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Bu çalışma Ali Kuşçu’nun Şerhu’t-Tecrîd başlıklı eseri ve Ta‘lîkât alâ mebâhisi’l-egâlîti’l-hissiyye min Şerhi’l- Mevâkıf adlı eserinde ele almış olduğu optiğe dair konuları problem odaklı bir listeleme faaliyetine tabi kılıp, optik problemleri tarihsel açıdan yorumlamayı, bunu yaparken de dav’ (الضوء), nûr (النور), şuâ (الشعاع) gibi farklı ışık terimlerinin kullanımını incelemeyi hedeflemektedir. Ali Kuşçu Şerhu’t-Tecrîd adlı eserinde; görme kuvvetini açıklar, görsel algıya dair matematikçilerin ve tabiatçıların görüşlerini sundukları deliller bağlamında tartışır, aynada görüntünün resmedilmesi, tek bir adet nesnenin iki adet görülmesi gibi konuları irdeler, görsel algıda dav’ ve rengi önkoşul olarak, renk algısını da dav’a bağlı olarak açıklar, dav’ın niçin cisim olamayacağından bahseder, birincil ve ikincil ışıklar terminolojisini dahil ettiği anlatısını karanlıkta görme problemiyle tamamlar. Şerhu’t-Tecrîd’de son olarak ele aldığı karanlık problemi, Ta‘lîkât alâ mebâhisi’l-egâlîti’l-hissiyye min Şerhi’l-Mevâkıf adlı eserinde tartıştığı ilk problemdir. Bu eserinde Ali Kuşçu, gemideki gözlemcinin göreceli hareketi, benzer üçgen geometrisiyle aynada görünen nesnenin büyüklüğünün belirlenmesi, farklı renklerin meydana gelmesi gibi problemlere ilgi duyar, mesaisini bu problemlerin geliştirilmesine ayırır. Optik problemleri tartışırken, hareket teorisi, göz fizyolojisi gibi farklı doğa felsefesi problemlerine kapı aralar, anlatılarını yer yer geometrik gösterimler ile destekler. İki eserinde de ışığa dair olguları tartışırken farklı ışık terimlerinin kullanımına dikkat eder.

The synthesis of fatty acids plays a critical role in shaping milk production characteristics in dairy cattle. Thus, identifying effective haplotypes within the fatty acid metabolism pathway will provide novel and robust insights into the genetics of dairy cattle. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the individual and combined impacts of fundamental genes within the fatty acid metabolic process pathway in Jersey cows. A comprehensive phenotypic dataset was compiled, considering milk production traits, to summarize a cow’s productivity across three lactations. Genotyping was conducted through PCR-RFLP and Sanger sequencing, while the association between genotype and phenotype was quantified using linear mixed models. Moderate biodiversity and abundant variation suitable for haplotype analysis were observed across all examined markers. The individual effects of the FABP3, LTF and ANXA9 genes significantly influenced both milk yield and milk fat production. Additionally, this study reveals novel two-way interactions between genes in the fatty acid metabolism pathway that directly affect milk fat properties. Notably, we identified that the GGAAGG haplotype in FABP3×LTF×ANXA9 interaction may be a robust genetic marker concerning both milk fat yield and percentage. Consequently, the genotype combinations highlighted in this study serve as novel and efficient markers for assessing the fat content in cow’s milk.

Identifying rat and mouse species quickly, affordably, and accurately is crucial for effective population management, as well as for eradication or conservation purposes. However, the sheer diversity of these species poses a challenge. To address this, a molecular approach has been developed, involving the amplification of a short genetic marker from materials commonly left by the animal, such as hairs and feces. Recent available PCR primers were not suitable for the surveillance of large sample sizes. As a solution, this study designed and validated a PCR primer set capable of detecting five species of rats and mice (Mus musculus, Rattus tanezumi, Bandicota indica, Rattus tiomanicus, and Rattus argentiventer) commonly found in Java, Indonesia. The specific primers were derived from the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, designed using the SP‐Designer V7.0 application, and validated using both in silico and in vitro methods. The validation results demonstrated that all five pairs of primers were highly specific, generated correct amplicons, and successfully detected the five distinct species present in a Javan mongoose feces sample. These findings are significantly important as they enable the effective detection of rat and mouse species and potentially provide valuable ecological insights from the field.

Introduction: While the provision of unapproved regenerative medicine has been problematic worldwide, few studies have examined the implementation status of regenerative medicine (RM) in the specific field. This study aimed to determine the current status of therapy and clinical research in the obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) in Japan under the Act on the Safety of Regenerative Medicine (RM Act). Methods: Detailed data were extracted from publicly available websites provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. We extracted descriptive details, including risk classification of the RM Act, modality, target disease, locality, institution, and administration route. For therapy, the price for each modality was evaluated. Results: The total number of therapeutic provision plans in OBGYN (1.9% of RM in Japan) are classified as Class II (moderate) risk. Most were administered in clinics in urban areas for treating endometrial or ovarian infertility by locally administering platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The price using MSCs is approximately eight times more expensive that of those involving PRP (1832.1 ± 1139.8 vs 240.8 ± 106.5 thousand yen, p

Canine hip and elbow dysplasias, which are prevalent orthopedic conditions rooted in developmental and hereditary factors are yet to be comprehensively assessed. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring the prognostic significance of five markers linked to canine hip dysplasia using available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data. The influence of these markers on both hip and elbow dysplasia was examined in dogs exposed to standardized environmental conditions. We made a groundbreaking discovery using custom primers, qPCR assays, and evaluation of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes. Three specific SNPs previously associated with the risk of canine hip dysplasia demonstrated a potentially stronger correlation with elbow dysplasia. Notably, the SNP at nucleotide position 22691322, located near the canine CHST3 gene, displayed significance as a marker in multivariable logistic regression analysis. Surprisingly, none of the initially targeted SNPs showed a direct association with hip dysplasia. The genomic positions of these SNPs reside within a region conserved across mammals. In silico analyses suggested that the relevant variant might be positioned in a region linked to bone and muscle structures. Our findings revealed a remarkable relationship between SNP2 genotypes and methylation patterns, shedding light on the underlying mechanism that partially explains the genotype-phenotype correlation in canine CHST3. These groundbreaking findings offer essential insights for future, more extensive investigations into canine orthopedic health. This research significantly contributes to our understanding of the molecular foundations of hip and elbow dysplasia in dogs by charting a course for advancements in veterinary medicine and the overall well-being of canine companions.

Stroke demands rapid and precise diagnosis. Recent advancements in machine learning (ML) have facilitated its integration with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This systematic review delves into the utilization of ML algorithms in MRI-based AIS diagnosis and prediction, highlighting their prospective clinical implementation. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, conducting a thorough search across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria focused on studies predicting acute stroke onset time and identifying acute ischemic stroke within the therapeutic window using MRI data for AI algorithms. Only studies post January 1, 2018, were included. Excluded were studies involving chronic stroke patients, computed tomography (CT) scans, other imaging modalities, or lacking AI components. Twelve articles met the criteria, primarily aiming to predict tissue status or ischemic core using deep learning techniques like CNNs, U-Nets, autoencoders, and GANs, often with attention mechanisms or pretrained networks. Magnetic resonance imaging modalities included ADC, DWI, FLAIR, and T2W, with some using advanced techniques like PWI and pCASL. Model performances varied, with some achieving high accuracy in identifying patients within treatment windows and segmenting ischemic regions. One study generated synthetic MRI data, while another accelerated MRI acquisition. Machine learning algorithms exhibit promise in MRI-based AIS diagnosis and prediction, especially in segmenting ischemic regions and classifying patients for treatment. However, validation on larger and diverse cohorts is essential for robustness. Integrating ML techniques into MRI protocols could enhance AIS diagnosis and treatment planning efciency and accuracy in the future.

Abstract Background Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) can progress to invasive breast cancer, but most DCIS lesions never will. Therefore, four clinical trials (COMET, LORIS, LORETTA, AND LORD) test whether active surveillance for women with low-risk Ductal carcinoma In Situ is safe (E. S. Hwang et al., BMJ Open, 9: e026797, 2019, A. Francis et al., Eur J Cancer. 51: 2296–2303, 2015, Chizuko Kanbayashi et al. The international collaboration of active surveillance trials for low-risk DCIS (LORIS, LORD, COMET, LORETTA), L. E. Elshof et al., Eur J Cancer, 51, 1497–510, 2015). Low-risk is defined as grade I or II DCIS. Because DCIS grade is a major eligibility criteria in these trials, it would be very helpful to assess DCIS grade on mammography, informed by grade assessed on DCIS histopathology in pre-surgery biopsies, since surgery will not be performed on a significant number of patients participating in these trials. Objective To assess the performance and clinical utility of a convolutional neural network (CNN) in discriminating high-risk (grade III) DCIS and/or Invasive Breast Cancer (IBC) from low-risk (grade I/II) DCIS based on mammographic features. We explored whether the CNN could be used as a decision support tool, from excluding high-risk patients for active surveillance. Methods In this single centre retrospective study, 464 patients diagnosed with DCIS based on pre-surgery biopsy between 2000 and 2014 were included. The collection of mammography images was partitioned on a patient-level into two subsets, one for training containing 80% of cases (371 cases, 681 images) and 20% (93 cases, 173 images) for testing. A deep learning model based on the U-Net CNN was trained and validated on 681 two-dimensional mammograms. Classification performance was assessed with the Area Under the Curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristic and predictive values on the test set for predicting high risk DCIS-and high-risk DCIS and/ or IBC from low-risk DCIS. Results When classifying DCIS as high-risk, the deep learning network achieved a Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of 0.40, Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of 0.91 and an AUC of 0.72 on the test dataset. For distinguishing high-risk and/or upstaged DCIS (occult invasive breast cancer) from low-risk DCIS a PPV of 0.80, a NPV of 0.84 and an AUC of 0.76 were achieved. Conclusion For both scenarios (DCIS grade I/II vs. III, DCIS grade I/II vs. III and/or IBC) AUCs were high, 0.72 and 0.76, respectively, concluding that our convolutional neural network can discriminate low-grade from high-grade DCIS.

Abstract There has been increasing practical and scholarly interest in the engagement of universities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there has been limited examination of international university collaborations focusing on the SDGs and how they become embedded within universities. Addressing this need, this article explores the experiences of three members of the Reach Alliance a consortium of eight higher education institutions from around the globe. Reach supports students and faculty mentors to study how critical interventions can be made accessible to those who are the hardest to reach. This work aligns with SDG 4 (Quality Education), as well as SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals) and the Goal’s second universal value of leave no one behind. This commitment to connecting education and societal engagement resonates with Goddard et al.’s work on the civic university as both “globally competitive and locally engaged” (2012: 43). This article focuses on University College London (UK), Ashesi University (Ghana), and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), selected for their diverse structures and geographies. For each case, we examine how the Reach Alliance initiative has been institutionally embedded, as well as the role of local and global partnerships in making the case for supporting Reach. We find that Reach’s organisation as an international network has encouraged its adoption by host institutions. The initiative’s emphasis on both local concerns as well as the global goal and networks has also resonated with host institutions. This article will be of interest to those working in sustainability and higher education when considering strategies for introducing or increasing SDG-focussed research and teaching.

As the Syrian crisis has reached its 10th year, this paper explores posttraumatic growth and the related factors among Syrian refugees in Turkey, with the aim of having a better understanding of the predictors of PTG and the risk factors that may play a role in the inhibition of the growth. In this cross-sectional study, 217 displaced Syrian refugees completed the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), Brief COPE, General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and sociodemographic information form by a self-reported online survey. Risk and protective factors were associated in bivariate analysis with growth p0.05). In conclusion, the findings have provided valuable insight into the domains of the growth among Syrian refugees and discussed both clinical and research-based future recommendations that could be made to improve the mental health of the refugees based on the obtained results. Key implications for practice • Mental health practitioners should focus on interventions highlighting personal strengths that increase active coping skills and self-efficacy and reduce self-blame • Policymakers should take actions to prevent the retraumatization of the refugees by considering the psychological impact of the lack of the host country’s language and the inconsistency of the refugees’ work with their education • Mental health researchers should focus on factors that explain posttraumatic growth and developing intervention tools that promote growth

Abstract Background Polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications are common among nursing home residents and are associated with negative outcomes. Although deprescribing has been proposed as a way to curtail these problems, the best way to implement multidisciplinary comprehensive medication review and deprescribing and its real impact in specific high-risk populations, such as nursing home residents, is still unclear. This multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial aims to assess the effects of a multidisciplinary mediation management program on medication use and health problems. Methods A total of 1,672 residents aged ≥ 65 years from 22 nursing homes in South Korea who meet the targeted criteria, such as the use of ≥ 10 medications, are eligible to participate. The experimental group will receive a comprehensive medication review, deprescription, and multidisciplinary case conference with the help of platform. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, at the end of the intervention, as well as at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the end of the intervention. The primary endpoints will be the rate of adverse drug events, number of potentially inappropriate medications/potentially inappropriate medication users/two or more central nervous system drug/ central nervous system drug users, delirium, emergency department visits, hospitalization, and falls. The secondary endpoint will be the number of medications taken and polypharmacy users. Discussion Our trial design is unique in that it aims to introduce a structured operationalized clinical program focused on reducing polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications in a nursing home setting with large samples. Trial registration Ethical approval was granted by the public institutional review board of the Ministry of Health and Welfare (2022-1092-009). The study is also registered with the Clinical Research Information Service (Identifier: KCT0008157, Development and evaluation of a multidisciplinary medication management program in long-term care facility residents Status: Approved First Submitted Date: 2023/01/18 Registered Date: 2023/02/03 Last Updated Date: 2023/01/18 (nih.go.kr) https://cris.nih.go.kr/ ), which includes all items from the World Health Organization Trial Registration Dataset.

Background/Objectives: In the new conceptualization of personality disorders (PD) in ICD-11 and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (DSM-5 AMPD), identity development in terms of impaired personality functioning plays a central role in diagnostic guidelines and determining PD severity. On the one hand, there is a temporary identity crisis while keeping an integrated sense of identity and, on the other hand, there is pathological identity diffusion, which is associated with a high risk of a current or emerging PD. The latter is characteristic not only of borderline PD but of all personality disorders and should be detected as early as possible to prevent chronic illness and critical life courses. Maternal psychopathology is linked to several areas of child psychopathology (e.g., eating disorders, depression). In the current study, its potential to predict a child’s impaired identity development is investigated. Methods: A total of 101 mothers were asked about their health status 2 weeks after the birth of their child and when their child was 6 weeks, 4 months, 14 months and 5.5 years of age. Specifically, physical and psychological symptoms were assessed with SCL-90-R. In addition, their children were assessed in young adulthood regarding their identity development with the AIDA (Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence) questionnaire. Linear regression models were used to investigate the amount of explanation of children’s identity diffusion by maternal symptom burden. Results: Maternal psychopathology significantly predicted identity diffusion at all time points with small effect sizes, while after 14 months, the explanation model showed a medium effect size. Conclusions: The present data suggest a relevant influence of maternal psychopathological symptoms on their children’s identity development in terms of functioning that has not yet been empirically shown in a longitudinal study. This finding highlights the importance of including further factors (particularly on the part of the child) in longitudinal studies and of investigating this clinically highly relevant relationship in greater depth.

PurposeFemale carriers of X-linked inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) can show highly variable phenotypes and disease progression. Vascular reactivity, a potential disease biomarker, has not been investigated in female IRD carriers. In this study, functional optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) was used to dynamically assess the retinal microvasculature of X-linked IRD carriers.MethodsGenetically confirmed female carriers of IRDs (choroideremia or X-linked retinitis pigmentosa), and healthy women were recruited. Macular angiograms (3x3mm, Zeiss Plex Elite 9000) were obtained in 36 eyes of 15 X-linked IRD female carriers and 21 age-matched control women. Two tests were applied to test vascular reactivity: (i) mild hypoxia and (ii) handgrip test, to induce a vasodilatory or vasoconstrictive response, respectively. Changes to vessel density (VD) and vessel length density (VLD) were independently evaluated during each of the tests for both the superficial and deep capillary plexuses.ResultsIn the control group, the superficial and deep VD decreased during the handgrip test (p0.05).ConclusionsFunctional OCT-A is a useful tool to assess dynamic retinal microvascular changes. Subclinical impairment of the physiological vascular responses seen in carriers of X-linked IRDs may serve as a valuable clinical biomarker.

IntroductionOngoing global changes, including natural land conversion for agriculture and urbanization, modify the dynamics of human–primate contacts, resulting in increased zoonotic risks. Although Asia shelters high primate diversity and experiences rapid expansion of human–primate contact zones, there remains little documentation regarding zoonotic surveillance in the primates of this region.MethodsUsing the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review to compile an inventory of zoonotic pathogens detected in wild Asian primates, while highlighting the coverage of primate species, countries, and pathogen groups surveyed, as well as the diagnostic methods used across the studies. Moreover, we compared the species richness of pathogens harbored by primates across diverse types of habitats classified according to their degree of anthropization (i.e., urban vs. rural vs. forest habitats).Results and discussionSearches of Scopus, PubMed, and the Global Mammal Parasite Database yielded 152 articles on 39 primate species. We inventoried 183 pathogens, including 63 helminthic gastrointestinal parasites, two blood-borne parasites, 42 protozoa, 45 viruses, 30 bacteria, and one fungus. Considering each study as a sample, species accumulation curves revealed no significant differences in specific richness between habitat types for any of the pathogen groups analyzed. This is likely due to the insufficient sampling effort (i.e., a limited number of studies), which prevents drawing conclusive findings. This systematic review identified several publication biases, particularly the uneven representation of host species and pathogen groups studied, as well as a lack of use of generic diagnostic methods. Addressing these gaps necessitates a multidisciplinary strategy framed in a One Health approach, which may facilitate a broader inventory of pathogens and ultimately limit the risk of cross-species transmission at the human–primate interface. Strengthening the zoonotic surveillance in primates of this region could be realized notably through the application of more comprehensive diagnostic techniques such as broad-spectrum analyses without a priori selection.

Aims:The evaluation of swallowing in the palliative care (PC) unit (PCU) is an important indicator of care. In this study, we investigated how an on-admission swallowing test in the PCU guides the course of the feeding route.Methods:This single-center, retrospective study included PC patients who underwent bedside swallowing evaluation. The main exclusion criteria were gastrointestinal failure requiring permanent parenteral nutrition, no swallowing test upon admission, and a length of stay shorter than four days. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with dysphagia who transitioned to oral feeding.Results:The study included 63 patients [age, median interquartile range: 80.0 (14) years (37 to 94 years); males: 54.0%]. Thirty-six (57.1%) of 63 admissions had dysphagia, whereas 27 (42.9%) patients had no dysphagia. The route of feeding was modified in 50.8% of the samples during their PCU stay. The proportion of patients who returned to oral feeding was 30.2% (n=19), whereas 6.3% (n=4) and 12.7% (n=8) of the sample underwent nasoenteral tube and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement, respectively. Among the 32 patients who were on tube feeding on admission, 12 (37.5%) returned to oral feeding during their PCU stay. Seven (58.4%) of these subjects who regained oral feeding were on nasoenteral tube feeding and 5 (41.6%) were on PEG feeding on admission.Conclusions:This study showed a high rate of dysphagia on admission to the PCU. On the other hand, safe and adequate oral feeding could be re-initiated in almost one-third of patients with dysphagia on admission.

The present study focused on evaluating the effects of beef marination on quality traits and consumer acceptability. In this context, m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum and m. semimembranosus samples (n = 192) were obtained from Aberdeen Angus, Hereford, Charolais, and Limousine bulls and were marinated with milk (pasteurized, 100%), garlic and olive oil (2.35 g/500 mL), and lemon (citrus) juice (31% orange juice, 31% lemon juice, 38% distilled water) for 12, 24, and 72 h. Marinade components were selected based on traditional culinary practices and their scientifically proven effects on meat quality. Beef samples on day 0 and non-marinated samples were used as control groups. Beef color, water holding capacity, pH, cooking loss, and Warner–Bratzler shear force were measured three times for each sample. A taste panel assessment was performed to determine the sensory characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear model (GLM) procedures followed by Tukey’s post-hoc comparison. Results revealed that marination time, as well as its two- and three-way interactions, significantly influenced beef quality parameters. These results indicate that the cattle breed is an important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of beef marination applications. The olive oil−garlic marinade was the most preferred by the panel across both types of muscle, as indicated by sensory evaluation results. The findings will not only enrich the scientific literature but also have practical implications for the beef industry.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and its correlations among Uyghurs abroad. The sample included 264 Uyghurs living in various countries. The data were collected between October and November 2022 through an online self-report survey including a demographic Information Form, Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ-5) and several questions about current events related to past traumatic experiences and social interaction. The prevalence of PTSS was 44%. A positive correlation was found between being intimidated or bothered by the Chinese authorities during the post-traumatic experience, and PTSS mean scores in the total sample (r = .137, p < .05). Being intimidated or bothered predicted PTSS among the participants who exhibited possible signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; N = 116), and worrying about one’s own family was a predictor of PTSS symptoms in the total sample.

Bu araştırmada kadın tüketicilerin dijital okuryazarlık durumlarının incelenmesi ve dijital okuryazarlığın e-satın alma niyeti üzerinde bir etki yaratıp yaratmadığını tespit etmek amaçlanmaktadır. Aynı zamanda kadın tüketicilerin yaşlarının ve eğitim durumlarının dijital okuryazarlık ve e-satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkide düzenleyici etkisinin olup olmadığının incelenmesi de bu araştırmada amaçlar arasındadır. Araştırmanın amacına uygunluğu açısından açıklayıcı araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini en az bir kez çevrimiçi alışveriş yapmış kadın tüketiciler oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak çevrimiçi anket yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde SPSS 25.0 paket programı ve Process Macro uygulaması kullanılarak basit doğrusal regresyon analizi ve düzenleyici etki analizi yapılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda kadın tüketicilerin dijital okuryazarlık durumlarının iyi düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, dijital okuryazarlığın e-satın alma niyeti üzerinde pozitif yönde anlamlı bir etkiye sahip olduğu ancak kadın tüketicilerin yaş ve eğitim durumlarının dijital okuryazarlık ve e-satın alma niyeti arasındaki ilişkide düzenleyici etkisinin bulunmadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

ObjectiveUrinary tract infections (UTIs) due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in older adults. Identifying associated factors for ESBL production may contribute to more appropriate empirical treatment.Materials and methodsThis was a prospective observational study. Hospitalized patients of age > 65 with community-onset or hospital-acquired upper UTI due to E. coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae were included. A multivariate analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 97 patients were included. ESBL prevalence among UTIs with E. coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae was 69.1% (n = 67). CRP values at the time of UTI diagnosis were found to be significantly higher in the ESBL-producing group (p = 0.004). The multivariate analysis revealed that male gender (OR: 2.72, CI: 1.02–7.25), prior recurrent UTI (OR: 3.14, CI: 1.21–8.14), and the development of secondary bacteremia (OR: 4.95, CI: 1.03–23.89) were major associated factors for UTI in older adults due to ESBL-producing E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.ConclusionSevere UTI in older men with a history of recurrent UTI may be a warning to the clinician for ESBL production in the setting of high ESBL prevalence. Carbapenems may be prioritized in the empirical treatment of patients with known risk factors for ESBL.

Purpose:Studies examining prediction of complete response (CR) in locally advanced rectum cancer (LARC) from pre/post chemoradiotherapy (CRT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are performed mostly with segmentations of the tumor, whereas only in two studies segmentation included tumor and mesorectum. Additionally, pelvic extramesorectal region, which is included in the clinical target volume (CTV) of radiotherapy, may contain information. Therefore, we aimed to compare predictive rates of radiomics analysis with features extracted from segmentations of tumor, tumor+mesorectum, and CTV.Methods and materials:Ninety-three LARC patients who underwent CRT in our institution between 2012 and 2019 were retrospectively scanned. Patients were divided into CR and non-CR groups. Tumor, tumor+mesorectum and CTV were segmented on T2 preCRT MRI images. Extracted features were compared for best area under the curve (AUC) of CR prediction with 15 machine-learning models.Results:CR was observed in 25 patients (26.8%), of whom 13 had pathological, and 12 had clinical complete response. For tumor, tumor+mesorectum and CTV segmentations, the best AUC were 0.84, 0.81, 0.77 in the training set and 0.85, 0.83 and 0.72 in the test set, respectively; sensitivity and specificity for the test set were 76%, 90%, 76% and 71%, 67% and 62%, respectively.Conclusion:Although the highest AUC result is obtained from the tumor segmentation, the highest accuracy and sensitivity are detected with tumor+mesorectum segmentation and these findings align with previous studies, suggesting that the mesorectum contains valuable insights for CR. The lowest result is obtained with CTV segmentation. More studies with mesorectum and pelvic nodal regions included in segmentation are needed.

This article explores the application of deep learning techniques for sentiment analysis of patients’ drug reviews. The main focus is to evaluate the effectiveness of bidirectional long-short-term memory (LSTM) and a hybrid model (bidirectional LSTM-CNN) for sentiment classification based on the entire review text, medical conditions, and rating scores. This study also investigates the impact of using GloVe word embeddings on the model’s performance. Two different drug review datasets were used to train and test the models. The proposed methodology involves the implementation and evaluation of both deep learning models with the GloVe word embeddings for sentiment analysis of drug reviews. The experimental results indicate that Model A (Bi-LSTM-CNN) achieved an accuracy of 96% and Model B (Bi-LSTM-CNN) performs consistently at 87% for accuracy. Notably, the incorporation of GloVe word representations improves the overall performance of the models, as supported by Cohen’s Kappa coefficient, indicating a high level of agreement. These findings showed the efficacy of deep learning-based approaches, particularly bidirectional LSTM and bidirectional LSTM-CNN, for sentiment analysis of patients’ drug reviews.

BackgroundThe ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) is the premiere target in magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy for tremor; however, there is no consensus on the optimal coordinates for ablation. This study aims to ascertain the various international VIM targeting approaches (VIM-TA) and any evolution in practice.MethodsInternational MRgFUS centers were invited to share VIM-TAs in 2019 and 2021. Analyses of any modification in practice and of anatomical markers and/or tractography in use were carried out. Each VIM-TA was mapped in relation to the mid-commissural point onto a 3D thalamic nucleus model created from the Schaltenbrand–Wahren atlas.ResultsOf the 39 centers invited, 30 participated across the study period, providing VIM-TAs from 26 centers in 2019 and 23 in 2021. The results are reported as percentages of the number of participating centers in that year. In 2019 and 2021, respectively, 96.2% (n = 25) and 95.7% (n = 22) of centers based their targeting on anatomical landmarks rather than tractography. Increased adoption of tractography in clinical practice and/or for research was noted, changing from 34.6% to 78.3%. There was a statistically significant change in VIM-TAs in the superior-inferior plane across the study period; the percentage of VIM-TAs positioned 2 mm above the intercommissural line (ICL) increased from 16.0% in 2019 to 40.9% in 2021 (WRST, p < 0.05). This position is mapped at the center of VIM on the 3D thalamic model created based on the Schaltenbrand–Wahren atlas. In contrast, the VIM-TA medial-lateral and anterior-posterior positions remained stable. In 2022, 63.3% of participating centers provided the rationale for their VIM-TAs and key demographics. The centers were more likely to target 2 mm above the ICL if they had increased experience (more than 100 treatments) and/or if they were North American.ConclusionAcross the study period, FUS centers have evolved their VIM targeting superiorly to target the center of the VIM (2 mm above the ICL) and increased the adoption of tractography to aid VIM localization. This phenomenon is observed across autonomous international centers, suggesting that it is a more optimal site for FUS thalamotomy in tremors.

Marka güveni ve tüketici-marka özdeşleşmesi, marka evangelizmi üzerinde önemli bir etkiye sahiptir. Marka güveni, bir tüketicinin bir markaya duyduğu güven duygusudur. Markanın mal ve hizmetlerinin kalitesi, güvenilirliği ve sadakati ile ilgilidir. Tüketici-marka özdeşleşmesi ise bir tüketicinin bir marka ile kendini özdeşleştirmesi ve markayı kendi kişiliği ve değerleriyle özdeşleştirmesi anlamına gelir. Marka evangelizmi, bir markaya fanatik bir şekilde bağlı olan tüketicilerin, markayı başkalarına önermek ve marka hakkında olumlu yorumlar yapmak için çaba göstermesidir. Bu tür fanatik tüketiciler, markanın başarısına ve büyümesine önemli bir katkı sağlarlar. Çalışma kapsamında teknolojiye hayatlarının birçok evresinde yer veren genç tüketicilerin, marka güveni ve tüketici-marka özdeşleşmelerinin marka evangelizmi üzerindeki etkisi tespit edilmek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada Sivas ve Kayseri illerinde ikamet eden 18-25 yaş arasındaki genç tüketicilerden anket yöntemiyle veri toplanmış olup, 336 katılımcıdan elde edilen veriler çalışmaya dahil edilmiştir. Veriler Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesinin Yapısal Regresyon yöntemiyle ve T-testi ile analiz edilmiş olup analizler yapılırken R programlama dili ve Jamovi programları kullanılmıştır. Bulgulara göre marka güveninin tek başına marka evangelizmine etki etmediği sonucuna varılmış olup, marka özdeşleşmesinin ise marka evangelizmi üzerinde yüksek düzeyde etkisinin olduğu görülmüştür. Marka güveninin ise marka özdeşleşmesini orta düzeyde etkilediği görülmüştür. Ayrıca genç tüketicilerin cinsiyetleri açısından marka evangelizm düzeyleri arasında anlamlı bir fark olmadığı görülmüştür.

IntroductionAntimalarial drugs including artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) regimens and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) are used in Ghana for malaria therapeutics and prophylaxis respectively. The genetic basis of Plasmodium falciparum development of drug resistance involves single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes encoding proteins for multiple cellular and metabolic processes. The prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in nine P. falciparum genes linked to ACT and SP resistance in the malaria parasite population was determined.MethodsArchived filter paper blood blot samples from patients aged 9 years and below with uncomplicated malaria reporting at 10 sentinel sites located in three ecological zones for the Malaria Therapeutic Efficacy Studies were used. The samples used were collected from 2007-2018 malaria transmission seasons and mutations in the genes were detected using PCR and Sanger sequencing.ResultsIn all 1,142 samples were used for the study. For falcipain-2 gene (pffp2), Sanger sequencing was successful for 872 samples and were further analysed. The prevalence of the mutants was 45% (392/872) with pffp2 markers V51I and S59F occurring in 15.0% (128/872) and 3.0% (26/872) of the samples respectively. Prevalence of other P. falciparum gene mutations: coronin (pfcoronin) was 44.8% (37/90); cysteine desulfurase (pfnfs) was 73.9% (68/92); apicoplast ribosomal protein S10 (pfarps10) was 36.8% (35/95); ferredoxin (pffd) was 8.8% (8/91); multidrug resistance protein-1 (pfmrp1) was 95.2.0% (80/84); multidrug resistance protein-2 (pfmrp2) was 91.4% (32/35); dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) was 99.0% (84/85); dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps) was 72% (68/95).DiscussionThe observation of numerous mutations in these genes of interest in the Ghanaian isolates, some of which have been implicated in delayed parasite clearance is of great interest. The presence of these genotypes may account for the decline in the efficacies of ACT regimens being used to treat uncomplicated malaria in the country. The need for continuous monitoring of these genetic markers to give first-hand information on parasite susceptibility to antimalarial drugs to inform policy makers and stakeholders in malaria elimination in the country is further discussed.

BackgroundDespite progress in national reproductive health, pastoralist regions, including the Fentale District in Eastern Ethiopia, face challenges with limited contraceptive coverage due to gaps in understanding and adoption among couples.MethodsThis cross-sectional study of 1496 couples in Fentale District, Eastern Ethiopia, from October 1 to December 25, 2021, utilized multistage sampling. Data entered into EPI Data underwent analysis with SPSS (v23.0) and STATA (v14.0), employing descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and binary logistic regression to identify predictors of contraceptive knowledge.ResultsOf the 1496 couples, 93.8% (1404) participated in the survey. Significant educational disparities were observed, with 53.8% having no formal education, particularly among women (65.2%). Despite this, 80.2% of couples were aware of at least one family planning (FP) method, and 78.6% knew modern methods. The median knowledge of contraception methods was 3 for both genders. Men showed higher awareness of male (43.2%) and female condoms (17.4%) compared to women (31.8% and 6.0%). Overall, 27.4% of couples used contraception, with a significant gender difference: 41.2% of women and 13.5% of men. Modern contraceptives were used by 18.2% of couples, predominantly by women (34.8%). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated positive associations between contraceptive knowledge and education, bank account ownership, occupation, proximity to healthcare, and media exposure, while a nomadic-pastoralist lifestyle and specific treatment preferences showed negative associations.ConclusionThe limited knowledge and utilization of family planning in the Fentale District stem from gaps in comprehension and disparities among couples. Factors influencing this situation include socio-demographic considerations, such as variations based on education, occupation, media exposure, bank account ownership, treatment preferences, and distance from healthcare facilities. This ensures that the interventions are having the desired effect and allows for adjustments as needed to promote family planning uptake.

Objective: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovasculary treatments (EVT) are recomended currently in eligible patients admitted within the therapeutic window. In this study, the data of AIS patients who were treated with intravenous and EVT methods in Istanbul Bakirkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Training and Research Hospital between 2017-2020 were evaluated retrospectively Materials and Methods: Five hundred and ninety patients who received IVT and/or EVT were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, radiological characteristics, risk factors and post-treatment clinical characteristics of these patients were analyzed. Results: Of the 590 patients, 324 (54.9%) underwent IVT, 164 (27.8%) EVT and 102 (17.3%) combined IVT+EVT. The median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were 9 (1-21) in the iv tPA group, 13 (3-27) in the EVT group, 12 (4-23) in the combined treatment group at admission In the IVT group, 220 patients had no artery occlusion (67.9%), M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was found to be the most frequently occluded artery with 32 patients (9.9%). In the EVT and combined IVT+EVT groups, the M1 segment of the MCA had the highest occlusion rate [76 (44.2%), 49 (45%), respectively]. Asymptomatic hemorrhage rate was higher in the EVT group than the other groups. Symptomatic hemorrhage rate was lower in the IVT group compared to the other groups. A total of 182 (56.2%), 67 (39%) and 53 (48.6%) patients in the IVT, EVT and combined IVT+EVT groups had good outcome, respectively. Conclusion: Acute stroke treatment has been proven to significantly reduce the serious burden of stroke on patients, caregivers and society. For this reason, the societal awareness of the importance of urgent admission to emergency departmentsand the number and capacity of centers that provide AIS treatments should be increased.

Glycosylation, a prevalent post-translational modification, plays a significant role in diverse biological processes and exhibits associations with various diseases, including cancer. Among the different types of glycosylation, N-glycosylation is particularly prominent. Glycosylation analysis also plays a crucial role in understanding the efficacy of protein biopharmaceuticals, as the majority of these drugs are glycoproteins. The precise detection and characterization of N-glycosylation require a series of enrichment steps. On the other hand, peptide fragmentation methods constitute a crucial step in reducing sample complexity. Moreover, enrichment strategies coupled with mass spectrometry are essential for the analysis and identification of N-glycopeptides. This research aims to enhance the detection methods for N-glycopeptides and N-glycoproteins by employing strategies that involve peptide fractionation and glycopeptide enrichment. This study targeted to assess and compare the efficacy of an integration method and a direct enrichment approach in terms of identifying glycopeptides from the glycoproteome of human plasma. The results demonstrate that the integration method detects 212 N-glycopeptides and 88 N-glycoproteins, while Cotton-HILIC direct enrichment detects 88 N-glycopeptides and 41 N-glycoproteins. In conclusion, the employment of Cotton-HILIC enrichment with high pH fractionation exhibits greater qualitative abilities in characterizing the structures and functions of glycopeptides.

In this study, the antioxidant (DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging, ferric-reducing, iron (II)-chelating), anti-inflammatory (LPS-induced Raw 264.7 cell line), and cytotoxic activities (Du145 and A549 cell lines) of raw fruit, ripe fruit and leaves of the Lycium ferocissimum species were examined. By using high-pressure liquid chromatography, p-OH benzoic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin were detected in the ethanol and water extracts. For the most active raw fruit ethanol extract, the IC50 in terms of the DPPH-scavenging activity was 0.57 mg/mL, and the ABTS inhibition percentage was 88.73% at a 3 mg/mL concentration. The raw fruit ethanol extract exhibited significant inhibition of viability in the Du145 cell line in the concentration range of 62.5–1000 µg/mL. Additionally, the extract effectively reduced the LPS-induced inflammation parameters (TNF-α, IFN-γ, PGE 2, and NO) at a concentration of 31.25 µg/mL. The biological activities of L. ferocissimum, which have been elucidated for the first time, have yielded promising results.

S100 protein expression levels and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF-2) mutations result in different disease courses in meningiomas. This study aimed to investigate non-invasive biomarkers of NF-2 copy number loss and S100 protein expression in meningiomas using morphological, radiomics, and deep learning-based features of susceptibility-weighted MRI (SWI). This retrospective study included 99 patients with S100 protein expression data and 92 patients with NF-2 copy number loss information. Preoperative cranial MRI was conducted using a 3T clinical MR scanner. Tumor volumes were segmented on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and subsequent registration of FLAIR to high-resolution SWI was performed. First-order textural features of SWI were extracted and assessed using Pyradiomics. Morphological features, including the tumor growth pattern, peritumoral edema, sinus invasion, hyperostosis, bone destruction, and intratumoral calcification, were semi-quantitatively assessed. Mann–Whitney U tests were utilized to assess the differences in the SWI features of meningiomas with and without S100 protein expression or NF-2 copy number loss. A logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between these features and the respective subgroups. Additionally, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was used to extract hierarchical features of SWI, which were subsequently employed in a light gradient boosting machine classifier to predict the NF-2 copy number loss and S100 protein expression. NF-2 copy number loss was associated with a higher risk of developing high-grade tumors. Additionally, elevated signal intensity and a decrease in entropy within the tumoral region on SWI were observed in meningiomas with S100 protein expression. On the other hand, NF-2 copy number loss was associated with lower SWI signal intensity, a growth pattern described as “en plaque”, and the presence of calcification within the tumor. The logistic regression model achieved an accuracy of 0.59 for predicting NF-2 copy number loss and an accuracy of 0.70 for identifying S100 protein expression. Deep learning features demonstrated a strong predictive capability for S100 protein expression (AUC = 0.85 ± 0.06) and had reasonable success in identifying NF-2 copy number loss (AUC = 0.74 ± 0.05). In conclusion, SWI showed promise in identifying NF-2 copy number loss and S100 protein expression by revealing neovascularization and microcalcification characteristics in meningiomas.

Abstract Objective Risk analysis models, which are used in the diagnostic algorithm of incidental pulmonary nodules, are based on patient data from developed countries. Mayo Clinic, Brock University and Herder are among the most known models. We aim to compare the reliability of these models in patients with indeterminate solid nodules and to investigate the contribution of the predictors used to the model. Methods We analysed 305 patients who performed transthoracic needle biopsy and positron emission tomography/computed tomography for solid nodules, retrospectively. For all three models, the malignancy risk probabilities of patients were calculated, and patients were classified as low (

Aim: This study was carried out to investigate the physical meat quality properties of young and spent female quail of different genetic lines. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 random samples of fresh breast and leg meat of young and spent female quails from four genetic stock as pure line Paharaoh strain (Coturnix coturnix Pharaoh, wild type), recessive white (white) variety of Pharaoh quail, the yellow and black colored cross-line quails obtained by crossing Bob White quail (Colinus virginianus) and Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica). Results: There was significant effect of quail age on breast and leg meat pH (p Conclusion: In conclusion, black colored cross-line variety of quail and young birds had greater values of most meat quality characteristics than the other birds.

Determining the physical nature of a star requires precise knowledge of its stellar atmospheric parameters, including effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity. This study presents a new atomic line list covering a broad spectral range (1–2.5 μ m; YJHK bands) for iron (Fe) and α -elements (Ca, Mg, Ti, Si) to improve stellar parameter determination using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. We highlight the limitations of existing line lists, stemming primarily from inconsistencies in oscillator strengths for ionized iron lines within the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment DR17. The line list was validated using the high-resolution and high-quality disk-center NIR spectra of the Sun and its solar analog HD 76151. As a result of the spectroscopic analyses, the effective temperature of HD 76151 was calculated as 5790 ± 170 K, surface gravity as 4.35 ± 0.18 cgs, metal abundance as 0.24 ± 0.09 dex, and microturbulence velocity of ${0.30}_{-0.3}^{+0.5}$ km s ^−1 by combining the optical and NIR line lists. A comparison of the model atmospheric parameters calculated for HD 76151 with the PARSEC isochrones resulted in a stellar mass of ${1.053}_{-0.068}^{+0.056}{M}_{\odot }$ , radius ${1.125}_{-0.011}^{+0.035}{R}_{\odot }$ , and an age of ${5.5}_{-2.1}^{+2.5}$ Gyr. For the first time, kinematic and dynamical orbital analyses of HD 76151 using a combination of Gaia astrometric and spectroscopic data showed that the star was born in a metal-rich region within the solar circle and is a member of the thin disk population. Thus, the slightly metal-rich nature of the star, as reflected in its spectroscopic analysis, was confirmed by dynamical orbital analysis.

Abstract The molecular determinants of Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance are the single nucleotide polymorphisms in the parasite’s kelch propeller domain, pfk13. Validated and candidate markers are under surveillance in malaria endemic countries using artemisinin-based combination therapy. However, pfk13 mutations which may confer parasite artemisinin resistance in Africa remains elusive. It has therefore become imperative to report all observed pfk13 gene polymorphisms in malaria therapeutic efficacy studies for functional characterization. We herein report all novel pfk13 mutations observed only in the Ghanaian parasite population. In all, 977 archived samples from children aged 12 years and below with uncomplicated malaria from 2007 to 2017 were used. PCR/Sanger sequencing analysis revealed 78% (763/977) of the samples analyzed were wild type (WT) for pfk13 gene. Of the 214 (22%) mutants, 78 were novel mutations observed only in Ghana. The novel SNPs include R404G, P413H, N458D/H/I, C473W/S, R529I, M579T/Y, C580R/V, D584L, N585H/I, Q661G/L. Some of the mutations were sites and ecological zones specific. There was low nucleotide diversity and purifying selection at the pfk13 locus in Ghanaian parasite population. With increasing drug pressure and its consequent parasite resistance, documenting these mutations as baseline data is crucial for future molecular surveillance of P. falciparum resistance to artemisinin in Ghana.

Kristin Kostka,1,2 Talita Duarte-Salles,3 Albert Prats-Uribe,4 Anthony G Sena,5,6 Andrea Pistillo,3 Sara Khalid,4 Lana YH Lai,7 Asieh Golozar,8,9 Thamir M Alshammari,10 Dalia M Dawoud,11 Fredrik Nyberg,12 Adam B Wilcox,13,14 Alan Andryc,5 Andrew Williams,15 Anna Ostropolets,16 Carlos Areia,17 Chi Young Jung,18 Christopher A Harle,19 Christian G Reich,1,2 Clair Blacketer,5,6 Daniel R Morales,20 David A Dorr,21 Edward Burn,3,4 Elena Roel,3,22 Eng Hooi Tan,4 Evan Minty,23 Frank DeFalco,5 Gabriel de Maeztu,24 Gigi Lipori,19 Hiba Alghoul,25 Hong Zhu,26 Jason A Thomas,13 Jiang Bian,19 Jimyung Park,27 Jordi Martínez Roldán,28 Jose D Posada,29 Juan M Banda,30 Juan P Horcajada,31 Julianna Kohler,32 Karishma Shah,33 Karthik Natarajan,16,34 Kristine E Lynch,35,36 Li Liu,37 Lisa M Schilling,38 Martina Recalde,3,22 Matthew Spotnitz,14 Mengchun Gong,39 Michael E Matheny,40,41 Neus Valveny,42 Nicole G Weiskopf,21 Nigam Shah,29 Osaid Alser,43 Paula Casajust,42 Rae Woong Park,27,44 Robert Schuff,21 Sarah Seager,1 Scott L DuVall,35,36 Seng Chan You,45 Seokyoung Song,46 Sergio Fernández-Bertolín,3 Stephen Fortin,5 Tanja Magoc,19 Thomas Falconer,16 Vignesh Subbian,47 Vojtech Huser,48 Waheed-Ul-Rahman Ahmed,33,49 William Carter,38 Yin Guan,50 Yankuic Galvan,19 Xing He,19 Peter R Rijnbeek,6 George Hripcsak,16,34 Patrick B Ryan,5,16 Marc A Suchard,51 Daniel Prieto-Alhambra4 1IQVIA, Cambridge, MA, USA; 2OHDSI Center at The Roux Institute, Northeastern University, Portland, ME, USA; 3Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l’Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Barcelona, Spain; 4Centre for Statistics in Medicine, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 5Janssen Research & Development, Titusville, NJ, USA; 6Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 7School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; 8Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA; 9Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; 10College of Pharmacy, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 11National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, London, UK; 12School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; 13Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 14Unviersity of Washington Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; 15Tufts Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Boston, MA, USA; 16Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; 17Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 18Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea; 19University of Florida Health, Gainesville, FL, USA; 20Division of Population Health and Genomics, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK; 21Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA; 22Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 23O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; 24IOMED, Barcelona, Spain; 25Faculty of Medicine, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine; 26Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 27Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea; 28Director of Innovation and Digital Transformation, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain; 29Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Redwood City, CA, USA; 30Georgia State University, Department of Computer Science, Atlanta, GA, USA; 31Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital del Mar, Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigació Mèdica (IMIM), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; 32United States Agency for International Development, Washington, DC, USA; 33Botnar Research Centre, NDORMS, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 34New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; 35VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 36Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 37Biomedical Big Data Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 38Data Science to Patient Value Program, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; 39Institute of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 40Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 41Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 42Real-World Evidence, TFS, Barcelona, Spain; 43Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 44Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea; 45Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; 46Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea; 47College of Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; 48National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; 49College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke’s Campus, Exeter, UK; 50DHC Technologies Co. Ltd., Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 51Departments of Biostatistics, Computational Medicine, and Human Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USACorrespondence: Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, Botnar Research Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford, OX37LD, UK, Email daniel.prietoalhambra@ndorms.ox.ac.ukPurpose: Routinely collected real world data (RWD) have great utility in aiding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response. Here we present the international Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) Characterizing Health Associated Risks and Your Baseline Disease In SARS-COV-2 (CHARYBDIS) framework for standardisation and analysis of COVID-19 RWD.Patients and Methods: We conducted a descriptive retrospective database study using a federated network of data partners in the United States, Europe (the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany, France and Italy) and Asia (South Korea and China). The study protocol and analytical package were released on 11th June 2020 and are iteratively updated via GitHub. We identified three non-mutually exclusive cohorts of 4,537,153 individuals with a clinical COVID-19 diagnosis or positive test, 886,193 hospitalized with COVID-19, and 113,627 hospitalized with COVID-19 requiring intensive services.Results: We aggregated over 22,000 unique characteristics describing patients with COVID-19. All comorbidities, symptoms, medications, and outcomes are described by cohort in aggregate counts and are readily available online. Globally, we observed similarities in the USA and Europe: more women diagnosed than men but more men hospitalized than women, most diagnosed cases between 25 and 60 years of age versus most hospitalized cases between 60 and 80 years of age. South Korea differed with more women than men hospitalized. Common comorbidities included type 2 diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease and heart disease. Common presenting symptoms were dyspnea, cough and fever. Symptom data availability was more common in hospitalized cohorts than diagnosed.Conclusion: We constructed a global, multi-centre view to describe trends in COVID-19 progression, management and evolution over time. By characterising baseline variability in patients and geography, our work provides critical context that may otherwise be misconstrued as data quality issues. This is important as we perform studies on adverse events of special interest in COVID-19 vaccine surveillance.Keywords: OHDSI, OMOP CDM, descriptive epidemiology, real world data, real world evidence, open science

Dietary study of carnivores has garnered a great deal of attention for a very long time since it provides information for comprehending ecological processes and tracking the economic effects of animals on food production. Few studies reported alternative prey that is detrimental to food production, such as rodents and insects, in addition to the numerous studies on livestock predation. Therefore, this study aims to provide information on the diet composition and overlap of two mesocarnivore species, Javan mongoose (Urva javanica) and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), in Java, Indonesia. The macroscopic observation technique was applied for identifying food remnants found in the 90 feces of the mongoose and 100 feces of the cat collected in 2018. Twenty three and 21 taxa of prey were found in the leopard and Javan mongoose feces. Rodentia was the most frequent taxa found in the feces of both species, followed by Galliformes. Insects comprised the majority of diet items but at low frequencies. Two mesocarnivores were specialists (Levin’s index of leopard cat: 0.08; Javan mongoose: 0.26) with fairly high diet overlap (Pianka’s index = 0.78). The results provided compelling evidence of the positive and negative impacts of mesocarnivores on food production in Java.

Objectives Women of low socioeconomic status have been described as having suboptimal prenatal care, which in turn has been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. Many types of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes have been developed, including programmes to improve prenatal care or smoking cessation during pregnancy, and their effects demonstrated. However, ethical critiques have included paternalism and lack of informed choice. Our objective was to determine if women and healthcare professionals (HPs) shared these concerns.Design Prospective qualitative research.Setting We included economically disadvantaged women, as defined by health insurance data, who participated in the French NAITRE randomised trial assessing a CCT programme during prenatal follow-up to improve pregnancy outcomes. The HP worked in some maternities participating in this trial.Participants 26 women, 14 who received CCT and 12 who did not, mostly unemployed (20/26), and - 7 HPs.Interventions We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional qualitative study among women and HPs who participated in the NAITRE Study to assess their views on CCT. The women were interviewed after childbirth.Results Women did not perceive CCT negatively. They did not mention feeling stigmatised. They described CCT as a significant source of aid for women with limited financial resources. HP described the CCT in less positive terms, for example, expressing concern about discussing cash transfer at their first medical consultation with women. Though they emphasised ethical concerns about the basis of the trial, they recognised the importance of evaluating CCT.Conclusions In France, a high-income country where prenatal follow-up is free, HPs were concerned that the CCT programme would change their relationship with patients and wondered if it was the best use of funding. However, women who received a cash incentive said they did not feel stigmatised and indicated that these payments helped them prepare for their baby’s birth.Trial registration number NCT02402855

Objectives:Pregnancy in women with epilepsy carries a higher risk for fetal development complications, including congenital malformations. In this study, data obtained from pregnant epilepsy patients in a tertiary epilepsy center were presented.Methods:In this study, 128 pregnancies of 110 pregnant women followed up in the epilepsy outpatient clinic between April 2011 and April 2021 were examined. Demographic data of the patients, antiepileptic drugs AEDs used, and pregnancy outcomes were reviewed retrospectively.Results:During pregnancy, 101 patients (78.9%) received monotherapy, and lamotrigine was the most commonly used drug in monotherapy. A two-drug combination was used in 18 patients (14.1%), and a three-drug combination was used in 5 patients (3.9%). Although the frequency of seizures did not increase in most patients, the frequency of seizures increased in 18 patients (14.1%) and decreased in 5 patients (3.9%). In our study, the intrauterine fetal loss occurred in five patients, newborn infants with congenital malformations in three patients, and neonatal death during delivery in one patient. The number of AEDs used in multivariate logistic regression predicted adverse outcomes such as intrauterine fetal loss, neonatal death, and newborns with congenital malformations.Conclusion:Management of pregnant patients with epilepsy is difficult for both mother and fetus. In our study, combination therapy was more associated with adverse outcomes for the fetus and newborn. Pregnancy should be planned, and seizure-free pregnancy should be targeted with low-dose monotherapy.

In 2020, Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine (DHAP) was adopted as a second-line antimalarial for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Ghana following a review of the country’s antimalarial medicines policy. Available data obtained in 2007 had shown PCR-uncorrected therapeutic efficacy of 93.3% using a 28-day follow-up schedule. In 2020, the standard 42-day follow-up schedule for DHAP was used to estimate efficacy levels among febrile children aged 6 months to 9 years in three malaria sentinel sites representing the three main ecological zones of the country- savannah, forest, and coastal. PCR genotyping distinguished between recrudescence and re-infection using merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2)-specific primers for FC27 and 3D7 strains. Per protocol analyses showed day 28 efficacy of 100% in all three sentinel sites with day 42 PCR-corrected efficacy ranging between 90.3% (95% CI: 80.1 – 96.4%) in the savannah zone and 100% in the forest and coastal zones, yielding a national average of 97.0% (95% CI: 93.4 – 98.8). No day 3 parasitemia was observed in all three sites. Prevalence of measured fever (axillary temperature ≥ 37.5°C) declined from 50.0 - 98.8% on day 0 to 7.1-11.5% on day 1 whilst parasitemia declined from 100% on day 0 to 1.2 - 2.3% on day 1. Mean haemoglobin levels on days 28 and 42 were significantly higher than pre-treatment levels in all three sites. We conclude that DHAP is highly efficacious in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Ghana. This data will serve as baseline for subsequent DHAP efficacy studies in the country.

The therapeutic induction of senescence is a potential means to treat cancer, primarily acting through the induction of a persistent growth‐arrested state in tumors. However, recent studies have indicated that therapy‐induced senescence (TIS) in tumor cells allows for the prolonged survival of a subgroup of cells in a dormant state, with the potential to re‐enter the cell cycle along with an increased stemness gene expression. Residual cells after TIS with increased cancer stem cell phenotype may have profound implications for tumor aggressiveness and disease recurrence. Herein, we investigated senescence‐associated stemness in EpCAM+/CD133+ liver cancer stem cell and EpCAM−/CD133− nonstem cell populations in HuH7 cell line. We demonstrated that treatment with doxorubicin induces senescence in both cell populations, accompanied by a significant increase in the expression of reprogramming genes SOX2, KLF4, and c‐MYC as well as liver stemness‐related genes EpCAM, CK19, and ANXA3 and the multidrug resistance‐related gene ABCG2. Moreover, doxorubicin treatment significantly increased EpCAM + population in nonstem cells indicating senescence‐associated reprogramming of nonstem cell population. Also, Wnt/β‐catenin target genes were increased in these cells, while inhibition of this signaling pathway decreased stem cell gene expression. Importantly, Dox‐treated EpCAM−/CD133− nonstem cells had increased in vivo tumor‐forming ability. In addition, when SASP‐CM from Dox‐treated cells were applied onto hİPSC‐derived hepatocytes, senescence was induced in hepatocytes along with an increased expression of TGF‐β, KLF4, and AXIN2. Importantly, SASP‐CM was not able to induce senescence in Hep3B‐TR cells, a derivative line rendered resistant to TGF‐β signaling. Furthermore, ELISA experiments revealed that the SASP‐CM of Dox‐treated cells contain inflammatory cytokines IL8 and IP10. In summary, our findings further emphasize the importance of carefully dissecting the beneficial and detrimental aspects of prosenescence therapy in HCC and support the potential use of senolytic drugs in HCC treatment in order to eliminate adverse effects of TIS.

Objectives:We aimed to investigate the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on the quality of life (QOL) of patients with epilepsy.Methods:A total of 104 epilepsy patients admitted to our hospital during October and November of 2019 were evaluated for their QOL using the QOL in Epilepsy-31 questionnaire. These assessments were repeated in July 2020 and August 2020 to evaluate the impact of the epidemic on the QOL of epilepsy patients in the same group. The data of the patients were analyzed in SPSS.Results:During the pandemic period, overall score values decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic period (p=0.049). Although most of the subscores worsened with the pandemic, the most significant deterioration was observed in emotional well-being (p=0.021). There were six patients (5.8%) whose seizure frequency increased during the pandemic period. In the multivariate analysis, the only parameter that predicted an increase in seizure frequency during COVID-19 was the overall score. Overall score had a positive correlation with educational level. Disease duration, age, marital status, and number of drugs used were found to be negatively correlated with the overall score of the patients.Conclusion:The COVID-19 epidemic causes a significant deterioration in QOL in patients with epilepsy. During epidemics such as COVID-19, clinicians should consider psychosocial factors. In patients with epilepsy, measures should be taken not only to control seizures but also to prevent deterioration in mental health and QOL.

Despite the intensive use of radiotherapy in clinical practice, its effectiveness depends on several factors. Several studies showed that the tumour response to radiation differs from one patient to another. The non-uniform response of the tumour is mainly caused by multiple interactions between the tumour microenvironment and healthy cells. To understand these interactions, five major biologic concepts called the “5 Rs” have emerged. These concepts include reoxygenation, DNA damage repair, cell cycle redistribution, cellular radiosensitivity and cellular repopulation. In this study, we used a multi-scale model, which included the five Rs of radiotherapy, to predict the effects of radiation on tumour growth. In this model, the oxygen level was varied in both time and space. When radiotherapy was given, the sensitivity of cells depending on their location in the cell cycle was taken in account. This model also considered the repair of cells by giving a different probability of survival after radiation for tumour and normal cells. Here, we developed four fractionation protocol schemes. We used simulated and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the hypoxia tracer 18F-flortanidazole (18F-HX4) images as input data of our model. In addition, tumour control probability curves were simulated. The result showed the evolution of tumours and normal cells. The increase in the cell number after radiation was seen in both normal and malignant cells, which proves that repopulation was included in this model. The proposed model predicts the tumour response to radiation and forms the basis for a more patient-specific clinical tool where related biological data will be included.