bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Um estudo sobre a tecnologia 3D aplicada ao ensino de anatomia: uma revisão integrativa
Authors: Soares Neto Josaphat , Barbosa Maria Lucianny Lima , Matos Heliene Linhares , Xavier Antônio Roberto , Cerqueira Gilberto Santos , Souza Emmanuel Prata de
Published: December 2020

Este artigo tem como objetivo investigar o uso da tecnologia 3D no ensino de anatomia. Os principais requisitos desse estudo consistem em saber se o uso da tecnologia 3D facilita o aprendizado dos conteúdos abordados no ensino de anatomia humana. Trata-se de um estudo preliminar que pode servir de parâmetros para uma formação crítica, reflexiva e criativa dos alunos da área da saúde com a utilização dos recursos tecnológicos 3D. Nesta revisão, realizada no período de setembro a outubro de 2019, buscou-se artigos indexados nas bases de dados eletrônicas PubMed, ScienceDirect e Google Scholar, publicados em português e inglês, de 2015 a 2019.  Os descritores utilizados foram: “3D”, “ensino”, “anatomia humana”, “aprendizado”. Estudos de revisão, artigos com duplicidade de dados; títulos e / ou resumos que não atendem aos critérios de inclusão foram excluídos, bem como trabalhos com ausência de informações pertinentes, totalizando 14 artigos para análise nesta revisão. Embora a prospecção seja o método mais comum de ensino de anatomia, tecnologias recentes, como o software 3D, também são consideradas ferramentas de ensino úteis. Os alunos de graduação apresentaram como única desvantagem a necessidade de ter o recurso tecnológico pra criar ou replicar modelos 3D. A grande maioria dos trabalhos demonstraram satisfação dos estudantes quando estes utilizaram os modelos 3D. O presente trabalho demonstra que os modelos 3D são ferramentas viáveis e suplementares para o estudo da anatomia humana, porém ainda há necessidade de mais estudos para melhor forma de utilização dessas ferramentas no processo de ensino-aprendizagem da anatomia humana.
Виникнення нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин: актуальні питання
Authors: ДЕРІЙ ОЛЕНА
Published: December 2020

Актуальність теми дослідження обумовлена одразу двома причинами. З одного боку, поняття нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин, ознаки, характер і система тією чи іншою мірою висвітлювалися вченими, що зробили вагомий внесок у формування науки про нотаріальний процес. З другого боку, велика кількість праць створювалася за інших соціально-економічних, політичних і правових умов, які істотно відрізняються від сучасного етапу, що негативно позначається на ефективності законодавчого регулювання нотаріальних процесуальних відносин. Отже, нині склалися передумови для науково-доктринального переосмислення теоретичних концепцій науки про нотаріальний процес, зокрема й теорії нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин, що й зумовлює необхідність цього дослідження.
Метою статті є комплексний, системний аналіз сформованих у доктрині нотаріального процесу (з урахуванням законодавчих і практичних аспектів) підходів до розуміння правової природи нотаріальних правовідносин, підстав їх виникнення, а також викладення власного бачення особливостей виникнення, розвитку та припинення нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин і реалізацію прав осіб на вчинення нотаріального провадження.
Встановлено, що для виникнення нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин необхідною умовою має бути саме існування нотаріальної професійної діяльності уповноважених державою осіб, а також умови її здійснення, що мають бути зафіксовані у законодавстві та визначені вченими як нотаріальна процедура. Отже, у формулі нотаріальних правовідносин має бути закладено визначальне положення, що суб’єктом нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин є особа, яка вчиняє нотаріальні дії, а не нотаріат загалом.
Авторка дійшла висновку, що нотаріальні правовідносини мають утворювати систему не тільки щодо внутрішніх нотаріальних адміністративних і нотаріальних процесуальних відносин, а й узгоджуватися із зовнішніми відносинами, які пов’язані з нотаріальними правовідносинами, і з ними утворювати певну міжгалузеву систему, наприклад, із виконавчими процесуальними правовідносинами, зокрема у питаннях правонаступництва у виконавчому процесі у разі смерті однієї зі сторін виконавчого процесу – стягувача чи боржника, які одночасно можуть бути суб’єктами спадкових правовідносин у нотаріальному процесі. При цьому важливим елементом нотаріальних процесуальних правовідносин є передумови їх виникнення, які мають забезпечити їхнє реальне виникнення та розвиток, а отже, і реалізацію прав осіб на вчинення нотаріального провадження.
Notarial Deed as an Enforcement Order in the Polish Legal System
Authors: FLAGA-GIERUSZYŃSKA KINGA
Published: December 2020

The author discusses the importance of a notarial deed as an enforceable title as a basis for the initiation of judicial enforcement in civil cases in the Polish legal system. The study discusses all types of notarial deeds, which constitute debtor’s declarations of intent enabling the enforcement of debt by the creditor by means of state coercion, bypassing time-consuming court proceedings. In practice, their content and subsequent enforcement in the course of enforcement proceedings raises many interpretation doubts.
The author concludes that the literature indicates four requirements that should be fulfilled by a notarial deed to constitute an enforcement order: the preparation by the notary public in terms of their powers and the form provided for by law, the exact specification of the performance, the exact date of performance, indication of the creditor and debtor whose declaration of voluntary submission to enforcement must be made in a manner that raises no doubts.
In addition to constitutive features, the notarial deed in the cases specified in Art. 777 points 4-6 of Code of Civil Procedure may include additional optional provisions if this is the will of the debtor. In particular, the debtor may: 1) submit to enforcement only against certain assets; 2) indicate the deadline after which the debtor submits to enforcement (later than the date of performance); 3) make submission to enforcement subject to a condition, e. g. the creditor’s prior fulfilment of mutual consideration; 4) limit the permissible methods of enforcement, e.g. enforcement against remuneration for work.
The author emphasizes that even if the court dismisses or rejects the application for granting an enforcement clause, this does not change the status of this deed as an official document. In the Polish legal system, this means that it can be used to obtain a payment order in payment-order proceedings.
Occurrence of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) infection on Penaeus vannamei in one rearing cycle
Authors: Wan Sajiri WMH , Borkhanuddin MH , Kua BC
Published: December 2020

The microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an emerging problem in the marine shrimp industry, primarily in Asian countries such as China, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. A screening was conducted to investigate the prevalence of EHP after a fixed period of culturing for 1 rearing cycle in 3 states of Malaysia. The screening stages covered Penaeus vannamei post larvae (PL) and after 14-30, 31-50, 51-70, and 71-90 d of culture in 1 production cycle. A total of 279 samples were amplified using a PCR assay targeting the gene encoding a spore wall protein (SWP) of EHP. The EHP infection was initially detected in the hatchery and increased to 96.6% after the shrimp were transferred to the pond. The positive EHP sequence showed 91 to 100% similarity to sequences from India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Latin America. EHP infection increased throughout 1 rearing cycle due to factors such as the cannibalistic feeding habits of shrimp and the presence of unknown vectors or carriers of EHP in the culture ponds. Hence, the finding from the current study will be fundamental for other studies concerning EHP.
Delimitando al concepto de Alfabetización: Una propuesta para un mejor entendimiento
Authors: Aguilar Trejo José Luis , Moctezuma Franco Abraham
Published: December 2020

Lo “informacional” no es el equivalente de “alfabetización”. El siguiente artículo analiza al concepto de “alfabetización” desde la desarticulación de lo que se ha venido nombrando como “alfabetización informacional”. Creemos que es importante la comprensión y definición de la “alfabetización” porque vivimos en una época en la que su uso y aplicación se ha distorsionando al grado de hacerla contradictoria con su verdadero sentido, una consecuencia de esto, es el manejo incorrecto que se hace de ella al asemejarla con lo “informacional”. Por lo tanto, a lo largo de todo el documento se desarrollará y se expondrá qué es y cómo debe entenderse a la “alfabetización”. El objetivo es concientizar a la comunidad académica sobre una propuesta conceptual que puede ayudar a un estudio más claro y organizado sobre este fenómeno, el cual tiene raíz en el área educativa, pero con presencia en las demás disciplinas académicas, así como en los diferentes ambientes y contextos en el campo del conocimiento.
Három évtized rövid krónikája
Authors: Kapronczay Katalin
Published: December 2020

A magyarországi időszaki szaksajtó európai viszonylatban meglehetős késéssel indult meg. A szakfolyóiratok közreadását, szerkesztését, szemléletét egyaránt befolyásolta az adott történelmi, politikai helyzet. Bizonyos történelmi fordulópontok hatására fontos szakfolyóiratok megszűntek (1848–49-es szabadságharc, első és a második világháború), ugyanakkor voltak időszakok, amelyek lendületet adtak a tudományok fejlődésének, így a folyóirat-alapításnak is. Az 1990-es magyarországi rendszerváltoztatás utáni évekre mindkét kijelentés érvényes, megváltozott a könyv- és folyóirat-kiadás struktúrája, amely folyamatnak voltak „áldozatai”, de ígéretes eredményei is. Az utóbbiak sorába tartozik az akkor alakult Literatura Medica Kiadó, és annak saját folyóirata, az 1990-ben alapított Lege Artis Medicinae, a LAM (alcíme szerint: Új magyar orvosi hírmondó) című tudományos folyóirat. Megjelentetésével örvendetesen gyarapodott az orvosi szaksajtó. Tudományos szakközleményei felveszik a versenyt az immár nagy múltú hazai orvosi folyóiratok írásaival, szemléletével azonban új irányt is képvisel. Tudatosan felvállalja és fórumot biztosít az orvostársadalmat érintő kérdéseknek, foglalkozik az egészségügy, a gazdaság, a prevenció kérdésével, szoros összefüggésben a közegészségügyi intézményi rendszerrel, az in­frastruktúrában és a gyógyító munkában résztvevők helyzetével, jellemzően a társadalom-egészségügyi szemléletet követi.
Statistical literacy comprehension of students in the context of covid-19 with Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)
Authors: Ratnawati Oktaviana Ainun , Siswono Tatag Yuli Eko , Wijayanti Pradnyo
Published: December 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan tentang pemahaman literasi statistika mahasiswa semester IV Universitas Palangkaraya pada konteks covid-19 dengan Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif. Penjelasan tersebut didasarkan dengan hasil penelitian yang telah dilakukan dengan cara pemberian masalah literasi statistika yang didiskusikan secara berkelompok dan wawancara. Empat mahasiswa yang dipilih dari 38 mahasiswa sebagai subjek penelitian merupakan 2 kelompok yang mempunyai anggota dengan kemampuan matematika yang berbeda. Kelompok I terdiri dari subjek berkemampuan tinggi dan sedang, sedangkan kelompok II terdiri dari subjek berkemampuan sedang dan rendah. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa pemahaman literasi statistika keempat subjek berkemampuan tinggi, sedang, maupun rendah belum mampu untuk mencapai indikator menentukan klaim peneliti, dan merumuskan H0 dan H1 secara tepat.
Evaluations of research work on the basis of multifactor correlation-regressional analysis
Authors:   SESE “The Academy of Financial Management”, PAVLIUK Klavdiia
Published: December 2020

In modern conditions, labor rationing is gradually turning from a purely calculated, technical process into a complex socio-economic task, covering the solution of issues of satisfaction with work, the development of workers, the prospects for their further work. The article reveals the essence of the modern method of developing standards for research work based on the use of multi-criteria correlation-regression analysis. Many scientific works are devoted to the study of the effectiveness of the use of correlation-regression analysis in the process of solving problems related to the establishment of relationships between factor attributes of various types, the construction of a multiple linear regression equation, the mathematical apparatus that is used in the process of constructing linear regression models. The issues of improving the methodological support for determining the labor intensity of research work using multi factor correlation-regression analysis. It has been established that indicators for the development of standards and the assessment of research work can be divided into quantitative and qualitative. The normative formula for determining labor costs for research and development is associated with the performance of certain work. Correctly established standards, which are derived from the norms, harmonize the functioning of the entire economic system both at the macro and micro levels. To calculate the aggregated standards for the labor intensity of scientific work, it is necessary to have actual and planned labor costs for carrying out research in general, their structural elements and individual stages and stages. The construction of a model for evaluating research work is associated with the need for a large number of mathematical assumptions due to the impossibility of fully accounting for the effect of qualitative indicators. It is concluded that little attention is paid to the methods of correlation-regression analysis for the regulation of research work in Ukraine, therefore, this is an urgent task for further scientific research.
The future Indian revolution.
Authors: Alexakha Andrey
Published: December 2020

The theory of progress that I propose distinguishes two types of revolutions – the peasant and colour revolutions. These two types of revolutions are very different in how the revolutionary process proceeds and how it ends. The difference between these types of revolutions is determined by the society in which the revolution takes place. If a revolution happens in a pre-industrial society, then it is a peasant revolution. If the revolution takes place in an industrial society, then this is a colour revolution. This article presents facts that indicate that there is a high probability of a peasant revolution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Potential Fallout of the COVID 19 Pandemic on the Status of the Selected Micronutrients in Bangladesh Population: A Contextual Appraisal
Authors: Rahman Sabuktagin , Ireen Santhia , Khondker Rudaba , Rahman Mahfuzar , Ali Mohsin , Kabir AFM Iqbal , Shaheen Nazma
Published: December 2020

The pandemic of the SARS-COV-2 (COVID 19) has been inflicting significant toll on employment, income and dietary intake in the population of Bangladesh. As a result the nutritional status of the population is under stress. The present study attempted to project the risk of decline of the status of some key micronutrients. A contextual review was conducted. A reference level of the pre-pandemic micronutrient status was identified. A thorough appraisal was done considering the prevalent serum micronutrient status, micronutrient intakes, food sources, geological issues affecting the micronutrient status and the programmatic issues. A qualitative risk-category was assigned for the sliding back of the micronutrient status to the reference level. A mixed outlook of the key micronutrient status was observed due to the pandemic-related consequences on food security and intake. Appropriate mix of coordinated interventions need to be planned, customized and operationalized.
Evidence of Marine Microplastics in Commercially Harvested Seafood
Authors: Curren Emily , Leaw Chui Pin , Lim Po Teen , Leong Sandric Chee Yew
Published: December 2020

Microplastic pollution is a global issue that has a detrimental impact on food safety. In marine environments, microplastics are a threat to marine organisms, as they are often the same size range as prey and are mistaken as food. Consumption of microplastics has led to the damage of digestive organs and a reduction in growth and reproductive output. In this study, microplastic pollution was assessed across three commercially available shrimp species that were obtained from the supermarkets of Singapore. A total of 93 individuals were studied from the Pacific white leg shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei, the Argentine red shrimpPleoticus muelleriand the Indian white shrimpFenneropenaeus indicus. Microplastic fibers, fragments, film and spheres were identified from the digestive tract of these organisms. Microplastic abundance ranged from 13.4 to 7050 items.F. indicusexhibited the highest number of microplastics. Microplastic film was the most abundant inL. vannameiindividuals (93–97%) and spheres were the most abundant inP. muelleri(70%) andF. indicus(61%) individuals. This study demonstrates that microplastic contamination is evident in commonly consumed shrimp and highlights the role of shrimp in the trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics in seafood. The consumption of microplastic-containing seafood is a route of exposure to humans and has implications on human health and food security. Capsule: Microplastics were examined in three shrimp species from the supermarkets of Singapore. Microplastics ranged from 13.4 to 7050 items of shrimp.
Portable Measurement Systems Based on Microcontrollers to Test Durability of Structures: Mini-Review
Authors: Segura Crhistian C. , Osma Johann F.
Published: December 2020

Corrosion presence is a recurrent concern in buildings and structures that use steel as their core or as reinforcement, due to the change of steel's properties caused by this phenomena. Therefore, methods to detect and quantify corrosion had been developed; some are based on electrical and electrochemical measurements. On reinforced concrete structures, sometimes there are exposed steel bars which are visible, but on those, a visual inspection could determine corrosion presence. There exist different options to measure the steel bars' corrosion and its level. The more straight forward consists of cutting through the concrete until the bar is exposed and connecting a measurement device there. A disadvantage of this technique is that steel has to be exposed to the environment during the measurement; as an alternative, novel contact-less electrochemical techniques are getting more popular. Recent advances in low-cost and portable electrochemical devices and embedded sensors can change how the structures are tested. Moreover, there is a discussion about how those devices, if developed for other fields as biosensors, can assist in other areas. This mini-review also gives some hints of what the future trends could be due to the combination of those areas.
TNFR2 Is a Crucial Hub Controlling Mesenchymal Stem Cell Biological and Functional Properties
Authors: Beldi Ghada , Bahiraii Sheyda , Lezin Chloé , Nouri Barkestani Mahsa , Abdelgawad Mohamed Essameldin , Uzan Georges , Naserian Sina
Published: December 2020

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have drawn lots of attention as gold standard stem cells in fundamental and clinical researches during the last 20 years. Due to their tissue and vascular repair capacities, MSCs have been used to treat a variety of degenerative disorders. Moreover, MSCs are able to modulate immune cells’ functions, particularly T cells while inducing regulatory T cells (iTregs). MSCs are very sensitive to inflammatory signals. Their biological functions could remarkably vary after exposure to different pro-inflammatory cytokines, notably TNFα. In this article, we have explored the importance of TNFR2 expression in a series of MSCs’ biological and functional properties. Thus, MSCs from wild-type (WT) and TNFR2 knockout (TNFR2 KO) mice were isolated and underwent several ex vivo experiments to investigate the biological significance of TNFR2 molecule in MSC main functions. Hampering in TNFR2 signaling resulted in reduced MSC colony-forming units and proliferation rate and diminished the expression of all MSC characteristic markers such as stem cell antigen-1 (Sca1), CD90, CD105, CD44, and CD73. TNFR2 KO-MSCs produced more pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNFα, IFNγ, and IL-6 and less anti-inflammatory mediators such as IL-10, TGFβ, and NO and induced Tregs with less suppressive effect. Furthermore, the TNFR2 blockade remarkably decreased MSC regenerative functions such as wound healing, complex tube formation, and endothelial pro-angiogenic support. Therefore, our results reveal the TNFα–TNFR2 axis as a crucial regulator of MSC immunological and regenerative functions.
Extracellular Citrate Fuels Cancer Cell Metabolism and Growth
Authors: Haferkamp Sebastian , Drexler Konstantin , Federlin Marianne , Schlitt Hans J. , Berneburg Mark , Adamski Jerzy , Gaumann Andreas , Geissler Edward K. , Ganapathy Vadivel , Parkinson E. Kenneth , Mycielska Maria E.
Published: December 2020

Cancer cells need excess energy and essential nutrients/metabolites not only to divide and proliferate but also to migrate and invade distant organs for metastasis. Fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, considered a hallmark of cancer for anabolism and membrane biogenesis, requires citrate. We review here potential pathways in which citrate is synthesized and/or supplied to cancer cells and the impact of extracellular citrate on cancer cell metabolism and growth. Cancer cells employ different mechanisms to support mitochondrial activity and citrate synthesis when some of the necessary substrates are missing in the extracellular space. We also discuss the different transport mechanisms available for the entry of extracellular citrate into cancer cells and how citrate as a master metabolite enhances ATP production and fuels anabolic pathways. The available literature suggests that cancer cells show an increased metabolic flexibility with which they tackle changing environmental conditions, a phenomenon crucial for cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.
Behind the Scenes: Nod-Like Receptor X1 Controls Inflammation and Metabolism
Authors: Snäkä Tiia , Fasel Nicolas
Published: December 2020

Regulatory Nod-like receptors (NLRs) are a subgroup of the cytosolic NLR family of pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs). These receptors can tune the innate immune responses triggered by the activation of other PRRs by either augmenting or attenuating the activated pro-inflammatory signaling cascades. Nod-like receptor X1 (NLRX1) is the only known mitochondria-associated negative regulatory NLR. NLRX1 attenuates several inflammatory pathways and modulates cellular processes such as autophagy and mitochondrial function following infection or injury. Using both in vitro expression and in vivo experimental models, NLRX1 is extensively described in the context of anti-viral signaling and host-defense against invading pathogens. More recently, NLRX1 has also gained interest in the field of cancer and metabolism where NLRX1 functions to attenuate overzealous inflammation in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the exact function of this novel receptor is still under debate and many, often contradictory, mechanisms of action together with cellular localizations have been proposed. Thus, a better understanding of the underlying mechanism is crucial for future research and development of novel therapeutical approaches. Here, we summarize the current findings on NLRX1 and discuss its role in both infectious and inflammatory context.
Pandemic Perspective: Commonalities Between COVID-19 and Cardio-Oncology
Authors: Brown Sherry-Ann , Zaharova Svetlana , Mason Peter , Thompson Jonathan , Thapa Bicky , Ishizawar David , Wilkes Erin , Ahmed Gulrayz , Rubenstein Jason , Sanchez Joyce , Joyce David , Kalyanaraman Balaraman , Widlansky Michael
Published: December 2020

Overlapping commonalities between coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and cardio-oncology regarding cardiovascular toxicities (CVT), pathophysiology, and pharmacology are special topics emerging during the pandemic. In this perspective, we consider an array of CVT common to both COVID-19 and cardio-oncology, including cardiomyopathy, ischemia, conduction abnormalities, myopericarditis, and right ventricular (RV) failure. We also emphasize the higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or its risk factors or cancer. We explore commonalities in the underlying pathophysiology observed in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology, including inflammation, cytokine release, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, coagulopathy, microthrombosis, and endothelial dysfunction. In addition, we examine common pharmacologic management strategies that have been elucidated for CVT from COVID-19 and various cancer therapies. The use of corticosteroids, as well as antibodies and inhibitors of various molecules mediating inflammation and cytokine release syndrome, are discussed. The impact of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is also addressed, since these drugs are used in cardio-oncology and have received considerable attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, since the culprit virus enters human cells via the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. There are therefore several areas of overlap, similarity, and interaction in the toxicity, pathophysiology, and pharmacology profiles in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology syndromes. Learning more about either will likely provide some level of insight into both. We discuss each of these topics in this viewpoint, as well as what we foresee as evolving future directions to consider in cardio-oncology during the pandemic and beyond. Finally, we highlight commonalities in health disparities in COVID-19 and cardio-oncology and encourage continued development and implementation of innovative solutions to improve equity in health and healing.
The Diagnostic and Therapeutic Value of Multimarker Analysis in Heart Failure. An Approach to Biomarker-Targeted Therapy
Authors: Topf Albert , Mirna Moritz , Ohnewein Bernhard , Jirak Peter , Kopp Kristen , Fejzic Dzeneta , Haslinger Michael , Motloch Lukas J. , Hoppe Uta C. , Berezin Alexander , Lichtenauer Michael
Published: December 2020

Background: Heart failure is a pathophysiological state, which is still associated with high morbidity and mortality despite established therapies. Diverse well-known biomarkers fail to assess the variety of individual pathophysiology in the context of heart failure.

Methods: An analysis of prospective, multimarker-specific therapeutic approaches to heart failure based on studies in current literature was performed. A total of 159 screened publications in the field of biomarkers in heart failure were hand-selected and found to be eligible for this study by a team of experts.

Results: Established biomarkers of the inflammatory axis, matrix remodeling, fibrosis and oxidative stress axis, as well as potential therapeutic interventions were investigated. Interaction with end organs, such as cardio-hepatic, cardio-renal and cardio-gastrointestinal interactions show the complexity of the syndrome and could be of further therapeutic value. MicroRNAs are involved in a wide variety of physiologic and pathophysiologic processes in heart failure and could be useful in diagnostic as well as therapeutic setting.

Conclusion: Based on our analysis by a biomarker-driven approach in heart failure therapy, patients could be treated more specifically in long term with a consideration of different aspects of heart failure. New studies evaluating a multimarker – based therapeutic approach could lead in a decrease in the morbidity and mortality of heart failure patients.
A Light-Weight Text Summarization System for Fast Access to Medical Evidence
Authors: Sarker Abeed , Yang Yuan-Chi , Al-Garadi Mohammed Ali , Abbas Aamir
Published: December 2020

As the volume of published medical research continues to grow rapidly, staying up-to-date with the best-available research evidence regarding specific topics is becoming an increasingly challenging problem for medical experts and researchers. The current COVID19 pandemic is a good example of a topic on which research evidence is rapidly evolving. Automatic query-focused text summarization approaches may help researchers to swiftly review research evidence by presenting salient and query-relevant information from newly-published articles in a condensed manner. Typical medical text summarization approaches require domain knowledge, and the performances of such systems rely on resource-heavy medical domain-specific knowledge sources and pre-processing methods (e.g., text classification) for deriving semantic information. Consequently, these systems are often difficult to speedily customize, extend, or deploy in low-resource settings, and they are often operationally slow. In this paper, we propose a fast and simple extractive summarization approach that can be easily deployed and run, and may thus aid medical experts and researchers obtain fast access to the latest research evidence. At runtime, our system utilizes similarity measurements derived from pre-trained medical domain-specific word embeddings in addition to simple features, rather than computationally-expensive pre-processing and resource-heavy knowledge bases. Automatic evaluation using ROUGE—a summary evaluation tool—on a public dataset for evidence-based medicine shows that our system's performance, despite the simple implementation, is statistically comparable with the state-of-the-art. Extrinsic manual evaluation based on recently-released COVID19 articles demonstrates that the summarizer performance is close to human agreement, which is generally low, for extractive summarization.
Virus Injection to the Pituitary via Transsphenoidal Approach and the Innervation of Anterior and Posterior Pituitary of Rat
Authors: Li Xiaohui , Su Shanchun , Zhao Haiwen , Li Yang , Xu Xueqin , Gao Yan , Sun Dongsheng , Yang Zeyong , Jin Weilin , Ke Changbin
Published: December 2020

The theory holds that the anterior pituitary in mammals receives humoral regulation. Previous studies have reported that the pars distalis of the anterior pituitary of several mammalian species contains substance P-, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-, and galanin-like immunoreactive nerve fibers, but the origins of these nerve fibers are unclear. Removal of the pituitary gland, also called hypophysectomy, involves methods that access the pituitary gland via the transauricular or parapharyngeal pathways. However, these methods are not applicable for viral tracer injection to investigate the innervation of the anterior pituitary. The transauricular technique leads to inaccuracies in locating the pituitary gland, while the parapharyngeal approach causes high mortality in animals. Here, we introduce a protocol that accesses the pituitary gland in the rat via the transsphenoidal pathway. This method imitates surgical manipulations such as endotracheal intubation and sphenoid bone drilling, which involve the use of custom-made devices. Using the transsphenoidal pathway greatly improves the survival rate of rats because no additional dissection of blood vessels and nerves is required. Moreover, the pituitary gland can be viewed clearly and directly during the operation, making it possible to accurately inject pseudorabies virus (PRV) 152-expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into the anterior or posterior pituitary, respectively. After injecting PRV 152 into the anterior pituitary, we found no evidence of direct innervation of the anterior pituitary in the rat brain. However, PRV 152 injection into the posterior pituitary revealed retrograde transneuronal cell bodies in many brain areas, including the CA1 field of the hippocampus, the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus, posterior part (BLP), the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (Arc), the dorsal portion of the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMD), the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCh), and the subfornical organ (SFO). In the present study, we provide a description of a possible model of hypophysectomy or pituitary injection, and identify brain regions involved in regulating the rat pituitary gland using transneuronal retrograde cell body labeling with PRV.
Relationship Between Anti-Müllerian Hormone and In Vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer in Clinical Pregnancy
Authors: Sun Xing Yu , Lan Yun Zhu , Liu Shuang , Long Xiao Ping , Mao Xi Guang , Liu Ling
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To retrospectively analyze the correlation between anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and the number of oocytes obtained by controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) in women of different ages and explore the factors affecting in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in clinical pregnancy of infertile women to provide evidence for infertile women to choose assisted reproduction strategies.

Methods

Infertile women who received IVF-ET or intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) treatment in the reproductive center of XX hospital between October 2018 and September 2019 were included. Patient data on medical records, age, body mass index (BMI), years of infertility, basic follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), basic luteinizing hormone (LH), basic estradiol (E2), anti-Müllerian hormone level (AMH), antral follicle count (AFC), gonadotropins (Gn) medication days, Gn dosage, endometrial thickness on transplantation day, the number of retrieved oocytes, the number of mature oocytes obtained, the number of embryos transferred, clinical pregnancy status, etc., were collected.

Results

A total of 314 patients were enrolled in this study, with an average age of 31.0 ± 4.5 years. The infertility period ranged from 0–21 years. The AMH level showed a downward trend with increasing age. Overall, the AMH level of women of all ages was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.335, p < 0.001). The AMH level of women between 22 and 28 years old was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.164, p < 0.061) but it was not statistically significant. Similarly, the AMH level of women aged 29–35 and 36–43 was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.356, p < 0.001; r = 0.461, p < 0.001). The average age of the pregnant group (30.6 ± 4.4 years) was lower than that of the non-pregnant group (32.2 ± 4.6 years) (p < 0.001). The number of oocytes obtained (9.8 ± 4.5) and the number of embryos transferred (1.9 ± 0.4) in the pregnant group was significantly higher than that in the non-pregnant group (9.2 ± 4.5; 1.7 ± 0.5); the difference was statistically significant. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that age (OR = 0.574 95% CI: 0.350–0.940), AMH (OR = 1.430 95% CI: 1.130–1.820) and the number of oocytes obtained (OR = 1.360 95% CI: 1.030–1.790) were factors affecting clinical pregnancy.

Conclusion

We found that the level of AMH in infertile women decreased with age and the number of oocytes obtained in infertile women was positively correlated with AMH. Moreover, the number of oocytes and embryo transferred in the pregnant group was significantly higher than those in the non-pregnant group. Furthermore, age, AMH and the number of oocytes affected the clinical pregnancy.
The Synthesis of V2O3 Nanorings by Hydrothermal Process as an Efficient Electrocatalyst Toward N2 Fixation to NH3
Authors: Wang Ning , Song Qing-Song , Liu Wen-Jing , Zhang Jian
Published: December 2020

A new ringlike V2O3 architecture was successfully synthesized by a template-free hydrothermal method, and the sulfur ions-assisted central-etching mechanism of the ringlike structure was proposed. Herein, as a proof-of-concept experiment, taking V2O3 nanorings as non-noble-metal-free nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) catalysts, they show desired electrocatalytic performance toward NRR under ambient conditions (maximum yield: 47.2 µg h−1 mgcat.−1 at −0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, maximum Faraday efficiency: 12.5% at −0.5 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode), which is significantly higher than those of noble metal-based catalysts.
The Role of Cognition in Social Information Use for Breeding Site Selection: Experimental Evidence in a Wild Passerine Population
Authors: Morinay Jennifer , Cauchard Laure , Bize Pierre , Doligez Blandine
Published: December 2020

In spatio-temporally variable environments, individuals are known to use information for making optimal decisions regarding where and when to breed. Optimal decision making can be complex when relying on multiple information sources with varying levels of reliability and accessibility. To deal with such complexity, different cognitive abilities such as learning and memory might enable individuals to optimally process and use these information sources. Yet, the link between information use and cognitive ability remains unexplored in natural populations. We investigated whether learning performance on a problem-solving task was related to the use of an experimentally manipulated source of social information for nest site selection in wild collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). Collared flycatchers are known to use heterospecific information from their main competitors, the great tits (Parus major). Here, we created a local apparent preference by tits for an artificial nest site feature (a geometric symbol attached to nest boxes occupied by tits) and recorded whether flycatcher pairs chose to settle in nest boxes displaying the same feature as tits (i.e., copied tit apparent preference). Using a problem-solving task requiring opening a door temporarily blocking the nest box entrance, we then measured flycatchers' learning performance during nestling rearing as the number of entrances required to solve the task and enter the nest box twice in a row below a given efficiency threshold. We found that the probability to copy tit preference decreased with decreasing learning performance in females, particularly yearling ones: fast learning females copied tit preference, while slow learning ones rejected it. Male learning performance did not affect copying behavior. Our results showed that learning performance might play an important role in the ability to optimally use information for nest site selection in females: both fast and slow learning females could process this heterospecific information source but used it differently. This could partly explain the link between cognitive abilities and reproductive success reported in previous studies. Whether cognitive abilities may modulate condition-dependent costs of using different information remains to be explored.
Multiple Rare Risk Coding Variants in Postsynaptic Density-Related Genes Associated With Schizophrenia Susceptibility
Authors: Hu Tsung-Ming , Wang Ying-Chieh , Wu Chia-Liang , Hsu Shih-Hsin , Tsai Hsin-Yao , Cheng Min-Chih
Published: December 2020

Objective

Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating neurobiological disorder of aberrant synaptic connectivity and synaptogenesis. Postsynaptic density (PSD)–related proteins in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor–postsynaptic signaling complexes are crucial to regulating the synaptic transmission and functions of various synaptic receptors. This study examined the role of PSD-related genes in susceptibility to schizophrenia.

Methods

We resequenced 18 genes encoding the disks large-associated protein (DLGAP), HOMER, neuroligin (NLGN), neurexin, and SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains (SHANK) protein families in 98 schizophrenic patients with family psychiatric history using semiconductor sequencing. We analyzed the protein function of the identified rare schizophrenia-associated mutants via immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry.

Results

We identified 50 missense heterozygous mutations in 98 schizophrenic patients with family psychiatric history, and in silico analysis revealed some as damaging or pathological to the protein function. Ten missense mutations were absent from the dbSNP database, the gnomAD (non-neuro) dataset, and 1,517 healthy controls from Taiwan BioBank. Immunoblotting revealed eight missense mutants with altered protein expressions in cultured cells compared with the wild type.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that PSD-related genes, especially the NLGN, SHANK, and DLGAP families, harbor rare functional mutations that might alter protein expression in some patients with schizophrenia, supporting contributing rare coding variants into the genetic architecture of schizophrenia.
Inhibition of Embryonic HSP 90 Function Promotes Variation of Cold Tolerance in Zebrafish
Authors: Han Bingshe , Luo Juntao , Jiang Penglei , Li Yan , Wang Qiong , Bai Yajing , Chen Jing , Wang Jian , Zhang Junfang
Published: December 2020

Accumulating evidence indicates that heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) plays essential roles in modulation of phenotypic plasticity in vertebrate development, however, the roles of HSP90 in modulation of cold tolerance capacity in fish are still unclear. In the present study, we showed that transient inhibition of embryonic HSP90 function by a chemical inhibitor or low conductivity stress promoted variation of cold tolerance capacity in adult zebrafish. Further work showed that embryonic HSP90 inhibition enhanced cold tolerance in adult zebrafish could be transmitted to their offspring. RNA-seq data showed that embryonic HSP90 inhibition enhanced cold tolerance involves variation of gene expression related to proteasome, lysosome, autophagy, and ribosome. Experiments with zebrafish ZF4 cells showed that two differentially expressed genes atg9b and psmd12 were up-regulated by radicicol treatment and provided protective roles for cells under cold stress, indicating that up-regulation of autophagy and proteasome function contributes to enhanced cold tolerance. The present work sheds a light on the roles of HSP90 in regulation of phenotypic plasticity associated with thermal adaptation in fish.
Identification of an Immune-Related Gene Signature to Improve Prognosis Prediction in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Dai Siqi , Xu Shuang , Ye Yao , Ding Kefeng
Published: December 2020

Background

Despite recent advance in immune therapy, great heterogeneity exists in the outcomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. In this study, we aimed to analyze the immune-related gene (IRG) expression profiles from three independent public databases and develop an effective signature to forecast patient’s prognosis.

Methods

IRGs were collected from the ImmPort database. The CRC dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to identify a prognostic gene signature, which was verified in another two CRC datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Gene function enrichment analysis was conducted. A prognostic nomogram was built incorporating the IRG signature with clinical risk factors.

Results

The three datasets had 487, 579, and 224 patients, respectively. A prognostic six-gene-signature (CCL22, LIMK1, MAPKAPK3, FLOT1, GPRC5B, and IL20RB) was developed through feature selection that showed good differentiation between the low- and high-risk groups in the training set (p < 0.001), which was later confirmed in the two validation groups (log-rank p < 0.05). The signature outperformed tumor TNM staging for survival prediction. GO and KEGG functional annotation analysis suggested that the signature was significantly enriched in metabolic processes and regulation of immunity (p < 0.05). When combined with clinical risk factors, the model showed robust prediction capability.

Conclusion

The immune-related six-gene signature is a reliable prognostic indicator for CRC patients and could provide insight for personalized cancer management.
A Potential Bioelectromagnetic Method to Slow Down the Progression and Prevent the Development of Ultimate Pulmonary Fibrosis by COVID-19
Authors: Masaud Syed Muzzammil , Szasz Oliver , Szasz A. Marcell , Ejaz Huma , Anwar Rana Attique , Szasz Andras
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Right now, we are facing a global pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes the highly contagious human disease COVID-19. The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing at an alarming rate, more and more people suffer from it, and the death toll is on the rise since December 2019, when COVID-19 has presumably appeared. We need an urgent solution for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of the involved patients.

Methods

Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) is known as an immuno-supportive therapy in oncology. Our proposal is to apply this method to prevent the progression of the disease after its identification, to provide treatment when necessary, and deliver rehabilitation to diminish the fibrotic—often fatal—consequences of the infection.

Hypothesis

The effects of mEHT, which are proven for oncological applications, could be utilized for the inactivation of the virus or for treating the fibrotic consequences. The hypothesized mEHT effects, which could have a role in the antiviral treatment, it could be applied for viral-specific immune-activation and for anti-fibrotic treatments.
Vitamin D and IFN-β Modulate the Inflammatory Gene Expression Program of Primary Human T Lymphocytes
Authors: Bianchi Niccolò , Emming Stefan , Zecca Chiara , Monticelli Silvia
Published: December 2020

IFN-β treatment is a commonly used therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), while vitamin D deficiency correlates with an increased risk of MS and/or its activity. MS is a demyelinating chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, in which activated T lymphocytes play a major role, and may represent direct targets of IFN-β and vitamin D activities. However, the underlying mechanism of action of vitamin D and IFN-β, alone or in combination, remains incompletely understood, especially when considering their direct effects on the ability of T lymphocytes to produce inflammatory cytokines. We profiled the expression of immune-related genes and microRNAs in primary human T lymphocytes in response to vitamin D and IFN-β, and we dissected the impact of these treatments on cytokine production and T cell proliferation. We found that the treatments influenced primarily memory T cell plasticity, rather than polarization toward a stable phenotype. Moreover, our data revealed extensive reprogramming of the transcriptional output of primary T cells in response to vitamin D and IFN-β and provide the bases for further mechanistic insights into these commonly used treatments.
A Highly Expressing, Soluble, and Stable Plant-Made IgG Fusion Vaccine Strategy Enhances Antigen Immunogenicity in Mice Without Adjuvant
Authors: Diamos Andrew G. , Pardhe Mary D. , Sun Haiyan , Hunter Joseph G. L. , Kilbourne Jacquelyn , Chen Qiang , Mason Hugh S.
Published: December 2020

Therapeutics based on fusing a protein of interest to the IgG Fc domain have been enormously successful, though fewer studies have investigated the vaccine potential of IgG fusions. In this study, we systematically compared the key properties of seven different plant-made human IgG1 fusion vaccine candidates using Zika virus (ZIKV) envelope domain III (ZE3) as a model antigen. Complement protein C1q binding of the IgG fusions was enhanced by: 1) antigen fusion to the IgG N-terminus; 2) removal of the IgG light chain or Fab regions; 3) addition of hexamer-inducing mutations in the IgG Fc; 4) adding a self-binding epitope tag to create recombinant immune complexes (RIC); or 5) producing IgG fusions in plants that lack plant-specific β1,2-linked xylose and α1,3-linked fucose N-linked glycans. We also characterized the expression, solubility, and stability of the IgG fusions. By optimizing immune complex formation, a potently immunogenic vaccine candidate with improved solubility and high stability was produced at 1.5 mg IgG fusion per g leaf fresh weight. In mice, the IgG fusions elicited high titers of Zika-specific antibodies which neutralized ZIKV using only two doses without adjuvant, reaching up to 150-fold higher antibody titers than ZE3 antigen alone. We anticipate these findings will be broadly applicable to the creation of other vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics.