bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WITHDRAWN: Relationships Between Serum α-Klotho Concentration and Inflammation-Related Cytokines in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Lisowska Katarzyna A. , Storoniak Hanna , Soroczyńska-Cybula Monika , Maziewski Mateusz , Dębska-Ślizień Alicja
Published: December 2021

We investigated the relationship between α-Klotho and cytokines related to inflammation in HD patients. We analyzed levels of α-Klotho with ELISA and inflammatory cytokines with CBA in the serum of HD patients. There was a significant negative correlation between the concentration of serum α-Klotho and patients’ age and the serum concentration of PTH. No correlation has been found between α-Klotho and Ca or Pi. HD time, creatynine or eGFR. However, there were significant positive correlations between the concentration of α-Klotho and the serum concentration of IL-12p70, IL-10, and IL-1β. Furthermore, the concentration of IL-10 and IL-1β was significantly lower in HD patients with low α-Klotho concentrations compared with HD patients with high α-Klotho. However, in a multivariable linear regression analysis, only patients’ age was associated independently with α-Klotho level. While these results draw our attention to potential relationships between α-Klotho proteins and inflammatory markers in HD patients, our cross-sectional study could not fully explain the pathogenic link between α-Klotho and inflammation in these patients. Therefore, further studies are necessary to clarify these relationships. However, this observation aligns with previous studies that confirm a significant relationship between Klotho concentration and human aging.
Analysis of the Safety and Pregnant Outcomes of Fertility-Sparing Surgery in Ovarian Malignant Sex Cord-Stromal Tumors: A Multicenter Retrospective Study
Authors: Li Junting , Chu Ran , Chen Gang , Shen Yuanming , Lou Yanhui , Sun Chaoyang , Li Kezhen , Song Li , Qin Tianyu , Li Jingnan , Yin Yifan , Chen Zhongshao , Liu Penglin , Song Kun , Li Li , Kong Beihua
Published: December 2021

Background: To assess the difference in survival between fertility-sparing surgery (FSS) and radical surgery (RS) and explore pregnant outcomes after FSS in stage I malignant sex cord-stromal tumors (MSCSTs).Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study on patients who were diagnosed with stage IA or IC MSCSTs. Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting was performed between the FSS and RS groups. The Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier method were used to compare the categorical variables and disease-free survival (DFS). The binary logistic regression analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to identify high-risk factors related to DFS and pregnancy.Results: A total of 107 patients were included, of whom 54 (50.5%) women underwent FSS, and 53 (49.5%) women underwent RS. After IPTW, 208 patients were obtained, and all of the covariates were well balanced. After a median follow-up time of 50 months (range 7-156 months), there was no significant difference of DFS between the two groups in both unweighted cohort (P=0.969) or weighted cohort (P=0.792). In the weighted cohort, stage IC (P=0.014), tumor diameter >8 cm (P=0.003), incomplete staging surgery (P=0.003) and no adjuvant chemotherapy (P <0.001) were 4 high-risk factors associated with a shorter DFS. Among 14 patients who had pregnancy desire, 11 (78.6%) women conceived successfully, and the live birth rate was 76.9%. In univariate analysis, only adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.009) was associated with infertility.Conclusions: On the premise of complete staging surgery, FSS is safe and feasible in stage IA and IC MSCSTs with satisfactory reproductive outcomes.
Determinants of Health-related Quality of Life in Recently Detoxified Patients With Severe Alcohol Use Disorder
Authors: Lahbairi Najlaa , Laniepce Alice , Segobin Shailendra , Cabé Nicolas , Boudehent Céline , Vabret François , Rauchs Géraldine , Pitel Anne-Lise
Published: December 2021

Background. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important clinical outcome in Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and is considered as a relevant indicator of treatment success. While a better understanding of the factors affecting HRQoL would enable to adjust patients’ care to favour treatment outcome, the determinants of HRQoL in AUD remain unclear. This study aims at describing HRQoL in AUD patients and at identifying its best predictors. Methods. We included 53 recently detoxified patients with severe AUD (sAUD) and 38 healthy controls (HC). They underwent a cognitive assessment and filled in questionnaires concerning socio-demographics, alcohol history, sleep quality, depression, anxiety and impulsivity. Additionally, a HRQoL questionnaire especially designed for AUD patients (Alcohol Quality of Life Scale; AQoLS) was used.Results. sAUD patients reported that alcohol affects their HRQoL mainly in the “negative emotions”, “control”, “relationships”, and “sleep” domains. Compared to HC, they were impaired on episodic memory, working memory, executive functions, and processing speed tasks. They also reported lower sleep quality, higher depression, anxiety and impulsivity. No association was found between AQoLS total score and socio-demographics, cognitive performance, or sleep quality in patients. We found a significant correlation between HRQoL and depression/anxiety as well as impulsivity. Anxiety and impulsivity were indeed the only significant predictors of HRQoL, explaining 47.7% of the variance. Conclusions. Anxiety and impulsivity are crucial determinants of HRQoL in recently detoxified sAUD patients. Since anxiety and impulsivity are frequent issues in addiction and especially in AUD, they should be particularly considered by clinicians to favour treatment outcomes.
Skin score as a predictor of prolonged QTc in systemic sclerosis.
Authors:   1.	Alireza Fatemi, Abdolahi Nafiseh , Aghaei Mehrdad ,   4.	Hamidreza Azimi, Mohammadi Ahmad
Published: December 2021

Background

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Cardiac involvement during systemic sclerosis can be primary or secondary to pulmonary arterial hypertension and renal pathology. Among the disorders in systemic sclerosis, prolongation of QTc time is also associated with more anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies, longer duration and severity of disease.
Methods

This case-control study was performed on 35 patients with systemic scleroderma who filled in the American Society of Rheumatism (ACR / EULAR criteria) and 35 healthy subjects prior to entering the study. Then, the QTc distance was extracted from the electrocardiogram and calculated using the formula. The measured QTc distance in the electrocardiogram, QTc> 440ms in men and QTc> 460ms in women, was defined as QTc long. Then the patients and the control group underwent echocardiography and changes in QTc interval and its relation with echocardiographic findings was evaluated.
Results

The results of this study indicated a significant relationship between QTc distance in patients with scleroderma compared with healthy controls. There was also a significant relationship between QTc and Skin Score of patients. However, there was no significant correlation between QTc distance and age, gender, duration of disease, Anti-Centromere, Anti-Scl70, and pulmonary artery pressure.
Conclusion

This study concludes that patients with scleroderma are at high risk for cardiac conduction impairment. The only factor that significantly correlated with QTc was the Skin Score of the patients.
Evaluation of treatment efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in rare single EGFR Exon 21 L861Q mutation; single center experience.
Authors: Gürsoy pınar
Published: December 2021

Aim:Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are the second most common oncogenic driver event in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).We aimed to compare the first generation erlotinib treatment with the second generation afatinib treatment in patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) with Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Exon 21 L861Q mutation.Patients and Methods:Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 30 NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib or afatinib due to single EGFR L861Q positivity were compared retrospectively.Results:There were twenty-three patients in the erlotinib arm and seven patients in the afatinib arm. Median PFS was 12.8 months in the erlotinib group and 9.3 months in the afatinib group. Median overall survival in erlotinib and afatinib groups were 77.9 months and 30.3 months, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in the comparison of these survival times.Conclusion:Survival times of erlotinib and afatinib treatment are similar in patients with a single EGFR L861Q mutation. In patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) treatment, female gender has a positive effect on PFS and being none-smoker has a positive effect on OS. In patients with rare mutation Exon 21 L861Q positivity both first-generation and second-generation TKIs should be considered.
­Comparison of Statistical Downscaling of Summer Daily Precipitation Through a Certain Perfect Prognosis and Bias Corrections - A Case Study Across China
Authors: Liu Yonghe , Wang Xiyue , Wang Mingshi , Wang Hailin
Published: December 2021

Fewer perfect prognosis (PP) based statistical downscaling were applied to future projections produced by global circulation models (GCM), when compared with the method of model output statistics (MOS). This study is a trial to use a multiple variable based PP downscaling for summer daily precipitation at many sites in China and to compare with the MOS. For the PP method (denoted as ‘OGB-PP’), predictors for each site are screened from surface-level variables in ERA-Interim reanalysis by an optimal grid-box method, then the biases in predictors are corrected and fitted to generalized linear models to downscale daily precipitation. The historical and the future simulations under the medium emission scenario (often represented as ‘RCP4.5’), produced by three GCMs (CanESM2, HadGEM2-ES and GFDL-ESM2G) in the coupled model intercomparison project phase five (CMIP5) were used as the downscaling bases. The bias correction based MOS downscaling (denoted as ‘BC-MOS’) were used to compare with the OGB-PP. The OGB-PP generally produced the climatological mean of summer precipitation across China, based on both ERAI and CMIP5 historical simulations. The downscaled spatial patterns of long-term changes are diverse, depending on the different GCMs, different predictor-bias corrections, and the choices on selecting PP and MOS. The annual variations downscaled by OGB-PP have small differences among the choices of different predictor-bias corrections, but have large difference to that downscaled by BC-MOS. The future changes downscaled from each GCM are sensitive to the bias corrections on predictors. The overall change patterns in some OGB-PP results on future projections produced similar trends as those projected by other multiple-model downscaling in CMIP5, while the result of the BC-MOS on the same GCMs did not, implying that PP methods may be promising. OGB-PP produced more significant increasing/decreasing trends and larger spatial variability of trends than the BC-MOS methods did. The reason maybe that in OGB-PP the independent precipitation modeling mechanism and the freely selected grid-box predictors can give rise to more diverse outputs over different sites than that from BC-MOS, which can contribute additional local variability.
Exposure to C. Albicans Makes Bladder Epithelial Cells Induce Apoptosis and Modification of Their Microenvironment
Authors: Kim Jayoung , Yeon Austin , Ahmed Khandakar Tanvir , Zhang Wei , Kim Khae-Hawn , Kim Woong-Ki
Published: December 2021

INTRODUCTION. Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC) is characterized by chronic bladder pain and urinary storage symptoms. IC affects more than 3.3 million women in the U.S. alone. Ibis T-5000 assays and next generation sequencing have revealed that the C. albicans fungus is highly abundant in the urine of IC patients, particularly those who report greater pain, urinary urgency, and flares. However, currently, the clinical significance of C. albicans in the urine remains elusive. Here, we report the pathological effects and mechanisms triggered by C. albicans in a healthy normal bladder. METHODS. Immortalized bladder epithelial cells were infected with C. albicans. Perturbations in gene expression were identified using an Affymetrix gene microarray and subsequently followed with bioinformatic analyses, including gene set enrichment. Inflammatory and apoptotic genes were quantified using RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. Central signal pathways were examined using Western blot analysis. RESULTS. DNA microarray analysis showed alterations in the transcriptome of bladder epithelial cells infected with C. albicans over both the short and long terms. Key inflammatory and apoptosis networks were changed, which was consistent with several cellular events. Cellular levels of reactive oxygen species and nitrogen oxide increased after infection. Productions of cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandine E2 also increased after C. albicans infection, and their productions were suppressed by blockage of reactive oxygen species-epidermal growth factor receptor-Erk pathway. CONCLUSIONS. This study provides evidence that C. albicans infection triggers inflammation and cellular damage by dysregulating key regulatory genes, signaling pathways, and bioactive species in normal bladder cells.
Feyzi Halıcı Şiirinin Tasavvuf Bağlamında İncelenmesi
Authors: KARAKUŞ Ahmet
Published: December 2021

İslam’ın muhabbete ve aşka dayalı hikemî, ahlaki ve irfani tarafı olarak da tanımlanabilecek tasavvuf, Türk şiirinin birçok evresinde şairler tarafından işlenmiş bir temadır. Modern dönem şairleri arasında da ele alınan tasavvuf, çeşitli ıstılahlar dikkate alınarak Âşık Fezaî mahlasıyla da bilinen Feyzi Halıcı şiirinde de yer almıştır. Manzum ve mensur, kafiyeli ve serbest tarzda şiirleri olan Feyzi Halıcı herhangi bir tarikata intisabı olmasa da Hz. Mevlânâ ve Mevlevilikten etkilenip tasavvufu şiirinde işleyen çağdaş Türk şairlerindendir. Halıcı şiiri tasavvufi ıstılahlar dikkate alınarak ele alınmıştır. Feyzi Halıcı şiirinde özellikle Hz. Mevlânâ, Yunus Emre, Ahmed Yesevî ve Mevlevi postnişinlerinden Şeyh Galip, çalışmanın tasavvuf büyükleri adındaki alt başlığında verilmiştir. Ayrıca tasavvufta önemli ıstılahlardan olan mürşit ve mürit başlıklarında şeyhlik ve dervişlik ele alınmıştır. Zikir başlığında ise sema’nın şiirde nasıl geçtiği verilmeye çalışılmış, ney ve kudüm gibi Mevlevi zikrinin önemli müzik aletleri Mevlevi enstrümanlar maddesinde işlenmiştir. Tasavvuf için bir başka önemi olan tecelli kavramının yanında nefs ıstılahı da diğer başlıklar olarak verilmiştir. Tasavvufta sülukun nihayeti için dervişin hâli olan aşk ele alınmış, varlık-yokluk kavramlarının Halıcı şiirinde nasıl ele alındığı işlenmiştir.
Effect of glyprolines on serum caspase levels under “social” stress
Authors: Yasenyavskaya Anna L. , Tsibizova Alexandra A. , Andreeva Lyudmila A. , Myasoedov Nikolay F. , Bashkina Olga A. , Samotrueva Marina A.
Published: December 2021

Objective. To investigate the effect of glyprolines on the levels of initiating and effector caspases in the serum of white rats under "social" stress. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on 90 white male rats of 6 months of age. All manipulations with animals were carried out in accordance with international and domestic requirements for working with laboratory animals. When modeling "social" stress, groups of animals with aggressive and submissive behavior were formed. Laboratory animals, taking into account the types of behavior, were divided into groups (n=10): a group of intact males (control); a group of animals exposed to" social " stress for 20 days (stress); groups of individuals who received intraperitoneal Selank (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), Pro-Gly-Pro, Pro-Gly-Pro-Leu at doses of 100 mcg/kg / day from the 1st day of stress exposure within a 20- day course. The effect of neuropeptides on the activity of apoptosis processes was evaluated by determining the level of initiating and effector caspases (caspase-8 and caspase-3) (ELISA Kit for Caspase-8 and ELISA Kit for Caspase-3; USA) in the blood serum of white rats by enzyme immunoassay. Results. According to the results of the study, it was found that under conditions of "social" stress, an increase in apoptotic processes was observed, accompanied by an increase in the level of caspase-3 and caspase-8 in the blood serum of white rats. The introduction of the studied compounds against the background of stress contributed to a decrease in the level of the studied indicators, which is most likely due to the presence of antiapoptotic action in glyprolins due to inhibition of the caspase-dependent cascade of apoptosis reactions, as a result of which the destruction of cellular structures occurs by hydrolysis of nuclear lamina, cleavage of adhesive proteins, destruction of the cytoskeleton. Conclusion. Thus, the conducted study established the presence of Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro (Selank), Pro-Gly-Pro and Pro-Gly-Pro-Leu under conditions of stress-induced antiapoptotic activity due to inhibition of the caspase-dependent cascade of apoptosis reactions.
Public toilets from the perspective of users: a case study in a public place, Brazil
Authors: Moreira Fernanda Deister , Rezende Sonaly , Passos Fabiana
Published: December 2021

Public toilets are essential infrastructure to guarantee the right to sanitation in public spaces and, in more general terms, the right to inclusive and sustainable cities. Moreover, since the equipment has a direct user interface, it is important to understand their demands and needs. Given this, the present research aims to understand the perspective of public toilet users on the Pampulha Lake Shore (PLS), a public touristic place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. For that, observations and semi-structured interviews were carried out with different public toilet users. In addition, comments posted on the Google Local Guides tool of Google Maps were used as a secondary database for understanding users' experience of PLS toilets. The analysis made it possible to identify aspects related to availability, quality (health and hygiene), security, and accessibility. Collected data showed how the conflicting choice of whether or not to use the toilet was directly related to the health and conservation of the urban equipment and interfered with social and leisure prospects. On the whole, the importance of the user's perspective was highlighted in this study with emphasis on elaborating adequate urban planning with regard to health, sanitation, and accessibility issues.
Xucuru-Kariri
Authors: Santos da Rocha Adauto , Silva Edson
Published: December 2021

Neste artigo, buscamos estabelecer diálogos entre documentos escritos, memórias dos índios Xukuru-Kariri (habitantes em Palmeira dos Índios, Semiárido de Alagoas) e os registros históricos que evidenciaram as mobilidades desse povo indígena para trabalhos sazonais, em razão do esbulho territorial e expansão agropecuária na região. Discutimos os percursos até as cidades de destino e os retornos para as aldeias Xukuru-Kariri. Além de entrevistas com indígenas migrantes, realizamos pesquisa documental nos acervos do Grupo de Pesquisas em História Indígena de Alagoas e do Museu do Índio/Rio de Janeiro. Como referencial teórico, nos embasamos em: Silva Júnior (2013); Silva (2014); e Oliveira (1999; 2011) para discutir as migrações indígenas em atividades sazonais durante a segunda metade do século XX.
Migrações Terena para a periferia de Campo Grande (MS)
Authors: Barros Lima Luiz Felipe , Ferri Mauro Victor
Published: December 2021

Este artigo apresenta uma análise do deslocamento espacial de um pequeno grupo de indígenas Terena oriundo de aldeias no interior de Mato Grosso do Sul para um bairro periférico da capital daquele estado - Campo Grande -, chamado Jardim Inápolis, e também investiga estratégias de adaptação ao novo ambiente que incluem a manutenção de redes de parentesco e compadrio que vinculam pessoas dentro desse grupo de acordo com padrões tradicionais da etnia. A análise se respalda em informações obtidas em extenso levantamento bibliográfico de obras escritas sobre os Terena articuladas a informações produzidas em campo a partir de observações diretas e conversas com líderes de duas famílias indígenas moradoras da comunidade em questão. Ao final, percebe-se nesse caso a manutenção de práticas tradicionais de organização sócio-espacial e relações de parentesco típicas dos Terena adaptada ao contexto urbano e a emergência de um processo de territorialização fortalecido por elaborações e ressignificações culturais que operam como marcadores da identidade étnica em contraste com a sociedade envolvente.
INDICADORES DE SAÚDE DE CATADORES DE MATERIAIS RECICLÁVEIS: ELEMENTOS PARA REFLEXÕES SOBRE A TEMÁTICA DOS RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS
Authors: Souza Maria de Fátima de , Da Silva Rafaela Oliveira , Arimateia Dayse Santos , Da Silva Rízia Maria , Calheiros Maria Evanísia Amorim
Published: December 2021

As atividades de coleta e triagem de resíduos sólidos expõem os catadores de materiais recicláveis a problemas ergonômicos, traumas por acidentes, riscos químicos e biológicos. O objetivo foi avaliar o estado de saúde do grupo de catadores da COOPCICLA, com base na análise laboratorial nas dosagens bioquímicas de colesterol, triglicerídeos, glicose, creatinina; além de sumário de urina, análise hematológica e coproparasitológica. O estudo caracterizou-se como censitário e incluiu os 42 catadores da COOPCICLA. Identificou-se um índice elevado de colesterol, em apenas uma paciente com faixa etária entre 30 e 44 anos. HDL baixo e LDL alto foram encontrados em 9,6% e 4,8% dos casos, respectivamente. Índices altos de triglicerídeos (14,6%) foram encontrados apenas em mulheres. O único caso de diabetes foi diagnosticado em um homem. A principal alteração observada no hemograma foi na contagem diferencial de leucócitos, com ocorrência de eosinofilia em 60,9% das amostras. A prevalência de enteroparasitos foi de 81,5%, sendo observados uma diversidade de espécies incluindo protozoários e helmintos. Os dados referentes à enteroparasitoses complementados pelos achados da eosinofilia contribuem e referendam os estudos sobre insalubridade da profissão de catador. Esses resultados indicam que a melhoria da estrutura física do prédio da cooperativa, compatibilizando a adequação para a produção com a segurança alimentar, se constituem medidas urgentes e necessárias à manutenção da saúde desses trabalhadores.
PIBID-UFRN: HORIZONTE E DESAFIOS PARA UMA POLÍTICA DE FORMAÇÃO INCLUDENTE E DE QUALIDADE
Authors: Ribeiro Cynara Teixeira , Sá Júnior Lucrécio Araújo de , Gonçalves Marta Aparecida Garcia , Morais Grinaura Medeiros de
Published: December 2021

O presente artigo reflete criticamente sobre o Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência (PIBID), implantado na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) desde 2007 e reconhecido institucionalmente como uma importante iniciativa para o fortalecimento dos cursos de licenciatura e elevação da qualidade da formação docente inicial. Balizar o horizonte e desafios desse projeto requer um olhar retrospectivo e prospectivo simultaneamente. Para tanto, são procedidas análises acerca das ações almejadas para se alcançar o êxito desejado na formação de professores para atuar na educação básica; das dificuldades encontradas e dos desafios instaurados a partir dessas; das metas e resultados vislumbrados; e dos próximos passos a serem trilhados. Constata-se a necessidade de consolidação do projeto no âmbito da instituição bem como de reflexões acerca do papel do PIBID-UFRN na política institucional de professores, a qual deve ser assumida como absoluta prioridade por todos os atores sociais envolvidos com a educação.
Humanismo Caboclo: práticas de educação popular entre jovens
Authors: Sousa Luciano de Melo , Da Silva Driele Vanessa Viana , Nascimento Juliana Lima
Published: December 2021

Analisa experiências extensionistas do Humanismo Caboclo, entre 2014 e 2015, a partir de trabalhos educativos de duas estudantes do curso de Pedagogia junto às suas comunidades, em municípios do estado do Piauí. A proposta extensionista, inspirada no pensamento de Paulo Freire (1987; 1996; 2011), fomentou as caminhadas de organização e luta social dos grupos dos quais fazem parte as estudantes (um grupo de jovens e uma associação ambientalista) em diálogo com o suporte teórico sobre educação popular. Seu foco é compreender as trajetórias construídas pelos coletivos: ações, objetivos, estratégias e processos. Paralelamente, discute um sentido para extensão universitária que supera o assistencialismo social e a educação instrumentalizadora.
A hora imortal da Universidade
Authors: Araújo Humberto Hermenegildo de
Published: December 2021

Em“A hora imortal da Universidade” o acadêmico da Academia Norteriograndense de Letras Humberto Hermenegildo, "Ad immortalitem" faz uma análise do discurso de Câmara Cascudo intitulado Universidade e Civilização, durante a solenidade de instalação da UFRN.  As relações desse discurso com os planos para a “Universidade popular” são traçadas, e a explicitação do que teria pensado Cascudo ao escrever aquele discurso é avaliada também em uma perspectiva atual. Ainda nesta sessão, o professor Willington Germano, pró-reitor de extensão no período 1999-2003 e professor emérito da UFRN, propõe a discussão sobre a “Educação em tempos de exceção”, uma avaliação dos retrocessos e ameaças “ao conhecimento crítico, aquele que pode auxiliar os indivíduos a fazerem escolhas e julgamento inerentes à atividade do pensamento”.
A universidade e o saber popular
Authors: Boff Leonardo
Published: December 2021

O texto de Boff “A universidade e o saber popular” chama a atenção para o papel da universidade no desenvolvimento da autonomia dos cidadãos junto aos movimentos sociais, quando ela é “desafiada a alargar o seu horizonte”, a frequentar “a escola viva do povo”.
An Updated Review of the Pre-Clinical Role of microRNAs and their
Contribution to Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Dastmalchi Narges , Safaralizadeh Reza , Teimourian Shahram
Published: December 2021

:

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the main causes of malignancy-related
mortality worldwide. It was well-identified that microRNAs (miRNAs) decisively participate
in cellular biological pathways; in a way that their deregulated expression causes CRC
progression. miRNAs can control the translation and degradation of mRNAs by binding to
various molecular targets involved in different biological processes, including growth,
apoptosis, cell cycle, autophagy, angiogenesis, metastasis, etc. The functions of these
dysregulated miRNAs may be either oncogenic or tumor-suppressive. Therefore, these
miRNAs can be contributed to prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches in CRC.
In this study, we reviewed the tumor-suppressive and oncogenic functions of miRNAs in
CRC and assessed their molecular activities in CRC development. However, further
investigation for the involvement of dysregulated miRNAs in CRC progression is required.
Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells: What They Are and What They Can Become
Authors: Rosner Margit , Hengstschläger Markus
Published: December 2021

:

In the last two decades, fetal amniotic fluid stem cells progressively attracted attention
in the context of both basic research and the development of innovative therapeutic concepts. They
exhibit broadly multipotent plasticity with the ability to differentiate into cells of all three embryonic
germ layers and low immunogenicity. They are convenient to maintain, highly proliferative, genomically
stable, non-tumorigenic, perfectly amenable to genetic modifications, and do not raise
ethical concerns. However, it is important to note that among the various fetal amniotic fluid cells,
only c-Kit+ amniotic fluid stem cells represent a distinct entity showing the full spectrum of these
features. Since amniotic fluid additionally contains numerous terminally differentiated cells and
progenitor cells with more limited differentiation potentials, it is of highest relevance to always precisely
describe the isolation procedure and characteristics of the used amniotic fluid-derived cell
type. It is of obvious interest for scientists, clinicians, and patients alike to be able to rely on up-todate
and concisely separated pictures of the utilities as well as the limitations of terminally differentiated
amniotic fluid cells, amniotic fluid-derived progenitor cells, and c-Kit+ amniotic fluid stem
cells, to drive these distinct cellular models towards as many individual clinical applications as possible.
Juridical analysis of the regulation of fishery resources in the Indonesian exclusive economic zone
Authors: Nova Sri Asih Roza , Isra Saldi , Ferdi Ferdi , Husin Sukanda
Published: December 2021

As an archipelagic country, Indonesia has a wealth of living and non-biological natural resources, especially in its exclusive economic zone, specifically in this zone, there are an abundant wealth of fishery resources, but the economy and welfare level of traditional Indonesian fishers are still below the poverty line, in addition to the management of exploration and exploitation of fishery resources, Indonesia faces various problems, one of which is a problem with legal provisions. Therefore, researchers will analyze legal problems in managing fishery resources in this study's exclusive Indonesian economic zone. To answer the questions in this study, the authors used normative juridical research methods, and the results of the analysis were described using qualitative methods. After reviewing the literature, the study results indicate that legal problems in the fisheries sector are due to overlapping regulations and conflicting regulations. For this reason, in this study, the authors suggest the need to revitalize the law in the fisheries sector by harmonizing the law.
Customer relationship marketing & enterprise performance
Authors: Ekakitie-Emonena Sunny , Alagba Ochuko S.
Published: December 2021

The seeming eternal pursuit of profit by financial institutions and other enterprises has proved to be short-sighted judging from recent studies. Emphases have shifted to securing the goose that lays the golden egg (the customer) rather than the egg itself. This study focused on the imperative of deploying evolving customer-centric platforms such as CRM to manage customer needs satisfactorily to guarantee continued patronage and profit (performance). CRM is revealed as a competitive strategy hotly becoming popular among Nigerian banks - extant literature on its dynamics was clinically x-rayed. Models of relationship management such as relational benefit, network and relational quality models were discussed about service offerings. Survey research was used in a cross-sectional study to test the nature of the association between CRM predictor variables of interactive marketing, service quality and bonding among leading banks in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. These variables were tested to ascertain whether they would become significant predictors of performance among the leading banks sampled. The outcome reveals a positive association and a strongly significant influence at 0.05%. This necessitated the rejection of all two hypotheses tested.
Audience perception on the contributions of local language broadcasts to the development of indigenous languages in Delta State, Nigeria
Authors: Patrick Ijeh Nkemdilim , Emmanuel Ufuophu Biri
Published: December 2021

Local language broadcasting in Nigeria is common and scholars have focused on how they enhance message delivery but not much on how it promotes indigenous languages. This study focused on audience’ consumption of local language programmes, how much it learns about indigenous languages from such programmes and how the programmes contribute to mother-tongue development. The study explored cultural norm theory and adopted survey, while mean scores were used for data analysis. Findings show that local language programmes were significantly available but moderately consumed. The audience learnt enough simple words/expressions from the programmes to engage in simple conversations in local languages. The programmes thus contributed to indigenous language development by teaching people useful words, expression and pronunciations in mother tongues, and encouraged them to teach such languages to their children and friends. The findings support cultural norm theory that broadcasting can promote indigenous languages through selective presentations of programmes in mother tongues. Findings show that vernacular broadcasts are not sustainable because they hardly attract advertisements/sponsorships, and are sometimes poorly produced. The study recommends that government should formulate policies to promote local language broadcasting in Nigeria and join NGOs and pro-ethnic groups to initiate/sponsor vernacular programmes.
Humour in Dickens’ Oliver Twist
Authors: Abida Fithriyah Inda Nur , Fahri Fahri , Darma Diana Budi
Published: December 2021

This paper attempts to investigate the use of humour in revealing the idea of corruption in Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist. Corruption was a huge problem in London in the 1830s when Dickens was writing. Oliver Twist was one of his best novels that portrayed how corruption lived. Through this novel, he also wanted to show how social and cultural at that time created corrupt behavior in the society. The art of humour created by Dickens is an interesting strategy to deliver the message of corruption. By understanding the art of humour that consists of idiomatic expression, social and cultural context, would help the translator to capture a distinctive creative process that incorporates the linguistic structures and cultural environment of the target language while at the same time remaining as faithful as possible to the original.
Efek Pemberian High Fat High Fructose Diet (HFHFD) dan Carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) Terhadap Kadar Cystatin C Serum
Authors: Singgih Inez Marsha Gabriella , Yustisia Ika , Santoso Arif , Aminuddin Aminuddin , Kurniawan Liong Boy , Kasim Hasyim
Published: December 2021

Tingkat konsumsi lemak dan fruktosa tinggi dapat mengakibatkan gangguan fungsi ginjal. High Fat High Fructose Diet (HFHFD) / Diet tinggi lemak tinggi fruktosa merupakan pemberian diet tinggi lemak dan diberikan fruktosa dalam air minum atau dalam makanan. Pemberian Karbon tetraklorida pada tikus menyebabkan kerusakan pada ginjal. Cystatin C merupakan pemeriksaan untuk mengetahui gangguan dini pada fungsi ginjal. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian HFHFD dan injeksi CCl4 terhadap kadar cystatin C serum pada tikus. Penelitian ini terdiri dari 4 kelompok yang terdiri dari: 1) kelompok tikus diberi pakan standar; 2) kelompok tikus HFHFD; 3) kelompok tikus HFHFD yang diinjeksi CCl4 intraperitoneal (IP) dua kali seminggu; dan 4) kelompok tikus yang diberikan pakan standar dan diinjeksi CCl4 IP dua kali seminggu, dengan 24 ekor tikus. Perlakuan diberikan selama 8 minggu. Parameter yang diuji yakni kadar Cystatin C serum pada tikus yang diberikan pakan standar dibandingkan dengan tikus yang diberikan diet tinggi lemak dan tambahan fruktosa pada air minumnya (HFHFD), tikus yang diberi HFHFD dan suntikan CCl4 dua kali seminggu, dan tikus dengan pakan standar dan diinjeksi CCl4 dua kali seminggu. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tikus yang diberikan HFHFD dan CCl4 mengalami peningkatan Cystatin C serum paling tinggi dibandingkan dengan tikus yang diberikan HFHFD saja, suntikan CCl4 saja dengan pakan standar, dan yang hanya diberikan pakan standar. Pemberian kombinasi HFHFD + CCl4 menunjukkan perbedaan Cystatin C yang bermakna secara statistik dibandingkan dengan kelompok kontrol (p=0.004). Simpulan diperoleh bahwa pemberian HFHFD dan CCl4 meningkatkan kadar Cystatin C serum pada tikus.
Facultad de Administración Logística de la Escuela Militar de Cadetes “General Jose María Córdova”
Authors: Sierra-Zamora Paola Alexandra , Páez Gómez Andrea , Castro Aldana Edwin Alberto
Published: December 2021

Este articulo resumen el origen, desarrollo y perspectivas de la facultad de Administración Logística de la Escuela Militar de Cadetes “General Jose María Córdova”. Expone los principales logros durante los pasados y presente años así como la visión de futuro para mantener los altos niveles de calidad en la educación militar complementaria esperados en la alma mater de los Oficiales del Ejército Nacional de Colombia.
Estrategia de reintegro de camuflados del Ejército Nacional con personal en condición de discapacidad de la Fuerza
Authors: Muñoz Cogua Dilan Joel , Boada Espitia Pedro Nicolás , Aristizabal Murillo Juan Carlos
Published: December 2021

El objetivo de este artículo es proponer una estrategia de reintegro de camuflados de los oficiales y suboficiales del Ejército Nacional, con el fin ser aprovechables en un proceso de logística inversa. Se utilizó una metodología mixta basada en la recolección de información sobre el proceso de asignación de camuflados para los oficiales y suboficiales; así mismo, se logró identificar las estrategias del Ejército para mantener control y buen manejo de este material al finalizar su uso por parte del personal militar.
Indoor Thermal Assessment of Medium-Cost House in Arid Climate
Authors: Almhafdy Abdulbasit
Published: December 2021

An environmental responsive design of building internal spaces is an important criterion and should be taken into account in the pre-design stage of the residential buildings. This study aims to analyze the existing spatial spaces of a residential building in terms of thermal performance in a hot arid climate area. Temperature data loggers were utilized in the duplex house. Results indicate that wall exposure, window size, floor level and orientation are the key to design a friendly environment of internal spaces. The neighbourhood fabric has an important role in terms of shadows and time of direct exposure to radiation.
Keywords: Indoor house, Arid climate, Air temperature, spatial design
eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i18.3076
Increasing Participation Rates in Germany’s Skin Cancer Screening Program (HELIOS): Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Steeb Theresa , Heppt Markus V , Erdmann Michael , Wessely Anja , Klug Stefanie J , Berking Carola
Published: December 2021

Background

In 2008, a nationwide skin cancer screening (SCS) program was implemented in Germany. However, participation rates remain low.

Objective

The overall objective of the HELIOS study is to identify subgroup-specific invitation and communication strategies to increase informed SCS participation in Germany.

Methods

Focus group discussions will be performed in Erlangen, Germany, to explore potential invitation and communication strategies as well as possible barriers and motivating factors to participate in SCS. Male and female patients of different age groups who have already been diagnosed with skin cancer, as well as participants without a prior diagnosis of skin cancer, will be invited. Based on these results, an online questionnaire will be developed to identify subgroup-specific invitation strategies. A random sample of 2500 persons from the general population aged >35 years from the Munich area will be contacted to complete the questionnaire. Besides descriptive analysis, multinomial logistic regression will be performed. Additionally, a cluster analysis will be conducted to discover patterns or similarities among the participants.

Results

Recruitment for the focus group studies started in February 2021 and is ongoing. As of August 2021, we have enrolled 39 participants. We expect to end enrollment in the qualitative study in September 2021 and to finish the analysis in December 2021. The second part of the study will then start in January 2022.

Conclusions

The results of this project will enable us to derive improved and more efficient invitation and communication strategies for SCS. These may be implemented in the future to facilitate increased SCS uptake and early skin cancer detection.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/31860
Communicating Guideline Recommendations Using Graphic Narrative Versus Text-Based Broadcast Screensavers: Design and Implementation Study (Preprint)
Authors: Sinnenberg Lauren , Umscheid Craig A , Shofer Frances S , Leri Damien , Meisel Zachary F
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND

The use of graphic narratives, defined as stories that use images for narration, is growing in health communication.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the design and implementation of a graphic narrative screensaver (GNS) to communicate a guideline recommendation (ie, avoiding low-value acid suppressive therapy [AST] use in hospital inpatients) and examine the comparative effectiveness of the GNS versus a text-based screensaver (TBS) on clinical practice (ie, low-value AST prescriptions) and clinician recall.

METHODS

During a 2-year period, the GNS and the TBS were displayed on inpatient clinical workstations. The numbers of new AST prescriptions were examined in the four quarters before, the three quarters during, and the one quarter after screensavers were implemented. Additionally, an electronic survey was sent to resident physicians 1 year after the intervention to assess screensaver recall.

RESULTS

Designing an aesthetically engaging graphic that could be rapidly understood was critical in the development of the GNS. The odds of receiving an AST prescription on medicine and medicine subspecialty services after the screensavers were implemented were lower for all four quarters (ie, GNS and TBS broadcast together, only TBS broadcast, only GNS broadcast, and no AST screensavers broadcast) compared to the quarter prior to implementation (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% CI 0.78-0.92; OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.82-0.97; OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80-0.95; and OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.75-0.89, respectively; P<.001 for all comparisons). There were no statistically significant decreases for other high-volume services, such as the surgical services. These declines appear to have begun prior to screensaver implementation. When surveyed about the screensaver content 1 year later, resident physicians recalled both the GNS and TBS (43/70, 61%, vs 54/70, 77%; P=.07) and those who recalled the screensaver were more likely to recall the main message of the GNS compared to the TBS (30/43, 70%, vs 1/54, 2%; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

It is feasible to use a graphic narrative embedded in a broadcast screensaver to communicate a guideline recommendation, but further study is needed to determine the impact of graphic narratives on clinical practice.
The Clinical Utility of a Handheld Elastic Scattering Spectroscopy Tool and Machine Learning in the Diagnosis and Referral Management of Skin Cancer by Primary Care Physicians (Preprint)
Authors: Tepedino Kelly , Thames Todd
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND

Elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) is a noninvasive optical biopsy technique that can distinguish between normal and abnormal tissue in vivo. The handheld device measures ESS spectra of skin lesions and classifies lesions with an output of “Investigate Further” or “Monitor.” The algorithm was trained and validated with over 11,000 spectral scans from over 3500 skin lesions. The device performance was also evaluated in an associated clinical study.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper was to establish whether the use of a handheld ESS tool can improve the detection of skin malignancies by evaluating clinical performance while emulating a real-world telemedicine clinical care setting.

METHODS

The associated clinical study examined an independent test set of 332 lesions in a prospective multicenter study that compared algorithm performance to biopsy results for diagnosing malignant lesions. A total of 50 cases were randomly selected from the study data base (25 malignant and 25 benign lesions). Device performance on these lesions had a 96% sensitivity. High-resolution digital images and the patient’s clinical information including prior skin cancer history, risk factors, and physical examination results were available for evaluation. A total of 57 primary care physicians participated in this study in 2 phases, the first phase with their standard-of-care diagnostic and the second phase regarding their evaluation with the device output. The physicians were educated on the ESS device before evaluating the cases in a random order. Case evaluation included the physician reporting their diagnosis, management decision, and confidence level without the device output in the first phase and with the device output in the second phase. The results were evaluated for sensitivity and specificity with confidence intervals.

RESULTS

The diagnostic sensitivity of the readers without and with the use of the handheld ESS device increased significantly from 67% to 88% (P<.001). There was no significant difference in specificity at 40% and 53% (P=.05). The management sensitivity of the readers increased significantly with and without the use of the device, which, respectively, was 94% (91%-96%) and 81% (77%-85%) (P<.001), suggesting that the use of the device may reduce false negatives by 68%. Specificity was comparable for management decisions (P=.36) at 31% compared to 36% without the device.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the handheld ESS device significantly improved diagnostic and management sensitivity over standard-of-care, with comparable specificity. While telemedicine has shown promise in many fields, studies have shown that in-person skin evaluation is superior to telemedicine evaluations; however, integration with this type of tool has the potential to improve early detection.
Isolation of Ethyl p-Methoxycinnamate from Azadirachta indica Root Bark as Hong Kong Caterpillar (Tenebrio molitor) Antifeedant
Authors: Nasution Rosnani , Candein Cut Nyak , Saidi Nurdin , Bahi Muhammad , Marianne Marianne
Published: December 2021

This study aims to identify the antifeedant activity of Azadirachta indica A. Juss root bark against Hong Kong caterpillar (Tenebrio molitor). A. indica A. root was macerated in n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The investigation of antifeedant activity was conducted by using the no choice leaf disk method. The antifeedant activity (%AI) tests showed that the extracts of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol with each concentration of 0.5% were 6.71, 71.78, and 40.14%, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the most active antifeedant activity. Ethyl acetate extract was fractionated to obtain five subfractions (A-E). Each subfraction with each concentration of 0.5% showed the %AI of 70.55, 85.29; 67.40, 82.70 and 82.22%, respectively. Furthermore, GC-MS results demonstrated that ethyl acetate extract contained 19 compounds. The main compounds are methyl hexadecanoate and methyl 8-octadecenoate. Further purification of fraction A, which has the highest amount, was then carried out. The obtained isolate, i.e., A32, was determined as ethyl p-methoxycinnamate confirmed by 13C- and 1H-NMR, FTIR, and MS spectra. The presence of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate makes A. indica A. root is potential as T. molitor antifeedant. The implication of these findings is to reference herbal antifeedants and reduce the use of synthetic pesticides.