bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gibberellin derivative GA-13315 overcomes multidrug resistance in breast cancer by up-regulating BMP6 expression
Authors: Luo Xianqiang , Wang Guohui , Wang Yuting , Wang Meichen , Tan Zhuomin , Luo Min , Zhang Limei , Song Yan , Jia Yinnong , Zhou Hongyu , Qing Chen
Published: November 2022

Chemoresistance represents a major obstacle in breast cancer treatment. Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) was reported to participate in the occurrence and development of various tumors. In the present study, the results of transcriptome sequencing, qRT-PCR and western blot analysis revealed that BMP6 was down-regulated in multidrug resistant MCF-7/Adr breast cancer cells and BMP6 overexpression sensitized MCF-7/Adr cells to chemotherapeutic drugs, indicating that BMP6 downregulation was involved in the mechanisms of multidrug resistance (MDR) of MCF-7/Adr breast cancer cells. GA-13315 (GA5) is a new tetracyclic diterpenoid selected from a series of gibberellin derivatives. Here, we found that GA5 exhibited more potent anti-tumor activity in multidrug resistant MCF-7/Adr breast cancer cells and xenografts, indicating that GA5 could overcome MDR. Mechanistically, GA5 increased BMP6 expression, and BPM6 knockdown partially reversed the inhibitory effect of GA5 on cell proliferation. Furthermore, we found that ERK phosphorylation and P-gp expression were increased in MCF-7/Adr cells when compared with MCF-7 cells. Either overexpression of BMP6 or treatment the cells with GA5 significantly decreased ERK phosphorylation and P-gp expression, indicating that GA5 reversed MDR of MCF-7/Adr cells by upregulating BMP6, thereby inhibiting the activation of ERK signaling pathway and reducing P-gp expression. Collectively, our present study demonstrated that the MDR of MCF-7/Adr cells was closely related to the low expression of BMP6, and revealed the molecular mechanisms by which GA5 overcame MDR in breast cancer, providing evidence in supporting the development of GA5 to be a promising agent for overcoming MDR in clinical cancer therapy in the future.
Novel 1,2,3-Triazole Erlotinib Derivatives as Potent IDO1 Inhibitors: Design, Drug-Target Interactions Prediction, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, Molecular Docking and ADME Properties Studies
Authors: Xu Gui-Qing , Gong Xiao-Qing , Zhu Ying-Ying , Yao Xiao-Jun , Peng Li-Zeng , Sun Ge , Yang Jian-Xue , Mao Long-Fei
Published: November 2022

Graphical Abstract
The effects of bioactive components from the rhizome of gastrodia elata blume (Tianma) on the characteristics of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Lu Changcheng , Qu Shuhui , Zhong Zhangfeng , Luo Hua , Lei Si San , Zhong Hai-Jing , Su Huanxing , Wang Yitao , Chong Cheong-Meng
Published: November 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-related chronic neurodegenerative disease caused by the death and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain. The decrease of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the patient’s brain leads to various motor symptoms. PD drugs mainly enhance dopamine levels but cannot prevent or slow down the loss of dopaminergic neurons. In addition, they exhibit significant side effects and addiction issues during long-term use. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to develop novel drugs that have fewer side effects, can improve PD symptoms, and prevent the death of dopaminergic neurons. The rhizome of Gastrodia elata Blume (Tianma) is a well-known medicinal herb and has long been used as a treatment of nervous system-related diseases in China. Several clinical studies showed that formula comprising Tianma could be used as an add-on therapy for PD patients. Pharmacological studies indicated that Tianma and its bioactive components can reduce the death of dopaminergic neurons, α-synuclein accumulation, and neuroinflammation in various PD models. In this review, we briefly summarize studies regarding the effects of Tianma and its bioactive components’ effects on major PD features and explore the potential use of Tianma components for the treatment of PD.
Cyclotron production of 64Cu by proton irradiation of enriched 64Ni target: Validation of Geant4 simulation parameters through experimental data
Authors: Baruta Simona , Leonte Radu , Cocioaba Diana , Craciun Liviu , Ur Calin Alexandru , Niculae Dana
Published: November 2022

The use of radioisotopes in nuclear medicine applications became essential for the diagnosis and follow-up imaging of many oncological, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, in a safe and non-invasive way. Their use in the personalized treatment of tumors is on the verge to change the oncological patient management. Optimization of the radioisotopes production aims to maximize the production efficiency while minimizing side reactions and costs. A practical approach to balance these non-converging ways is to employ the simulation tools in the process design phase and experimental setup. In this way, the production yield can be estimated and the radionuclide impurities content that appears during the bombardment of the target of interest can be optimally set below acceptable limits. Copper-64 is an emerging radionuclide in nuclear medicine theragnostic applications due to three decay modes, namely electron capture, electron (β−) and positron (β+) emissions, and a 12.7 h half-life, favorable for visualization of fast biological processes. Optimization of 64Cu production by irradiation of enriched 64Ni targets with protons in a particular geometry on a TR-19 cyclotron is discussed in this work. The simulated activity produced on different levels of enrichment of the 64Ni targets was calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation in the Geant4 platform, where a customized solid target irradiation system set-up was replicated; the obtained parameters were implemented in the experiments and the results were compared, aiming to validate the simulation parameters through experimental data.As the simulated and experimental results regarding the production of 64Cu via64Ni(p,n)64Cu reaction are in good compliance, the tool can be further applied for the optimization of the production of other radionuclides on the same set-up.
Effects of functional training on sprinting, jumping, and functional movement in athletes: A systematic review
Authors: Bashir Marrium , Soh Kim Geok , Samsudin Shamsulariffin , Akbar Saddam , Luo Shengyao , Sunardi Jaka
Published: November 2022

This systematic review aims to illuminate the effects of functional training on sprinting, jumping, and functional movements in athletes. A systematic search of electronic databases—that include PubMed, EBSCOhost (Sport Discus), SCOPUS, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and additional references—was carried out using keywords associated with functional training, jumping, sprinting, functional movement skills, and athletes, in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement criteria. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to measure the methodological quality of the studies included in the systematic review. Results: From a total of 220 studies, 15 included ones met all eligibility criteria and were scored between 4-5 points—considered as“ moderate quality”—by the PEDro scale. Most studies recorded positive effects of functional training on athletes’ sprinting, jumping, and functional movement. In contrast, a small number of studies did not find any positive effects of functional training on sprinting, squat jump, vertical jump, and countermovement jump due to the short duration and frequency of the training, as well as the lack of additional exercises that come with the interventions. Furthermore, the reviewed studies reveal that there is limited research within the literature on 5, 15, 25, and 50 m sprinting, squat jump, quadrant jump, and functional movement in athletes. Conclusion: Although the length of training interventions varied across studies in this systematic review, functional training interventions were found to help improve athletes’ performance. The review reveals that training duration, intensity, and frequency are some critical variables that need to be taken into account when developing a successful functional training intervention for athletes. More studies are required to evaluate the influence of different accessible functional training durations on athletes’ sprinting, jumping performance, and functional movement. Finally, further research needs to be done to investigate the impacts of functional training on performance and movement skills of male and female athletes at all levels in other sports.

Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-5-0130/, identifier INPLASY202250130
Synergistic cardioprotective effects of melatonin and deferoxamine through the improvement of ferritinophagy in doxorubicin-induced acute cardiotoxicity
Authors: Hanna Mira , Seddiek Hanan , Aboulhoda Basma Emad , Morcos George N. B. , Akabawy Ahmed M. A. , Elbaset Marawan Abd , Ibrahim Abdelsatar Abdelsatar , Khalifa Mohamed Mansour , Khalifah Ibtesam Mahmoud , Fadel Mostafa Said , Shoukry Tarek
Published: November 2022

Ferritinophagy is one of the most recent molecular mechanisms affecting cardiac function. In addition, it is one of the pathways by which doxorubicin, one of the anticancer drugs commonly used, negatively impacts the cardiac muscle, leading to cardiac function impairment. This side effect limits the use of doxorubicin. Iron chelators play an important role in hindering ferritinophagy. Antioxidants can also impact ferritinophagy by improving oxidative stress. In this study, it was assumed that the antioxidant function of melatonin could promote the action of deferoxamine, an iron chelator, at the level of ferritinophagy. A total of 42 male Wistar rats (150–200 g) were divided into seven groups (n = 6) which consisted of group I: control normal, group II: doxorubicin (Dox), group III: melatonin (Mel), group IV: deferoxamine (Des), group V: Mel + Dox, group VI: Des + Dox, and group VII: Mel + Des + Dox. Groups III, V and VII were orally pretreated with melatonin 20 mg/kg/day for 7 days. Groups IV, VI and VII were treated with deferoxamine at a 250 mg/kg/dose once on D4 before Dox was given. Doxorubicin was given at a 20 mg/kg ip single dose. On the 8th day, the rats were lightly anaesthetized for electrocardiography analysis and echocardiography. Serum samples were collected and then sacrificed for tissue sampling. The following biochemical assessments were carried out: PCR of NCOA4, IREB2, FTH1, SLC7A11, and GPX4; and ELISA for serum cTnI, serum transferrin, tissue GSH, and malondialdehyde. In addition, histopathological assessment of heart injury; immunostaining of caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl2; and physiological function assessment by ECG and ECHO were carried out. Doxorubicin-induced acute significant cardiac injury with increased ferritinophagy and apoptosis responded to single and combined prophylactic treatment, in which the combined treatment showed mostly the best results. In conclusion, using melatonin as an antioxidant with an iron chelator, deferoxamine, could hinder the hazardous cardiotoxic effect of doxorubicin. However, further studies are needed to detect the impact of higher doses of melatonin and deferoxamine with a prolonged treatment period.
Improving bitter pit prediction by the use of X-ray fluorescence (XRF): A new approach by multivariate classification
Authors: Moggia Claudia , Bravo Manuel A. , Baettig Ricardo , Valdés Marcelo , Romero-Bravo Sebastián , Zúñiga Mauricio , Cornejo Jorge , Gosetti Fabio , Ballabio Davide , Cabeza Ricardo A. , Beaudry Randolph , Lobos Gustavo A.
Published: November 2022

Bitter pit (BP) is one of the most relevant post-harvest disorders for apple industry worldwide, which is often related to calcium (Ca) deficiency at the calyx end of the fruit. Its occurrence takes place along with an imbalance with other minerals, such as potassium (K). Although the K/Ca ratio is considered a valuable indicator of BP, a high variability in the levels of these elements occurs within the fruit, between fruits of the same plant, and between plants and orchards. Prediction systems based on the content of elements in fruit have a high variability because they are determined in samples composed of various fruits. With X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry, it is possible to characterize non-destructively the signal intensity for several mineral elements at a given position in individual fruit and thus, the complete signal of the mineral composition can be used to perform a predictive model to determine the incidence of bitter pit. Therefore, it was hypothesized that using a multivariate modeling approach, other elements beyond the K and Ca could be found that could improve the current clutter prediction capability. Two studies were carried out: on the first one an experiment was conducted to determine the K/Ca and the whole spectrum using XRF of a balanced sample of affected and non-affected ‘Granny Smith’ apples. On the second study apples of three cultivars (‘Granny Smith’, ‘Brookfield’ and ‘Fuji’), were harvested from two commercial orchards to evaluate the use of XRF to predict BP. With data from the first study a multivariate classification system was trained (balanced database of healthy and BP fruit, consisting in 176 from each group) and then the model was applied on the second study to fruit from two orchards with a history of BP. Results show that when dimensionality reduction was performed on the XRF spectra (1.5 - 8 KeV) of ‘Granny Smith’ apples, comparing fruit with and without BP, along with K and Ca, four other elements (i.e., Cl, Si, P, and S) were found to be deterministic. However, the PCA revealed that the classification between samples (BP vs. non-BP fruit) was not possible by univariate analysis (individual elements or the K/Ca ratio).Therefore, a multivariate classification approach was applied, and the classification measures (sensitivity, specificity, and balanced precision) of the PLS-DA models for all cultivars evaluated (‘Granny Smith’, ‘Fuji’ and ‘Brookfield’) on the full training samples and with both validation procedures (Venetian and Monte Carlo), ranged from 0.76 to 0.92. The results of this work indicate that using this technology at the individual fruit level is essential to understand the factors that determine this disorder and can improve BP prediction of intact fruit.
Predicting common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) productivity according to Rhizoctonia root and stem rot and weed development at field plot scale
Authors: Naseri Bita , Nazer Kakhki Seyed Hossein
Published: November 2022

Introduction

A two-year research trial was conducted to evaluate progression of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) growth, Rhizoctonia root rot and weed development in association with productivity when treated with different cultivars, planting dates and weed control methods in north-western part of Iran.

Methods

To determine the best descriptors, six standard curves were examined to model development of bean dry matter, Rhizoctonia root rot incidence, and weed density during two growing seasons across 256 field plots. Exponential and linear-by-linear models were fitted to bean-disease-weed progression data, and then model parameters representing over-season progress curve elements were used in multivariate regression analyses to estimate bean production.

Results and discussion

Furthermore, using herbicides (Imazethapyr and Trifluralin) restricted weed density by 28% in early (mid-spring) and 42% in late (late spring to early summer) plantings. Late plantings of two bean cultivars decreased disease progress up to 36% for herbicide use, hand-weeding and control. Although bean dry matter, pod and seed production for herbicide use and hand-weeding treatments were 6-17% greater than control, late planting improved productivity in control by 10-24%. Findings suggested that late planting of bean improved efficiency of herbicides to control weeds. Late planting also restricted Rhizoctonia root rot progress and thus, improved bean yield. There were significant correlations between bean-disease-weed development descriptors. According to principal component analysis, bean-disease-productivity-weed variables accounted for 80% of total data variance. Such information extends our understanding of bean-disease-weed progress in interaction with planting date to develop more effective and sustainable integrated Rhizoctonia management programs.
Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal the delaying effect of naringin on postharvest decay in citrus fruit
Authors: Zeng Jiaoke , Chen Chuying , Chen Ming , Chen Jinyin
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Naringin exhibits antioxidant capacity and can partially inhibit pathogens in many horticultural products, such as citrus fruit; however, the effects of naringin on the storage quality and mechanisms that regulate senescence in citrus fruit have not been comprehensively analyzed.

Methods and results

In this study, exogenous naringin treatment was found to significantly delay citrus fruit disease, decreasing the H2O2 content, increasing the antioxidant capacity and maintaining the quality of the fruit. Metabolomic analysis of citrus peel indicated the vast majority (325) of metabolites belonging to flavonoids. Moreover, the auraptene, butin, naringenin, and luteolin derivative levels within the phenylpropanoid pathway were significantly higher in the naringin-treated fruit than in the control fruit. Transcriptomic analysis also revealed that twelve genes in the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were significantly upregulated. Further analysis with a co-expression network revealed significant correlation between these differential genes and metabolites. Additionally, MYC and WRKY, screened from the MAPK signaling pathway, may contribute to naringin-induced disease resistance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, naringin treatment can efficiently delay decay and maintain the quality of citrus fruit, mainly by promoting metabolites accumulation, and upregulating differentially expressed genes in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. This study provides a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms through which naringin delays citrus fruit decay and maintains fruit quality.
Identification and utilization of a new Bacillus amyloliquefaciens XY-1 against Fusarium head blight
Authors: Xu Xiao , Cheng Yifan , Fang Zhengwu , Yin Junliang , Shen Huiquan , Ma Dongfang
Published: November 2022

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a global wheat grain disease caused by Fusarium graminearum. Biological control of FHB is considered to be an alternative disease management strategy that is environmentally benign, durable, and compatible with other control measures. In this study, to screen antagonistic bacteria with the potential to against FHB, 45 strains were isolated from different tissues of wheat. Among them, seven strains appeared to effectively inhibit F. graminearum growth, the antagonistic bacterium named XY-1 showed a highly antagonistic effect against FHB using dual culture assays. The strain XY-1 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by 16S rDNA sequence. Antibiotic tolerance of antagonistic bacteria showed that XY-1 had antagonistic activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii, and Alternaria alternata. Nutrition tests showed that the most suitable carbon and nitrogen sources were glucose and beef extract, respectively. The optimum growth temperature and pH value were 28 ℃ and 7.4. Antibiotics tolerance cultivation showed that XY-1 had strong resistance to Chloramphenicol and Ampicillin. Wheat spikes inoculation antagonism tests showed that strain XY-1 displayed strong antifungal activity against F. graminearum. Our study laid a theoretical foundation for the application of strain XY-1 as a biological agent in the field to control FHB.
Multi-omics analyses reveal new insights into nutritional quality changes of alfalfa leaves during the flowering period
Authors: Liu Yinghao , Fan Wenqiang , Cheng Qiming , Zhang Lianyi , Cai Ting , Shi Quan , Wang Zuo , Chang Chun , Yin Qiang , Jiang Xiaowei , Jin Ke
Published: November 2022

High-quality alfalfa is an indispensable resource for animal husbandry and sustainable development. Its nutritional quality changes dramatically during its life cycle and, at present, no molecular mechanisms for nutrient metabolic variation in alfalfa leaves at different growth stages have been clearly reported. We have used correlation and network analyses of the alfalfa leaf metabolome, proteome, and transcriptome to explore chlorophyll, flavonoid, and amino acid content at two development stages: budding stage (BS) and full-bloom stage (FBS). A high correlation between the expression of biosynthetic genes and their metabolites revealed significant reductions in metabolite content as the plant matured from BS to FBS. l-Glutamate, the first molecule of chlorophyll biosynthesis, decreased, and the expression of HemA, which controls the transformation of glutamyl-tRNA to glutamate 1-semialdehyde, was down-regulated, leading to a reduction in leaf chlorophyll content. Flavonoids also decreased, driven at least in part by increased expression of the gene encoding CYP75B1: flavonoid 3′-monooxygenase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation of dihydroflavonols and flavonols, resulting in degradation of flavonoids. Expression of NITRILASE 2 (NIT2) and Methyltransferase B (metB), which regulate amino acid metabolism and influence the expression of genes of the glycolysis-TCA pathway, were down-regulated, causing amino acid content in alfalfa leaves to decrease at FBS. This study provides new insights into the complex regulatory network governing the content and decrease of chlorophyll, amino acids, flavonoids, and other nutrients in alfalfa leaves during maturation. These results further provide a theoretical basis for the generation of alfalfa varieties exhibiting higher nutritional quality, high-yield cultivation, and a timely harvest.
Relationship-driven, family-centered care via TelePT: Reflections in the wake of COVID-19
Authors: Choong Elena America , Schladen Manon Maitland , Alles Yvonne Beth
Published: November 2022

In response to the throttling of children’s therapy programs precipitated by COVID-19 shutdowns, interest in the use of telehealth has increased among service providers at both the clinical and administrative levels. TelePT promises to be particularly appropriate in devising programs of on-going, therapeutic exercise interventions for children with neuromotor disorders. From the lay perspective, physical/physiotherapy (PT) which is seemingly characterized by the “hands-on,” and corrective approach to managing impairments, makes it a counter-intuitive candidate for delivery over telehealth. Over the past decades, however, PT as a discipline has increasingly adhered to a relationship-driven, family-centered model of intervention. This model is “hands-off,” figuratively if not always literally, and hence is not necessarily disconsonant with delivery mediated by telehealth technology. The current study explores in-depth the experiences and reflections of seven practicing therapists, on the impact of telehealth, telePT on the operationalization of relationship-based, family-centered methods into therapy. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was selected as the analytic method for understanding participants’ experience providing services using both distance and standard face-to-face practice modalities. Results identified eight principal themes emerging from participants’ descriptions of their experience of delivering therapy over telePT. Four of these themes correspond to the tenets of relationship-driven, family-centered care identified across four frameworks applied to pediatric rehabilitation. The remaining four themes focus on the particularities of the telePT modality and its viability in clinical practice. The ability telePT afforded to “see into the child’s environment” emerged arguably as the greatest value of the modality in patient care. It revealed to therapists so much that they did not know about their patients’ progress and, more strikingly, had not realized they did not know. TelePT provides a unique window into the child’s functioning in the hours he is not in therapy. Given its potential in parent–therapist relationship building, assuring the ecological validity of therapy programs, and the empowerment of families who seek it, telePT is likely to be part of the future of PT and one driver of its evolution as a profession. There is a compelling case to retain telePT modalities offering them alongside in-person formats for convenience, safety, and service quality enhancement.
Diagnostic properties of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) in Huntington’s disease
Authors: Solca Federica , Aiello Edoardo Nicolò , Migliore Simone , Torre Silvia , Carelli Laura , Ferrucci Roberta , Priori Alberto , Verde Federico , Ticozzi Nicola , Maffi Sabrina , Ceccarelli Consuelo , Squitieri Ferdinando , Silani Vincenzo , Ciammola Andrea , Poletti Barbara
Published: November 2022

Background

This study aimed at assessing the diagnostic properties of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) as to its capability to (1) discriminate healthy controls (HCs) from patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) and (2) identify cognitive impairment in this population.

Materials

Thirty-eight consecutive HD patients were compared to 73 HCs on the FAB. Patients further underwent the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS). Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analyses were run to assess both intrinsic—i.e., sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp), and post-test diagnostics, positive and negative predictive values (PPV; NPV) and likelihood ratios (LR+; LR–), of the FAB both in a case–control setting and to identify, within the patient cohort, cognitive impairment (operationalized as a below-cut-off MoCA score). In patients, its diagnostic accuracy was also compared to that of the cognitive section of the UHDRS (UHDRS-II).

Results

The FAB and UHDRS-II were completed by 100 and 89.5% of patients, respectively. The FAB showed optimal case–control discrimination accuracy (AUC = 0.86–0.88) and diagnostic properties (Se = 0.68–0.74; Sp = 0.88–0.9; PPV = 0.74–0.8; NPV = 0.84–0.87; LR+ = 5.6–7.68; LR– = 0.36–0.29), performing even better (AUC = 0.9–0.91) at identifying cognitive impairment among patients (Se = 0.73–1; Sp = 0.86–0.71; PPV = 0.79–0.71; NPV = 0.82–1; LR+ =5.13–3.5; LR– = 0.31–0) and comparably to the UHDRS-II (89% vs. 85% of accuracy, respectively; p = 0.46).

Discussion

In HD patients, the FAB is highly feasible for cognitive screening aims, being also featured by optimal intrinsic/post-test diagnostics within both case-control and case-finding settings.
The impact of CSR on green purchase intention: Empirical evidence from the green building Industries in Taiwan
Authors: Tao Yi-Tien , Lin Min-Der , Khan Asif
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Worldwide supplies are being utilized at a disturbing rate and to a significant degree, the building business has been accountable for this ecological deprivation, particularly because of its elevated level of energy expenditure. Hence, this research paper targets the customers of green building industries in Taiwan and developed a framework based on Carroll’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) model, theory of planned behavior (TPB), and cognitive consistency theory (CCT), to measure the impact of CSR on green purchase intention (GPI). Furthermore, it analyzes the impact of CSR on green word of mouth (GWOM), green attitude (GA), green concern (GC), and green trust (GT). Moreover, it explores the roles of GA, GC, GWOM, and GT on GPI. Finally, to study the mediating roles of GC, GA, and GWOM, with the relationship between CSR and GPI.

Methods

The data for this study was collected from 600 customers of green building businesses located in Taiwan with the help of a convenience sampling technique.

Results

As per the results of this research, CSR was discovered to have a positive impact on GPI, GWOM, GA, GC, and GT. Furthermore, GWOM had a significant impact on GPI. Moreover, GC and GT were in a significant relationship with GPI. Consequently, all the relationships were significant except the relationship between GA and GPI. Furthermore, GT, GWOM, and GC fully mediate the relationship between CSR and GPI. However, GA was not found to significantly mediate the relationship between CSR and GPI.

Discussion

The findings of this study provide practical implications regarding the impact of CSR on GPI and the trending issue of sustainable career development.
Paths out of poverty: Social entrepreneurship and sustainable development
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyi , Sun Yu , Gao Yang , Dong Yueqi
Published: November 2022

Poverty reduction in rural areas is an important development goal concerned by the international community, but the traditional poverty-reduction methods have certain drawbacks. Social entrepreneurship, with its innovative way to solve social problems, has gradually become a new sustainable development path to solve rural poverty. Using the case study method, this paper analyzes the social entrepreneurship process of 9 enterprises and the process mechanism of solving the rural poverty problem based on the identification and development of social opportunities. Our analysis suggests that social entrepreneurship is the process of identification, development and realization of social opportunities. Multidimensional rural poverty creates different social opportunities, including social opportunities in social, economic and ecological poverty. Enterprises integrate farmers into their value chain to develop and realize social opportunities, which is a sustainable means of poverty alleviation. In theory, we propose a conceptual framework for the sustainable development of social entrepreneurship and enriches the research on the process of realizing social opportunities in social entrepreneurship. In practice, we provide a sustainable development ideas for rural areas.
Meta-analysis and systematic review of physical activity on neurodevelopment disorders, depression, and obesity among children and adolescents
Authors: Peng Sanying , Fang Yuan , Othman Ahmad Tajuddin , Liang Jinghong
Published: November 2022

Background

No consensus on whether physical activity (PA) is related to physical and mental health among pediatric population remains has been reached to date. To further explore their association, our study assessed the effect of PA on physical and mental health of children and adolescents through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (RCTs).

Methods

Several databases(Web of science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central register of controlled trials, CINAHL) were searched from inception to 1st, December 2020 without language restrictions.

Results

38,236 records were identified primitively and 31 included studies with 1,255 participants eventually met our inclusion criteria, all of which exhibited a relatively low-moderate risk of bias of overall quality. In regard to mental health, the administration of PA, compared with the control group, led to moderate improvements in Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)[Standard mean difference (SMD) = −0.50, Confidence interval(CI): −0.87, −0.14)] and depression(SMD = −0.68, CI: −0.98, −0.38) among children and adolescents. Similarly, significant result was observed in obesity (SMD = −0.58, CI: −0.80, −0.36). No significant differences were observed in Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (SMD = −0.29, CI: −0.59, 0.01).

Conclusion

Altogether, PA may have a beneficial effect on children and adolescents with ASD, depression and obesity; nevertheless, there is insufficient evidence to confirm its efficacy in ADHD. More large-scale population based randomized controlled trials are needed to explore more reliable evidence between them.
Exploring changes in depression and radiology-related publications research focus: A bibliometrics and content analysis based on natural language processing
Authors: Wang Kangtao , Tan Fengbo , Zhu Zhiming , Kong Lingyu
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study aims to construct and use natural language processing and other methods to analyze major depressive disorder (MDD) and radiology studies’ publications in the PubMed database to understand the historical growth, current state, and potential expansion trend.

Methods

All MDD radiology studies publications from January 2002 to January 2022 were downloaded from PubMed using R, a statistical computing language. R and the interpretive general-purpose programming language Python were used to extract publication dates, geographic information, and abstracts from each publication’s metadata for bibliometric analysis. The generative statistical algorithm “Latent Dirichlet allocation” (LDA) was applied to identify specific research focus and trends. The unsupervised Leuven algorithm was used to build a network to identify relationships between research focus.

Results

A total of 5,566 publications on MDD and radiology research were identified, and there is a rapid upward trend. The top-cited publications were 11,042, and the highly-cited publications focused on improving diagnostic performance and establishing imaging standards. Publications came from 76 countries, with the most from research institutions in the United States and China. Hospitals and radiology departments take the lead in research and have an advantage. The extensive field of study contains 12,058 Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. Based on the LDA algorithm, three areas were identified that have become the focus of research in recent years, “Symptoms and treatment,” “Brain structure and imaging,” and “Comorbidities research.”

Conclusion

Latent Dirichlet allocation analysis methods can be well used to analyze many texts and discover recent research trends and focus. In the past 20 years, the research on MDD and radiology has focused on exploring MDD mechanisms, establishing standards, and constructing imaging methods. Recent research focuses are “Symptoms and sleep,” “Brain structure study,” and “functional connectivity.” New progress may be made in studies on MDD complications and the combination of brain structure and metabolism.
Burnout, resilience and the quality of life among Malaysian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Marzo Roy Rillera , Khaled Yassmein , ElSherif Mohamed , Abdullah Muhd Siv Azhar Merican Bin , Zhu Thew Hui , Chong Collins , Soh Shean Yih , Siau Ching Sin , Chauhan Shekhar , Lin Yulan
Published: November 2022

Background

Healthcare workers have to deal with highly demanding work situations, making healthcare as one of the most challenging professions. Up to now, far too little attention has been paid to burnout, resilience and the quality of life among Malaysian healthcare workers. Therefore, this paper explores the correlation between burnout, resilience and quality of life among Malaysian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method

A total of 394 healthcare workers reported their responses on Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire, World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF, and Brief Resilience Scale. Respondents were contacted through convenience sampling method and targeted population constituted Malaysian healthcare workers aged 18 years and above.

Results

For occupational exhaustion, about 50.5% of participants have moderate degree, 40.6% have high degree, and 8.9% have low degree of burnout. Health workers from age 25 to 35 years have lower physical health compared to health workers aged <25 years (coefficient = −0.77, p = 0.021). Similarly, healthcare workers who were working more than 10 h every day were more likely to report poor psychological health (coefficient = −2.49, p = 0.06). Positive correlation between physical and psychological health was observed. Further, a negative correlation was found between occupational exhaustion and the quality of life.

Conclusion

It is important to target physical as well as psychological wellbeing of the healthcare workers. Also, it is important to understand the contribution of long working hours in declining the quality of life of the healthcare workers. Thus, allocating fixed working hours for healthcare workers would bring a much-required change.
Comparison of longitudinal changes in four surrogate insulin resistance indexes for incident T2DM in middle-aged and elderly Chinese
Authors: Pan Liang , Gao Yu , Han Jing , Li Ling , Wang Miyuan , Peng Hongye , Liao Juan , Wan Hua , Xiang Guohua , Han Yangyun
Published: November 2022

Aims

Previous studies suggested a significant relationship between four surrogate indexes of insulin resistance and subsequent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). But the association of longitudinal changes (denoted as -D) in CVAI (Chinese visceral adiposity index), LAP (lipid accumulation product), TyG (triglyceride-glucose), and TG/HDL-C (triglyceride/ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) indexes with the risk of T2DM remained uncertain. We aimed to compare the changes in those four surrogate indexes for predicting T2DM in middle-aged and elderly Chinese.

Methods

We extracted data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of incident T2DM with four surrogate indexes. The restricted cubic spline analysis was used to examine potential non-linear correlation and visualize the dose-response relationship between four indexes and T2DM. The receiver operator characteristic curve was used to compare the performance of the four indexes to predict T2DM.

Results

We enrolled 4,596 participants in total, including 504 (10.97%) with T2DM. Analysis results showed that four surrogate indexes were associated with T2DM, and the multivariate-adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of T2DM were 1.08 (1.00–1.16), 1.47 (1.32-1.63), 1.12 (1.00–1.25), and 2.45 (2.12–2.83) for each IQR (interquartile range) increment in CVAI-D, LAP-D, TG/HDLC-D, and TyG-D, respectively. Restricted cubic spline regression showed a non-linear correlation between four surrogate indexes and the risk of T2DM (p for non-linear < 0.001). From the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve, TyG-D had the highest AUC (area under curve), and its AUC values were significantly different from other three indexes both in male and female (all P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Compared with other indexes, TyG-D was a better predictor in the clinical setting for identifying middle-aged and elderly Chinese with T2DM. Monitoring long-term changes in TyG might help in the early identification of individuals at high risk of T2DM.
Two-stage hemoglobin prediction based on prior causality
Authors: Chen Yuwen , Zhong Kunhua , Zhu Yiziting , Sun Qilong
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Perioperative hemoglobin (Hb) levels can influence tissue metabolism. For clinical physicians, precise Hb concentration greatly contributes to intraoperative blood transfusion. The reduction in Hb during an operation weakens blood's oxygen-carrying capacity and poses threats to multiple systems and organs of the whole body. Patients can die from perioperative anemia. Thus, a timely and accurate non-invasive prediction for patients' Hb content is of enormous significance.

Method

In this study, targeted toward the palpebral conjunctiva images in perioperative patients, a non-invasive model for predicting Hb levels is constructed by means of deep neural semantic segmentation and a convolutional network based on a priori causal knowledge, then an automatic framework was proposed to predict the precise concentration value of Hb. Specifically, according to a priori causal knowledge, the palpebral region was positioned first, and patients' Hb concentration was subjected to regression prediction using a neural network. The model proposed in this study was experimented on using actual medical datasets.

Results

The R2 of the model proposed can reach 0.512, the explained variance score can reach 0.535, and the mean absolute error is 1.521.

Discussion

In this study, we proposed to predict the accurate hemoglobin concentration and finally constructed a model using the deep learning method to predict eyelid Hb of perioperative patients based on the a priori casual knowledge.
Adversarial counterfactual augmentation: application in Alzheimer’s disease classification
Authors: Xia Tian , Sanchez Pedro , Qin Chen , Tsaftaris Sotirios A.
Published: November 2022

Due to the limited availability of medical data, deep learning approaches for medical image analysis tend to generalise poorly to unseen data. Augmenting data during training with random transformations has been shown to help and became a ubiquitous technique for training neural networks. Here, we propose a novel adversarial counterfactual augmentation scheme that aims at finding the most effective synthesised images to improve downstream tasks, given a pre-trained generative model. Specifically, we construct an adversarial game where we update the input conditional factor of the generator and the downstream classifier with gradient backpropagation alternatively and iteratively. This can be viewed as finding the ‘weakness’ of the classifier and purposely forcing it to overcome its weakness via the generative model. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, we validate the method with the classification of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) as a downstream task. The pre-trained generative model synthesises brain images using age as conditional factor. Extensive experiments and ablation studies have been performed to show that the proposed approach improves classification performance and has potential to alleviate spurious correlations and catastrophic forgetting. Code: https://github.com/xiat0616/adversarial_counterfactual_augmentation
Active cooling of twisted coiled actuators via fabric air channels
Authors: Lizotte Alex , Trejos Ana Luisa
Published: November 2022

Twisted coiled actuators (TCAs) are promising artificial muscles for wearable soft robotic devices due to their biomimetic properties, inherent compliance, and slim profile. These artificial muscles are created by super-coiling nylon thread and are thermally actuated. Unfortunately, their slow natural cooling rate limits their feasibility when used in wearable devices for upper limb rehabilitation. Thus, a novel cooling apparatus for TCAs was specifically designed for implementation in soft robotic devices. The cooling apparatus consists of a flexible fabric channel made from nylon pack cloth. The fabric channel is lightweight and could be sewn onto other garments for assembly into a soft robotic device. The TCA is placed in the channel, and a miniature air pump is used to blow air through it to enable active cooling. The impact of channel size on TCA performance was assessed by testing nine fabric channel sizes—combinations of three widths (6, 8, and 10 mm) and three heights (4, 6, and 8 mm). Overall, the performance of the TCA improved as the channel dimensions increased, with the combination of a 10 mm width and an 8 mm height resulting in the best balance between cooling time, heating time, and stroke. This channel was utilized in a follow-up experiment to determine the impact of the cooling apparatus on TCA performance. In comparison to passive cooling without a channel, the channel and miniature air pump reduced the TCA cooling time by 42% (21.71±1.24 s to 12.54±2.31 s, p<0.001). Unfortunately, there was also a 9% increase in the heating time (3.46±0.71 s to 3.76±0.71 s, p<0.001) and a 28% decrease in the stroke (5.40±0.44 mm to 3.89±0.77 mm, p<0.001). This work demonstrates that fabric cooling channels are a viable option for cooling thermally actuated artificial muscles within a soft wearable device. Future work can continue to improve the channel design by experimenting with other configurations and materials.
Production of kurut (kurt) using probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG strain in combination with a yeast isolated from Kazakhstan kurut
Authors: Tuganbay Aigerim , Yousefvand Amin , Saris Per Erik Joakim
Published: November 2022

Kuruts are traditional acid-coagulated fermented dairy products in semisolid or dried form. The present study used probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Cryptococcus laurentii yeast, a kurut isolate, to make mixed-fermentation kurut. In addition, kurut was fermented with L. rhamnosus GG as starter. Kurut was also fermented with kefir grains representing a traditional way to initiate the fermentation. The viability of probiotic L. rhamnosus GG strain and physicochemical properties of semisolid kurut products were monitored during storage over 22 days at 4°C. The tested probiotic strain showed viability higher than 7 log CFU/mL in both mixed-fermentation and single-strain-fermentation kurut during storage at 4°C. When prepared with probiotic bacteria, the syneresis values of mixed-fermentation kurut were lower (p > 0.05) than single-strain-fermentation kurut. The flavor and overall acceptability scores for kurut prepared using the combination of probiotic LGG and C. laurentii yeast as starter culture were higher than for the other samples at 11 days of storage (p > 0.05). Taking the above into consideration, probiotic kuruts obtained by milk fermentation inoculated with co-culture of L. rhamnosus GG and C. laurentii yeast could be potential probiotic products to be produced in the dairy industry.
Scarcity amidst plenty: Regulating digital transformation
Authors: Arewa Olufunmilayo B.
Published: November 2022

Digital transformation has become a core aspect of lived experiences in recent years. Digital transformation has led to many aggregate benefits in the United States and throughout the world. The distribution of these benefits remains an issue of continuing contention. Digital transformation has occurred in contexts of significant disruption, both positive and negative. Although the positive aspects of disruption are often celebrated, potential negative consequences of digital transformation may not be adequately recognized. Digital transformation may, along with other factors, intensify existing societal divides, lead to greater inequality in many places, and contribute to a scarcity of opportunity for many people. Dealing with potentially adverse consequences of digital transformation requires flexible approaches to regulation and systematic use of metrics. Digital transformation also implicates policy issues, including those concerning technology infrastructure and education and training. Digital economy policies must take account of the requirements of an economy permeated with the effects of digital transformation. Addressing digital economy adversities will require greater attention to digital economy participation and inclusion. Fostering digital economy inclusion requires attention to both the distribution of digital economy benefits and preconditions for digital economy participation.