bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional hepatic deterioration determined by 13C-methacetin breath test is associated with impaired hemodynamics and late Fontan failure in adults
Authors: Schleiger Anastasia , Kramer Peter , Sallmon Hannes , Jentsch Niklas , Pileckaite Marta , Danne Friederike , Schafstedde Marie , Müller Hans-Peter , Müller Tobias , Tacke Frank , Jara Maximilian , Stockmann Martin , Berger Felix , Ovroutski Stanislav
Published: September 2022

Background

Despite improved survival a substantial number of Fontan patients eventually develop late failure. Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is the most frequent end-organ dysfunction. Although impaired hemodynamics and Fontan failure correlate with FALD severity, no association between hepatic functional metabolic impairment and Fontan hemodynamics has been established.

Hypothesis

Metabolic liver function measured by liver maximum function capacity test (LiMAx®) correlates with Fontan hemodynamics and Fontan failure.

Methods

From 2020 to 2022, 58 adult Fontan patients [median age: 29.3 years, IQR (12.7), median follow-up time after Fontan operation: 23.2 years, IQR (8.7)] were analyzed in a cross-sectional study. Hemodynamic assessment included echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and invasive hemodynamic evaluation. Fontan failure was defined based on commonly applied clinical criteria and our recently composed multimodal Fontan failure score.

Results

LiMAx® test revealed normal maximum liver function capacity in 40 patients (>315 μg/h*kg). In 18 patients a mild to moderate impairment was detected (140–314 μg/h*kg), no patient suffered from severe hepatic deterioration (≤ 139 μg/kg*h). Fontan failure was present in 15 patients. Metabolic liver function was significantly reduced in patients with increased pulmonary artery pressure (p = 0.041. r = −0.269) and ventricular end-diastolic pressure (p = 0.033, r = −0.325), respectively. In addition, maximum liver function capacity was significantly impaired in patients with late Fontan failure (289.0 ± 99.6 μg/kg*h vs. 384.5 ± 128.6 μg/kg*h, p = 0.007).

Conclusion

Maximum liver function capacity as determined by LiMAx® was significantly reduced in patients with late Fontan failure. In addition, elevated pulmonary artery pressure and end-diastolic ventricular pressure were associated with hepatic functional metabolic impairment.
Case report: Myocarditis following COVID-19 protein subunit vaccination
Authors: Dong Yi-ming , Liu Xia , Yang Chen-teng , Qi Qian , Shi Wei-bo , Li Ying-min , Zuo Min , Wang Song-jun , Bi Hai-tao , Ma Ru-fei , Zhang Guo-zhong , Cong Bin
Published: September 2022

We report findings in a 34-year-old female patient who presented with fulminant myocarditis 8 days after receiving the first dose of the ZF2001 RBD-subunit vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Autopsy showed severe interstitial myocarditis, including multiple patchy infiltrations of lymphocytes and monocytes in the myocardium of the left and right ventricular walls associated with myocyte degeneration and necrosis. This report highlights the details of clinical presentations and autopsy findings of myocarditis after ZF2001 (RBD-subunit vaccine) vaccination. The correlation between vaccination and death due to myocarditis is discussed.
Should prenatal chromosomal microarray analysis be offered for isolated ventricular septal defect? A single-center retrospective study from China
Authors: Cheng Ken , Zhou Hang , Fu Fang , Lei Tingying , Li Fucheng , Huang Ruibin , Wang You , Yang Xin , Li Ru , Li Dongzhi , Liao Can
Published: September 2022

Objective

To evaluate the utility of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in fetuses with isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD) and to explore the favorable factors for predicting spontaneous closure of defects.

Methods

The study included 436 singleton pregnancies seen at a referral prenatal diagnosis center, between January 2016 and May 2020, of which 168 fetuses with isolated VSD were diagnosed in the prenatal setting. VSD was classified as an isolated VSD whether it had ultrasound soft markers or not. All patients underwent testing employing quantitative fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) and CMA as the first-line genetic detection strategies, mainly in amniotic fluid and umbilical blood samples. Rates of chromosomal abnormalities were compared by subgroups of isolated VSD (muscular or perimembranous). Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the independent determinants of spontaneous closure by 2 years.

Results

Overall, the CMA identified clinically significant copy number variations (CNVs) in 7/168 (4.2%) fetuses and variants of unknown significance (VOUS) in 15/168 (8.9%). Muscular and perimembranous VSDs were found in 53.6 and 46.4%, respectively. Clinically significant relevant subchromosomal aberrations were revealed in seven (9.0%) perimembranous VSDs compared with none in 90 muscular defects (P < 0.01). The median initial size of the defect in the muscular VSDs was 2.2(1.8–2.7) mm, as compared to that of 2.8 (2.2–3.2) mm in the perimembranous VSDs group (p = 0.000). In muscular vs. perimembranous VSDs, spontaneous closure occurred more frequently and earlier [40.0 vs. 15.4% in utero (p = 0.000), 61.1 vs. 30.8% at 1-year (p = 0.000), and 75.6 vs. 42.3% at 2-year (P = 0.000)]. Postnatal surgical closure was warranted in 4/90 (4.4%) of the infants with muscular VSDs, as compared to 29/71 (40.8%) with perimembranous defects (p = 0.000). Furthermore, isolated muscular type VSD, smaller defect size, and maternal age of less than 35 years are all positive predictors of spontaneous closure of the defects.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the value of microarray for unbalanced subchromosomal abnormalities in fetuses with isolated VSD, particularly in the perimembranous defects. The detection of an isolated muscular VSD prenatally may be considered a benign or likely benign finding; in contrast, for perimembranous VSD, a prenatal CMA should be offered.
Selective protein kinase C inhibition switches time-dependent glucose cardiotoxicity to cardioprotection
Authors: Brennan Sean , Esposito Simona , Abdelaziz Muhammad I. M. , Martin Christopher A. , Makwana Samir , Sims Mark W. , Squire Iain B. , Sharma Parveen , Chadwick Amy E. , Rainbow Richard D.
Published: September 2022

Hyperglycaemia at the time of myocardial infarction has an adverse effect on prognosis irrespective of a prior diagnosis of diabetes, suggesting glucose is the damaging factor. In ex vivo models of ischaemia, we demonstrated that deleterious effects of acutely elevated glucose are PKCα/β-dependent, and providing PKCα/β are inhibited, elevated glucose confers cardioprotection. Short pre-treatments with high glucose were used to investigate time-dependent glucose cardiotoxicity, with PKCα/β inhibition investigated as a potential mechanism to reverse the toxicity. Freshly isolated non-diabetic rat cardiomyocytes were exposed to elevated glucose to investigate the time-dependence toxic effects. High glucose challenge for >7.5 min was cardiotoxic, proarrhythmic and lead to contractile failure, whilst cardiomyocytes exposed to metabolic inhibition following 5-min high glucose, displayed a time-dependent protection lasting ∼15 min. This protection was further enhanced with PKCα/β inhibition. Cardioprotection was measured as a delay in contractile failure and KATP channel activation, improved contractile and Ca2+ transient recovery and increased cell survival. Finally, the effects of pre-ischaemic treatment with high glucose in a whole-heart coronary ligation protocol, where protection was evident with PKCα/β inhibition. Selective PKCα/β inhibition enhances protection suggesting glycaemic control with PKC inhibition as a potential cardioprotective therapeutics in myocardial infarction and elective cardiac surgery.
Optimizing the design and dosing of dry powder inhaler formulations of the cationic liposome adjuvant CAF®01 for pulmonary immunization
Authors: Thakur Aneesh , Xu You , Cano-Garcia Guillermo , Feng Siqi , Rose Fabrice , Gerde Per , Andersen Peter , Christensen Dennis , Foged Camilla
Published: September 2022

Thermostability is one of the product characteristics preferred by WHO for vaccines against respiratory infections due to ease of administration, pain minimization, and low costs. Thermostable dry powder inhaler (DPI) vaccine formulations can induce protective antibodies and T cells at the site of infection in the lungs. However, the majority of licensed human vaccines is based on liquid dosage forms, and there is no licensed mucosal adjuvants. The cationic adjuvant formulation 01 (CAF®01) is a liposome-based adjuvant system that (i) induces robust T cells and antibodies, (ii) is safe and well-tolerated in clinical trials, and (iii) induces mucosal immune responses after pulmonary administration. However, the optimal DPI formulations of CAF®01 for pulmonary immunization are not known. Here, we show that DPI formulations of CAF®01 spray-dried with a combination of sugars and the amino acid leucine exhibit optimal aerosolization properties and distribute in the lung lobes upon pulmonary administration. We demonstrate that the type of amorphous sugar used as stabilizer and the amount (w/w) of leucine used during spray drying affect the physicochemical properties and aerosol performance of DPI formulations. By systematically varying the ratios (w/w) of trehalose, dextran and leucine used as excipients during spray drying, we manufactured DPI formulations of CAF®01 that displayed (i) a spherical or wrinkled surface morphology, (ii) an aerodynamic diameter and particle size distribution optimal for deep lung deposition, and (iii) solid-state and aerosolization properties suitable for lung delivery. Using a design-of-experiments-based approach, we identified the most optimal process parameters in an in vivo aerosol generator, i.e., the PreciseInhale® system, which was used to measure the flowability of the aerosols. We found that the DPI formulation of CAF®01 spray-dried with trehalose and dextran (70% w/w) and leucine (30% w/w) displayed the most optimal physicochemical, morphological, solid-state, and aerosolization properties for deep lung deposition. Upon pulmonary administration, this DPI formulation distributed in the lung lobes in a way that was almost identical to the biodistribution of the non-spray dried formulation. Hence, DPI formulations of CAF®01, prepared with trehalose and dextran sugar matrix and a leucine shell, display physicochemical and aerosol properties suitable for inhalation.
Windowed 4D inversion for near real-time geoelectrical monitoring applications
Authors: Wilkinson P. B. , Chambers J. E. , Meldrum P. I. , Kuras O. , Inauen C. M. , Swift R. T. , Curioni G. , Uhlemann S. , Graham J. , Atherton N.
Published: September 2022

Many different approaches have been developed to regularise the time-lapse geoelectrical inverse problem. While their advantages and limitations have been demonstrated using synthetic models, there have been few direct comparisons of their performance using field data. We test four time-lapse inversion methods (independent inversion, temporal smoothness-constrained 4D inversion, spatial smoothness constrained inversion of temporal data differences, and sequential inversion with spatial smoothness constraints on the model and its temporal changes). We focus on the applicability of these methods to automated processing of geoelectrical monitoring data in near real-time. In particular, we examine windowed 4D inversion, the use of short sequences of time-lapse data, without which the 4D method would not be suitable in the near real-time context. We develop measures of internal consistency for the different methods so that the effects of the use of short time windows or the choice of baseline data set can be compared. The resulting inverse models are assessed against qualitative and quantitative ground truth information. Our findings are that 4D inversion of the full data set performed best, and that windowed 4D inversion retained the majority of its benefits while also being applicable to applications requiring near real-time inversion.
A new scheme of wavefield decomposed elastic least-squares reverse time migration
Authors: Lv Wenhao , Du Qizhen , Fu Li-Yun , Li Qingqing , Zhang Jianlei , Zou Zhen
Published: September 2022

Elastic least-squares reverse time migration (ELSRTM) describes the reflectivity of the underground media more accurately than acoustic LSRTM in theory while suffering from the P- and S-waves crosstalk artifacts. We propose a new wavefield decomposed ELSRTM scheme to alleviate these crosstalk artifacts, which is different from conventional methods. In our new scheme, we implement the wavenumber domain elastic wavefield vector decomposition equivalently in the time-space domain to decompose source wavefield without Fourier transform, but with high precision. Then we decompose adjoint wavefield by constructing the shear component in a decoupled adjoint wave equation. Finally, based on elastic impedance parameterization, we derive the gradients with respect to elastic reflectivity in the wavefield-decomposed ELSRTM. Numerical examples show that our method is feasible even when applied to models with complex and uncorrelated P- and S-wave velocity structures.
Fracture network characterization of high-rank coal and its control mechanism on reservoir permeability
Authors: Liu Yanhao , Xiong Zuqiang , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: September 2022

Based on the results of previous research on the fracture systems of reservoirs of middle- and low-rank coal, we took high-rank coal in the southern Qinshui Basin as the study object in this paper and summarize the characteristics of both macro- and micro-fractures in reservoirs of different rank coals, establish a geometric model of the fracture network for different rank coals, and explore the mechanism of coal reservoir permeability change under different conditions. The study found that the structure of the fracture network of high-rank coal developed unevenly. The high-rank coal had the characteristics of rift created outside, micro-fracture development, and undeveloped endogenous fracture, which can be used to improve the permeability of the coal reservoir, to a certain extent. We concluded that given the absence of a seepage aisle in the high-rank coal, there is a rapid increase in reservoir permeability from low to high rate during the seepage process of the fracture network. However, the seepage rate in other coal rank reservoirs increases smoothly. Due to fracture compression and coal matrix shrinkage, the permeability of the coal reservoir first decreases and then increases during the drainage stage. At the same rate of pressure drop, the permeability of high-rank coal reservoir decreases at the fastest rate, followed by that of low-rank coal reservoir, and that of middle-rank coal reservoir, in that order.
“We can’t share things with our teachers”: Narratives of mistrust and disconnect between South African female learners and their teachers
Authors: Duby Zoe , Maruping Kealeboga , Jonas Kim , McClinton Appollis Tracy , Vanleeuw Lieve , Mathews Catherine
Published: September 2022

The quality and nature of student-teacher relationships have implications outside of the academic domain. Support from teachers plays a significant protective role in the mental and emotional well-being of adolescents and young people, and can help to reduce or delay their engagement in risk behaviours, thereby decreasing negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as teenage pregnancy. Using the theory of teacher connectedness, an element of school connectedness, this research explores the narratives surrounding teacher-student relationships amongst South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and teachers. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 teachers, and 63 in-depth interviews and 24 focus group discussions with 237 AGYW aged 15–24 from five South African provinces characterised by high rates of HIV and teenage pregnancy amongst AGYW. Analysis of the data followed a thematic and collaborative approach, comprising coding, analytic memo-ing, and verification of emerging interpretations through discussion and participant feedback workshops. Findings related to perceptions of support and connectedness in teacher-student relationships centred around AGYW narratives of mistrust and a lack of support from teachers, and the consequential negative implications for academic performance and motivation to attend school, self-esteem, and mental health. Teachers’ narratives centred around challenges providing support, feeling overwhelmed and incapable of fulfilling multiple roles. Findings provide valuable insight into student-teacher relationships in South Africa, their impact on educational attainment, and on the mental health and sexual and reproductive health of AGYW.
Load capability assessment and enhancement for transformers with integration of large-scale renewable energy: A brief review
Authors: Li Shuaibing , Li Xinchen , Kang Yongqiang , Gao Quanyi
Published: September 2022

With the rapid development of large-scale distributed renewable energy in China, the load factor of distribution transformer increases year by year, this directly become a new challenge to the load capacity of the transformer. Once subjected to this condition for a long time will have an impact on the hotspot temperature and consequently, the useful life of the transformer. In this regard, load capacity assessment of the distribution transformer becomes an essential work for unit upgrading or even replacement. This article systematically summarized the evaluation methods of transformer load capacity, as well as the load capacity prediction and dynamic capacity enhancement strategies of transformer. Discussions for the future work regarding this topic are also carried out.
Study on the development options of tight sandstone oil reservoirs and their influencing factors
Authors: Li Yongming , Huang Yitao , Ma Hanwei , Chang Cheng , Xie Weiyang
Published: September 2022

The research area of tight sandstone oil reservoirs was selected, a numerical model of the oil reservoir was developed, and a study of the development options and influencing factors was carried out to analyze the influence of different development methods, physical and engineering parameters on the development dynamics. Study shows that the two main factors limiting the efficient development of tight sandstone reservoirs are reservoir properties and formation energy. Fractured horizontal well injection huff and puff development can effectively improve reservoir physical properties and timely replenish formation energy, which is suitable for the development of such oil reservoirs. In dense sandstone reservoirs, its impact on production capacity is also relatively small when the permeability ratio is small. Due to both gravity and reservoir physical properties, the permeability ratio increases, the cumulative oil production of positive rhythm reservoirs decreases and that of reverse rhythm reservoirs increases, and the location of high-quality reservoirs in the upper part of producing wells is conducive to increasing the final recovery rate. A lower oil to water viscosity ratio can significantly increase the swept volume and improve development effect. Hydrophilic reservoirs can reduce the injection pressure and increase the spread range, effectively improving the problem of inability to inject, and improving reservoir hydrophilicity through surface activators can increase reservoir recovery. The water injection rate determines the recovery rate of formation energy. Generally, the faster the rate, the higher the cumulative oil production. Therefore, the rate of water injection should be increased as much as possible, taking into account construction conditions and economic evaluation. Additionally, the effect of water injection on the development effect is different at different stages, so the appropriate timing of water injection is very important to the water injection huff and puff development effect, and the use of early water injection in this research area is not conducive. Soaking can promote pressure and fluid redistribution and improve water injection huff and puff development effect, but soaking for a long time can lead to reservoir contamination and reduce crude oil production, so the preferred time for a soaking is about 20 days.
A pagerank self-attention network for traffic flow prediction
Authors: Kang Ting , Wang Huaizhi , Wu Ting , Peng Jianchun , Jiang Hui
Published: September 2022

Traffic information is collected from sensors in the urban road network, and traffic information can be said to be a mapping of people’s activities, which are difficult to model as a linear function, so this makes traffic information difficult to be predicted. In other words, traffic information is difficult to build effective models to predict traffic information because of its non-linear characteristics that are difficult to capture. As researchers go deeper, researchers have been able to extract good spatio-temporal features for modern urban road networks. However, it is worth mentioning that most researchers have neglected the importance of models for global potential features under the topology map of urban road networks, yet this global potential feature is very important for traffic prediction. In this paper, we propose a new spatio-temporal graph convolutional network model A Pagerank Self-attention Network (hereafter we abbreviate as PSN) in order to solve this problem based on a full consideration of the urban road network topology features, in which we employ a global spatio-temporal self-attention module to capture the global spatio-temporal features well. and the graph wandering module is used to propagate the spatio-temporal feature information effectively and widely. It is worth mentioning that experiments on two well-known datasets show that our proposed method achieves better prediction results compared to existing baseline methods.
Experimental study on flexural strength and effective elastic modulus of granular ice in the Bohai Sea, China
Authors: Xiu Yuanren , Li Zhijun , Wang Qingkai , Han Hongwei , Zong Zhi , Zu Yongheng , Zhang Yaodan
Published: September 2022

In the ice-infested Bohai Sea, ice-breaking cones are generally installed on offshore wind turbine towers for ice resistance. Bending failure is a frequent ice failure mode occurring when ice interacts with ice-breaking cones. Global warming prolongs the ice formation period in the Bohai Sea, inducing an increasing trend of granular ice fraction in ice sheets. To better understand the bending mechanical behaviors of granular sea ice in the Bohai Sea, laboratory three-point bending tests were conducted using granular sea ice collected in the Bohai Sea during the winter of 2010–2011. A total of 42 ice samples were tested at −5, −10, and −15°C with strain rates of 1 × 10−6–6×10−4 s−1 in the downward direction vertical to the original ice surface. During tests, the salinity and density of each ice specimen were measured to calculate the porosity. Based on the results, negative exponential relationships were proposed between flexural strength and the square root of porosity and between effective elastic modulus and porosity. After normalization, the flexural strength showed no rate dependence at the whole strain rate range. In contrast, the effective elastic modulus increased with the strain rate. The effective elastic modulus of the ice samples was further parameterized based on the porosity and strain rate.
Impact of urban greening on microclimate and air quality in the urban canopy layer: Identification of knowledge gaps and challenges
Authors: Ernst M. , Le Mentec S. , Louvrier M. , Loubet B. , Personne E. , Stella P.
Published: September 2022

Growing urbanization leads to microclimate perturbations and in particular to higher temperatures inside the city as compared to its rural surroundings, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island. Although it exists at several scales, this study focused only on the urban canopy layer, where inhabitants live. A bibliometric study was performed to describe and understand the relationships between strategies of urban greening and canopy layer urban heat island modification in terms of air quality and microclimate. Science mapping of 506 bibliographical resources was performed through co-word and co-citation analysis. A subset of forty-four articles related to microclimate and air quality modelling was extracted and synthesized. This analysis showed scientific papers were polarized into microclimate or air quality studies without strong links between both, implying small collaboration between these fields. There is need for studies coupling microclimate and air pollution modelling to assess vegetation’s impacts at city scale.

Systematic Review Registration: [website], identifier [registration number].
Uncertainties of gross primary productivity of Chinese grasslands based on multi-source estimation
Authors: He Panxing , Ma Xiaoliang , Han Zhiming , Meng Xiaoyu , Sun Zongjiu
Published: September 2022

Gross primary productivity (GPP) is an important parameter in the carbon cycle and climate change studies. The results of GPP fluxes estimated based on multiple models or remote sensing vary widely, but current studies of GPP in Chinese grasslands tend to ignore data uncertainty. In this study, uncertainty analysis of GPP datasets estimated based on terrestrial ecosystem models and remote sensing was conducted using cross-validation, standard error statistics, and ensemble empirical modal decomposition. We found that 1) the fit coefficients R2 of two-by-two cross-validation of GPP datasets mostly exceeded 0.8 at the global scale. 2) GPP from different sources were consistent in portraying the spatial and temporal patterns of GPP in Chinese grasslands. However, due to many differences in model structure, parameterization and driving data, some uncertainties still exist, especially in the parts of dry-cold areas where the standard deviations are relatively large. 3) Uncertainties were higher for future scenarios than for historical periods, and GPP uncertainties were much higher for future high-emissions scenarios than for low- and medium-emissions scenarios. This study highlighted the need for uncertainty analysis when GPP is applied to spatio-temporal analysis, and suggested that when comparing and assessing carbon balance conditions, multiple source data sets should be combined to avoid misleading conclusion due to uncertainty.
Achieving carbon neutrality in China: Spectral clustering analysis of plant diversity
Authors: Li Ping , Li Rita Yi Man , Chen Hong , Cao Yong , Kaabar Mohammed K. A.
Published: September 2022

Plants have a long history and diverse species. They play a critical role in the ecological chain, human production and life. With a vast territory, China has rich plant species and complex geographical regions, and research on the distribution of plant diversity in China is significant for utilising, developing, and protecting biological resources. This study aimed to study plant diversity in China. It obtained the plant diversity distribution data in China, then analysed it via spectral clustering and visualised it via Echarts. It was found that Yunnan records the most considerable plant diversity, followed by Sichuan and Tibet, meaning that the Southwestern part of China has the most extensive plant diversity. While it is expected that Tibet and Yunnan have backward economic development and hence a lower level of human destruction on plant diversity, Sichuan’s economic development is quite good. The land of abundance still has a wide variety of plants owing to excellent irrigation projects since 256BC. Besides, the Hengduan Mountains were the main route for Chinese plants to migrate from the west to the east, which might be closely related to the Himalayan orogeny. The Himalayan orogeny promotes the formation of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which is a vital factor in the biodiversity formation in China. This study provides a basis for China’s conservation and study and enhances our understanding of plant biodiversity. As plant biodiversity increases soil organic carbon storage, it offers insights into carbon neutrality practitioners and researchers.
Interplay among institutional actors for sustainable economic development—Role of green policies, ecoprenuership, and green technological innovation
Authors: Wang Xinxin , Javaid Muhammad Umair , Bano Sobia , Younas Hamna , Jan Amin , A. Salameh Anas
Published: September 2022

This study conceptualizes the impact of Green Economy Policies, namely, green fiscal policy, green investment, and green jobs, on sustainable economic development through direct and serially mediated paths. Ecopreneurship and Green Technological Innovation have been perceived/recognized as potential mediators linking green economy policies to sustainable economic development. The conceptual model sheds light on the integrated role of two main actors—the government of the state and its market forces in moving toward the goal of sustainability and gains for all. It represents that incorporating “green” into public policy creates a suitable environment for green entrepreneurs to propose innovative green technologies and sustainability-led business models. Theoretically supported by Institutional theory, this article aims to contribute to sustainability transition research by focusing on the collective role of different institutional forces in achieving economic gains through a sustainability lens.
County carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region: Spatial layout, dynamic evolution and spatial spillover effects
Authors: Wei Zhongyin , Li Jiaming , Wang Ziyi , Zhou Anqi , Li Muhan
Published: September 2022

The Yangtze River Delta region contributes nearly 16% of the national carbon emissions and is the key area for carbon emission reduction in China. Accurately grasping the spatial evolution characteristics of carbon emissions and the interaction between counties and regions is of great practical significance for precise and collaborative carbon reduction. This study firstly explores the spatial layout and dynamic evolution characteristics of county carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2000 to 2018 by using spatial statistical analysis, secondly identifies the influencing factors of county carbon emissions (CAR) in the Yangtze River Delta region from dynamic and static dimensions respectively by using static and dynamic Spatial Dubin Model, and finally judges the spatial spillover effects of each factor. We find that county carbon emissions are more complex and more diverse in non-synchronous state compared to provinces and cities. The high carbon areas in the Yangtze River Delta region are concentrated in Shanghai and its neighboring cities, as well as industrial counties under the jurisdiction of other sub-core cities, which are continuously clustered towards the center. We have made some theoretical discussions on the results of the spillover effects of various factors on carbon emissions, and concluded that economic of scale (ECO) and industrial structure (IND) have a “polarization effect”, population size (POP) is consistent with the Malthusian view, technological advance (TEC) has a “cumulative effect”, and environmental quality (ENV) The “pollution paradise effect” is mitigated. Finally, we believe that the main unit of precise carbon reduction can take the form of “city-county” combination, and the government should implement differentiated and coordinated carbon reduction policies.
Case report: A novel CASK mutation in a Chinese female child with microcephaly with pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia
Authors: Xie Guilan , Zhang Yan , Yang Wenfang , Yang Liren , Wang Ruiqi , Xu Mengmeng , Sun Landi , Zhang Boxing , Cui Xiaoyi
Published: September 2022

Objective: Microcephaly with pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia (MICPCH) is a rare X-linked dominant genetic disease, and most MICPCHs are ascribed to CASK mutations, while few are revealed in Chinese patients. This study aims to identify the pathogenic mutation in a Chinese proband with MICPCH.

Methods: A 3-year-old female Chinese proband with MICPCH and her parents were included. Clinical data were collected from the medical records and recalled by the proband’s mother. Whole genome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to find the pathogenic mutation of MICPCH.

Results: The proband presented with postnatal progressive microcephaly, cerebellar hypoplasia, intellectual disability, motor and language development retardation and limb hypertonia. Genetic analysis indicated that there was a novel compound heterozygote nonsynonymous mutation, c.755T>C(p.Leu252Pro) in exon8 of CASK gene in the proband, but not in her parents. This CASK mutation has not been reported in other databases.

Conclusion: This study broadens the mutation spectrum of the CASK gene and is of great value for precise prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling.
RETRACTED: Leukocyte telomere length and obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kahrizi Mohammad Saeed , Patra Indrajit , Jalil Abduladheem Turki , Achmad Harun , Alesaeidi Samira , Al-Gazally Moaed E. , Alesaeidi Sogol
Published: September 2022

Background: Several studies have revealed the negative effects of adiposity on telomere length shortening. However, the results of the studies assessing the negative relationship between obesity and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) are not consistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis are aimed to pool the results of articles assessing the relationship between obesity and LTL among children and adolescents.

Methods: To retrieve the related studies, four online databases including PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, and Scopus were searched until May 2022. Observational studies evaluating the relationship between obesity and LTL among apparently healthy children and adolescents (aged ≤18 years) were included in the study. We considered the studies that had reported a mean ± standard deviation of LTL. The random-effects model was used to assess the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) and a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: The search yielded seven studies from an initial 3,403 records identified. According to the results of seven articles with 4,546 participants, obesity was associated with LTL shortening among children and adolescents (WMD = −0.081; 95% CI: −0.137 to −0.026; p = 0.004; I2 = 99.9%). Also, no publication bias was observed. According to the results of subgrouping, significant results were only attributed to the studies conducted in Europe, with high quality scores, among overweight and obese adolescents, with a baseline LTL lower than 1, and performed in community-based school settings. Also, according to the subgrouping and meta-regression results, the obesity definition criteria and baseline LTL were the possible sources of between-study heterogeneity.

Conclusion: We observed shorter LTL among overweight and obese children and adolescents. To obtain more reliable results, further longitudinal prospective studies with large sample sizes and more consistent and accurate definitions of obesity are required.
Genome-wide association studies of seedling quantitative trait loci against salt tolerance in wheat
Authors: Khan Rao Waqar Ahmad , Khan Rao Sohail Ahmad , Awan Faisal Saeed , Akrem Ahmed , Iftikhar Arslan , Anwar Farhana Naureen , Alzahrani Hind A. S. , Alsamadany Hameed , Iqbal Rana Khalid
Published: September 2022

Salinity is one of the significant factors in decreasing wheat yield and quality. To counter this, it is necessary to develop salt-tolerant wheat varieties through conventional and advanced molecular techniques. The current study identified quantitative trait loci in response to salt stress among worldwide landraces and improved varieties of wheat at the seedling stage. A total of 125 landraces and wheat varieties were subjected to salt treatment (50, 100, and 150 mM) with control. Morphological seedling traits, i.e., shoot length, root length, and fresh and dry shoot and root weights for salinity tolerance were observed to assess salt tolerance and genetic analysis using SNP data through DArT-seq. The results showed that, at the seedling stage, 150 mM NaCl treatment decreased shoot length, root length, and fresh and dry weights of the shoot and root. The root length and dry root weight were the most affected traits at the seedling stage. Effective 4417 SNPs encompassing all the chromosomes of the wheat genome with marker density, i.e., 37%, fall in genome B, genome D (32%), and genome A (31%). Five loci were found on four chromosomes 6B, 6D, 7A, and 7D, showing strong associations with the root length, fresh shoot weight, fresh root weight, and dry root weight at the p < 0.03 significance level. The positive correlation was found among all morphological traits under study.
Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor and cancer risk: A bidirectional mendelian randomization
Authors: Wu Hong , Ma Tianjun , Li Dongli , He Mei , Wang Hui , Cui Ying
Published: September 2022

In observational studies, circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been reported to be associated with certain types of cancer. The purpose of this study was to verify whether there is a causal relationship between circulating VEGF and different types of cancer and the direction of the causal relationship. Summary statistical data were obtained from the corresponding genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to investigate the causal relationship between circulating VEGF and the risk of several cancers, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, anus and anal canal cancer, prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, thyroid cancer, malignant neoplasm of the brain and malignant neoplasm of the liver and intrahepatic bile ducts. A two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis and sensitivity tests were used to evaluate the validity of causality. A causal relationship was detected between circulating VEGF and colorectal cancer (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.11–1.32, p < 0.000) and colon adenocarcinoma (OR 1.245, 95% CI 1.10–1.412, p < 0.000). Suggestive evidence of association was detected in VEGF on malignant neoplasms of the rectum (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00–1.34, p = 0.049). No causal relationship was found between circulating VEGF and other types of cancer, nor was there a reverse causal relationship from tumors to VEGF (p > 0.05). Circulating VEGF has a causal relationship with specific types of cancer. Our findings highlight and confirm the importance of circulating VEGF in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.
Designer clown fishes: Unraveling the ambiguities
Authors: Anikuttan Kuttan Kuravamparambu , Rameshkumar Palsamy , Nazar Abdul Khudus , Jayakumar Rengarajan , Tamilmani Govindan , Sakthivel Mohammed , Sankar Murugesan , Bavithra Rajendran , Johnson Belevendran , Krishnaveni Nataraj , Mercy Augustin Angela , Moulitharan Nallathambi , Narasimapallavan Gunasekharan Iyyapparaja , Thomas Tinto , Rao Galinki Hanumanta , Jayasingh Muthu , Joseph Imelda , Ignatius Boby , Madhu Kuttan , Gopalakrishnan Achamveetil
Published: September 2022

The global marine ornamental fish trade is dominated by wild collected fishes, and the contribution from hatchery production is less than 10% of the total. Hatchery production is considered to be the only long-term sustainable option to reduce the fishing pressure on the wild population and also to safeguard the delicate coral reef ecosystem, which houses most of the marine ornamental species. Among the hatchery-produced fishes that are being traded, clown fishes form a dominant group, and a recent addition to this list is the designer clown fishes, which are costlier than other clown fishes due to their rare and attractive color patterns. However, ambiguities about designer clown fish such as its production (wild caught, captive bred, or genetically modified) and taxonomic identity still exist among the general public and hobbyists, as scientific reports on these aspects have not yet been published, even though few aquaculture companies display the photos of designer clown fishes in their websites. The common names for designer clown fishes (such as Platinum, Picasso, and snowflake) have been given by the aquaculture companies/traders solely based on the color patterns or designs on the fish body. The paper describes in detail the production of designer clown fish through captive breeding, followed by elucidating the taxonomic identity of two easily distinguishable designer clown fishes, viz., Picasso and Platinum. Both classical taxonomic tools and molecular methods were employed to elucidate the taxonomic identity. The morpho-merisitic characteristics of Picasso and Platinum were similar to those of Amphiprion percula. The partial cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of Picasso and Platinum clown fishes were submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank with accession numbers MT947238 and MT947239, respectively, which had maximum similarity to sequences of A. percula already deposited in the NCBI GenBank. The designer clown fishes exhibited protandrous hermaphroditism with monogamous mating behavior. Their egg incubation period ranged from 7 to 8 days, and the larval rearing was carried out with live feeds such as rotifers and Artemia under the greenwater technique using microalgae, Nannochloropsis oculata. This paper can thus unravel the ambiguities related to the production of designer clown fishes as well as their taxonomy.
In vitro physicochemical and biological properties of titanium alloy, zirconia, polyetheretherketone, and carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone
Authors: Su Jingjing , Xing Xiaojie , Lin Yanjun , Gao Yuerong , Xing Yifeng , Xu Zhiqiang , Chen Jiang
Published: September 2022

Implant repair is a common means to restore the normal function of the hard tissues (bone or teeth). At present, the commonly and potentially used implant materials include titanium alloy (Ti), zirconia (Zr), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and 30% carbon fiber reinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK). This study compares their physicochemical and biological properties, including surface morphology, contact angle, nano hardness, elastic modulus, and the impact on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchyml stem cell. Additionally, the differences in bacteria adhesion rates among materials were compared. CFR-PEEK had the highest contact angle, followed by PEEK, Zr, and Ti. Zr had the highest nano hardness and modulus of elasticity, followed by Ti, CRF-PEEK, and PEEK. There was no statistically significant difference in cytotoxicity among materials based on the liquid extract test. However, the relative cell proliferation rate on the surface of CFR-PEEK was slightly lower than that of Ti and Zr. Moreover, alkaline phosphatase activity, extracellular matrix mineralization, and osteogenic gene expression with the Ti and Zr materials were higher than with the PEEK and CFR-PEEK materials at Day 7, and Zr showed the highest osteogenic gene expression level among materials at Day 14. Ti had the greatest number of bacterial colonies that adhered to it, followed by Zr, CFR-PEEK, and PEEK. While the mechanical properties of PEEK and CFR-PEEK were closer to bone tissue and their anti-adhesion effect against bacteria was better than those of Ti and Zr, modification methods are needed to improve the osteogenic properties of these biopolymers.
Antiplatelet therapy for patients with COVID-19: Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials
Authors: Zong Xiaolong , Wang Xiao , Liu Yaru , Li Zhenyu , Wang Weiding , Wei Dianjun , Chen Zhuqing
Published: September 2022

Background

Hyperinflammation and coagulopathy are hallmarks of COVID-19 and synergistically contribute to illness progression. Antiplatelet agents have been proposed as candidate drugs for COVID-19 treatment on the basis of their antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties. A systematic review and meta-analysis that included early observational studies and recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed to summarize and compare evidence on this issue.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched to identify studies published up to Nov 7, 2021, and the results of registered clinical trials were followed up to Mar 30, 2022. We included RCTs and observational studies assessing the effect of antiplatelet therapy in adult patients with COVID-19. Data on baseline patient characteristics, interventions, controls, and outcomes were extracted by two independent reviewers. The primary outcome was mortality. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.

Results

Twenty-seven studies were included, of which 23 observational studies were pooled in a meta-analysis, and the remaining four RCTs (ACTIV-4B, RECOVERY, ACTIV-4a, and REMAP-CAP) were narratively synthesized. Based on 23 observational studies of 87,824 COVID-19 patients, antiplatelet treatment favors a lower risk of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.61–0.85; I2 = 87.0%, P < 0.01]. The narrative synthesis of RCTs showed conflicting evidence, which did not support adding antiplatelet therapy to the standard care, regardless of the baseline illness severity and concomitant anticoagulation intensity.

Conclusion

While the rationale for using antiplatelet treatment in COVID-19 patients is compelling and was supported by the combined result of early observational studies, evidence from RCTs did not confirm this approach. Several factors that could explain this inconsistency were highlighted alongside perspectives on future research directions.