bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative Nice knots assistance for reduction in displaced comminuted clavicle fractures
Authors: Hu Fangning , Liu Xi , Liu Fanxiao , Jia Honglei , Wang Fengrui , Xu Shihong , Yang Juanjuan , Hu Lingfei , Wang Bomin , Yang Yongliang , Lv Xiaolong
Published: March 2021

Purpose: The Nice knots have been widely used in orthopedic surgeries to fix torn soft tissue and fracture in recent years. The study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy and prognosis of intraoperative and postoperative Nice Knots-assisted reduction in the treatment of displaced comminuted clavicle fracture.Methods: From Jan 2014 to Dec 2019, 75 patients diagnosed with unilateral closed displaced comminuted clavicle fracture were treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) in this study. Nice knot group (the NK group) included 38 patients and the other 37 patients were in the traditional group (the TK group). The time of operation and the amount of bleeding during operation were recorded. Post-operative clinical outcomes and radiographic results were recorded and compared between these two groups. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), shoulder range of motion (ROM), Constant-Murley score and complications such as infection, nonunion, implant loosening, fragment displacement and hardware pain were observed in the two groups. Results: In the comparison between the two groups, there was no significant difference in age, sex, the cause of displaced clavicle fracture, and other basic information between the two groups. The operation time, intraoperative fluoroscopy time, and intraoperative blood loss were significantly reduced in the NK group (P < 0.01). There were 2 cases of plate fracture in the TK group. The follow-up results showed that there was no significant difference in VAS, ROM, and Constant-Murley scores between the two groups.Conclusion: The use of Nice knot, in comminuted and displaced clavicle fractures can reduce intraoperative blood loss, shorten operation time, facilitate intraoperative reduction, and achieve satisfactory postoperative clinical results. This study demonstrates that Nice knot is a simple, safe, practical and effective auxiliary reduction method.
Serum albumin predicts hyperuricemia in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy
Authors: Wei Cuimei , LI Tong , Xuan Xuan , Xiao Xiaohua , Li Junyi
Published: March 2021

Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the crosss-ectional association between serum albumin and hyperuricemia (HU).Subjects and methods: HU was defined as uric acid ≥420 mol/L for the male population and ≥357 mol/L for the female population.We reviewed the files of 216 consecutive patients with Idiopathic membranous nephropathy treated at our hospital between 2010 and 2019.The correlation of serum albumin with hyperuricemia and the association between serum uric acid levels and the clinical of Idiopathic membranous nephropathy were assessed by statistical analysis.A multivariable logistic analysis model was applied to test the association after adjusting for a number of potential confounding factors.Results: Triglyceride and serum albumin were higher in group with hyperuricemia than in group without hyperuricemia(p=0.020, P<0.001 respectively). As serum albumin rose for 1 g/L the probability for hyperuricemia increased for 17 % (adjusted II OR= 1.17, 95%CI (1.02, 1.35), P = 0.0294). A unit increase in serum albumin was associated with increases of 6.64 umol/L in uric acid (adjusted II β = 6.64, P = 0.0135). Using Tertile 1(T1) for reference, Tertile 3 (T3) group was positively associated with both hyperuricemia (adjusted II OR=44.21, 95%CI(12.76, 75.67), P=0.0064) and uric acid (adjusted II β=98.64, P=0.0116). The interaction test showed signifcant interactions between serum albumin and BMI when hyperuricemia or uric acid were used to determine the outcomes. The participants BMI ≥25 kg/m2 had a higher OR between serum albumin and hyperuricemia and had a higher β between serum albumin and uric acid than BMI＜25kg/m2 (for hyperuricemia: OR =1.01 vs 1.18, P for interaction=0.0056; for uric acid: β =0.96 vs 6.23, P for interaction =0.0154). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.7615 in the participants BMI ≥25 kg/m2. The sensitivity and specifcity of this point were 47.37% and 95.83%,respectively.Conclusion: Our study showed that serum albumin was positively associated with hyperuricemia and uric acid, especially in obese subjects.
Fixed-Time Fuzzy Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Control for Hypersonic Flight Vehicles Using a New Prescribed Performance Function
Authors: Dong Zehong , Li Yinghui , Lv Maolong , Park Ju , Sun Dingshan
Published: March 2021

This article proposes a new fixed-time fuzzy adaptive fault-tolerant control methodology for the longitudinal dynamics of hypersonic flight vehicles (HFVs) in the presence of actuator faults, uncertain dynamics and external disturbances. In contrast with the conventional fixed-time control schemes that typically contain the fractional powers of errors in their designs, this work develops a low-complexity control structure in the sense of removing the dependence on the need of above-mentioned fractional power terms by means of prescribed performance control (PPC) method. Different from the most existing PPC approaches where the initial conditions of tracking errors are required to be known, the newly proposed prescribed performance function (PPF) can relax such restrictions through choosing properly small initial values of PPF. Fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) are employed to handle unknown dynamics and minimal learning parameter (MLP) technique is incorporated into the design for the purpose of alleviating computation burden. Closed-loop stability is rigorously proved via Lyapunov stability theory and simulation results are eventually given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
Transcriptomic analyses reveal molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of floral attributes in Lonicera japonica Thunb.
Authors: Shi Lei , Shen Yuan , Chi Yuhao
Published: March 2021

Background

Lonicera Japonica Thunb. is a perennial, semi-evergreen and twining vine in the family of Caprifoliaceae, which is widely cultivated in Asia. Thus far, L. japonica is often used to treat some human diseases including COVID-19, H1N1 influenza and hand-foot-and-mouth diseases, however, the regulatory mechanism of intrinsic physiological processes during different floral developmental stages of L. japonica remain largely unknown.
Results

The complete transcriptome of L. japonica was de novo-assembled and annotated, generating a total of 195850 unigenes, of which 84657 could be functionally annotated. 70 candidate genes involved in flowering transition were identified and the flowering regulatory network of five pathways was constructed in L. japonica. The mRNA transcripts of AGL24 and SOC1 exhibited a downward trend during flowering transition and followed by a gradual increase during the flower development. The transcripts of AP1 was only detected during the floral development, whereas the transcript level of FLC was high during the vegetative stages. The expression profiles of AGL24, SOC1, AP1 and FLC genes indicate that these key integrators might play the essential and evolutionarily conserved roles in control of flowering switch across the plant kingdom. We also identified 54 L. japonica genes encoding enzymes involved in terpenoid biosynthesis pathway. Most highly expressed genes centered on the MEP pathway, suggesting that this plastid pathway might represent the major pathway for terpenoid biosynthesis in L. japonica. In addition, 33 and 31 key genes encoding enzymes involved in the carotenogenesis and anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway were identified, respectively. PSY transcripts gradually increased during the flower development, supporting its role as the first rate-limiting enzyme in carotenoid skeleton production. The expression level of most anthocyanin biosynthetic genes was dramatically decreased during the flower developmental stages, consistent with the decline in the contents of anthocyanin.
Conclusion

These results identified a large number of potential key regulators controlling flowering time, flower color and floral scent formation in L. japonica, which improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the flower traits and flower metabolism, as well as sets the groundwork for quality improvement and molecular breeding of L. japonica.
Clarithromycin Prevents the Progression of Dissected Aortic Aneurysm in the Experimental Study
Authors: Uchida Wataru , Narita Yuji , Yamawaki-Ogata Aika , Ito Hideki , Terazawa Sachie , Tokuda Yoshiyuki , Fujimoto Kazuro Lee , Mutsuga Masato , Usui Akihiko
Published: March 2021

Background The cause of enlarged aortic dissection (AD) is associated with increased inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6. Clarithromycin (CAM) has been reported to inhibit inflammatory cytokines via suppressing NF-κB. we investigated whether or not CAM could prevent the enlargement of dissected aortic aneurysm. Methods Male wild type mice (12 weeks of age) were infused with Angiotensin II and 3-aminopropinonitrile for two weeks for AD development. After two weeks, CAM (10 mg/kg/day) or saline was administered orally to the mice every day (CAM group: n=10, SAL group: n=10) with infusing Angiotensin II for more two weeks. After four weeks, the aortic diameter, macrophage infiltration, collagen and elastin quantities, and levels of inflammation related cytokines, were assessed. Results The aortic diameter was significantly suppressed in the CAM group (P < 0.01). No rupture death was observed in the CAM group in contrast to 3 (30%) in the SAL group (P = 0.07). Clarithromycin significantly increased the infiltration of anti-inflammatory macrophages (20.8% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.05). Compared with the controls, the levels of IL-1β (332 pg/mL vs. 800 pg/mL, P < 0.01) and IL-6 (344 pg/mL vs. 727 pg/mL: p < 0.05) were significantly decreased, and the levels of IL-4 (2519 pg/mL vs. 1397 pg/mL, P < 0.05) and TGF-β (1649 pg/mL vs. 1134 pg/mL, P < 0.05) was significantly increased in the CAM group. The collagen area was increased (10.1% vs. 4.2%, P < 0.05) and expression of α-SMA (9.5% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.05) and α-actinin (16.3% vs. 4.0%, P < 0.01) were increased in the CAM group compared with the SAL group. Conclusions CAM suppressed the progression of dissected aortic aneurysm through the anti-inflammatory and the existence of abundant collagen secreted including α-SMA, α-actinin positive cells.
Effect of Geobacillus toebii addition on composition transformations and microbial community in thermophilic bean dreg composting
Authors: Chen Xiaojia , Wu Chengjian , Wang Chenyang , Li Qinyu , Zhou Peng , Wei Dong , Shi Jiping , Zhao Zhijun
Published: March 2021

A thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus toebii GT-02, was successfully isolated from horse dung. The effectiveness of Geobacillus toebii GT-02 addition on composition transformations and the microbial community in bean dreg composting at 70°C for 5 days was investigated (T1), and the control consisted of bean dreg compost without GT-02 (CK). After 5 days, T1 presented higher total nitrogen contents (2.77%) and lower carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (14.4) than CK (2.34% and 16.9, respectively). The germination index (GI) of T1 was 135%, which was 56% higher than that of CK (86%). The dry matter loss in T1 was 54.16% (26.82% higher than the CK value (42.82%)). The mean microbial number in T1 was 4.94x107 CFUs/g dry matter, which was 5.37 times that in CK. 16S rDNA sequencing identified Bacillus, Geobacillus and Thermobacillus as dominant in CK, while Bacillus, Ammoniibacillus and Geobacillus were dominant in T1. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that Geobacillus and Ammoniibacillus were positively correlated with the GI. Thus, composting with GT-02 can promote the maturity of bean dregs, and GT-02 has potential commercial application in thermophilic composting.
Timing, Distribution and Predictors of Mortality Following a Road Traffic Injury in Northwest Ethiopia: A Hospital-Based Prospective Follow up Study
Authors: Denu Zewditu Abdissa , Yassin Mensur Osman , Azale Telake , Biks Gashaw Andargie , Gelaye Kassahun Alemu
Published: March 2021

BackgroundRoad traffic injury-related mortality continues to increase from time to time globally, but its burden is more than three times higher in low-income countries. This discrepancy is mainly due to poor trauma care system both at the pre-hospital and in-hospital. The analysis of injury patterns and time to mortality is crucial for the development and improvement of trauma care systems. This study aimed to identify patterns of RTI , and predictors of mortality following a RTI. MethodsA prospective hospital-based follow up study was conducted among road traffic injury victims admitted to Gondar University Hospital between May 2019 and February 2020. The total follow-up time was 30 days. Injury severity was determined using revised trauma score (RTS). A Cox regression model was used to identify the time to death and predictors of mortality. Hazard ratios (HR), attributable risks (AR) and population attributable percent (PAR) were computed to estimate the effect size and public health impacts of road traffic injuries.ResultsA total of 454 victims were followed for 275,534 person-hours. There were 80 deaths with an overall incidence of 2.90 deaths per 10,000 person-hours of observation (95% CI: 2.77, 3.03). The significant predictors of time to death were being a driver (AHR=2.26; 95% CI: 1.09, 4.65, AR=14.8), accident at inter urban roads (AHR=1.98; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.82, AR=21%), hospital arrival time (AHR=0.41; 95% CI: .16, 0.63; AR= 3%), SBP on admission (AHR= 3.66; 95% CI: 2.14, 6.26; AR=57%), GCS of <8 (AHR= 7.39; 95% CI, 3.0819 17.74464;AR=75.7%), head injury with polytrauma (AHR= 2.32 (1.12774 4.79; AR=37%) and interaction of distance from hospital with pre-hospital care.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that trauma deaths follow the classical tri-modal pattern in low resource settings. Interventions on pre hospital care, and advancing the hospital trauma care system is required to reduce preventable deaths caused by road traffic injuries. We recommend further study that assess capability of primary hospitals in the area in providing primary trauma care.
Related Factors For Preterm Birth in Twins After Single Intrauterine Death：a case control study
Authors: Liu Jingyi , Li Na , Shin Na , Liu Sishi , Liu Caixia , Na Quan
Published: March 2021

Background Single intrauterine death in twin pregnancy has become a relatively frequent complication of twin pregnancy. Preterm delivery is one of the complications with high incidence, and is closely related to the prognosis of the surviving fetus. However, studies about preterm delivery related to single intrauterine death are limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors associated with preterm birth in twins after single intrauterine death.Methods This was a case-control study of single intrauterine death in twins delivered at Shengjing Hospital over a 12-year period, from January 1, 2008, to November 30, 2020. We classified these cases into the preterm birth group and full-term birth group according to gestational age at birth. We selected age, gestational age at Single intrauterine death, and parity, etc, as related factors of the preterm birth group. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relevance and importance of related factors and their association with preterm birth. We divided the preterm birth group into four smaller groups according to gestational age at single intrauterine death (14-19 weeks, 20-24 weeks, 25-30 weeks, and 31-36 weeks) and compared them. To exclude human intervention, we analyzed the spontaneous delivery cases as well.Results The analysis included 175 twins (mean [SD] gestational age at single intrauterine death, 27.0 [5.8] weeks; mean [SD] gestational age at birth, 33.8 [3.2] weeks ) with single intrauterine death. A total of 139 (79.4%) were cases of preterm birth. A significant risk factor associated with preterm birth was gestational age at single intrauterine death (odds ratio [OR], 2.89; 95% CI, 1.90-4.39). We found that the 14- to 19-week age group had the oldest gestational age at birth (37.25 [1.29]weeks ). The length of gestation in 14-19 weeks group, 20-24 weeks group, 25-30 weeks group and 31-36 weeks group were 20.5 weeks, 11.0 weeks, 4.77 weeks and 1.12 weeks respectivelyConclusion The fetus’ gestational age at single intrauterine death was a risk factor for preterm birth in their twin. The length of gestation was inversely proportional to increasing gestational age at single intrauterine death.
Nitric Oxide in Occurrence, Progress and Therapy of Lung Cancer: A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Hongbin , Chen Zhewen , Chen Ying , Li Jiuke , Ye Sa
Published: March 2021

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in lung cancer. However, the results of previous studies about NO in the occurrence, progress and therapy were not consistent. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between NO and lung cancer.Method: We carried out comprehensive search in the databases, and collected related studies. The data of fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) or blood NO in different populations (lung cancer patients and control subjects) and different time points (before therapy and after therapy) were extracted by two investigators. A random effect model was applied to analyze the differences of FeNO and blood NO in different populations and different time points. To further compare NO level of each subgroup with different pathological types and different stages, a network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed.Results: 50 studies including 2551 cases and 1691 controls were adopted in this meta-analysis. The FeNO (SMD 3.01, 95% CI 1.89-4.13, p < 0.00001) and blood NO (SMD 1.34, 95% CI 0.84-1.85, p < 0.00001) level in lung cancer patients was much higher than that in control subjects. NMA model indicated blood NO level in each cancer type except SCLC was higher than that in control patients. There was no significant difference of blood NO level among four kinds of lung cancer patients. Blood NO level in LCC patients (SUCRA=83.5%) was the highest. Blood NO level in advanced stage but not early stage was higher than that in control subjects. Patients in advanced stage (SUCRA=95.5%) had the highest blood NO level. No significant difference of FeNO (SMD -0.04, 95% CI -0.46-0.38, p > 0.05) and blood NO level (SMD -0.36, 95% CI -1.08-0.36, p > 0.05) was observed between pretreatment and posttreatment in all patients. However, FeNO level elevated (SMD 0.28, 95% CI 0.04-0.51, p = 0.02) and blood NO level decreased in NSCLC patients (SMD -0.95, 95% CI -1.89-0.00, p = 0.05) after therapy. Conclusion: FeNO and blood NO level would contribute to diagnosis of lung cancer and evaluation of therapy effect, especially for NSCLC patients.
Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Potential of Crude Extracts from Culturable Fungal Endophytes Associated with the Mangrove Species Rhizophora stylosa and R. mucronata in the South China Sea
Authors: Xu Jing , Zhou Jing
Published: March 2021

Our research evaluated the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of crude extracts of endophytic fungi from R. stylosa and R. mucronate. 46 fungal isolates were cultured on the four different mediums, namely Dextrose Agar (PDA), Czapek’s Agar (CZA), Rice Medium (RM) and Grain Medium (GM), and harvested by ethyl acetate solvent at 40 days. The extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity by the microdilution method against Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomons adaceae (PA), Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (EF), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and pathogenic fungus Monilia albican (MA). Cytotoxic activity of the extracts was evaluated by MTT assay using human lung cancer cells A549, human cervical carcinoma cells Hela, and human hepatocellular cells HepG2. The results showed that rice medium could promote the secretion of antimicrobial and anti-tumor secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi in comparison with the other cultivation media. 17 strains (68%) from R. stylosa exhibited inhibition effects on indicators, especially N. protearum HHL46 which could inhibit the growth of four microbes with the MIC values reaching 0.0625 mg/mL. 15 strains (71.4%) from R. mucronata displayed activities against human pathogenic microbes, especially Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD6 and N. protearum HQD5 which could resist the growth of four microbial with MIC values ranging from 0.015 to 1 mg/mL. In cytotoxic assay, the extracts of 10 strains (40%), 9 strains (40%) and 13 strains (52%) from R. stylosa and 13 strains (61.9%), 10 stains (47.6%) and 10 stains (47.6%) in R. mucronata displayed the cytotoxicity against A549, Hela and HepG2 cancer cells with cells viability value ≤50%, respectively. Neopestalotiopsis protearum HHL46, Phomopsis longicolla HHL50, Botryosphaeria fusispora HQD83, Fusarium verticillioides HQD48 and Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD6 displayed significant antitumor activity with IC50 values below the 20 μg/mL. These results highlighted the antimicrobial and anti-tumor potential of endophytic fungi from R. stylosa and R. mucronata and the possibility to be exploited for their antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.
Automated Detection and Segmentation of Grain Spikes in Greenhouse Images Using Shallow and Deep Learning Neural Networks: A Comparison of Six Methods
Authors: Ullah Sajid , Henke Michael , Narisetti Narendra , Hejatko Jan , Gladilin Evgeny
Published: March 2021

Image-based plant phenotyping is the major approach to quantitative assessment of important plant properties. For automated analysis of a large amount of image data from high-throughput greenhouse measurements, efficient techniques for image segmentation are required. However, conventional approaches to whole plant and plant organ segmentation are hampered by high variability of plant and background illumination, and naturally occurring changes in geometry and colors of growing plants. Consequently, application of advanced machine learning techniques for automated image segmentation is required. Here, we investigate six advanced neural network (NN) methods for detection and segmentation of grain spikes in RGB images including three detection deep NNs (SSD, Faster-RCNN, YOLOv3/v4), two deep (U-Net, DeepLabv3+) and one shallow segmentation NNs. Our experimental results show superior performance of deep learning NNs that achieve in average more than 90% accuracy by detection and segmentation of wheat as well as barley and rye spikes. However, different methods demonstrate different performance on matured, emergent and occluded spikes. In addition to comprehensive comparison of six NN methods, a GUI-based tool (SpikeApp) provided with this work demonstrates the application of detection and segmentation NNs to fully automated spike phenotyping. Further improvements of evaluated NN approaches are discussed.
Breeding and Characterization of The World’s First Practical Rice Variety With Resistance to Brown Spot (Bipolaris Oryzae)
Authors: Matsumoto Kengo , Ota Yuya , Yamakawa Tomohiro , Ono Teppei , Seta Satomi , Honda Yuto , Mizobuchi Ritsuko , Sato Hiroyuki
Published: March 2021

Background: Brown spot (BS) caused by Bipolaris oryzae is a serious disease of rice and decreases grain yield. Breeding for BS resistance is an economical solution but has not hitherto been achieved.Results: To develop a practical BS-resistant variety, we introduced a chromosomal segment including a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for BS resistance, qBSfR11, derived from the BS-resistant local resource ‘Tadukan’, into the genetic background of the high-yielding but susceptible ‘Mienoyume’. Resistance is controlled by a single recessive gene in a 1.3-Mbp region. We named this gene bsr1 (brown spot resistance 1). The near-isogenic line bsr1-NIL had a greater yield with larger grain width than Mienoyume but similar other agronomic traits in fields where BS was mild; it had a significantly lower BS disease score and a 28.8% higher yield in fields where BS was more severe, and it showed resistance to multiple isolates of BS fungus. It showed stable resistance to BS and had excellent agricultural traits in the presence of BS.Conclusions: We developed the bsr1-NIL with resistance to BS and applied it for variety registration to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Japan as ‘Mienoyume BSL’. It is the world’s first practical breeding variety with resistance to BS.
Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Perceived Social Support Scale in Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer
Authors: Chen Yaoxin , Han Yan , Wang Xiang , Zhou Huan , Liu Yao , Li Lingyan , Wang Yuping , Fan Jie , Soondrum Tamini , ZHU Xiongzhao
Published: March 2021

Background: The perceived social support of breast cancer patients has a great effect on regulating their negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, which is helpful to improve their mental health level. The Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) is a frequently used instrument designed to assess the degree of perceived social support. However, the psychometric properties of PSSS in breast cancer patients have not been adequately studied. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the factor structure of PSSS and examine its measurement invariance across different demographic variables in a sample of breast cancer patients.Method: This study involved 989 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer, aged from 25 to 72 years old (Mean age = 47.67 years, SD = 8.87). The single-group confirmatory factor analysis was administrated to examine the factor structure of PSSS. The multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to demonstrate the measurement invariance of PSSS across different sociodemographic variables. Results: The PSSS had satisfactory reliability and validity in current sample. The three-factor model fit well in the overall sample and population subgroups. Configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariances were all supported by the data of breast cancer samples across different age, places of residence and educational levels.Conclusion: This study examined the factor structure and measurement invariance of PSSS across different demographic variables in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Our results proved that PSSS is suitable for use among breast cancer patients.
The comparison of curcumin and nanocurcumin effects on the expression of E6 and E7 human papilloma virus oncogenes and P53 and pRb factors in HeLa and fibroblast cell lines
Authors: Sadeghi Rezvaneh Vahedian , Parsania Masoud , Sadeghizadeh Majid , Haghighat Setareh , Farsani Seyedeh Sahar Mortazavi
Published: March 2021

Cervical cancer is a common cancer in women around the world. Human papillomavirus infection is main cause of this cancer. Currently treatment methods include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. These methods usually cause severe reactions and drug resistance in the patients, so finding a safe natural drug for treatment can be very helpful. Curcumin is a compound derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and is the active ingredient in a food spice. Various studies have confirmed the anti-cancer, chemoprotective and genes and proteins regulatory effects of this component. Insolubility, low cellular uptake and low bioavailability are common limitations of curcumin use. To overcome these limitations, a nano-formulation of curcumin has been developed in our laboratory. In this study, the effect of nanocurcumin on cellular apoptosis induction of Hela cancer cells was compared with curcumin. It has demonstrated that nanocurcumin function is three time more effective than curcumin in same concentration. This nano-formulation of curcumin in 15µM concentration was able to reduce the expression of E6 and E7 oncogenes, and increase P53 and Rb tumor suppressors in HeLa cancerous cells with p-value = 0.001 − 0.0001, whereas curcumin altered these genes expression in 50µM concentration with p-value = 0.05 − 0.01. Nanocurcumin has no significant effect on the viability of normal fibroblast cells. Therefore, this compound has no effect on normal cells. These findings are consistent with the results of previous studies about nanocurcurcumin in other types of cancer. Therefore, nanocurcumin may be a suitable option to consider for cervical cancer treatment.
Combustion and Performance Analysis of a Dual-fuel Diesel Engine Using Producer Gas
Authors: Dash Pradipta Kumar , Jena Shakti Prakash , Das Harish Chandra
Published: March 2021

The researchers around the globe are trying to overcome energy crisis by developing suitable alternative energy source. In this work, combustion and performance analysis of a diesel engine was studied running in dual-fuel mode using producer gas. The experiment shows lower engine performance like brake thermal efficiency, increased brake specific fuel consumption and exhaust gas temperature in dual-fuel run as compared to diesel alone run. Combustion characteristics like cylinder pressure, mass fraction burned, mean combustion temperature and net heat release were also found to be deteriorated in presence of producer gas. The peak value of cylinder pressure and net heat release were noticed slightly away from the top dead center. The experimentation indicates that combustion improving techniques should be employed to enhance the performance of the dual-fuel engine to run with producer gas.
Observational evaluation of outdoor cooling potential of air-source heat pump water heaters
Authors: Yamaguchi Kazuki , Ihara Tomohiko , Kikegawa Yukihiro
Published: March 2021

Heat pump water heaters are highly efficient hot water supply systems that effectively utilize the heat of outdoor air via heat pump technology. Many studies have been conducted to optimize the design and operation of heat pump water heaters from the perspective of climate change mitigation. Air-source heat pump water heaters, which absorb heat from the outdoor air and emit cold exhaust, can also be expected to alleviate the urban heat island effect; however, this has not been studied extensively. To estimate the impact of cold exhaust on building-scale climate, we conducted a multipoint measurement of the outdoor thermal environment around a low-rise apartment building equipped with air-source heat pump water heaters, in both summer and winter. Observations showed a substantial cooling effect that decreased air temperatures by 1°C within the site boundary on summer nights when multiple heat pump water heaters operated concurrently. The analysis revealed that the sensitivity of the ambient temperatures to cold exhaust depends strongly on local atmospheric conditions. The most influential factor was the wind direction: the sensitivity increased significantly when the exhaust outlet location was at the lee side of the building. Naturally, the wind speed also affected the sensitivity, which tended to be higher when the wind speed was lower. The convective stability near the ground surface, however, showed no significant influence over the sensitivity.
Cotton Fabric Incorporated with β-Cyclodextrin/Ketoconazole/Ag-NPs Generating Outstanding Antifungal and Antibacterial Performances
Authors: Hedayati Nafiseh , Montazer Majid , Mahmoudirad Mahnaz , Toliyat Tayebeh
Published: March 2021

The influence of Ketoconazole and β-CD/Ketoconazole was previously reported on cotton fabric as fungal skincare; however, the impact of nanosilver on the antifungal and antibacterial properties of the same products is unknown. Here, silver NPs were synthesized on β-CD/KZ composites and then attached to the cotton using a cross-linking agent. The nanocomposites and treated fabrics were analyzed by UV-vis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta-potential and FE-SEM. The drug delivery and cytotoxicity of the products were also studied. The nanocomposites antimicrobial efficiency was examined on Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger as fungi and E. coli & S. aureus as bacteria. The synthesis of Ag-NPs on the β-CD/KZ amplifies both antifungal and antibacterial efficiencies. This also extends the drug regular release time for medical and drug delivery purposes. Having tremendous antimicrobial activities without cytotoxicity effects and regular release time of drug with excellent washing durability of treated samples make it suitable for medical applications likewise wound dressings and sportswear designed for sensitive skin.
Withaferin A Induces Heat Shock Response and Ameliorates Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Joshi Tripti , Kumar Vipendra , Kaznacheyeva Elena V , Jana Nihar Ranjan
Published: March 2021

Impairment of proteostasis network is one of the characteristic features of many age-related neurodegenerative disorders including autosomal dominantly inherited Huntington’s disease (HD). In HD, N-terminal portion of mutant huntingtin protein containing expanded polyglutamine repeats accumulates as inclusion bodies and leads to progressive deterioration of various cellular functioning including proteostasis network. Here we report that Withaferin A (a small bioactive molecule derived from Indian medicinal plant, Withania somnifera) partially rescues defective proteostasis by activating heat shock response (HSR) and delay the disease progression in a HD mouse model. Exposure of Withaferin A activates HSF1 and induces the expression of HSP70 chaperones in an in vitro cell culture system and also suppresses mutant huntingtin aggregation in a cellular model of HD. Withaferin A treatment to HD mice considerably increased their lifespan as well as restored progressive motor behavioural deficits and declined body weight. Biochemical studies confirmed the activation of HSR and global decrease in mutant huntingtin aggregates load accompanied with improvement of striatal function in Withaferin A treated HD mice brain. Withaferin A treated HD mice also exhibit significant decrease in inflammatory processes as evident from the decreased microglial activation. These results indicate immense potential of Withaferin A for the treatment of HD and related neurodegenerative disorders involving protein misfolding and aggregation.
Design of Improved Integral Sliding Mode Observer for Surface-Mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Authors: Liu Wei , Zhang Li , Ning Guoying , Cheng Yi , Xu Guowei
Published: March 2021

An improved integral sliding mode observer (SMO) is proposed for the double closed-loop control system of Surface-Mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor(SPMSM) in this paper. By observing the stator current, the extended back Electromotive Force(back-EMF)of the motor is estimated, and the position and angle of the rotor are obtained by using the Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) structure. The improved integrated SMO control system not only ensures the system to converge to the equilibrium point in finite time, but also reduces the steady-state error. A new exponential reaching law is also designed in which the sgn (s) of the constant velocity term is replaced by the sigmoid (s). For improving the reaching speed, the gain adaptive function is added to the exponential term of the approaching law to make its coefficient change with the system state. Simulation results compared with the traditional SMO show that the control system based on the improved SMO can reduce observation error, enhance robustness, and suppress chattering phenomenon.
Pupil barycenter configuration in patients with myopia and hyperopia
Authors: Koç Hacı , Kaya Faruk
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To compare the pupil barycenter configurations that can be used to calculate the kappa angle in terms of distance in patients with myopia and hyperopia.
Method

: This prospective study evaluated 394 eyes of 197 patients. The patients were divided into two groups according to their spherical equivalent values: the myopic group (mean spherical equivalent refraction < − 0.50 D) and the hyperopia group (mean spherical equivalent refraction > + 0.50 D). The two groups were further subdivided according to severity (myopic group: mild, <−0.50 and ≤ − 3.00 D; moderate, <−3.00 and ≤ − 6.00 D; severe, <−6.00 D; hyperopic group: mild, ≥+0.50 and ≤ + 2.00 D; moderate, >+2.00 and ≤ + 4.00 D; severe, >+4.00 D). The pupil and iris barycenter distance measurements and other parameters were obtained through optical low-coherence reflectometry.
Results

Of the 197 patients, 109 (55.3%) were female and 88 (44.7%) were male, and their age ranged from 7 to 60 years (mean, 35.16 ± 14.75 years). The average pupil barycenter measurements originating from the kappa angle distances were 0.38 ± 0.15 and 0.21 ± 0.11 mm in patients with hyperopia and myopia, respectively. Corneal and lens thickness measurements were higher in patients with hyperopia, whereas anterior chamber depth and pupil diameter measurements were higher in patients with myopia. No significant difference in astigmatism or white-to-white measurements was observed between patients with hyperopia and those with myopia.
Conclusion

The kappa angle distances are higher in hyperopia than in myopia. The pupil barycenter measurement from the kappa angle distance can be an alternative for the evaluation of the kappa angle.
Old People’s Fear of COVID-19 Infection and Public Transportation Avoidance : Korean Subway Evidence
Authors: Park Byungjin , Cho Joonmo
Published: March 2021

Background: With the spread of the coronavirus worldwide, a principal policy implemented by nations was restrictions on movement of people. The effect of governments’ mobility restriction measures has been analyzed after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, there is lack of studies on the impact of voluntary restriction that significantly affects the decrease of the mobility. This research aims to analyze mass transportation use after the COVID-19 outbreak by age group to explore how the fear of infection affected the public transit system. Methods: Mass transportation big data of Seoul Metro transportation use in the capital city of South Korea was employed for a panel analysis. To control the environmental characteristics of each district of Seoul Metropolitan City, the fixed-effect model was employed. Results: The analysis results showed that in both the period of the highest infections and the period of the lowest infection of COVID-19, users aged 65 and over reduced subway use more than people aged between 20 and 64. The decrease of subway use caused by the sharp increase of COVID-19 cases was the most prominent among people aged 65 and over. The elasticity of change of subway use demand to change in cases in Seoul was about 0.08 for people aged 65 and over, higher than 0.06 for people aged between 20 and 64. Conclusion: The voluntary restrictions driven by fear of the COVID-19 infection have led to the decrease of public transit demand in Seoul. Although the subway use demand decreased both in the age group of 20 to 64 and the age group of people 65 and older, the elderly responded more sensitively to COVID-19. The results suggest that the fear of COVID-19 pandemic varies with age. It seems that the elderly’s higher death rate from COVID-19 has significantly impacted their behavioral change. This study imply that the elder’s fear of infection has affected their daily lives, consumption, and production activities and their mobility using public transportation.
A nomogram for predicting feasibility of laparoscopic anterior resection with trans-rectal specimen extraction (NOSES) in patients with upper rectal cancer
Authors: Zhang Zhen-yu , Zhu Zhe , Zhang Yuanyuan , Ni Li , Lu Bing
Published: March 2021

BackgroundLaparoscopic anterior resection with trans-rectal specimen extraction (NOSES) has been demonstrated as a safe and effective technique in selected patients with upper rectal cancer (RC). However, improper selection of RC candidates for NOSES may lead to complications such as bacteria contamination and anastomotic leak. Unfortunately, no tools are available for evaluating the risk and excluding improper cases before surgery. This study aims to investigate independent clinical-pathological predictors for selection of candidates for NOSES surgery in upper RC and to develop a validated scoring nomogram to facilitate clinical decision making.MethodsThe study was performed at Shanghai East hospital, a tertiary medical center and teaching hospital. A consecutive and eligible serial of 111 patients with upper RC underwent elective laparoscopic anterior resection with or without NOSES between February and October of 2017. Multivariate analyses were performed to compare characteristics between the two surgical techniques. Odds ratios (OR) were determined by logistic regression analyses to identify and quantify the ability of predictors for selection of NOSES. The nomogram was constructed and characterized by c-index, calibration, bootstrapping validation, ROC curve analysis, and decision curve analysis.ResultsUpper RC patients with successful NOSES tended to be featured with female gender, negative preoperative CEA/CA19-9, decreased mesorectum length (MRL)，ratio of diameter (ROD) and ratio of area (ROA) values, while no significant correlations were observed with age, body mass index (BMI), tumor location, and tumor-related biological characteristics (ie., vascular invasion, lymph node count, TNM stages). The nomogram incorporating three independent preoperative predictors including gender, CEA status and ROD achieved a high c-index of 0.814 and considerable reliability, accuracy and clinical net benefit.ConclusionsNOSES for patients with upper RC is multifactorial. The first nomogram is useful for proper patient selection in the future.
Half Fluence Photodynamic Therapy in Peripapillary Circumscribed Choroidal Hemangiomas
Authors: Kumar Ashok , Kumar Poninder , Mishra Sanjay Kumar , Jhanwar Mayank , Gupta Arun , Sathagopam Srikanth
Published: March 2021

PurposeTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of half fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) as treatment for symptomatic peripapillary circumscribed choroidal haemangiomas (CCHs). MethodsIn this prospective, interventional case series; 11 patients with symptomatic peripapillary CCHs presenting to a single centre were treated with half fluence PDT using verteporfin 6 mg/m2 with fluence of 25 mJ/cm2 (standard is 50 mJ/cm2) and other standard settings. Patients were evaluated at baseline, four weeks, twelve weeks and twenty-four weeks post-PDT treatment with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ultrasonography, spectral domain- optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), visual evoked potential and angiographic studies. ResultsEleven patients with peripapillary CCHs received half fluence PDT. The BCVA significantly improved to 0.558 + 0.118 at four weeks post treatment (P=0.014), to 0.494 + 0.114 at twelve weeks (P=0.006) and 0.441 + 0.125 at twenty-four weeks (P=0.007) from baseline levels of 1.017 + 0.075 on log MAR scales. Similar improvement was observed in central macular thickness (CMT) of 78.50 + 13.73 um(P=0.001) at four weeks; 114.70 + 27.73 um(P=0.003) at twelve weeks and 174.60 + 23.13 um(P=0.001) at twenty-four weeks post treatment. A single session of re-treatment was required in 18%(n=2) of patients which also showed complete resolution at last follow-up. No complications were observed without any significant change in retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness at six months follow-up(P=0.088).ConclusionsHalf fluence PDT can be an effective and safe treatment option for peripapillary CCHs which results in both anatomical and functional improvements with no observable complications.
Impaired neuro-motor control in chronic whiplash and tension-type headache
Authors: Astrup Jens , Gyntelberg Finn , Johansen Anne-Marie , Lei Anders , Marott Jacob Louis
Published: March 2021

BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to support the hypothesis that the neuro-motor control of the neck muscles is impaired in the diseases of chronic whiplash and tension-type headache. This hypothesis is based on a previous study, and if confirmed, it indicates that the central nervous system may be part of the pathophysiology of these diseases. For further verification, we designed a laser tracking method for standardized and quantitative measurements of movements of head and hand. The hand was included as a presumed normal reference to the head movements.MethodsA new laser tracking instrument was designed to monitor the ability of a test-person to track a reference point on the wall by a laser fixed to the forehead or held in the hand. The reference point moves in runs of a circle or a square at three different speeds 10, 20 or 30 cm/sec thus providing 6 runs for both head and hand per test-person. We used a 1x1x1 m set-up geometry. The data of each run was processed on-line. Groups of 22 patients diagnosed with chronic whiplash associated disorder, 19 patients diagnosed with chronic tension-type headache and 37 control persons were compared.FindingsA small but highly significant dyscoordination of head movements was observed in both patients groups, and in whiplash also of the hand. InterpretationOur study confirms the hypothesis that the neuro-motor control of the neck muscles is impaired in both chronic whiplash and tension-type headache. In our view this observation implicates that the central nervous system may be involved in the primary pathology of both these diseases. Accordingly, we suggest a provisional term 'cervical dyssynergia' for these diseases, and suggest further studies along this paradigm.
First Report of the Complete Genome Sequences of Anemone Mosaic Virus and Ranunculus Mild Mosaic Virus Isolated From Anemone Imported From the Netherlands
Authors: Imamura Yuya , Oishi Moritsugu , Fujiwara Yuji , Yanagisawa Hironobu
Published: March 2021

The anemone mosaic virus (AnMV) and ranunculus mild mosaic virus (RanMMV) infects the anemone plant with characteristic mosaic patterns on leaves. Two complete genome sequences of the two viruses imported from the Netherlands, were determined based on deep sequencing for the first time. Each of AnMV and RanMMV had 9,698 and 9,537 nucleotides (nt), excluding the poly(A) tail. They shared 80.0% nt/amino acid (aa) sequence identities or more, which are above the species demarcation value, with only AnMV and RanMMV reported previously in coat protein region, but having 68.0% nt/aa sequence identities or less with other potyviruses in each coding region of the complete sequences. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis showed that AnMV and RanMMV were included in other known potyviruses. These results suggest that both of AnMV and RanMMV were independent species belonging to the genus Potyvirus.