OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown that balance performance is better in gymnasts compared to age-/sex-matched controls and further studies revealed superior performance when arms were free to move during assessment of balance. However, it is unknown whether free arm movement during balance testing differentially affects balance performance with respect to sports expertise (i.e., gymnasts are less affected than age-/sex-matched controls). Therefore, we investigated the effect of arm movement on balance performance in young female gymnasts compared to age-/sex-matched controls while performing balance tasks with various difficulty levels. RESULTS: In both samples, balance performance (except for the timed one-legged stance) was significantly better during free compared to restricted arm movement conditions and this was especially observed in the highest task difficulty condition of the 3-m beam walking backward test. These findings revealed that balance performance is positively affected by free arm movements, but this does not seem to be additionally influenced by the achieved expertise level in young gymnasts.

OBJECTIVE: There is an association between pre-migration exposure to threats and violence, and the risk for mental illness among newly arrived refugees (NAR). The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the effect of pre-migration violent and threatening experiences on the mental health of NAR in Sweden. The participants were recruited between February 2015 and February 2016, undergoing the naturalisation process in Sweden. In total, 681 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 39.5%). RESULTS: The results showed that almost 50% of the sample were at risk for mental illness. Analysis of pre-migration exposure to violence or threats, and risk for mental illness, showed a significant odds ratio for violence as well as for threats. Analysing men and women separately resulted in a significant odds ratio for women for pre-migration threats. For men, pre-migration violence and threats were significantly associated with the risk for mental illness. The host society receiving NAR must screen for mental illness and be prepared to provide support and care for refugees who were exposed to violence or threats, and who are subsequently at risk for mental illness. This must be considered in order to improve health and subsequently the social integration of refugees.

OBJECTIVE: In children, studies have shown that balance performance is worse in boys compared to girls and further studies revealed inferior performance when arm movement was restricted during balance assessment. However, it remains unclear whether restriction of arm movement during balance testing differentially affects children's balance performance (i.e., boys more than girls). Thus, we compared the influence of arm movement on balance performance in healthy boys versus girls (mean age: ~ 11.5 years) while performing balance tasks with various difficulty level. RESULTS: In nearly all tests, balance performance (i.e., timed one-legged stance, 3-m beam walking backward step number, Lower Quarter Y-Balance test reach distance) was significantly worse during restricted compared to free arm movement but without any differences between sexes or varying levels of task difficulty. These findings indicated that balance performance is negatively affected by restriction of arm movement, but this does not seem to be additionally influenced by children's sex and the level of task difficulty.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the efficiency of seven novel surfactants, relative to the typical Silwet® L-77, for floral dip transformation of Arabidopsis. RESULTS: Floral dip transformation of Arabidopsis has been used consistently for 20 years with little change in the protocol. Here we directly compare seven novel surfactants (BREAK-THRU®-OE446, S200, S233, S240, S279, S301 and SP133) to the standard Silwet® L-77 for efficiency of Arabidopsis transformation providing an example of how the surfactants can help other plant transformation protocols. Relative transformation efficiencies ranged from - 44 to + 45% compared to Silwet® L-77. Surfactants S200, S240, and S279 demonstrated the greatest enhancement in transformation.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and hemodialysis (HD) are main modalities for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and those have been covered by National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme since 2014 in Indonesia. This study aims to update the cost-effectiveness model of CAPD versus HD in Indonesia setting. RESULTS: Compared to HD, CAPD provides good value for money among ESRD patients in Indonesia. Using societal perspective, the total costs were IDR 1,348,612,118 (USD 95,504) and IDR 1,368,447,750 (USD 96,908), for CAPD and HD, respectively. The QALY was slightly different between two modalities, 4.79 for CAPD versus 4.22 for HD. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) yields savings of IDR 34,723,527/QALY (USD 2460).

OBJECTIVES: Cell-surface antigen screening was performed on human fetal liver cells using flow cytometry. The goal was to provide proteomic expression data on a number of human fetal liver cell populations that can inform studies on developmental hepatology and hematology. DATA DESCRIPTION: A 21 weeks' gestation liver was depleted of erythrocytes prior to antibody staining. Screening was performed using phycoerythrin-labelled antibodies against 332 antigens. In addition to these antibodies, all samples were stained for CD14, CD45, CD235a, and CD326 (epithelial cell adhesion molecule - EpCAM). Subpopulations of fetal liver cells were identified using the co-stained antigens. Hematopoietic cells were identified by their expression of CD45 and CD235a; non-hematopoietic cells were further subdivided based on CD14 and CD326 expression. CD326++CD14low hepatoblasts and CD14++ liver sinusoidal endothelial cells were analyzed for the frequency and intensity of antigen expression. Analyzed flow cytometry data are presented for the expression of the antigens on hematopoietic cells and on non-hematopoietic cells in the context of CD14 and CD326 expression.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test device using nasal swabs and those of the SSf-COVID19 kit, one of RT-PCR tests, using saliva specimens. These tests were compared with RT-PCR tests using nasopharyngeal swabs for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The three diagnostic tests were simultaneously conducted for patients aged ≥ 18 years, who were about to be hospitalized or had been admitted for COVID-19 confirmed by RT-PCR in two research hospitals from August 20 to October 29, 2021. Nasal swabs were tested using the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test device. More than 1 mL of saliva was self-collected and tested using the SSf-COVID19 kit. RESULTS: In total, 157 patients were investigated; 124 patients who were about to be hospitalized and 33 patients already admitted for COVID-19. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test device with nasal swabs were 64.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 47.9-78.5%) and 100.0% (95% CI 97.0-100.0%), respectively. The median time to confirm a positive result was 180 s (interquartile range 60-255 s). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the SSf-COVID19 kit with saliva specimens were 94.1% (95% CI 80.9-98.4%) and 100.0% (95% CI 97.0-100.0%), respectively.

OBJECTIVES: This paper explored the fixed point results for the mappings satisfying generalized weak contractive conditions in a complete partially ordered b-metric space. These contractions are some variations of the work done by the authors (Mituku et al. in BMC Res Notes 13:537. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05354-1 , 2020; Seshagiri et al. in BMC Res Notes 13:451. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-020-05273-1 , 2020, BMC Res Notes 14:390. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05801-7 , 2021, BMC Res Notes 14:263. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05649-x , 2021) in the same context. To validate the results a few examples are provided. RESULT: The aim of this work is to prove some fixed point results of the self mappings in ordered b-metric space satisfying variant generalized weak contraction conditions. These results generalize some known results in the provided literature.

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is the result of a dysregulation of insulin production and signalling, leading to an increase in both glucose concentration and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Previous work showed that T2D patients exhibited immune dysfunction associated with increased adhesion molecule expression on endothelial cell surfaces, accompanied by decreased neutrophil rolling velocity on the endothelial cell surface. Changes in cell rolling adhesion have direct vascular and immune complications such as atherosclerosis and reduced healing time in T2D patients. While previous studies focused primarily on how endothelial cells affect neutrophil rolling under T2D conditions, little is known about changes to neutrophils that affect their rolling. In this study, we aim to show how the rolling behaviour of neutrophils is affected by T2D conditions on a controlled substrate. RESULTS: We found that neutrophils cultured in T2D-serum mimicking media increased cell rolling velocity compared to neutrophils under normal conditions. Specifically, glucose alone is responsible for higher rolling velocity. While cytokines further increase the rolling velocity, they also reduce the cell size. Both glucose and cytokines likely reduce the function of P-selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on neutrophils.

OBJECTIVE: Visual inspection of cervix after acetic acid application (VIA) has been considered an alternative to Pap smear in resource-limited settings, like Indonesia. However, VIA results mainly depend on examiner's experience and with the lack of comprehensive training of healthcare workers, VIA accuracy keeps declining. We aimed to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based Android application that can automatically determine VIA results in real time and may be further developed as a health care support system in cervical cancer screening. RESULT: A total of 199 women who underwent VIA test was studied. Images of cervix before and after VIA test were taken with smartphone, then evaluated and labelled by experienced oncologist as VIA positive or negative. Our AI model training pipeline consists of 3 steps: image pre-processing, feature extraction, and classifier development. Out of the 199 data, 134 were used as train-validation data and the remaining 65 data were used as test data. The trained AI model generated a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 96.4%, accuracy of 93.8%, precision of 80%, and ROC/AUC of 0.85 (95% CI 0.66-1.0). The developed AI-based Android application may potentially aid cervical cancer screening, especially in low resource settings.

OBJECTIVE: Intranasal administration of dexmedetomidine for monitored anesthesia care (MAC) appears to be an effective, safe, and appropriate alternative to general anesthesia (GA) for ambulatory dental surgery. Based on the available evidence we evaluated a new MAC protocol with intranasal dexmedetomidine as the primary choice. To assess a difference in patient satisfaction and anesthesia-related discomfort between GA and MAC in ambulatory dental surgery, a study was conducted among patients undergoing various dental procedures. Patient satisfaction and anesthesia-related discomfort were assessed on the first postoperative day using the Bauer patient satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS: Although the differences were small, patients in the MAC group were overall more satisfied with the general care compared to the GA group (p < 0.02). Patients in the MAC group reported more postoperative drowsiness compared to the GA group (p < 0.05), but less postoperative hoarseness and sore throat (p = 0.005 and p < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, postoperative thirst was more common in the GA group (p = 0.002). In conclusion, the differences in patient satisfaction and anesthesia-related discomfort between GA and MAC in this implementation study were small but appeared to favor MAC with intranasal dexmedetomidine over GA as anesthesia method during dental ambulatory surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Height data is not useful immediately without further processing. The Growth Length Mat (Stunting Mat) was designed to stunting directly. However, the Mat has not been validated for use in Ghana. This study compared stunting measured with the Mat and stunting measured following the WHO recommended procedure. We sampled 163 children aged 6-24 months in the Bono region of Ghana. We also explored the acceptability and interpretability of the two procedures among mothers and healthcare givers. RESULTS: The prevalence of stunting was 3.7% and 11.7% using the Mat and WHO procedures respectively. The Growth Length Mat had very low sensitivity (21.0%) but high specificity (98.6%) of detecting stunting in children. However, in younger aged children, the Mat was more accurate in detecting stunting. Both healthcare workers and caregivers found it easy to interpret the stunting status of children using the Mat. We conclude that the Growth Length Mat was less sensitive at detecting child stunting compared to the current gold standard of measuring stunting in younger children. There are possibilities to improve the accuracy and utility of the Mat for measuring stunting in low-resource settings by re-designing the mat to be more age appropriate.

OBJECTIVE: Ring nematodes can decrease vineyard productivity when plated in conditions favorable for their survival. Resistant rootstocks are available to combat harm due to ring nematodes, and compounds called phenolics were hypothesized as imparting this resistance. Therefore, this study measured phenolic compound levels in four different rootstocks and attempted to find associations with ring nematode populations. Furthermore, select phenolics called stilbenoids were tested in a bioassay to observe if these compounds affect ring nematode survival. This was part of a larger effort to assess the role of phenolics in protecting grapevines from nematodes and other pathogens or pests. DATA DESCRIPTION: This study was conducted over 2 years, 2018 and 2019, and phenolic levels were much greater in 2019 than 2018 likely due to uncontrolled differences in climatic controls. Ring nematode infected grapevines also did not have different phenolic compound levels than healthy controls. Bioassays of different stilbenoid polymers revealed no significant effects on ring nematode survival. These results suggest that analyzed root phenolic compounds were not involved in resistance or susceptibility to ring nematodes. These data should steer future researchers into analyzing other potential sources of nematode resistance.

Author information: (1)Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece. (2)School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus. (3)First Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. (4)Fourth Department of Internal Medicine and Angiology Unit, Evangelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece. (5)Cardiac Department, Euroclinic Hospital, Athens, Greece. (6)Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece. (7)WINMEDICA Hellas, Athens, Greece. (8)Diabetic Foot Clinic, Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece. papanasnikos@yahoo.gr.

OBJECTIVE: The cleavage and polyadenylation endonuclease CPSF73 is thought to be the target of the anti-trypanosomal benzoxaboroles AN7973, acoziborole and AN11736. We previously showed that AN7973 inhibits mRNA processing. We here investigated whether the drug candidates acoziborole (for human sleeping sickness) and AN11736 (for nagana in cattle) have the same effect. We also affinity purified tagged CPSF73 from parasites without, or after, AN7973 treatment, and analysed differentially co-purified proteins by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: AN11736 and acoziborole both inhibited mRNA processing, as demonstrated by decreased levels of spliced mRNAs and accumulation of di- and tri-cistronic mRNAs from the alpha-beta tubulin locus. Treating the cells with AN7973 for 30 min. did not significantly affect the proteins that copurified with CPSF73.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of point-of-care capillary and venous/arterial samples to laboratory testing of venous/arterial samples in critically sick shocked and non-shocked patients. This is a prospective case-control study including capillary, venous, and arterial blood samples from 268 critically ill patients. The King Fahd Military Medical Complex in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, was the site of this investigation. RESULTS: We were able to obtain data on 268 patients for this investigation. POCT and lab findings of venous and central blood did not differ significantly (P = 0.389 and 0.208), while POCT indicated somewhat higher results with venous glucose concentrations of 10.18 and 10.05 (POCT and lab tests respectively) and 9.18 and 9.54 (POCT and lab tests respectively). In addition, the mean differences between POC and laboratory analyses of venous, arterial, and central glucose were 0.13, - 1.75, and - 0.36 mmol/L for venous, arterial, and central glucose, respectively. Except for arterial blood glucose, we did not observe a significant difference between POCT and routine laboratory analysis of glucose concentrations in critically ill patients. Compared to laboratory blood analysis, the use of POCT is marginally accurate, with no difference between shocked and non-shocked patients.

OBJECTIVE: Perilipin A is a common protein that coats lipid surfaces preventing them from being exposed to oxidative damage. Researchers have found little consistency in the relationship between perilipin A levels in the blood and body fat. This study was a cross-sectional observational that looked at circulating perilipin A levels and how they relate to metabolic health. RESULTS: The participants in this study were 86 individuals with a mean age of 45.5 ± 1.2 years. Multiple clinical and metabolic indicators (age, weight, BMI, total body fat mass, triglyceride, and HOMA-IR) were shown to be inversely associated with perilipin A levels (rho = - 0.32, - 0.37, - 0.40, - 0.45, - 0.33 and - 0.29; p < 0.05 respectively). Obese persons were almost six times more likely than non-obese individuals to have lower perilipin A levels (odds ratio = 6.22, CI = 2.35-11.50, p < 0.001). Our findings underscore the important role of perilipin A proteins in metabolic health.

OBJECTIVE: Competition among trials for patient enrollment can impede recruitment. We hypothesized that this occurred early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when an unprecedented number of clinical trials were launched. We performed a simple and multivariable regression analysis evaluating the relationship between the proportion of SARS-CoV-2 investigational trial sites within each USA state with unsuccessful patient-participant recruitment and: (i) the proportion of cases required to reach state recruitment goals; (ii) state population based on data from the US Census; and, (iii) number of trial sites per state. RESULTS: Our study included 151 clinical trials. The proportion of trials with successful recruitment was 72.19% (109 of 151 trials). We did not find a significant relationship between unsuccessful patient-participant recruitment, state recruitment goals, state population or the number of trial sites per state in both our simple and multivariable regression analyses. Our results do not suggest that early in the COVID-19 pandemic, competition for patient-participants impeded successful recruitment in SARS-CoV-2 trials. This may reflect the unique circumstances of the first few months of the pandemic in the United States, in which the number and location of SARS-CoV-2 cases was sufficient to meet trial recruitment requirements, despite the large number of trials launched.

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid cancer incidence has steadily increased in Indonesia. However, data on Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) and EGFR mutations in thyroid cancer in Indonesia remain unavailable, except for BRAF-V600E, the most common BRAF gene mutation. This study aimed to analyze KRAS and EGFR mutation profiles in BRAF-V600E negative thyroid cancer samples. RESULTS: BRAF-V600E mutations were found in papillary thyroid carcinomas in 40.3% patients with mean age of 53 years old. In BRAF-V600E-negative samples, 41.3% had KRAS mutations with mean age of 55.5 years old. KRAS mutation was found in 52.6% of follicular carcinomas and 47.4% of papillary thyroid carcinomas. Additionally, 45.7% had EGFR mutations in patients with mean age of 50.5 years old. EGFR mutation was found in 71.4% of papillary thyroid carcinoma and 28.6% of follicular carcinoma. Nearly half of the BRAF-V600E negative thyroid carcinoma samples harbored either KRAS or EGFR mutations. This finding suggests that in BRAF-V600E negative thyroid carcinoma samples, testing for RAS and EGFR mutation may be warranted for further therapeutic consideration.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies reported significant improvements in static and dynamic balance performance following balance training during adolescence. However, it is unclear how equal training volume but different training frequencies per week affect training-induced adaptations. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of balance training frequency (i.e., 2 × 30 min per week or 3 × 20 min per week) on measures of static and dynamic balance in healthy male adolescents. RESULTS: Irrespective of balance training frequency, significant pretest to posttest improvements were detected for static (i.e., One-Legged Stance test, standing time duration) and dynamic (i.e., Lower Quarter Y Balance test, reach distance) balance performance. However, no group × test interactions were found. These results imply that balance training is effective to improve static and dynamic balance performance in healthy male adolescents, but the effectiveness seems unaffected by the applied balance training frequency.

OBJECTIVE: Staphylococcus epidermidis is a skin colonizer and a major cause of nosocomial infections that can lead to sepsis. It causes opportunistic infections by forming biofilms on medical devices, which are hard to control with conventional antibiotics. In an attempt to develop its biofilm inhibitors, the culture supernatant (CS) of Pseudomonas fluorescens was assessed. This study examined the effect of the CS on S. epidermidis 1457 biofilm formation, the characteristics of inhibitors in the CS, and the differential gene expression of S. epidermidis when treated with the CS. RESULTS: P. fluorescens CS specifically targeted the maturation stage of S. epidermidis biofilm formation while not affecting planktonic growth. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that P. fluorescens CS significantly downregulated S. epidermidis ica genes and upregulated an ica repressor, tcaR. This indicates that the CS reduced polysaccharide intercellular adhesin synthesis, a major component of the S. epidermidis 1457 biofilm matrix. Further studies are required to elucidate the specific inhibitory components in the CS and their mechanism of action. Our results indicate that inhibitors in the P. fluorescens CS may have a significant value for inhibiting S. epidermidis biofilm. Combinations of specific inhibitors from the CS and antibiotics against staphylococci may provide an effective measure to control S. epidermidis biofilm formation while avoiding antibiotic resistance and compensating the attenuated effectiveness of antibiotics on biofilms.

OBJECTIVE: The comparison of Google internet searches for worker wellbeing and resilience during COVID has not previously been undertaken. It is important to understand interest in wellbeing and resilience as both constructs influence health and burnout. Our objective to investigate internet interest in both wellbeing and resilience during COVID. Using Google Trends, data on global search English word queries we compared "worker wellbeing" or "wellbeing" versus "resilience" or "psychological resilience". Two time periods were compared, the last 5 years and the last 12 months, both up until the end of April 2022. The relationship between web search interest, reflected by search volume index (SVI) for all categories versus the business and industrial category evaluated. RESULTS: Open category searches on Google trends for the key words "worker wellbeing" or "wellbeing" demonstrated increased SVI peaks for COVID periods. Sub-group analyses demonstrated the category business and industrial had less web search interest in wellbeing and an increase in search terms related to resilience but not psychological resilience. Online interest in wellbeing and resilience represents a complex search metric. There are differing search interests depending on whether the category business and industrial is chosen versus the general Google Trends category.

OBJECTIVES: From the ancient, medicinal benefits of Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) have been implicated for respiratory and digestive diseases despite the effects of Hyssop on viral infections have not been mechanistically investigated. In this study, we examined whether the Hyssop extract activated anti-viral innate immunity, as a sentinel for immune system, through activation of endosomal TLRs recognizing nucleic acids and their downstream signaling. The Hyssop herb extracts was prepared and co-cultured with healthy individual's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). After viability assay, gene expression levels of TLR3,7,8,9, as well as MyD88 and NF-κB, were evaluated in treated PBMCs using Real-time PCR. Next, the secretion level of immune related cytokines was quantified via ELISA. RESULTS: Post 24 h, 40 µg/ml of the extract significantly inhibited the viability of less than 50% of cells compared to the control and had a maximum effect on cellular function. The Hyssop-treated PBMCs demonstrated an elevated expression of endosomal TLRs genes, as well as MyD88 and NF-κB. Moreover, the release of INF-α and β notably enhanced in cell culture supernatant, while the content of inflammatory cytokines remarkably diminished (P < 0.05). The Hyssop extract was capable of inducing antiviral innate immune responses so can be promising in antiviral drug strategies.

OBJECTIVES: Complications after CT-guided lung biopsy is a burden both for the individual patient and for the overall healthcare. Pneumothorax is the most common complication. This study determined the association between lung function tests and pneumothorax and chest drainage following CT-guided lung biopsy in consecutive patients in a large university hospital. RESULTS: We prospectively registered 875 biopsy procedures from 786 patients in one institution from January 27th 2012 to March 1st 2017 and recorded complications including pneumothorax with or without chest drainage. Lung function data from 637 patients undergoing 710 of the procedures were available. The association of lung function measures with pneumothorax with or without chest drainage was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analyses. Diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) below 4.70 mmol/min/kPa was associated with increased occurrence of pneumothorax and chest drainage after CT guided lung biopsy. We found no association between FEV1, RV and occurrence of pneumothorax and chest drainage. We found low DLCO to be a risk factor of pneumothorax and chest drainage after CT-guided lung biopsy. This should be taken into account in planning and performing the procedure.