bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Poor housing construction is associated with contracting malaria in a rural area south of Zimbabwe: A Case-control Study
Authors: Mundagowa Paddington Tinashe , Chimberengwa Pugie T.
Published: March 2020

Background Ninety percent of the global annual malaria mortality cases emanate from the African region. About 80-90% of malaria transmissions in sub-Saharan Africa occur indoors during the night. In Zimbabwe, 79% of the population are at risk of contracting the disease. Although the country has made significant progress towards malaria elimination, isolated seasonal outbreaks persistently resurface. In 2017, Beitbridge District was experiencing a second malaria outbreak within twelve months prompting the need for investigating the outbreak. Methods An unmatched 1:1 case-control study was conducted to establish the risk factors associated with contracting malaria in Ward 6 of Beitbridge District from week 36 to week 44 of 2017. The sample size constituted of 75 randomly selected cases and 75 purposively selected controls. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and Epi Info version 7 was used to conduct descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses of the factors associated with contracting malaria. Results Fifty-two percent of the cases were females and the mean age of cases was 29±13 years. Cases were diagnosed using rapid diagnosed tests. Sleeping in a house with open eaves (OR: 2.97; 95%CI: 1.44-6.16; p<0.01), spending the evenings outdoors (OR: 2.24; 95%CI: 1.04-4.85; p=0.037) and sleeping in a poorly constructed house (OR: 4.33; 95%CI: 1.97-9.51; p<0.01) were significantly associated with contracting malaria while closing eaves was protective (OR:0.45; 95%CI: 0.20-1.02; p=0.055). After using backward stepwise logistic regression, sleeping in a poorly constructed house was still associated with getting sick from malaria (AOR: 5.88; 95%CI: 1.11-31.30; p=0.038). Those who had mosquito nets did not use them consistently. The district health team and the rural health center were well prepared for an outbreak response despite having limited human resources. Conclusion Health promotion messages should emphasize the importance of closing the entry points of the malaria vector, and the construction of better houses in the future. Residents had to be educated in the importance of consistent use of mosquito nets. The district had to improve malaria preventive measures like distribution of mosquito nets and lobby for more human resources to assist with malaria surveillance thus, curbing the recurrence of malaria outbreaks.
Atrial septal defect closure in a young patient presenting with recurrent cryptogenic stroke: A case report
Authors: Nazer Rakan
Published: March 2020

Background : Having an inter-atrial shunt in the form of a patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect increases the risk of developing a cryptogenic stroke. Prompt action is required in order to prevent stroke recurrence. The source of embolization may not be clear on stroke workup. Case presentation : A young female acutely presented with recurrent embolizations to the eye and brain. She was found to have an atrial septal defect. No clear intra-cardiac source of embolization was detected on workup including trans-esophageal echocardiography. Given the options between surgical versus device closure, the attending team opted for the surgical closure which yielded on direct left heart inspection small organized clots adherent to the tips of the mitral valve leaflets. Conclusions : The case report illustrates the potential advantages of the direct surgical closure in detecting and extracting the embolization source in patients who present with recurrent cryptogenic stroke.
Safety analysis of early oral feeding after esophagectomy in patients complicated with diabetes
Authors: Jiang Zhisheng , Luo Jing , Xu Mengqing , Cong Zhuangzhuang , Ji Saiguang , Diao Yifei , Xu Yang , Shen Yi
Published: March 2020

Objective To evaluate the safety of early oral feeding in patients with type II diabetes after radical resection of esophageal carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 121 patients with type II diabetes who underwent radical resection of esophageal carcinoma in the department of cardiothoracic surgery of Jinling Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the median time of starting postoperative oral feeding, the patients were divided into early oral feeding group (EOF, 67 cases) and late oral feeding group (LOF, 54 cases). Postoperative blood glucose level, incidence of complications, nutritional index (ALB, PA, TRF, Hb), immune indexes (IgA, IgG, IgM), inflammatory indexes(CRP, IL-6), normalized T12-SMA, and QLQ-C30 (Quality Of Life Questionnaire) scores were recorded and compared in the two groups. Results There was no statistical difference in preoperative nutritional index and postoperative complication rates between the two groups (p>0.05). The postoperative nutritional index (ALB, PA, TRF, Hb) and immune index (IgA, IgG, IgM) of the EOF group were higher than those of the LOF group (p<0.05), and the inflammatory indicators (CRP, IL-6) of the EOF group were significantly lower than those of the LOF group (p<0.05). Moreover, postoperative T12-SMA variation and QLQ-C30 scores of the EOF group were better than those in LOF group (p<0.05). Conclusions Early oral feeding is safe and feasible for patients with type II diabetes after radical resection of esophageal cancer, and it can improve short-term nutritional status and postoperative life quality of the patients.
Statistical field theory of the transmission of nerve impulses
Authors: Balzo Gianluigi Zangari del
Published: March 2020

Background Stochastic processes leading voltage-gated ion channel dynamics on the nerve cell membrane are a su cient condition to describe membrane conductance through statistical mechanics of disordered and complex systems.Results Voltage-gated ion channels in the nerve cell membrane are described by the Ising model. Stochastic circuital elements called ”Ising machines” are introduced. Action potentials are described as quasi-particles of a statistical field theory for the Ising system.Conclusions The corpuscolar description of action potentials is a new powerful tool to describe the generation and propagation of nerve impulses, especially when conventional electrophysiological models break down. It allows us to develop new hardware and software devices based on particle physics to study neurodegenerative and demyelinating diseases (Multiple Sclerosis), even integrated by connectomes. It is also suitable for the study of complex networks, cryptography, machine learning, quantum computing and many other applications of medical, physical and engineering interest.
EZH2 inhibitors-mediated epigenetic reactivation of FOSB inhibits triple-negative breast cancer progress
Authors: Zhang Ruishan , Li Xiang , Liu Zhuangkai , Wang Yuying , Zhang Hao , Xu Hong
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer that lacks expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) gene. Chemotherapy remains the standard of care for TNBC treatment, but considerable patients are very resistant to chemotherapy. Mutations or aberrant upregulation of EZH2 occur frequently, and EZH2 inhibitor (EZH2i) showed some preclinic antitumor effects in TNBC. METHODS RNA-seq data of 3 TNBC cell lines either treated with 2 μM GSK343, or stably transduced with shEHZ2, compared to untreated controls (GSE112378) were analyzed by Limma R package. The Kaplan Meier plotter (KM plotter) database was used to assess the relevance of FOSB mRNA expression to relapse-free survival (RFS) in TNBC. Cell number counting and colony formation assays were used to detect the biological effect of FOSB on the growth of TNBC cells in vitro. The effect of FOSB on TNBC tumor growth in vivo was investigated in a mice tumor xenograft model. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (Chip) assays were used to determine the regulatory roles of C/EBPβ on FOSB expression. RESULTS We found that FOSB, a member of the activator protein-1 complex, was a direct downstream target of EZH2. FOSB was significantly decreased in TNBC samples and associated with better relapse-free survival (RFS). EZH2-mediated histone 3 trimethylated on lysine 27 (H3K27me3), a marker of silent chromatin conformation, at the FOSB promoter inhibited it expression. Depletion of FOSB in TNBC cells promoted cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vitro by inactivating the p53 pathway and conferred resistant to EZH2 inhibitor (EZH2i). Mechanistically, EZH2i promotes the shift from H3K27me3 to H3K27ac at the FOSB promoter, and recruits the transcription factor C/EBPβ to activate FOSB gene transcription. CONCLUSION Together, our results suggest that EZH2-mediated epigenetic inactivation of FOSB promotes TNBC expression and demonstrate that reactivation of FOSB expression by C/EBPβ underlies the anti-TNBC action of EZH2is.
Self-organizing topology for energy-efficient ad-hoc communication networks of mobile devices
Authors: Banerjee Indushree , Warnier Martijn , Brazier Frances M. T
Published: March 2020

When physical communication network infrastructures fail, infrastructure-less communication networks such as mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET), can provide an alternative. This, however, requires MANETs to be adaptable to dynamic contexts characterized by the changing density and mobility of devices and availability of energy sources. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a decentralized context-adaptive topology control protocol. The protocol consists of three algorithms and uses preferential attachment based on the energy availability of devices to form a loop-free scale-free adaptive topology for an ad-hoc communication network.

The proposed protocol has a number of advantages. First, it is adaptive to the environment, hence applicable in scenarios where the number of participating mobile devices and their availability of energy resources is always changing. Second, it is energy-efficient through changes in the topology. This means it can be flexibly be combined with different routing protocols. Third, the protocol requires no changes on the hardware level. This means it can be implemented on all current phones, without any recalls or investments in hardware changes.

The evaluation of the protocol in a simulated environment confirms the feasibility of creating and maintaining a self-adaptive ad-hoc communication network, consisting of multitudes of mobile devices for reliable communication in a dynamic context.
Acceptability of a role for community health workers in integrated mental health care for perinatal depression: a qualitative study from Surabaya, Indonesia
Authors: Surjaningrum Endang Retno , Minas Harry , Jorm Anthony Francis , Kakuma Ritsuko
Published: March 2020

Background: Integrated antenatal care in Indonesia has the potential to extend the role of community health workers (CHWs) to include the identification of perinatal depression in the community and referral to primary health care (PHC) centres, which is an example of task-sharing. This study aimed to examine the acceptability of this type of task-sharing in perinatal depression in Surabaya.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from four PHC stakeholder groups. 62 participants were recruited from PHC centres, villages and integrated health service posts, the district health office, and one hospital. Data were analysed using framework analysis.Results: More than ninety percent of participants accepted or conditionally accepted task-sharing in perinatal depression. Acceptability was influenced by the perceived benefits of task-sharing, the convenience of the service delivery, the existence of cases of perinatal depression perceived by stakeholders, personal characteristics of CHWs, and the scope of their responsibility within existing tasks. Acceptability was limited by stigma of mental health problems, confidentiality, CHWs’ perceived self-capacity, lack of confidence in CHWs’ competencies, and the objectives of task-sharing in depression identification.Conclusion: Results indicate the need to enhance CHWs’ knowledge about perinatal depression and the needs of users, and CHWs’ competencies in identifying depression. Stigma influences potential health service users’ attitudes to mental health services and help-seeking and help-providing behaviours among service providers, and can reduce motivation to use and to provide services.
Schizophrenia in the Context of Mental Health Services in Palestine
Authors: Marie Mohammad , Shaabna Zareefa , Saleh Manahel
Published: March 2020

Background: Mental health conditions are a significant cause of disability in the Arab World. Palestinians are especially at a higher risk for mental health problems due to their chronic exposure to political violence, prolonged displacement, and others as a limited professional, educational, financial opportunities, and mental health services. Schizophrenia is an overwhelming mental illness that affects nearly one percent of the various populations throughout the world. Studies have shown that people with schizophrenia die prematurely and have lower life expectancy compared to the general population. Moreover, antipsychotic medications and the client’s lifestyle play an important role in increased morbidity and mortality in these clients. The present study undertakes a literature review of research on schizophrenia in the context of mental health services in Palestine.Methods: Studies were identified through PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier, and the reading of complementary references from August-November 2019. Results: Twenty-four studies were included in this review. Eleven articles related to schizophrenia and thirteen articles related to mental health services in Westbank and Gaza. Results revealed that the life of schizophrenic patients in Palestine is complicated. Barriers as lacking awareness about mental illness, stigma, inconsistent availability of medications, absence of multidisciplinary teamwork, insufficient specialists, fragmented mental health system, occupation, and other obstacles stand in the face of improving the quality of life among schizophrenic patients.Conclusions Recommendations include ending the occupation as the leading cause of mental illness for Palestinians and implementing efficient and effective mental health nursing care through the multidisciplinary work and raising awareness regarding mental illness to fight the stigma, should be applied.
Effectiveness of behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review
Authors: Bashirian Saeid , Afshari Maryam , Jenabi Ensiyeh , Moradi Ali
Published: March 2020

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is identified by a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. Given the importance and demand for behavioral interventions in autism disorder as well as the need for new intervention programs, a detailed evaluation of the outcomes of interventions for the ongoing impact of behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorder is essential. In view of the importance of, and demand for, novel behavioural interventions in autism disorder, a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of interventions for the ongoing impact of behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorder is necessary.Method: A systematic search of the electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Sciencedirect, ISI Web of Science, and Biomedcentral were conducted to find evidences for the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorders. The search strategy was based on exploring studies published in different global languages from the earliest to 2019 databases. In addition to the databases mentioned above, relevant studies were searched using forward and backward citation tracing.Results:In the present review, 48 randomized controlled trials (RCTs),and 44 quasi-experimental articles matched the defined evaluation criteria. Eighty-three out of 93 studies were conducted in high-income countries, the results of which raised the challenges associated with acceptability of conducting those studies in low- and middle-income countries. The majority of those studies (93.5%) were classified as having either low or medium quality. From those studies, 32 studies used integrative programs, and 30 studies used social skills development interventions.The majority of the studies were based on integrative programs designed to foster social skills development interventions. The results of the study showed that social skills development interventions were effective in changing the desired outcomes. The results showed that,regardless of the study design and the type of intervention used, the possibility for success of interventions were greater in changing the participants' social skills.Conclusions :There were inconsistent evidence on the effectiveness of interventions in providing changes in targeted outcomes. There is a need for further investigation in behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorders. Further research is needed to understand the effectiveness of other interventions and finding a quality interventions to achieve more significant results.
Subclinical Hypothyroidism In Childhood, Treatment Or Only Follow-Up?
Authors: Murillo-Vallés Marta , Martinez Santiago , Aguilar-Riera Cristina , Garcia-Martin Miguel Angel , Bel Joan Comós , Granada Maria Luisa Ybern
Published: March 2020

Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) above the upper limit with normal concentrations of free T4 (fT4). Its management remains challenging. The aim of the study was to evaluate clinical and laboratory findings as well as clinical course of children with SH followed in a third level hospital. 65 patients aged between 2 and 18 years were retrospectively studied. Methods: The patients were followed for a median period of 9 months (range 6 months to 24 months). Those who normalized TSH levels were discharged (Group 1). If TSH persisted mild elevated (5-10µUI/mL) with normal fT4 and negative TPOAb/TgAb were classified as Group 2 and followed semiannually without treatment. In those patients who’s TSH raised ≥10µUI/mL or maintained TSH 5-10µUI/mL and positive TPOAb/TgAb were considered suitable for thyroxin therapy (Group 3, G3). Results: By ROC curves analysis we tested which initial TSH concentration best discriminated between patients who reverted to normality (Group 1) from those who finally required treatment (Group 3), the best cut-off being a TSH concentration >8.1µUI/mL (93.18% E, 57.14% S, AUC 0.765±0.107, p= 0.01). In 89% of our patients, TSH concentrations spontaneously reverted to normality or remained stable without treatment, whereas less than 11% progressed to clinical hypothyroidism. Conclusion: patients with initial TSH concentrations above 8.1µUI/mL have an increased risk of progression to hypothyroidism.
Open discectomy versus microscopic discectomy for lumbar disc herniation
Authors: Hamawandi Sherwan , Sulaiman Injam Ibrahim , Al-Humairi Ameer Kadhim
Published: March 2020

Background Discectomy for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation is the most common surgical procedure in spine surgery. Lumbar discectomy can be done by traditional open method or by varieties of minimal invasive techniques mainly microscopic or endoscopic procedures. This study evaluates the effectiveness of microdiscectomy compared with open discectomy in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation as a relation to the relief of leg pain, post-operative back pain, postoperative hospital stay and returns to daily activity. Methods Sixty patients were included in this study, 30 patients underwent an open discectomy and 30 patients underwent microdiscectomy. Those patients were followed up for 12 months after surgery. Each patient was evaluated for the postoperative back pain, leg pain, duration of hospital stay postoperatively and return to sedentary daily activity. The methods used to evaluate each patient are Visual analogue scale for back pain and leg pain and Oswestry disability index. Results Results showed that there is a significant difference in the postoperative back pain, duration of postoperative hospital stay and the time of return to sedentary daily activities between open discectomy and microdiscectomy with superiority for microdiscectomy while there is no significant difference in the relieving leg pain between the open discectomy and microdiscectomy. Conclusion Microdisctomy is effective as open discectomy in the aspect of relieving the leg pain with the advantage of less postoperative back pain, less postoperative hospital stay and early return to sedentary daily activities.
Bayesian factor analysis in primary care: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Zhang Hao , Schuster Tibor
Published: March 2020

Background: Bayesian factor analysis allows for efficient use of preliminary data and information that corresponds to the increasing needs of questionnaire construct validation in primary care research. This systematic review will summarise evidence on the current use of Bayesian factor analysis in primary care.Methods: We will adopt a comprehensive search strategy to identify relevant literature (research studies in primary care) indexed in PubMed, Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Library. The search strategy will include terms (and synonyms) for Bayesian statistics, factor analysis and primary care. We will conduct forward and backward searches manually on the references of articles that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria to further identify eligible studies. Multiple reviewers will conduct data extraction independently. The analyses will include descriptive synthesis summarizing features about the use and reporting of the respective Bayesian factor analysis approach.Discussion: This systematic review will provide a bird view of the current use of Bayesian factor analysis in primary care and provide recommendations for its proper future use in primary care and beyond. Systematic review registration : PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018114978 Keywords: Bayesian, factor analysis, primary care, family medicine
Pre-treatment De Ritis ratio serves as a potential prognostic biomarker in renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Jinze , Peng Lei , Li Jinming , Cheng Bo , Gou Haocheng , Li Yunxiang
Published: March 2020

Background Previous studies have evaluated the associations of aspartate transaminase to alanine transaminase (De Ritis) ratio with clinical outcome of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but the findings are inconsistent. We therefore performed this meta-analysis to explore the prognostic value of the pre-treatment De Ritis ratio in patients with RCC.Methods PubMed, EMBASE, Science and Cochrane Library were searched systematically to identify all eligible studies as of February 2020. The hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted to evaluate their correlation.Results A total of 5,025 patients from 8 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Patients with an increased pre-treatment De Ritis ratio had worse overall survival (HR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.82, P < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (HR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.23, P < 0.001), progression-free survival (HR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.47, P = 0.011), and metastasis-free survival (HR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.07, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis according to disease stage and cut-of value revealed that De Ritis ratio had a significant prognostic value for OS and PFS in all subgroups.Conclusion The available evidence suggests that an increased De Ritis ratio was significantly correlated with worse survival in patients with RCC. Pre-treatment De Ritis ratio may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with RCC, but further studies are warranted to support these results.
Transgelin interacts with PARP1 and affects Rho signaling pathway in human colon cancer cells
Authors: Lew Zhen-xian , Zhou Hui-min , Fang Yuan-yuan , Ye Zhen , Zhong Wa , Yang Xin-yi , Yu Zhong , Chen Dan-yu , Luo Si-min , Chen Li-fei , Lin Ying
Published: March 2020

Background: Transgelin, an actin-binding protein, is associated with the cytoskeleton remodeling. Our previous studies found that transgelin was up-regulated in node-positive colorectal cancer versus in node-negative disease. Over-expression of TAGLN affected the expression of 256 downstream transcripts and increased the metastatic potential of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. This study aims to explore the mechanisms that transgelin participates in the metastasis of colon cancer cells. Methods: Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analysis were used to determine the cellular localization of the endogenous and exogenous transgelin in colon cancer cells. Co-immunoprecipitation and subsequent high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry were performed to identify the proteins potentially interacting with transgelin. Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the 256 downstream transcripts regulated by transgelin to discriminate the specific key genes and signaling pathways. By analyzing the promoter region of these key genes, GCBI tools were used to predict the potential transcription factor(s) for these genes. The predicted transcription factors were matching to the proteins that have been identified to potentially interact with transgelin. The interaction between transgelin and these transcription factors was verified by co-immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. Results: Transgelin was found to localize both in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of colon cancer cells. 297 proteins have been identified to interact with transgelin by co-immunoprecipitation and subsequent high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Over-expression of TAGLN could lead to differential expression of 184 downstream genes. By constructing the network of gene-encoded proteins, 7 genes ( CALM1, MYO1F, NCKIPSD, PLK4, RAC1, WAS and WIPF1 ) have been discriminated as key genes using network topology analysis. They are mostly involved in the Rho signaling pathway. Poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP1) was predicted as the unique transcription factor for the key genes and concurrently matching to the DNA-binding proteins potentially interacting with transgelin. Immunoprecipitation validated that PARP1 interacted with transgelin in human RKO colon cancer cells. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that transgelin binds to PARP1 and regulates the expression of the downstream key genes mainly involving Rho signaling pathway, thus participates in the metastasis of colon cancer.
WITHDRAWN: Expression of somatostatin receptors subtypes (1-5) mRNA in MCF7 and MDA-MB231 breast cancer human cell lines
Authors: MAHMOUD ALKHANSA , Mancuso Maria Teresa , Tanno Barbara , Bakar Zuki Abu , Hamzah Hazilawati , Hezmee Mohd
Published: March 2020

Background: breast cancer is one of most common types of cancer and heterogeneous disease. Somatostatain receptors (SSTR1-5) are expressed in breast cancer cells. MCF7 and MDA-MB231 cell lines used to evaluate the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs 1 - 5). Methods: The detection of mRNA expression levels of SSTRs in MCF7 and MDA-MB231 was performed using quantitative- polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: All SSTRs 1 - 5 were expressed in both cells lines. The SSTR 1, 2, 3 and 4 mRNA levels were significantly higher in MDA-MB-231 in relation to MCF-7. The expression of SSTR 4 and 5 mRNA was highest in MDA-MB231 and MCF-7 cell lines respectively, however, SSTR3 mRNA was least expressed in both cell lines. Conclusion: All SSTRs were expressed in both MDA-MB231 and MCF7 cells. However, the levels of expression differ between both cell lines. Keywords: Breast cancer. Cell lines .Somatostatin receptors. mRNA expression
Association between serum progesterone levels on the day of frozen-thawed embryo transfer and pregnancy outcomes after artificial endometrial preparation
Authors: Zhu Jing , Zhu Qianqian , Huang Jialyu , Qiu Meiting , Zhu Yanwen , Cai Renfei , Kuang Yanping
Published: March 2020

Background Previous studies have examined that a range of optimal serum P level during the implantation period was associated with optimal live birth rates. However, those results obtained with vaginal or intramuscular route of progesterone administration for LPS alone. Is there a relationship between the serum progesterone (P) on the day of frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) with the likelihood of a live birth(LB) in artiﬁcial cycles(AC) when using a combination of oral dydrogesterone and vaginal progesterone for luteal phase support (LPS)? Methods This was a retrospective study of 3659 FET cycles with artiﬁcial endometrial preparation in a Chinese tertiary-care academic medical centre from January 2015 to February 2017. Endometrial preparation was performed using estradiol (E 2 ) valerate (Fematon-red tablets) 8 mg/d beginning on day 3 of the cycle, followed by administration of P both orally (40 mg dydrogesterone and 8 mg E 2 twice per day, Fematon-yellow tablets) and vaginally (400 mg/d; Utrogestan). The primary endpoint was LBR. The association between the serum P level on the embryo transfer day and pregnancy outcomes was evaluated by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results Mean serum P on the day of embryo transfer was 10.30 ± 3.88 ng/ml (percentiles: 25, 7.9; 50, 9.7; 75, 12.1). The LBRs according to the serum P quartiles were as follows: Q1, 35.7%; Q2, 37.4%; Q3, 39.1%; and Q4: 38.9%. Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of a LB were not significantly different between the low (P <7.9 ng/mL) and high (P ≥7.9 ng/mL) progesterone groups before or after adjustment (crude odds ratio [OR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76-1.04; adjusted OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.75-1.04). Conclusions The present study suggests that the serum P levels on the day of ET do not correlate with the likelihood of a LB in artiﬁcial cycles when using a combination of oral dydrogesterone and vaginal progesterone for luteal phase support. In addition, prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded trials are merited to determine the optimal dosing regimen for oral dydrogesterone in in AC-FET for LPS.
Date Palm Pollen versus Pentoxifylline on Improvement of Sperm Parameters in Idiopathic Male Infertility
Authors: Mirzaei Mohammadreza , Asbagh Firoozeh Akbari , Safavi Majid , Yekaninejad Mir Saeed , Rahimi Roja , Pourmand Gholamreza , Karimi Majid
Published: March 2020

Background: Idiopathic male infertility (IMI) affects nearly 30 to 45% of men in their optimal reproductive age. In this regard, there are no evidence-based medications prescribed empirically to treat IMI. However, applying traditional medicine for the treatment of male infertility has attracted more attention in recent years. In the current study, the effects of date palm pollen (DPP) on sperm parameters in patients with idiopathic infertility were evaluated and compared to pentoxifylline (PTX). Materials and methods: This study was performed on 80 adult male individuals (20-35 years old) who had oligozoospermia and/or asthenozoospermia and/or teratozoospermia. Patients received 6g DPP powder or 400 mg PTX tablets daily for three months in two separated groups (each in 40). Various sperm parameters and levels of sex hormones were measured. Results: Compared to the PTX group, results revealed a significant improvement in sperm counts (p=0.016), morphology (p=0.029), total motility (p=0.018), progressive motility (p=0.016) and reduction of immotile sperms (p=0.014) in patients who received DPP treatment. Conclusion Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) strongly recommended DPP as a therapeutic agent to cure IMI through improvement in the functional competence of sperm and semen parameters.
Neoadjuvant Laparoscopic HIPEC combined with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy followed by Surgery plus intraoperative HIPEC for Advanced Gastric Cancer at risk of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis: feasibility and safety assessment from retrospective case control study
Authors: Beeharry Maneesh Kumarsing , Ni Zhen Tian , Liu Wen Tao , Yao Xue Xin , Yan Min , Zhu Zheng Gang
Published: March 2020

Objective: In this study we have retrospectively evaluated the feasibility and safety of a novel therapeutic regimen for the management of Advanced Gastric Cancer (AGC) at risk for peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) involving neoadjuvant laparoscopic hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (NLHIPEC) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).Methods: From December 2017 to June 2018, 7 AGC patients undergoing NLHIPEC + NAC + Surgery+ Intraoperative HIPEC + adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) were included in the study and observed for associated complication and morbidity. AGC patients undergoing other neoadjuvant and prophylactic treatment approaches were retrospectively analyzed and case-matched. Intraoperative and post-operative events, clinical recovery and morbidity were closely monitored till 1 month after the last cycle of chemotherapy.Results: Of a total of 328 AGC patients undergoing curative surgery, 7 other patients undergoing NAC + HIPEC, 7 patients undergoing surgery + HIPEC and 17 patients undergoing NAC were retrospectively included. There was no 30-day post-operative mortality recorded in the 4 groups. In total, 14 events were recorded and 5/14 of the complications were rated as Clavien I; 8/14 patients were classified as Clavien II and 1/14 patient was recorded as Clavien grade IIIa. There was no grade IIIb-V event. The results suggest that the proposed treatment regimen is safe and feasible.Conclusions: This combination of NLHIPEC and NAC in the management of AGC at high risk for peritoneal involvement is feasible, safe, well-tolerated and worth exploring.
Expression of microRNA-26b-5p is related to the changes of random blood glucose after primary percutaneous coronary interventions
Authors: Zhang Jianwie , He Lingjie
Published: March 2020

Background: Stress hyperglycemia （SH） is prevalent in non-diabetic patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and it can significantly increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. The study aims to determine the changes of and correlation between circulating microRNA-26b-5p levels and random blood glucose levels after primary percutaneous coronary interventions (p-PCI).Methods: INS-1 cells were used to establish model of insulin regulation. Overexpression of miR-26b was performed with lentiviral transfection, while downregulation of miR-26b was accomplished by using shRNA sequences. Insulin was quantitatively detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (ELISA).we enrolled 48 patients with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction who successfully underwent p-PCI from June 2017 to November 2017 in beijing anzhen hospital and beijing friendship hospital, capital medical university. Plasma samples were collected before p-PCI, 24h and 72h after operation. The level of circulating microRNA-26b-5p were measured by Real Time PCR. The association between circulating microRNA-26b-5p and random blood glucose was calculated by Spearman correlation coefficient.Results: The results of in vitro test showed i nhibition of miR-26b leads to a decrease in insulin secretion while overexpression of miR-26b increases insulin secretion in INS-1 cells. 34 male patients accounting for 71% were included in this study. The circulating microRNA-26b-5p levels were 14.41±8.52 and 19.63±9.42 at 24h and 72h after operation respectively, as compared with 10.32±6.62 before p-PCI ( P <0.001). Significantly decreased random blood glucose level were found at 24h and 72h after operation compared with that before p-PCI（7.35±1.17 VS. 7.12±1.17 VS. 8.28±1.35, P< 0.001. Spearman correlation coefficient revealed that there was an inverse correlation between circulating microRNA-26b-5p levels and random blood glucose levels（ r =-0.425 ， P <0.001).Conclusion: MicroRNA-26b-5p may be involved in the regulation of blood glucose in non-diabetic patients with STEMI after p-PCI.
High yield production of L-serine through a novel identified exporter combined with synthetic pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum
Authors: Zhang Xiaomei , Gao Yujie , Chen Ziwei , Xu Guoqiang , Zhang Xiaojuan , Li Hui , Shi Jinsong , Koffas Mattheos , Xu Zhenghong
Published: March 2020

Background L-Serine has wide and expanding applications in industry with a fast-growing market demand. Strategies for achieving and improving L-serine production in C. glutamicum have focused on inhibiting its degradation and enhancing its biosynthetic pathway, however, L-serine yield remains relatively low. Exporters play an essential role in the fermentative production of amino acids. Improvements to L-serine yield should consider the improvement of L-serine export from the cell. In C. glutamicum , ThrE, which can export L-threonine and L-serine, is the only identified L-serine exporter so far.Results In this study, a novel L-serine exporter NCgl0580 was identified and characterized in C. glutamicum ΔSSAAI (SSAAI), and named as SerE (encoded by serE ). Deletion of serE in SSAAI led to a 56.5% decrease in L-serine titer, whereas overexpression of serE compensated for the lack of serE with respect to L-serine titer. A fusion protein with SerE and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was constructed to confirm that SerE localized at the plasma membrane. The function of SerE was studied by peptide feeding approaches, and the results showed that SerE is a novel exporter for L-serine and L-threonine in C. glutamicum. Subsequently, the interaction of a known L-serine exporter ThrE and SerE was studied, and the results suggested that SerE is more important than ThrE in L-serine export in SSAAI. In addition, probe plasmid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) revealed NCgl0581 as the transcriptional regulator of SerE. Comparative transcriptomics between SSAAI and the NCgl0581 deletion strain showed that NCgl0581 is a positive regulator of NCgl0580. Finally, by overexpressing the novel exporter SerE combined with L-serine synthetic pathway key enzyme serA Δ197, serC and serB , the resulting strain lead to the L-serine titer of 43.9 g/L with yield of 0.44 g/g sucrose, which was the highest yield reported so far for any organism.Conclusions This study provides a novel target for L-serine and L-threonine export engineering as well as a novel global transcriptional regulator NCgl0581 in C. glutamicum .
Anomaly Detection from Medical Signals and Images Using Advanced Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Abbass Mohammed , Kwon Ki-Chul , Kim Nam , Abdelwahab Safey A. , Haggag Nehad , Ibrahim Fatma , Mahrous Yasser , Seddik Ahmad , Khalil Ali , Elsherbeeny Zeinab , El-Shafai Walid , Rihan Mohamad , El-Banby Ghada , Soltan Eman , Soliman Naglaa , Algarni Abeer , Alhanafy Waleed , El-Fishawy Adel , El-Rabaie El-Sayed M. , Al-Nuaimy Waleed , Dessouky Moawad I. , Saleeb Adel A. , Messiha Nagy W. , El-Dokany Ibrahim M. , El-Samie Fathi E. Abd , Khalaf Ashraf A.M.
Published: March 2020

In the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), deep learning is a method falls in the wider family of machine learning algorithms that works on the principle of learning. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can be used for pattern recognition from different images based on deep learning. Anomaly detection is a very vital area in medical signal and image processing due to its importance in automatic diagnosis. Anomaly detection from medical EEG signals based on spectrogram and medical corneal images are tested and evaluated in this paper. Technically, deep learning CNN models are used in the train and test processes, each input image will pass through a series of convolution layers with filters (Kernels), pooling, and fully connected layers (FC) for the classification purposes. The presented simulation results reveal the success of the proposed techniques towards automated medical diagnosis.
Genetic dissection of an allotetraploid interspecific CSSLs guides interspecific genetics and breeding in cotton
Authors: Zhu De , Li Ximei , Wang Zhiwei , You Chunyuan , Nie Xinhui , Sun Jie , Zhang Xianlong , Zhang Dawei , Lin Zhongxu
Published: March 2020

Background: The low genetic diversity of Upland cotton limits the potential for genetic improvement. Making full use of the genetic resources of Sea-island cotton will facilitate genetic improvement of widely cultivated Upland cotton varieties. The chromosome segments substitution lines (CSSLs) provide an ideal strategy for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in interspecific hybridization. Results: In this study, a CSSL population was developed by PCR-based markers assisted selection (MAS), derived from the crossing and backcrossing of Gossypium hirsutum (Gh) and G. barbadense (Gb), firstly. Then, by whole genome re-sequencing, 11,653,661 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified which ultimately constructed 1,211 recombination chromosome introgression segments from Gb. The sequencing-based physical map provided more accurate introgressions than the PCR-based markers. By exploiting CSSLs with mutant morphological traits, the genes responding for leaf shape and fuzz-less mutation in the Gb were identified. Based on a high-resolution recombination bin map to uncover genetic loci determining the phenotypic variance between Gh and Gb, 64 QTLs were identified for 14 agronomic traits with an interval length of 158 kb to 27 Mb. Surprisingly, multiple alleles of Gb showed extremely high value in enhancing cottonseed oil content (SOC). Surprisingly, multiple alleles of Gb showed extremely high value in enhancing cottonseed oil content (SOC). Conclusions: This study provides guidance for studying interspecific inheritance, especially breeding researchers, for future studies using the traditional PCR-based molecular markers and high-throughput re-sequencing technology in the study of CSSLs. Available resources include candidate position for controlling cotton quality and quantitative traits, and excellent breeding materials. Collectively, our results provide insights into the genetic effects of Gb alleles on the Gh, and provide guidance for the utilization of Gb alleles in interspecific breeding.
Transcriptome analysis of in vitro fertilization and parthenogenesis activation during early embryonic development in pigs
Authors: Li Xin , Huang Ziying , Zou Cheng , Li Mengxun , Liu Xiangdong , Zhao Shuhong , Li Changchun
Published: March 2020

BackgroundParthenogenesis-activated oocytes exhibit inferior embryonic development and lower total cell count per blastocyst than fertilized embryos, thus often leading to pre-implantation failure in porcine. The mechanisms underlying the deficiencies of embryos generated from parthenogenesis activation have not been completely understood. Alternative splicing events (AS) and long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have emerged as key regulators in various biological processes. However, their regulatory mechanisms for parthenogenesis have not been fully elucidated, and their relation to parthenogenesis in pig is largely unknown. ResultHere, we reconstructed 189,228 transcripts and identified 7,185 lincRNAs in a single mature oocyte and discovered three stages between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and parthenogenesis activation (PA). A large change in transcriptome occurred in early blastocyst and morula in IVF and PA, respectively, indicating tremendous alteration for the transcriptome in both processes. Compare to protein-coding genes, differential expression protein-coding genes have higher alternative splicing rate, and most transcripts possibly originated from transcription start site (TSS) and transcription terminal site (TTS) types of alternative splicing according to the average expression of 12 AS types. Most lincRNAs with remarkably stage specificity were found in both in procceses. Function prediction results suggest that the specifically expressed lincRNAs in distinct stages have different biological functions. Hub lincRNAs analysis showed that three lincRNAs may play important roles on early embryonic development, and five may function on abnormal parthenogenesis embryonic development. Comparison of the transcriptome between IVF and PA revealed that most DEGs enriched the regulation of apoptotic and late embryonic development-related process. conclusionWe performed a comprehensive comparative analysis framework of RNA-seq data, including mRNA, alternative splicing and long intergenic noncoding RNA. This work identified functional protein-coding genes and lincRNAs, and showed differences in the expression pattern of alternative splicing in IVF and PA. Which detailed the early embryonic development-related procedure in porcine, some protein-coding genes, and lincRNAs that may affect pre-implantation failure in PA embryos. This study will help future research on these genes and molecular-assisted breeding for pig parthenotes.
Common bean resistance to Xanthomonas is associated with upregulation of the salicylic acid pathway and downregulation of photosynthesis
Authors: Foucher Justine , Ruh Mylène , Préveaux Anne , Carrère Sébastien , Pelletier Sandra , Briand Martial , Serre Rémy-Félix , Jacques Marie-Agnès , Chen Nicolas W.G.
Published: March 2020

Background: Common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. phaseoli and Xanthomonas citri pv. fuscans is one of the major threats to common bean crops (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Resistance to CBB is particularly complex as 26 quantitative resistance loci to CBB have been described so far. To date, transcriptomic studies after CBB infection have been very scarce and the molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility or resistance are largely unknown. Results: We sequenced and annotated the genomes of two common bean genotypes being either resistant (BAT93) or susceptible (JaloEEP558) to CBB. Reciprocal BLAST analysis led to a list of homologs between these genotypes and the common bean reference genome (G19833), which provides a solid dataset for further comparative analyses. RNA-Seq after inoculation with X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli showed that the susceptible genotype initiated a more intense and diverse biological response than the resistant genotype. Resistance was linked to upregulation of the salicylic acid pathway and downregulation of photosynthesis and sugar metabolism, while susceptibility was linked to downregulation of resistance genes and upregulation of the jasmonic acid/ethylene pathway and of genes involved in cell wall modification.Conclusions: This study helps better understanding the mechanisms occurring during the early colonization phase of common bean by Xanthomonas and unveils new actors potentially important for resistance and susceptibility to CBB. We discuss the potential link between the pathways induced during bean colonization and genes induced by transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), as illustrated in other Xanthomonas pathovars.