bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparing different machine learning techniques for predicting COVID-19 severity
Authors: Xiong Yibai , Ma Yan , Ruan Lianguo , Li Dan , Lu Cheng , Huang Luqi ,   the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Medical Team
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still ongoing spreading globally, machine learning techniques were used in disease diagnosis and to predict treatment outcomes, which showed favorable performance. The present study aims to predict COVID-19 severity at admission by different machine learning techniques including random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and logistic regression (LR). Feature importance to COVID-19 severity were further identified.

Methods
A retrospective design was adopted in the JinYinTan Hospital from January 26 to March 28, 2020, eighty-six demographic, clinical, and laboratory features were selected with LassoCV method, Spearman’s rank correlation, experts’ opinions, and literature evaluation. RF, SVM, and LR were performed to predict severe COVID-19, the performance of the models was compared by the area under curve (AUC). Additionally, feature importance to COVID-19 severity were analyzed by the best performance model.

Results
A total of 287 patients were enrolled with 36.6% severe cases and 63.4% non-severe cases. The median age was 60.0 years (interquartile range: 49.0–68.0 years). Three models were established using 23 features including 1 clinical, 1 chest computed tomography (CT) and 21 laboratory features. Among three models, RF yielded better overall performance with the highest AUC of 0.970 than SVM of 0.948 and LR of 0.928, RF also achieved a favorable sensitivity of 96.7%, specificity of 69.5%, and accuracy of 84.5%. SVM had sensitivity of 93.9%, specificity of 79.0%, and accuracy of 88.5%. LR also achieved a favorable sensitivity of 92.3%, specificity of 72.3%, and accuracy of 85.2%. Additionally, chest-CT had highest importance to illness severity, and the following features were neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, and D-dimer, respectively.

Conclusions
Our results indicated that RF could be a useful predictive tool to identify patients with severe COVID-19, which may facilitate effective care and further optimize resources.

Graphical Abstract
The clinical and radiological effectiveness of autologous bone marrow derived osteoblasts (ABMDO) in the management of avascular necrosis of femoral head (ANFH) in sickle cell disease (SCD)
Authors: Sadat-Ali Mir , Al-Omran Abdallah S. , AlTabash Khalid , Acharya Sadananda , Hegazi Tarek M. , Al Muhaish Mona I. 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Avascular necrosis of the femoral head is a common issue faced by orthopaedic surgeons that ranges between 10 and 18%, but in patients with SCD, the incidence reaches 30%. There is no definite treatment except joint arthroplasty. Regenerative medicine is an option to cure or delay joint arthroplasty. We report here our experience with the injection of ABMDO to manage ANFH and report our medium-term results, the progression of the ANFH if any and the delay in total hip arthroplasty. (THA).

Methods
Sixty-Three (63) patients with SCD and ANFH were examined and thoroughly investigated, and those who had ANFH < grade II were consented to receive ABMDO. Patients were clinically assessed preoperatively using the Visual analogue scale (VAS), Modified Harris Hips Score (MHHS) and Azam-Sadat Score (ASS) for Quality of Life Score for Chronic Hip Disease. Ten millilitres of bone marrow were aspirated under local anaesthesia and placed in 20 CC of culture media. Osteoblasts were cultured from the aspirated bone marrow. Under anaesthesia, the osteonecrosed lesion was drilled using a 3-mm cannulated drill, and 5 million osteoblasts were injected at the lesion site. Patients were evaluated in the outpatient clinic after 2 weeks. At 4 months, a repeat MRI was done, and patients were followed for a minimum of 2 years.

Results
The average age of patients was 25.93 ± 5.48 years. There were 41 (65%) females and 22 (35%) males. The mean hemoglobin S was 83.2 ± 5.1%. The average follow-up was 49.05 ± 12.9 (range: 24–60) months. TheVAS significantly improved from 7.79 ± 1.06 initially to 4.07 ± 1.08 (p < 0.0001) at 2 weeks and continued to improve for the next 24 months, when it was 2.38 ± 0.55 (p < 0.0001). The MHHS improved from 41.77 ± 5.37 initially to 73.19 ± 6.48 at 4 months (p < 0.001), and at 24 months, it was 88.93 ± 3.6 (p < 0.001). The ASS also significantly improved from 2.76 ± 0.49 preoperatively to 7.92 ± 0.09 (p < 0.0001) at 24 months. A comparison of the MRI’s from before and after the osteoblast implantation revealed new bone formation and amelioration of the avascular lesions. Three patients were unsatisfied with their outcomes. and one patient suffered a repeat attack of the vaso-occlusive crisis within 6 months of the osteoblast injection.

Conclusions
The results give credence to our earlier short follow-up results showing that osteoblast transplantation has great potential in the healing of avascular lesions. Our study fits the criteria of a Phase II clinical trial, and we believe a larger study equivalent to Phase III numbers should be conducted and include patients with not only SCD but also steroid-induced and idiopathic avascular necrosis.

Level of evidence
II
Use of the painDETECT to discriminate musculoskeletal pain phenotypes
Authors: Bittencourt Juliana Valentim , Bezerra Márcia Cliton , Pina Mônica Rotondo , Reis Felipe José Jandre , de Sá Ferreira Arthur , Nogueira Leandro Alberto Calazans 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
Musculoskeletal pain patients present similar pain characteristics regardless of the clinical diagnosis. PainDETECT questionnaire is useful for screening neuropathic-like symptoms in many musculoskeletal conditions. However, no previous studies compared pain phenotypes of patients with musculoskeletal pain using the painDETECT. Therefore, the current study aimed to compare the pain characteristics of patients with musculoskeletal pain classified according to the painDETECT as nociceptive pain, unclear, and neuropathic-like symptoms.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 308 participants with musculoskeletal pain. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants were examined. Neuropathic-like symptoms, pain intensity, pain area, Central Sensitization-related sign and symptoms, functional limitation, and conditioned pain modulation were assessed in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Independent one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for between-group differences for the outcome measures with continuous variables and Pearson chi-square test verified between-group differences on the efficiency of the conditioned pain modulation.

Results
Participants had a mean age of 52.21 (±15.01) years old and 220 (71.42%) were females. One hundred seventy-three (56.16%) participants present nociceptive pain, 69 (22.40%) unclear, and 66 (21.42%) neuropathic-like symptoms. A one-way ANOVA showed differences for the pain intensity [F (2,305) = 20.097; p < .001], pain area [F (2,305) = 28.525; p < .001], Central Sensitization-related sign and symptoms [F (2,305) = 54.186; p < .001], and functional limitation [F (2,256) = 8.061; p < .001]. However, conditioned pain modulation was similarly impaired among the three groups (X2 = 0.333, p = 0.847).

Conclusion
Patients with neuropathic-like symptoms revealed unfavorable pain characteristics compared to their counterparts, including pain intensity, generalized pain, Central Sensitization-related sign and symptoms, and functional limitation.
Relationship between Ion Conductivity and Hierarchical Molecular Mobility of Oligocarbonate-based Electrolytes
Authors: Kojio Ken , Kaetsu Katsuhiro , Hirai Tomoyasu , Takahara Atsushi 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
To obtain a direction for an experimental design to clarify the ion conductivity mechanism, the effects of type of lithium salt, salt concentration, and number density of branching points on conductivity of aliphatic oligocarbonate-based lithium-ion electrolytes were investigated using dielectric, conductive, and viscosity measurements. It was revealed that hierarchical molecular mobility including local, micro-, and macro-Brownian modes affect the conductivity of polymer electrolytes depending on the situation of electrolytes, such as salt concentration, type of salt, and molecular architecture.
Faces in the pre-Hispanic rock art of Colombia: Semiotic strategies, visual semiospheres, and gestures
Authors: Domínguez Núñez Martín Cuitzeo 
Published: February 2022

This article analyses the sign systems or semiotic models that make up the meaning of a double face or mask drawing in the pre-Columbian rock art of Colombia, also discussing two human figures with depicted faces associated with the main picture. The sample of rock art was detected on the walls of the Chicamocha Canyon at the Mirador de Bárcenas site in the Santander Department in Northeast Colombia. Its origin is attributed to the Guane chiefdom. We hold as a central argument that this face and its gestures were part of a sign system or visual semiosphere that spread along the banks of the Chicamocha Canyon. However, the image shared some semiotic models and visual communication strategies with societies that inhabited areas in central Colombia located hundreds of kilometers away from the site studied. We support this claim because the forms, the use of the space in the images, and the gestures of a hieratic character appear both in the faces of the petroglyphs of the Huila Department as well as in some pre-Hispanic gold masks from the Cundinamarca region.
The images of the rock art faces were analysed using a visual semiotic model based on the suggestions of the Mu group and analyses by Félix Thürleman and Jean Marie Floch. The analysis was complemented by Jacques Fontanille’s proposal for the levels of semiotic relevance, with Juri Lotman’s concept of the semiosphere employed as a key concept.
Lemko Generals and Senior Officers
Authors: Horbal Bohdan 
Published: February 2022

Łemkowscy generałowie i wyżsi oficerowie
Każda wspólnota etniczna szczyci się swoimi wybitnymi postaciami, niezależnie od tego, czy funkcjonują one wewnątrz grupy, czy wykazują jakikolwiek związek ze wspólnotą. Wśród Łemków informacje o takich postaciach przekazywano z pokolenia na pokolenie, a także utrwalano w publikacjach, źródłach drukowanych. W artykule dokonano przeglądu informacji o kilku wyższych oficerach wojskowych, w tym o generałach, o których wspominano, że byli Łemkami. Badania zawierają główne informacje biograficzne o nich i wykazują, że choć istotnie większość z tych osób była pochodzenia łemkowskiego, to jednak nie wszyscy.
Broadband edge filter based on a helical long-period fiber grating and its application to a power-interrogated torsion sensor
Authors: Gao Kaiyue , Zhang Zhen , Huang Bo , Hao Hui , Zhao Hua , Wang Peng , Li Hongpu 
Published: February 2022

A broadband edge filter with linear dynamic ranges of

40

n
m

in wavelength and

93

%

in transmission loss has been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally, which is achieved by using a helical long-period fiber grating (HLPG) operating near the dispersion turning point (DTP) of the

L
P

1
,
10

mode. To take full advantage of the wide dynamic ranges, the fabricated edge filter has been successfully used as a power-interrogated torsion sensor, and the torsion responsivity presented is about 0.501 nm/(rad/m), which is higher than most conventional HLPG-based torsion sensors. The results indicate that the proposed edge filter may find applications in any other kinds of power-interrogated sensors as well.
Treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB and its determinants at referral hospitals in Ethiopia
Authors: Wakjira Mengistu K. , Sandy Peter T. , Mavhandu-Mudzusi A. H. 
Published: February 2022

Background
There is limited empirical evidence in Ethiopia on the determinants of treatment outcomes of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) who were enrolled to second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Thus, this study investigated the determinants of treatment outcomes in patients with MDR-TB at referral hospitals in Ethiopia.

Design and methods
This study was underpinned by a cross-sectional quantitative research design that guided both data collection and analysis. Data is collected using structured questionnaire and data analyses was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Multi-variable logistic regression was used to control for confounders in determining the association between treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB and selected predictor variables, such as co-morbidity with MDR-TB and body mass index.

Results
From the total of 136 patients with MDR-TB included in this study, 31% had some co-morbidity with MDR-TB at baseline, and 64% of the patients had a body mass index of less than 18.5 kg/m2. At 24 months after commencing treatment, 76 (69%), n = 110), of the patients had successfully completed treatment, while 30 (27%) died of the disease. The odds of death was significantly higher among patients with low body mass index (AOR = 2.734, 95% CI: 1.01–7.395; P<0.048) and those with some co-morbidity at baseline (AOR = 4.260, 95%CI: 1.607–11.29; p<0.004).

Conclusion
The higher proportion of mortality among patients treated for MDR-TB at Adama and Nekemte Hospitals, central Ethiopia, is attributable to co-morbidities with MDR-TB, including HIV/AIDS and malnutrition. Improving socio-economic and nutritional support and provision of integrated care for MDR-TB and HIV/AIDS is recommended to mitigate the higher level of death among patients treated for MDR-TB.
Alterations of lower- and higher-order aberrations after unilateral horizontal rectus muscle surgery in children with intermittent exotropia: A retrospective cross-sectional study
Authors: Lee Dong Cheol , Lee Se Youp , Jun Jong Hwa 
Published: February 2022

Background
This retrospective, cross-sectional study investigated changes in corneal lower- and higher-order aberrations that cause visual disturbance after lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection in children.

Methods
Eighty-five eyes of 85 patients (44 boys; 8.64±2.88 years) who underwent lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection to correct intermittent exotropia were assessed. The Galilei G4 Dual Scheimpflug Analyzer was used for wavefront analysis. Risk factors (age, sex, amount of surgery, preoperative axial length, preoperative intraocular pressure) were determined. Outcome measures included simulated and ray-tracing mode keratometry with secondary defocus, oblique, and vertical astigmatism (for lower-order aberrations) and the root mean square, 3rd-order vertical and horizontal coma, oblique and horizontal trefoil, 4th-order spherical aberration, oblique and vertical secondary astigmatism, and oblique and vertical quadrafoil (2nd‒8th sums) (for higher-order aberrations).

Results
Myopic with-the-rule changes in low-order aberrations and increases in simulated and ray-tracing mode keratometry during the 3 months following lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection were attributed to muscle healing and stability changes. High-order aberrations altered in the week following surgery almost returned to normal within 3 months. Axial length, the amount of surgery, age, and sex affected astigmatism due to differences in patients’ scleral states.

Conclusions
Clinicians should consider changes in high-order aberrations of young individuals who underwent lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection and may not be able to verbalize changes in vision.
Omecamtiv mecarbil treatment improves post-resuscitation cardiac function and neurological outcome in a rat model
Authors: Wu Shih-Ni , Tsai Min-Shan , Huang Chien-Hua , Chen Wen-Jone 
Published: February 2022

BackgroundMyocardial dysfunction is a major cause of poor outcomes in the post-cardiac arrest period. Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) is a selective small molecule activator of cardiac myosin that prolongs myocardial systole and increases stroke volume without apparent effects on myocardial oxygen demand. OM administration is safe and improves cardiac function in patients with acute heart failure. Whether OM improves post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of OM treatment on post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction and outcomes.Methods and resultsAdult male rats were resuscitated after 9.5 min of asphyxia-induced cardiac arrest. OM and normal saline was continuously intravenously infused after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at 0.25 mg/kg/h for 4 h in the experimental group and control group, respectively (n = 20 in each group). Hemodynamic parameters were measured hourly and monitored for 4 h after cardiac arrest. Recovery of neurological function was evaluated by neurological functioning scores (0–12; favorable: 11–12) for rats 72 h after cardiac arrest. OM treatment prolonged left ventricular ejection time and improved post-resuscitation cardiac output. Post-resuscitation heart rate and left ventricular systolic function (dp/dt40) were not different between groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed non-statistically higher 72-h survival in the OM group (72.2% [13/18] and 58.8% [10/17], p = 0.386). The OM group had a higher chance of having favorable neurological outcomes in surviving rats 72 h after cardiac arrest (84.6% [11/13] vs. 40% [4/10], p = 0.026). The percentage of damaged neurons was lower in the OM group in a histology study at 72 h after cardiac arrest (55.5±2.3% vs. 76.2±10.2%, p = 0.004).ConclusionsOM treatment improved post-resuscitation myocardial dysfunction and neurological outcome in an animal model. These findings support further pre-clinical studies to improve outcomes in post-cardiac arrest care.
Nódulo tiroideo en el niño
Authors: Martín-Alonso Montserrat , Prieto Matos Pablo , Bajo Delgado Ana Fe , Mories Álvarez María Teresa , Sánchez Marcos Ana Isabel , Pardal Refoyo José Luis 
Published: February 2022

Introducción y objetivo: Los nódulos tiroideos son poco frecuentes en la infancia (2% de niños tienen nódulos palpables y un 5% de niños tienen nódulos detectados por ecografía). La mayoría son benignos y asintomáticos. Pero a diferencia de lo que sucede en el adulto, el riesgo de malignización de los mismos es mayor, de modo que, dependiendo de las series la tasa de malignidad se sitúa entre 10-50%. De ahí la importancia de hacer un seguimiento clínico adecuado.
Síntesis: La glándula tiroidea del niño es más sensible al efecto de determinados agentes carcinogénicos que la del adulto. Esto hace que el seguimiento de los nódulos tiroideos del niño que, en su mayoría son benignos y asintomáticos, cobre especial importancia.
La American Thyroid Association (ATA) determinó que el criterio de tamaño utilizado en adultos para indicar punción aspiración con aguja fina (PAAF) podía no ser apropiado para la glándula del niño que está en crecimiento, por lo que recomendó también tener en cuenta las características ecográficas y el contexto clínico.
Ante los nódulos tiroideos benignos, se recomienda seguimiento clínico y ecográfico y ante aumentos de tamaño significativos, reconsiderar PAAF o cirugía.
Conclusiones: Es importante hacer un seguimiento clínico y ecográfico en el nódulo tiroideo del niño por su mayor riesgo de malignización.
The Influence of Temperature and Irradiance on Performance of the photovoltaic panel in the Middle of Iraq
Authors: Al-Ghezi Moafaq Kaseim , Ahmed Roshen Tariq , Chaichan Miqdam Tariq 
Published: February 2022

The photovoltaic (PV) panels are expected to be the most important systems to meet global energy demand by converting solar energy into electricity. The main obstacle to the widespread deployment of the PV systems its the limited efficiency, which are greatly affected by the solar radiation and the operating temperature. The full knowledge of the performance, efficiency and output power of photovoltaic modules and the extent of their change with the fluctuations of solar radiation and temperature is necessary to determine the optimal size of the system and avoid the financial risks of the project. This paper investigated numaricaly and experimentaly the influence of operating temperature and solar radiation on the output power and efficiency of polycrystalline PV panels in Baghdad-Iraq. The PVsyst software was used to simulate a model implementing simulation results presented the impact of variations temperature and solar radiation in the curves of I-V, P-V and efficiency. In order to verify the reliability of the simulated results with experimental ones, several measuring devices have been used to conduct field experiments in the outdoor conditions. It were used to determine the characteristics and performance of a 120W polycrystalline PV panel for different ranges of solar radiation and operating temperature. The simulation results showed that the current, voltage, output power and efficiency increased with increasing solar radiation, while they decreased with increasing temperature except the current that was increased. The experimental and simulated results were identical in terms of the effect of temperature and solar radiation on the current, voltage, output power and efficiency of the PV panel. The experimental tests showed that when the temperature is increased by 1°C, the current was increased by about 0.068%, the voltage decreased by 0.34%, the output power decreased by 0.489% and the efficiency decreased about 0.586%. The experimental results displayed that the parameters of the PV panel under real operating conditions behave differently than in the standard test conditions (STC), as they are strongly affected by weather fluctuations in terms of temperature and solar radiation
Bilateral testicular metastases of medullary thyroid carcinoma in an adult male with multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A syndrome: case report and review of literature
Authors: Orsolini Francesca , Prete Alessandro , Falcetta Pierpaolo , Canale Domenico , Basolo Fulvio , Alì Greta , Manassero Francesca , Vitti Paolo , Elisei Rossella , Molinaro Eleonora 
Published: February 2022

Introduction
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare endocrine tumor, which can be sporadic or familial, as a component of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 (MEN2). Overall, 10% of MTC cases have already developed at presentation or will develop metastasis during follow-up. Testicular metastases are exceptional and only one case of unilateral testis involvement by metastatic MTC has been already reported in literature. We described the first known case of asymptomatic bilateral testicular MTC metastases, discovered incidentally at testicular ultrasound (US) performed for unrelated reasons.

Case presentation
A Latin American 32-year-old man with MEN 2A syndrome and metastatic MTC underwent andrological and urological examination due to premature ejaculation. US imaging showed two symmetrical hypoechoic lesions involving both testes. Suspecting a bilateral testicular cancer, the patient underwent excision biopsy of both testicular lesions. Histopathology and immunohistochemical examinations documented metastatic MTC of both testicular lesions.

Conclusion
Beyond its rarity, testis should be considered as a potential metastatic site of MTC, especially in patients with advanced disease.

Established facts

Distant metastases are present at the diagnosis in 10–15% of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).
Testicular metastases are anecdotal. Only one case of unilateral testis involvement by metastatic MTC has been reported in the literature.

Novel insights

Testis should be considered as a possible site of metastases in patients with diffuse metastatic MTC.
Testicular ultrasound could be considered as an useful tool for the evaluation and follow-up of metastatic MTC.