bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neonatal Mortality is Modulated by Gestational Age, Birthweight and Fetal Heart Rate Abnormalities in the Low Resource Setting in Tanzania – a Five Year Review 2015-2019
Authors: Shayo Aisa , Mlay Pendo , Ahn Emily , Kidanto Hussein , Espiritu Michael , Perlman Jeffrey M.
Published: November 2021

Background

Neonatal mortality (NM) remains a significant problem in low resource settings. Birth asphyxia (BA) and prematurity contribute significantly to NM. The study objectives were to determine first, the overall NM as well as yearly neonatal mortality rate from 2015 to 2019. Second, the impact of decreasing GA (<37 weeks) and BW (<2500 grams) on NM. Third, the contribution of intrapartum and delivery room (DR) factors and in particular fetal heart rate abnormalities (FHRT) on NM <7 days.
Methods

Retrospective cohort study. Labor and delivery room data were obtained from 2015 to 2019 and included BW, GA, fetal heart rate (FHRT) abnormalities, bag mask ventilation (BMV) during resuscitation, initial temperature, antenatal steroids use. Outcome was binary i.e. either death < 7 days or survival. Analysis included t tests, odds ratios (OR) and multiple logistic regression
Results

The overall neonatal mortality rate was 18/1000 livebirths over the five years. NM was significantly higher for newborns <37 versus ≥37 weeks, OR 10.5 (p<0.0001) and BW <2500 versus ≥2500g OR 9.9 (p<0.0001). For infants <1000g / <28 weeks, the neonatal mortality rate was ~ 588/1000 livebirths. Variables associated with NM included BW - odds of death decreased by 0.55 for every 500g increase in weight, by 0.89 for every week increase in GA, NM increased 6.8-fold with BMV, 2.6-fold with abnormal FHRT, 2.2 fold with no antenatal corticosteroid (ACS), 2.6-fold with moderate hypothermia (all <0.0001).
Conclusion

NM rates was predominantly modulated by decreasing BW and GA, with smaller/ less mature newborns 10-fold more likely to die. NM in term newborns is strongly associated with FHRT abnormalities and when coupled with respiratory depression suggests BA. In smaller newborns, lack of ACS and moderate hypothermia were additional contributing factors. A composite perinatal approach is essential to achieve a sustained reduction in NM.
Factors Influencing Intention to Use Intrauterine Device Among Family Planning Clients in Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Amenu Demisew , Wakjira Tekle , Kebede Alemi , Asefa Zerihun , Tadele Afework
Published: November 2021

Background: Intrauterine devices are the second most widely used modern family planning methods in the world. In Ethiopia, only 2% of married women use intrauterine device. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine factors associated with the intention to use the intrauterine device in southwest, Ethiopia.Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional design was employed to collect data from 784 women using a structured questionnaire. Data were collected from October-November,2020. Data were managed using Kobo Collect v1.25.1 and Stata version 16.0 was used for analysis. A multivariable logistic regression was employed.Results: The prevalence of intention to use intrauterine device in this study was 30%. Having an intrauterine devices information (AOR=2.28(1.63-3.20)), being highest wealth status 1.76 (AOR=1.76(1.07-2.95)), and being able to read and write (AOR = 3.60; 95% CI: 1.59-7.89) were found to be significant factors influencing women’s intention to use an intrauterine device. The most common reasons for not having an intention to use were fear of side effects, lack of knowledge, and husband disapproval.Conclusion: An intention to use an intrauterine device was low. Public health interventions should provide an information focusing on the cited resaons reaching all the community in need, and give priority for women who unable read and write, and lowest wealth status. Further interventional studies were recommended to determine effective interventions to increase women’s intention to use intrauterine device.
The Effects of PCSK9 and Apolipoprotein E Functional Gene Variations On Hypercholesterolemia and Clinical Phenotype in Restenosis Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Angioplasty
Authors: Ozkara Gulcin , Javadova Zahra , Aslan Ezgi , Ceviz A.Begum , Candan Gonca , Ser Ozgur Selim , Kilicarslan Onur , Kucukhuseyin Ozlem , Bostan Cem , Yildiz Ahmet , Ozturk Oguz , Aydogan Hulya Yilmaz
Published: November 2021

Background: In-stent-restenosis is a case restricting the benefits of percutaneous-transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). PCSK9 controls LDLR levels, and variations in PCSK9, ApoE and ApoER genes may affect the development of restenosis. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of genetic variants on restenosis risk after PTCA.Methods and Results: The study groups include 109 CAD-patients with restenosis (S-CAD) and 82 CAD-patients without restenosis (open-stent,OS-CAD). SNPs were analyzed by RT- PCR. PCSK9 levels were detected via ELISA method. The distributions of ApoE Epsilon, APOER (rs5174), PCSK9 rs2182833 and rs11206510 polymorphisms were found similar between study groups while the frequency of the PCSK9 E670G G allele in S-CAD group was found significantly higher than OS-CAD patients (p= 0.015). No difference was found between study groups in terms of the serum levels of PCSK9. LDL-C was found lower and HDL-C was found higher in OS-CAD group comparing with S-CAD group (p=0.042, p=0.008, respectively). Frequencies of Type 2 DM and hyperlipidemia were also found higher in S-CAD group than OS-CAD group (p=0.007, p=0.001, respectively) while EF% was found lower in S-CAD group than OS-CAD group (p=0.007).Conclusions: Our findings indicate that although ApoE Epsilon, APOER (rs5174), PCSK9 rs2182833, rs11206510 and E670G polymorphisms has no effect on serum PCSK9 levels, PCSK9-rs505151G-allele and hyperlipidemia may be risk factors in the development of restenosis.
An Integrative Pan-Cancer Analysis Revealing ETS1 as an Oncogenic Immune Protein in Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Wu zixuan , Huang Xuyan , Cai Min-jie , Huang Peidong
Published: November 2021

BackgroundPrevious research revealed that ETS Proto-Oncogene 1, Transcription Factor (ETS1) might be useful in cancer immunotherapy. However, the processes underlying its therapeutic potential have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The goal of this work was to look into the association between ETS1 expression and immunity and depict its prognostic landscape in pan-cancer. MethodsThe TCGA provides raw data on 33 different types of cancer. GEO gave GSE67501, GSE78220, and IMvigor210. In addition, we looked at ETS1's genetic changes, expression patterns, and survival studies. The researchers investigated the links between ETS1 and the TME and its linkage to immunological processes/elements and the major histocompatibility complex better to understand the importance of ETS1 in cancer immunotherapy. Meanwhile, three distinct immunotherapeutic cohorts were employed to study the relationship between ETS1 and immunotherapeutic response. Finally, PPI analysis and functional gene enrichment were performed using GSEA. ResultsETS1 expression was shown to be higher in tumor tissue on average. Elevated ETS1 expression has been connected to a worse clinical outcome in patients with OS. ETS1 has been linked to immune cell infiltration, immunological modulators, and immunotherapeutic markers. Furthermore, increased ETS1 expression has been connected to immune-related pathways. However, there was no statistically significant link found between ETS1 and immunotherapeutic response. ConclusionsETS1 might be a biomarker for immune infiltration and poor cancer prognosis. It is possible that treatment targets should be researched further.
Oral Allergy Syndrome Caused by Japanese Radish: A Case Report
Authors: Uesugi Atsushi , Tsushima Fumihiko , Miyamoto Youji , Harada Hiroyuki
Published: November 2021

Background:Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a type of food allergy that manifests as hypersensitivity symptoms of the oropharyngeal mucosa on ingestion of specific foods with oral findings resembling herpetic gingivostomatitis. Symptoms can also appear in parts other than the oral cavity. There are a few reports of OAS caused by consuming radishes in the literature.Case presentation:A 31-year-old male presented to our department with stomatitis and pharyngeal pain. The patient did not have a history of allergy, and herpetic gingivostomatitis was suspected. He was admitted to the emergency room of our hospital after complaining of oral and epigastric pain a few days later. On admission, symptoms noted were similar to those when he first visited our department. After detailed history taking, he reported consuming raw Japanese radish frequently, which gave rise to his symptoms. Radish was strongly suspected as the causative allergen. The skin prick test result was positive, confirming the diagnosis of OAS.Conclusions:OAS can be diagnosed easily once the food causing symptoms is identified. However, guiding the diagnosis can be challenging if the patient is unaware of food allergies. Upon encountering widespread erosion in the oral cavity, it is essential to consider OAS as the possible cause.
Developing Evaluation Criteria for Competency-Based Curriculum in Medical Colleges
Authors: Lee So Young , Lee Seung-Hee , Shin Jwa-Seop , Kim Jooah , Yoon Hyun Bae
Published: November 2021

Background
The present study was conducted to examine the operation status of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which has become the main curriculum in the medical schools in Korea, and prepare valid evaluation criteria consented by experts to make improvements. The evaluation criteria were derived based on a model built by combining the Context, Input, Process and Product (CIPP) evaluation model and the Kirkpatrick evaluation model, which are representative educational evaluation models.

Methods
Firstly, literature survey was performed and a semi-structured interview was conducted with 5 experts to develop a draft of the evaluation criteria. To verify the validity of the draft of the developed evaluation criteria, two surveys based on the modified Delphi methodology were conducted with a panel consisting of 20 experts.

Results
Based on the literature survey and the expert interview, a draft of the evaluation criteria was derived, including 5 evaluation areas, 18 evaluation items and 58 evaluation indicators. Two Delphi surveys were conducted to validate the evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria that showed a relatively low content validity ratio (CVR) were corrected and complemented by reflecting the experts’ opinions to finally derive 5 evaluation areas, 16 evaluation items and 51 evaluation indicators.

Conclusions
The significance of the present study is that an evaluation model and its evaluation criteria suitable for the curriculums of the medical schools in Korea were developed with the consensus of the experts. The preparation of valid evaluation criteria will open up the possibility of improving the evaluation in medical schools, contributing to the improvement of the educational quality and the continued quality improvement of medical education.
WITHDRAWN: Use of a Novel Multi-View Image-Based Motion Analysis System in the Field of Sports
Authors: Lee Nam-Gi , Ahn Jung-Hoon , Lim Woo-Taek
Published: November 2021

Background: Sports-related injuries are the most common in the lower extremities among physical regions, and overall injury rates were higher among males and persons aged 5–24 years. To evaluate impaired functional performance in sports training facilities and sports, a marker-less motion analysis system that can measure joint kinematics in bright indoor and outdoor environments is required. Objective: To establish the concurrent and angle-trajectory validity and intra-trial reliability of a novel multi-view image-based motion analysis system with marker-less during lower extremity tasks in healthy young men.Methods: Ten healthy young men participated voluntarily in this study. The hip and knee joint angles were collected using a multi-view image-based motion analysis system (marker-less) and a Vicon motion capture system (with markers) during the lower extremity tasks. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analyses were used to identify the concurrent and angle-trajectory validity and intra-trial reliability of the multi-view image-based motion analysis system.Results: In the concurrent validity, the correlation analysis revealed that the ICC3, k values on the hip and knee flexions during knee bending in sitting, standing, and squat movements were 0.747 to 0.936 between the two systems. In particular, the angle-trajectory validity was very high (ICC3, 1 = 0.859–0.998), indicating a high agreement between the two systems. The intra-trial reliability of each system was excellent (ICC3, 1 = 0.773–0.974), reflecting high reproducibility. Conclusion: We suggest that this novel marker-less motion analysis system is highly accurate and reliable for measuring joint kinematics of the lower extremities during the rehabilitation process and monitoring the sports performance of athletes in sports training facilities.
Difference and Linkage in Climate Change Modes from East and Central Asia at Multi-Time Scales
Authors: Peng Simin , Li Yu
Published: November 2021

Previous studies argued that climate change modes from East and Central Asia (EA and CA) are out of phase at multi-time scales. However, in recent years, dry/wet changes in CA which contradict traditional views have provoked further discussion. The synchronization of rain and heat periods is a common climate phenomenon in most regions of East and Central Asia. In this paper, we selected EA and CA to carry out a comprehensive study of modern observations, paleoclimate records, and model simulations at multi-time scales. EOF analysis results of modern grid precipitation and self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) demonstrate the synchronization of rain and heat periods in EA and the east of CA at the short-term timescale. Meanwhile, paleoclimate records indicate parallel dry/wet changes in EA and the east of CA since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also reflecting the synchronization of rain and heat periods at long-term timescales triggered by the insolation. The climate mechanism of difference and linkage in climate change modes from EA and CA, under the framework of the synchronization of rain and heat periods, is analyzed by PMIP3 simulations between the LGM and Mid-Holocene (MH). Overall, we suggest that, in addition to the regional differences caused by different circulation systems (the westerlies and Asian summer monsoon), climate change modes in EA and CA universally have inter-regional connections affected by the synchronization of rain and heat periods at multi-time scales.
Willingness and Uptake of the COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination in Urban China: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey at Early 2021
Authors: Song Suhang , Zang Shujie , Gong Liubing , Xu Cuilin , Lin Leesa , Francis Mark R. , Hou Zhiyuan
Published: November 2021

Background: Regular testing and vaccination are effective measures to mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Few studies have focused on COVID-19 testing and vaccination uptake may change as the pandemic continues. This study aims to examine willingness and uptake of COVID-19 testing and vaccination during a low-risk period of the COVID-19 pandemic in urban China.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 2244 adults in urban China. Descriptive analyses were performed to compare the respondents’ willingness and uptake of COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Multivariate logistic regressions were fitted to investigate the factors associated with willingness and uptake of the two measures.Findings: In early 2021, 52.45% of the respondents had received or scheduled a COVID-19 test at least once, and a majority (95.63%) were willing to receive testing. 63.28% of the respondents had received/scheduled or were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Willingness and uptake of COVID-19 testing were not associated with socio-demographic characteristics, except for occupation. Being of older age, migrants, having higher educational attainment and secure employment were associated with a higher uptake of COVID-19 vaccination among the surveyed respondents, while willingness to vaccinate was consistent across socio-demographic characteristics among those who had not been vaccinated. Interpretation: Chinese adults expressed almost universal willingness of COVID-19 testing and relatively low willingness of COVID-19 vaccination at the low-risk period of the COVID-19 pandemic, independent from their socio-demographic characteristics. Maintaining willingness of COVID-19 vaccination are key especially when the pandemic evolved into a low-risk period.
Transcanal endoscopic treatment for congenital middle ear cholesteatoma in children
Authors: Zeng Nan , Liang Meng , Yan Shang , Zhang Lue , Yang Qiong , Li Shuo
Published: November 2021

Background

To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of transcanal endoscopic treatment for congenital middle ear cholesteatoma in children.
Methods

Eleven children diagnosed with congenital middle ear cholesteatoma were collected at Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. The retrospective study of their operation process, comparison of pre- and post-operative hearing result, surgical complications through the surgical video.
Results

Eleven children received total ear endoscopic surgery under general anesthesia. One of them received planned second operation to reconstruct the ossicular chain. At six months after operation, 11 children underwent re-examination. The mean bone conduction hearing threshold had no significant change (P>0.05), the mean air conduction hearing threshold was significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the air-bone conduction difference was significantly reduced (P<0.05). In 11 children, the air-bone conduction difference were all reduced to less than 20 dB, and 7 cases were reduced to less than 10 dB. All the children were followed up so far without sensorineural deafness, facial paralysis and other serious complications, as well as no recurrence.
Conclusion

Otoendoscope can provide a wide-angle field of vision and advantages in small surgical trauma, quick healing, avoiding repeated dressing changes and high acceptance of secondary surgery. Intraoperative application of 30° and 45° otoendoscope can effectively reduce residuals. Otoendoscope is widely used as a surgical method in the treatment of congenital middle ear cholesteatoma in children.
Green Tea-Derived Theabrownin Induces Cellular Senescence and Apoptosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via P53 Signaling-Mediated Mechanism Bypassed by JNK Regulation
Authors: Xu Jiaan , Yan Bo , Xiao Xiujuan , Yuan Qiang , Dong Xiaoqiao , Du Quan , Zhang Jin , Shan Letian , Ding Zhishan , Zhou Li , Efferth Thomas
Published: November 2021

Background: Theabrownin (TB) is a bioactive component of tea and has been reported to exert effects against many human cancers, but its efficacy and mechanism on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with different p53 genotypes remains unclarified. Methods: MTT assay, DAPI staining, flow cytometry and SA-β-gal staining were applied to evaluate the effects of TB on HCC cells. Quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot (WB) were conducted to explore the molecular mechanism of TB. And xenograft model of zebrafish was established to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of TB.Results: MTT assays showed that TB significantly inhibited the proliferation of SK-Hep-1, HepG2, and Huh7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, of which SK-Hep-1 was the most sensitive one with the lowest IC50 values. The animal data showed that TB remarkably suppressed SK-Hep-1 tumor growth in xenograft model of zebrafish. The cellular data showed TB′s pro-apoptotic and pro-senescent effect on SK-Hep-1 cells. The molecular results revealed the mechanism of TB that p53 signaling pathway (p-ATM, p-ATR, γ-H2AX, p-Chk2, and p-p53) was activated with up-regulation of downstream senescent genes (P16, P21, IL-6 and IL-8) as well as apoptotic genes (Bim, Bax and PUMA) and proteins (Bax, c-Casp9 and c-PARP). The p53-mediated mechanism was verified by using p53-siRNA. Moreover, by using JNK-siRNA, we found JNK as a bypass regulator in TB′s mechanism. Conclusions: To sum up, TB exerted tumor-inhibitory, pro-senescent and pro-apoptotic effects on SK-Hep-1 cells through ATM-Chk2-p53 signaling axis in accompany with JNK bypass regulation. This is the first report on the pro-senescent effect and multi-target (p53 and JNK) mechanism of TB on HCC cells, providing new insights into the underlying mechanisms of TB′s anti-HCC efficacy.
Association between personality traits and self-care behaviors in patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy
Authors: Takei Yuri , Arao Harue , Yamamoto Sena , Tazumi Keiko , Mizuki Masao , Satoh Taroh
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Practicing self-care behaviors is important for patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy. Knowledge of personality traits may be useful in providing individualized support that can improve self-care behaviors. Therefore, we assessed the association between personality traits and self-care behaviors in these patients.
Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who received intravenous chemotherapy at a designated regional cancer hospital between June 2020 and October 2020. A self-administered survey was conducted among these patients using the Japanese version of the Ten Item Personality Inventory and a 29-item questionnaire to assess self-care behaviors. Association between the scores of the personality traits and frequency of each self-care behavior was analyzed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.
Results

In total, 53 responses were obtained from 57 participants, of which 52 valid responses were included in the analysis. Openness and conscientiousness were personality traits significantly associated with multiple self-care behaviors. High degree of openness, characterized by the ability to tackle new situations, had a moderately significant positive correlation with adjustment of exercise (ρ = 0.49, p<0.01) and activities for a change of mood (ρ = 0.40, p<0.01). High degree of conscientiousness, characterized by the ability to take a health action, had a significant positive correlation with acquisition of information on disease and treatment (ρ = 0.30, p=0.03) and confirmation of inspection results (ρ = 0.39, p<0.01).
Conclusion

Openness and conscientiousness are associated with self-care behaviors in patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy and may be useful in explaining and predicting individual self-care behaviors.
Identification of novel small molecule inhibitors against nsP2 protease of CHIKV through a molecular modeling approach
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Sutanu
Published: November 2021

Chikungunya is a tropical viral disease spread by the female Aedes mosquitoes infected with the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Non-structural protein 2 (nsp2) plays a crucial role in the viral life cycle by its proteolytic activity and hence it is one of the most important drug targets. There is currently no permanent treatment available to tackle the infection. In this molecular modeling-based study, a combination of de novo ligand design, molecular docking, and ADMET-based screening is employed to identify novel inhibitor molecules targeting the active site of nsP2 protease of the CHIKV. A set of molecules have been shortlisted as potential inhibitors based on their binding affinity and drug-likeness score. Further experimental validation is required to verify the potency of the proposed leads against CHIKV nsp2 protease activity to combat the infection.
The correlation of tuberculosis smear results and immuno-suppression with CD4+ counts as a surrogate marker among HIV infected patients.
Authors: Kamvuma Kingsley , ademola Yusuf , Chanda Warren , Phiri Christopher Newton , Phiri Sam Bezza , Mitchelo Miyoba , Mulemena John Amos
Published: November 2021

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and M.tuberculosis are two intracellular pathogens that interact at the cellular, clinical and population levels. Since the recognition of AIDS in 1981, the number of reported cases of TB in the has increased substantially, especially in regions with high incidence of AIDS. The main aim of this study was to establish weather there is a relationship between sputum smear positives and low CD4 cell counts among HIV infected patients.Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study involving 473 participants. The patients recruited in this study were those who tested HIV positive and smear positive for TB. Their HIV status was determined by performing an HIV blood test, if they were HIV positive their CD4 cell count were then made.Results: This study examined the relation between smear positivity and low CD4 (below 200cells/µl) together with CD8 and CD3 markers as a measure of immune function among patients infected with HIV. The study participants’ constituted males 67% and females 33%. The overall mean age was 33.2 (SD 6.9) with the youngest and oldest participants being 18 and 60 respectively. It was found that smear positive results negatively (r=-0.13; p=0.021) correlated with CD4+ below 200 cells/µl. No correlation was observed between smear positives and CD8+ or CD3+ since the calculated correlation coefficient was not significant 0.007 (p=0.9) and 0.03 (p=0.6) respectively. There are more 3+ smear results below 200 cells/µl than the others while above 200 cells/µl 1+ was the most commonly reported smear result. The scanty smear positives were the least commonly reported result in the low and high CD4 counts. Conclusion: The smear positive result negatively correlated with a low CD4+ (r=-0.13; p=0.021) but no correlation with low CD+8 and CD+3 results was observed. The long held theory that low bacillary counts in patients with low CD4+ counts needs to be revisited. The reduction of CD4+ cell count parallels' that of the total lymphocyte count and is more marked in patients with high bacillary counts. Further, studies are required to confirm these findings
Impact of COVID-19 on ‘living well’ with mild-to-moderate dementia in the community: findings from the IDEAL cohort
Authors: Clare Linda , Martyr Anthony , Gamble Laura D , Pentecost Claire , Collins Rachel , Dawson Eleanor , Hunt Anna , Parker Sophie , Allan Louise , Burns Alistair , Hillman Alexandra , Litherland Rachael , Quinn Catherine , Matthews Fiona E. , Victor Christina
Published: November 2021

Background
Negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with dementia have been widely-documented, but most studies have relied on carer reports and few have compared responses to information collected before the pandemic.
Objective
We aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on community-dwelling individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia and compare responses with pre-pandemic data.
Methods
During the second wave of the pandemic we conducted structured telephone interviews with 173 people with dementia and 242 carers acting as informants, all of whom had previously participated in the IDEAL cohort. Where possible we benchmarked responses against pre-pandemic data.
Results
Significant perceived negative impacts were identified in cognitive and functional skills and ability to engage in self-care and manage everyday activities, along with increased levels of loneliness and discontinuity in sense of self and a decline in perceived capability to ‘live well’. Compared to pre-pandemic data there were lower levels of pain, depression and anxiety, higher levels of optimism, and better satisfaction with family support. There was little impact on physical health, mood, social connections and relationships, or perceptions of neighbourhood characteristics.
Conclusion
Efforts to mitigate negative impacts of pandemic-related restrictions and restore quality of life could focus on reablement to address the effects on participation in everyday activities, creating opportunities for social contact to reduce loneliness, and personalised planning to reconnect people with their pre-COVID selves. Such efforts may build on the resilience demonstrated by people with dementia and carers in coping with the pandemic.
A probabilistic solution for the Syracuse conjecture
Authors: Imad El ghazi
Published: November 2021

We prove the veracity of the Syracuse conjecture by establishing that starting from an arbitrary positive integer, the Syracuse process will never reach any integer reached before and then we conclude by using a probabilistic (a random walk) approach.Classification: MSC: 11A25
TET1-Mediated Tumor Inhibition and Dox Resistance in Colon Cancer by Blocking WNT / β-Catenin Pathway
Authors: Shiyu Lu , Mingli Feng , Jiyun Tian , Chenqu Wu , Yuanye Jiang , Qin Cao , Lin Hui
Published: November 2021

BackgroundAs DNA demethylation protein, Ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) has been widely reported that is related to tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis. This study is to investigate the role and regulation mechanism of TET1 in colon cancer.Methods The TET1 and Catenin beta-1 (CTNNB1) expression level in colon cancer samples and cancer cell lines HCT116/SW480 were observed to discover the relationship between these two genes. Knockdown and overexpression of TET1 through shRNA and CRISPR technology were used to elucidate the effect of TET1 on WNT/β-catenin pathway. The 5-hmC/5-mC level were explored by bisulfate sequencing (BSP) and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to further explain the regulation mechanism. Combined with the reverse assay and transwell invasion assay, the cell migration and invasion ability were tested. Finally, the role of TET1 on DOX resistance was analyzed.Results TET1 downregulated in colon cancer and showed an opposite expression trend with WNT pathway associated gene CTNNB1. TET1 bound to CTNNB1 promotor and catalyzed demethylation to activate transcription of CTNNB1, inhibiting WNT/β‐catenin signaling pathways. Colon cancer cells proliferation was promoted by TET1 downregulation, which was further verified as shTET1 could upregulate the tumor invasion. The DOX addition could rescue the cell migration, compared with normal expression of TET1. Meanwhile, TET1 down-regulation was related to DOX resistances.Conclusion TET1 played as a DNA hydroxymethylation activates inhibitors of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway in colon tumor and TET1 down-regulation contributed to DOX-resistance, which might provide reference to targeting therapy in clinical practice.
Self-distillation contrastive learning enables clustering-free signature extraction and mapping to multimodal single-cell atlas of multimillion scale
Authors: Yang Meng , Yang Yueyuxiao , Huang Haiping , Xie Chenxi , Yang Huanming , Mu Feng
Published: November 2021

Massively generated single-cell multi-omics datasets are revolutionizing biological studies of heterogenous tissues and organisms, which necessitate powerful computational methods to unleash the full potential of these tremendous data. Here, we present Concerto, stands for self-distillation contrastive learning of cell representations, a self-supervised representation learning framework optimized with asymmetric teacher-student configuration to analyze single-cell multi-omics datasets with scalability up to building 10 million-cell reference within 1.5 hour and querying 10k cells within 8 seconds. Concerto leverages dropout layer as minimal data augmentation to learn meaningful cell representations in a contrastive manner. The teacher module uses attention mechanism to aggregate contextualized gene embeddings within cellular context, while the student module uses simpler dense structure with discreate input. The learned task-agnostic representations can be adapted to a broad range of single-cell computation tasks. 1) Via supervised fine-tuning, Concerto enables automatic cell classification as well as novel cell-type discovery; 2) Attention weights provide model interpretability via automatically extracting specific molecular signatures at single-cell resolution without the needs of clustering; 3) Via source-aware training, Concerto supports efficient data integration by projecting all cells across multiple batches into a joint embedding space. 4) Via batch-aware inference or unsupervised fine-tuning, Concerto enables mapping query cells onto reference and accurately transferring annotations. Concerto can flexibly extend to multi-omics datasets simply through cross-modality summation operation to obtain unified cell embeddings. Using examples from human peripheral blood, human thymus, human pancreas, and mouse tissue atlas, Concerto shows superior performance benchmarking against other top-performing methods. We also demonstrate Concerto recapitulates detailed COVID-19 disease variation through query-to-reference mapping. Concerto can operate on all genes and represents a fully data-driven approach with minimum prior distribution assumptions, eliminating the needs of PCA-like or autoencoder-like dimensionality reduction, which significantly reforms the current best practice. Concerto is a simple, straightforward, robust, and scalable framework, offering a brand new perspective to derive cell representations and can effectively satisfy the emerging paradigm of query-to-reference mapping in the era of atlas-level single-cell multimodal analysis.
Elevated expression of LRRC15 Shows Putative Tumor-promoting Characteristics in tumor microenvironment of breast cancer
Authors: Li Lei , Fei Yin-Jiao , Liang Ming-Xing , Zhou Hong-Lei , Wo Guan-Qun , Shao Xin-Yi , Lan Jian-Yun , Xu Wen-Xiu , tang jinhai
Published: November 2021

Background
Leucine-rich repeat containing 15 (LRRC15), belongs to the LRR superfamily and has emerged as a marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts. It was found to be particularly upregulated in breast cancer (BCa). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between LRRC15 expression and immune microenviroment and visualize its prognostic landscape in BCa.
Methods
The mRNA expression level, prognostic value, correlation of immunity, gene-gene interaction network of LRRC15 in BCa were analyzed utilizing the Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and TIMER database. We next analyzed the biological functions of LRRC15 and pathways of its co-expressed genes, and its correlation with immune system responses via the Metascape and GeneMANIA database, respectively. We validated the expression of LRRC15 in BCa via western blot and IHC assays and analyzed its correlation with clinicopathological parameters.
Results
We explored LRRC15 expression in multiple types of cancer based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, with the effect being particularly pronounced in BCa. Both mRNA and protein abundance of LRRC15 were significantly elevated in BCa as compared to its non-tumor counterparts. Overexpression of LRRC15 significantly associated with reduced overall survival. LRRC15 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle in BCa cells. There were significant positive correlations between LRRC15 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), with a particularly strong effect on macrophage infiltration. Moreover, markers of TIICs exhibited different LRRC15-related immune infiltration patterns. GSEA analysis showed that upregulated expression of LRRC15 was related to ECM receptor interaction, focal adhesion, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and TGF Beta signaling pathway.
Conclusions
These findings revealed that LRRC15 served as a novel prognostic biomarker and putative oncogene for BCa by promoting cell proliferation, giving a novel hint for therapeutics of BCa.
Sleep Patterns and Sleep Disruptions in Preschoolers Midst the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Greece
Authors: Tatsiopoulou Paraskevi , Holeva Vasiliki , Nikopoulou Vasiliki Aliki , Parlapani Eleni , Diakogiannis Ioannis
Published: November 2021

The COVID- 19 pandemic and the restrictions to minify contagion, affected globally the entire population. The prolonged home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak changed dramatically the family life taking into consideration school closures, online education, continuous need for self-protection, restrictions of social interactions and work schedule alterations. Designed to examine the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on preschoolers’ sleep this study documented sleep patterns during the COVID-19 lockdown and explored the effects of screen time and diet. Parents of 146 children provided survey data on their children's night-time sleep habits, dietary habits and screen time usage. Children's sleep problems were measured with the Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Descriptive and qualitative analyses showed that most parents (54.1%) reported that children’s sleep patterns changed during the imposed home confinement. Children with more sleep problems were more likely to have increased screen exposure. The present study provides evidence on the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep behavior of Greek preschoolers. Focused action is probably needed to safeguard and promote children’s overall physical and mental health outcomes during the pandemic and afterwards during the crisis recovery period.
Infection of the Parasitic Isopods on Commercial Fishes of the Northern Part of the East Coast of India
Authors: Ray Dipanjan , Mohapatra Parnasree , Ghorai Narayan , Seth Jaya Kishor , Mohapatra Anil
Published: November 2021

The present study report the parasitic isopod infection on commercial fishes of the northern part of the east coast of India collected during the period 2010-2015 from the marine water of Odisha and West Bengal. During the study, 394 isopods were collected after examining 2668 fishes. These include 14 species of isopods, out of which 13 belong to 5 genera under the family Cymothoidae, and a single species Alitropus typus belongs to the family: Aegidae. Of theses, 03 species viz., Catoessa boscii, Cymothoa eremita and Nerocila loveni are first record to the northern part of east coast of India. Out of the 2668 fishes examined, 326 examples belonging to 34 species under 19 different families were infected by different isopods. Member of the host fish family Carangidae was more parasitized by isopods, followed by Clupeidae, Scoberidae, and Leiognathidae. The dominant isopods were Nerocila phaiopleura and Catoessa boschii. The total prevalence was 12.21. The prevalence was high on the host fish Alepes djedaba and lowest on Lutjanus johnii. The total infection caused by genus Alitropus was 1.52%, Anilocra was 5.07%, Catoessa was 24.87%, Cymothoa was 0.25%, Nerocila was 65.73%, and Norileca was 2.55%. The isopod prevention was high during the post-monsoon and low during the monsoon period.
Landscape of somatic alterations in large-scale solid tumors from an Asian population
Authors: Wang Kai , Wu Qun , Yao Herui
Published: November 2021

Extending the benefits of tumor molecular profiling for all cancer patients will require comprehensive analysis of tumor genomes across distinct patient populations world-wide. In this study, we performed deep next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) from tumor tissues and matched blood specimens from over 10,000 patients in China by using a 450-gene comprehensive assay, developed and implemented under international clinical regulations. We performed a comprehensive comparison of somatically altered genes, the distribution of tumor mutational burden (TMB), gene fusion patterns and the spectrum of various somatic alterations between Chinese and American patient populations. In total, 64% of cancers from Chinese patients in this study were found to have clinically actionable genomic alterations, which may affect clinical decisions related to targeted therapy or immunotherapy. These findings describe the similarities and differences between tumors from Chinese and American patients, providing valuable information for personalized medicine.
Effect of sub-acute and sub-chronic administration of Vicia faba's cooking medium containing EDTA on hepato-renal functions in albino mice
Authors: El-Naggar Sabry Ali , Elwan Mona , Kabil Doaa Ibrahim , Zidan Abdelaziz , El-Said Karim
Published: November 2021

To decrease the Vicia faba beans cooking time, some chefs added ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) during the cooking process. This study addressed the effect of sub-acute and chronic administrations of faba bean's cooking media containing EDTA (C.M./EDTA) on hepato-renal functions in mice. Ninety male mice were divided into three groups (n = 30). The group 1 (Gp1) divided into Gp1a and Gp1b, both were served as control for sub-acute and sub-chronic treatments. Gp2 divided into Gp2a and Gp2b then administered with 200 µl of C.M. for 15 and 90 days, respectively. Gp3 divided into Gp3a and Gp3b then administered 200 µl of C.M./EDTA (10 mg/kg) for 15 and 90 days, respectively. Hematological, biochemical, and histopathological alterations were investigated. The results showed that sub-acute administration of C.M./EDTA did not show any signs of toxicity, however, sub-chronic administration showed substantial toxicity evidenced by alterations in some biochemical and histological investigations.
Passive mode-locking and terahertz frequency comb generation in resonant-tunneling-diode oscillator
Authors: Hiraoka Tomoki , Inose Yuta , Arikawa Takashi , Ito Hiroshi , Tanaka Koichiro
Published: November 2021

Optical frequency combs in the terahertz frequency range are long-awaited frequency standards for spectroscopy of molecules and high-speed communications. However, a terahertz frequency comb based on a compact, efficient and room-temperature-operating device remains unavailable especially in the frequency range of 0.1 to 3 THz. In this paper, we show that the resonant-tunneling-diode oscillator can be passively mode-locked by optical feedback and generate a terahertz frequency comb. The standard deviation of the spacing between the comb lines, i.e., the repetition frequency, is reduced to less than 420 mHz by applying external bias modulation. A simulation model successfully reproduces the mode-locking behavior by including the nonlinear capacitance of RTD and multiple optical feedback. Since the mode-locked RTD oscillator is a simple semiconductor device that operates at room temperature and covers the frequency range of 0.1 to 3 THz, it can be used as a frequency standard for future terahertz sensing and communications.
Synchronized Agricultural Credit and Diversification Adoption to Catastrophic Risk Manage for Wheat Production in Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Ahmad Dilshad , Afzal Muhammad
Published: November 2021

Catastrophic risks caused severe affects on agricultural production particularly in developing countries due to consecutive occurrence of unfavorable climate events. Farmers adopt risk management strategies to minimize marketing, production and financial risks in agriculture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential association and implementing synchronized agricultural credit and diversification adoption to catastrophic risk manage for wheat production in Punjab, Pakistan. This study used stratified random sampling technique for collecting data of 480 wheat farmers’ respondents from production based categorized six districts of Punjab Pakistan. Multinomial and bivariate probit regression models were used in the study to examine the effects of farm and social feathers, disastrous risks farmers view and their attitude to sources of risk moreover potential relationship in agricultural credit and diversification as risk management strategy. Estimates of the study indicated the association in risk management strategies adoption while adopting single risk management strategy motivates farmers to adopt another strategy at same time. Furthermore, findings also indicated as farmer schooling, age, family return, ownership of land, farm size and farmer risk oppose character were highlighted the most influenced features for adopting various risk management strategies. Policy makers and state based authorities can be assisted by the accumulated information of multinomial and bivariate probit regression models in evaluating plans of risk management and willingness of farmer in accept government supported risk managing strategies in incidence of traditional practices for managing farmhouse risk.
Coherent interfaces with mixed hybridization govern direct transformation from graphite to diamond
Authors: Zhao Zhisheng , Luo Kun , Liu Bing , Hu Wentao , Dong Xiao , Wang Yanbin , Huang Quan , Gao Yufei , Sun Lei , Wu Yingju , Zhang Yang , Ma Mengdong , Zhou Xiang-Feng , He Julong , Yu Dongli , Liu Zhongyuan , Xu Bo , Tian Yongjun
Published: November 2021

Understanding the direct transformation from graphite to diamond has been a long-standing challenge with great scientific and practical importance. Previously proposed transformation mechanisms1-3, based on traditional experimental observations that lacked atomistic resolution, cannot account for the complex nanostructures occurring at graphite-diamond interfaces during the transformation4,5. Here, we report the identification of coherent graphite-diamond interfaces constituted with four structural motifs in partially transformed graphite samples recovered from static compression, using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope. These observations provide vital insight into possible pathways of the transformation. Theoretical calculations confirm that transformation through these coherent interfaces is energetically favored to those through other paths previously proposed1-3. The graphite-to-diamond transformation is governed by the formation of nanoscale coherent interfaces (diamond nucleation), which, under static compression, advance to consume the remaining graphite (diamond growth). These results also shed light on transformation mechanisms of other carbon materials and boron nitride under different synthetic conditions.
Scarcity of Major Resistance Genes Against Verticillium Dahliae
Authors: Vermeulen Jasper P. , Hanika Katharina , Thomma Bart P.H.J. , Bai Yuling , Schouten Henk J
Published: November 2021

Verticillium dahliae is a soil-borne fungal pathogen that causes vascular wilt disease in numerous plant species. The only described qualitative resistances against V. dahliae are the Ve1 gene and the V2 locus in tomato. These resistances have been overcome by virulent strains. We tried to identify additional resistances. Out of the methods we tested, comparing the canopy area of V. dahliae-inoculated plants with mock-inoculated plants yielded the best discriminative power in resistance tests. Out of six wild tomato accessions that were previously reported to possess some resistance, Solanum pimpinellifolium G1.1596 and S. cheesmanii G1.1615 displayed the lowest stunting and the least colonization by V. dahliae. Recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations were developed of both populations. No QTLs were identified in the G1.1596 RIL population. In the G1.1615 population, four small-effect QTLs were associated with reduced stunting. Many studies in other hosts also failed to discover major resistance genes against V. dahliae. We hypothesize that the scarcity of major resistance genes against V. dahliae is caused by its endophytic behaviour in nature. The limited damage in nature would not lead to evolutionary pressure to evolve major resistances. However, in agriculture V. dahliae can behave more pathogenic, leading to serious damage.