bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
African Global Representation in Biomedical Sciences
Authors: Mulder Nicola , Zass Lyndon , Hamdi Yosr , Othman Houcemeddine , Panji Sumir , Allali Imane , Fakim Yasmina Jaufeerally
Published: July 2021

African populations are diverse in their ethnicity, language, culture, and genetics. Although plagued by high disease burdens, until recently the continent has largely been excluded from biomedical studies. Along with limitations in research and clinical infrastructure, human capacity, and funding, this omission has resulted in an underrepresentation of African data and disadvantaged African scientists. This review interrogates the relative abundance of biomedical data from Africa, primarily in genomics and other omics. The visibility of African science through publications is also discussed. A challenge encountered in this review is the relative lack of annotation of data on their geographical or population origin, with African countries represented as a single group. In addition to the abovementioned limitations,the global representation of African data may also be attributed to the hesitation to deposit data in public repositories. Whatever the reason, the disparity should be addressed, as African data have enormous value for scientists in Africa and globally.
Using Phecodes for Research with the Electronic Health Record: From PheWAS to PheRS
Authors: Bastarache Lisa
Published: July 2021

Electronic health records (EHRs) are a rich source of data for researchers, but extracting meaningful information out of this highly complex data source is challenging. Phecodes represent one strategy for defining phenotypes for research using EHR data. They are a high-throughput phenotyping tool based on ICD (International Classification of Diseases) codes that can be used to rapidly define the case/control status of thousands of clinically meaningful diseases and conditions. Phecodes were originally developed to conduct phenome-wide association studies to scan for phenotypic associations with common genetic variants. Since then, phecodes have been used to support a wide range of EHR-based phenotyping methods, including the phenotype risk score. This review aims to comprehensively describe the development, validation, and applications of phecodes and suggest some future directions for phecodes and high-throughput phenotyping.
Water Security and International Law
Authors: Cullet Philippe , Bhullar Lovleen , Koonan Sujith
Published: July 2021

International law seeks to ensure water security and to prevent or resolve conflicts leading to water insecurity. This relationship is based on a hybrid framework comprising binding and nonbinding instruments. The multi-scalar dimensions of water (in)security are recognized, but further engagement is required. The link between international law and water (in)security is considered primarily through the lens of international water law, which focuses on transboundary (surface) watercourses. Groundwater—the other main source of water and determinant of water (in)security—receives little attention. Further, the traditional state-centric approach, with its emphasis on sovereignty and cooperation, remains the dominant paradigm despite some attempts to redefine it. Several other branches of international law present opportunities for expanding international law's engagement with the water security discourse. Finally, the climate change challenge requires a reconsideration of international law's approach to water (in)security while considering the global dimensions of water.
Protecting Basic Legal Freedoms: International Legal Complexes, Accountability Devices, and the Deviant Case of China
Authors: Halliday Terence C. , Zilberstein Shira , Espeland Wendy
Published: July 2021

With a focus on legal and other organizational actors beyond the state, this article seeks to expand the theory of conditions under which legal occupations will mobilize to fight for basic legal freedoms within states. It elaborates the line of scholarship on legal complexes and political liberalism within states since the 17thcentury. First, we catalog harms that international organizations (IOs) of many kinds seek to protect in the more than 190 states in the world. Second, we elaborate the concept of an international legal complex (ILC) as a collective actor in the global struggle for basic legal freedoms. We illustrate these two steps with new data on China drawn from a wider project. We show what harms mobilize the ILC, international human rights organizations (IHROs) and an international governmental organization, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). We focus on accountability devices as tools differentially deployed by the ILC, IOs, and UNHRC in theirefforts to influence the institutionalization of basic legal freedoms, an open civil society, and a moderate state in China. The illustrative case of China provides a framework for research and theory on all other countries.
Image analysis techniques to map pyramids, pyramid structure, glomerular distribution, and pathology in the intact human kidney from 3-D MRI
Authors: Charlton Jennifer R. , Xu Yanzhe , Parvin Neda , Wu Teresa , Gao Fei , Baldelomar Edwin J. , Morozov Darya , Beeman Scott C. , Derakhshan Jamal , Bennett Kevin M.
Published: July 2021

We report the application of cutting-edge image analysis approaches to characterize the pyramidal geometry, glomerular microstructure, and heterogeneity of the whole human kidney imaged using MRI. This work establishes a framework to improve the detection of microstructural pathology to potentially facilitate disease monitoring or transplant evaluation in the individual kidney.
Microstructural Mechanical Analysis of Warm‐Mixed Reclaimed Semiflexible Pavement Materials with Interfacial Weakening Effect
Authors: Tan Hua , Xuan Weian , Wenke Huang
Published: July 2021

Warm‐mixed reclaimed asphalt pavement technology, as an environmental recycling method to reuse waste materials, has been widely investigated around the world. However, the skeleton of the reclaimed asphalt mixture is unstable due to the existence of the reclaimed materials. Semiflexible pavement has been successfully used in heavy traffic area due to its high rutting resistance. For combination with these two methods, a warm‐mixed reclaimed semiflexible pavement material was proposed in this study. In order to investigate the interfacial weakening effect of the warm‐mixed reclaimed semiflexible pavement material in a microstructural perspective, an image‐based two‐dimensional microstructural finite element model was presented. Results show that the maximum compressive stress of the new and RAP aggregates and cement mortar with interface is greater than that without interface and the compressive stress of the material increases when considering the interface. Besides, the maximum compressive strain of the material with interface is greater than that without interface and the strain values in the models with interface at all three positions are greater than those without interface.
Research Advance on the Sensing Characteristics of Refractive Index Sensors Based on Electromagnetic Metamaterials
Authors: Wang Zongli , Wang Xin , Wang Junlin
Published: July 2021

Among different sensing platforms, metamaterials composed of subwavelength or deep subwavelength sized metal resonance elements arrays that are etched on semiconductor substrates or dielectric substrates exhibit excellent characteristics due to the strong localization and enhancement of resonance electromagnetic fields. As a new type of detection method, metamaterial sensors can break through the resolution limit of traditional sensors for a small amount of substance and have the advantages of high sensitivity, fast response, and simple measurement. Significant enhancement of the sensing characteristics of metamaterial sensors was realized by optimizing microstructures (single split-ring, double split-ring, nested split-ring, asymmetric split-ring, three-dimensional split-ring, etc.), using ultrathin substrates or low-index substrate materials, etching away local substrate, and integrating microfluidic channel, etc. This paper mainly reviews the research advance on the improvement of sensing characteristics from optimizing resonance structures and changing substrate materials and morphology. Furthermore, the sensing mechanism and main characteristic parameters of metamaterial sensors are introduced in detail, and the development trend and challenge of metamaterial sensing applications are prospected. It is believed that metamaterial sensors will have potential broader application prospects in environmental monitoring, food safety control, and biosensing in the future.
Genistein: An Integrative Overview of Its Mode of Action, Pharmacological Properties, and Health Benefits
Authors: Sharifi-Rad Javad , Quispe Cristina , Imran Muhammad , Rauf Abdur , Nadeem Muhammad , Gondal Tanweer Aslam , Ahmad Bashir , Atif Muhammad , Mubarak Mohammad S. , Sytar Oksana , Zhilina Oxana Mihailovna , Garsiya Ekaterina Robertovna , Smeriglio Antonella , Trombetta Domenico , Pons Daniel Gabriel , Martorell Miquel , Cardoso Susana M. , Razis Ahmad Faizal Abdull , Sunusi Usman , Kamal Ramla Muhammad , Rotariu Lia Sanda , Butnariu Monica , Docea Anca Oana , Calina Daniela
Published: July 2021

Genistein is an isoflavone first isolated from the brooming plant Dyer’s Genista tinctoria L. and is widely distributed in the Fabaceae family. As an isoflavone, mammalian genistein exerts estrogen‐like functions. Several biological effects of genistein have been reported in preclinical studies, such as the antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral activities, the effects of angiogenesis and estrogen, and the pharmacological activities on diabetes and lipid metabolism. The purpose of this review is to provide up‐to‐date evidence of preclinical pharmacological activities with mechanisms of action, bioavailability, and clinical evidence of genistein. The literature was researched using the most important keyword “genistein” from the PubMed, Science, and Google Scholar databases, and the taxonomy was validated using The Plant List. Data were also collected from specialized books and other online resources. The main positive effects of genistein refer to the protection against cardiovascular diseases and to the decrease of the incidence of some types of cancer, especially breast cancer. Although the mechanism of protection against cancer involves several aspects of genistein metabolism, the researchers attribute this effect to the similarity between the structure of soy genistein and that of estrogen. This structural similarity allows genistein to displace estrogen from cellular receptors, thus blocking their hormonal activity. The pharmacological activities resulting from the experimental studies of this review support the traditional uses of genistein, but in the future, further investigations are needed on the efficacy, safety, and use of nanotechnologies to increase bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.
Blockchain Equity System Transaction Method and System Research Based on Machine Learning and Big Data Algorithm
Authors: Peng Kanghua
Published: July 2021

With the development of machine learning and big data, traditional equity trading system methods can no longer meet the current trading needs, and there are still problems such as low operating efficiency and serious homogeneity. Blockchain technology has the characteristics of decentralization and can also complete transactions through smart contracts, innovating the way of equity system transactions. The purpose of this paper is to build an equity trading system in combination with blockchain in the context of machine learning and big data and provide innovative trading methods, so as to provide reference and reference significance for the construction of my country’s equity market. This article uses literature data method, comparative analysis method, factor analysis method, and other methods to carry out research, in‐depth study of machine learning and big data, blockchain‐related concepts, system composition, application situation, etc., and discusses the allocation of equity trading market The functions of resources, risk diversification, risk transfer, price determination, etc., have built a blockchain equity trading system, designed a consensus mechanism, block generation protocol, block verification, decentralization, and smart contract platform, and finally conducted a national equity transaction the background of the market is analyzed, and the experimental results, simulation indicators, transaction time, transmission consumption, and other content of the system constructed in this article are analyzed. In the single‐node test, the CPU usage of the PoW consensus mechanism algorithm reached 100%, but the improved PBFT consensus mechanism was only 16%, which saved a lot of computing power and improved computing performance.
Computed Tomography Image Segmentation Using Edge Correction Algorithm for Refractory Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children
Authors: Wu Lijuan , Ji Jianwei , Zhao Shiyong , Chen Jiaolei
Published: July 2021

Objective. It is to study the application of edge correction algorithm (ECA) in computed tomography (CT) medical image segmentation, explore its guiding significance in the analysis of clinical characteristics of children with refractory mycoplasma pneumoniae (RMPP), and discuss the therapeutic value of fiberoptic bronchoscopy bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for RMPP. Methods. The accuracy of ECA in CT medical image segmentation of children with RMPP was compared with that of the watershed segmentation algorithm (WSA) and swarm intelligence optimization algorithm (SIOA). The clinical characteristics and the imaging characteristics of 80 children with RMPP admitted to hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed based on the ECA. All children were divided into a lavage group (BAL group, n = 69) and a nonlavage group (non-BAL group, n = 11) according to whether fiberoptic bronchoscopy and BAL were performed. Bronchoscopy was adopted to analyze the cytological characteristics of BAL fluid (BALF) in children, and the recovery rate and the total effective rate of the two groups of children were observed and compared. Results. The overall accuracies (OAs) of the three ECAs (Roberts operator (RO), Sobel operator (SO), and Prewitt operator (PO)) were higher than that of WSA and SIOA, their false negative rate (FNR) and false positive rate (FPR) were small, and their denoising performance was superior to that of WSA and SIOA. The main clinical manifestations of all children were high fever, irritating dry cough, and few early signs. The results of chest CT examination were mainly manifested as patchy or large-scale consolidation, two lung mesh or small nodular shadows, and atelectasis. 69 cases with fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed swelling and congestion of the bronchial mucosa at the lesion site with visible viscous secretions, which was consistent with the imaging changes. The total number of cells in the BALF of children increased (

P
<
0.05

), which mainly represented the increase of neutrophils (

P
<
0.05

). The recovery rate of children with lavage (81.16%) was higher dramatically than that of the nonlavage group (45.45%). Conclusion. The ECA had good accuracy and denoising performance in lung CT image segmentation. The clinical characteristics, imaging characteristics, and cytological components of children had changed when they suffered from the RMPP, and fiberoptic bronchoscopy lavage had a therapeutic effect on it.
Robust Image Hashing Based on Cool and Warm Hue and Space Angle
Authors: Zhao Yan , Liu Shuai
Published: July 2021

Image hashing has attracted more and more attention in the field of information security. In this paper, a novel hashing algorithm using cool and warm hue information and three-dimensional space angle is proposed. Firstly, the original image is preprocessed to get the opposite color component and the hue component H in HSV color space. Then, the distribution of cool and warm hue pixels is extracted from hue component H. Blocks the hue component H, according to the proportion of warm hue and cool hue pixels in each small block, combined with the quaternion and opposite color component, constructed the cool and warm hue opposite color quaternion (CWOCQ) feature. Then, three-dimensional space, opposite color, and cool and warm hue are combined to obtain the three-dimensional space angle (TDSA) feature. The CWOCQ feature and the TDSA feature are connected and disturbed to obtain the final hash sequence. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has good security and has better image classification performance and shorter computation time compared with some advanced algorithms.
Intelligent Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Algorithm-Based X-Ray Film for Analysis of the Changes in Sagittal Parameters and Curative Effect of Anterior Cervical Surgery
Authors: Liu Zhengyu , Zhang Qingming , Wang Juyong , Lu Shibao
Published: July 2021

In this paper, the change characteristics of sagittal parameters of the patient’s body before and after anterior cervical surgery and rehabilitation effect were analyzed. The rotation transformation and perspective projection transformation were applied to construct a positive and lateral position (PLP) matching-based three-dimensional reconstruction (PLP-3DR) algorithm, which was compared with the marching cubes (MC) algorithm and gravity point (GP) algorithm. PLP-3DR was adopted in X-ray image diagnosis of 124 cervical spondylosis patients. Results showed that sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of PLP-3DR were markedly higher than those of MC and GP (

P
<
0.05

). The postoperative C2-7 Cobbs’s angle (C2-7Cobb) (11.27 ± 8.41°) was smaller than that before the surgery (15.03 ± 7.39°) (

P
<
0.05

), while the postoperative cervical sagittal vertical axis (cSVA) (21.33 ± 10.38 mm) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores (16.95 ± 6.07 points) were greater than those before the surgery (14.66 ± 9.68 mm and 11.39 ± 4.28 points) (

P
<
0.05

). Besides, the improvement rate of patients from the cSVA >25 mm group (68.31%) was greater than the rate of the cSVA <15 mm group (45.88%) and the cSVA within 15–25 mm group (47.29%) (

P
<
0.05

). In conclusion, PLP-3DR could effectively improve the diagnostic effect of spine X-ray film images, with high sensitivity and specificity. Anterior cervical surgery had a good curative effect for patients with cervical spondylosis and was closely related to cervical parameters (cSVA, T1 slope, and C2-7Cobb). In addition, patients with cSVA>25 mm could have the best postoperative rehabilitation effect.
Can Vitamin D Therapy Contribute to the Conservative Resolution of Osteolytic Lesions of the Jaws?
Authors: Gaballah Kamis , Kenz Sami , Anis Raeefa , Kujan Omar
Published: July 2021

Osteolytic lesions of the jaw are not uncommon. Such lesions usually arise from local pathologies, but some have systemic backgrounds. We describe a 12-year-old girl who presented with an asymptomatic left mandibular swelling. The bony swelling was corresponding to a radiolucent lesion in the left premolar/molar region. This lesion could have represented an inflammatory and developmental odontogenic jaw cyst, giant cell lesion, and odontogenic tumor. However, the workup investigations revealed secondary hyperparathyroidism due to vitamin D deficiency. A vitamin D replacement was initiated with a single I.M. injection of 300,000 I.U followed by 10,000 I.U orally, weekly. Six weeks later, her Vitamin D and parathyroid hormone were normalized, and she showed significant clinical and radiological improvement of the jaw lesion. At 18 months, follow-up the panoramic image revealed complete resolution of the radiolucency and stable normal parathyroid hormone and vitamin D levels. In conclusion, Jaw bone lesions can develop secondary to hyperparathyroidism due to vitamin D deficiency, and this should be ruled out before any surgical intervention. Treatment of such lesions lies in the correction of parathyroid excess with a careful and systematic approach. This may prevent unnecessary surgical intervention in such patients.
A Regional Landslide Stability Analysis Method under the Combined Impact of Rainfall and Vegetation Roots in South China
Authors: Gong Qinghua , Wang Jun , Zhou Ping , Guo Min
Published: July 2021

The aim of this study was to develop a regional landslide stability analysis method considering the combined impact of rainfall and the roots of vegetation in densely vegetated areas. A typical mountainous watershed in the Nanling National Nature Reserve of South China was chosen as the study area. First, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) method was used to obtain surface element information including topography, vegetation, and landslides. Five main plant species were identified. The RipRoot model was then used to calculate the additional cohesion of these five plant species, and the relationship between the root systems of the different plant species and the soil shear strength was subsequently revealed. Finally, the root cohesion was introduced into the stability index mapping model (SINMAP), and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method was used to calculate the accuracy of slope stability when considering only soil cohesion as well as the composite cohesion of both soil and roots. The results showed significant differences in the root cohesion of different plants in the study area and a significant increase in the calculation accuracy (from 90% to 95.6%) when root cohesion was considered in the landslide stability calculation. These study results not only enrich theoretical studies on the impact of vegetation roots on landslide stability but also provide a scientific support for preventing disasters in mountainous landslide‐prone areas.
[Retracted] Systematic Understanding of the Mechanism of Baicalin against Gastric Cancer Using Transcriptome Analysis
Authors: Zhou Wenqu , Gao Mi , Liang Chunxiao , Lin Biting , Wu Qinghua , Chen Ruikun , Xiong Xiaoxiao , Chen Xing , Wang Shijie , Wu Liting , Wu Yiling , Li Haiqing , Fu Xin , Hong Wei
Published: July 2021

Background. Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common type of cancer. It is highly malignant and is characterized by rapid and uncontrolled growth. The antitumour activity of Baicalin was studied in multiple cancers. However, its mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. We provided a systematic understanding of the mechanism of action of baicalin against GC using a transcriptome analysis of RNA‐seq. Methods. Human GC cells (SGC‐7901) were exposed to 200 μg/ml baicalin for 24 h. RNA‐seq with a transcriptome, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were used to identify the antitumour effects of baicalin on SGC‐7901 cells in vitro. A protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was constructed. A competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed and further analysed after validation using qRT‐PCR. Results. A total of 68 lncRNAs, 20 miRNAs, and 1648 mRNAs were differentially expressed in baicalin‐treated SGC‐7901 GC cells. Three lncRNAs, 6 miRNAs, and 7 mRNAs were included in the ceRNA regulatory network. GO analysis revealed that the main DEGs were involved in the biological processes of the cell cycle and cell death. KEGG pathway analysis further suggested that the p53 signalling pathway was involved in the baicalin‐induced antitumour effect on SGC‐7901 cells. Further confirmation using qPCR indicated that baicalin induced an antitumour effect on SGC‐7901 cells, which is consistent with the results of the sequencing data. Conclusions. In summary, the mechanism of baicalin against GC involves multiple targets and signalling pathways. These results provide new insight into the antitumour mechanism of baicalin and help the development of new strategies to cure GC.
Evaluation of the Clinical and Imaging Findings of Breast Examinations in a Tertiary Facility in Ghana
Authors: Edzie Emmanuel Kobina Mesi , Dzefi-Tettey Klenam , Gorleku Philip Narteh , Amankwa Adu Tutu , Aidoo Eric , Agyen-Mensah Kwasi , Idun Ewurama Andam , Quarshie Frank , Kpobi Joshua Mensah , Kusodzi Henry , Edzie Richard Ato , Asemah Abdul Raman
Published: July 2021

Breast diseases have been one of the major battles the world has been fighting. In winning this fight, the role of medical imaging cannot be overlooked. Breast imaging reveals hidden lesions which aid physicians to give the appropriate diagnosis and definitive treatment, hence this study, to determine the clinical and imaging findings of breast examinations to document the radiologic features in our setting. This cross-sectional retrospective study reviewed the sociodemographics, imaging reports (mammography and ultrasonography with BI-RADS scores and their features), and the clinical data of 425 patients from September 2017 to September 2020 in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. 72 solid lesions with their histology reports were also reviewed. Data obtained were organized, coded, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) version 20.0. The results obtained were presented in appropriate tables and charts. A chi-squared test was employed for associations and statistical significance was specified at

p
≤
0.05

. 63.29% of the patients were married, but only 18.59% had a positive family history of breast cancer. BI-RADS scores 1(57.46%) and 2(27.99%) were the most recurrent findings. The most common BI-RADS 2, 3, 4, and 5 imaging features were benign-looking axillary lymph nodes (66.33%), well-defined solid masses (61.54%), ill-defined solid masses (42.86%), and ill-defined solid masses with suspicious-looking axillary lymph nodes (100.00%), respectively. The most frequent indications were routine screening (49.18%), mastalgia (26.59%), and painless breast masses (19.77%). There was significant association between duration of symptoms and breast cancer (

p
 
value
=
0.007

). In conclusion, routine breast screening and mastalgia were the topmost indications for breast imaging. BI-RADS 1 and 2 were the commonest BI-RADS scores, and benign-looking axillary lymph nodes and simple cysts were the most frequent imaging features for BI-RADS 2 and ill-defined solid masses and suspicious-looking axillary lymph nodes for BI-RADS 4 and 5.
J Point and ST Elevation Resembling Brugada: A Marker of Mortality in Methanol Toxicity
Authors: Nikoo Mohammad Hossein , Estedal Alireza , Khatami Kiana , Pakfetrat Maryam , Arjangzadeh Alireza , Boogar Shahrokh Sadeghi , Danesh Sina , Heydari Seyed Taghi
Published: July 2021

Objective. J point and coved ST elevation in right precordial leads (not produced by coronary artery disease) are still a matter of challenge, especially when resembling Brugada patients. This clinical entity, among asymptomatic individuals with no family history of sudden cardiac death, would be reported in some severely ill patients before ventricular fibrillation. This study investigated the relationship between the electrocardiograms with demographic and laboratory data and also analyzed their association with mortality rate among patients with methanol poisoning. Methods. The sample consisted of 356 patients who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of methanol poisoning in Faghihi and Namazi Hospitals in Shiraz, Southern Iran, in March and April 2020. In this period, a major outbreak of methanol poisoning had occurred in this area. Furthermore, the study used the data on any recorded complications or mortality during hospital course. Results. The ECG (BrP) was observed in a total of 20 (5.6%) patients. Its presence was associated with increased mortality, Glasgow coma scale score <3, and blood sugar levels and was inversely associated with PH, O2 saturation, and calcium levels (P<0.05). Conclusions. This study found that certain ECG patterns and laboratory data can be used as prognostic factors of morbidity and mortality in patients with methanol intoxication. Electrocardiography machines are widely available tools, which can be easily used for risk stratification based on the presence of Brugada approximating electrocardiograms among patients with methanol intoxication.
Aqueous Extract from Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Lauraceae) Stem Bark Ameliorates Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rats by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Markers
Authors: Atsamo Albert Donatien , Lontsie Songmene Auscar , Metchi Donfack Mireille Flaure , Ngouateu Omer Bébé , Nguelefack Télesphore Benoît , Dimo Théophile
Published: July 2021

Nephropathies and especially nephrotoxicity have become one of the serious causes of life-threatening conditions because of intensive exposure to xenobiotic whether by environmental pollution or by drug abuse. The present study was undertaken to assess the protective effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum stem bark aqueous extract (AECZ) on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. AECZ was prepared by maceration in water and tested orally at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg/day to prevent gentamicin-induced nephropathies in male Wistar rats. Gentamicin (100 mg/kg/day) was administered for 14 consecutive days by intraperitoneal route, concomitantly with AECZ or silymarin (50 mg/kg/day) used as reference drug. Animal body weight was monitored during the treatment. After the last treatment on the 14th day, animals were sacrificed. Blood was collected for the evaluation of hematological and renal function biomarkers. The homogenate of one kidney was used to assess oxidative stress markers and proinflammatory cytokines, while the other one was fixed in formaldehyde for histopathological studies. Gentamicin decreased body weight, serum total proteins, and calcium level but increased kidneys’ relative weight, serum creatinine, urea, and uric acid. Moreover, the levels of reduced glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities were decreased, while an increase in malondialdehyde, proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), and nitrites was observed in the negative control group as compared to normal control. Histological analysis of the kidney revealed the presence of tubular necrosis, glomerular degeneration, and macrophage infiltration in the gentamicin-treated group. All these impairment parameters were prevented by AECZ and silymarin treatments. AECZ has a protective effect against gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of this extract may highly contribute to its nephroprotective activity.
Residue Kinetics of Ethofumesate in Texturally Diverse Soils of Sugar Beet Crop under Field Conditions
Authors: Tandon Shishir , Pal Suman Lata
Published: July 2021

Indiscriminate use of pesticides and growing awareness of environmental and health problems had led to monitoring their residues in soil and crops. Ethofumesate is one of the widely used herbicides for controlling weeds in sugar beet. Dissipation kinetics and terminal residues of ethofumesate were investigated in two diverse soils under subtropical field conditions. Ethofumesate dissipated slowly after application and follows biphasic first-order kinetics in soils. The average half-life for initial and later phases in sandy loam soil, respectively, was 14.54 and 20.42 and 51.83 and 65.21 days, while for silty clay loam, it was 10.09 and 13.00 and 71.42 and 73.10 days, respectively. Recoveries in soil, leaves, and beetroot ranged from 78.15 to 88.05, 77.01 to 88.58, and 76.25 to 84.50%, respectively. The quantitation limit for soil, roots, and leaves was 0.002 μg g−1. At harvest, no residues were detected in soils, leaves, and sugar beetroots. Residues were below the maximum residue limits in sugar beetroots and leaves as set by EU (0.2 ppm). Ethofumesate is safe from weed control and environmental aspects as it does not persist for a long duration in soils and does not appear to pose any adverse effect on human/animal health under subtropical field conditions.
Comparison of Chemical Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Traditional Meat Products from Croatia and Montenegro
Authors: Pleadin Jelka , Lešić Tina , Vujačić Vesna , Milićević Dragan , Buneta Anamarija , Šušnić Saša , Lukanić Ingrid , Krešić Greta
Published: July 2021

The aim of this study was to compare chemical composition and fatty acid profile of Croatian and Montenegrin dry-cured meat products and dry-fermented sausages produced using a similar technology. Five types of products (n = 60) from both countries, i.e., prosciutto, sausages, pancetta, dry sirloin, and dry rack, were analysed. Basic chemical compositions and fatty acid methyl esters were determined using the accredited ISO methods. The obtained results showed no significant differences between Croatian and Montenegrin meat products in most of their chemical components, except for pancetta, in which significant differences in moisture (

p

 = 0.007), fat (

p

 = 0.016), and sugar (

p

 = 0.027) contents were established. The highest protein share, significantly differing between the countries of origin, was determined in prosciutto (

p

 = 0.018) and dry sirloin samples (

p

 = 0.014). As for individual fatty acids, the most represented was oleic acid (C18 : 1n − 9c, OA) in prosciutto (42.29%–42.34%), followed by palmitic (C16 : 0, PA) and stearic acid (C18 : 0, SA) in Croatian dry sirloin (27.60%) and dry rack (16.08%). The obtained monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA), saturated fatty acid (SFA), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) shares are typical of pork meat products and were in the following decreasing order: 41.97–49.75%, 39.96–45.94%, and 7.69–14.96%, respectively. The n − 6/n − 3 ratios, which were five- to eight-fold higher than recommended, ranged from 14.82 (pancetta, Montenegro) to 25.83 (pancetta, Croatia) with differences between the countries of origin seen only in pancetta samples (

p

 < 0.001). Lipid quality indices (PUFA/SFA ratios), spanned from 0.17 (dry sirloin, Croatia) to 0.38 (pancetta, Montenegro), were also not in accordance with health recommendations. Since Montenegrin traditional meat products are unexplored yet, the obtained results could facilitate the procedure of their designation of origin and consequently contribute to their valorisation and recognisability in the international market.
Oxidative Stress as a Common Key Event in Developmental Neurotoxicity
Authors: Nishimura Yuhei , Kanda Yasunari , Sone Hideko , Aoyama Hiroaki
Published: July 2021

The developing brain is extremely sensitive to many chemicals. Perinatal exposure to neurotoxicants has been implicated in several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, attention‐deficit hyperactive disorder, and schizophrenia. Studies of the molecular and cellular events related to developmental neurotoxicity have identified a number of “adverse outcome pathways,” many of which share oxidative stress as a key event. Oxidative stress occurs when the balance between the production of free oxygen radicals and the activity of the cellular antioxidant system is dysregulated. In this review, we describe some of the developmental neurotoxins that target the antioxidant system and the mechanisms by which they elicit stress, including oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and plasma membrane redox system in rodent models. We also discuss future directions for identifying adverse outcome pathways related to oxidative stress and developmental neurotoxicity, with the goal of improving our ability to quickly and accurately screen chemicals for their potential developmental neurotoxicity.
Exploring the Citywide Human Mobility Patterns of Taxi Trips through a Topic-Modeling Analysis
Authors: Xiong Hui , Xie Kaiqiang , Ma Lu , Yuan Feng , Shen Rui
Published: July 2021

Understanding human mobility patterns is of great importance for a wide range of applications from social networks to transportation planning. Toward this end, the spatial-temporal information of a large-scale dataset of taxi trips was collected via GPS, from March 10 to 23, 2014, in Beijing. The data contain trips generated by a great portion of taxi vehicles citywide. We revealed that the geographic displacement of those trips follows the power law distribution and the corresponding travel time follows a mixture of the exponential and power law distribution. To identify human mobility patterns, a topic model with the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) algorithm was proposed to infer the sixty-five key topics. By measuring the variation of trip displacement over time, we find that the travel distance in the morning rush hour is much shorter than that in the other time. As for daily patterns, it shows that taxi mobility presents weekly regularity both on weekdays and on weekends. Among different days in the same week, mobility patterns on Tuesday and Wednesday are quite similar. By quantifying the trip distance along time, we find that Topic 44 exhibits dominant patterns, which means distance less than 10 km is predominant no matter what time in a day. The findings could be references for travelers to arrange trips and policymakers to formulate sound traffic management policies.
Real-World Three-Year Clinical Outcomes of Biolimus-Eluting Stents versus Other Contemporary Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients: Data from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR)
Authors: Park Ji Young , Rha Seung-Woon , Noh Yung-Kyun , Choi Byoung Geol , Hong Ji Yeon , Choi Jae-Woong , Ryu Sung Kee , Park Sung-Hun , Kim Yong Hoon , Jeong Myung Ho
Published: July 2021

Introduction. Biolimus-eluting stents (BES) are known to be superior to bare-metal stents. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BES compared to other drug-eluting stents (DES) based on big data from the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry (KAMIR). Methods. The study analyzed a total of 9,759 acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with DES. Total death, cardiac death, recurrent MI, revascularization, stent thrombosis, target lesion failure (TLF, composite of cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE, composite of total death, recurrent MI, and revascularization) were analyzed in patients with AMI up to three years. Study populations were divided into BES (n = 2,020), everolimus-eluting stents (EES, n = 5,293), and zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES, n = 2,446) groups. Results. To adjust baseline potential confounders, an inverse probability weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed. After IPTW, at three years, total death (7.2%, 8.6%, and 9.5%,

P
<
0.001

), cardiac death (4.1%, 5.3%, and 6.6%,

P
<
0.001

), recurrent MI (1.6%, 2.6%, and 3.2%,

P
<
0.001

), TLF (6.5%, 8.1%, and 9.1%,

P
<
0.001

), and MACE (15.8%, 17.5%, and 18.2%,

P
<
0.001

) were lowest in the BES group compared with the other DES groups in AMI patients. During the 3-year clinical follow-up, the BES group showed better outcomes of MACE (hazard ratio (HR), 0.773; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.676–0.884;

P
<
0.001

), TLF (HR, 0.659; 95% CI, 0.538–0.808;

P
<
0.001

), total death (HR, 0.687; 95% CI, 0.566–0.835;

P
<
0.001

), and cardiac death (HR,0.593; 95% CI, 0.462–0.541;

P
<
0.001

) than the EES groups. Conclusions. In this study, BES was superior to EES or ZES in reducing total death, cardiac death, TLF, and MACE in AMI patients.
Grey Forecast Model with Aging Fractional Accumulation and Its Properties
Authors: Tu Leping , Chen Yan , Wu Lifeng
Published: July 2021

A novel aging fractional accumulation operator is proposed. The aging accumulation operator can dynamically update the accumulation weight of data and flexibly change the forecast trend by adjusting the aging parameter. In addition, a new aging accumulated grey model is obtained by using the aging accumulation operator to improve the traditional grey model. In the analysis of four examples, the existing grey accumulation operator and prediction method are compared. The results show that the proposed aging accumulation operator and aging accumulation grey model have excellent performance.
Evaluation of WeMedia Ads Marketing Based on the Demand of Internet Economy
Authors: Bian Zhuo
Published: July 2021

To fully understand the root causes for consumer’s trust and preference of we-media marketing, it is important to explore deep into the features and superiorities of the marketing model of we-media marketing platforms, as well as the factors affecting the profit-making of the model. The existing studies on WeMedia ads marketing at home and abroad are mostly descriptive analysis on the relevant concepts, the importance of WeMedia ads marketing, product quality monitoring, and the reasonability of marketing models. There is a lack of quantitative results on deeper layers. To make up for the gap, this paper explores the evaluation of WeMedia ads marketing based on the demand of Internet economy. Firstly, an evaluation index system (EIS) was established for WeMedia ads marketing, and the weight of each index was determined in turn. Then, the authors created an evaluation model, carried out the corresponding confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and verified the model through the degree of fit verification. Experimental results confirm the correctness and effectiveness of the constructed model. The results provide a reference for the evaluation of other marketing models.
l‐Theanine Ameliorates d‐Galactose‐Induced Brain Damage in Rats via Inhibiting AGE Formation and Regulating Sirtuin1 and BDNF Signaling Pathways
Authors: Zeng Li , Lin Ling , Chen Ling , Xiao Wenjun , Gong Zhihua
Published: July 2021

The maintenance of homeostasis is essential for mitigating stress and delaying degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is generally defined as the abnormal production of β‐amyloid (Aβ) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The effects of l‐theanine on Aβ and AGE generation were investigated in this study. Decreased AGEs and Aβ1-42 levels were reflected by increased acetylcholine (ACh) concentration and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity inhibition compared to model rats. l‐Theanine also inhibited nuclear factor‐κB (p65) protein expression by activating sirtuin1 (SIRT1), reducing inflammatory factor expression, and downregulating the mRNA and protein expression of AGE receptors (RAGE). Superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase protein expressions were markedly upregulated by l‐theanine, whereas oxidative stress‐related injury was alleviated. The expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ coactivator 1α (PGC‐1α) was also found to be increased. H&E staining showed that the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons was mitigated by decreased Bax and cleaved‐caspase‐3 protein expression and the increase of Bcl‐2 protein expression. Moreover, l‐theanine increased the gene and protein expression of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). These findings suggest that the potential preventive effects of l‐theanine against AD may be attributed to its regulation of SIRT1 and BDNF proteins and its mitigation of AGEs/RAGE signaling pathways in the brain tissue of AD model rats.
Adoption of Computed Tomography Images under Iterative Reconstruction Algorithm in Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer
Authors: Chen Yan , Lin Changkun , Fu Qimao , Huang Jinghui , Huang Chuizhi
Published: July 2021

Objective. This work aimed to study the application of iterative reconstruction algorithm-based computed tomography (CT) imaging in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). Methods. 40 cases of GC patients diagnosed by gastroscopy biopsy and pathology in hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Scanning images of the upper abdomen were obtained after plain scanning and double-phase enhanced scanning. Then, the image was reconstructed by the iterative reconstruction algorithm, and the CT value under the algorithm was analyzed statistically. Results. It was revealed that the detection rate of both spiral CT and iterative reconstruction algorithm-based CT was 100%. After the iterative reconstruction algorithm, the image quality, image information, and image mean square error (MSE) were notably improved. The degree of tumor invasion (T) staging accuracy was 82.6%, lymph node metastasis (N) staging accuracy was 73.2%, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging accuracy was 79.1%. The accuracy of the iterative reconstruction algorithm-based CT was 90% for T staging, 83% for N staging, and 85.5% for TNM staging. Conclusion. Iterative reconstruction algorithm can effectively improve the spatial resolution of CT images in GC diagnosis, with high accuracy. It can provide reliable and objective imaging data for the diagnosis of GC clinically, which was worthy of further application in clinical practice.
Motion Analysis and Tactile-Based Impedance Control of the Chest Holder of a Piggyback Patient Transfer Robot
Authors: Liu Yuxin , Yin Yuting , Jiang Zhiwen , Guo Shijie
Published: July 2021

Patient transfer, such as carrying a bedridden patient from a bed to a pedestal pan or a wheelchair and back, is one of the most physically challenging tasks in nursing care facilities. To reduce the intensity of physical labor on nurses or caregivers, a piggyback transfer robot has been developed by imitating the motion when a person holds another person on his/her back. As the chest holder supports most of the weight of the care-receiver during transfer, a human-robot dynamic model was built to analyze the influences of the motion of the chest holder on comfort. Simulations and experiments were conducted, and the results demonstrated that the rotational motion of the chest holder is the key factor affecting comfort. A tactile-based impedance control law was developed to adjust the rotational motion. Subjective evaluations of ten healthy subjects showed that adjusting the rotational motion of the chest holder is a useful way to achieve a comfortable transfer.
Ischemia-Modified Albumin: Origins and Clinical Implications
Authors: Shevtsova Alla , Gordiienko Iuliia , Tkachenko Viktoriia , Ushakova Galyna
Published: July 2021

Albumin is one of the most abundant proteins in the body of mammals: about 40% of its pool is located in the intravascular space and the remainder is found in the interstitial space. The content of this multifunctional protein in blood is about 60-65% of total plasma proteins. A decrease in its synthesis or changes of functional activity can destabilize oncotic blood pressure, cause a violation of transporting hormones, fatty acids, metals, and drugs. Albumin properties change under ischemic attacks associated with oxidative stress, production of reactive oxygen species, and acidosis. Under these conditions, ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is generated that has a reduced metal-binding capacity, especially for transition metals, such as copper, nickel, and cobalt. The method of determining the cobalt-binding capability of HSA was initially proposed to evaluate IMA level and then licensed as an ACB test for routine clinical analysis for myocardial ischemia. Subsequent studies have shown the viability of the ACB test in diagnosing other diseases associated with the development of oxidative stress. This review examines recent data on IMA generation mechanisms, describes principles, advantages, and limitations of methods for evaluation of IMA levels, and provides detailed analysis of its use in diagnostic and monitoring therapeutic efficacy in different diseases.