bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic effect and safety of individualized chemotherapy combined with sequential immunotherapy based on BRCA1 mRNA expression level in unresectable pancreatic cancer
Authors: Du Juan , Zhu Linxi , Sha Huizi , Zou Zhengyun , Shen Jie , Kong Weiwei , Zhao Lianjun , Gu Qing , Yu Lixia , Qiu Yudong , Liu Baorui
Published: November 2022

Aim

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of individualized chemotherapy combined with sequential immunotherapy based on BRCA1 mRNA expression in unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Methods

The expression of BRCA1 mRNA in tumor tissues of 25 patients with pancreatic cancer was detected in this retrospective study. Patients in the medium and high expression groups were treated with paclitaxel-based chemotherapy: albumin paclitaxel 125mg/m2, gemcitabine 1g/m2, day 1. Patients in the low expression group were treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy: oxaliplatin 85mg/m2, gemcitabine 1g/m2, day 1. Sequential GM-CSF and IL-2 immunotherapy were applied. Patient condition, treatment efficacy and safety were assessed every 4 cycles.

Results

A total of 25 patients were enrolled in the study. All of them were observed for toxic side effects and 24 of them were evaluated for efficacy. The median overall survival and median progression-free survival were 11.9 months and 6.3 months. The disease control rate was 91.7%, of which 37.5% (9/24) patients achieved partial remission (PR), 54.2% (13/24) patients achieved stable disease (SD) and 8.3% (2/24) patients were assessed as progressive disease(PD). Of the 15 patients with medium or high expression in BRCA1 mRNA, 7 achieved PR and 8 achieved SD. Of the 9 patients with low BRCA1 mRNA expression, 2 achieved PR, 5 achieved SD and 2 had PD. The proportion of eosinophils in the blood of some patients with good therapeutic effects was significantly higher than that before treatment. Hematological and non-hematological toxicity during the treatment were mostly grade 1~2. The two most common grade 3 to 4 adverse events were fever and thrombocytopenia.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that individualized selection of chemotherapy combined with sequential immunotherapy according to BRCA1 mRNA expression level in unresectable pancreatic cancer could control the disease and have controllable adverse reactions.
Treatment of infantile fibrosarcoma: A tertiary care center experience
Authors: Han Yidi , Lian Kai , Zhang Dongdong
Published: November 2022

Objective

Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) is a highly locally aggressive nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma that most commonly occurs in young infants. There exists no standard treatment this lesion due to its rarity. We shared our treatment experience for IFS in this study.

Methods

Patients' record between January 2013 and December 2018 were reviewed and patients with newly diagnosed IFS were included. The clinical characteristics, treatment strategy, treatment-related toxicities and clinical outcome were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Eleven patients were admitted in our center, including 4 girls and 7 boys, and the median age at diagnosis was 5 months (range 1–23 months). Ten patients achieved complete remission (CR) after the completion of initial treatment. The main short-term adverse effects was myelosuppression. Three patients experienced relapse, including two patients with local progression and one patient with distant metastasis. After a median follow-up of 3.5 years (range 1.5–7 years), 9 patients were alive and 2 patients died. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 93.5% (95% CI 83.7–98.2).

Conclusion

We formulated the treatment strategy according to group grade and the experience from previous studies, which may be effective and feasible for the treatment of IFS.
Gynecomastia: A systematic review of pharmacological treatments
Authors: Berger Ori , Landau Zohar , Talisman Ran
Published: November 2022

Background

Pubertal gynecomastia (PG), a benign condition with varied reported prevalence, typically appears at 13–14 years-old and is mostly idiopathic and self-limited. Psychologic impairments are common among adolescents with gynecomastia. Surgical intervention is reserved to severe cases and is offered towards the end of puberty. Pharmacological treatment is seldom given by clinicians mainly due to insufficient published data. We conducted this systematic literature review to assess the efficacy, safety, side effects, and complications of pharmacological treatments published.

Methods

MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched for the terms “gynecomastia”, “pubertal”, and “adolescent” in conjunction with medications from the Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM), aromatase inhibitors (AI), and androgens groups in different combinations to optimize the search results. Exclusion criteria included: studies based on expert opinion, similar evidence-based medicine levels studies, and studies which discuss gynecomastia in adults. Selected articles were assessed by two authors. Data collected included: the level of evidence, population size, treatment regimen, follow-up, outcomes, complications, and side effects.

Results

Of 1,425 published studies found and examined meticulously by the authors, only 24 publications met all the study research goals. These were divided into 16 publications of patients treated with SERM, of whom four had AI and four androgens. In general, the data regarding pharmacologic therapy for PG is partial, with insufficient evidence-based research. Tamoxifen and SERM drugs have long been used as treatments for PG. Tamoxifen was the chosen drug of treatment in most of the reviewed studies and found to be effective, safe, and with minimal side effects.

Conclusions

Pharmacological treatment as a new standard of care has an advantage in relieving behavioral and psychological distress. Although high quality publications are lacking, pharmacological intervention with tamoxifen is appropriate in select patients. Conduction large-scale high-quality studies are warranted with various drugs.
Universal scaling behavior and Hawkes process of videos’ views on Bilibili.com
Authors: Dong Jiarui , He Yuping , Song Jiayin , Ding Hao , Kong Yixiu
Published: November 2022

Online videos have become the most popular method to obtain information for the public in recent years, such as TikTok and YouTube, and regional sites like Bilibili and Douyin. Compared with its growing influence, the analysis of user behavior on video sites is still less investigated. Herein, we fetch the video data from Bilibili.com and analyze the video views, comments, and other behaviors on the website. We found that the description model based on the Hawkes process can accurately predict the video views, which suggests that on the Bilibili website, the self-incentive mechanism of information cascade diffusion plays a decisive role in online views. Meanwhile, we also found that the view increment of the videos during the same period of time conforms to the general power-law distribution.
Daytime napping, comorbidity profiles, and the risk of sarcopenia in older individuals
Authors: Hu Zhigang , Yang Ailan , Tian Yufeng , Song Xinyu
Published: November 2022

Appropriate daytime napping is associated with the decreased risk of cerebro-cardiovascular diseases, but whether daytime napping affects sarcopenia remains to be explored. Our study plans to examine the associations between sarcopenia with daytime napping and comorbidity. The study population came from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011–2015. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify comorbidity profiles based on 14 doctor-diagnosed chronic diseases. Subsequently, smooth function and restricted cubic spline with three binomial regression models determined the associations between sarcopenia with daytime napping and comorbidity profiles. About 18.7% (2,894) and 5.4% (832) of 15,404 individuals were diagnosed with sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia. LCA delineated four classes as the best fit as follows: dominant heart diseases or risks (class 1, N = 2,203), dominant chronic lung diseases (class 2, N = 740), minimal or least diseases (class 3, N = 10,612, reference), and dominant digestive diseases and rheumatism (class 4, N = 1849). Compared with the reference group (class 3), the multivariate-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of sarcopenia in model 3 were 0.72 (0.60–0.88) for class 1, 1.17 (0.92–1.51) for class 2, and 0.92 (0.77–1.09) for class 4. Smooth function and restricted cubic spline suggested that individuals who napped about 60 min seemingly had the lowest risk of sarcopenia. Individuals who napped for 1–59 min (adjusted OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.94) and 60–119 min (adjusted OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.72–0.95) had the significantly lower risk of sarcopenia but not severe sarcopenia than those who did not nap. Insufficient and excessive daytime napping might be associated with the increased risk of sarcopenia, especially in individuals with a dominant chronic lung disease profile.
Green approach for the recovery of secondary metabolites from the roots of Nardostachys Jatamansi (D. Don) DC using microwave radiations: Process optimization and anti-alzheimer evaluation
Authors: Arya Ashwani , Chahal Rubal , Almutairi Mikhlid H. , Kaushik Deepak , Aleya Lotfi , Kamel Mohamed , Abdel-Daim Mohamed M. , Mittal Vineet
Published: November 2022

Nardostachys jatamansi (D. Don) DC is a highly valued medicinal herb that has been used in traditional medicinal systems for its remedial effects. Owing to the over-exploitation and unethical trade of N. jatamansi, the accelerating global demand of herbal products from this plant cannot be satisfied by the conventional extraction approach. In view of the progressive demand and incredible biological potential of herb, the present research was designed to optimize various extraction parameters for microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The extracts obtained from the traditional and green approach were also assessed for the recovery of secondary metabolites and anti-Alzheimer’s potential. Various parameters like microwave power, temperature, and time of irradiation were optimized for MAE using Box Behkhen Design (BBD) The scanning electron microscopy of different plant samples was also done to observe the effect of microwave radiations. Further, the metabolite profiling of different extracts was also done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Also the different behavioral and biochemical parameters along with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potential were assessed to evaluate the anti-Alzheimer’s potential. Optimized parameters for MAE were found to be as microwave power 187.04 W, temperature 90°C, and irradiation time 20 min. The extract yield in MAE was significantly enhanced as compared to the conventional method. Also, the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content (TFC) were improved pointedly from 32.13 ± 0.55 to 72.83 ± 1.1 mg of GAE/g of extract and 21.7 ± 0.85 to 39.21 ± 0.7 mg of RUE/g of extract respectively. Later, the GC-MS analysis of various extracts confirmed the enhancement in the concentration of various sesquiterpenes like jatamansone, spirojatamol, valerenal, valeric acid, globulol, nootkatone and steroidal compounds such as sitosterol, ergosterol, stigmastanone, etc. in the optimized extract. A significant improvement in anti-Alzheimer’s potential was also observed owing to the better concentration of secondary metabolites in the optimized microwave extract. From the current findings, it could be concluded that the MAE could be a successful and green alternative for the extraction and recovery of secondary metabolites from the selected medicinal herb.
Constant installation of present orientation and safety (CIPOS) - subjective and physiological effects of an ultrashort-term intervention combining both stabilizing and confrontational elements
Authors: Stingl Markus , Sammer Gebhard , Hanewald Bernd , Zinsser Franziska , Tucha Oliver , Pape Valeska Reichel
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Constant Installation of Present Orientation and Safety (CIPOS) is a Eye Movements Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)-derived technique, which is often used to prepare for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It differs from the latter by involving cyclically recurring exercises in reorientation to the present, interspersed between brief periods of exposure to the traumatic material.

While EMDR is well established as a therapeutic method, the efficacy and mechanisms of action of CIPOS have not been investigated so far. In this pilot study, an experimental setting was used to record the subjective and physiological effects of the CIPOS intervention compared to a control condition with pure mental exposition.

Methods

The study was performed on 30 healthy volunteers aged from 20 to 30 years. Distress was induced using audio files of subjectively stressful situations. Subjective distress was measured via the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUD), while physiological indicators (noise-induced startle reflex, skin conductance level) were used as measures for objective stress. For each condition, pre- and post-intervention comparisons were calculated.

Results

In both groups, startle reflex potentiation and mean skin conductance level significantly decreased. In the group with CIPOS intervention, but not in the control group, a significant decrease in the SUD value was found.

Conclusion and significance

The results show that the CIPOS technique is as effective as pure mental exposition in reducing physiological stress. In addition, a superiority in reducing subjective distress (indicating a simplified reassessment of the stressful material) was found compared to pure mental exposition. Possible explanations of these effects are discussed.
Maternal choices and preferences for screening strategies of gestational diabetes mellitus: A exploratory study using discrete choice experiment
Authors: Xu Tingting , Jiang Yan , Guo Xiuyan , Campbell Julie A. , Ahmad Hasnat , Xia Qing , Lai Xiaozhen , Yan Di , Ma Liangkun , Fang Hai , Palmer Andrew J.
Published: November 2022

Aims

This study aimed to investigate maternal preferences for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening options in rural China to identify an optimal GDM screening strategy.

Methods

Pregnant women at 24–28 gestational weeks were recruited from Shandong province, China. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to elicit pregnant women's preferences for GDM screening strategy defined by five attributes: number of blood draws, out-of-pocket costs, screening waiting-time, number of hospital visits, and positive diagnosis rate. A mixed logistic model was employed to quantify maternal preferences, and to estimate the relative importance of included attributes in determining pregnant women's preferences for two routinely applied screening strategies (“one-step”: 75 g oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT] and “two-step”: 50 g glucose challenge-test plus 75 g OGTT). Preference heterogeneity was also investigated.

Results

N = 287 participants completed the DCE survey. All five predefined attributes were associated with pregnant women's preferences. Diagnostic rate was the most influential attribute (17.5 vs. 8.0%, OR: 2.89; 95%CI: 2.10 to 3.96). When changes of the attributes of “two-step” to “one-step” strategies, women's uptake probability from full “two-step” to “one-step” significantly increased with 71.3% (95%CI: 52.2 to 90.1%), but no significant difference with the first step of “two-step” (−31.0%, 95%CI: −70.2 to 8.1%).

Conclusion

Chinese pregnant women preferred the “one-step” screening strategy to the full “two-step” strategy, but were indifferent between “one-step” and the first step of “two-step” strategies.
Design and usability of a system for the study of head orientation
Authors: Chen Ji , Wright William Geoffrey , Keshner Emily , Darvish Kurosh
Published: November 2022

The ability to control head orientation relative to the body is a multisensory process that mainly depends on proprioceptive, vestibular, and visual sensory systems. A system to study the sensory integration of head orientation was developed and tested. A test seat with a five-point harness was assembled to provide passive postural support. A lightweight head-mounted display was designed for mounting multiaxis accelerometers and a mini-CCD camera to provide the visual input to virtual reality goggles with a 39° horizontal field of view. A digitally generated sinusoidal signal was delivered to a motor-driven computer-controlled sled on a 6-m linear railing system. A data acquisition system was designed to collect acceleration data. A pilot study was conducted to test the system. Four young, healthy subjects were seated with their trunks fixed to the seat. The subjects received a sinusoidal anterior–posterior translation with peak accelerations of 0.06g at 0.1 Hz and 0.12g at 0.2, 0.5, and 1.1 Hz. Four sets of visual conditions were randomly presented along with the translation. These conditions included eyes open, looking forward, backward, and sideways, and also eyes closed. Linear acceleration data were collected from linear accelerometers placed on the head, trunk, and seat and were processed using MATLAB. The head motion was analyzed using fast Fourier transform to derive the gain and phase of head pitch acceleration relative to seat linear acceleration. A randomization test for two independent variables tested the significance of visual and inertial effects on response gain and phase shifts. Results show that the gain was close to one, with no significant difference among visual conditions across frequencies. The phase was shown to be dependent on the head strategy each subject used.
Physical activity and sport-specific training patterns in Swedish sporting and working trial dogs—A questionnaire survey
Authors: Essner Ann , Hesbach Amie L. , Igelström Helena , Kjellerstedt Catarina , Svensson Kristina , Westerlind Helga
Published: November 2022

Objective

To explore physical activity patterns, including conditioning exercise and sport-specific training, and management routines utilized by handlers of Swedish sporting and working dogs participating in agility, obedience, rally obedience and working trial disciplines.

Procedures

Dog handlers provided information on competition-level dogs through an internet-based cross-sectional and descriptive survey on physical activity, sport-specific training and management. Results are reported overall and stratified by participation in specific disciplines.

Results

We received 1615 replies to the questionnaire. After data cleaning, 1582 dogs (98%) remained for the analysis. Of these, 430 participated in agility, 790 in obedience, 596 in rally obedience, and 847 dogs had competed in a working trial, i.e., messenger, protection, search or tracking. Number of disciplines performed by each dog varied between one and five. Most common was participation in one (n = 767, 48%) or two (n = 541, 34%) disciplines. Out of the dogs competing in one discipline, 38% (n = 294) were considered to be specialized as they actively trained only that discipline for ≥10 months per year. The vast majority of the dogs (n = 1129, 71%) received more than 1 h of daily physical activity, e.g., walks, and only n = 51 (3%) were never exercised off-leash. Preferred self-selected gait was trot (n = 907, 57%) and gallop (n = 499, 32%). A fifth (n = 319, 20%) never played with other dogs. The majority (n = 1328, 84%) received more than 1 h of vigorous physical conditioning exercise per week. Almost three quarters (n = 1119, 71%) participated in physical conditioning exercise. Two thirds (n = 953, 60%) participated in at least 3 h of sport-specific training per week and only a very small portion (n = 35, 2%) trained their specific discipline less than once per week. Median total work load, i.e., all daily physical activity, vigorous physical conditioning exercise and sport-specific training, was 16.5 h per week.

Conclusion and clinical relevance

We observe physical activity at moderate to high durations and moderate to vigorous intensities among Swedish sporting and working trial dogs. Most dogs received physical conditioning exercise, but not all dogs were warmed up before training and competition. Our study provides veterinary professionals and dog trainers with valuable insights on the physical exposures and management routines of sporting and working trial dogs.
Canine polarized macrophages express distinct functional and transcriptomic profiles
Authors: Chow Lyndah , Soontararak Sirikul , Wheat William , Ammons Dylan , Dow Steven
Published: November 2022

Macrophage differentiation and function in disease states is highly regulated by the local microenvironment. For example, macrophage exposure to IFN-γ (interferon gamma) initiates the development of inflammatory (M1) macrophages, which acquire anti-tumoral and antimicrobial activity, while exposure to IL-4 (interleukin-4) and IL-13 (interleukin-13) drives an anti-inflammatory (M2) macrophage phenotype, which promotes healing and suppression of inflammatory responses. Previous studies of canine polarized macrophages have identified several surface markers that distinguished GM-CSF (granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor), IFN-γ and LPS (lipopolysaccharide) derived M1 macrophages or M2 macrophages; and reported a subset of genes that can be used to differentiate between polarization states. However, the need remains to understand the underlying biological mechanisms governing canine macrophage polarization states. Therefore, in the present study we used transcriptome sequencing, a larger panel of flow cytometry markers, and the addition of antimicrobial functional assays to further characterize canine macrophage polarization. Transcriptome analysis revealed unique, previously unreported signatures and pathways for polarized canine M1 and M2 macrophages. New flow cytometric markers were also identified, along with new characterization of how macrophage polarization impacted antimicrobial functions. Taken together, the findings reported here provide new insights into canine macrophage biology and identify new tools for the evaluation of polarized macrophages in dogs.
Study on Thermal Runaway Behavior of Li-Ion Batteries Using Different Abuse Methods
Authors: Wei Dan , Zhang Mengqi , Zhu Linpei , Chen Hu , Huang Wensheng , Yao Jian , Yuan Zhuchen , Xu Chengshan , Feng Xuning
Published: November 2022

Thermal runaway (TR) and the thermal runaway propagation (TRP) of Li-ion batteries can lead to safety incidents and cause explosion or fire accidents. Therefore, TR is a critical issue for the thermal safety of Li-ion batteries. In this study, the TR and TRP behavior of Li-ion batteries using different abuse methods (nail penetration, side heating, and overcharge) was investigated experimentally. First, the Extended Volume Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (EV-ARC) test was performed using the cell with an internal implantation thermocouple for a comparative study. Three abuse methods were used to induce TR and TRP for the cells and modules. At the cell level, the maximum temperature inside the cell under the EV-ARC test, nail penetration, and side-heating abuse was 994.8 °C, 964.3 °C, and 1020 °C, respectively. The thermocouple inside the cell under the overcharge abuse test was broken, and the experimental phenomenon indicated that the cell was most severely damaged under the overcharging abuse test. At the module level, the TRP behavior using the three abuse methods was different than in the first two TR cells, while the behavior of the other cells was similar. It was evidenced that TRP triggered by the overcharge abuse was the most hazardous, followed by the side-heating abuse, and lastly, the nail-penetration abuse was the least.
Profibrotic Effects of Endothelin-1 on Fibroblasts Are Mediated by Aldosterone In Vitro: Relevance to the Pathogenesis and Therapy of Systemic Sclerosis and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Argentino Giuseppe , Barbieri Alessandro , Beri Ruggero , Bason Caterina , Ruzzenente Andrea , Olivieri Oliviero , Tinazzi Elisa , Puccetti Antonio , Vitali Claudio , Del Papa Nicoletta , Friso Simonetta , Lunardi Claudio
Published: November 2022

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a vasoactive and profibrotic peptide that plays a pivotal role in diseases such as systemic sclerosis (SSc) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), by inducing fibrosis and vascular remodeling. Such effects may be sustained by the induction of aldosterone production and reactive oxygen species (ROS). We have used fibroblasts obtained from skin of healthy donors and SSc patients and commercial fibroblasts from lung to evaluate whether ET-1 is able to stimulate ROS production directly or indirectly through aldosterone induction. We found that ET-1 receptors are present in all types of fibroblasts analyzed, whereas the expression of mineralocorticoid receptor (MCR) is lower in dermal fibroblasts from healthy donors (HDFs) compared to fibroblasts derived from lung (HPFs) or from skin of SSc patients (SScHDFs). ET-1 induces ROS production in HDFs and SScHDFs after 24 h of incubation involving its receptor B (ETB), whereas aldosterone exerts its effects after 40 min of incubation. Moreover, ROS production was inhibited by the pre-incubation of cells with MCR inhibitor. Our results indicate that ET-1 induces ROS indirectly through aldosterone production suggesting that aldosterone may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of SSc and PAH.
The Role of Epigenetics in the Development and Progression of Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Ismail Nor Hayati , Mussa Ali , Zakaria Nur Atikah , Al-Khreisat Mutaz Jamal , Zahidin Muhamad Aidil , Ramli Noor Nabila , Mohammad Siti Nur Nabeela A’ifah , Hassan Rosline , Mohd Noor Noor Haslina , Iberahim Salfarina , Zulkafli Zefarina , Mohamed Yusoff Shafini , Husin Azlan , Johan Muhammad Farid
Published: November 2022

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an exceptionally complicated and heterogeneous disease that is caused by the abnormal proliferation of malignant monoclonal plasma cells initiated in the bone marrow. In disease progression, a multistep process including differentiation, proliferation, and invasion is involved. Despite great improvement in treatment outcomes in recent years due to the substantial discovery of novel therapeutic drugs, MM is still regarded as an incurable disease. Patients with MM are afflicted by confronting remission periods accompanied by relapse or progression outcomes, which inevitably progress to the refractory stage. In this regard, MM may need new medications or modifications in therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance. A variety of genetic abnormalities (e.g., point mutations, translocations, and deletions) and epigenetic changes (e.g., DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA) contribute to the pathogenesis and development of MM. Here, we review the significant roles of epigenetic mechanisms in the development and progression of MM. We also highlight epigenetic pathways as potential novel treatment avenues for MM, including their interplay, use of epigenetic inhibitors, and major involvement in immuno-oncology.
Are Antisense Long Non-Coding RNA Related to COVID-19?
Authors: Badr Eman A E , El Sayed Ibrahim Eltantawy , Gabber Mohanad Kareem Razak , Ghobashy Eman Abd Elrehem , Al-Sehemi Abdullah G. , Algarni Hamed , Elghobashy Yasser AS
Published: November 2022

Fighting external pathogens relies on the tight regulation of the gene expression of the immune system. Ferroptosis, which is a distinct form of programmed cell death driven by iron, is involved in the enhancement of follicular helper T cell function during infection. The regulation of RNA is a key step in final gene expression. The present study aimed to identify the expression level of antisense lncRNAs (A2M-AS1, DBH-AS1, FLVCR1-DT, and NCBP2AS2-1) and FLVCR1 in COVID-19 patients and its relation to the severity of the disease. COVID-19 patients as well as age and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The expression level of the antisense lncRNAs was measured by RT-PCR. Results revealed the decreased expression of A2M-AS1 and FLVCR1 in COVID-19 patients. Additionally, they showed the increased expression of DBH-AS1, FLVCR1-DT, and NCBP2AS2. Both FLVCR1-DT and NCBP2AS2 showed a positive correlation with interleukin-6 (IL-6). DBH-AS1 and FLVCR1-DT had a significant association with mortality, complications, and mechanical ventilation. A significant negative correlation was found between A2M-AS1 and NCBP2AS2-1 and between FLVCR1 and FLVCR1-DT. The study confirmed that the expression level of the antisense lncRNAs was deregulated in COVID-19 patients and correlated with the severity of COVID-19, and that it may have possible roles in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Gold Nanoparticle-Mediated Gene Therapy
Authors: Kanu Gayathri A. , Parambath Javad B. M. , Abu Odeh Raed O. , Mohamed Ahmed A.
Published: November 2022

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have gained increasing attention as novel drug-delivery nanostructures for the treatment of cancers, infections, inflammations, and other diseases and disorders. They are versatile in design, synthesis, modification, and functionalization. This has many advantages in terms of gene editing and gene silencing, and their application in genetic illnesses. The development of several techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN, and ZFNs has raised hopes for the treatment of genetic abnormalities, although more focused experimentation is still needed. AuNPs, however, have been much more effective in trending research on this subject. In this review, we highlight recently well-developed advancements that are relevant to cutting-edge gene therapies, namely gene editing and gene silencing in diseases caused by a single gene in humans by taking an edge of the unique properties of the AuNPs, which will be an important outlook for future research.
Methylome Profiling of PD-L1-Expressing Glioblastomas Shows Enrichment of Post-Transcriptional and RNA-Associated Gene Regulation
Authors: Hutarew Georg , Hölzl Dorothee , Schiefer Tanja , Langwieder Celina K. , Alinger-Scharinger Beate , Schlicker Hans U. , Schwartz Christoph , Sotlar Karl , Kraus Theo F. J.
Published: November 2022

Glioblastomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors in adults. They show highly malignant behavior and devastating outcomes. Since there are still no targeted therapies available, median survival remains in the range of 12 to 15 months for glioblastoma patients. Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a promising novel candidate in precision medicine. Here, we performed integrated epigenome-wide methylation profiling of 866,895 methylation-specific sites in 20 glioblastoma samples comparing PD-L1 high- (i.e., TPS (tumor proportion score) > 30%) and PD-L1 low-expressing glioblastomas (i.e., TPS < 10%). We found 12,597 significantly differentially methylated CpGs (DMCG) (Δβ ≥ 0.1 and p-value < 0.05) in PD-L1 high- compared with PD-L1 low-expressing glioblastomas. These DMCGs were annotated to 2546 tiling regions, 139 promoters, 107 genes, and 107 CpG islands. PD-L1 high-expressing glioblastomas showed hypomethylation in 68% of all DMCGs. Interestingly, the list of the top 100 significantly differentially methylated genes showed the enrichment of regulatory RNAs with 19 DMCGs in miRNA, snoRNAs, lincRNAs, and asRNAs. Gene Ontology analysis showed the enrichment of post-transcriptional and RNA-associated pathways in the hypermethylated gene regions. In summary, dissecting the methylomes depending on PD-L1 status revealed significant alterations in RNA regulation and novel molecular targets in glioblastomas.
The Compatibility of Children with Obesity to Self-Report Aspects of Physical Activity Domains
Authors: Anavi Liraz E. , Kodesh Einat , Mainzer Gur
Published: November 2022

Questions about the different aspects of physical activity (PA) are commonly asked in the clinical setting, yet their compatibility for use with children, particularly children with obesity (OB) is uncertain. Our aim was to investigate different PA-related questions when compared to an objective maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) or validated questionnaires. For this study, 33 normal-weight (NW) (5 to less than 85% BMI percentile) and 35 OB (≥95% BMI percentile) children responded to three self-report PA questions evaluating PA domains (exercise capacity, limitations, and the maintenance of an active lifestyle); they also completed a maximal CPET and two validated questionnaires: the New York Heart Association (NYHA) questionnaire and the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ). The results regarding the NW children were highly compatible with their self-reports about exercise capacity (85%), whereas the compatibility was low (40%) in the OB group (p < 0.001). Both OB and NW groups had moderate compatibility between the self-report and objective findings regarding their exercise limitations and lifestyle with no significant differences between the groups. These findings suggest that it is inadvisable to rely on a single-item question by which to assess PA in OB children, and no definite conclusions regarding PA status should be drawn. NW children are more compatible with self-reporting their overall exercise capacity, with more limited compatibilities observed when self-reporting their limitations or lifestyle.
Diagnostic Efficacy of Advanced Ultrasonography Imaging Techniques in Infants with Biliary Atresia (BA): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Gunda Simon Takadiyi , Chambara Nonhlanhla , Chen Xiangyan Fiona , Pang Marco Yiu Chung , Ying Michael Tin-cheung
Published: November 2022

The early diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA) in cholestatic infants is critical to the success of the treatment. Intraoperative cholangiography (IOC), an invasive imaging technique, is the current strategy for the diagnosis of BA. Ultrasonography has advanced over recent years and emerging techniques such as shear wave elastography (SWE) have the potential to improve BA diagnosis. This review sought to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of advanced ultrasonography techniques in the diagnosis of BA. Six databases (CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science (core collection), and Embase) were searched for studies assessing the diagnostic performance of advanced ultrasonography techniques in differentiating BA from non-BA causes of infantile cholestasis. The meta-analysis was performed using Meta-DiSc 1.4 and Comprehensive Meta-analysis v3 software. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool version 2 (QUADAS-2) assessed the risk of bias. Fifteen studies consisting of 2185 patients (BA = 1105; non-BA = 1080) met the inclusion criteria. SWE was the only advanced ultrasonography technique reported and had a good pooled diagnostic performance (sensitivity = 83%; specificity = 77%; AUC = 0.896). Liver stiffness indicators were significantly higher in BA compared to non-BA patients (p < 0.000). SWE could be a useful tool in differentiating BA from non-BA causes of infantile cholestasis. Future studies to assess the utility of other advanced ultrasonography techniques are recommended.
Isochromatic-Art: A Computational Dataset for Digital Photoelasticity Studies
Authors: Briñez-De-Leon Juan-Carlos , Rico-Garcia Mateo , Restrepo-Martínez Alejandro
Published: November 2022

The importance of evaluating the stress field of loaded structures lies in the need for identifying the forces which make them fail, redesigning their geometry to increase the mechanical resistance, or characterizing unstressed regions to remove material. In such work line, digital photoelasticity highlights with the possibility of revealing the stress information through isochromatic color fringes, and quantifying it through inverse problem strategies. However, the absence of public data with a high variety of spatial fringe distribution has limited developing new proposals which generalize the stress evaluation in a wider variety of industrial applications. This dataset shares a variated collection of stress maps and their respective representation in color fringe patterns. In this case, the data were generated following a computational strategy that emulates the circular polariscope in dark field, but assuming stress surfaces and patches derived from analytical stress models, 3D reconstructions, saliency maps, and superpositions of Gaussian surfaces. In total, two sets of ‘101430’ raw images were separately generated for stress maps and isochromatic color fringes, respectively. This dataset can be valuable for researchers interested in characterizing the mechanical response in loaded models, engineers in computer science interested in modeling inverse problems, and scientists who work in physical phenomena such as 3D reconstruction in visible light, bubble analysis, oil surfaces, and film thickness.
A Survey of Hybrid Free Space Optics (FSO) Communication Networks to Achieve 5G Connectivity for Backhauling
Authors: Aboelala Omar , Lee It Ee , Chung Gwo Chin
Published: November 2022

Increased capacity, higher data rate, decreased latency, and better service quality are examples of the primary objectives or needs that must be catered to in the near future, i.e., fifth-generation (5G) and beyond. To fulfil these needs, cellular network design must be drastically improved. The 5G cellular network design, huge multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, and device-to-device communication are all highlighted in this comprehensive study. Hence, free-space optics (FSO) is a promising solution to address this field. However, FSO standalone is insufficient during turbulent weather conditions. FSO systems possess some limitations, such as being able to be disturbed by any interference between sender and receiver such as a flying bird and a tree, as it requires line-of-sight (LOS) connectivity. Moreover, it is sensitive to weather conditions; the FSO performance significantly decreases in bad weather conditions such as fog and snow; those factors deteriorate the performance of FSO. This paper conducts a systematic survey on the existing projects in the same area of research such as the hybrid FSO/Radio frequency (RF) communication system by listing each technique used for each model to achieve optimum performance in terms of data rate and Bit Error Rate (BER) to be implemented in 5G networks.
Counting with Cilia: The Role of Morphological Computation in Basal Cognition Research
Authors: Rorot Wiktor
Published: November 2022

“Morphological computation” is an increasingly important concept in robotics, artificial intelligence, and philosophy of the mind. It is used to understand how the body contributes to cognition and control of behavior. Its understanding in terms of “offloading” computation from the brain to the body has been criticized as misleading, and it has been suggested that the use of the concept conflates three classes of distinct processes. In fact, these criticisms implicitly hang on accepting a semantic definition of what constitutes computation. Here, I argue that an alternative, mechanistic view on computation offers a significantly different understanding of what morphological computation is. These theoretical considerations are then used to analyze the existing research program in developmental biology, which understands morphogenesis, the process of development of shape in biological systems, as a computational process. This important line of research shows that cognition and intelligence can be found across all scales of life, as the proponents of the basal cognition research program propose. Hence, clarifying the connection between morphological computation and morphogenesis allows for strengthening the role of the former concept in this emerging research field.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Different LED Irradiators When Growing Red Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) in Indoor Farming
Authors: Semenova Natalya A. , Smirnov Alexandr A. , Dorokhov Alexey S. , Proshkin Yuri A. , Ivanitskikh Alina S. , Chilingaryan Narek O. , Dorokhov Artem A. , Yanykin Denis V. , Gudkov Sergey V. , Izmailov Andrey Yu.
Published: November 2022

Investigation is devoted to the optimization of light spectrum and intensity used for red mustard growing. Notably, most of the studies devoted to red mustard growing were conducted on micro-greens, which is not enough for the development of methods and recommendations for making the right choices about the irradiation parameters for full-cycle cultivation. In this study, we tested four models of LED with different ratios of blue, green red and far red radiation intensity: 12:20:63:5; 15:30:49:6; 30:1:68:1, in two values of photon flux density (PFD)—120 and 180 µmol m−2 s−1—to determine the most effective combination for red mustard growing. The study was conducted in a container-type climate chamber, where the red leaf mustard was cultivated in hydroponics. On the 30th day of cultivation, the plant’s morphological, biochemical and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and reflection coefficients were recorded. The results indicated that the PFD 120 µmol m−2 s−1 had a worse effect on both mustard leaf biomass accumulation and nitrate concentration (13–30% higher) in the plants. The best lighting option for growing red mustard was the blue–red spectrum, as the most efficient in terms of converting electricity into biomass (77 Wth/g). This light spectrum contributes to plant development with a larger leaf area (60%) and a fresh mass (54%) compared with the control, which has a maximum similarity in spectrum percentage to the sunlight spectrum. The presence of green and far red radiation with the blue–red light spectrum in various proportions at the same level of PFD had a negative effect on plant fresh mass, leaf surface area and photosynthetic activity. The obtained results could be useful for lighting parameters’ optimization when growing red mustard in urban farms.
Privacy Protected Preservation of Electric Vehicles’ Data in Cloud Computing Using Secure Data Access Control
Authors: Alattab Ahmed Abdu , Irshad Reyazur Rashid , Yahya Anwar Ali , Al-Awady Amin A.
Published: November 2022

Cloud computing provides a ubiquitous data storage and access mechanism for organizations, industries, and smart grids to facilitate their operations. However, the concern in cloud storage systems is to secure data access control toward authentication for sensitive data, such as the electric vehicles (EVs) requesting information for attending a charging service. Consequently, denying an authentic user’s request will result in delaying the requested service, thereby leading to service inefficiency. The role-based access control (RBAC) plays a crucial role in securing and authenticating such time-sensitive data. The design mechanism of roles is based on skills, authority, and responsibilities for organizations. For EVs, the roles are based on the type of membership, such as permanent, occasional, or one-time. In this paper, we propose a new RBAC access control and privacy-preserving information access method toward the coarse-grained measure control and privacy protection in the cloud storage system for EVs. The data can be encrypted and decrypted based on the types of users who possess appropriate access permission toward authorized and unauthorized users according to their roles specified by role-based access control policies. The proposed approach has been simulated with various role-based scenarios, and the efficiency was evaluated against state-of-the-art role-based access-control techniques.
Modeling the Influence of the Electrolyte Concentration on Electrical Characteristics of an Alkaline Electrolyzer
Authors: Górecki Krzysztof , Świtalski Emilian , Górecki Paweł
Published: November 2022

This paper presents the results of investigations into modeling the DC and dynamic characteristics of an alkaline electrolyzer. A model of the device under consideration is proposed in the form of analytical relationships in which the coefficients depend on the concentration of the potassium hydroxide solution contained in the electrolyzer under consideration. The correctness of the proposed model is verified by comparing the calculated and measured current–voltage characteristics and the dependence of the module of the impedance of the electrolyzer on the frequency obtained at different values of the electrolyte concentration. The dependence of the time needed to produce a given portion of hydrogen on the supply current and the electrolyte concentration is also presented. Good compliance with the calculation and measurement results is obtained over a wide range of voltage and current, frequency, and concentration of the electrolyte.
The Relationship between Structure and Catalytic Activity-Stability of Non-Precious Metal-Based Catalysts towards Levulinic Acid Hydrogenation to γ-Valerolactone: A Review
Authors: Yang Ying , Sun Yuhang , Luo Xinruo
Published: November 2022

Hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) is regarded as the bridge between bio-refinery and the traditional petroleum industry. In recent years, non-precious metal-based catalysts for LA hydrogenation to GVL have attracted much attention owing to their low cost and high efficiency. Metal-involving catalytic hydrogenation of LA is the rate-determining step in the production of GVL, and thus the active site structure of metal-based catalysts governs the overall catalytic performance. Herein, non-precious metal-based catalytic systems including Cu, Zr, Co and Ni are classified into single metal (M = Ni, Cu and Co), bimetallic (Cu–Ni, Ag–Ni, Cu–Co and Co–Zn), metal-heteroatom (M–O and M–N) and heterostructured (CePO4/CoP2 and Ni/NiO) catalysts according to the type of active site structure. The correlation of active site structure with catalytic activity is discussed emphatically, and its relationship with stability is also referred to in terms of strong metal–support interaction, bimetallic synergism, core–shell structure and heterojunction. This review provides an important guide for the rational design of high-performance non-precious metal-based catalysts for the LA-to-GVL process.
Modelling of SO2 and NOx Emissions from Coal and Biomass Combustion in Air-Firing, Oxyfuel, iG-CLC, and CLOU Conditions by Fuzzy Logic Approach
Authors: Krzywanski Jaroslaw , Czakiert Tomasz , Zylka Anna , Nowak Wojciech , Sosnowski Marcin , Grabowska Karolina , Skrobek Dorian , Sztekler Karol , Kulakowska Anna , Ashraf Waqar Muhammad , Gao Yunfei
Published: November 2022

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is one of the most advanced technologies allowing for the reduction in CO2 emissions during the combustion of solid fuels. The modified method combines chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU) and in situ gasification chemical looping combustion (iG-CLC). As a result, an innovative hybrid chemical looping combustion came into existence, making the above two technologies complementary. Since the complexity of the CLC is still not sufficiently recognized, the study of this process is of a practical significance. The paper describes the experiences in the modelling of complex geometry CLC equipment. The experimental facility consists of two reactors: an air reactor and a fuel reactor. The paper introduces the fuzzy logic (FL) method as an artificial intelligence (AI) approach for the prediction of SO2 and NOx (i.e., NO + NO2) emissions from coal and biomass combustion carried out in air-firing; oxyfuel; iG-CLC; and CLOU conditions. The developed model has been successfully validated on a 5 kWth research unit called the dual fluidized bed chemical looping combustion of solid fuels (DFB-CLC-SF).
Efficiency of a Twin-Two-Pump Hydraulic Power Pack with Pumps Equipped in Constant Pressure Regulators with Different Linear Performance Characteristics
Authors: Banaszek Andrzej , Petrović Radovan , Andjelković Maja , Radosavljević Milan
Published: November 2022

The efficiency problem of hydraulic pump units with advanced double structures with constant pressure regulators with different linear characteristics in the case of work in an open supply system is presented in the paper. The main parts of the hydraulic power pack structure and pressure controller functions are described. The equation is given for the calculation of energy losses in particular pumps and the whole multi-pump power pack unit. The difference between the efficiency of particular pumps and the hydraulic pump unit was discussed.