introduce an amber stop codon in crtEb encoding lycopene hydratase, through ODM and Cpf1-mediated negative selection; deficiency of this enzyme causes pink coloration due to lycopene accumulation in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Consequently, on using double-, triple-, and quadruple-base-mutagenic oligonucleotides, 91.5–95.3% pink cells were obtained among the total live C. glutamicum cells. However, among the negatively selected live cells, 0.6% pink cells were obtained using single-base-mutagenic oligonucleotides, indicating that very few single-base mutations were introduced, possibly owing to mismatch tolerance. This led to the consideration of various target-mismatched crRNAs to prevent the death of single-base-edited cells. Consequently, we obtained 99.7% pink colonies after CRISPR/Cpf1-mediated negative selection using an appropriate single-mismatched crRNA. Furthermore, Sanger sequencing revealed that single-base mutations were successfully edited in the 99.7% of pink cells, while only two of nine among 0.6% of pink cells were accurately edited.Conclusions The present results indicate that the target-mismatched Cpf1 negative selection method is not only efficient in C. glutamicum, but also an accurate single-base genome editing method.
Comparison of Depression Severity and Sexual Satisfaction Between Fertile and Infertile Women in Iran: A Population Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Bakhtiar Katayoun , Ardalan Arash , Ebrahimzadeh Farzad , Bastami Fatemeh , Almasian Mohammad
Published: May 2020

Background: Depression and sexual dissatisfaction are among the most common psychological factors caused by infertility. Infertility is an important topic in Iranian culture and many studies have already targeted them. The aim of this study was to compare the severity of both depression and sexual dissatisfaction between fertile and infertile groups of women in Iran.Methods: A number of 180 infertile and 540 fertile women participated in this case-control study. The cases were selected through a combination of multistage stratified and cluster sampling method. For each infertile woman, three fertile women were randomly selected. Data gathering instrument consisted of demographic variables, Depression Inventory Scale, Second Edition, and the Linda Berg Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. The multivariate marginal model and SPSS 21 software were used for data analyses with a significance level of 0.05.Results: After adjusting for the effect of confounding variables, the marginal model showed the odds of depression increased by approximately 21.305 times among cases compared to control subjects (OR = 21.305, 95% CI for OR:14.75-32.021, P < 0.001). This model also found that by moderating the effect of confounding variables, infertility increased the odds of low sexual satisfaction by approximately 15.560 times (OR = 15.560, 95% CI for OR = 5.089–47.571, p < 0.001). Chi-square test (Monte Carlo Simulation) showed a significant relationship between infertility treatment and severity of depression in infertile group of women (P = 0.001). Severe cases of depression were mostly seen among women who received IVF treatment.Conclusion: The overall severity of depression and sexual dissatisfaction were higher in infertile group than that of fertile one. Also, most cases of severe depression were seen in IVF clinics, which may boost their depression. The results of this study may help reveal the psychological and social aspects of infertility in, Iran.
Associations Between High Triglycerides and Arterial Stiffness in a Population-Based Sample: Results from the Kardiovize 2030 Study
Authors: Pavlovska Iuliia , Kunzova Sarka , Jakubik Juraj , Hruskova Jana , Skladana Maria , Rivas-Serna Irma Magaly , Medina-Inojosa Jose R. , Lopez-Jimenez Francisco , Vysoky Robert , Geda Yonas E. , Stokin Gorazd B. , González-Rivas Juan P.
Published: May 2020

Background The term arterial stiffness (ArSt) describes the reduced capability of an artery to expand and contract in response to pressure changes and is recognized as an independent predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The evidence relating ArSt and triglycerides (TG) shows contradictory results. The aim of this paper is to assess the association between high TG and ArSt, using the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).Methods Subjects aged between 25 and 64 years from a random population-based sample were evaluated between 2013–2016. Data from questionnaires, blood pressure, anthropometric measures and blood samples were collected to identify the metabolic syndrome (MetS). CAVI was measured using VaSera VS-1500N devise (Fukuda Denshi Co., Ltd., Japan). Subjects with history of CVD or chronic renal disease were excluded.Results 1934 participants, 44.7% males, were included. Median age was 48 (Interquartile Range [IQR] 19) years, TG levels were 1.05 (0.793) mmol/L, and CAVI 7.24 (1.43) points. Prevalence of high CAVI was 10.0% (14.5% in males and 6.4% in females; p < 0.001). Correlation between TG and CAVI was 0.136 (p < 0.001). High CAVI values were more prevalent among participants with MetS, high blood pressure, dysglycemia, abdominal obesity, and high total cholesterol. Using binary regression analysis, high TG were associated with high CAVI, even after adjustment for other MetS components, age, gender, smoking status and cholesterol (OR = 1.630, 95% CI = 1.061–2.505, p = 0.026).Conclusion TG levels were correlated with ArSt, measured as CAVI. High TG was associated with high CAVI independent of multiple cardiometabolic risk factors.
Environmental and Psychological Differences in Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Among Young Adults at Cardiometabolic Risks: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Li Ching , Yen Hsin-Yen
Published: May 2020

Background: Young adults’ physical activity is a foundation of creating future healthy lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to explore differences in physical activity, sedentary behavior, walkability, and health beliefs between young adults with and without cardiometabolic risk factors and the influence of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire.Results: Totally, 1149 valid responses were received for a response rate of 86.32%. A significant effect of cardiometabolic risk factors on the physical activity and sedentary time among groups was found. Young adults at high risk had a lower probability of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than did healthy adults. Individuals who perceived that there were more recreational facilities, higher benefits of exercise, and lower barriers to exercise were more likely to participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.Conclusions: Engaging in physical activity from environment and psychological perspectives is necessary for young adults’ cardiometabolic health promotion.
The Role of Insula in Physical Activity Moderate the Association Between Problematic Mobile Phone Use and Emotional Symptoms in Late Adolescents
Authors: Zou Liwei , Wu Xiaoyan , Tao Shuman , Yang Yajuan , Zhang Qingjun , Hong Xuedong , Xu Honglv , Xie Yang , Li Tingting , Zheng Suisheng , Tao Fangbiao
Published: May 2020

Background: Problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) and psychopathological symptoms are great public health concerns in adolescents. Previous studies have shown the associations between PMPU and emotional symptoms, but few studies to explore physical activity (PA) and the neural structures correlated with PA which moderate the relationship between PMPU and emotional symptoms. The aim of current study is to examine the moderating effect of PA and neural basis of such moderating effect on the relation between PMPU and emotional symptoms.Methods: A total of 251 college students underwent magnetic resonance imaging scanning. PMPU, PA and emotional symptom were assessed by self-rating questionnaire for adolescent problematic mobile phone use (SQAPMPU), international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ-C), and depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21), respectively. A multiple regression model was performed to detect brain structure-gray matter volume associated with PA by voxel-based morphometry method. Moderating analysis was conducted using PROCESS macro in the SPSS software.Results: PA has significantly moderate effect on the association between PMPU with depressive (β = 0.301, p < 0.05), anxiety (β = 0.328, p < 0.05) and stress (β = 0.343, p < 0.05) symptoms. PA was correlated to the GMV of the right fusiform gyrus, the left precuneus, the left insula, and the left triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus. The relation between PMPU and depressive symptom was moderated by greater GMV of left insula.Conclusions: The findings indicate that high levels of PA can reducing the association between PMPU and emotional symptoms, and further find the GMV of left insula which correlated with PA may play a key role on the relationship between PMPU and depressive symptom. The intervention programs of emotional symptoms and insula-based deep brain stimulation is discussed as future study.
Effects of Climatological Parameters on the Outbreak Spread of COVID-19 in Highly Affected Regions of Spain
Authors: Shahzad Khurram , Shahzad Umer , Iqbal Najaf , Shahzad Farrukh , Fareed Zeeshan
Published: May 2020

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is infecting the human population, killing people, and destroying livelihoods. This research sought to explore the associations of daily average temperature (AT) and air quality (PM 2.5) with the daily new cases of COVID-19 in the top four regions of Spain (Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, and Madrid). We apply Pearson correlation, Spearman correlation, Kendall’s rank correlation, and panel regressions to quantify the overall co-movement between temperature, air quality, and daily cases of COVID-19 from February to 17th April 2020. Overall empirical results show that temperature and air quality exert pressure to increase new COVID-19 infections. Our findings are contrary to the earlier studies, which show a significant impact of temperature in reducing the COVID-19 spread. The conclusions of this work can serve as an input to mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Spain and reform policies accordingly.
Pulmonary embolism and screening for concomitant proximal deep vein thrombosis in noncritically ill hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019.
Authors: Dubois-Silva Álvaro , Barbagelata-López Cristina , Mena Álvaro , Piñeiro-Parga Patricia , Llinares-García Diego , Freire-Castro Santiago
Published: May 2020

Background The clinical characteristics of noncritically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who develop pulmonary embolism (PE) and the prevalence of concomitant proximal deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs have not been evaluated consistently.Methods We identified nonintensive care unit (non-ICU) patients admitted with COVID-19 who were diagnosed with PE at a single center in northwest Spain. Point-of-care compression ultrasonography (CUS) of the lower limbs was performed to screen for concomitant proximal DVT. Clinical data were analyzed retrospectively.Results From April 2 to April 17, 2020, 8 patients with COVID-19 and PE were identified. PE was diagnosed a median of 19 (interquartile range [IQR], 17–23) days after onset of COVID-19 symptoms and a median of 13 (IQR, 8–15) days after admission. All patients received thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin or biosimilar at a median dose of 40 mg. All tested patients had high levels of D-dimer (≥2000 ng/mL), serum ferritin (≥300 mg/dL) and IL-6 (≥5 pg/mL) at PE diagnosis. Six (75%) and 7 (87.5%) patients had high C-reactive-protein (≥1 mg/dL) and lactate dehydrogenase (≥250 U/L) levels, respectively. All PE events were segmental or subsegmental, with lobar involvement in only one. None of these patients had concomitant proximal DVT of the lower limbs on CUS.Conclusions Non-ICU hospitalized patients with COVID-19 diagnosed with PE had mainly segmental or subsegmental events without concomitant proximal DVT of the lower limbs. Our findings suggest a predominance of small-vessel thrombosis secondary to inflammatory and immune responses in these patients.
Microbiota diversity following antibiotic treatment of Clostridium difficile infection
Authors: Binyamin Dana , Nitzan Orna , Azrad Maya , Hamo Zohar , Koren Omry , Peretz Avi
Published: May 2020

Background: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a major nosocomial pathogen that infects the human gut and can cause C. difficile infection (CDI), a diarrheal disease. A dominant risk factor is antibiotic treatment, which disrupts the normal gut microbiota. The aim of the study was to examine the correlation between antibiotic treatment received prior to CDI onset and patient gut microbiota during the infection.Methods: Stool samples were collected from patients with CDI, presenting at the Baruch Padeh Medical Center Poriya, Israel. Demographic and clinical information, including previous antibiotic treatments, was collected from patient charts, and CDI severity score was calculated. Bacteria were isolated from stool samples, and gut microbiome was analyzed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene, using the Illumina MiSeq platform and QIIME2.Results: In total, 84 patients with CDI were enrolled in the study; all had received antibiotics prior to disease onset. Due to comorbidities, 46 patients (55%) received more than one class of antibiotics. The most common class of antibiotics used was cephalosporins (n=44 cases). The intestinal microbiota of the patients was not uniform. Differences in intestinal microbiome were influenced by the different numbers of antibiotics families that the patients received (p = 0.022)Conclusions: The number of different antibiotics amount has a major impact on the gut microbiome of CDI patients, particularly on its bacterial richness.
Clinical and CT Features of the COVID-19 Infection: Comparison among different four age groups
Authors: Li Wei , Fang Yijie , Liao Jianwei , Yu Wenjun , Yao Lin , Cui Huaqian , Zeng Xiang , Li Shaolin
Published: May 2020

Purpose: To compare and analyze the clinical and CT features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among different four age groups.Methods: 97 patients with chest CT examination and positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test (RT-PCR) from January 17, 2019 to February 21, 2020 were reviewed. The first clinical symptoms of each patient were collected and their first chest CT images were observed by dividing them into 4 groups according to age: junior, young, middle-age, and senior.Results: Comorbidities are more common in the senior group. Cluster onset is more common in junior group and senior group. Older patients have shown higher incidence with the highest clinical classification of severe or critical in these 4 groups. Senior patients have a higher incidence of large/multiple ground-glass opacity (GGO). Junior patients are mostly negative for chest CT or involve only one lobe of the lung. While in elderly patients, older patients have a higher incidence of involvement of 4 or 5 lung lobes. The frequency of lobe involvement also has significant differences in 4 different age groups. Conclusion: The clinical and imaging features of patients in different age groups are significantly different. Understanding of these features correctly and making the correct diagnosis promptly is of great significance for the scanning, diagnosis and prevention of COVID-19.
Chest CT changes in COVID-19 patients with hypertension comorbidities
Authors: Li Wei , Yu Wenjun , Liao Jianwei , Fang Yijie , Yao Lin , Cui Huaqian , Zeng Xiang , Li Shaolin
Published: May 2020

AIMTo summarize the chest CT and clinical features of COVID-19 pneumonia patients with hypertension comorbidities.METHODSThe initial chest CT imaging and clinical data of 15 confirmed COVID-19 patients with hypertension comorbidities treated in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively from January 1, 2019 to February 14, 2020. The chest CT images and clinical data were reviewed and their relationship of the disease was analyzed.RESULTSTotally 15 COVID-19 patients diagnosed with hypertension comorbidities were included. In terms of clinical characteristics, 14/15 (93.3%) of patients had characteristics of clustering onset, and the positive rates of the first RT-PCR test and the initial CT were 80% and 93% respectively. The most frequent CT abnormality observed was ground glass opacity (GGO) (13/15, 86.7%), including patchy/ punctate GGO and large/multiple GGO. Most of the lesions were multiple, and 60% of them involved 4-5 lobes. Most patients present with bilateral CT onset (12,80.0%), and most present with subpleural distribution (10,66.7%). The average CT score is 13.7, and 40% of the patients exceeded 20 points.CONCLUSIONThe common chest CT findings in COVID-19 patients with hypertension comorbidities are GGO, most of which at present with bilateral CT onset and subpleural distribution. CT is indispensable in the diagnosis and evaluation of this global health emergency.
Abnormal immunity of non-survivors with COVID-19: predictors for mortality
Authors: yang Zhao , hanxiang Nie , ke Hu , xiaojun Wu , yunting Zhang , mengmei Wang , tao Wang , zhishui Zheng , xiaochen Li , shaolin Zeng
Published: May 2020

Background The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread all over the world. The specific information about immunity of non-survivors with COVID-19 is scarce. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and abnormal immunity of the confirmed COVID-19 non-survivors.Methods In this single-centered, retrospective, observational study, we enrolled 125 patients with COVID-19 who were died between Jan, 13 and Mar 4, 2020 from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University. 414 randomly recruited patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were discharged from the same hospital during the same period served as control. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings and chest computed tomograph results at admission, and treatment were collected. The immunity-related risk factors associated with in-hospital death were detected.Results Non-survivors were older than survivors. More than half of non-survivors was male. Nearly half of the patients had chronic medical illness. The common signs and symptoms at admission of non-survivors were fever. Non-survivors had higher white blood cell (WBC) count, more elevated neutrophil count, lower lymphocytes and platelete count, raised concentration of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein (CRP) than survivors. The levels of CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, CD19+ T cells, and CD16+56+T cells were significantly decreased in non-survivors when compared with survivors. The concentrations of immunoglobulins (Ig) G, IgA and IgE were increased, whereas the levels of complement proteins (C)3 and C4 were decreased in non-survivors when compared with survivors. Non-survivors presented lower levels of oximetry saturation at rest and lactate. Old age, comorbidity of malignant tumour, neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, low CD4+ T cells, decreased C3, and low oximetry saturation were the risk factors of death in patients with confirmed COVID-19. The frequency of CD4+ T cells positively correlated with the numbers of lymphocytes and the level of oximetry saturation, whereas CD4+ T cells were negatively correlated with age and the numbers of neutrophils.Conclusion Abnormal cellular immunity and humoral immunity were considerable in non-survivors with COVID-19. Neutrophilia, lymphocytopenia, low CD4+ T cells, and decreased C3 were the immunity-related risk factors predicting mortality of patients with COVID-19.
A New Deep Learning Pipeline to Detect Covid-19 on Chest X-Ray Images using Local Binary Pattern, Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform and Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Yaşar Huseyin , Ceylan Murat
Published: May 2020

At the end of 2019, a new type of virus, belonging to the coronaviridae family has emerged and it is considered that the virus in question is of zootonic origin. The virus that emerged in China first affected this country and then spread worldwide. Pneumonia develops due to Covid-19 virus in patients having severe disease symptoms. Many literature studies have been carried out in the process where the effects of the disease-induced pneumonia in lungs have been demonstrated with the help of chest X-ray imaging. In this study, which aims at early diagnosis of Covid-19 disease by using X-Ray images, the deep-learning approach, which is a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence method, was used and automatic classification of images was performed using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). In the first training-test data set used in the study, there were a total of 230 abnormal and 80 normal X-Ray images, while in the second training-test data set there were 476 X-Ray images, of which 150 abnormal and 326 normal. Thus, classification results have been provided for two data sets, containing predominantly abnormal images and predominantly normal images respectively. In the study, a 23-layer CNN architecture was developed. Within the scope of the study, results were obtained by using chest X-Ray images directly in training-test procedures and the sub-band images obtained by applying Dual Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT) to the above-mentioned images. The same experiments were repeated using images obtained by applying Local Binary Pattern (LBP) to the chest X-Ray images. Within the scope of the study, a new result generation algorithm having been put forward additionally, it was ensured that the experimental results were combined and the success of the study was improved. In the experiments carried out in the study, the trainings were carried out using the k-fold cross validation method. Here the k value was chosen 23. Considering the highest results of the tests performed in the study, values of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUC for the first training-test data set were calculated to be 1, 1, 0,9913 and 0,9996; while for the second data set of training-test, they were 1, 0,9969, 0,9958 and 0,9996 respectively. Considering the average highest results of the experiments performed within the scope of the study, the values of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and AUC for the first training-test data set were 0,9933, 0,9725, 0,9843 and 0,9988; while for the second training-test data set, they were 0,9813, 0,9908, 0,9857 and 0,9983 respectively.
A New Radiomic Study on Lung CT Images of Patients with Covid-19 using LBP and Deep Learning (Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN))
Authors: Yaşar Hüseyin , Ceylan Murat
Published: May 2020

The Covid-19 virus outbreak that emerged in China at the end of 2019 caused a huge and devastating effect worldwide. In patients with severe symptoms of the disease, pneumonia develops due to Covid-19 virus. This causes intense involvement and damage in lungs. Although the emergence of the disease occurred a short time ago, many literature studies have been carried out in which these effects of the disease on the lungs were revealed by the help of lung CT imaging. In this study, the amount of 25 lung CT images in total (15 of Covid-19 patients and 10 of normal) was multiplied (250 images in total) using three data augmentation methods which relate to contrast change, brightness change and noise addition, and these images were subjected to automatic classification. Within the scope of the study, experiments were made for each case which include the use of the CT images of lungs (gray-level and RGB) directly, the images obtained by applying Local Binary Pattern (LBP) to these images (gray-level and RGB) and the images obtained by combining these images (gray-level and RGB). In the study, a 23-layer Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) architecture was developed and used in classification processes. Leave-one-group-out cross validation method was used to test the proposed system. In this context, the result of the study indicated that the best AUC and EER values were obtained for the combination of original (RGB) and LBP applied (RGB) images, and these figures are 0,9811 and 0,0445 respectively. It was observed that, applying LBP to images, the use of CNN input causes an increase in sensitivity values while it causes a decrease in values of specificity. The highest sensitivity was obtained for the case of using LBP-applied (RGB) images and has a value of 0,9947. Within the scope of the study, the highest values of specificity and accuracy were obtained by the help of CT of lungs (gray-level) with 0,9120 and 95,32%, respectively. The results of the study indicate that analyzing images of lung CT using deep learning methods in diagnosing Covid-19 disease will speed up the diagnosis and significantly reduce the burden on healthcare workers.
Artificial intelligence techniques for Containment COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
Authors: Alabool Hamzeh , Alarabiat Deemah , Abualigah Laith , Habib Mohammad , Khasawneh Ahmad M. , Alshinwan Mohammad , Shehab Mohammad
Published: May 2020

Due to the advantages offered by AI in containment the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of AI techniques has increased greatly. Although these techniques provide an acceptable start to COVID-19 pandemic control, they differ in terms of purpose, AI synthesis methods, datasets, validation approach. This increase and diversity in the numbers of proposed AI techniques can confuse decision makers and lead them to the dilemma of what is the appropriate technique under the specific conditions. Yet, studies that assess, analyze, and summarize the unresolved problems and shortcomings of current AI techniques for COVID-19 are limited. In the existing review studies, only individual parts of AI techniques, rarely the full solution, are reviewed and examined. Thus, this study aims to present a comprehensive systematic review on the application of AI techniques in containment the COVID-19 pandemic. The applied search strategy led to include 73 papers related to the Application of AI techniques for COVID-19 published from December 2019 to May 2020. Ten applications of AI for containment COVID-19 were identified. In addition, the analysis results of the systematic review revealed five deficiencies so that future research should take them into consideration.
Education in academic emergency medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic – our experience from an ongoing crisis
Authors: Mueller Matthias , Schriefl Christoph , Holzer Michael , Roeggla Martin , Laggner Anton N. , Ettl Florian
Published: May 2020

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in suspension of the whole teaching program at the Medical University of Vienna until the end of summer semester. Therefore, a substantial waste of learning time threatens. As the responsible department for emergency medicine teaching, we adapted our program to continue with our courses and maintain the learning progress. Our objective was to evaluate the number of conducted courses and to report the used methods.Methods: Teaching was classified in credit hours per week (CHW). One CHW represents 15 academic hours (45 minutes) during one semester. Computations were performed on basis of the official numbers from the prospectus of the university, or - if not available - were calculated with the formula above. Webinars were performed using CISCO Webex Events®, Webex Training® and ZOOM®. We further utilized Moodle® for resuscitation courses.Results: Overall, courses and clerkships equivalent to 80.2 out of 101.4 CHW (79.1%) will be held during the ongoing crisis in summer semester. Courses in winter semester were completed regularly. In the human medicine curriculum, we could perform 73.7 out of 94.9 CHW (77.7%). In the emergency lectures for the dentistry curriculum, we could adapt all courses to webinars (6.5 CHW, 100%). After adjustment for the exact number of students in each class, courses and clerkships equivalent to 78.7% could be conducted.Conclusions: Despite the challenge to be prepared for the treatment of numerous patients during an ongoing pandemic, we could maintain the majority of our teaching responsibilities. Although sufficient skill training cannot be achieved under those circumstances, we could provide the theoretical backgrounds to allow students further continuation in their studies.
Son otros, no es ninguno de nosotros. Un análisis de la estigmatización como fenómeno grupal
Authors: Girado Sierra Jesús David
Published: May 2020

Este artículo presenta una clave de lectura del fenómeno de conformación del nosotros y exclusión de los otros, ofreciendo una comprensión pragmatista de la dimensión social de la responsabilidad moral. El aporte significativo de este texto está en que analiza las sociodinámicas de estigmatización como acciones resultantes de las actitudes del grupo al que pertenecen los individuos; en tal sentido, se persuade para que dichas acciones no se sigan explicando como una serie de conductas que los individuos desarrollan a título personal, debido a que esto impide diferenciar la estigmatización y segregación social del mero prejuicio individual.
STUDY OF TIME FREQUENCY TRANSFORMS APPLIED TO POWER QUALITY SIGNALS
Authors: Almeida Richard Bini , Watanabe Kenji , Victer Silvia Mara da Costa Campos
Published: May 2020

This work presents a scientific study on Short-Time Frequency Transforms (STFT) with different windows, also called Windowed Fourier Transforms, applied to power quality signals.   Additionally, it deals with S transforms, with its frequency-dependent window.  The disturbances related to energy quality have non-stationary nature, in which the spectral content varies over time.   So, the Fourier Transform is not appropriate for such analysis, because it doesn’t show time locations, only information about existing frequencies in the signal.  Therefore, the spectral analysis by windowed transforms helps to identify and detect a series of defects associated to these power signals.  The motivation behind this document is to verify which window will provide a more precise identification of the characteristics of the disturbances in time-frequency domain.    For this work, synthetic signals were generated for some of these disturbances, and their spectra were compared considering Gaussian, Hann and Blackman windows, as well as the S transform. Based on the obtained results, it was verified that each transform presents different behaviours acording to the input signal,  except for the ones with Hann and Blackman windows, that showed similar spectra. For all of them, there is always a tradeoff between time and frequency resolutions. Therefore, the choice of the window must be done according to the desired outputs.  The Dev-C ++ ® IDE was used for C ++ programming, and the Gnuplot ® program for graphics generation.
STUDY OF UNCERTAINTIES ON A 0D MODEL OF THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION
Authors: Da Silva Filho Gilmar Ferreira , De Queiroz Rafael Alves Bonfim , Barra Luis Paulo da Silva , Rocha Bernardo Martins
Published: May 2020

Cardiovascular system is intensely researched to understand the intricate nature of the heart and blood circulation. Nowadays we have well evolved computational models which are useful in many ways for the understanding and analysis of physiological and pathophysiological conditions of the heart. However, the practical use of these models and their results for clinical decision making in specific patients is not straightforward. In this context, models predictions must be accurate and reliable, which can be assessed by quantification of uncertainties in the predictions and sensitivity analysis of the input parameters. Lumped parameter models for the cardiovascular physiology can provide useful data for clinical patient-specific applications. However, the accurate estimation of all parameters of these models is a difficult task, and therefore the determination of the most sensitive parameters is an important step towards the calibration of these models. We perform uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis based on generalised polynomial chaos expansion in a lumped parameter model for the systemic circulation. The objective of this work is to verify the effect of uncertainties from input parameters on the predictions of the models and to identify parameters that contribute significantly to relevant quantities of interest. Numerical experiments are performed and results indicate a set of the most relevant parameters in the context of these models.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ENERGY RECONSTRUCTION METHODS IN HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS
Authors: Marin Juan Lieber , Furtado de Simas Filho Eduardo , Sotto-Maior Peralva Bernardo , Inácio Gonçalves Guilherme , Manhães de Andrade Filho Luciano , Manoel de Seixas José
Published: May 2020

The discovery of particles that shape our universe pushes the scientific community to increasingly build sophisticated equipment. Particle accelerators are one of these complex machines that put known particle beams on a collision course at speeds close to that of light. When collisions occur, subproducts are produced and measured by the calorimeter system, which entirely absorbs these subproducts. Typically, a high-energy calorimeter is highly segmented, comprising thousands of dedicated readout channels. The present work evaluates the performance of two energy reconstruction algorithms: the OF (Optimal Filter) and MAE (Multi-Amplitude Estimator), which was recently proposed to deal with the signal superposition (pile-up). In order to evaluate the energy estimation efficiency, artificial data were used, considering several pile-up levels. The statistics from the energy estimation  is employed to compare the performance achieved by each method. A second analysis is made to quantify the MAE sensitivity to the pedestal parameter. The results show that the MAE method presents a better performance than the OF method and the usage of an uncalibrated pedestal value compromises the MAE performance.
Numerical simulation model of vertical velocity distribution in a channel with artificial floating bed
Authors: Bai Yu , Duan Yonggang , Yue Wenjun
Published: May 2020

Artificial floating bed (AFB), as a novel type of ecological drainage ditch, is extensively used worldwide. To more effectively design the structure of the project, an accurate velocity model is required. In this study, a two-dimensional Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) was employed for the simulation of the vertical velocity in a channel with AFB. The large eddy simulation (LES) was conducted to simulate turbulent flows, while the drag force of AFB was discretized with a centered scheme. Two sets of experimental data were used to verify the model, the mean value of root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2) are 0.93 and 1.84, respectively. This proved that the proposed model is more effective to simulate the vertical velocity in a channel with AFB.
Research Activities Of The Tyumen State Pedagogical Institute During The Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)
Authors: Zhivotova Alyona N. , Khazheeva Irina V.
Published: May 2020

During the Great Patriotic war the scientific activities of higher educational institutions changed, responding to the needs of wartime. This article discusses directions and topics of scientific work of the Tyumen State Pedagogical Institute faculty during the war. The authors present the faculty, the direction of scientific research of the faculty and departments of the Institute, analyze the conditions in which their work was carried out, problems and achievements of science in the war years. The article is based on the involvement of archival documents from the funds of the State archive of the Tyumen region, and the State archive of socio-political history of the Tyumen region, periodicals of the war years. The authors note the transition of scientific developments of teachers to the needs of the front and agriculture, orientation on Patriotic themes. The authors consider the positive side of the evacuation of specialists from Central Russia, who have contributed to the development of the science of the pedagogical Institute.