Browse Articles

Target-specific peptides for BK virus agnoprotein identified through phage display screening: advancing antiviral therapeutics

Author Correction: An ensemble method for improving robustness against the electrode contact problems in automated sleep stage scoring

Investigation of the validity, reliability and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Ottawa sitting scale in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract The Ottawa Sitting Scale is a tool for the multidimensional assessment of sitting balance. This study aimed to investigate the validity, reliability, and psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Ottawa Sitting Scale (OSS-TR) in Turkish-speaking patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study included 56 patients diagnosed with PD based on the UK Brain Bank Criteria. Construct validity of the OSS-TR was established through the evaluation of structural and convergent validity. Explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out to determine the structural validity. Convergent validity was analysed by examining the relationships between OSS-TR with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS). The test-retest reliability of the scale was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The good fit determined according to the model fit criteria based on the CFA results confirmed the structural validity. Furthermore, the high associations between OSS-TR with the BBS (r = 0.766) and TIS (r = 0.720) supported convergent validity (p < 0.05). Test-retest reliability of the OSS-TR was excellent (ICC = 0.867). Moreover, internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.948). The OSS-TR is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing sitting balance in Turkish-speaking PD patients. Regarding the results of the study, OSS-TR can be considered useful in the evaluation of sitting balance among PD patients in clinical and research settings.

The role of IFN-γ/CXCL10 axis in Mycoplasma pneumonia infection

Sociodemographic characteristics and health status of women with breast cancer and COVID 19 diagnosis by menopausal status a cross sectional study

Abstract The goal of this work is to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics and health status of women with breast cancer (BC) in association with COVID-19 by menopausal status. In a Swedish register-based cross-sectional study, we compared women with BC and with or without a positive COVID-19 test, stratified by menopausal status (age ≥ 51 years). Socioeconomic characteristics and health status (represented by diagnoses registered in 5 years- and prescription dispensed in 2 years preceding Jan 2020) were considered in association with COVID-19 diagnosis. The study population included 38,523 women with BC. Median age at BC diagnosis was 45 years (IQR = 40–48) for premenopausal- and 67 (IQR = 60–73) for postmenopausal BC. A logistic regression model was used and found the significant covariate effects (adjusted odds ratios, ORs) for a positive COVID-19 test among women with premenopausal BC to be being born outside of Europe: 1.29, (1.13–1.46), being married: 1.23, (1.12–1.36), being unemployed 1.92 (1.59–2.30), having upper secondary school education 1.25 (1.01–1.54), having > 15 outpatient visits: 1.31, (1.07–1.61), and a history of being admitted to hospital 1–5 times: 1.12 (1.01–1.25). Corresponding significant covariate effects among women with postmenopausal BC were being born outside of Europe: 1.61 (1.41–1.83), being married: 1.12 (1.04–1.21), and being unemployed 1.54 (1.40–1.69). Postmenopausal women furthermore had more outpatient visits or hospital admissions before the pandemic in COVID-19 positive patients compared to patients without a COVID-19 positive test, e.g. 1.47 (1.26–1.71) for > 15 outpatient visits compared with no visit and 6.35 (3.33–12.11) for > 15 hospital admissions compared with no admission. Varied socioeconomical and clinical conditions were more frequent among patients with a positive COVID-19 test compared to patients without a positive test among women with BC in pre- or post-menopausal status. We conclude that some characteristics of women such as unemployment, country of birth or health status measured by number of prescribed drugs were more prevalent among women who developed COVID-19 compared to women without COVID-19 diagnosis and either of menopausal status of breast cancer.

Causal analysis of dietary preferences and the risk of endometriosis using large-scale population data

Abstract Dietary factors have recently been recognized as potentially influential in the pathogenesis of endometriosis (EM), yet studies on the causal relationship between dietary preferences and EM are limited. The present study aimed to explore the causal relationships between 187 dietary preferences and EM using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. This study utilised genome-wide association study data from over 500,000 European participants for dietary preferences and 64,658 EM patients from Finland. Dietary preferences with potential causal relationships to EM were identified using two-sample MR methods. P-values from the inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis were corrected using the false discovery rate (FDR) method to ensure accuracy. Additionally, heterogeneity analysis, pleiotropy assessment, leave-one-out analysis, and reverse MR analysis were conducted to further validate and solidify the findings of the study. After FDR correction, IVW analysis revealed that asparagus preference was significantly protective against EM, including in American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) stages 1–2 and 3–4. Conversely, preferences for different types of coffee and orange juice were associated with an increased likelihood of EM across these stages. Subgroup analysis indicated that asparagus preference had a protective effect against deep EM, ovarian EM, pelvic peritoneal EM, and rectovaginal septum and vaginal EM. In contrast, coffee preference increased the risk of pelvic peritoneal EM, fallopian tube EM, and unspecified EM, whereas orange juice preference increased the risk of deep EM, rectovaginal septum and vaginal EM, pelvic peritoneal EM, and unspecified EM. Reverse MR analysis did not identify causal relationships between EM and the specific dietary preferences that were analysed in this study. These findings suggest that asparagus preference significantly reduces the risk of developing EM, whereas preferences for orange juice and different types of coffee may increase the risk, offering new insights into EM management through dietary modifications.

The boost of force in unfused tetanic contractions at variable interpulse intervals in fast motor units of the rat medial gastrocnemius

Hyoid bone-based sex discrimination among Egyptians using a multidetector computed tomography: discriminant function analysis, meta-analysis, and artificial intelligence-assisted study

MythicVision: a deep learning powered mobile application for understanding Indian mythological deities using weight centric decision approach

Optimizing the graft size in the Evans osteotomy to minimize the calcaneocuboid joint pressure by highly realistic in-silico analysis

Abstract This contribution details a new high-fidelity finite element analysis (FEA) methodology for the investigation of the effect of the graft size on the pressure distribution developing at the calcaneocuboid joint after the Evans osteotomy procedure. The FEA model includes all 28 bones of the foot up to the distal end of fibula and tibia as well as soft tissues, tendons, and muscles. The developed FEA model was validated by comparing the in-vivo pressure distribution on the foot plantar with the in-silico results, resulting in a low deviation equal to 7.8%, and with the deformed foot shape caused by the body weight in static standing position measured by a high-precision lidar scanning, for an average shape error of 5.3%. The developed FEA was then employed to investigate the effect of the graft size on the calcaneocuboid joint pressure and improvement in the medial-longitudinal arch for a flat foot patient, where the soft and hard tissues’ geometries were acquired by a CT scan. The results quantitatively demonstrated that the maximum pressure at the calcaneocuboid joint follows a quadratic trend where the minimum point also represents the best compromise to alleviate the flat foot condition while avoiding excessive pressure.

Exploring synergistic evolution of carbon emissions and air pollutants and spatiotemporal heterogeneity of influencing factors in Chinese cities

The SERPINB4 gene mutation identified in twin patients with Crohn’s disease impaires the intestinal epithelial cell functions

Publisher Correction: Cardiometabolic risk factors of post-bariatric patients two years after COVID-19 pandemic onset: a longitudinal study

Experimental investigation on the seismic resistance of RC columns after acid rain corrosion

Risk factor of postoperative pulmonary complications after colorectal cancer surgery: an analysis of nationwide inpatient sample

Alterations of triple network dynamic connectivity and repetitive behaviors after mini-basketball training program in children with autism spectrum disorder

Research on credit risk of listed companies: a hybrid model based on TCN and DilateFormer

AI-based hybrid power quality control system for electrical railway using single phase PV-UPQC with Lyapunov optimization

Numerical investigation of coal pillar damage mechanisms for various width-to-height ratios

A novel approach for managing the incisions of tibial plateau fractures with soft tissue swelling

Abstract To investigate the feasibility and clinical efficacy of a novel approach to managing the incisions used to treat tibial plateau fractures (TPFs) with soft tissue swelling. We retrospectively enrolled 64 patients with TPFs who underwent surgery at the Second Hospital of Shandong University. Patients were divided into two groups: Group A (n = 32) underwent early surgery with the novel incision management technique, and Group B (n = 32) underwent conventional surgery after swelling reduction. The perioperative data of the two groups were compared, including the time from injury to surgery, one-stage operation time, intraoperative blood loss, number of dressing changes, wound healing time, and hospitalization time. Preoperative and postoperative complications were assessed in both groups, and pain condition, degree of arthritis, limb function, imaging results, and quality of life were evaluated using validated scales. The time from injury to surgery, number of dressing changes, and hospitalization time in Group A were significantly lower than those in Group B (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in one-stage operation time, intraoperative blood loss, or wound healing time between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were fewer preoperative and postoperative complications in Group A than in Group B (P < 0.05). The VAS and WOMAC scores were reduced in both groups (P < 0.05); Group A had lower VAS scores two weeks after surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in the WOMAC score between the groups. The modified Rasmussen functional and radiological scores were elevated in both groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for the modified Rasmussen functional or radiological score at any of the time points (P > 0.05). In addition, the two groups did not differ in quality of life (P > 0.05). For patients with tibial plateau fractures without congestive blisters, open reduction and internal fixation at the early stage of swelling and wide-spacing interrupted suture and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) closure of the wound could help obtain excellent to good functional outcomes with fewer complications. This novel incision management approach and concept expands the surgical indications for these fractures.