bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The causal mechanisms underlying analogical reasoning performance improvement by executive attention intervention
Authors: Lin Yixuan , Li Qing , Chen Antao
Published: March 2023

Analogical reasoning is important for human. We have found that a short executive attention intervention improved analogical reasoning performance in healthy young adults. Nevertheless, previous electrophysiological evidence was limited for comprehensively characterizing the neural mechanisms underlying the improvement. And although we hypothesized that the intervention improved active inhibitory control and attention shift first and then relation integration, it is still unclear whether there are two sequential cognitive neural activities were indeed changed during analogical reasoning. In the present study, we combined hypothesis with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to explore the effects of the intervention on electrophysiology. Results showed that in the resting state after the intervention, alpha and high gamma power and the functional connectivity between the anterior and middle in the alpha band could discriminate the experimental group from the active control group, respectively. These indicated that the intervention influenced the activity of multiple bands and the interaction of frontal and parietal regions. In the analogical reasoning, alpha, theta, and gamma activities could also fulfill such discrimination, and furthermore, they were sequential (alpha first, theta, and gamma later). These results directly supported our previous hypothesis. The present study deepens our understanding about how executive attention contributes to higher‐order cognition.
Relationship between white matter alterations and contamination subgroup in obsessive compulsive disorder: A diffusion tensor imaging study
Authors: Azarvand Damirichi Mahvash , Karimi Moridani Mohammad , Mohammadi Seyyed Erfan
Published: March 2023

Approximately 2%–3% of the world population suffers from obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Several brain regions have been involved in the pathophysiology of OCD, but brain volumes in OCD may vary depending on specific OCD symptom dimensions. The study aims to explore how white matter structure changes in particular OCD symptom dimensions. Prior studies attempt to find the correlation between Y‐BOCS scores and OCD patients. However, in this study, we separated the contamination subgroup in OCD and compared directly to healthy control to find regions that exactly related to contamination symptoms. To evaluate structural alterations, diffusion tensor imaging was acquired from 30 OCD patients and 34 demographically matched healthy controls. Data were processed using tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis. First, by comparing all OCD to healthy controls, significant fractional anisotropy (FA) decreased in the right anterior thalamic radiation, right corticospinal tract, and forceps minor observed. Then by comparing the contamination subgroup to healthy control, FA decreases in the forceps minor region. Consequently, forceps minor plays a central role in the pathophysiology of contamination behaviors. Finally, other subgroups were compared to healthy control and discovered that FA in the right corticospinal tract and right anterior thalamic radiation is reduced.
Identifying individuals with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder based on multisite resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging: A radiomics analysis
Authors: Liu Guanlu , Lu Weizhao , Qiu Jianfeng , Shi Liting
Published: March 2023

Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by symptoms of age‐inappropriate inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Apart from behavioral symptoms investigated by psychiatric methods, there is no standard biological test to diagnose ADHD. This study aimed to explore whether the radiomics features based on resting‐state functional magnetic resonance (rs‐fMRI) have more discriminative power for the diagnosis of ADHD. The rs‐fMRI of 187 subjects with ADHD and 187 healthy controls were collected from 5 sites of ADHD‐200 Consortium. A total of four preprocessed rs‐fMRI images including regional homogeneity (ReHo), amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (ALFF), voxel‐mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and network degree centrality (DC) were used in this study. From each of the four images, we extracted 93 radiomics features within each of 116 automated anatomical labeling brain areas, resulting in a total of 43,152 features for each subject. After dimension reduction and feature selection, 19 radiomics features were retained (5 from ALFF, 9 from ReHo, 3 from VMHC and 2 from DC). By training and optimizing a support vector machine model using the retained features of training dataset, we achieved the accuracy of 76.3% and 77.0% (areas under curve = 0.811 and 0.797) in the training and testing datasets, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that radiomics can be a novel strategy for fully utilizing rs‐fMRI information to distinguish ADHD from healthy controls. The rs‐fMRI‐based radiomics features have the potential to be neuroimaging biomarkers for ADHD.
Mechanisms of mGluR‐dependent plasticity in hippocampal area CA2
Authors: Samadi Mahsa , Hales Claire A. , Lustberg Daniel J. , Farris Shannon , Ross Madeleine R. , Zhao Meilan , Hepler John R. , Harbin Nicholas H. , Robinson Emma S. J. , Banks Paul J. , Bashir Zafar I. , Dudek Serena M.
Published: March 2023

Pyramidal cells in hippocampal area CA2 have synaptic properties that are distinct from the other CA subregions. Notably, this includes a lack of typical long‐term potentiation of stratum radiatum synapses. CA2 neurons express high levels of several known and potential regulators of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)‐dependent signaling including Striatal‐Enriched Tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP) and several Regulator of G‐protein Signaling (RGS) proteins, yet the functions of these proteins in regulating mGluR‐dependent synaptic plasticity in CA2 are completely unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine mGluR‐dependent synaptic depression and to determine whether STEP and the RGS proteins RGS4 and RGS14 are involved. Using whole cell voltage‐clamp recordings from mouse pyramidal cells, we found that mGluR agonist‐induced long‐term depression (mGluR‐LTD) is more pronounced in CA2 compared with that observed in CA1. This mGluR‐LTD in CA2 was found to be protein synthesis and STEP dependent, suggesting that CA2 mGluR‐LTD shares mechanistic processes with those seen in CA1, but in addition, RGS14, but not RGS4, was essential for mGluR‐LTD in CA2. In addition, we found that exogenous application of STEP could rescue mGluR‐LTD in RGS14 KO slices. Supporting a role for CA2 synaptic plasticity in social cognition, we found that RGS14 KO mice had impaired social recognition memory as assessed in a social discrimination task. These results highlight possible roles for mGluRs, RGS14, and STEP in CA2‐dependent behaviors, perhaps by biasing the dominant form of synaptic plasticity away from LTP and toward LTD in CA2.
Evaluating the effectiveness of land use management as a natural flood management intervention in reducing the impact of flooding for an upland catchment
Authors: Kingsbury‐Smith Lorna , Willis Thomas , Smith Mark , Boisgontier Hélène , Turner Daniel , Hirst Jack , Kirkby Michael , Klaar Megan
Published: March 2023

Natural flood management (NFM) is a method for reducing flooding by using a catchment‐based approach to managing flood risk. Understanding and quantifying the impact of implementing NFM at the catchment scale remains ambiguous with a clear need for robust empirical evidence. A combination of fieldwork, laboratory analysis and modelling was applied to quantify the impacts of land use management changes on catchment flood hazard. Soil hydraulic conductivity was measured under varying land management regimes and used to parameterize a physically based spatially distributed hydrological model (SD‐TOPMODEL). A suite of stakeholder informed land management scenarios was modelled, permitting the quantification of the impact of NFM interventions on the timing and the intensity of the peak discharge at the catchment outlet. The findings support the implementation of NFM interventions as a means of reducing flood hazard within a rural upland catchment. Improved soil infiltration provided the greatest reduction in the intensity and delayed timing of the flood peak for a 10‐year occurrence storm event (7% reduction in peak runoff and 8% increase in lag time) with similar reductions observed for a 100‐year storm event. Catchment wide woodland planting reduced peak flow by 11% during the 100‐year event but was not effective during the 10‐year event. Riparian buffer strips provided consistent reductions in peak flow and in the timing of the peak across both storm events with no significant differences relating to vegetation age. Critically, we observed that the effect of implementing multiple NFM interventions was not additive and that efficiencies can be made in using this modelling approach to prioritize the most effective outcomes.
Bone marrow stromal cell‐derived exosomes improve oxidative stress and pyroptosis in doxorubicin‐induced myocardial injury in vitro by regulating the transcription of GSDMD through the PI3K‐AKT‐Foxo1 pathway
Authors: Zeng Hong , Yang Yong , Tou Fangfang , Zhan Yuliang , Liu Songtao , Zou Pengtao , Chen Yanmei , Shao Liang
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Doxorubicin (DOX) can contribute to severe myocardial injury, and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC)‐exosomes (Exos) improves acute myocardial infarction. Hence, this research investigated whether BMSC‐Exos alleviated DOX‐induced myocardial injury.

Methods

BMSC‐derived Exos were isolated and identified, and the optimal concentration of DOX was confirmed. H9C2 cells were treated with DOX and BMSC‐Exos or in combination with the protein kinase B (AKT) inhibitor. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and JC‐1 were detected to assess oxidative stress (OS) and mitochondrial membrane damage, respectively. In addition, the expression of pyroptosis‐related molecules was measured. The expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)‐AKT pathway‐related proteins and the phosphorylation and acetylation of forkhead box O1 (Foxo1) in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm were tested. Last, interactions between Foxo1 and gasdermin D (GSDMD) were assessed.

Results

BMSC‐Exo treatment increased viability and mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced lactic dehydrogenase release and ROS levels in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. Furthermore, the addition of BMSC‐Exos suppressed DOX‐induced activation and upregulation of NLRP3 and apoptosis‐associated speck‐like protein containing A CARD (ASC) and in vitro cleavage of caspase‐1, GSDMD, interleukin (IL)‐1β, and IL‐18 proteins. Additionally, BMSC‐Exo treatment enhanced the expression of phosphorylated (p)‐PI3K, p‐AKT, and p‐mTOR in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells and the levels of phosphorylated Foxo1 in the cytoplasm of DOX‐treated H9C2 cells. Foxo1 was enriched in the promoter region of GSDMD. Moreover, the AKT inhibitor API‐2 annulled the effects of BMSC‐Exos on OS, pyroptosis, and Foxo1 phosphorylation in DOX‐treated H9C2 cells.

Conclusions

BMSC‐Exos phosphorylated Foxo1 and inactivated Foxo1 transcription via the PI3K‐AKT pathway to diminish GSDMD expression, thus restraining DOX‐induced pyroptosis and OS of myocardial cells.
FSCN1 as a new druggable target in adrenocortical carcinoma
Authors: Ruggiero Carmen , Tamburello Mariangela , Rossini Elisa , Zini Silvia , Durand Nelly , Cantini Giulia , Cioppi Francesca , Hantel Constanze , Kiseljak‐Vassiliades Katja , Wierman Margaret E. , Landwehr Laura‐Sophie , Weigand Isabel , Kurlbaum Max , Zizioli Daniela , Turtoi Andrei , Yang Shengyu , Berruti Alfredo , Luconi Michaela , Sigala Sandra , Lalli Enzo
Published: March 2023

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy with a high risk of relapse and metastatic spread. The actin‐bundling protein fascin (FSCN1) is overexpressed in aggressive ACC and represents a reliable prognostic indicator. FSCN1 has been shown to synergize with VAV2, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the Rho/Rac GTPase family, to enhance the invasion properties of ACC cancer cells. Based on those results, we investigated the effects of FSCN1 inactivation by CRISPR/Cas9 or pharmacological blockade on the invasive properties of ACC cells, both in vitro and in an in vivo metastatic ACC zebrafish model. Here, we showed that FSCN1 is a transcriptional target for β‐catenin in H295R ACC cells and that its inactivation resulted in defects in cell attachment and proliferation. FSCN1 knock‐out modulated the expression of genes involved in cytoskeleton dynamics and cell adhesion. When Steroidogenic Factor‐1 (SF‐1) dosage was upregulated in H295R cells, activating their invasive capacities, FSCN1 knock‐out reduced the number of filopodia, lamellipodia/ruffles and focal adhesions, while decreasing cell invasion in Matrigel. Similar effects were produced by the FSCN1 inhibitor G2‐044, which also diminished the invasion of other ACC cell lines expressing lower levels of FSCN1 than H295R. In the zebrafish model, metastases formation was significantly reduced in FSCN1 knock‐out cells and G2‐044 significantly reduced the number of metastases formed by ACC cells. Our results indicate that FSCN1 is a new druggable target for ACC and provide the rationale for future clinical trials with FSCN1 inhibitors in patients with ACC.
Molecular imaging for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Yu Jing , Gao Bo
Published: March 2023

The success of immune checkpoint blockade has reaffirmed the importance of the immune system in cancer treatment. Immunotherapy enables the body's own immune system to fight tumor cells. However, the complex tumor microenvironment and its interaction with the immune system remain a mystery. The efficacy of immunotherapy is often affected by tumor heterogeneity. Molecular imaging techniques, such as single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography, enable noninvasive whole‐body imaging of tumor and immune cell signatures. Noninvasive molecular imaging can also be used to monitor the treatment response of tumors, thereby achieving personalized response assessment, which may ultimately lead to improved clinical management, development of individualized treatments, and reliable prognosis. This article reviews recent research in immunotherapy response assessment, immune T‐cell imaging, immune checkpoint imaging, and radiomics/radiogenomics in immunotherapy. To date, these studies have primarily comprised exploratory preclinical imaging with preliminary results indicating that biomarker molecular imaging may have a role to play in the assessment of immunotherapy. Therefore, the principle of selecting patients for immunotherapy based on imaging results is feasible.
Hypocalcemia Risk of Denosumab Across the Spectrum of Kidney Disease: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Cowan Andrea , Jeyakumar Nivethika , McArthur Eric , Fleet Jamie L , Kanagalingam Tharsan , Karp Igor , Khan Tayyab , Muanda Flory Tsobo , Nash Danielle M , Silver Samuel A , Thain Jenny , Weir Matthew A , Garg Amit X , Clemens Kristin K
Published: March 2023

Denosumab can be used in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but has been linked with cases of severe hypocalcemia. The incidence of and risk factors for hypocalcemia after denosumab use are not well established. Using linked health care databases at ICES, we conducted a population-based cohort study of adults >65 years old with a new prescription for denosumab or a bisphosphonate between 2012 and 2020. We assessed incidence of hypocalcemia within 180 days of drug dispensing and stratified results by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR in mL/min/1.73 m2). We used Cox proportional hazards to assess risk factors for hypocalcemia. There were 59,151 and 56,847 new denosumab and oral bisphosphonate users, respectively. Of the denosumab users, 29% had serum calcium measured in the year before their prescription, and one-third had their serum calcium checked within 180 days after their prescription. Mild hypocalcemia (albumin corrected calcium <2.00 mmol/L) occurred in 0.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6, 0.7) of new denosumab users and severe hypocalcemia (<1.8 mmol/L) in 0.2% (95% CI 0.2, 0.3). In those with an eGFR <15 or receiving maintenance dialysis, the incidence of mild and severe hypocalcemia was 24.1% (95% CI 18.1, 30.7) and 14.9% (95% CI 10.1, 20.7), respectively. In this group, kidney function and baseline serum calcium were strong predictors of hypocalcemia. We did not have information on over-the-counter vitamin D or calcium supplementation. In new bisphosphonate users, the incidence of mild hypocalcemia was 0.3% (95% CI 0.3, 0.3) with an incidence of 4.7% (95% CI 1.5, 10.8) in those with an eGFR <15 or receiving maintenance dialysis. In this large population-based cohort, we found that the overall risk of hypocalcemia with new denosumab use was low but increased substantially in those with eGFR <15 mL/min/1.73 m2. Future studies should investigate strategies to mitigate hypocalcemia. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Hip Fracture Risk Assessment in Elderly and Diabetic Patients: Combining Autonomous Finite Element Analysis and Machine Learning
Authors: Yosibash Zohar , Trabelsi Nir , Buchnik Itay , Myers Kent W , Salai Moshe , Eshed Iris , Barash Yiftach , Klang Eyal , Tripto-Shkolnik Liana
Published: March 2023

Autonomous finite element analyses (AFE) based on CT scans predict the biomechanical response of femurs during stance and sidewise fall positions. We combine AFE with patient data via a machine learning (ML) algorithm to predict the risk of hip fracture. An opportunistic retrospective clinical study of CT scans is presented, aimed at developing a ML algorithm with AFE for hip fracture risk assessment in type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) and non-T2DM patients.

Abdominal/pelvis CT scans of patients who experienced a hip fracture within 2 years after an index CT scan were retrieved from a tertiary medical center database. A control group of patients without a known hip fracture for at least 5 years after an index CT scan was retrieved. Scans belonging to patients with/without T2DM were identified from coded diagnoses. All femurs underwent an AFE under three physiological loads. AFE results, patient's age, weight, and height were input to the ML algorithm (support vector machine [SVM]), trained by 80% of the known fracture outcomes, with cross-validation, and verified by the other 20%.

In total, 45% of available abdominal/pelvic CT scans were appropriate for AFE (at least 1/4 of the proximal femur was visible in the scan). The AFE success rate in automatically analyzing CT scans was 91%: 836 femurs we successfully analyzed, and the results were processed by the SVM algorithm. A total of 282 T2DM femurs (118 intact and 164 fractured) and 554 non-T2DM (314 intact and 240 fractured) were identified. Among T2DM patients, the outcome was: Sensitivity 92%, Specificity 88% (cross-validation area under the curve [AUC] 0.92) and for the non-T2DM patients: Sensitivity 83%, Specificity 84% (cross-validation AUC 0.84).

Combining AFE data with a ML algorithm provides an unprecedented prediction accuracy for the risk of hip fracture in T2DM and non-T2DM populations. The fully autonomous algorithm can be applied as an opportunistic process for hip fracture risk assessment. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Inverse design of ligands using a deep generative model semi‐supervised by a data‐driven ligand field strength metric
Authors: Lee Zhi‐Hang , Lin Po Chuan , Yang Tzuhsiung
Published: March 2023

Transition metal (TM) complexes exhibit diverse structural and electronic properties. The properties of a TM complex can be tuned by modulating the ligand field strength (LFS) inflicted by its ligands. Current quantification of the LFS of a ligand is mainly derived from experimental measurements on a subset of highly symmetrical TM complexes and is limited in ligand scope. Herein, we report a data‐driven method to quantify the LFS of ligands assigned from experimental crystal structures of TM complexes. We first show that the experimental metal–ligand bond lengths of over 4,000 mononuclear Fe, Co, and Mn complexes form bimodal distributions. Using Gaussian fits on the bimodal distributions, each TM complex is assigned a spin state (SS) label. These SS labels can then be used to calculate the LFS of the ligands of the complexes. Using the obtained data‐driven LFS metric, we establish that a semi‐supervised deep generative model, junction tree variational autoencoder (JTVAE), can be employed to predict LFS values. Our model exhibits a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.047 and root mean squared error of 0.072 on the training set. The model also allows the generation of novel ligands with desirable LFS values.
Hemogram‐based decision tree models for discriminating COVID‐19 from RSV in infants
Authors: Dobrijević Dejan , Andrijević Ljiljana , Antić Jelena , Rakić Goran , Pastor Kristian
Published: March 2023

Objective

Decision trees are efficient and reliable decision‐making algorithms, and medicine has reached its peak of interest in these methods during the current pandemic. Herein, we reported several decision tree algorithms for a rapid discrimination between coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in infants.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 77 infants: 33 infants with novel betacoronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection and 44 infants with RSV infection. In total, 23 hemogram‐based instances were used to construct the decision tree models via 10‐fold cross‐validation method.

Results

The Random forest model showed the highest accuracy (81.8%), while in terms of sensitivity (72.7%), specificity (88.6%), positive predictive value (82.8%), and negative predictive value (81.3%), the optimized forest model was the most superior one.

Conclusion

Random forest and optimized forest models might have significant clinical applications, helping to speed up decision‐making when SARS‐CoV‐2 and RSV are suspected, prior to molecular genome sequencing and/or antigen testing.
Childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors and anxiety in emerging adulthood: Indirect effects of perceived stress
Authors: Trent Erika S. , Viana Andres G. , Raines Elizabeth M. , Busch Haley E. Conroy , Silva Karina , Storch Eric A. , Zvolensky Michael J.
Published: March 2023

Background

Although childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors is associated with elevated anxiety in emerging adulthood, the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. Perceived stress—a subjective experience comprised of feelings of helplessness (being unable to cope or exert control) and poor self‐efficacy (confidence in one's ability to manage stressors)—is one candidate mechanism. The present investigation examined the underlying role of perceived stress in the association between childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors and anxiety symptom severity in a sample of emerging adults.

Methods

Participants (N = 855; Mage = 18.75 years, SD = 1.05, range 18−24; 70.8% female) were recruited from a large state university and administered a battery of self‐report questionnaires assessing constructs of interest.

Results

Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that only greater childhood exposure to maternal threatening behaviors was directly associated with greater feelings of helplessness and lower self‐efficacy. Furthermore, only childhood exposure to maternal threatening behaviors was indirectly associated with anxiety severity through greater feelings of helplessness and lower self‐efficacy. In contrast, childhood exposure to paternal threatening behaviors was neither directly nor indirectly associated with anxiety severity.

Limitations

Limitations include a cross‐sectional design, use of self‐report measures, and a nonclinical sample. Replicating these findings in a clinical sample and testing the hypothesized model in a longitudinal design is necessary.

Conclusions

Findings underscore the need for intervention efforts that screen for and target perceived stress in emerging adults exposed to negative maternal parenting behaviors.
Preparation of doped PbO2 electrode and its application for aromatic aldehydes
Authors: Shi Yuanmei , Liu Rihong , Xin Huifen , Jin Yan , Feng Baicheng
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

This work prepared doped PbO2 electrodes with rare earth oxides, including SnO2–Sb2O5/Ce–PbO2 and SnO2–Sb2O5/Nd–PbO2. We investigated the effect of rare earth oxide dopants on the properties of the PbO2 electrodes, and the application of the electrodes to the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes.

RESULTS

Scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the surface morphology, crystal structure, elemental content and states of the modified electrodes. The electrodes doped with Ce and Nd have a finer surface, resulting in a larger contact area and increased catalytic oxidation capacity. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry were also utilized to study the electrochemical response of the modified electrodes. The current efficiency of the prepared redox mediator reached 93.2% through SnO2–Sb2O5/Nd–PbO2 electrode, which was higher than that of other electrodes. Furthermore, the electrode efficiency was basically stable after 10 cycles, which still could reach 88.7%.

CONCLUSION

It was found that Nd‐doped electrode could enhance indirect anodic oxidation through comparing the effect of SnO2–Sb2O5/PbO2, SnO2–Sb2O5/Ce–PbO2 and SnO2–Sb2O5/Nd–PbO2 electrodes in the application of the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Calcium carbonate from chicken eggshells as filler in composite Nafion membrane for direct ethanol fuel cell: a molecular dynamics study
Authors: Karim Nabila A , Alias Muhammad Syafiq , Shaari Norazuwana , Yang Hsiharng
Published: March 2023

BACKGROUND

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC) need fillers to mitigate the issue of ethanol crossing over from the anode to the cathode, which lowers performance. Therefore, this study developed calcium carbonate (CaCO3) from chicken eggshells as a filler in a Nafion composite membrane for DEFC. Three cluster models of CaCO3 filler were developed, namely (CaCO3)2, (CaCO3)3, and (CaCO3)4, to form the Nafion composite membranes. The properties of composite membranes, such as proton conductivity, ethanol permeability, and selectivity, were studied using the molecular dynamics method. In addition, the three main factors influencing the composite membranes’ properties were analyzed in this study; these were cluster size of CaCO3, mass loading of the filler, and ethanol concentration.

RESULTS

The results show that filler has reduced proton conductivity and ethanol permeability in the DEFC application compared to the Nafion membrane. However, the selectivity is used as a trade‐off between ion conductivity and ethanol permeability in the composite membrane, thus requiring a suitable size structure and mass loading to balance the high ion conductivity rate and reduce the ethanol permeability rate. The composite membrane C‐(CaCO3)4, which has a large cluster size in this study, shows that it is necessary to restrict ethanol permeability at a high ethanol concentration of 5 mol L−1. However, the structure size in cluster B – (CaCO3)3 – can reduce ethanol permeability but requires high mass loading by 5 wt%. Analysis of variance showed significant values for ion conductivity, ethanol permeability, and selectivity responses.

CONCLUSION

CaCO3 successfully reduced ethanol crossover in DEFC, with all three composite membranes being suitable for use at low ethanol concentrations. However, specific size structure and mass loading are required to overcome ethanol crossover at high ethanol concentration. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Color Doppler evaluation of umbilical arteries in relation to bony landmarks in the fetal pelvis as a clue to the mid‐trimester diagnosis of bladder exstrophy: A novel observation
Authors: Aneja Kavita , Bhalla Aradhana Aggarwal , Nanda Anupam , Khurana Ashok
Published: March 2023

Color Doppler (CD) is an established diagnostic modality for bladder exstrophy. We present two mid‐trimester difficult‐to‐diagnose cases with no obvious infraumbilical mass bulge, assessed by CD in sagittal and axial pelvic views. The first case was a classical bladder exstrophy at 19 weeks nestled under the umbilical‐cord and the second case was an omphalocele‐exstrophy‐imperforate‐anus‐spinal complex at 18 weeks 4 days gestation with exstrophic bladder embedded under the omphalocele. The altered course of umbilical arteries in relation to pelvic bony landmarks seen in these fetuses could be an objective approach to complement mid‐trimester diagnosis of bladder exstrophy regardless of mass bulge.
Functional analysis of hepatic long non‐coding ribonucleic acids during liver transplantation in humans
Authors: Tu Dan , Zhang Yihan , Liu Xiao , Xu Yan , Chen Huixin , Hei Ziqing , Yi Shuhong , Ge Mian
Published: March 2023

Background

The potential function of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human hepatic ischemia–reperfusion injury (HIRI) remains to be clarified.

Methods

Clinical samples of transplanted liver tissues from 26 patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) and normal liver tissues from seven patients undergoing hepatic hemangiomactomy (Con) were collected. Typical samples were subjected to whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA‐seq). Differentially expressed genes between groups were identified by DEGseq and were analyzed by enrichment analysis including Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and gene set enrichment analysis. Transcription of five lncRNAs including NONHSAG039942, NONHSAG071405, NONHSAG027516, LXLOC_058190, and LXLOC_024376 that presented significant difference in RNA‐sequencing were validated by a quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR), for which the subcellular localization and the binding ability to known human RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) were respectively predicted by LncLocator and catRAPID genomics v2.1.

Results

We identified 2917 lncRNAs and 2811 mRNAs that were differentially expressed (p < 0.05 and log2 fold change > 1 or < −1) between groups (LT vs. Con). NONHSAG039942, NONHSAG071405, LXLOC_058190, and LXLOC_024376 were validated by qRT‐PCR to be significantly increased in the LT group, and were all predicted to be localized in cytoplasm or cytosol. NONHSAG039942, NONHSAG071405, and LXLOC_058190 held an RBP interaction propensity score of 98.07%, 76.95%, and 152.99%, respectively, with heterogeneous‐nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (HNRNPU). Pathways significantly activated in transplant livers that involved HNRNPU as a core enrichment gene included hypoxia, ACE2 expression, apoptosis, spliceosome formation, etc.

Conclusions

NONHSAG039942, NONHSAG071405, and LXLOC_058190 were significantly increased in transplant livers after reperfusion and their role in HIRI may be associated with HNRNPU, a core protein that participates in hypoxia and chromatin accessibility.
Integrative bulk and single‐cell transcriptome profiling analysis reveals IFI27 as a novel interferon‐stimulated gene in dengue
Authors: Jiang Cheng , He Cong , Kan Jing , Guan Huiting , Zhou Tao , Yang Yi
Published: March 2023

The dengue virus (DENV) is a public health threat to humans. Increased vascular permeability, coagulopathy, and hemorrhagic diathesis are the pathophysiological hallmarks of severe dengue. However, although the interferon (IFN)‐mediated innate immune response forms the backbone of cell‐autonomous defense against pathogens, the exact IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) involved in DENV infection remain to be determined. The present study collected transcriptomic data sets of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from DENV patients and healthy volunteers from public data repositories. Also, lentivirus and plasmid were used to overexpress and knockdown IFI27. Initially, differentially expressed genes were filtered, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to assess related pathways. Subsequently, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and support vector machine‐recursive feature elimination algorithms were used to screen crucial genes. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was then employed to test diagnostic efficacy. Next, CIBERSORT was used to analyze immune infiltration in 22 immune cell subsets. Additionally, to dissect high‐resolution molecular phenotypes directly from individual cells and the cellular interactions between immune cell subpopulations, single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) was performed. We found that the IFN‐stimulated gene IFN‐α‐inducible protein 27 (IFI27) was highly expressed in dengue patients by leveraging bioinformatics analysis and machine learning algorithms. This finding was further validated in two independent published databases. In addition, IFI27 overexpression positively regulated DENV‐2 infection, whereas IFI27 knockdown has the opposite effect. Consistently, scRNA‐seq analysis supported this conclusion, along with further dissection of increased IFI27 expression mainly concentrated in monocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. We also demonstrated that IFI27 inhibited dengue infection. Moreover, IFI27 was positively correlated with monocytes, M1 macrophages, activated dendritic cells, plasma cells, and resting mast cells and negatively correlated with CD8 T cells, γδ T cells, and naïve B cells. GSEA revealed that IFI27 was primarily enriched in the innate immune response, regulation of the viral life cycle, and JAK‐STAT signaling pathway. Notably, the interactions between LGALS9 and its receptor CD47 were markedly increased in dengue patients compared to healthy controls, based on cell‐cell communication analysis. Our findings reveal, for the first time, that IFI27 is a key ISG in DENV infection. Given that the innate immune system plays a significant role in antagonizing DENV invasion, while ISGs are the ultimate antiviral effectors, IFI27 may serve as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in dengue, although further validation is warranted.
HLA‐DQ‐conferred risk for type 1 diabetes does not alter neutralizing antibody response to a widely used enterovirus vaccine, the poliovirus vaccine
Authors: Sioofy‐Khojine Amir‐Babak , Lehtonen Jussi P. , Nurminen Noora , Laiho Jutta E. , Toppari Jorma , Veijola Riitta , Lempainen Johanna , Ilonen Jorma , Knip Mikael , Hyöty Heikki
Published: March 2023

This study investigated whether children with HLA‐DQ‐conferred risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) have an altered immune response to the widely‐used enterovirus vaccine, namely poliovirus vaccine, and whether initiation of autoimmunity to pancreatic islets modulates this response. Neutralizing antibodies induced by the inactivated poliovirus vaccine against poliovirus type 1 (Salk) were analysed as a marker of protective immunity at the age of 18 months in a prospective birth cohort. No differences were observed in antibody titers between children with and without genetic risk for T1D (odds ratio [OR] = 0.90 [0.83, 1.06], p = 0.30). In the presence of the genetic risk, no difference was observed between children with and without islet autoimmunity (OR = 1.00 [0.78, 1.28], p = 1.00). This did not change when only children with the autoimmunity before 18 months of age were included in the analyses (OR = 1.00 [0.85, 1.18], p = 1.00). No effect was observed when groups were stratified based on autoantigen specificity of the first‐appearing autoantibody (IAA or GADA). The children in each comparison group were matched for sex, calendar year and month of birth, and municipality. Accordingly, we found no indication that children who are at risk to develop islet autoimmunity would have a compromised humoral immune response which could have increased their susceptibility for enterovirus infections. In addition, the proper immune response supports the idea of testing novel enterovirus vaccines for the prevention of T1D among these individuals.
Nalbuphine attenuates morphine‐induced scratching by inhibiting PKCβ‐dependent microglial activation and p38 phosphorylation in male mice
Authors: Tang Yang , Li Nan‐Qi , Ye Liu‐Qing , Yang Fan , Huang Si‐Ting , Peng Zhe , Xie Jing‐Dun , Wan Li
Published: March 2023

Morphine‐induced scratching (MIS) is a common adverse effect associated with the use of morphine as analgesia after surgery. However, the treatment of MIS is less than satisfactory due to its unclear mechanism, which needs to be enunciated. We found that intrathecal (i.t.) injections of morphine significantly enhanced scratching behavior in C57BL/6J male mice as well as increased the expressions of protein kinase C β (PKCβ), phosphorylated p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPK), and ionized calcium‐binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) within spinal cord dorsal horn. Conversely, using the kappa opioid receptor antagonist nalbuphine significantly attenuated scratching behavior, reduced PKCβ expression and p38 phosphorylation, and decreased spinal dorsal horn microglial activation, while PKCδ and KOR expression elevated. Spinal PKCβ silencing mitigated MIS and microglial activation. Still, knockdown of PKCδ reversed the inhibitory effect of nalbuphine on MIS and microglial activation, indicating that PKCδ is indispensable for the antipruritic effects of nalbuphine. In contrast, PKCβ is crucial for inducing microglial activation in MIS in male mice. Our findings show a distinct itch cascade of morphine, PKCβ/p38MAPK, and microglial activation, but an anti‐MIS pathway of nalbuphine, PKCδ/KOR, and neuron activation.
Application of erucyl dimethyl betaine sulfonate viscoelastic surfactant for optimization of acidizing operations in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs
Authors: Safari Kowsar , Sahraei Eghbal , Khalilnezhad Ali
Published: March 2023

Reservoir heterogeneity is an important factor which should be considered for each operation in oilfields. Acidizing operation is performed to eliminate or reduce the damages of reservoirs. The dissolution of the minerals and rock texture in damaged areas is the main goal of acidizing. However, the existence of high permeable zones through flowing paths results in extra damages and fluid loss. Some additives could be added to the injected acid to avoid these undesirable phenomena. In this research, we added a Zwitterionic sulfonate surfactant to hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution and evaluated the rheological behavior of several compositions of acid‐based viscoelastic surfactant (VES) solutions under various temperature and shear rates. The capability of optimum solution to plug the high permeable zone and divert the acid flow to low permeable zone is examined. The optimum solution was injected into a parallel sandpacked system with different permeabilities at various flow rates (1, 3 and 5 cc/min). It was observed that the injection rate of 3 cc/min has the most efficiency to reduce the heterogeneity. Besides the tendency of VES based solutions for altering wettability of rock to more water‐wet condition is observed. The findings of this study can help the better understanding of practical application of VES in acidizing through heterogeneous reservoirs. Besides, effective parameters for such application are determined.
Can sarcopenia predict complete response after total neoadjuvant therapy in advanced rectal cancer? A multicentre observational cohort study
Authors: Bedrikovetski Sergei , Traeger Luke , Price Timothy J. , Carruthers Scott , Selva‐Nayagam Sudarshan , Moore James W. , Sammour Tarik
Published: March 2023

Background

The association between sarcopenia and response to neoadjuvant treatment remains unclear. This study investigates sarcopenia as a predictor of overall complete response (oCR) after Total Neoadjuvant Therapy (TNT) for advanced rectal cancer.

Method

A prospective observational study was performed of patients with rectal cancer undergoing TNT at three South Australian hospitals between 2019 and 2022. Sarcopenia was diagnosed by pretreatment computed tomography measurement of psoas muscle cross‐sectional area at the third lumbar vertebra level, normalised for patient height. The primary endpoint was oCR rate defined as the proportion of patients who achieved either clinical complete response (cCR) or pathological complete response.

Results

This study included 118 rectal cancer patients with an average age of 59.5 years, 83 (70.3%) of whom formed the non‐sarcopenic group (NSG) and 35 (29.7%) the sarcopenic group (SG). The oCR rate was significantly higher in NSG compared with the SG (p < 0.001). cCR rate was significantly greater in NSG compared with the SG (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed sarcopenia (p = 0.029) and hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.040) were risk factors for cCR and sarcopenia was an independent risk factor for oCR (p = 0.020).

Conclusion

Sarcopenia and hypoalbuminemia were negatively associated with tumour response following TNT in advanced rectal cancer patients.
Ultrasonographic Patterns of Calcium Hydroxyapatite According to Dilution and Mix With Hyaluronic Acid
Authors: Wortsman Ximena , Quezada Natacha , Peñaloza Osvaldo , Cavallieri Fernanda , Schelke Leonie , Velthuis Peter
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To assess the ultrasonographic patterns of different calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) formulations, including the undiluted, diluted, and mixed with hyaluronic acid (HA) compounds.

Methods

To review the ultrasonographic images of patients ≥18 years with confirmed injections of CaHA clinically and ultrasonographically, and without different concomitant types of fillers in the same region or other systemic or localized cutaneous diseases.

Results

Twenty‐one patients met the criteria (90% female; 10% male; mean age: 52 years ± 12.8). Of these, 33.3% have been injected with an undiluted formulation, 33.3% with diluted, and 33.3% with a mixed formulation. All cases were studied with devices presenting frequencies that ranged from 18 to 24 MHz. Twelve cases (57%) were also studied with the 70 MHz.

The ultrasonographic patterns of CaHA presented differences in the presence and intensity of PAS and the degree of inflammation according to the dilution and mix with HA. Diluted formulations show a milder intensity posterior acoustic shadowing (PAS) artifact than undiluted at 18–24 MHz. In mixed formulations, 57% showed mild PAS, and 43% demonstrated no PAS artifact at 18–24 MHz, besides fewer inflammatory changes in the periphery of the deposits.

Conclusions

The ultrasonographic patterns of CaHA show differences in the presence and intensity of PAS and the degree of inflammation according to the dilution and mix with HA. Awareness of these ultrasonographic variations can support better discrimination of CaHA.
Treatment of tracheoesophageal fistulas following laryngectomy by customized prostheses—A bicentric case series
Authors: Herzog Michael , Plößl Sebastian , Grafmans Daniel , Bogdanov Vasyl , Glien Alexander , Plontke Stefan , Kisser Ulrich
Published: March 2023

Objective

Tracheoesophageal fistulas (TEF) following laryngectomy cause immense restrictions due to the inability of oral feeding, loss of voice rehabilitation, penetration of saliva, and permanent need of inflatable tracheal cannulas. Patients are consistently in threat of fatal aspiration pneumonias. The failure rate of surgical approaches to close the fistulas is high and an ultima ratio option by customized silicone prostheses can be considered.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 26 patients with a TEF was performed.

Results

The fistulas occurred in average 40 months after laryngectomy caused by an enlargement of the voice fistula in 17 patients and problems in wound healing in 6 patients. The mean diameter of the fistula was 32 × 18 mm. Eight patients were treated by a button‐shaped and 18 by a tube‐shaped prosthesis. Complete oral feeding was possible in 8 and additional feeding by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube in 16 patients. Voice rehabilitation by voice prostheses was possible in 18 cases. Fifteen patients died in the course of the treatment either due to oncological progression or other reasons. The median follow‐up time of the patients alive was 36 months (max 88 months) with 2.2 protheses replacements in mean (max 11).

Conclusion

The treatment of TEF by customized prostheses can be considered as an ultima ration option if other approaches had failed. At least, partial oral nutrition and voice rehabilitation as well as protection from aspiration can be achieved in the majority of the patients.

Level of Evidence

4—Case series.
Terahertz Silicon Metagratings: High‐Efficiency Dispersive Beam Manipulation above Diffraction Cone
Authors: Yang Ruisheng , Fan Yuancheng , Zhu Wei , Hu Chuanjie , Chen Songnan , Wei Heng , Chen Weijin , Chan C. T. , Zhao Qian , Zhou Ji , Zhang Fuli , Qiu Cheng‐Wei
Published: March 2023

Optical wavefront engineering is essential for the development of next‐generation integrated photonic devices. It is used for reflecting terahertz waves in a predesigned nonspecular direction with near‐unitary efficiency, which is a longstanding challenge for high‐performance functional devices. Recently, metagratings have offered an efficient solution for beam steering at large angles without the need for a discretization phase or impedance profile. Here, all‐dielectric metagratings fabricated using a silicon cuboid complex lattice are proposed and demonstrated experimentally to achieve anomalous terahertz beam reflections above the diffraction cone with unitary diffraction efficiency. For the bipartite metagrating system, a single dispersive scatterer per unit is effective for achieving broadband beam steering because of Brillouin zone folding, and another perturbative synergetic scatterer is introduced to slightly tailor the array coupling and improve the performance. High‐efficiency beam steering, including both retroreflection under oblique incidence and one‐way diffraction under normal incidence, can be achieved by breaking structural symmetry and coherently suppressing unnecessary radiation channels. Moreover, silicon metagratings with spatially dispersive response features show perfect anomalous reflection operation in the broadband region, which is promising for leveraging terahertz spatially separated devices.
Thermal Synergistic Effect on CFRP Laminates with Modified Fiber/Matrix Systems for Heat Transfer Applications
Authors: Aravind J. , Manu M. , Roy K. E. Reby , Mubarak Ali M. , Abu Hassan Shukur Bin , Rajalekshmi S. , Daniel Desin S.
Published: March 2023

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are modified to enhance their suitability for various thermal applications. A synergistic approach utilizing the effect of various conductive and insulative modifiers with diglycidyl ethers of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin and/carbon fiber (CF) is explored. In CFRP laminates developed after modifications made in epoxy resin using a thermoplastic material, such as polycarbonate (PC) and/or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), exhibit high thermal resistance (TR) of 77.1% compared to unmodified CFRP. In contrast, modifications made using conductive mediums like phosphonium (P), imidazolium (I), or silanized‐graphene oxide (SGO) have lower TR of 25.7%, 30.5%, and 32.4%, respectively. A temperature gradient (TG) enhancement of 75% is reported for the 1.5 wt% PC/ABS modified CFRP laminates. On the contrary, modifications using 0.5 parts per hundred (phr)P, 0.5 phr I, and 1 g L−1 SGO in epoxy reduce the TG by 25%, 30%, and 32%, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses are done to explore the thermal characteristics of each case of modification. Finally, scanning electron microscopy images confirm the distribution profile of the modifiers used. Based on the types of modifications performed, the current study can offer insightful information on the thermal performances of modified CFRP laminates.