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1. Factors associated with the use of percutaneous coronary intervention in elderly Chinese patients with a first ST elevated acute myocardial infarction

Author: Zhou S, Chen J, Xu RY, and Wu HY
Subjects: Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract: Shan Zhou,1 Jie Chen,2 Ru-Yi Xu,1 Hai-Yun Wu2 1Chinese Navy General Hospital, Fucheng, Beijing, People's Republic of China; 2Institute of Geriatric Cardiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China Introduction: Rapid reperfusion therapies (RT), particularly percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), improve short- and long-term outcomes in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, a substantial proportion of patients with STEMI, especially older patients, refuse or do not undergo PCI. Our study aims to identify factors associated with the use of PCI in elderly Chinese patients with their first STEMI. Method: Elderly (aged 65 years of age or over) patients with STEMI were enrolled between March 2010 and August 2013 at two hospitals in Beijing. Patients with previous myocardial infarction and those with contraindications to reperfusion were excluded. A standardized questionnaire including onset time and severity of symptoms, history of angina pectoris, comorbid illnesses, functional status, family income, health insurance, education, patients' trust in treating physicians, and whether patient was acquainted with a cardiologist was used to collect data from patients or their family. Results: Five hundred and sixty-eight patients were enrolled. PCI was accepted by 432 (76%) and refused by 136 (24%). Multivariate analysis showed that older age (>75 years; odds ratio [OR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23–0.78), self-rated mild symptoms (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.06–0.21), lower degree of trust in treating physician (
Published: 2014

2. Unsupervised Clothing Change Adaptive Person ReID

Author: Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, Da Xu, RY, Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: Clothing changes and lack of data labels are both crucial challenges in person ReID. For the former challenge, people may occur multiple times wearing different clothes. A majority of current research works for person ReID focuses on benchmarks in which a person's clothing is kept the same all the time. For the latter challenge, most researchers try to transfer information from a labeled source dataset to an unlabeled target dataset. Whereas purely unsupervised training is less used. In this letter, we aim to solve both problems simultaneously. We design a novel unsupervised model, Syn-Person-Cluster ReID, to solve the unlabeled clothing change person ReID problem. We develop a purely unsupervised pipeline equipped with two innovations: synthetic augmentation on person images and feature restriction for the same person. The synthetic augmentation is to supply additional information for the same person, which can then be used as partially supervised inputs to the feature restriction. Extensive experiments on clothing change ReID datasets show the out-performance of our methods.
Published: 2022

3. Magnitude Bounded Matrix Factorisation for Recommender Systems

Author: Jiang, S, Li, K, Da Xu, RY, Jiang, S, Li, K, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: Low rank matrix factorisation is often used in recommender systems as a way of extracting latent features. When dealing with large and sparse datasets, traditional recommendation algorithms face the problem of acquiring large, unrestrained, fluctuating values over predictions. Imposing bounding constraints has been proven an effective solution. However, existing bounding algorithms can only deal with one pair of fixed bounds, and are very time-consuming when applied on large-scale datasets. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm named Magnitude Bounded Matrix Factorisation (MBMF), which allows different bounds for individual users/items and performs very quickly on large scale datasets. The key idea of our algorithm is to construct a model by constraining the magnitudes of each individual user/item feature vector. By converting coordinate system with radii set as the corresponding magnitudes, MBMF allows the above constrained optimisation problem to become an unconstrained one, which can be solved by unconstrained optimisation algorithms such as the stochastic gradient descent. We also explore an acceleration approach and the choice of magnitudes are given in detail as well. Experiments on synthetic and real datasets demonstrate that in most cases the proposed MBMF is superior over all existing algorithms in terms of accuracy and time complexity.
Published: 2022

4. RESOLUTION-INVARIANT PERSON REID BASED ON FEATURE TRANSFORMATION AND SELF-WEIGHTED ATTENTION

Author: Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, da Xu, RY, Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, and da Xu, RY
Abstract: Person Re-identification (ReID) is a critical computer vision task which aims to match the same person in images or video sequences. Most current works focus on settings where the resolution of images is kept the same. However, the resolution is a crucial factor in person ReID, especially when the cameras are at different distances from the person or the camera’s models are different from each other. In this paper, we propose a novel two-stream network with a lightweight resolution association ReID feature transformation (RAFT) module and a self-weighted attention (SWA) ReID module to evaluate features under different resolutions. RAFT transforms the low resolution features to corresponding high resolution features. SWA evaluates both features to get weight factors for the person ReID. Both modules are jointly trained to get a resolution-invariant representation. Extensive experiments on five benchmark datasets show the effectiveness of our method. For instance, we achieve Rank-1 accuracy of 43.3% and 83.2% on CAVIAR and MLR-CUHK03, outperforming the state-of-the-art.
Published: 2021

5. RGB-IR Cross-modality Person ReID Based on Teacher-student GAN Model

Author: Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, Li, Y, Da Xu, RY, Zhang, Z, Jiang, S, Huang, C, Li, Y, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: RGB-Infrared (RGB-IR) person re-identification (ReID) is a technology where the system can automatically identify the same person appearing at different parts of a video when light is unavailable. The critical challenge of this task is the cross-modality gap of features under different modalities. To solve this challenge, we proposed a Teacher-Student GAN model (TS-GAN) to adopt different domains and guide the ReID backbone. (1) In order to get corresponding RGB-IR image pairs, the RGB-IR Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) was used to generate IR images. (2) To kick-start the training of identities, a ReID Teacher module was trained under IR modality person images, which is then used to guide its Student counterpart in training. (3) Likewise, to better adapt different domain features and enhance model ReID performance, three Teacher-Student loss functions were used. Unlike other GAN based models, the proposed model only needs the backbone module at the test stage, making it more efficient and resource-saving. To showcase our model’s capability, we did extensive experiments on the newly-released SYSU-MM01 and RegDB RGB-IR Re-ID benchmark and achieved superior performance to the state-of-the-art with 47.4% mAP and 69.4% mAP respectively.
Published: 2021

6. WiFi-Based Activity Recognition using Activity Filter and Enhanced Correlation with Deep Learning

Author: Shi, Z, Zhang, JA, Xu, RY, and Cheng, Q
Abstract: Device-free WiFi sensing utilizing channel state information (CSI) is attractive for human activity recognition (HAR). However, several challenging problems are yet to be resolved, e.g., difficulty in extracting proper features from input signals, susceptibility to the phase shift of CSI and difficulty in identifying similar behaviors (e.g., lying and standing). In this paper, we aim to tackle these problems by proposing a novel scheme for CSI-based HAR that uses activity filter-based deep learning network (HAR-AF-DLN) with enhanced correlation features. We first develop a novel CSI compensation and enhancement (CCE) method to compensate for the timing offset between the WiFi transmitter and receiver, enhance activity-related signals and reduce the dimension of inputs to DLN. Then, we design a novel activity filter (AF) to differentiate similar activities (e.g., standing and lying) based on the enhanced CSI correlation features obtained from CCE. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that our proposed HAR-AF-DLN scheme outperforms state-of-the-art methods with significantly improved recognition accuracy (especially for similar activities) and notably reduced training time.
Published: 2020

7. Fast non-rigid points registration with cluster correspondences projection

Author: Li, M, Xu, RY, Xin, J, Zhang, K, and Jing, J
Subjects: 08 Information and Computing Sciences, 09 Engineering, 10 Technology, Networking & Telecommunications
Abstract: © 2019 In this paper, we propose a fast non-rigid points registration method based on cluster correspondences projection. Firstly, a distance based clustering method is applied on the large scale points clouds. Then, the cluster centers are extract to represent the shape of the template and target object. After that, the target and template data are efficiently registered by an EM-like non-rigid registration method with a clustering projection between the cluster centers and all the points in the clusters. To more improve the computation efficiency, a fast deformation estimation is applied in reproducing kernel Hilbert space. As the size of cluster centers is much less than the size of the original point cloud and the cluster correspondences projection well keeps the points deformed smoothly in the clusters, the proposed method is robust and extremely efficient for large scale points registration with rigid and non-rigid deformations without loss accuracy. Experimental results show that, the efficiency of our approach outperforms on both synthesized and real datasets than the state-of-the-art methods under various types of distortions.
Published: 2020

8. Bayesian Nonnegative Matrix Factorization With Dirichlet Process Mixtures

Author: Li, C, Xie, H-B, Mengersen, K, Fan, X, Da Xu, RY, Sisson, SA, Van Huffel, S, Li, C, Xie, H-B, Mengersen, K, Fan, X, Da Xu, RY, Sisson, SA, and Van Huffel, S
Published: 2020

9. End-to-end Dynamic Matching Network for Multi-view Multi-person 3D Pose Estimation

Author: Huang, C, Jiang, S, Li, Y, Zhang, Z, Traish, J, Deng, C, Ferguson, S, Da Xu, RY, Huang, C, Jiang, S, Li, Y, Zhang, Z, Traish, J, Deng, C, Ferguson, S, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: As an important computer vision task, 3d human pose estimation in a multi-camera, multi-person setting has received widespread attention and many interesting applications have been derived from it. Traditional approaches use a 3d pictorial structure model to handle this task. However, these models suffer from high computation costs and result in low accuracy in joint detection. Recently, especially since the introduction of Deep Neural Networks, one popular approach is to build a pipeline that involves three separate steps: (1) 2d skeleton detection in each camera view, (2) identification of matched 2d skeletons and (3) estimation of the 3d poses. Many existing works operate by feeding the 2d images and camera parameters through the three modules in a cascade fashion. However, all three operations can be highly correlated. For example, the 3d generation results may affect the results of detection in step 1, as does the matching algorithm in step 2. To address this phenomenon, we propose a novel end-to-end training scheme that brings the three separate modules into a single model. However, one outstanding problem of doing so is that the matching algorithm in step 2 appears to disjoint the pipeline. Therefore, we take our inspiration from the recent success in Capsule Networks, in which its Dynamic Routing step is also disjointed, but plays a crucial role in deciding how gradients are flowed from the upper to the lower layers. Similarly, a dynamic matching module in our work also decides the paths in which gradients flow from step 3 to step 1. Furthermore, as a large number of cameras are present, the existing matching algorithm either fails to deliver a robust performance or can be very inefficient. Thus, we additionally propose a novel matching algorithm that can match 2d poses from multiple views efficiently. The algorithm is robust and able to deal with situations of incomplete and false 2d detection as well.
Published: 2020

10. Semantic emotion-topic model based social emotion mining

Author: Xue, R, Huang, S, Luo, X, Jiang, D, Da Xu, RY, Xue, R, Huang, S, Luo, X, Jiang, D, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: © River Publishers. With the booming of social media users, more and more short texts with emotion labels appear, which contain users' rich emotions and opinions about social events or enterprise products. Social emotion mining on social media corpus can help government or enterprise make their decisions. Emotion mining models involve statistical-based and graph-based approaches. Among them, the former approaches are more popular, e.g. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA)-based Emotion Topic Model. However, they are suffering from low retrieval performance, such as the bad accuracy and the poor interpretability, due to them only considering the bag-of-words or the emotion labels in social media corpus. In this paper, we propose a LDA-based Semantic Emotion-Topic Model (SETM) combining emotion labels and inter-word relations to enhance the retrieval performance of social emotion mining result. The performance influence of four factors on SETM are considered, i.e., association relations, computing time, topic number and semantic interpretability. Experimental results show that the accuracy of our proposed model is 0.750, compared with 0.606, 0.663 and 0.680 of Emotion Topic Model (ETM), Multi-label Supervised Topic Model (MSTM) and Sentiment Latent Topic Model (SLTM) respectively. Besides, the computing time of our model is reduced by 87.81% through limiting word frequency, and its accuracy is 0.703, compared with 0.501, 0.648 and 0.642 of the above baseline methods. Thus, the proposed model has broad prospects in social emotion mining area.
Published: 2018

11. Doubly nonparametric sparse nonnegative matrix factorization based on dependent indian buffet processes

Author: Xuan, J, Lu, J, Zhang, G, Da Xu, RY, Luo, X, Xuan, J, Lu, J, Zhang, G, Da Xu, RY, and Luo, X
Abstract: © 2012 IEEE. Sparse nonnegative matrix factorization (SNMF) aims to factorize a data matrix into two optimized nonnegative sparse factor matrices, which could benefit many tasks, such as document-word co-clustering. However, the traditional SNMF typically assumes the number of latent factors (i.e., dimensionality of the factor matrices) to be fixed. This assumption makes it inflexible in practice. In this paper, we propose a doubly sparse nonparametric NMF framework to mitigate this issue by using dependent Indian buffet processes (dIBP). We apply a correlation function for the generation of two stick weights associated with each column pair of factor matrices while still maintaining their respective marginal distribution specified by IBP. As a consequence, the generation of two factor matrices will be columnwise correlated. Under this framework, two classes of correlation function are proposed: 1) using bivariate Beta distribution and 2) using Copula function. Compared with the single IBP-based NMF, this paper jointly makes two factor matrices nonparametric and sparse, which could be applied to broader scenarios, such as co-clustering. This paper is seen to be much more flexible than Gaussian process-based and hierarchial Beta process-based dIBPs in terms of allowing the two corresponding binary matrix columns to have greater variations in their nonzero entries. Our experiments on synthetic data show the merits of this paper compared with the state-of-the-art models in respect of factorization efficiency, sparsity, and flexibility. Experiments on real-world data sets demonstrate the efficiency of this paper in document-word co-clustering tasks.
Published: 2018

12. Learning nonparametric relational models by conjugately incorporating node information in a network

Author: Fan, X, Da Xu, RY, Cao, L, Song, Y, Fan, X, Da Xu, RY, Cao, L, and Song, Y
Abstract: © 2013 IEEE. Relational model learning is useful for numerous practical applications. Many algorithms have been proposed in recent years to tackle this important yet challenging problem. Existing algorithms utilize only binary directional link data to recover hidden network structures. However, there exists far richer and more meaningful information in other parts of a network which one can (and should) exploit. The attributes associated with each node, for instance, contain crucial information to help practitioners understand the underlying relationships in a network. For this reason, in this paper, we propose two models and their solutions, namely the node-information involved mixed-membership model and the node-information involved latent-feature model, in an effort to systematically incorporate additional node information. To effectively achieve this aim, node information is used to generate individual sticks of a stick-breaking process. In this way, not only can we avoid the need to prespecify the number of communities beforehand, the algorithm also encourages that nodes exhibiting similar information have a higher chance of assigning the same community membership. Substantial efforts have been made toward achieving the appropriateness and efficiency of these models, including the use of conjugate priors. We evaluate our framework and its inference algorithms using real-world data sets, which show the generality and effectiveness of our models in capturing implicit network structures.
Published: 2017

13. Face hallucination based on nonparametric Bayesian learning

Author: Li, M, Da Xu, RY, He, X, Li, M, Da Xu, RY, and He, X
Abstract: © 2015 IEEE. In this paper, we propose a novel example-based face hallucination method through nonparametric Bayesian learning based on the assumption that human faces have similar local pixel structure. We cluster the low resolution (LR) face image patches by nonparametric method distance dependent Chinese Restaurant process (ddCRP) and calculate the centres of the clusters (i.e., subspaces). Then, we learn the mapping coefficients from the LR patches to high resolution (HR) patches in each subspace. Finally, the HR patches of input low resolution face image can be efficiently generated by a simple linear regression. The spatial distance constraint is employed to aid the learning of subspace centers so that every subspace will better reflect the detailed information of image patches. Experimental results show our method is efficient and promising for face hallucination.
Published: 2015

14. Dynamic Infinite Mixed-Membership Stochastic Blockmodel

Author: Fan, X, Cao, L, Da Xu, RY, Fan, X, Cao, L, and Da Xu, RY
Abstract: © 2014 IEEE. Directional and pairwise measurements are often used to model interactions in a social network setting. The mixed-membership stochastic blockmodel (MMSB) was a seminal work in this area, and its ability has been extended. However, models such as MMSB face particular challenges in modeling dynamic networks, for example, with the unknown number of communities. Accordingly, this paper proposes a dynamic infinite mixed-membership stochastic blockmodel, a generalized framework that extends the existing work to potentially infinite communities inside a network in dynamic settings (i.e., networks are observed over time). Additional model parameters are introduced to reflect the degree of persistence among one's memberships at consecutive time stamps. Under this framework, two specific models, namely mixture time variant and mixture time invariant models, are proposed to depict two different time correlation structures. Two effective posterior sampling strategies and their results are presented, respectively, using synthetic and real-world data.
Published: 2015

15. HMM-MIO: An enhanced hidden Markov model for action recognition

Author: Concha, OP, Da Xu, RY, Moghaddam, Z, and Piccardi, M
Subjects: ComputingMethodologies_PATTERNRECOGNITION
Abstract: Generative models can be flexibly employed in a variety of tasks such as classification, detection and segmentation thanks to their explicit modelling of likelihood functions. However, likelihood functions are hard to model accurately in many real cases. In this paper, we present an enhanced hidden Markov model capable of dealing with the noisy, high-dimensional and sparse measurements typical of action feature sets. The modified model, named hidden Markov model with multiple, independent observations (HMM-MIO), joins: a) robustness to observation outliers, b) dimensionality reduction, and c) processing of sparse observations. In the paper, a set of experimental results over the Weizmann and KTH datasets shows that this model can be tuned to achieve classification accuracy comparable to that of discriminative classifiers. While discriminative approaches remain the natural choice for classification tasks, our results prove that likelihoods, too, can be modelled to a high level of accuracy. In the near future, we plan extension of HMM-MIO along the lines of infinite Markov models and its integration into a switching model for continuous human action recognition. © 2011 IEEE.
Published: 2011

16. Compressive Sensing of time series for human action recognition

Author: Concha, OP, Da Xu, RY, and Piccardi, M
Abstract: Compressive Sensing (CS) is an emerging signal processing technique where a sparse signal is reconstructed from a small set of random projections. In the recent literature, CS techniques have demonstrated promising results for signal compression and reconstruction [9, 8, 1]. However, their potential as dimensionality reduction techniques for time series has not been significantly explored to date. To this aim, this work investigates the suitability of compressive-sensed time series in an application of human action recognition. In the paper, results from several experiments are presented: (1) in a first set of experiments, the time series are transformed into the CS domain and fed into a hidden Markov model (HMM) for action recognition; (2) in a second set of experiments, the time series are explicitly reconstructed after CS compression and then used for recognition; (3) in the third set of experiments, the time series are compressed by a hybrid CS-Haar basis prior to input into HMM; (4) in the fourth set, the time series are reconstructed from the hybrid CS-Haar basis and used for recognition. We further compare these approaches with alternative techniques such as sub-sampling and filtering. Results from our experiments show unequivocally that the application of CS does not degrade the recognition accuracy; rather, it often increases it. This proves that CS can provide a desirable form of dimensionality reduction in pattern recognition over time series. © 2010 Crown Copyright.
Published: 2010

17. Robust dimensionality reduction for human action recognition

Author: Concha, OP, Da Xu, RY, and Piccardi, M
Abstract: Human action recognition can be approached by combining an action-discriminative feature set with a classifier. However, the dimensionality of typical feature sets joint with that of the time dimension often leads to a curse-of-dimensionality situation. Moreover, the measurement of the feature set is subject to sometime severe errors. This paper presents an approach to human action recognition based on robust dimensionality reduction. The observation probabilities of hidden Markov models (HMM) are modelled by mixtures of probabilistic principal components analyzers and mixtures of t-distribution sub-spaces, and compared with conventional Gaussian mixture models. Experimental results on two datasets show that dimensionality reduction helps improve the classification accuracy and that the heavier-tailed t-distribution can help reduce the impact of outliers generated by segmentation errors. © 2010 Crown Copyright.
Published: 2010

18. An infinite adaptive online learning model for segmentation and classification of streaming data

Author: Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, Piccardi, M, Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, and Piccardi, M
Abstract: © 2014 IEEE. In recent years, the desire and need to understand streaming data has been increasing. Along with the constant flow of data, it is critical to classify and segment the observations on-the-fly without being limited to a rigid number of classes. In other words, the system needs to be adaptive to the streaming data and capable of updating its parameters to comply with natural changes. This interesting problem, however, is poorly addressed in the literature, as many of the common studies focus on offline classification over a pre-defined class set. In this paper, we propose a novel adaptive online system based on Markov switching models with hierarchical Dirichlet process priors. This infinite adaptive online approach is capable of segmenting and classifying the streaming data over infinite classes, while meeting the memory and delay constraints of streaming contexts. The model is further enhanced by a 'predictive batching' mechanism, that is able to divide the flowing data into batches of variable size, imitating the ground-truth segments. Experiments on two video datasets show significant performance of the proposed approach in frame-level accuracy, segmentation recall and precision, while determining the accurate number of classes in acceptable computational time.
Published: 2014

19. A non-parametric conditional factor regression model for multi-dimensional input and response

Author: Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, Ghahramani, Z, Piccardi, M, Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, Ghahramani, Z, and Piccardi, M
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a non-parametric conditional factor regression (NCFR) model for domains with multi-dimensional input and response. NCFR enhances linear regression in two ways: a) introducing low-dimensional latent factors leading to dimensionality reduction and b) integrating the Indian Buffet Process as prior for the latent layer to dynamically derive an optimal number of sparse factors. Thanks to IBP's enhancements to the latent factors, NCFR can significantly avoid over-fitting even in the case of a very small sample size compared to the dimensionality. Experimental results on three diverse datasets comparing NCRF to a few baseline alternatives give evidence of its robust learning, remarkable predictive performance, good mixing and computational efficiency.
Published: 2014

20. An online HDP-HMM for joint action segmentation and classification in motion capture data

Author: Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, Piccardi, M, Bargi, A, Da Xu, RY, and Piccardi, M
Abstract: Since its inception, action recognition research has mainly focused on recognizing actions from closed, predefined sets of classes. Conversely, the problem of recognizing actions from open, possibly incremental sets of classes is still largely unexplored. In this paper, we propose a novel online method based on the "sticky" hierarchical Dirichlet process and the hidden Markov model [11, 5]. This approach, labelled as the online HDP-HMM, provides joint segmentation and classification of actions while a) processing the data in an online, recursive manner, b) discovering new classes as they occur, and c) adjusting its parameters over the streaming data. In a set of experiments, we have applied the online HDP-HMM to recognize actions from motion capture data from the TUM kitchen dataset, a challenging dataset of manipulation actions in a kitchen [12]. The results show significant accuracy in action classification, time segmentation and determination of the number of action classes. © 2012 IEEE.
Published: 2012

21. Expression and distribution of GAP-43 in human astrocytes in culture

Author: Seung U. Kim, Nicolo' Rizzuto, Salvatore Monaco, Xu Ry, and Giuseppe Moretto
Subjects: Histology, Immunocytochemistry, Molecular Sequence Data, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, GAP‐43, GAP-43 Protein, Neurofilament Proteins, Physiology (medical), Complementary DNA, Gene expression, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein, medicine, Cell Adhesion, Humans, RNA, Messenger, Cells, Cultured, Messenger RNA, Membrane Glycoproteins, Glial fibrillary acidic protein, biology, Base Sequence, cytoskeleton, cell cultures, Molecular biology, Immunohistochemistry, astrocytes, medicine.anatomical_structure, Neurology, Cytoplasm, Cell culture, Astrocytes, biology.protein, Neurology (clinical), Astrocyte
Abstract: Expression and distribution of GAP-43 in human astrocytes in culture By combining mRNA analysis and immunocytochemistry, we investigated the expression of the growth associated protein 43 (GAP-43) in enriched populations of astrocytes, obtained from mixed cultures of human fetal brains. Total cellular RNA was extracted from cell pellets and reverse transcribed into cDNA; cDNA was subjected to PCR amplification using primers specific for GAP-43 and PCR products were separated through polyacrylamide gels. Double immunofluorescence staining was performed on dissociated cell cultures using antibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and to GAP-43. Results showed that both transcription and translation for GAP-43 occur in cultured astrocytes. GAP-43 immunoreacting material was detected in the cell processes and diffusely in the cytoplasm of GFAP-positive astrocytes, during early stages of maintenance in vitro. In older cultures, GAP-43 immunoreactivity persisted in a large percentage of cells, with a tendency to accumulate in perinuclear areas. These observations provide evidence that GAP-43 is not restricted to neuronal cells. The close spatial association with cyto-skeletal constituents, as observed in astrocytes. suggests a role for this protein in the control of cell shape, motility and adhesion processes.
Published: 1995

22. Funding oncology clinical trials: are cooperative group trials sustainable?

Author: Seow HY, Whelan P, Levine MN, Cowan K, Lysakowski B, Kowaleski B, Snider A, Xu RY, and Arnold A
Published: 2012
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23. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of AMG 706, an oral multikinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Author: Rosen LS, Kurzrock R, Mulay M, Van Vugt A, Purdom M, Ng C, Silverman J, Koutsoukos A, Sun YN, Bass MB, Xu RY, Polverino A, Wiezorek JS, Chang DD, Benjamin R, and Herbst RS
Published: 2007

24. Diagnostic value of CEUS combined with C-TIRADS for indeterminate FNA cytological thyroid nodules.

Author: Zhang WB, Deng WF, He BL, Wei YY, Liu Y, Chen Z, and Xu RY
Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of CEUS combined with C-TIRADS for indeterminate FNA cytological thyroid nodules., Methods: The clinical data, ultrasonic images, C-TIRADS categories and CEUS images of 192 patients with indeterminate FNA cytological thyroid nodules confirmed by the surgical pathology were analyzed retrospectively. The diagnostic efficacy of CEUS, C-TIRADS and CEUS-TIRADS were calculated., Results: The AUCs of CEUS, C-TIRADS and CEUS-TIRADS were 0.905 (95% CI: 0.862∼0.949), 0.881 (95% CI: 0.825∼0.938) and 0.954 (95% CI: 0.922∼0.986), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy, LR- and LR+ were 84.7% (116/137), 85.5% (47/55), 93.5% (116/124), 69.1% (47/68), 84.9% (163/192), 0.179, 5.82 and 84.7% (116/137), 83.6% (46/55), 92.8% (116/125), 68.7% (46/67), 84.4% (162/192), 0.183, 5.17, 92.7% (127/137), 89.1% (49/55), 95.5% (127/133), 83.1% (49/59), 91.7% (176/192), 0.082, and 8.50, respectively. Compared with CEUS and C-TIRADS, CEUS-TIRADS had improved the AUC, sensitivity and accuracy (all P < 0.05)., Conclusions: CEUS and C-TIRADS had high diagnostic values in indeterminate FNA cytological thyroid nodules. CEUS-TIRADS improved AUC, diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy, and helped to distinguish indeterminate FNA cytological nodules.
Published: 2024
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25. End of Affirmative Action-Who Is Impacted Most? Analysis of Race and Sex Among US Internal Medicine Faculty.

Author: Xu RY, Sood N, Ding J, Khan N, Tiwana S, Siddiqi J, Rehman A, Jamshed N, and Khosa F
Subjects: Female, Humans, Male, Ethnicity, Longitudinal Studies, Racial Groups ethnology, Retrospective Studies, United States epidemiology, Sex Distribution, Public Policy, Cultural Diversity, Faculty, Medical trends, Faculty, Medical statistics & numerical data, Internal Medicine
Abstract: Background: For over 50 years, the United States (US) used affirmative action as one strategy to increase diversity in higher education including medical programs, citing benefits including training future public and private sector leaders. However, the recent US Supreme Court ending affirmative action in college admissions threatens advancements in the diversity of medical college faculty., Objective: Our study evaluated the demographic trends in Internal Medicine (IM) faculty in the US by assessing sex and race/ethnicity diversity to investigate who is likely to be impacted most with the end of affirmative action., Design: Longitudinal retrospective analysis SUBJECTS: IM faculty from the Association of American Medical Colleges faculty roster from 1966 to 2021 who self-reported sex and ethnicity MAIN OUTCOMES: The primary study measurement was the annual proportion of women and racial/ethnic groups among IM faculty based on academic rank and department chairs., Results: Although racial/ethnic diversity increased throughout the era of affirmative action, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian populations remain underrepresented. White physicians occupied > 50% of faculty positions across academic ranks and department chairs. Among the non-White professors, Asian faculty had the most significant increase in proportion from 1966 to 2021 (0.6 to 16.6%). The percentage of women increased in the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and instructor by 19.5%, 27.8%, 25.6%, and 26.9%, respectively. However, the proportion of women and racial/ethnic minority faculty decreased as academic rank increased., Conclusion: Despite an increase in the representation of women and racial/ethnic minority IM faculty, there continues to be a predominance of White and men physicians in higher academic ranks. With the end of affirmative action, this trend has the danger of being perpetuated, resulting in decreasing diversity among IM faculty, potentially impacting patient access and health outcomes., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)
Published: 2024
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26. An investigation into the HIF-dependent intestinal barrier protective mechanism of Qingchang Wenzhong decoction in ulcerative colitis management.

Author: Yang MJ, Zhang YN, Qiao Z, Xu RY, Chen SM, Hu P, Yu HL, Pan Y, and Cao J
Subjects: Mice, Animals, Humans, Reactive Oxygen Species, Molecular Docking Simulation, Lipopolysaccharides, Cytokines metabolism, Hypoxia, Colitis, Ulcerative chemically induced, Colitis, Ulcerative drug therapy, Colitis, Ulcerative pathology, Colitis chemically induced
Abstract: Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, non-specific inflammatory disease affecting the colon and rectum with an etiology that remains elusive. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used on long-term UC treatment to better maintain the efficacy than traditional aminosalicylic acid or glucocorticosteroids and to ease financial burden of patients. Qingchang Wenzhong Decoction (QCWZD) is a modern TCM decoction with established clinical efficacy but the mechanism of its protection on intestinal barrier function remains unclear., Aim of the Study: Current findings highlight that the activation of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway can facilitate the repair of intestinal epithelium barrier. This study is to investigate the protective effects of QCWZD and its HIF-targeted ingredients on hypoxia-dependent intestinal barrier., Methods: The mice model of UC was induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Disease activity index (DAI) and histopathology scores and colon length were used to measure the severity of colitis. The DAO activity in serum and protein expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins were detected to explore the function of intestinal barrier. The protein levels of HIF-1α and its downstream gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were measured as well. HIF-targeted active ingredients in QCWZD were selected by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Protective effects of six constituents on HIF-related anti-oxidative and barrier protective pathway were evaluated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced HT29 and RAW264.7 cells, through the measurement of the production of ROS and mRNA level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. HIF-1α knockdown was carried out to explore the correlation of protection effects with HIF-related pathway of the active ingredients., Results: QCWZD effectively alleviated colitis induced by DSS and demonstrated a protective effect on intestinal barrier function by upregulating HIF-related pathways. Six specific ingredients in QCWZD, targeting HIF, successfully reduced the production of cellular ROS and proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-induced cells. It is noteworthy that the barrier protection provided by these molecules is intricately linked with the HIF-related pathway., Conclusions: This study elucidates the HIF-related molecular mechanism of QCWZD in protecting the function of the epithelial barrier. Six compounds targeting the activation of the HIF-dependent pathway were demonstrated to unveil a novel therapeutic approach for managing UC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Published: 2024
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27. Impact of innovative immunization strategy on PCV13 vaccination coverage among children under 5 years in Weifang city, China: A retrospective study.

Author: Wang CP, Lin YT, Du YZ, Zhang T, Wang YY, Wang YJ, Wang JC, Xu RY, Wang ZS, Wang Y, and Feng LZ
Subjects: Child, Humans, Infant, Child, Preschool, Retrospective Studies, Vaccination Coverage, Vaccination, Pneumococcal Vaccines, China, Vaccines, Conjugate, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pneumococcal Infections prevention & control
Abstract: Background: Pneumococcal Diseases (PDs) remains a serious public health problem around the world and in China. Pneumococcal vaccination is the most cost-effective measure to prevent PDs. In 2021, the government of Weifang City, Shandong Province, China introduced a free dose of domestic 13-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV 13) to vaccinate registered children aged 6 months-2 years. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination rate of PCV13 in children aged under 5 years before and after the vaccination program to provide evidences for further improving the prevention and control strategy for PDs., Methods: We collected data from the children's vaccination information management system in Weifang City and analyzed the PCV13 vaccination coverage and characteristics in all vaccination clinics of Weifang City for children aged under 5 years. We compared the differences in vaccination rates by gender, birth year, manufacturer, and county before and after innovative immunization strategy., Results: Among the included 593,784 children aged under 5 years, the PCV13 vaccination rate in Weifang was generally low before the innovative immunization strategy. Urban children had a higher PCV13 coverage than rural children (P < 0.001), and parents tended to vaccinate their children with imported PCV13.The full vaccination rate for domestic and imported PCV13 was 0.67 % and 1.70 %, respectively. After the vaccination program, the PCV13 coverage of children increased significantly in all counties within Weifang City (P < 0.001), especially for children above 12 months of age. Most parents preferred to vaccinate their children with domestic PCV13, and the full vaccination rate of domestic and imported PCV13 was 6.59 % and 0.16 %, respectively., Conclusions: The vaccination rate of PCV13 in children is still much lower than the global average, posting a severe health challenge that needs to be addressed thoroughly. To improve the prevention and control strategy for PDs, it is recommended to continue to explore other relevant incentives based on the innovative immunization strategy. Furthermore, it is also recommended that China should incorporate PCV13 into the National Immunization Programs (NIP) as soon as possible., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Chunping Wang reports article publishing charges was provided by Melinda Gates Foundation Donation Project (OPP1216666). Chunping Wang reports a relationship with Melinda Gates Foundation Donation Project (OPP1216666) that includes: funding grants., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Published: 2024
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28. DDIT4L regulates mitochondrial and innate immune activities in early life.

Author: Michalski C, Cheung C, Oh JH, Ackermann E, Popescu CR, Archambault AS, Prusinkiewicz MA, Da Silva R, Majdoubi A, Viñeta Paramo M, Xu RY, Reicherz F, Patterson AE, Golding L, Sharma AA, Lim CJ, Orban PC, Klein Geltink RI, and Lavoie PM
Subjects: Infant, Newborn, Humans, Monocytes metabolism, Immunity, Innate, Mitochondria metabolism, Infant, Premature, Cytokines metabolism
Abstract: Pattern recognition receptor responses are profoundly attenuated before the third trimester of gestation in the relatively low-oxygen human fetal environment. However, the mechanisms regulating these responses are uncharacterized. Herein, genome-wide transcription and functional metabolic experiments in primary neonatal monocytes linked the negative mTOR regulator DDIT4L to metabolic stress, cellular bioenergetics, and innate immune activity. Using genetically engineered monocytic U937 cells, we confirmed that DDIT4L overexpression altered mitochondrial dynamics, suppressing their activity, and blunted LPS-induced cytokine responses. We also showed that monocyte mitochondrial function is more restrictive in earlier gestation, resembling the phenotype of DDIT4L-overexpressing U937 cells. Gene expression analyses in neonatal granulocytes and lung macrophages in preterm infants confirmed upregulation of the DDIT4L gene in the early postnatal period and also suggested a potential protective role against inflammation-associated chronic neonatal lung disease. Taken together, these data show that DDIT4L regulates mitochondrial activity and provide what we believe to be the first direct evidence for its potential role supressing innate immune activity in myeloid cells during development.
Published: 2024
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29. Adjuvant therapy provides no additional recurrence-free benefit for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients after neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and surgery: a multi-center propensity score match study.

Author: Xie SH, Yang LT, Zhang H, Tang ZL, Lin ZW, Chen Y, Hong ZN, Xu RY, Lin WL, and Kang MQ
Subjects: Humans, Neoadjuvant Therapy, Retrospective Studies, Propensity Score, Disease-Free Survival, Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma therapy, Esophageal Neoplasms pathology
Abstract: Purpose: The need for adjuvant therapy (AT) following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (nICT) and surgery in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate whether AT offers additional benefits in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) for ESCC patients after nICT and surgery., Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted between January 2019 and December 2022 from three centers. Eligible patients were divided into two groups: the AT group and the non-AT group. Survival analyses comparing different modalities of AT (including adjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy) with non-AT were performed. The primary endpoint was RFS. Propensity score matching(PSM) was used to mitigate inter-group patient heterogeneity. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis were employed for recurrence-free survival analysis., Results: A total of 155 nICT patients were included, with 26 patients experiencing recurrence. According to Cox analysis, receipt of adjuvant therapy emerged as an independent risk factor(HR:2.621, 95%CI:[1.089,6.310], P=0.032), and there was statistically significant difference in the Kaplan-Meier survival curves between non-AT and receipt of AT in matched pairs (p=0.026). Stratified analysis revealed AT bring no survival benefit to patients with pathological complete response(p= 0.149) and residual tumor cell(p=0.062). Subgroup analysis showed no significant difference in recurrence-free survival between non-AT and adjuvant chemoimmunotherapy patients(P=0.108). However, patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy exhibited poorer recurrence survival compared to non-AT patients (p= 0.016)., Conclusion: In terms of recurrence-free survival for ESCC patients after nICT and surgery, the necessity of adjuvant therapy especially the adjuvant chemotherapy, can be mitigated., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xie, Yang, Zhang, Tang, Lin, Chen, Hong, Xu, Lin and Kang.)
Published: 2024
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30. Angucyclinones with IDO and TDO inhibitory activities isolated from the actinomycetes Umezawaea beigongshangensis.

Author: Cao PR, Ren X, Lin J, Mu YL, Shan YQ, Zhu JT, Xu RY, Zhang XX, Hu WG, and Lu XH
Subjects: Angucyclines and Angucyclinones, Actinomyces metabolism, Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase, Molecular Structure, Tryptophan Oxygenase chemistry, Tryptophan Oxygenase metabolism, Actinobacteria
Abstract: Four previously undescribed angucyclinones umezawaones A-D (1-4) were isolated from the liquid cultures of Umezawaea beigongshangensis. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses, single crystal X-ray diffraction, quantum chemical 13 C NMR and electronic circular dichroism calculations. All compounds displayed strong inhibitory activities against indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase in enzymatic assay, especially compound 2., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)
Published: 2024
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31. MicroRNA-30a-5p Promotes Chronic Heart Failure in Rats by Targeting Sirtuin-1 to Activate the Nuclear Factor-κB/NOD-Like Receptor 3 Signaling Pathway.

Author: Wu YX, Xu RY, Jiang L, Chen XY, and Xiao XJ
Subjects: Rats, Animals, NF-kappa B metabolism, Sirtuin 1 genetics, Sirtuin 1 metabolism, NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein genetics, Signal Transduction, Apoptosis, MicroRNAs genetics, MicroRNAs metabolism, Heart Failure genetics
Abstract: Objective: MicroRNA-30a-5p (miR-30a-5p) has been identified as a marker of heart failure; however, its functional mechanisms in chronic heart failure (CHF) remain unknown. We aim to investigate the role of miR-30a-5p targeting sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) in myocardial remodeling in CHF via the nuclear factor-κB/NOD-like receptor 3 (NF-κB/NLRP3) signaling pathway., Methods: CHF rat models were established using aortic coarctation. The expression of miR-30a-5p, SIRT1, and the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway-related factors in CHF rats was determined. The CHF rats were then respectively treated with altered miR-30a-5p or SIRT1 to explore their roles in cardiac function, myocardial function, inflammatory response, pathological changes, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The binding relation between miR-30a-5p and SIRT1 was confirmed., Results: MiR-30a-5p was upregulated whereas SIRT1 was downregulated in myocardial tissues of CHF rats. MiR-30a-5p inhibition or SIRT1 overexpression improved cardiac and myocardial function, and suppressed the inflammatory response, alleviated pathological changes and inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis in CHF rats. MiR-30a-5p targeted SIRT1 to regulate the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. In CHF rats, downregulated miR-30a-5p and silenced SIRT1 could reverse the beneficial effects of downregulated miR-30a-5p., Conclusion: Inhibited miR-30a-5p inhibits CHF progression via the SIRT1-mediated NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
Published: 2023
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32. Efficient macrocyclization facilitated by skeleton preorganization.

Author: Xu RY, Liu X, Sun G, Zhang ZY, Dong M, Zhao L, Zhang SM, Wang XY, Zhang HX, Yang SJ, Wang X, Li B, Li J, and Li C
Abstract: Reported here is the efficient macrocyclization facilitated by skeleton preorganization. A pyridylcarbazole macrocycle and a phenylpyridylcarbazole macrocycle was synthesized in yield up to 75%. Single-crystal structures and theoretic computation uncovered that the skeleton preorganization promoted the formation of cyclization-favorable conformation of noncyclic precursors via π⋯π interactions. This result provided a new approach for the efficient syntheses of macrocycles., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)
Published: 2023
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33. Effect of different interventions on the efficacy of postpartum urinary incontinence in China: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Author: Liu DC, Gao L, Liu Y, Wang J, Li Y, and Xu RY
Subjects: Female, Humans, Network Meta-Analysis, Pelvic Floor, Biofeedback, Psychology, Postpartum Period, China, Exercise Therapy methods, Treatment Outcome, Urinary Incontinence therapy, Urinary Incontinence, Stress therapy
Abstract: Background: Currently, numerous treatment measures exist for postpartum stress urinary incontinence (PSUI); however, the study results are inconsistent., Method: Computer searches of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CKNI, and Wanfang databases were conducted to search the literature on 13 different intervention modalities for PSUI from the date of establishment to January 2023 for analysis. The literature was independently screened, and the information was extracted by 2 researchers. A reticulated meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software., Results: The findings of the reticulated meta-analysis revealed that, in terms of the effectiveness of the 13 interventions for treating PSUI from highest to lowest, the most effective was acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training (94.6%). Following this, the interventions ranked from best to worst were electroacupuncture + trans moxibustion (79.1%), pelvic floor muscle training + acupuncture (64.3%), pelvic floor muscle training + pelvic floor electrical stimulation (60.3%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + acupuncture (60.0%), pelvic floor muscle training + biofeedback electrical stimulation (59.8%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + acupuncture + herbal hot compresses (56.6%), moxibustion + pelvic floor muscle training (56.6%), pelvic floor muscle training + pelvic floor electrical stimulation + acupuncture (53.1%), biofeedback electrical stimulation + moxibustion (52.1%), pelvic floor muscle training (17.6%), biofeedback electrical stimulation (16.1%), and health coaching (0.2%). The evidence indicates that acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training may be the most effective intervention for treating PSUI occurrence., Conclusion: Improvement in 13 clinical indicators was observed in patients with PSUI, and significant enhancement was achieved through acupressure + pelvic floor muscle training., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)
Published: 2023
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34. Ruthenium(II)-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Electro-Oxidative Annulation of C 6 -Arylpurines/Purine Nucleosides.

Author: Yang QL, Luo YR, Xu RY, Zhang BN, Zhang YN, and Guo HM
Abstract: A sustainable pathway for the synthesis of tetracyclic purinium salts via ruthenium-catalyzed electro-oxidative annulation of C 6 -arylpurine nucleosides with alkynes without a stoichiometric metal oxidant has been developed. The protocol described herein exhibits high regioselectivity, broad scope, and wide functional group tolerance, allowing efficient coupling of various biologically important molecules including acyclic, ribosyl, arabinosyl, and deoxyribosyl purine nucleoside derivatives. A novel purinoisoquinolinium-coordinated ruthenium(0) sandwich intermediate has been isolated, crystallographically characterized, and electrochemically analyzed, offering direct mechanistic insight.
Published: 2023
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35. Phosphorescence enhancement of pyridinium macrocycles by poly(vinylalcohol).

Author: Zhang ZY, Deng CY, Shen CC, Xu RY, Wang XZ, Wang YH, Ding B, Li B, Li J, and Li C
Abstract: A phosphorescence enhancement of pyridinium macrocycle/monomer phosphors is realized with up to 14.7-fold prolonging of the phosphorescence lifetimes and visible afterglow by doping into a poly(vinylalcohol) (PVA) matrix. The abundant hydrogen-bonding interactions and electrostatic interactions between the phosphors and the PVA suppressed the nonradiative decay processes, slowed down the radiative decay and nonradiative decay of triplet states, and therefore promoted the long-lived RTP.
Published: 2023
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36. Children's Shyness, Frontal Brain Activity, and Anxiety in the Perioperative Context.

Author: Chow CHT, Poole KL, Xu RY, Sriranjan J, Van Lieshout RJ, Buckley N, Moffat G, and Schmidt LA
Abstract: Although preoperative anxiety affects up to 75% of children undergoing surgery each year and is associated with many adverse outcomes, we know relatively little about individual differences in how children respond to impending surgery. We examined whether patterns of anterior brain electrical activity (i.e., a neural correlate of anxious arousal) moderated the relation between children's shyness and preoperative anxiety on the day of surgery in 70 children (36 girls, M age = 10.4 years, SD age = 1.7, years, range 8 to 13 years) undergoing elective surgery. Shyness was assessed using self-report approximately 1 week prior to surgery during a preoperative visit (Time 1), preoperative anxiety was assessed using self-report, and regional EEG (left and right frontal and temporal sites) was assessed using a dry sensory EEG headband on the day of surgery (Time 2). We found that overall frontal EEG alpha power moderated the relation between shyness and self-reported preoperative anxiety. Shyness was related to higher levels of self-reported anxiety on the day of surgery for children with lower average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., higher cortical activity) but not for children with higher average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., lower cortical activity). These results suggest that the pattern of frontal brain activity might amplify some shy children's affective responses to impending surgery. Findings also extend prior results linking children's shyness, frontal brain activity, and anxiety observed in the laboratory to a real-world, ecologically salient environment.
Published: 2023
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37. Respiratory syncytial virus epidemiology and clinical severity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia, Canada: a retrospective observational study.

Author: Viñeta Paramo M, Ngo LPL, Abu-Raya B, Reicherz F, Xu RY, Bone JN, Srigley JA, Solimano A, Goldfarb DM, Skowronski DM, and Lavoie PM
Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has perturbed the seasonality of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. However, we lack data on how this impacted the severity of paediatric RSV cases. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical severity of RSV cases before, during and after pandemic measures in British Columbia (BC), Canada., Methods: Retrospective study of RSV cases from September 1st, 2017 to May 15th, 2023, with a review of RSV outcomes in children below 18 years old at BC's paediatric hospital. Temporal changes in RSV cases and hospitalisations were quantified using interrupted time series., Findings: BC experienced only 11 RSV cases (from 95,266 tests) between September 2020 and August 2021. This was followed by a resurgence of 9,529 RSV cases (219,566 tests [4.3% positive tests]) in 2021-22 and 8,215 cases (124,449 tests [6.6% positive tests]) in 2022-23, increased compared to 1,750 cases (48,664 tests [3.6% positive tests]) per corresponding yearly period in 2017-20. From September 2017 to May 2023, the median age of children with RSV at BC Children's Hospital increased from 8.7 [IQR: 2.0-26.0] to 19.6 [3.9-43.7] months per yearly period. More children were hospitalised in 2022-23 (n = 360), compared to 2017-20 (n = 168 per period) and 2021-22 (n = 172). However, we detected no increase in hospitalisations or ICU admissions in children born prematurely or with chronic cardiorespiratory conditions., Interpretation: The increased detection of symptomatic RSV cases in older children in 2021-22 and increased RSV-related hospitalisations in 2022-23 suggest a gradual increase in the pool of immunologically vulnerable children due to a prolonged lack of viral exposure., Funding: Government of Canada via its COVID-19 Immunity Task Force., Competing Interests: PML received an honorarium from Sanofi, for participation on advisory board meetings. BA received honoraria for participation in live meetings from Sanofi Pasteur France and Canada related to pertussis (for BA) and RSV products, but not related to this study. JAS received grants from WorkSafe BC, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, and COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, which were not related to this study. DMG received a grant from bioMerieux Inc. as investigator-initiated research for a blood culture study, not related to this study. DMS received grants from Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Agency of Canada, and BCCDC Foundation for public health which were not related to this study. Other authors declare no other relevant conflicts of interest., (© 2023 The Author(s).)
Published: 2023
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38. Application of Microhaplotypes in Sibling Kinship Testing.

Author: Tang X, Wen D, Wang CD, Xu RY, Jia HT, Li JN, and Zhalaga BY
Subjects: Humans, DNA Fingerprinting methods, Siblings, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of different numbers of microhaplotype (MH) loci and the introduction of different reference samples on the identification of full sibling, half sibling and differentiation between full sibling and half sibling kinships, and to explore the effect of changing mutation rate on sibling testing., Methods: First, a family map involving three generations was established, and four full sibling identification models, five half sibling identification models and five models distinguishing full and half siblings were constructed for different reference samples introduced. Based on the results of the previous study, two sets of nonbinary SNP-MH containing 34 and 54 loci were selected. Based on the above MH loci, 100 000 pairs of full sibling vs . unrelated individuals, 100 000 pairs of half sibling vs . unrelated individuals and 100 000 pairs of full sibling vs . half sibling were simulated based on the corresponding sibling kinship testing models, and the efficacy of each sibling kinship testing model was analyzed by the likelihood ratio algorithm under different thresholds. The mutant rate of 54 MH loci was changed to analyze the effect of mutation rate on sibling identification., Results: In the same relationship testing model, the systematic efficacy of sibling testing was positively correlated with the number of MH loci detected. With the same number of MH loci, the efficacy of full sibling testing was better than that of uncle or grandfather when the reference sample introduced was a full sibling of A, but there was no significant difference in the identification efficacy of the four reference samples introduced for full sibling and half sibling differentiation testing. In addition, the mutation rate had a slight effect on the efficacy of sibling kinship testing., Conclusions: Increasing the number of MH loci and introducing reference samples of known relatives can increase the efficacy of full sibling testing, half sibling testing, and differentiation between full and half sibling kinships. The level of mutation rate in sibling testing by likelihood ratio method has a slight but insignificant effect on the efficacy.
Published: 2023
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39. Can technological finance cooperation pilot policy improve energy efficiency? Evidence from a quasi-experiment in China.

Author: Zhao B and Xu RY
Subjects: Technology, China, Cities, Economic Development, Efficiency, Conservation of Energy Resources, Fiscal Policy
Abstract: Whether the technological finance cooperation pilot (TFCP) policy in China can promote energy efficiency remains under investigated. Using the dataset covering 284 cities in China from 2003 to 2019, this paper adopts the Super-SBM model with undesirable outputs to measure energy efficiency. Based on this efficiency, the Difference-in-Differences model (DID) and Spatial Durbin model (SDM) are employed to discuss the impact of TFCP policy on energy efficiency. Results demonstrate that TFCP policy has significantly promoted energy efficiency. And the conclusion is still valid after the robustness checks and endogenous treatment has been carried out. The impact of the TFCP policy on energy efficiency is heterogeneous, depending on the geographical, administrative, and resource characteristics of cities. To be specific, the promotion effect tends to be pronounced in east-central cities, high-ranking cities, and high-tech cities. Moreover, TFCP policy could significantly improve energy efficiency through the effects of technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and financial development. A further policy spillover analysis shows that TFCP policy has exerted a remarkable incentive influence on energy efficiency locally, while the neighboring cities are inhibitive. To sum up, this research is of important theoretical value and policy-making reference on green economy transformation for cities with differential features and energy utilization capacity, by shedding light on the impacts of such a technological finance cooperation system on energy efficiency., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Published: 2023
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40. Perineal nerve block versus periprostatic block for patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy (APROPOS): a prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled study.

Author: He BM, Ka-Fung Chiu P, Tao T, Lan JH, Cai JT, Zhou SC, Li RB, Ren Y, Ka-Lun LO, Xu RY, Chen JR, Lan D, Gao JL, Chu SG, Jin ZC, Huang FF, Shi ZK, Yang QW, Zhou H, Wang SD, Ji TR, Han QP, Wang CM, Chi-Fai NG, and Wang HF
Abstract: Background: We aimed to investigate perineal nerve block versus periprostatic block in pain control for men undergoing a transperineal prostate biopsy., Methods: In this prospective, randomised, blinded and parallel-group trial, men in six Chinese hospitals with suspected prostate cancer were randomly assigned (1:1) at the point of local anaesthesia to receive a perineal nerve block or periprostatic block and followed by a transperineal prostate biopsy. Centres used their usual biopsy procedure. Operators who performed anaesthesia were trained in both techniques before the trial and were masked to the randomised allocation until the time of anaesthesia and were not involved in the subsequent biopsy procedure and any assessment or analysis. Other investigators and the patients were masked until trial completion. The primary outcome was the level of the worst pain experienced during the prostate biopsy procedure. Secondary outcomes included pain (post-biopsy at 1, 6 and 24 h), changes in blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate during the biopsy procedure, external manifestations of pain during biopsy, anaesthesia satisfaction, the detection rate of PCa and clinically significant PCa. This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04501055., Findings: Between August 13, 2020, and July 20, 2022, 192 men were randomly assigned to perineal nerve block or periprostatic block, 96 per study group. Perineal nerve block was superior for the relief of pain during the biopsy procedure (mean 2.80 for perineal nerve block and 3.98 for periprostatic block; adjusted difference in means -1.17, P < 0.001). Although the perineal nerve block had a lower mean pain score at 1 h post-biopsy compared with the periprostatic block (0.23 vs 0.43, P = 0.042), they were equivalent at 6 h (0.16 vs 0.25, P = 0.389) and 24 h (0.10 vs 0.26, P = 0.184) respectively. For the change in vital signs during biopsy procedure, perineal nerve block was significantly superior to periprostatic block in terms of maximum value of systolic blood pressure, maximum value of mean arterial pressure and maximum value of heart rate. There are no statistical differences in average value of systolic blood pressure, average value of mean, average value of heart rate, diastolic blood pressure and breathing rate. Perineal nerve block was also superior to periprostatic block in external manifestations of pain (1.88 vs 3.00, P < 0.001) and anaesthesia satisfaction (8.93 vs 11.90, P < 0.001). Equivalence was shown for the detection rate of PCa (31.25% for perineal nerve block and 29.17% for periprostatic block, P = 0.753) or csPCa (23.96% for perineal nerve block and 20.83% for periprostatic block, P = 0.604). 33 (34.8%) of 96 patients in the perineal nerve block group and 40 (41.67%) of 96 patients in the periprostatic block group had at least one complication., Interpretation: Perineal nerve block was superior to periprostatic block in pain control for men undergoing a transperineal prostate biopsy., Funding: Grant 2019YFC0119100 from the National Key Research and Development Program of China., Competing Interests: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2023 The Authors.)
Published: 2023
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41. Fiscal decentralization, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon emissions: evidence from China.

Author: Zhao B, Wang KL, and Xu RY
Subjects: Environmental Policy, Economic Development, China, Carbon Dioxide analysis, Politics, Conservation of Natural Resources, Carbon
Abstract: The debate over the role of fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading in China's environmental governance has received increasing attention. Based on China's provincial panel data from 2003 to 2019, this paper investigates the impact of fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading on carbon emissions to provide empirical evidence for the above theoretical argument. The results show that fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading are negatively correlated with carbon emissions, while the interaction term for fiscal decentralization with industrial structure upgrading presents a facilitating effect on carbon emissions. Besides, fiscal decentralization, industrial structure upgrading, and the interaction term have significant regional heterogeneity on carbon emissions. When fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading are taken as threshold variables, the effects of industrial structure upgrading and fiscal decentralization are significantly nonlinear. Moreover, environmental regulation, transportation infrastructure, and carbon emissions are positively correlated. There exists an inverted U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth, which proves environmental Kuznets curve theorem. However, FDI and urbanization have no significant effect on carbon emissions. According to the above conclusions, it is necessary to strengthen the positive interaction between fiscal decentralization and industrial structure upgrading in mitigating carbon emissions, promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of China's economy, thus realizing the goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality.", (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Published: 2023
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42. Effects of Escherichia pollution and salinity on nutrient levels in submerged vegetated wetlands: Insights into benthic community stability and metabolisms.

Author: Chen JY, Wu JY, Xu RY, Hua ZL, and Gu L
Subjects: Humans, Salinity, Phylogeny, Bacteria genetics, Archaea genetics, Escherichia coli genetics, Nutrients, Nitrogen, Wetlands, Ecosystem
Abstract: Inner coastal wetland ecosystems are generally eutrophic and are often exposed to both salinity stress and Escherichia coli pollution. However, the effects of these stressors on nutrient-cycling and microbial communities are under-researched. Here, we established a vegetated wetland ecosystem in a saline environment to understand the effects of E. coli pollution on nutrient removal and benthic microorganisms. The results show that E. coli significantly inhibited nutrient removal, especially total nitrogen (TN) and ammonium (78.89-84.98 and 3.45-44.65% were removed from the non-E. coli-treated and the E. coli-treated water, respectively). Compared with non-vegetated systems, archaeal community variations at both compositional and phylogenetic levels were weakened in vegetated systems (p < 0.05). Among all the environmental factors, the ratios of PO 4 3- -P to total phosphorus and NO 3 - -N to TN contributed the most to archaeal and bacterial community structural variations, respectively. E. coli pollution affected archaeal community succession more than bacteria (p < 0.05). E. coli also weakened the trophic transferring efficiencies between Cyanobacteria and Myxobacteria (p < 0.05). Metabolically, E. coli inhibited bacterial genetic metabolic pathways but made human infection more likely (p < 0.05). Our findings provide new insights into aquatic ecological conservation and environmental management.
Published: 2023
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43. The impact of low-carbon city pilot policy on green total-factor productivity in China's cities.

Author: Wang KL, Li J, Xu RY, Pang SQ, Miao Z, and Sun HP
Subjects: Cities, China, Policy, Economic Development, Efficiency, Urbanization, Carbon
Abstract: Whether the low-carbon city construction can coordinate urban economy and environment has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this study, the impact of low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy on urban green total-factor productivity is systematically examined theoretically and empirically. Specifically, the biennial Malmquist-Luenberger (BML) index is adopted to measure urban green productivity. Then, propensity score matching-difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) and spatial DID model are used to quantitatively identify the local and spatial spillover effect of the LCCP policy on urban green productivity during 2004-2018 in China. The results show that (1) The LCCP policy can significantly promote urban green productivity, as confirmed through a series of robustness tests. (2) For transmission mechanism, the LCCP policy can enhance urban green productivity through energy consumption reduction and technological innovation but not through industrial structure optimization. (3) With regard to heterogeneity, cities with better transportation infrastructure, stricter environmental regulation and higher urbanization level, as well as non-resource-based cities have more significantly positive effects of the LCCP policy on urban green productivity. (4) The LCCP policy mainly relies on technological progress rather than technical efficiency improvement to drive urban green productivity. (5) The LCCP policy's effect on urban green productivity has significant positive spatial spillover feature, which can significantly promote green productivity in both pilot cities and their neighboring cities. Our findings can provide valuable insights for low-carbon city construction to promote urban sustainable development in China., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Published: 2023
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44. Waning Immunity Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Author: Reicherz F, Xu RY, Abu-Raya B, Majdoubi A, Michalski C, Golding L, Stojic A, Vineta M, Granoski M, Cieslak Z, Chacko A, Desai N, Sekirov I, Marchant DJ, and Lavoie PM
Subjects: Infant, Female, Humans, Pandemics, Antibodies, Viral, British Columbia epidemiology, Antibodies, Neutralizing, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections epidemiology, COVID-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines
Abstract: Health jurisdictions have seen a near-disappearance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Over this corresponding period, we report a reduction in RSV antibody levels and live virus neutralization in sera from women of childbearing age and infants between May to June 2020 and February to June 2021, in British Columbia (BC), Canada. This supports that antibody immunity against RSV is relatively short-lived and that maintaining optimal antibody levels in infants requires repeated maternal viral exposure. Waning immunity may explain the interseasonal resurgence of RSV cases observed in BC and other countries., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest . All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed. PML serves on the British Columbia RSV Immunoprophylaxis Program, a publicly funded program under the British Columbia Ministry of Health and Provincial Health Services Authority. Other authors declare no relevant conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)
Published: 2022
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45. Removal of Per-, Poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and multi-biosphere community dynamics in a bacteria-algae symbiotic aquatic ecosystem.

Author: Wu JY, Gu L, Hua ZL, Wang DW, Xu RY, Ge XY, and Chu KJ
Subjects: Ecosystem, Clay, Sand, Reactive Oxygen Species, Plants, Chlorophyll A, Bacteria, Carbon, Water, Carotenoids, Fluorocarbons analysis, Water Pollutants, Chemical toxicity, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis
Abstract: The presence of Per-, Poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic ecosystems has drawn broad concerns in the scientific community due to their biological toxicity. However, little has been explored regarding PFASs' removal in phytoplankton-dominated environments. This study aimed to create a simulated bacteria-algae symbiotic ecosystem to observe the potential transportation of PFASs. Mass distributions showed that sand (63-2000 μm), silt & clay (0-63 μm), the phycosphere (>3 μm plankton), and the free-living biosphere (0.22-3 μm plankton) contained 19.00, 7.78, 5.73 and 2.75% PFASs in their total mass, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between carbon chain lengths and removal rates (R 2 = 0.822, p < 10 -4 ). Structural equation models revealed potential PFAS transportation pathways, such as water-phycosphere- free-living biosphere-sand-silt&clay, and water-sand-silt&clay (p < 0.05). The presence of PFASs decreased the bacterial density but increased algal density (p < 0.01) in the planktonic environment, and PFASs with longer carbon chain lengths showed a stronger enhancement in microbial community successions (p < 0.05). In algal metabolisms, chlorophyll-a and carotenoids were the key pigments that resisted reactive oxygen species caused by PFASs. PFBA (perfluorobutyric acid) (10.38-14.68%) and PFTeDA (perfluorotetradecanoic acid) (10.33-15.96%) affected bacterial metabolisms in phycosphere the most, while in the free-living biosphere was most effected by PFPeA (perfluorovaleric acid) (13.21-13.99%) and PFDoA (perfluorododecanoic acid) (10.04-10.50%). The results of this study provide new guidance measures for PFAS removal and management in aquatic environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Published: 2022
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46. Ferroptosis in AS progression: role of miRNA.

Author: Zong Y, Li W, Xu RY, He L, Wei DH, Wang Z, Wang GX, and Li GH
Subjects: Ferroptosis genetics, MicroRNAs genetics
Abstract: We review the relationship between miRNAs associated with ferroptosis and the evolution of AS. Even though, more evidence is asked to determine the role of miRNAs associated with ferroptosis in the AS, this review will help us understand the role of miRNAs in ferroptosis and AS and may provide new insights for probing new biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of AS for the time to come. This is a narrative essay. Using PubMed as the main source, a literature search strategy was randomly implemented to index Scopus articles. No specific terminology is used. Studies have shown that ferroptosis plays a crucial role in the development of AS, and a large amount of ferroptosis in cells can lead to the progression of AS. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) have been proved to be taken part in the biological course of ferroptosis and thus the process of AS is affected. The exact regulatory mechanism behind this appearance remains unclear. In order to clarify this, a growing number of studies have concentrated the regulatory role of miRNAs in the process of generation and development of ferroptosis, as well as the function of ferroptosis in the progression of AS. MiRNAs play a significant role in the process of ferroptosis and are incredibly significant in the occurrence, development, clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of AS.
Published: 2022
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47. The prevalence of hypophosphatemia and refeeding-related hypophosphatemia in hospitalized patients requiring parental nutrition: a retrospective study.

Author: Zhou YQ, Zhang XM, Chen ZQ, Wang JL, Qian YB, and Xu RY
Subjects: Female, Humans, Male, Parents, Phosphates therapeutic use, Phosphorus therapeutic use, Prevalence, Retrospective Studies, Calcium therapeutic use, Hypophosphatemia epidemiology, Hypophosphatemia etiology
Abstract: Objective: Hypophosphatemia might cause respiratory and heart failure and even death. We aimed to evaluate risk factors for hypophosphatemia and refeeding-related hypophosphatemia in patients requiring parental nutrition (PN)., Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. Clinical parameters were obtained from medical records. Serum phosphate (inorganic phosphorus) was measured by photometric analysis. Hypophosphatemia was confirmed when serum phosphate level was less than 0.8 mmol/L (≈2.5 mg/dl). Refeeding related hypophosphatemia was confirmed if serum phosphate level had a decrease of 0.16 mmol/L or more from baseline and if the final assessment was below 0.65 mmol/L., Results: A total number of 655 (426 men and 229 women, aged 62.8 ± 14.8 years) hospitalized patients requiring PN were included in the study, and 60.6% of them were patients with cancer. The average body mass index (BMI) was 21.1 ± 4.1 kg/m 2 and the median of serum phosphate was 0.9 mmol/L (quartile range: 0.68 mmol/L, 1.11 mmol/L). The prevalence of hypophosphatemia was 37.6% (246/655). Older age (≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years), lower serum level of pre-albumin (< 160 mg/L vs. ≥ 160 mg/L), calcium (< 2.11 mmol/L vs. ≥ 2.11 mmol/L), and magnesium (< 0.75 mmol/L vs. ≥ 0.75 mmol/L) were associated with high risk of hypophosphatemia by multivariate logistic regression (OR ranged from 1.43 to 3.06, all p < 0.05). Refeeding related hypophosphatemia was 9.5% (16/168). Serum level of calcium at baseline was significantly lower in participants with refeeding related hypophosphatemia than those without it. Total calorie and nitrogen delivered during first week of PN period showed no obvious difference between patients with and without refeeding related hypophosphatemia., Conclusions: Hypophosphatemia is common (37.6%) in hospitalized patients requiring PN. Monitoring of serum level of phosphorus is necessary to facilitate early treatment of hypophosphatemia., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)
Published: 2022
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48. An Alternatively Spliced Variant of METTL3 Mediates Tumor Suppression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Author: Xu RY, Ding Z, Zhao Q, Ke TY, Chen S, Wang XY, Wang YY, Sheng MF, Wang W, Long N, Shen YX, Xu YZ, and Shao W
Subjects: Adenosine genetics, Adenosine metabolism, Humans, Methyltransferases genetics, Methyltransferases metabolism, RNA, Messenger genetics, Carcinoma, Hepatocellular pathology, Liver Neoplasms pathology
Abstract: Many post-transcriptional mRNA processing steps play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and the progression of cancers, such as N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) modification and alternative splicing. Upregulation of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), the catalytic core of the m 6 A methyltransferase complex, increases m 6 A levels and results in significant effects on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, alternative splicing of METTL3 has not been fully investigated, and the functions of its splice variants remain unclear. Here, we analyzed both our and online transcriptomic data, obtaining 13 splice variants of METTL3 in addition to canonical full-length METTL3-A in HCC cell lines and tissues. Validated by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, we found that METTL3-D, one of the splice variants expressing a truncated METTL3 protein, exhibits higher levels than METTL3-A in normal human livers but lower levels than METTL3-A in HCC tumor tissues and cell lines. Further functional assays demonstrated that METTL3-D expression decreased cellular m 6 A modification, inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, and was negatively associated with the malignancy of patient tumors, exhibiting functions opposite to those of full-length METTL3-A. This study demonstrates that the METTL3-D splice variant is a tumor suppressor that could potentially be used as a target for HCC therapy.
Published: 2022
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49. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among Vancouver public school staff in British Columbia, Canada: a cross-sectional study.

Author: Goldfarb DM, Mâsse LC, Watts AW, Hutchison SM, Muttucomaroe L, Bosman ES, Barakauskas VE, Choi A, Dhillon N, Irvine MA, Reicherz F, O'Reilly C, Sediqi S, Xu RY, Razzaghian HR, Sadarangani M, Coombs D, O'Brien SF, and Lavoie PM
Subjects: British Columbia epidemiology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Seroepidemiologic Studies, COVID-19 epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2
Abstract: Objectives: Few studies reported COVID-19 cases in schools during the 2020/21 academic year in a setting of uninterrupted in-person schooling. The main objective was to determine the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among school staff in Vancouver public schools., Design: Cumulative incident COVID-19 cases among all students and school staff based on public health data, with an embedded cross-sectional serosurvey among a school staff sample that was compared to period, age, sex and geographical location-weighted data from blood donors., Setting: Vancouver School District (British Columbia, Canada) from kindergarten to grade 12., Participants: Active school staff enrolled from 3 February to 23 April 2021 with serology testing from 10 February to 15 May 2021., Main Outcome Measures: SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among school staff, based on spike (S)-based (unvaccinated staff) or N-based serology testing (vaccinated staff)., Results: Public health data showed the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 among students attending in-person was 9.8 per 1000 students (n=47 280), and 13 per 1000 among school staff (n=7071). In a representative sample of 1689 school staff, 78.2% had classroom responsibilities, and spent a median of 17.6 hours in class per week (IQR: 5.0-25 hours). Although 21.5% (363/1686) of surveyed staff self-reported close contact with a COVID-19 case outside of their household (16.5% contacts were school-based), 5 cases likely acquired the infection at school based on viral testing. Sensitivity/Specificity-adjusted seroprevalence in 1556/1689 staff (92.1%) was 2.3% (95% CI: 1.6% to 3.2%), comparable to a sex, age, date and residency area-weighted seroprevalence of 2.6% (95% CI: 2.2% to 3.1%) among 5417 blood donors., Conclusion: Seroprevalence among staff was comparable to a reference group of blood donors from the same community. These data show that in-person schooling could be safely maintained during the 2020/21 school year with mitigation measures, in a large school district in Vancouver, Canada., Competing Interests: Competing interests: CO'R is an employee of the Vancouver School District, but the District was not involved in the design, analysis, interpretation of the data or the drafting of this manuscript; MS has been an investigator on projects funded by GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi-Pasteur, Seqirus, Symvivo and VBI Vaccines. All funds have been paid to his institute, and he has not received any personal payments; the authors declare no relevant conflicts of interest. LifeLabs and Dynacare played no role in the study other than providing a service for the collection of blood samples., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)
Published: 2022
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50. The Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Cancer Clinical Trials in Canada and the Initial Response from Cancer Centers.

Author: Sundquist S, Kato D, Xu RY, Schoales J, Kulendran S, and Dancey JE
Subjects: Canada, Clinical Trials as Topic, Humans, Pandemics, COVID-19, Neoplasms therapy
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in temporary holds placed on new trial startups, patient recruitment and follow up visits for trials which contributed to major disruptions in cancer center trial unit operations. To assess the impact, the Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (3CTN) members participated in regional meetings and a survey to understand the impact of the pandemic to academic cancer clinical trials (ACCT) activity, cancer trial unit operations and supports needed for post-pandemic recovery. Trial performance and recruitment data collected from 1 April 2020-31 March 2021 was compared to the same period in previous years. From 1 April-30 June 2020, patient recruitment decreased by 67.5% and trial site activations decreased by 81% compared to the same period in 2019. Recovery to reopening and recruitment of ACCTs began after three months, which was faster than initially projected. However, ongoing COVID-19 impacts on trial unit staffing and operations continue to contribute to delayed trial activations, lower patient recruitment and may further strain centers' capacity for participation in academic-sponsored trials.
Published: 2022
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