bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genotypic spectrum of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia in newborns of the Li minority in Hainan province, China
Authors: Zhong Kun , Shi Haijie , Wu Wenli , Xu Haizhu , Wang Hui , Zhao Zhendong
Published: March 2023

Purpose

To explore the genotypes and allele frequencies of α, β and α+β thalassemias in Li minorities, which resided in Hainan Province of China for a long time.

Methods

In the present study, 1,438 newborns of the Li minority were collected from January 2020 to April 2021. The genotypes of thalassemia were detected by fluorescence PCR and verified by flow-through hybridization PCR analyses. Rare genotypes were detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism electrophoresis and Sanger DNA sequencing.

Results

Among 1,438 participants, 1,024 (71.2%) were diagnosed with any kind of thalassemia. Among all thalassemia carriers, 902 (88.09%) subjects were diagnosed with α-thalassemia, and 18 subtypes of α-thalassemia were detected, with the top three genotypes being −α4.2/αα (25.39%), −α3.7/αα (22.62%) and αWSα/αα (16.96%). Thirty-two (3.13%) patients were β-thalassemia carriers, and 6 types of β-thalassemia genotypes were detected. The top two genotypes were βCD41–42/βN (46.88%) and β−28/βN (18.75%). Additionally, 90 (8.79%) cases were α + β-thalassemia, and the top two genotypes were −α3.7/αα, βCD41–42/βN (30.00%) and −α4.2/αα, βCD41–42/βN (26.67%). Furthermore, two genotypes (−α4.2/HKαα and βCD76 GCT > CCT/βN) were first identified in Hainan Province, and βCD76 GCT > CCT/βN was first identified in China.

Conclusion

Newborns of Li have a higher prevalence of thalassemia for a long period, and further education on the impact of thalassemia, follow-up studies of the clinical manifestation and treatment and proper intervention methods should be designed to reduce the burden of thalassemia and enhance the quality of life in Li newborns.
Neutrophil extracellular traps in urinary tract infection
Authors: Krivošíková Katarína , Šupčíková Nadja , Gaál Kovalčíková Alexandra , Janko Jakub , Pastorek Michal , Celec Peter , Podracká Ľudmila , Tóthová Ľubomíra
Published: March 2023

Background

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common types of bacterial infection in children. UTI treatment is aimed to prevent complications including hypertension, proteinuria, and progression to chronic kidney disease. Activated neutrophils release chromatin-based structures associated with antimicrobial proteins called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). We aimed to describe the role of NET-associated markers in children with UTI as well as the role of NETs formation in a mouse model of UTI.

Materials and methods

Markers of NETs including extracellular DNA (ecDNA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and cathelicidin were analyzed in children with febrile UTI caused by E.coli (n = 98, aged 0.3–1.3 years) and in healthy controls (n = 50, 0.5–5.2 years). Moreover, an acute experimental model of UTI was performed on PAD4 knock-out mice with diminished NETs formation (n = 18), and on wild-type mice (n = 15).

Results

Children with UTI had significantly higher urinary NETs markers including total ecDNA, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA, altogether with MPO and cathelicidin. The concentrations of MPO and cathelicidin positively correlated with ecDNA (r = 0.53, p ≤ 0.001; r = 0.56, p ≤ 0.001, respectively) and the number of leukocytes in the urine (r = 0.29, p ≤ 0.05; r = 0.27, p ≤ 0.05, respectively). Moreover, urinary MPO was positively associated with cathelicidin (r = 0.61, p ≤ 0.001). In the experimental model, bacterial load in the bladder (20-fold) and kidneys (300-fold) was significantly higher in PAD4 knock-out mice than in wild-type mice.

Conclusion

Higher urinary NETs makers—ecDNA, MPO and cathelicidin and their correlation with leukocyturia in children with UTI confirmed our hypothesis about the association between NETs and UTI in children. Higher bacterial load in mice with diminished NETs formation suggests that NETs are not only a simple consequence of UTI, but might play a direct role in the prevention of pyelonephritis and other UTI complications.
Resistance of Vibrio cholera to antibiotics that inhibit cell wall synthesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nateghizad Hossein , Sajadi Rojina , Shivaee Ali , Shirazi Omid , Sharifian Mohadeseh , Tadi Danyal Abbasi , Amini Kumarss
Published: March 2023

Objective:Cholera is a challenging ancient disease caused byVibrio cholera(V. cholera). Antibiotics that prevent cell wall synthesis are among the first known antibiotic groups. Due to its high consumption,V. cholerahas developed resistance to the majority of antibiotics in this class. Resistance to recommended antibiotics for the treatment ofV. cholerahas also increased. In light of the decrease in consumption of certain antibiotics in this group that inhibit cell wall synthesis and the implementation of new antibiotics, it is necessary to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern ofV. choleraand to employ the most effective treatment antibiotic.

Method:An comprehensive systematic search for relevant articles was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE through October 2020. Stata version 17.1 utilized the Metaprop package to execute a Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation in order to estimate weighted pooled proportions.

Results:A total of 131 articles were included in the meta-analysis. Ampicillin was the most investigated antibiotic. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance was in order aztreonam (0%), cefepime (0%), imipenem (0%), meropenem (3%), fosfomycin (4%), ceftazidime (5%), cephalothin (7%), augmentin (8%), cefalexin (8%), ceftriaxone (9%), cefuroxime (9%), cefotaxime (15%), cefixime (37%), amoxicillin (42%), penicillin (44%), ampicillin (48%), cefoxitin (50%), cefamandole (56%), polymyxin-B (77%), carbenicillin (95%) respectively.

Discussion:Aztreonam, cefepime, and imipenem are the most efficientV. choleracell wall synthesis inhibitors. There has been an increase in resistance to antibiotics such as cephalothin, ceftriaxone, amoxicillin, and meropenem. Over the years, resistance to penicillin, ceftazidime, and cefotaxime, has decreased.
Pharmacogenomic profile of actionable molecular variants related to drugs commonly used in anesthesia: WES analysis reveals new mutations
Authors: Parada-Márquez Juan Fernando , Maldonado-Rodriguez Nicolás David , Triana-Fonseca Paula , Contreras-Bravo Nora Constanza , Calderón-Ospina Carlos Alberto , Restrepo Carlos M. , Morel Adrien , Ortega-Recalde Oscar Javier , Silgado-Guzmán Daniel Felipe , Angulo-Aguado Mariana , Fonseca-Mendoza Dora Janeth
Published: March 2023

Background: Genetic interindividual variability is associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and affects the response to common drugs used in anesthesia. Despite their importance, these variants remain largely underexplored in Latin-American countries. This study describes rare and common variants found in genes related to metabolism of analgesic and anaesthetic drug in the Colombian population.

Methods: We conducted a study that included 625 Colombian healthy individuals. We generated a subset of 14 genes implicated in metabolic pathways of common medications used in anesthesia and assessed them by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Variants were filtered using two pipelines: A) novel or rare (minor allele frequency—MAF <1%) variants including missense, loss-of-function (LoF, e.g., frameshift, nonsense), and splice site variants with potential deleterious effect and B) clinically validated variants described in the PharmGKB (categories 1, 2 and 3) and/or ClinVar databases. For rare and novel missense variants, we applied an optimized prediction framework (OPF) to assess the functional impact of pharmacogenetic variants. Allelic, genotypic frequencies and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were calculated. We compare our allelic frequencies with these from populations described in the gnomAD database.

Results: Our study identified 148 molecular variants potentially related to variability in the therapeutic response to 14 drugs commonly used in anesthesiology. 83.1% of them correspond to rare and novel missense variants classified as pathogenic according to the pharmacogenetic optimized prediction framework, 5.4% were loss-of-function (LoF), 2.7% led to potential splicing alterations and 8.8% were assigned as actionable or informative pharmacogenetic variants. Novel variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Allelic frequency comparison showed that the Colombian population has a unique pharmacogenomic profile for anesthesia drugs with some allele frequencies different from other populations.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated high allelic heterogeneity among the analyzed sampled, enriched by rare (91.2%) variants in pharmacogenes related to common drugs used in anesthesia. The clinical implications of these results highlight the importance of implementation of next-generation sequencing data into pharmacogenomic approaches and personalized medicine.
Leveraging in vitro and pharmacokinetic models to support bench to bedside investigation of XTMAB-16 as a novel pulmonary sarcoidosis treatment
Authors: Offman Elliot , Singh Noopur , Julian Mark W. , Locke Landon W. , Bicer Sabahattin , Mitchell Jonah , Matthews Thomas , Anderson Kirsten , Crouser Elliott D.
Published: March 2023

Background: Sarcoidosis is a chronic, multisystem inflammatory disorder characterized by non-caseating epithelioid granulomas; infiltration of mononuclear cells; and destruction of microarchitecture in the skin, eye, heart, and central nervous system, and the lung in >90% of cases. XTMAB-16 is a chimeric anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) antibody, distinct from other anti-TNF antibodies based on its molecular structure. The efficacy of XTMAB-16 has not been clinically demonstrated, and it is still undergoing clinical development as a potential treatment for sarcoidosis. The current study demonstrates the activity of XTMAB-16 in a well-established in vitro sarcoidosis granuloma model, although XTMAB-16 is not yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of sarcoidosis, or any other disease.

Objective: To provide data to guide safe and efficacious dose selection for the ongoing clinical development of XTMAB-16 as a potential treatment for sarcoidosis.

Methods: First, XTMAB-16 activity was evaluated in an established in vitro model of granuloma formation using peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis to determine a potentially efficacious dose range. Second, data obtained from the first-in-human study of XTMAB-16 (NCT04971395) were used to develop a population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model to characterize the pharmacokinetics (PK) of XTMAB-16. Model simulations were performed to evaluate the sources of PK variability and to predict interstitial lung exposure based on concentrations in the in vitro granuloma model.

Results: XTMAB-16 dose levels of 2 and 4 mg/kg, once every 2 weeks (Q2W) or once every 4 weeks (Q4W) for up to 12 weeks, were supported by data from the non-clinical, in vitro secondary pharmacology; the Phase 1 clinical study; and the PPK model developed to guide dose level and frequency assumptions. XTMAB-16 inhibited granuloma formation and suppressed interleukin-1β (IL-1β) secretion in the in vitro granuloma model with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 5.2 and 3.5 μg/mL, respectively. Interstitial lung concentrations on average, following 2 or 4 mg/kg administered Q2W or Q4W, are anticipated to exceed the in vitro IC50 concentrations.

Conclusion: The data presented in this report provide a rationale for dose selection and support the continued clinical development of XTMAB-16 for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.
A novel 7-chemokine-genes predictive signature for prognosis and therapeutic response in renal clear cell carcinoma
Authors: Lin Ming-Jie , Tang Xiu-Xiao , Yao Gao-Sheng , Tan Zhi-Ping , Dai Lei , Wang Ying-Han , Zhu Jiang-Quan , Xu Quan-Hui , Mumin Mukhtar Adan , Liang Hui , Wang Zhu , Deng Qiong , Luo Jun-Hang , Wei Jin-Huan , Cao Jia-Zheng
Published: March 2023

Background: Renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most prevailing type of malignancies, which is affected by chemokines. Chemokines can form a local network to regulate the movement of immune cells and are essential for tumor proliferation and metastasis as well as for the interaction between tumor cells and mesenchymal cells. Establishing a chemokine genes signature to assess prognosis and therapy responsiveness in ccRCC is the goal of this effort.

Methods: mRNA sequencing data and clinicopathological data on 526 individuals with ccRCC were gathered from the The Cancer Genome Atlas database for this investigation (263 training group samples and 263 validation group samples). Utilizing the LASSO algorithm in conjunction with univariate Cox analysis, the gene signature was constructed. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database provided the single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, and the R package “Seurat” was applied to analyze the scRNA-seq data. In addition, the enrichment scores of 28 immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) were calculated using the “ssGSEA” algorithm. In order to develop possible medications for patients with high-risk ccRCC, the “pRRophetic” package is employed.

Results: High-risk patients had lower overall survival in this model for predicting prognosis, which was supported by the validation cohort. In both cohorts, it served as an independent prognostic factor. Annotation of the predicted signature’s biological function revealed that it was correlated with immune-related pathways, and the riskscore was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration and several immune checkpoints (ICs), including CD47, PDCD1, TIGIT, and LAG-3, while it was negatively correlated with TNFRSF14. The CXCL2, CXCL12, and CX3CL1 genes of this signature were shown to be significantly expressed in monocytes and cancer cells, according to scRNA-seq analysis. Furthermore, the high expression of CD47 in cancer cells suggested us that this could be a promising immune checkpoint. For patients who had high riskscore, we predicted 12 potential medications.

Conclusion: Overall, our findings show that a putative 7-chemokine-gene signature might predict a patient’s prognosis for ccRCC and reflect the disease’s complicated immunological environment. Additionally, it offers suggestions on how to treat ccRCC using precision treatment and focused risk assessment.
Critical period in second language acquisition: The age-attainment geometry
Authors: Han ZhaoHong , Bao Gang
Published: March 2023

One of the most fascinating, consequential, and far-reaching debates that have occurred in second language acquisition research concerns the Critical Period Hypothesis [1]. Although the hypothesis is generally accepted for first language acquisition, it has been hotly debated on theoretical, methodological, and practical grounds for second language acquisition, fueling studies reporting contradictory findings and setting off competing explanations. The central questions are: Are the observed age effects in ultimate attainment confined to a bounded period, and if they are, are they biologically determined or maturationally constrained? In this article, we take asui generis, interdisciplinary approach that leverages our understanding of second language acquisition and of physics laws of energy conservation and angular momentum conservation, mathematically deriving the age-attainment geometry. The theoretical lens, termed Energy Conservation Theory for Second Language Acquisition, provides a macroscopic perspective on the second language learning trajectory across the human lifespan.
Numerical simulation study on pore clogging of pervious concrete pavement based on different aggregate gradation
Authors: Xiao Qidan , Xia Yapei , Zhang Guanguan , Lin Xiaoli , Zhao Jun
Published: March 2023

Pervious concrete (PC) pavements can effectively reduce surface runoff, but it will be clogged with time and its service life will be affected. In this study, based on three groups of PC specimens with different aggregate gradations optimized by previous experiments, the pavement-clogging simulation test is carried out using the two-way coupling of the particle flow code with computational fluid dynamics (PFC-CFD). The results show that when the gradation of aggregates in the pervious pavement is different, the volume fraction of clogging material in the pavement and the time when the volume fraction of the clogging material reaches the maximum are also different. It is related to the zigzag degree and size of the pore in the pervious pavement. The smaller the particle size of coarse aggregate in the pervious pavement, the easier it is to be clogged, and the discontinuous graded coarse aggregate has a good shielding effect on the clogging material. Different clogging material gradations have different effects on the clogging of pervious pavements. According to the aforementioned research results, researchers can select different mix ratios of anti-clogging PC according to different areas of use. The law obtained from the experiment can provide a reference for further study of the double-layer pervious pavement structure design.
Biogenesis aberration: One of the mechanisms of thrombocytopenia in COVID-19
Authors: Shan Cuiting , Yu Feng , Deng Xuemei , Ni Li , Luo Xuming , Li Jialin , Cai Si , Huang Mian , Wang Xiongbiao
Published: March 2023

Background: The pathogenesis of COVID-19, including thrombocytopenia, has not been fully clarified. The lungs are a major organ of platelet production and thrombocytopenia induced by severe COVID-19 was proposed.

Methods: the change of platelet level was analysed with clinical parameters in 95 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan Third Hospital. The production of platelets in the lungs was explored in an ARDS rat model.

Results: The level of platelets was negatively correlated with disease severity and was recovered with disease improvement. The non-survivors were accompanied by lower levels of platelet. The odds ratio (OR) of the valley level of the platelet count (PLTlow) was greater than 1, suggesting that PLTlow could be a death exposure factor. The platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was positively associated with severity of COVID-19, and the platelet/lymphocyte ratio threshold of 248.5 was best correlated with death risk (sensitivity 0.641 and specificity 0.815). To demonstrate the possible biogenesis aberration of platelet in lungs, an LPS-induced ARDS rat model was applied. Lower level of platelet in peripheral and less production of platelet from lungs in ARDS were demonstrated. Though megakaryocyte (MK) number in ARDS lungs is higher than controls, the immature platelet fraction (IPF) in postpulmonary blood is still at the same level as prepulmonary in ARDS rat, indicating that ARDS rats generated fewer platelets in lungs.

Conclusion: Our data suggested that COVID-19-induced severe lung inflammation may impair platelet production in the lung. Thrombocytopenia may be mainly caused by platelet consumption for multiorgan thrombosis; however, biogenesis aberration of platelet in the lung induced by diffuse interstitial pulmonary damage cannot be ruled out.
Metabolic profiling and gene expression analysis reveal the quality deterioration of postharvest toon buds between two different storage temperatures
Authors: Zhao Hu , Shen Cheng , Hao Qingping , Fan Mingqin , Liu Xiaoli , Wang Juan
Published: March 2023

Toon buds, a popular woody vegetable, contain large amounts of nutrients. However, toon buds have strong respiratory metabolism after harvest and are highly prone to decay, resulting in quality deterioration. Low temperature can effectively inhibit postharvest senescence of toon buds. GC-TOF-MS combined with quantitative real-time PCR was used to elucidate the toon bud deterioration mechanism after harvest by analyzing the difference in the relative contents of primary metabolites and their derivatives, and the expression of key genes associated with metabolic pathways in toon buds between low temperature and room temperature storages for 72 h. Results showed that the ethylene synthesis in toon buds accelerated under room temperature storage, along with significant changes in the primary metabolic pathway. The catabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and cell membrane phospholipids was accelerated, and the gluconeogenesis synthesis was strengthened. Moreover, the sucrose synthesis was increased, the glycolysis and TCA cycle were broken down, and the pentose phosphate pathway was vigorous. As metabolic intermediates, organic acids were considerably accumulated. Moreover, varieties of toxic compounds were produced in parallel with the activation of aromatic compounds. This work provided a comprehensive understanding of the metabolic regulation, thereby revealing how low and room temperatures differentially influenced the quality deterioration of postharvest toon buds.
Comprehensive analysis of the WRKY gene family in Cucumis metuliferus and their expression profile in response to an early stage of root knot nematode infection
Authors: Ling Jian , Liu Rui , Hao Yali , Li Yan , Ping Xingxing , Yang Qihong , Yang Yuhong , Lu Xiaofei , Xie Bingyan , Zhao Jianlong , Mao Zhenchuan
Published: March 2023

Root-knot nematode (RKN) is a major factor that limits the growth and productivity of important Cucumis crops, such as cucumber and melon, which lack RKN-resistance genes in their genome. Cucumis metuliferus is a wild Cucumis species that displays a high degree of RKN-resistance. WRKY transcription factors were involved in plant response to biotic stresses. However, little is known on the function of WRKY genes in response to RKN infection in Cucumis crops. In this study, Cucumis metuliferus 60 WRKY genes (CmWRKY) were identified in the C. metuliferus genome, and their conserved domains were classified into three main groups based on multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Synteny analysis indicated that the WRKY genes were highly conserved in Cucumis crops. Transcriptome data from of C. metuliferus roots inoculated with RKN revealed that 16 CmWRKY genes showed differential expression, of which 13 genes were upregulated and three genes were downregulated, indicating that these CmWRKY genes are important to C. metuliferus response to RKN infection. Two differentially expression CmWRKY genes (CmWRKY10 and CmWRKY28) were selected for further functional analysis. Both CmWRKY genes were localized in nucleus, indicating they may play roles in transcriptional regulation. This study provides a foundation for further research on the function of CmWRKY genes in RKN stress resistance and elucidation of the regulatory mechanism.
Small-scale urban design interventions: A framework for deploying cities as resource for mental health and mental health literacy
Authors: Müller Helena , Rehn-Groenendijk Jonas , Wasmer Anna
Published: March 2023

With roughly half of the global population living in cities, urban environments become central to public health often perceived as health risk factors. Indeed, mental disorders show higher incidences in urban contexts compared to rural areas. However, shared urban environments also provide a rich potential to act as a resource for mental health and as a platform to increase mental health literacy. Based on the concepts of salutogenesis and restorative environments, we propose a framework for urban design interventions. It outlines (a) an output level, i.e., preventive and discursive potentials of such interventions to act as biopsychosocial resources, and (b) a process level, i.e., mechanisms of inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration of researchers and citizens in the design process. This approach aims at combining evidence-based, salutogenic, psychosocially-supportive design with a focus on mental health. Implementing low-threshold, resource-efficient options in the existing urban context brings this topic to the public space. Implications for the implementation of such interventions for citizens, researchers, and municipality stakeholders are discussed. This illustrates new directions of research for urban person-environment interactions, public health, and beyond.
The associations between body dissatisfaction, exercise intensity, sleep quality, and depression in university students in southern China
Authors: Hao Ming , Liu Xuesheng , Wang Ying , Wu Qingfeng , Yan Wenjing , Hao Yanbin
Published: March 2023

Background

In recent years, depression in early adulthood has become an urgent global public health concern. The university years mark a transitional period from adolescence to adulthood. Young people are required to face academic and life pressures independently, which increases the risk of mental health problems in university.

Purpose

The main goal of the current study was to explore the sex differences in depression, body dissatisfaction, sleep quality, and exercise intensity among university students in southern China and to analyze the factors affecting the level of depression among university students.

Methods

In total, 1,258 university students aged 18–23 years were recruited for this study. All participants completed anthropometric measurements, the Self-rating Depression Scale, Physical Activity Rating Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Body dissatisfaction levels were measured using sex-appropriate silhouettes.

Results

Compared with young women, young men had higher exercise intensity and sleep quality, whereas young women’s body dissatisfaction and depression levels were significantly higher than those of young men. Sleep quality score (β = 0.34, p < 0.01), sex (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), physical activity score (β = −0.14, p < 0.01), and body dissatisfaction (β = 0.14, p < 0.01) were significant predictive factors of the Self-rating Depression Scale score.

Conclusion

Low levels of physical dissatisfaction have a positive effect on depression, and high levels of physical activity and quality sleep can also improve depressive symptoms. At the same time, increasing body satisfaction has the effect of increasing physical activity and improving sleep quality. Therefore, there is great potential to prevent and ameliorate depression by reducing body dissatisfaction.
Maternal perinatal depression and child neurocognitive development: A relationship still to be clarified
Authors: Severo Melania , Ventriglio Antonio , Bellomo Antonello , Iuso Salvatore , Petito Annamaria
Published: March 2023

Pregnancy frequently is associated with emotional conditions such as anxiety and depression. Perinatal depression has an incidence of around 12%. Only recently researcher put the attention on the effects of pre- and postpartum psychopathology on infant neurocognitive development. Neurobiology studies indicate that perinatal maternal depression can significantly affect the structure and function of children’s prefrontal cortex and modulate the development of cognitive abilities from intrauterine life. On the topic, the scientific literature appears ambiguous, reporting mixed results. Some studies have found no significant differences in developmental outcomes between prenatal and postpartum exposure to maternal depression, others have suggested a greater burden of depression in pregnancy than in postpartum, and still others have emphasized the role of chronicity of symptoms rather than the period of onset. Few studies have examined the effects of different developmental trajectories of maternal depression on children’s neurocognitive outcomes. The assessment of maternal health has for years been limited to postpartum depression often neglecting the timing of onset, the intensity of symptoms and their chronicity. These aspects have received less attention than they deserve, especially in relation to the effects on children’s neurocognitive development. The aim of this Perspective was to highlight inconsistencies and gaps that need to be filled in the approach to the study of this problem. Given the wide heterogeneity of data in the current literature, further studies are needed to clarify these interactions. This Perspective provides an overview of current progress, future directions, and a presentation of the authors’ views on the topic.
Automatic anxiety recognition method based on microblog text analysis
Authors: Yu Yang , Li Qi , Liu Xiaoqian
Published: March 2023

Mental health has traditionally been assessed using a self-report questionnaire. Although this approach produces accurate results, it has the disadvantage of being labor-intense and time-consuming. This study aimed to extract original text information published by users on the social media platform (Sina Weibo). A machine learning method was used to train the model and predict the anxiety state of the user automatically. Data of 1,039 users were collected. First, Weibo users were invited to fill the anxiety self-assessment scale. All original text data ever published by the users were collected. Second, the Simplified Chinese-Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (SC-LIWC) were extracted for feature selection and model training. We found that the model achieved the best performance when the XGBoostRegressor algorithm was used. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the model predicted scores and self-reported scores was moderate (r = 0.322). In addition, we tested the reliability of the model, and found that the model had high reliability (r = 0.72). The experimental results further showed that the model was feasible and effective and could use the digital footprints to predict psychological characteristics.
Cancer literacy among Jordanian colorectal cancer survivors and informal carers: Qualitative explorations
Authors: Melhem Samar J. , Nabhani-Gebara Shereen , Kayyali Reem
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Cancer patients face a variety of challenges in understanding their diagnosis and treatment options. Making informed decisions requires health literacy. There is scant research on how colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors and their caregivers engage with healthcare systems and obtain cancer-related knowledge to maintain proper health literacy, which is crucial for enhancing their outcomes.

Materials and methods

In-depth semi-structured interviews (IDIs) with CRC survivors (n = 15) and online focus groups (FG) with informal caregivers (ICs) were held in Amman between Jan-June 2020. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview protocol that addressed the healthcare experience of CRC cancer survivors. FGs evaluated ICs' perspectives of e-health for cancer care support. IDIs and FGs were done in the local Jordanian Arabic dialect, which was then translated into English. Transcribed audio-recordings were thematically coded and framework analysis was used.

Results

The findings are organized around a central concept of “exploring the level of literacy and its impact.” From the overarching theme, three themes and subthemes emerged, including: (1) The current state of counseling and information provision, (2) The impact of lack of information, awareness, and literacy and (3) The health system's influence on literacy.

Conclusions

Poor cancer literacy hinders patients throughout their cancer journey. Empowering cancer patients is crucial for a more timely and positive patient experience. Increased cancer literacy together with the creation of health-literate organizations and systems have the potential to improve patients' treatment throughout the continuum of care.
A radiomics approach to the diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement
Authors: Montin Eros , Kijowski Richard , Youm Thomas , Lattanzi Riccardo
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) is a hip pathology characterized by impingement of the femoral head-neck junction against the acetabular rim, due to abnormalities in bone morphology. FAI is normally diagnosed by manual evaluation of morphologic features on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this study, we assess, for the first time, the feasibility of using radiomics to detect FAI by automatically extracting quantitative features from images.

Material and methods

17 patients diagnosed with monolateral FAI underwent pre-surgical MR imaging, including a 3D Dixon sequence of the pelvis. An expert radiologist drew regions of interest on the water-only Dixon images outlining femur and acetabulum in both impingement (IJ) and healthy joints (HJ). 182 radiomic features were extracted for each hip. The dataset numerosity was increased by 60 times with an ad-hoc data augmentation tool. Features were subdivided by type and region in 24 subsets. For each, a univariate ANOVA F-value analysis was applied to find the 5 features most correlated with IJ based on p-value, for a total of 48 subsets. For each subset, a K-nearest neighbor model was trained to differentiate between IJ and HJ using the values of the radiomic features in the subset as input. The training was repeated 100 times, randomly subdividing the data with 75%/25% training/testing.

Results

The texture-based gray level features yielded the highest prediction max accuracy (0.972) with the smallest subset of features. This suggests that the gray image values are more homogeneously distributed in the HJ in comparison to IJ, which could be due to stress-related inflammation resulting from impingement.

Conclusions

We showed that radiomics can automatically distinguish IJ from HJ using water-only Dixon MRI. To our knowledge, this is the first application of radiomics for FAI diagnosis. We reported an accuracy greater than 97%, which is higher than the 90% accuracy for detecting FAI reported for standard diagnostic tests (90%). Our proposed radiomic analysis could be combined with methods for automated joint segmentation to rapidly identify patients with FAI, avoiding time-consuming radiological measurements of bone morphology.
Pre-birth acquisition of personhood: Incremental accrual of attributes as the framework for individualization by serial and concurrently acting developmental factors
Authors: Hughes Claude L. , Hughes Gavin C.
Published: March 2023

Discrete events and processes influence development of individual humans. Attribution of personhood to any individual human being cannot be disconnected from the underlying biological events and processes of early human development. Nonetheless, the philosophical, sociological and legal components that are integral to the meaning of the term as commonly used cannot be deduced from biology alone. The challenge for biomedical scientists to inform discussion in this arena then rests on profiling the key biological events and processes that must be assessed when considering how one might objectively reason about the task of superimposing the concept of personhood onto the developing biological entity of a potential human being. Endogenous genetic and epigenetic events and exogenous developmental milieu processes diversify developmental trajectories of potential individual humans prior to livebirth. First, fertilization and epigenetic resetting of each individual's organismic clock to time zero (t = 0) at the gastrulation/primitive streak stage (day 15 of embryogenesis), are two discrete unseen biological events that impact a potential individual human's attributes. Second, those two discrete unseen biological events are immersed in the continuous developmental process spanning pre-fertilization and gestation, further driving individualization of diverse attributes of each future human before the third discrete and blatant biological event of parturition and livebirth. Exposures of the gravida to multiple diverse exogenous exposures means that morphogenesis and physiogenesis of every embryo/fetus has individualized attributes for its future human lifespan. Our proposed framework based on the biological discrete events and processes spanning pre-fertilization and prenatal development, implies that personhood should be incrementally attributed, and societal protections should be graduated and applied progressively across the pre-birth timespan.
An influencer pathway framework for sustainable tourism in SIDS ecotourism hotspots: A case of Aripo ecosystems, Trinidad
Authors: Wuddivira Mark N. , De Caires Sunshine A. , Joseph Jeanelle , Atwell Melissa A. , Lewis-Cameron Acolla
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Ecotourism hotspots in small island developing states (SIDS) are affected by unsustainable practices characterized by a lack of coordination, management inadequacies, and poor enforcement of policies and regulations. Consequently, depletion of natural resources and reduction in ecosystem value occur, with the undermining of the contribution of tourism to SIDS economies. An ecotourism system that ensures sustainable ecological integrity, economic viability, and social awareness is therefore critical in SIDS.

Methods

We developed an influencer ecotourism pathway framework (IPF) using the Aripo ecosystem as a case study of an ecotourism hotspot by focusing on influencers within a SIDS system to improve collaboration toward the common goal of ecosystem sustainability. The framework was created to reflect the ecosystem attributes and services found in Aripo, the influencers that both negatively and positively impact the environment, possible solutions specific to addressing these negative impacts, and the ecotourism goals of the area.

Results and discussion

The framework was used to characterize the natural capital of Aripo in relation to the three (3) main ecosystems: forest, savanna, and man-made Aripo village. The influencer ecotourism framework provides a practical model to be applied for sustainable ecotourism management efforts in tropical small island regions as it identifies ecotourism attributes and ecosystem services, linking them to the potential impacts of influencers on the environment. It also provides useful insights to various influencers about their role in sustainable ecotourism that conserves the natural capital of the destination community while improving socioeconomic conditions.
Monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid fogpótlások anyagának spektrofotometriai vizsgálata
Authors: Saláta József , Fehér Dóra , Lenk Sándor , Ujhelyi Ferenc , Borbély Judit , Hermann Péter , Ábrám Emese
Published: March 2023

Bevezetés: Világszerte egyre szélesebb körben alkalmazzák a cirkónium-dioxid kerámiákat monolitikus fogpótlásokanyagaként. A teljes kerámiarendszerek esetén a végleges restaurátum esztétikáját a kerámiaanyag színén túl olyantovábbi tényezők is befolyásolják, mint a csonkszín, a kerámia vastagsága és transzlucenciája, illetve a cement színeés rétegvastagsága.Célkitűzés: A Semmelweis Egyetem Fogpótlástani Klinikájának és a Budapesti Műszaki és GazdaságtudományiEgyetem Atomfizika Tanszékének közös in vitro kísérletének célja tanulmányozni, hogy a különböző árnyalatú és vastagságúmonolitikus cirkónium-dioxid kerámiák optikai tulajdonságait milyen módon befolyásolja a csonkszín és a cementszín.Anyag és módszer: Vizsgálatunkhoz kétféle árnyalatú (A2P1, WHITE), ötféle rétegvastagságú cirkónium-dioxid mintát(Erran Tech), háromféle próbacementet (Variolink Esthetic Try-In Paste, Ivoclar Vivadent), kilencféle csonkanyagot(hat VITA Simulate, három fémtartalmú csonkanyag) használtunk fel. Méréseinket a Budapesti Műszaki és GazdaságtudományiEgyetem Atomfizika Tanszékén lévő PerkinElmer LAMBDA 1050 UV/Vis/NIR spektrofotométerrel végeztükel. A színkülönbség (ΔE) számításához a CIEDE2000 képletet alkalmaztuk.Eredmények: 0,5 mm vastagságú A2P1-minták esetén az átlagos ΔE xΔE = 4,10 (σΔE = 2,91); 2,5 mm vastagság mellettxΔE = 1,88 (σΔE = 0,67). 0,5 mm vastagságú WHITE-minták esetén az átlagos ΔE xΔE = 6,40 (σΔE = 2,75); 2,5 mmvastagság mellett xΔE = 5,46 (σΔE = 0,79).Megbeszélés: A kutatás rámutatott arra, hogy a cirkónium-dioxid minták színezettsége és rétegvastagsága nagybanbefolyásolja a fedőképességet, illetve 1,5 mm kerámiavastagság mellett a próbacementek szignifikáns színeltérést okoznak.A színezetlen cirkónium-dioxidok színét kevésbé befolyásolja a csonkszín, különösen 1,5 mm rétegvastagság felett.Következtetés: Elszíneződött csonkok monolitikus cirkónium-dioxid fogpótlással való fedése esetén a rétegvastagságnövelésével esztétikusabb végeredményt tudunk elérni a vizsgált színezett cirkónium-dioxid alkalmazása mellett.
Comparison of Single-Lane Roundabout Entry Degree of Saturation Estimations from Analytical and Regression Models
Authors: Čudina Ivančev Ana , Ahac Maja , Ahac Saša , Dragčević Vesna
Published: March 2023

Roundabout design is an iterative process consisting of a preliminary geometry design, geometry performance checks, and the estimation of intersection functionality (based on the results of analytical or regression models). Since both roundabout geometry design procedures and traffic characteristics vary around the world, the discussion on which functionality estimation model is more appropriate is ongoing. This research aims to reduce the uncertainty in decision-making during this final roundabout design stage. Its two objectives were to analyze and compare the results of roundabout performance estimations derived from one analytical and one regression model, and to quantify the model results’ susceptibility to changes in roundabout geometric parameters. For this, 60 four-legged single-lane roundabout schemes were created, varying in size and leg alignment. Their geometric parameters resulted from the assumption of their location in a suburban environment and chosen design vehicle swept path analysis. To compare the models’ results, the degree of saturation of roundabout entries was calculated based on presumed traffic flows. The results showed that the regression model estimates higher functionality and that this difference (both between the two models and regression models applied on different schemes) is more pronounced as the outer radius and angle between the legs increase.
Progress of Euhalophyte Adaptation to Arid Areas to Remediate Salinized Soil
Authors: Wang Yanyan , Wang Shiqi , Zhao Zhenyong , Zhang Ke , Tian Changyan , Mai Wenxuan
Published: March 2023

With the increasing shortage of water resources, the current management of saline–alkali lands in semi-arid and arid areas has gradually transformed from “flooding irrigation with drainage” in the past to the combination of controlling regional water and salt balance, phytoremediation, and comprehensive utilization of halophyte resources. However, soil salinization caused by natural and anthropogenic factors has still been a major global environmental problem, which changes the chemical and physical properties of soil, deteriorates the quality of underground water, and decreases biodiversity, contributing to the loss of soil productivity and the succession of the halotolerant species. Euhalophytes, as the materials for phytoremediation, have been confirmed to be effective species in improving saline–alkali soils. They can redistribute salts in soil profile through the interaction of their desalinization potential and irrigation water leaching, thereby preventing secondary salinization and improving soil productivity for long-term reclamation of saline soil. In this review, the adaptation mechanisms of euhalophytes to saline soils are generalized from the views of morphological, physiological, and molecular aspects and evaluated for their potential to remediate saline soil through salt removal and promoting leaching. Euhalophytes can not only sequestrate salts inside the central vacuole of cells to tolerate higher salt stress by means of organ succulence, ion compartmentalization, and osmotic adjustment but facilitate water infiltration and salts leaching through root–soil interaction. The root system’s mechanical penetration increases soil porosity, decreases soil density, as well as stabilizes soil aggregates. Moreover, the suitability of phytoremediation in arid situations with low precipitation and non-irrigation and some agricultural practices need to be taken into account to avoid salts returning to the soil as forms of litter and deep tillage altering salt distribution. Hence, euhalophytes planting in semi-arid and arid areas should be evaluated from their adaptation, desalinization, and prospective commercial values, such as foods, biofuels, and medical development to alleviate soil secondary salinization crisis and enhance the productivity of arable agricultural land.
Air Quality Impact Estimation Due to Uncontrolled Emissions from Capuava Petrochemical Complex in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP), Brazil
Authors: Coelho Monique Silva , Zacharias Daniel Constantino , de Paulo Tayná Silva , Ynoue Rita Yuri , Fornaro Adalgiza
Published: March 2023

In the second quarter of 2021, the companies at the Capuava Petrochemical Complex (CPC, Santo André, Brazil) carried out a 50-day scheduled shutdown for the maintenance and installation of new industrial equipment. This process resulted in severe uncontrolled emissions of particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a densely populated residential area (~3400 inhabitants/km2). VOCs can be emitted directly into the atmosphere in urban areas by vehicle exhausts, fuel evaporation, solvent use, emissions of natural gas, and industrial processes. PM is emitted by vehicle exhausts, mainly those powered by diesel, industrial processes, and re-suspended soil dust, in addition to that produced in the atmosphere by photochemical reactions. Our statistical analyses compared the previous (2017–2020) and subsequent (2021–2022) periods from this episode (April–May 2021) from the official air quality monitoring network of the PM10, benzene, and toluene hourly data to improve the proportion of this period of uncontrolled emissions. Near-field simulations were also performed to evaluate the dispersion of pollutants of industrial origin, applying the Gaussian plume model AERMOD (steady-state plume model), estimating the concentrations of VOC and particulate matter (PM10) in which the population was exposed in the region surrounding the CPC. The results comparing the four previous years showed an increase in the mean concentrations by a factor of 2 for PM10, benzene, and toluene, reaching maximum values during the episode of 174 µg m−3 (PM10), 79.1 µg m−3 (benzene), and 58.7 µg m−3 (toluene). Meanwhile, these higher concentrations continued to be observed after the episode, but their variation cannot be fully explained yet. However, it is worth highlighting that this corresponds to the post-pandemic period and the 2022 data also correspond to the period from January to June, that is, they do not represent the annual variation. A linear correlation indicated that CPC could have been responsible for more than 60% of benzene measured at the Capuava Air Quality Station (AQS). However, the PM10 behavior was not fully explained by the model. AERMOD showed that the VOC plume had the potential to reach a large part of Mauá and Santo André municipalities, with the potential to affect the health of more than 1 million inhabitants.
Potential Distribution and Priority Conservation Areas of Pseudotsuga sinensis Forests under Climate Change in Guizhou Province, Southwesten China
Authors: Li Wangjun , Yu Yingqian , Feng Tu , He Bin , Bai Xiaolong , Zou Shun
Published: March 2023

Priority conservation areas are the key areas of biodiversity maintenance and ecosystem conservation. Based on a Maxent model, this study predicted the potential distribution of Pseudotsuga sinensis under the current climate and future climate change scenarios in Guizhou province, and then, assessed three kinds of priority conservation area under climate change. The results were as follows: (1) The AUC (Area Under the Curve) values showed excellent prediction accuracy of the model. (2) The areas of the potential habitats of P. sinensis forests under the current climate and future climate change scenarios were 22,062.85 km2 and 18,395.92 km2, respectively. As for their spatial distribution, the potential habitats of P. sinensis forests were distributed in the Bijie, Zunyi, Tongren, Liupanshui and Xingyi regions under the current climate, and in the Kaili region, in addition to the above-mentioned cities, under future climate change scenarios. (3) The total area of priority conservation areas under climate change was 25,350.26 km2. The area of the predicted sustainable potential habitats was 15,075.96 km2, of the vulnerable potential habitats was 7256.59 km2 and of the derivative potential habitats was 3017.71 km2.