bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Infrared Thermal Imaging for Evaluation of Clubfoot After the Ponseti Casting Method—An Exploratory Study
Authors: Ganesan Balasankar , Yip Joanne , Luximon Ameersing , Gibbons Paul J. , Chivers Alison , Balasankar Suchita Kothe , Tong Raymond Kai-Yu , Chai Rifai , Al-Jumaily Adel 
Published: April 2021

Background:Conservative treatment, Ponseti method, has been considered as a standard method to correct the clubfoot deformity among Orthopedic society. Although the result of conservative methods have been reported with higher success rates than surgical methods, many more problems have been reported due to improper casting, casting pressure or bracing discomfort. Nowadays, infrared thermography (IRT) is widely used as a diagnostic tool to assess musculoskeletal disorders or injuries by detecting temperature abnormalities. Similarly, the foot skin temperature evaluation can be added along with the current subjective evaluation to predict if there is any casting pressure, excessive manipulation, or overcorrections of the foot, and other bracing pressure-related complications.Purpose:The main purpose of this study was to explore the foot skin temperature changes before and after using of manipulation and weekly castings.Methods:This is an explorative study design. Infrared Thermography (IRT), E33 FLIR thermal imaging camera model, was used to collect the thermal images of the clubfoot before and after casting intervention. A total of 120 thermal images (Medial region of the foot–24, Lateral side of the foot–24, Dorsal side of the foot−24, Plantar side of the foot−24, and Heel area of the foot–24) were collected from the selected regions of the clubfoot.Results:The results of univariate statistical analysis showed that significant temperature changes in some regions of the foot after casting, especially, at the 2nd (M = 32.05°C, SD = 0.77,p= 0.05), 3rd (M = 31.61, SD = 1.11; 95% CI: 31.27–31.96;p= 0.00), and 6th week of evaluation on the lateral side of the foot (M = 31.15°C, SD = 1.59; 95% CI: 30.75–31.54,p= 0.000). There was no significant temperature changes throughout the weekly casting in the medial side of the foot. In the heel side of the foot, significant temperature changes were noticed after the third and fourth weeks of casting.Conclusion:This study found that a decreased foot skin temperature on the dorsal and lateral side of the foot at the 6th week of thermography evaluation. The finding of this study suggest that the infrared thermography (IRT) might be useful as an adjunct assessment tool to evaluate the thermophysiological changes, which can be used to predict the complications caused by improper casting, over manipulative or stretching and casting-pressure related complications.
Size of Patent Ductus Arteriosus and Echocardiographic Markers of Shunt Volume in Preterm Infants Based on Postnatal Age
Authors: Choi Eui Kyung , Park Kyu Hee , Choi Byung Min 
Published: April 2021

Objective: This study was conducted in order to compare the strength of correlation between echocardiographic markers of shunt volume and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) diameter based on postnatal age.Methods: This retrospective study focused on preterm infants (aged &lt;32 weeks of gestation) admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Korea University Ansan Hospital, between April 2014 and December 2017, who studied serial targeted neonatal echocardiography (TNE) for PDA during hospitalization. The association between echocardiographic characteristics and duct size was divided into the following days: within 3 days (very early, VE), 4–7 days after birth (early, E), and after 8 days of birth (late, L).Results: We found 113 assessments conducted on 57 infants in the VE period, 92 assessments on 40 infants in the E period, and 342 assessments on 37 infants in the L period. Median gestational age and birth weight were 28+2 weeks of gestation and 1,115 g, respectively. In the univariate regression analysis, we found a statistically significant correlation between PDA diameter and all TNE markers in the E and L days, but not in the VE period. Only ductal velocity [coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.224], antegrade left pulmonary artery diastolic flow velocity (R2 = 0.165), left ventricular output (LVO)/superior vena cava (SVC) flow ratio (R2 = 0.048), and E/A wave ratio (R2 = 0.092) showed weak correlations with PDA diameter in the VE period. The slopes of the regressions showed significant changes based on postnatal age in the maximum ductal velocity, left atrium/aorta ratio, LVO/SVC flow ratio, and LVO.Conclusions: It is difficult to predict the echocardiographic markers of shunt volume based on the PDA diameter in preterm infants younger than 4 days. A better understanding of the changes in the hemodynamic consequences of PDA based on postnatal age is needed when considering treatment.
Children's Daily Routine Response to COVID-19 Emergency Measures in Serbia
Authors: Vuković Jovan , Matić Radenko M. , Milovanović Ivana M. , Maksimović Nebojša , Krivokapić Dragan , Pišot Saša 
Published: April 2021

Objective: The emergence of coronavirus in Serbia as well as in other European countries led to the declaration of a state of emergency, which, among other measures, included a switch to online education, the lockdown of public life and organized sports, and a curfew from 5 pm to 5 am. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which these measures affected children's daily routines. More specifically, it aimed to determine how children maintained their learning, physical activity, and screen time routines from the period before the state of emergency was declared.Methods: Response to an online parent-reported questionnaire was conducted (N = 450). The factorial validity of the scales was prepared using confirmatory factor analysis, with acceptable fit indices. Based on that, the authors tested the interrelations between dimensions using structural equation modeling in SPSS, AMOS 24.0.Results: The study results indicate a positive relationship between school achievement and study time (β = 0.25). They also indicate that children who were physically active before the pandemic continued their activities during the emergency state (β = 0.53). Physical activity impact during the COVID-19 emergency measures reduces children's behavior changes (β = 0.55). Finally, they highlight that children who spent more time with multimedia content had greater changes in anxiety, sensitivity, nervousness, and worry due to COVID-19 emergency measures (β = −0.38).Conclusions: Healthy lifestyle habits formed in childhood are suggested to be responsible for the greater “resistance to change” shown by the children from this study.
A Combination of Atorvastatin and Aspirin Enhances the Pro-Regenerative Interactions of Marrow Stromal Cells and Stroke-Derived Monocytes In Vitro
Authors: Satani Nikunj , Zhang Xu , Giridhar Kaavya , Wewior Natalia , Cai Chunyan , Aronowski Jaroslaw , Savitz Sean I. 
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose: Marrow stromal cells (MSCs) are being tested in clinical trials for stroke patients. MSCs appear to promote recovery through secretomes that promote modulation of immune cells, including myeloid phagocytes. Many stroke patients have comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes for which they are prescribed medications that might affect the function of MSCs and monocytes (Mo) when they are administered in stroke patients. We studied the effects of the two most commonly prescribed stroke medications, statin and statin plus aspirin, on the secretomes of MSCs and their modulation of Mo derived from stroke patients.Methods: Human MSCs, Mo and their co-cultures were exposed to atorvastatin or atorvastatin plus aspirin followed by secretome analysis at 24 h. Monocytes were isolated from healthy controls as well as stroke patients with NIHSS ranging from 11 to 20. Secretome composition was measured using multiplex immunoassay. We used MTT assay to measure proliferation of monocytes. The mixed model was used to analyze experimental data. p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: Atorvastatin and aspirin combination increased the release of IL-1RA from stroke Mo. In MSCs, atorvastatin and aspirin combination reduced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and IFN-γ. Atorvastatin alone reduced the release of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 from co-cultures of stroke monocytes and MSCs. Combination of atorvastatin and aspirin had additive effect on reducing the secretion of IL-6 from co-cultures of stroke Mo and MSCs.Conclusion: Atorvastatin, alone and in combination with aspirin can promote anti-inflammatory effect by modulating the secretome profile of Mo and MSCs. Our results suggest that stroke trials involving the use of intravenous MSCs should consider the effect of aspirin and atorvastatin, both of which are administered to the majority of hospitalized ischemic stroke patients.
Anti-Hyperuricemic and Nephroprotective Effects of Dihydroberberine in Potassium Oxonate- and Hypoxanthine-Induced Hyperuricemic Mice
Authors: Xu Lieqiang , Lin Guoshu , Yu Qiuxia , Li Qiaoping , Mai Liting , Cheng Juanjuan , Xie Jianhui , Liu Yuhong , Su Ziren , Li Yucui 
Published: April 2021

Phellodendri Chinese Cortex has long been used to treat hyperuricemia and gout. Berberine (BBR), its characteristic ingredient, has also been shown to be effective in alleviating monosodium urate crystals-triggered gout inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Dihydroberberine (DHB) is a hydrogenated derivative of BBR that showed improved in vivo efficacy on many metabolic disorders. However, its anti-hyperuricemia effect remains underexplored. In the present work, the hypouricemic and renoprotective effects of DHB on hyperuricemic mice were investigated. The hyperuricemic mice model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate (PO, 300 mg/kg) combined with intragastric administration of hypoxanthine (HX, 300 mg/kg) for 7 days. Different dosages of DHB (25, 50 mg/kg), BBR (50 mg/kg) or febuxostat (Feb, 5 mg/kg) were orally given to mice 1 h after modeling. The molecular docking results showed that DHB effectively inhibited xanthine oxidase (XOD) by binding with its active site. In vitro, DHB exhibited significant XOD inhibitory activity (IC50 value, 34.37 μM). The in vivo results showed that DHB had obvious hypouricemic and renoprotective effects in hyperuricemic mice. It could not only lower the uric acid and XOD levels in serum, but also suppress the activities of XOD and adenosine deaminase (ADA) in the liver. Furthermore, DHB noticeably down-regulated the renal mRNA and protein expression of XOD. Besides, DHB remarkably and dose-dependently ameliorated renal damage, as evidenced by considerably reducing serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18) levels and restoring kidney histological deteriorations. Further mechanistic investigation showed that DHB distinctly down-regulated renal mRNA and protein levels of URAT1, GLUT9, NOD-like receptor 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like (ASC), caspase-1 and IL-1β. Our study revealed that DHB had outstanding hypouricemic and renoprotective effects via suppressing XOD, URAT1, GLUT9 and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the kidney.
MAZ51 Blocks the Tumor Growth of Prostate Cancer by Inhibiting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3
Authors: Yamamura Aya , Nayeem Md Junayed , Muramatsu Hiroyuki , Nakamura Kogenta , Sato Motohiko 
Published: April 2021

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling plays a critical role in the carcinogenesis and tumor development of several cancer types. However, its pathological significance in prostate cancer, one of the most frequent and lethal malignancies in men, remains unclear. In the present study, we focused on a pathological role of the VEGF receptors (VEGFRs), and examined their expression and effects of MAZ51 (an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase of VEGFR-3) on cell proliferation, migration, and tumor growth in human prostate cancer cells. The expression level of VEGFR-3 was higher in androgen-independent and highly metastatic prostate cancer PC-3 cells than in other prostate PrEC, LNCaP, and DU145 cells. In PC-3 cells, VEGFR-3 and Akt were phosphorylated following a stimulation with 50 ng/ml VEGF-C, and these phosphorylations were blocked by 3 μM MAZ51. Interestingly, PC-3 cells themselves secreted VEGF-C, which was markedly larger amount compared with PrEC, LNCaP, and DU145 cells. MAZ51 reduced the expression of VEGFR-3 but not VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. The proliferation of PC-3 cells was inhibited by MAZ51 (IC50 = 2.7 μM) and VEGFR-3 siRNA, and partly decreased by 100 nM GSK690693 (an Akt inhibitor) and 300 nM VEGFR2 Kinase Inhibitor I. MAZ51 and VEGFR-3 siRNA also attenuated the VEGF-C-induced migration of PC-3 cells. Moreover, MAZ51 blocked the tumor growth of PC-3 cells in a xenograft mouse model. These results suggest that VEGFR-3 signaling contributes to the cell proliferation, migration, and tumor growth of androgen-independent/highly metastatic prostate cancer. Therefore, the inhibition of VEGFR-3 has potential as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment for prostate cancer.
Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers
Authors: Knappe Susanne , Petzoldt Johanna , Garthus-Niegel Susan , Wittich Julia , Puls Hans-Christian , Huttarsch Isabell , Martini Julia 
Published: April 2021

Background: During the transition to parenthood, a complex network of relationships unfolds between father, mother and the child. Expectant parents begin bonding with their unborn child, with this antenatal process supposedly being predictive for later postnatal attachment and child mental health. At the same time, couples may experience a change in partnership quality. While the majority of previous studies focused on associations between psychopathology, partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of mothers, the changes in partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of fathers has gained far less attention.Methods: Data were derived from the Maternal Anxiety and it's Relation to Infants' Development (MARI) study. N = 109 expectant fathers were recruited during mid-pregnancy (22 to 26 week of gestation). Lifetime anxiety and depressive disorders (DSM-IV) were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (CIDI). Paternal partnership characteristics and father-to-child attachments were assessed using standardized questionnaires at the second trimester, 10 days after delivery and 4 months after delivery in N = 76 fathers. Analyses were based on bivariate, robust and multivariate regression analyses.Results: Fathers did not report an overall decrease in partnership quality during the peripartum period. However, fathers with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders reported lower partnership satisfaction at postpartum, as compared to unaffected fathers. Fathers with pure depressive disorders reported lower intensity of antenatal attachment. Paternal antenatal partnership quality was positively associated with antenatal father-to-child attachment. Furthermore, antenatal father-to-child attachment, as well as ante- and postnatal partnership quality in fathers, were positively related to postnatal father-to-child attachment.Conclusions: Antenatal father-to-child-attachment and paternal partnership quality appear to be promising targets for the prevention of postnatal attachment problems in fathers. The associations between partnership quality and attachment to the child further support an interpersonal approach in perinatal research, treatment and intervention, and may also feed into awareness programs that encourage expectant fathers to actively engage in relationships as early as during pregnancy—both with the mother and the unborn child.
Relational Spirituality and Transgenerational Obligations: The Role of Family in Lay Explanatory Models of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Male Cameroonian Asylum Seekers and Undocumented Migrants in Europe
Authors: Grupp Freyja , Skandrani Sara , Moro Marie Rose , Mewes Ricarda 
Published: April 2021

Context: Diasporic Cameroonians are increasingly leading a transnational life in which family members are sustained through networks of relations and obligations. However, before arriving in Europe, the vast majority of African migrants who take the Mediterranean route are exposed to trauma and hardship. Moreover, the joint occurrence of forced displacement, trauma, and extended separation from families has a significant impact on mental health.Objectives: This study explores the role of culture-specific conceptualizations of family structures and transnationalism in explanatory models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among male Cameroonian asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants in Europe.Methods: An in-depth study of two samples of Cameroonian migrants with a precarious residency status in Europe was conducted. Focus group discussions and interviews were carried out with asylum seekers in Germany (n = 8) and undocumented migrants and failed asylum seekers in France (n = 9). The verbatim transcripts of these interviews served as the data for interpretative phenomenological analyses.Results, Analysis, and Discussion: Family was conceptualized in religious and spiritual terms, and relational spirituality appeared to be a crucial element of family cohesion. Explanatory models of PTSD were mainly based on an intersection of family and spirituality. The disrespect of transgenerational, traditional, and spiritual obligations toward parents and ancestral spirits represented a crucial causal attribution for post-traumatic symptoms.Conclusions: Conceptualizations of post-traumatic stress were based on a collective family and spiritual level instead of an individualized illness-centered perception. The Western psychological and psychiatric perspective on post-traumatic stress might conflict with traditional, religious, and spiritual practices in the context of family conceptualizations of Cameroonian forced migrants with a precarious residency status.
Training for Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges for Health Workforce Sustainability in Developing a Remote Clinical Training Platform
Authors: Muller Jana , Reardon Cameron , Hanekom Susan , Bester Juanita , Coetzee Francois , Dube Kopano , du Plessis Elmarize , Couper Ian 
Published: April 2021

Background: In 2018, Stellenbosch University's Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health led a faculty initiative to expand undergraduate health professions training to a new site, 9 hours drive from the health sciences campus in the sparsely populated Northern Cape Province of South Africa in the town of Upington. This is part of a faculty strategy to extend undergraduate health sciences training into an under-resourced part of the country, where there is no medical school. During 2019, the first year of implementation, four final year medical students undertook a longitudinal integrated clerkship at this site, while final year students from other programmes undertook short 5-week rotations, with plans for extending rotations and including more disciplines in 2020. The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder perceptions regarding the development of Upington as a rural clinical training site and how this influenced existing services, workforce sustainability and health professions education.Methods: An iterative thematic analysis of qualitative data collected from 55 participants between January and November 2019 was conducted as part of the case study. A constructivist approach to data collection was utilized to explore participants' perceptions, experiences and understanding of the new training site. Triangulation of data collection and reflexive thematic analysis contributed to the trustworthiness of the data and credibility of the findings.Findings: The perceptions of three key groups of stakeholders are reported: (1) Dr. Harry Surtie Hospital and Academic Programme Managers; (2) Supervising and non-supervising clinical staff and (3) Students from three undergraduate programs of the Faculty. Five themes emerged regarding the development of the site. The themes include the process of development; the influence on the health service; workforce sustainability; a change in perspective and equipping a future workforce.Discussion: This case study provides data to support the value of establishing a rural clinical training platform in a resource constrained environment. The influence of the expansion initiative on the current workforce speaks to the potential for improved capacity and competence in patient management with an impact on encouraging a rural oriented workforce. Using this case study to explore how the establishment of a new rural clinical training site is perceived to influence rural workforce sustainability and pathways, may have relevance to other institutions in similar settings. The degree of sustainability of the clinical training initiative is explored.
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF REMOVAL POLLUTANTS ( HEAVY METALS) BY AGRICULTURAL WASTES AND OTHER CHEMICAL FROM THE AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
Authors: J. Nisreen A. , Sirhan M. M. 
Published: April 2021

This study included the application of some experiments in the chemical treatment of some heavy metals elements by preparing biological surfaces that are adsorbed from natural and other chemical substances, as in preparing activated carbon prepared from charred pistachio shell with concentrated H2SO4 and Nano-Calcium Oxide prepared from CaCL2.2H2O with NaOH . The prepared materials were diagnosed with spectral techniques where the FTIR infrared spectrum proved the formation of carbonyl, hydrogen and oxygenated of the surface in activated charcoal and the hydroxyl and calcium oxide groups in the nano-calcium oxide, as the FE-SEM surface morphology was proven to form on coal blocks The surface is a network of irregular holes and a network of microscopic holes regular on the surface of nano- calcium oxide. As for X-ray diffraction technology, the crystal structures of the surface, its shapes and sizes, are shown, and that activated charcoal consists of that Many types of carbon in the form hexagonally and cuboid and rhomboid with a right angle, while technical proven size of the crystalline calcium oxide nanoscale which ranges between (54.68-67.86nm) cube-shaped. PIAC activated charcoal and n-Calcium oxide were used as sorbents in the removal of, Cd + 2, Pb + 2 ions from aqueous solutions, a study of the effect of pH, contact time, multiple weights for surface and the primary concentration of ions in a horizontal removal method , and the removal of minimal concentrations of ions in large volumes of solutions by the process of preconcentration .