The interaction between general or abdominal obesity and hypertension on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional analysis in Iranian adults from the RaNCD cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Interactions between risk factors may influence disease severity. Knowing this relationship is important for preventive interventions and disease control. The purpose of this study was to determine the interactions effects of obesity and hypertension on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: The data of 9,283 adults 35 to 65 years were examined from the cohort study of Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD). Waist circumference (WC) was used to identify both general and abdominal obesity based on body mass index (BMI). To assess the interaction between hypertension and obesity (general/abdominal) and the risk of T2DM, the additive interaction was calculated. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratios for T2DM were 2.38 (1.67, 3.41) in men and 4.02 (2.47, 6.47) in women for the combinations of hypertension and abdominal obesity. The adjusted odds ratios for T2DM were 2.53 (1.63, 3.82) in men and 2.66 (1.92, 3.70) in women for the combinations of hypertension and general obesity. The results of the additive interaction indicators were inconsistent with gender. The relative excess risk due to interaction (interaction between hypertension and central obesity) (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (SI) were0.27 (-1.01, 1.54), 0.11 (-0.41, 0.63) and 1.23 (0.41, 3.68) in male and were 0.61 (-1.12, 2.33), 0.23 (0.08, 0.37) and 1.26 (0.60, 2.61) in female, respectively. CONCLUSION: General/abdominal obesity and hypertension have a synergistic effect on the risk of T2DM. The recommendation for preventing T2DM is lifestyle modification. Large longitudinal studies are necessary to investigate causal relationships.

Experimental assessment of energy tower's performance: evaluation of the impacts of solar radiation, humidity, and chimney's height on the overall efficiency.

Solar energy is one of the most feasible options to produce energy in countries where unexploited desert areas or solar radiation are abundant. An energy tower is an effective system for electrical power generation that can perform more efficiently along with solar radiation. As the primary aim of the present study, effects of different environmental parameters on total efficacy of energy tower were investigated. In this study, the efficiency of the energy tower system is investigated experimentally by an indoor fully adjustable apparatus. In this regard, a comprehensive set of influencing parameters like air velocity, humidity, and temperature and the effects of tower height on the performance of the energy tower are individually assessed. It is demonstrated that there is a direct relationship between an increase in humidity percentage of the surrounding and performance of energy tower, meaning that a 274% increase in humidification rate led to 43% elevation in airflow velocity. The kinetic energy increases in the direction of airflow from top to bottom, and as the height of the tower lengthens, the kinetic energy enhances and subsequently increases the overall efficiency of the tower. An elevation about 2.7% in airflow velocity was seen due to an increase from 180 to 250 cm in chimney height. Although the energy tower performs efficiently in the nighttime, airflow velocity increases averagely about 8% during the daytime and at the peak of the solar radiation, the airflow velocity enhances by 58% compared to nighttime.

The impact of geographic inequality in federal research funding: A comparative longitudinal study of research and scholarly outputs in EPSCoR versus non-EPSCoR states.

Some states in the U.S. have traditionally received less federal research funding than other states. The National Science Foundation (NSF) created a program in 1979, called the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to enhance the research competitiveness in such states. While the geographic disparity in federal research funding is well known, the overall impact of federal funding on the research performance of EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR has not been previously studied. In the current study, we compared the combined research productivity of Ph.D. granting institutions in EPSCoR versus the non-EPSCoR states to better understand the scientific impact of federal investments in sponsored research across all states. The research outputs we measured included journal articles, books, conference papers, patents, and citation count in academic literature. Unsurprisingly, results indicated that the non-EPSCoR states received significantly more federal research funding than their EPSCoR counterparts, which correlated with a higher number of faculty members in the non-EPSCoR versus EPSCoR states. Also, in the overall research productivity expressed on a per capita, the non-EPSCoR states fared better than EPSCoR states. However, when the research output was measured based on per $1M investment of federal research funding, EPSCoR states performed significantly better than the non-EPSCoR states in many research productivity indicators, with the notable exception of patents. Together, this study found preliminary evidence that EPSCoR states achieved a high degree of research productivity despite receiving significantly fewer federal research dollars. The limitations and next steps of this study are also discussed.

Antinociceptive Effects of an Anti-CGRP Antibody in Rat Models of Colon-Bladder Cross-Organ Sensitization.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) are comorbid visceral pain disorders seen commonly in women with unknown etiology and limited treatment options and can involve visceral organ cross-sensitization. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a mediator of nociceptive processing and may serve as a target for therapy. In three rodent models, we employed a monoclonal anti-CGRP F(ab')2 to investigate the hypothesis that visceral organ cross-sensitization is mediated by abnormal CGRP signaling. Visceral organ cross-sensitization was induced in adult female rats via transurethral infusion of protamine sulfate (PS) into the urinary bladder or infusion into the colon of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Colonic sensitivity was assessed via the visceromotor response to colorectal distension (CRD). Bladder sensitivity was assessed as the frequency of abdominal withdrawal reflexes to von Frey filaments applied to the suprapubic region. PS- or TNBS-induced changes in colonic and bladder permeability were investigated in vitro via quantification of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Peripheral administration of an anti-CGRP F(ab')2 inhibited PS-induced visceral pain behaviors and colon hyperpermeability. Similarly, TNBS-induced pain behaviors and colon and bladder hyperpermeability were attenuated by anti-CGRP F(ab')2 treatment. PS into the bladder or TNBS into the colon significantly increased the visceromotor response to CRD and abdominal withdrawal reflexes to suprapubic stimulation and decreased bladder and colon TEER. These findings suggest an important role of peripheral CGRP in visceral nociception and organ cross-sensitization and support the evaluation of CGRP as a therapeutic target for visceral pain in patients with IBS and/or BPS/IC. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: A monoclonal antibody against calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was found to reduce concomitant colonic and bladder hypersensitivity and hyperpermeability. The results of this study suggest that CGRP-targeting antibodies, in addition to migraine prevention, may provide a novel treatment strategy for multiorgan abdominopelvic pain following injury or inflammation.

Assessment of Accuracy, User Engagement, and Themes of Eating Disorder Content in Social Media Short Videos.

Importance: Social media is simultaneously home to communities of users who promote eating disorders as a lifestyle and users who advocate for recovery. As studies have confirmed an association between exposure to pro-eating disorder content and engaging in disordered eating behaviors, an examination of the accuracy of and interactions with information shared in these complex and contradictory communities can provide insights into content available to users at risk. Objective: To determine the associations among themes, accuracy of information, and user engagement of eating disorder content on a short video-sharing social media platform. Design, Setting, and Participants: This qualitative study included a thematic analysis of a sample of 200 TikTok videos, as well as user engagement metrics and content creator characteristics, between February and June 2022. Data were analyzed from March to June 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Content themes, accuracy of information, user engagement, and the associations among these factors were identified in a sample of eating disorder videos on a social media platform. Data were analyzed with Pearson χ2, analysis of variance, linear regression, and random permutation tests. Results: Among the 200 videos assessed, 124 (62.0%) covered prorecovery content, 59 (29.5%) included pro-eating disorder content, and 17 (8.5%) contained anti-eating disorder content. Thematic analysis revealed 4 high-level themes: (1) encouraging the development or sustainment of eating disorders, (2) sharing physical or emotional experiences with eating disorders, (3) sharing narratives of recovery, and (4) social support. While the results of Pearson χ2 test indicated that videos in the prorecovery domain contained more accurate content than videos categorized in the pro-eating disorder and anti-eating disorder domains (χ24 = 157.92; P < .001), the results of analysis of variance demonstrated that there was no significant difference in user engagement between informative and misleading content (likes: F = 0.110; P = .95; comments: F = 2.031; P = .13; views: F = 0.534; P = .59; shares: F = 0.691; P = .50). Results of the 10 000 random permutation tests, in which all P values were between .40 and .60 regardless of the distances, suggested that there was no significant difference in user engagement among the 3 domains. Conclusions and Relevance: This mixed-methods qualitative analysis of misleading eating disorder information on social media found that pro-eating disorder and prorecovery communities were prevalent. However, social media users in the prorecovery community created more informative than misleading content. Furthermore, the study found no significant difference between users' engagement with accurate vs misleading videos, which may suggest that false information alone does not influence the virality of videos.

Analysis of EMT induction in a non-invasive breast cancer cell line by mesenchymal stem cell supernatant: Study of 2D and 3D microfluidic based aggregate formation and migration ability, and cytoskeleton remodeling.

AIMS: The process of Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as a phenotypic invasive shift and the factors affecting it, are under extensive research. Application of supernatants of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) on non-invasive cancer cells is a well known method of in vitro induction of EMT like process. While previous researches have focused on the effects of hADMSCs supernatant on the biochemical signaling pathways of the cells through expression of different proteins and genes, we investigated pro-carcinogic alterations of physico-mechanical cues in terms of changes in cell motility and aggregated formation in 3D microenvironments, and cytoskeletal actin-myosin content and fiber arrangement. MAIN METHODS: MCF-7 cancer cells were treated by the supernatant from 48 hour-starved hADMSCs, and their vimentin/E-cadherin expressions were evaluated. The invasive potential of treated and non-treated cells was measured and compared through aggregate formation and migration capability. Furthermore, alterations in cell and nucleus morphologies were studied, and F-actin and myosin-II alterations in terms of content and arrangement were investigated. KEY FINDINGS: Results indicated that application of hADMSCs supernatant enhanced vimentin expression as the biomarker of EMT, and induced pro-carcinogenic effects on non-invasive cancer cells through increased invasive potential by higher cell motility and reduced aggregate formation, rearrangement of actin structure and generation of more stress fibers, together with increased myosin II that lead to enhanced cell motility and traction force. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicated that in vitro induction of EMT through mesenchymal supernatant influenced biophysical features of cancer cells through cytoskeletal remodeling that emphasizes the interconnection of chemical and physical signaling pathways during cancer progress and invasion. Results give a better insight to EMT as a biological process and the synergy between biochemical and biophysical parameters that contribute to this process, and eventually assist in improving cancer treatment strategies.

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying stress-induced visceral pain: Resilience versus vulnerability in a two-hit model of early life stress and chronic adult stress.

BACKGROUND: Women with a history of early life stress (ELS) have a higher risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In addition, chronic stress in adulthood can exacerbate IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain due to visceral hypersensitivity. We previously showed that sex and the predictability of ELS determine whether rats develop visceral hypersensitivity in adulthood. In female rats, unpredictable ELS confers vulnerability and results in visceral hypersensitivity, whereas predictable ELS induces resilience and does not induce visceral hypersensitivity in adulthood. However, this resilience is lost after exposure to chronic stress in adulthood leading to an exacerbation of visceral hypersensitivity. Evidence suggests that changes in histone acetylation at the promoter regions of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) underlie stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of histone acetylation in the CeA on visceral hypersensitivity in a two-hit model of ELS followed by chronic stress in adulthood. METHODS: Male and female neonatal rats were exposed to unpredictable, predictable ELS, or odor only (no stress control) from postnatal days 8 to 12. In adulthood, rats underwent stereotaxic implantation of indwelling cannulas. Rats were exposed to chronic water avoidance stress (WAS, 1 h/day for 7 days) or SHAM stress and received infusions of vehicle, the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) or the histone acetyltransferase inhibitor garcinol (GAR) after each WAS session. 24 h after the final infusion, visceral sensitivity was assessed and the CeA was removed for molecular experiments. RESULTS: In the two-hit model (ELS + WAS), female rats previously exposed to predictable ELS, showed a significant reduction in histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9) acetylation at the GR promoter and a significant increase in H3K9 acetylation at the CRF promoter. These epigenetic changes were associated with changes in GR and CRF mRNA expression in the CeA and an exacerbation of stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity in female animals. TSA infusions in the CeA attenuated the exacerbated stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity, whereas GAR infusions only partially ameliorated ELS+WAS induced visceral hypersensitivity. CONCLUSION: The two-hit model of ELS followed by WAS in adulthood revealed that epigenetic dysregulation occurs after exposure to stress in two important periods of life and contributes to the development of visceral hypersensitivity. These aberrant underlying epigenetic changes may explain the exacerbation of stress-induced abdominal pain in IBS patients.

Effects of chemically EGFR targeting on non-targeted physical cell behaviors in 2D and 3D microfluidic cultures of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cell lines.

Cancer development comprehends changes in cell structural and physical states. Cancer cells are softer than normal cells, produce higher contractile forces, and migrate more easily. While chemotherapy, targets proteins involved in biological behaviors, it may affect cell physicomechanical state due to the interconnections among signaling pathways. Here we treated non-invasive and invasive breast cancer cell lines by targeting EGRF which modulates major biological behaviors. We quantified migration potential of cancer cells in a microfluidic device, and evaluated expression of proteins associated with physical behaviors. Results indicated significant alterations in physical behaviors, with a higher impact on invasive cells. The anti-cancer synergy between biological and physical behaviors was shown by decreasing actin, vinculin, and myosin II content and altered distribution, limiting cell invasion in 3D collagen structure, accompanied by decreasing cell viability and vimentin expression as the EMT biomarker. The center point of changes in physical behaviors was in cytoskeletal remodeling by chemical treatment, potentially through lower contractile force generation and less development of focal adhesions and stress fibers. The synergy between physical and chemical pathways can be used in enhancing anti-cancer drug efficacy.

Healthy eating index 2015 and major dietary patterns in relation to incident hypertension; a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Since hypertension (HTN) is responsible for more than half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease, it is vital to understand the nutritional factors that reduce its risk. Little information, however, is known about it in the Kurdish population. This study was aimed to evaluate the healthy eating index (HEI) 2015 and major dietary patterns concerning incident HTN. METHODS: This case-cohort study was designed using Ravansar non-communicable diseases (RaNCD) cohort study data (294 participants with incident HTN and 1295 participants as representative random sub-cohort). HEI 2015 and major dietary patterns were extracted using data from their dietary intake, and three major dietary patterns were identified, including plant-based, high protein, and unhealthy dietary patterns. To analyses the association between HEI 2015 and major dietary patterns with incident HTN Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied. RESULTS: There was a significant positive correlation between HEI 2015 and plant-based diet (r = 0.492). The participants in the highest quartile of HEI-2015 had a 39% and 30% lower risk of incident HTN, compared to participants in the first quartile in both crude and adjusted model (HR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.46-0.82) and (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.51-0.97), respectively. Furthermore, participants with the highest tertile of the plant-based dietary pattern were at lower risk of incident HTN in both crude and adjusted models (HR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.54-0.9) and (HR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.53-0.94), respectively. However, the other two identified dietary patterns showed no significant association with incident HTN. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence indicating higher adherence to HEI 2015 and plant- based diet had protective effects on incident HTN. The HEI 2015 emphasizes limited sodium intake and adequate intake of vegetables and fruits.

Electroencephalography-Based Brain-Computer Interface Motor Imagery Classification.

Background: Advances in the medical applications of brain-computer interface, like the motor imagery systems, are highly contributed to making the disabled live better. One of the challenges with such systems is to achieve high classification accuracy. Methods: A highly accurate classification algorithm with low computational complexity is proposed here to classify different motor imageries and execution tasks. An experimental study is performed on two electroencephalography datasets (Iranian Brain-Computer Interface competition [iBCIC] dataset and the world BCI Competition IV dataset 2a) to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. For lower complexity, the common spatial pattern is applied to decrease the 64 channel signal to four components, in addition to increase the class separability. From these components, first, some features are extracted in the time and time-frequency domains, and next, the best linear combination of these is selected by adopting the stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA) method, which are then applied in training and testing the classifiers including LDA, random forest, support vector machine, and K nearest neighbors. The classification strategy is of majority voting among the results of the binary classifiers. Results: The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm accuracy is much higher than that of the winner of the first iBCIC. As to dataset 2a of the world BCI competition IV, the obtained results for subjects 6 and 9 outperform their counterparts. Moreover, this algorithm yields a mean kappa value of 0.53, which is higher than that of the second winner of the competition. Conclusion: The results indicate that this method is able to classify motor imagery and execution tasks in both effective and automatic manners.

The Mutual Influence of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Twitter Users During COVID-19: Network Agenda-Setting Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in communicating with the public on social media during a global health emergency. More specifically, there is no study about the relationship between the agendas of the WHO and Twitter users during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study utilizes the network agenda-setting model to investigate the mutual relationship between the agenda of the WHO's official Twitter account and the agenda of 7.5 million of its Twitter followers regarding COVID-19. METHODS: Content analysis was applied to 7090 tweets posted by the WHO on Twitter from January 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020, to identify the topics of tweets. The quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) was used to investigate the relationship between the WHO agenda network and the agenda network of the 6 Twitter user categories, including "health care professionals," "academics," "politicians," "print and electronic media," "legal professionals," and the "private sector." Additionally, 98 Granger causality statistical tests were performed to determine which topic in the WHO agenda had an effect on the corresponding topic in each Twitter user category and vice versa. RESULTS: Content analysis revealed 7 topics that reflect the WHO agenda related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including "prevention," "solidarity," "charity," "teamwork," "ill-effect," "surveillance," and "credibility." Results of the QAP showed significant and strong correlations between the WHO agenda network and the agenda network of each Twitter user category. These results provide evidence that WHO had an overall effect on different types of Twitter users on the identified topics. For instance, the Granger causality tests indicated that the WHO tweets influenced politicians and print and electronic media about "surveillance." The WHO tweets also influenced academics and the private sector about "credibility" and print and electronic media about "ill-effect." Additionally, Twitter users affected some topics in the WHO. For instance, WHO followers affected "charity" and "prevention" in the WHO. CONCLUSIONS: This paper extends theorizing on agenda setting by providing empirical evidence that agenda-setting effects vary by topic and types of Twitter users. Although prior studies showed that network agenda setting is a "one-way" model, the novel findings of this research confirm a "2-way" or "multiway" effect of agenda setting on social media due to the interactions between the content creators and audiences. The WHO can determine which topics should be promoted on social media during different phases of a pandemic and collaborate with other public health gatekeepers to collectively make them salient in the public.

Time Management Behaviors and Emotional Intelligence in Head Nurses in Emergency and Intensive Care Units.

BACKGROUND: Time management is of particular importance in nursing. One of the most effective variables associated with time management is emotional intelligence (EI). This study assessed the relationship between time management and EI and the level of EI and time management skills in head nurses in emergency and intensive care units. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on all head nurses in the emergency and intensive care units of nine educational hospitals at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran in 2015 using Bradberry-Greaves' EI and Macan's Time Management Questionnaires. RESULTS: Participants' total time management score was (104.15 ± 6.98); total EI score was (128 ± 15.80). There was no significant relationship between overall EI and time management skills. There was a significant relationship between age and the emotional self-awareness dimension of EI (p = .027) and the mechanics dimension of time management (p = .037), and between work experience and overall time management skills (p = .049) and the mechanics dimension of time management (p = .038). CONCLUSIONS: Specific EI and time management skills may help head nurses to cope with the challenges they face, which may improve the quality of nursing care. Nursing leaders should consider the importance of time management and EI in increasing motivation and satisfaction of nursing staff and improving quality of care.

Social Media Discussions on the FDA's Modified Risk Tobacco Product Authorization of IQOS.

Background: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the marketing of the IQOS tobacco heating system as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) in July 2020, permitting its 'reduced exposure' marketing. This decision is accompanied by much controversy among the global health community. We provide a preliminary analysis of Twitter conversations regarding the MRTP authorization of IQOS by identifying the authors, valence towards the policy decision, source of cited link, and focused topic. Methods: We analyzed 548 tweets mentioning MRTP posted between July 2016 (when PMI submitted the proposal) and October 2020. Results: We found a higher proportion of pro-MRTP valence (25.4%) than anti-MRTP (16.2%). Nearly half of the tweets (47.2%) expressing personal opinions presented pro-MRTP valence (vs. anti-MRTP = 23.9%). The FDA website was more frequently cited in pro-MRTP tweets (30.8% vs. anti = 4.8%), while tobacco control advocates' websites were cited only in anti-MRTP tweets (77.4% vs. pro = 0). Pro-MRTP valence appeared more frequently in tweets mentioning health (53.1% vs. anti =38.5%) and cessation (100% vs. anti = 0). Nearly 42% of tweets showed a bot score greater than .43, indicating a possibility of automation. Conclusion: Continuous efforts are needed to surveil the industry's attempts to create a climate of false consensus and circulate misinformation regarding MRTP on social media, as well as to assist non-scientific audiences' understanding of MRTP.

Wavelet-Based Biphase Analysis of Brain Rhythms in Automated Wake-Sleep Classification.

Many studies in the field of sleep have focused on connectivity and coherence. Still, the nonstationary nature of electroencephalography (EEG) makes many of the previous methods unsuitable for automatic sleep detection. Time-frequency representations and high-order spectra are applied to nonstationary signal analysis and nonlinearity investigation, respectively. Therefore, combining wavelet and bispectrum, wavelet-based bi-phase (Wbiph) was proposed and used as a novel feature for sleep-wake classification. The results of the statistical analysis with emphasis on the importance of the gamma rhythm in sleep detection show that the Wbiph is more potent than coherence in the wake-sleep classification. The Wbiph has not been used in sleep studies before. However, the results and inherent advantages, such as the use of wavelet and bispectrum in its definition, suggest it as an excellent alternative to coherence. In the next part of this paper, a convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier was applied for the sleep-wake classification by Wbiph. The classification accuracy was 97.17% in nonLOSO and 95.48% in LOSO cross-validation, which is the best among previous studies on sleep-wake classification.

Association of Changed Serum Brain Biomarkers With Perihematomal Edema and Early Clinical Outcome in Primary ICH Patients.

BACKGROUND: Perihematomal edema (PHE) following primary intracranial hemorrhages (ICHs) affects the patient outcome. Also, serum biomarkers such as S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) have been associated with ICHs outcome. We aimed to investigate the association between these biomarkers and PHE in ICH patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with primary ICH between January 2020 and August 2020 were evaluated. All participants underwent spiral brain computed tomography scans upon admission, and 48 to 72 hours later and quantification of initial hematoma volume was performed. Serum level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), GFAP, and S100B on admission were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Acute clinical outcome was assessed by the modified-Rankin scale, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and ICH score. RESULTS: Thirty-seven ICH patients (21 patients with a favorable outcome and 16 unfavorable) were studied. Compared with survival patients, nonsurvivor patients showed a higher serum level of MMP-9, VEGF, GFAP, and S100B ( P <0.05). Scores of absolute PHE, edema expansion distance, and PHE growth rate in the nonsurvivor group were higher than the survivors ( P <0.001). The regression model revealed that MMP-9, VEGF, ICH score, and hematoma volume were associated with the PHE growth rate. S100B and ICH score were associated with edema expansion distance. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that the serum level of molecular biomarkers was associated with higher PHE volume and PHE scores were higher in nonsurvival patients, suggesting it may have a pathogenic role in developing PHE after ICH.

Identifying Frames of the COVID-19 Infodemic: Thematic Analysis of Misinformation Stories Across Media.

Background: The word "infodemic" refers to the deluge of false information about an event, and it is a global challenge for today's society. The sheer volume of misinformation circulating during the COVID-19 pandemic has been harmful to people around the world. Therefore, it is important to study different aspects of misinformation related to the pandemic. Objective: This paper aimed to identify the main subthemes related to COVID-19 misinformation on various platforms, from traditional outlets to social media. This paper aimed to place these subthemes into categories, track the changes, and explore patterns in prevalence, over time, across different platforms and contexts. Methods: From a theoretical perspective, this research was rooted in framing theory; it also employed thematic analysis to identify the main themes and subthemes related to COVID-19 misinformation. The data were collected from 8 fact-checking websites that formed a sample of 127 pieces of false COVID-19 news published from January 1, 2020 to March 30, 2020. Results: The findings revealed 4 main themes (attribution, impact, protection and solutions, and politics) and 19 unique subthemes within those themes related to COVID-19 misinformation. Governmental and political organizations (institutional level) and administrators and politicians (individual level) were the 2 most frequent subthemes, followed by origination and source, home remedies, fake statistics, treatments, drugs, and pseudoscience, among others. Results indicate that the prevalence of misinformation subthemes had altered over time between January 2020 and March 2020. For instance, false stories about the origin and source of the virus were frequent initially (January). Misinformation regarding home remedies became a prominent subtheme in the middle (February), while false information related to government organizations and politicians became popular later (March). Although conspiracy theory web pages and social media outlets were the primary sources of misinformation, surprisingly, results revealed trusted platforms such as official government outlets and news organizations were also avenues for creating COVID-19 misinformation. Conclusions: The identified themes in this study reflect some of the information attitudes and behaviors, such as denial, uncertainty, consequences, and solution-seeking, that provided rich information grounds to create different types of misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some themes also indicate that the application of effective communication strategies and the creation of timely content were used to persuade human minds with false stories in different phases of the crisis. The findings of this study can be beneficial for communication officers, information professionals, and policy makers to combat misinformation in future global health crises or related events.

A Monoclonal Anti-Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Antibody Decreases Stress-Induced Colonic Hypersensitivity.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a brain-gut disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Although the etiology of IBS remains unclear, stress in adulthood or in early life has been shown to be a significant factor in the development of IBS symptomatology. Evidence suggests that aberrant calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) signaling may be involved in afferent sensitization and visceral organ hypersensitivity. Here, we used a monoclonal anti-CGRP divalent antigen-binding fragment [F(ab')2] antibody to test the hypothesis that inhibition of peripheral CGRP signaling reverses colonic hypersensitivity induced by either chronic adult stress or early life stress. A cohort of adult male rats was exposed to repeated water avoidance stress. Additionally, a second cohort consisting of female rats was exposed to a female-specific neonatal odor-attachment learning paradigm of unpredictable early life stress. Colonic sensitivity was then assessed in adult animals via behavioral responses to colorectal distension (CRD). To analyze spinal nociceptive signaling in response to CRD, dorsal horn extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation was measured via immunohistochemistry. Repeated psychologic stress in adulthood or unpredictable stress in early life induced colonic hypersensitivity and enhanced evoked ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the spinal cord after CRD in rats. These phenotypes were reversed by administration of a monoclonal anti-CGRP F(ab')2 fragment antibody. Stress-induced changes in visceral sensitivity and spinal nociceptive signaling were reversed by inhibition of peripheral CGRP signaling, which suggests a prominent role for CGRP in central sensitization and the development of stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Targeting peripheral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) with a monoclonal anti-CGRP divalent antigen-binding fragment antibody reduced central sensitization and attenuated colonic hypersensitivity induced by either chronic adult stress or early life stress. CGRP-targeting antibodies are approved for migraine prevention, and the results of this study suggest that targeting CGRP may provide a novel treatment strategy for irritable bowel syndrome-related, stress-induced visceral pain.

Framing of and Attention to COVID-19 on Twitter: Thematic Analysis of Hashtags.

BACKGROUND: Although past research has focused on COVID-19-related frames in the news media, such research may not accurately capture and represent the perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, research on the public attention to COVID-19 as reflected through frames on social media is scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study identified the frames about the COVID-19 pandemic in the public discourse on Twitter, which voices diverse opinions. This study also investigated the amount of public attention to those frames on Twitter. METHODS: We collected 22 trending hashtags related to COVID-19 in the United States and 694,582 tweets written in English containing these hashtags in March 2020 and analyzed them via thematic analysis. Public attention to these frames was measured by evaluating the amount of public engagement with frames and public adoption of those frames. RESULTS: We identified 9 frames including "public health guidelines," "quarantine life," "solidarity," "evidence and facts," "call for action," "politics," "post-pandemic life," "shortage panic," and "conflict." Results showed that some frames such as "call for action" are more appealing than others during a global pandemic, receiving greater public adoption and engagement. The "call for action" frame had the highest engagement score, followed by "conflict" and "evidence and facts." Additionally, "post-pandemic life" had the highest adoption score, followed by "call for action" and "shortage panic." The findings indicated that the frequency of a frame on social media does not necessarily mean greater public adoption of or engagement with the frame. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to framing theory and research by demonstrating how trending hashtags can be used as new user-generated data to identify frames on social media. This study concludes that the identified frames such as "quarantine life" and "conflict" and themes such as "isolation" and "toilet paper panic" represent the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences could be (1) exclusively related to COVID-19, such as hand hygiene or isolation; (2) related to any health crisis such as social support of vulnerable groups; and (3) generic that are irrespective of COVID-19, such as homeschooling or remote working.

Chemical inhibitor anticancer drugs regulate mechanical properties and cytoskeletal structure of non-invasive and invasive breast cancer cell lines: Study of effects of Letrozole, Exemestane, and Everolimus.

Regardless of their target and mechanism, anticancer drugs directly influence biological behavior of cancer cells by activating chemical signaling pathways. Due to the complex interaction between diverse signaling pathways, these drugs may profoundly impact the physical characteristics of cancer cells and regulate their mechanical properties. In this study, the effects of two Aromatase Inhibitor (Letrozole and Exemestane), and one mTOR Inhibitor (Everolimus) on cell mechanical properties, actin content/distribution, and nuclear areas of two invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cell line after 24 h treatment with concentrations previously reported were investigated. While metabolic activity of cell lines was highly affected by drug treatment, significant alterations in Young's modulus of cell bodies, nuclear areas, and actin content and distribution were reported with higher impact on invasive cells. It was concluded that regulation of mechanical behavior of cells by all three drugs emphasizes the cross talk between chemical and physical signaling cascades, and describes a correlation between biological and physical behaviors of cancer cells which might give an insight to a better understanding of mechanisms by which anti-cancer drugs function to enhance their performances.