bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticancer activity of vitamin D – molecular mechanisms
Authors: Gruber-Bzura Beata M.
Published: June 2020

A large number of studies have pointed to the relations between blood levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D with cancer incidence and survival. The phenomenon of the multidirectional activity of vitamin D is possibly due to the presence of VDR in most nonskeletal human cells, including cancer cells. A wide range of the genes regulated by VDR are related with cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, angiogenesis and metastasis. In some preclinical studies, colon, lung and BC have all demonstrated downregulation of VDR expression as compared to normal cells, and well-differentiated tumors have shown more VDR expression when compared to their poorly differentiated counterparts. Generally, higher tumor VDR expression has been noted as correlating with better prognosis in cancer patients. However, vitamin D pathway genetic polymorphisms also may influence cancer risk. VDR polymorphisms have received the most attention, but this influence has also been observed in genes related to vitamin D metabolism or signalling, such as: CYP27B1, CYP24A1, VDBP or RXRA. Even though the associations between most of them and cancers were not significant, some studies show that VDR polymorphisms may be a better or poor prognostic factor to assess the risk of cancer. The aim of this paper was to present the molecular pathways affected by vitamin D, which are included in carcinogenesis. The literature survey comprised of research compiled from mostly the last five years and it proves vitamin D as the most phenomenal among other vitamins.
Datenschutz und Smartphone-Nutzung im Konflikt?
Authors: Dieckhoff Anke
Published: June 2020

Smartphones have become a common companion in our everyday lives. Mobile apps can be used to install various functions. For example, it can be used as an MP3 player, navigation device, or fitness tracker. Communication via instant messengers and social networks now also takes place on smartphones and has largely replaced the usual forms of communication. The mostly free applications are profitable for providers primarily because they can process a large amount of personal data. This enables the creation of profiles and the analysis of behavioural patterns. Smartphone users are therefore usually faced with the choice of accepting these processing options or dispensing with the respective application. The work deals with data protection problems of smartphone apps and also presents possibilities for self-protection available to smartphone users.
The Comparison of Direct Laryngoscopy and Video Laryngoscopy in Pediatric Airways Management for Congenital Heart Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Javaherforooshzadeh Fatemeh , Gharacheh Laleh
Published: June 2020

Background: Airway management in patients with hereditary heart disease is an important therapeutic intervention. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare direct laryngoscopy (DL) with video laryngoscopy (VL) in pediatric airways management for congenital heart surgery. Methods: This study was designed as a prospective randomized clinical trial. Two consecutive groups of 30 patients undergoing elective noncyanotic congenital heart surgery. The patients were divided into direct laryngoscopy versus video laryngoscopy for intubation of the trachea. The main outcomes were the number of success rate in the first attempt, and the secondary outcomes were the duration of successful intubation and complications, such as desaturation and bradycardia. Results: Intubation procedure time was measured as 51.13 ± 17.88 seconds for the group with direct laryngoscopy and 59.66 ± 45.91 seconds for group with VL that was significant (P = 0.006). In DL group, 22 patients were intubated on the first attempt, 8 patients on the second attempt, and 6 patients on the third attempt, compared to 24, 6, and 2 respectively, in VL group. The differences were significant only in the third attempt between groups (P = 0.033). The important difference established in heart rate (HR) and SpaO2 amounts between the two groups at any time (P < 0.05). Conclusions: VL can produce better visualization for intubation of trachea in congenital heart disease, but this is time-consuming. Indeed, training in the use of the VL should be increased to reduce the time required for performance. Moreover, further studies are recommended to approve these helpful findings.
A Case Report of a Large Left Atrial Myxoma with Unusual Attachment and Simultaneous Embolization to the Brain
Authors: Ghareghani Atefeh , Esmaeili Omid , Nikparvar Marzieh , Montazerghaem Hossein , Eghbal Eftekhaari Tasnim
Published: June 2020

Introduction: Cardiac myxomas are the most common primary tumors of the heart with high embolic potential. Case Presentation: We present a young man with progressing stroke and atrial myxoma in an unusual site from the left upper pulmonary vein. Conclusions: Intravenous (IV) thrombolysis can be safe in patients with intracardiac myxoma and CNS embolization after good case selection. However, further studies are needed for better decision-making
Psychiatric Consultations in General Hospitals: A Scoping Review
Authors: Hosseini Seyed Hamzeh , Elyasi Forouzan , Moradi Siavash , Rezapour Maryam
Published: June 2020

Context: The rapid growth of psychiatric disorders requires psychiatric consultations to be provided on a greater scale, particularly for hospitalized patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of psychiatric consultation requests in general hospitals and to identify potential gaps in the literature. Evidence Acquisition: This scoping review was based on relevant research published in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane (1977- Dec 2019). The collected literature was closely examined prior to selecting the applicable studies by means of peer review. Data were summarized within a framework of themes comprised of psychiatric consultation, prevalence of psychiatric disorders, hospital departments, diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, and nature of research prior to theoretical classification and tabulation. Results: Ultimately, 22 studies were included in this scoping review. Requests for psychiatric consultations were highest in Austria and Italy, with 22.6% and 13.6% of cases, respectively. The majority of requests were from internal and surgical departments. Consultations were requested more frequently for female patients compared to male patients. mood disorders and substance use disorder were the most diagnostic reports. Conclusions: Taking into consideration the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients suffering from physical illnesses, the referral rate results were considerably low. Although the frequency of psychiatric consultation reports vary widely between countries. As we limited the review to articles written in English, this may be due to selection bias. In this review, we identified that methodological differences and the use of different diagnostic criteria are major gaps that limit a definitive statistical comparison between studies.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Hemophilia Patients Compared to a Control Group in South Khorasan, Iran
Authors: Kazemi Toba , Ziaee Masood , Elhamirad Samira
Published: June 2020

Background: Hemophilia is a rare inherited sex-linked disease caused by the deficiency or lack of some blood coagulation factors. The severity varies depending on the levels of these factors in the blood. Objectives: Therefore, this study aimed at determining the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and risk factors of cardiovascular disease in patients with hemophilia compared to a control group in 2015. Methods: A case-control study was done on all hemophilia patients referring to the Birjand University of Medical Sciences (n = 91). Healthy subjects with no hemophilia were selected using systematic random sampling from healthy individuals in Birjand City, who were matched in terms of age and sex. The data were entered into SPSS19 software. The significance level of less than 0.05 was considered in this study. Results: The mean age was 34.11 ± 14.68 and 33.72 ± 13.46 years in the case and control groups, respectively. The rate of metabolic syndrome was 12.1% in the control group and 4.4% in the hemophilia group. The results of Mann-Whitney U test showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of TG (P = 0.016) and LDL (P < 0.001), and the waist circumference was significantly higher (P = 0.001) in the control group than in the hemophilia group. Conclusions: In the present study, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly lower among hemophilia patients than in the control group. The prevalence of diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia was significantly lower in hemophilia patients than in the control group (healthy subjects).
A Triple-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial on Impacts of Pioglitazone on Oxidative Stress Markers in Diabetic Kidney Transplant Recipients
Authors: Kharazmkia Ali , Ziaie Shadi , Ahmadpoor Pedram , Moradi Omid , Khoshdel Ali , Pour-Reza-Gholi Fatemeh , Samavat Shiva , Samadian Fariba , Nafar Mohsen
Published: June 2020

Background: Oxidative stress as a major mediator of adverse outcomes in kidney transplant recipients who are prone to oxidative stress-mediated injury by pre-transplant and post-transplant conditions. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of Pioglitazone on oxidative stress biomarkers and blood glucose control in diabetic patients receiving insulin after kidney transplantation. Methods: In a triple-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, sixty-two kidney transplanted diabetic patients (40 men and 24 women) were followed for 4 months after randomly assigned to the placebo group and Pioglitazone group (30 mg/d). All of the patients continued their insulin therapy irrespective of the group that they were assigned to evaluate the effects of the addition of pioglitazone on blood glucose and oxidative stress biomarkers, Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total protein carbonyls (TPC) serum levels. Results: At baseline, there were no statistically signiﬁcant differences in glycemic control levels and oxidative markers between the two groups. After 4 months of intervention, a significant improvement occurred in Hemoglobin A1c (HBA1c) in the Pioglitazone group. The changes of HBA1c during 4 months of follow up in the Pioglitazone group show improvement in glucose control were as HBA1c in the placebo group increased by 0.3% (P = 0.0001). Moreover, at the end of the study, the MDA level was significantly lower in the Pioglitazone group (P < 0.0001, 1.22 - 3.90). Regarding the serum level of TPC, the changes were not statistically different at baseline and also at the end of the study between two groups. Conclusions: Administration of Pioglitazone in addition to insulin in diabetic kidney transplant patients not only improved glycemic control (evidenced by HBA1c) but also significantly decreased oxidative stress markers such as MDA.
The genus Anomalon Panzer (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Anomaloninae) of Iran, with description of a new species
Authors: Zardouei Heydari Maryam , Rakhshani Ehsan , Mokhtari Azizollah , Schwarz Martin
Published: June 2020

The Iranian species of the genus Anomalon Panzer, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Anomaloninae) are reviewed. Four species, Anomalon amseli (Hedwig, 1961), A. chinense (Kokujev, 1915), A. cruentatum (Geoffroy, 1785) and A. narinae Zardouei & Rakhshani sp. nov., are found to occur in Iran. The female of A. amseli is described for the first time. Anomalon chinense is a new record for Iran. A key to the known Anomalon species of Iran is provided.
Rogelio Rubio: una vida llena de pequeños paraísos
Authors: Moreno Feliú Paz , García Alonso María
Published: June 2020

Obituario de nuestro compañero Rogelio Rubio
“The Kindness of Strangers:” The Influence of Social Media on the Construction of Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another
Authors: Langer Rosanna
Published: June 2020

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), termed a psychiatric “Factitious disorder by proxy”, compels individuals to solicit unnecessary medical interventions or commit medical abuses on another, almost always a child in their care. A recent phenomenon is that of individuals with FDIA using social media such as blogs and online support groups to perpetuate such abuse, while garnering sympathy from others who access these sites.
Through an examination of several recent high profile FDIA by Internet cases and using the concept of “neo-tribes’ to identify the virtual communities of interest that form around these cases, new dimensions of FDIA appear. Fabrication of medical and social histories is facilitated and consolidated in the virtual sphere and readily enhanced through imagery and careful documentation. Betrayed communities experience exploitation and fraud. However, child neglect and child endangerment remain of concern, and identifying and investigating such claims across physical jurisdictions remain significant challenges for law enforcement.
La recerca en música popular contemporània en el marc dels estudis culturals: una fórmula viable?
Authors: Gregori Alfons
Published: June 2020

L’atorgament del premi Nobel de literatura a Bob Dylan va suposar la culminació d’una concepció dels textos de la música popular com a literatura. A l’Estat espanyol aquesta línia de pensament ha servit de base per a força treballs acadèmics, que en general han minimitzat l’aspecte musical de l’obra artística i, en alguns casos, ns i tot el context històric, polític i cultural en què aquesta va sorgir. D’altra banda, en una òptica més propera als estudis culturals s’han publicat treballs sobre aspectes sociològics i historiogrà cs de gèneres, períodes i intèrprets o grups musicals. La majoria d’aquesta recerca resulta força encomiable perquè ha estat capaç de rebel·lar-se contra el silencis a l’entorn del fenomen de la música popular contemporània en l’àmbit de les humanitats a l’Estat espanyol, alhora que la seva escassetat indica que l’interès per la qüestió ha estat bastant més baixa que al món anglosaxó. En aquest article es presentarà l’esmentada problemàtica i es plantejaran algunes vies d’aplicació de perspectives pròpies dels estudis culturals en els treballs sobre música popular contemporània, a partir no sols de la dimensió intertextual i interdiscursiva d’aquests, sinó també de la valoració del so com a element copartícip a l’hora de crear sentit(s) en la recepció d’una obra d’art musical.
Piotr Sawicki, Magdalena Pabisiak, Refranero español-polaco. 1551 Przysłów hiszpańskich i ich polskich odpowiedników
Authors: Urbańczyk Ewa
Published: June 2020

Reseña/review
Hippocampal remapping as hidden state inference
Authors: Sanders Honi , Wilson Matthew A , Gershman Samuel J
Published: June 2020

Cells in the hippocampus tuned to spatial location (place cells) typically change their tuning when an animal changes context, a phenomenon known as remapping. A fundamental challenge to understanding remapping is the fact that what counts as a ‘‘context change’’ has never been precisely defined. Furthermore, different remapping phenomena have been classified on the basis of how much the tuning changes after different types and degrees of context change, but the relationship between these variables is not clear. We address these ambiguities by formalizing remapping in terms of hidden state inference. According to this view, remapping does not directly reflect objective, observable properties of the environment, but rather subjective beliefs about the hidden state of the environment. We show how the hidden state framework can resolve a number of puzzles about the nature of remapping.
Fibrillar Aβ triggers microglial proteome alterations and dysfunction in Alzheimer mouse models
Authors: Sebastian Monasor Laura , Müller Stephan A , Colombo Alessio Vittorio , Tanrioever Gaye , König Jasmin , Roth Stefan , Liesz Arthur , Berghofer Anna , Piechotta Anke , Prestel Matthias , Saito Takashi , Saido Takaomi C , Herms Jochen , Willem Michael , Haass Christian , Lichtenthaler Stefan F , Tahirovic Sabina
Published: June 2020

Microglial dysfunction is a key pathological feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but little is known about proteome-wide changes in microglia during the course of AD and their functional consequences. Here, we performed an in-depth and time-resolved proteomic characterization of microglia in two mouse models of amyloid β (Aβ) pathology, the overexpression APPPS1 and the knock-in APP-NL-G-F (APP-KI) model. We identified a large panel of Microglial Aβ Response Proteins (MARPs) that reflect heterogeneity of microglial alterations during early, middle and advanced stages of Aβ deposition and occur earlier in the APPPS1 mice. Strikingly, the kinetic differences in proteomic profiles correlated with the presence of fibrillar Aβ, rather than dystrophic neurites, suggesting that fibrillar Aβ may trigger the AD-associated microglial phenotype and the observed functional decline. The identified microglial proteomic fingerprints of AD provide a valuable resource for functional studies of novel molecular targets and potential biomarkers for monitoring AD progression or therapeutic efficacy.
The dynamic transmission of positional information in stau- mutants during Drosophila embryogenesis
Authors: Yang Zhe , Zhu Hongcun , Kong Kakit , Wu Xiaoxuan , Chen Jiayi , Li Peiyao , Jiang Jialong , Zhao Jinchao , Cui Bofei , Liu Feng
Published: June 2020

It has been suggested that Staufen (Stau) is key in controlling the variability of the posterior boundary of the Hb anterior domain (xHb). However, the mechanism that underlies this control is elusive. Here, we quantified the dynamic 3D expression of segmentation genes in Drosophila embryos. With improved control of measurement errors, we show that the xHb of stau– mutants reproducibly moves posteriorly by 10% of the embryo length (EL) to the wild type (WT) position in the nuclear cycle (nc) 14, and that its variability over short time windows is comparable to that of the WT. Moreover, for stau– mutants, the upstream Bicoid (Bcd) gradients show equivalent relative intensity noise to that of the WT in nc12–nc14, and the downstream Even-skipped (Eve) and cephalic furrow (CF) show the same positional errors as these factors in WT. Our results indicate that threshold-dependent activation and self-organized filtering are not mutually exclusive and could both be implemented in early Drosophila embryogenesis.
A non-linear system patterns Rab5 GTPase on the membrane
Authors: Cezanne Alice , Lauer Janelle , Solomatina Anastasia , Sbalzarini Ivo F , Zerial Marino
Published: June 2020

Proteins can self-organize into spatial patterns via non-linear dynamic interactions on cellular membranes. Modelling and simulations have shown that small GTPases can generate patterns by coupling guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) to effectors, generating a positive feedback of GTPase activation and membrane recruitment. Here, we reconstituted the patterning of the small GTPase Rab5 and its GEF/effector complex Rabex5/Rabaptin5 on supported lipid bilayers. We demonstrate a ‘handover’ of Rab5 from Rabex5 to Rabaptin5 upon nucleotide exchange. A minimal system consisting of Rab5, RabGDI and a complex of full length Rabex5/Rabaptin5 was necessary to pattern Rab5 into membrane domains. Rab5 patterning required a lipid membrane composition mimicking that of early endosomes, with PI(3)P enhancing membrane recruitment of Rab5 and acyl chain packing being critical for domain formation. The prevalence of GEF/effector coupling in nature suggests a possible universal system for small GTPase patterning involving both protein and lipid interactions.
Social aversive generalization learning sharpens the tuning of visuocortical neurons to facial identity cues
Authors: Stegmann Yannik , Ahrens Lea , Pauli Paul , Keil Andreas , Wieser Matthias J
Published: June 2020

Defensive system activation promotes heightened perception of threat signals, and excessive attention to threat signals has been discussed as a contributory factor in the etiology of anxiety disorders. However, a mechanistic account of attentional modulation during fear-relevant processes, especially during fear generalization remains elusive. To test the hypothesis that social fear generalization prompts sharpened tuning in the visuocortical representation of social threat cues, 67 healthy participants underwent differential fear conditioning, followed by a generalization test in which participants viewed faces varying in similarity with the threat-associated face. We found that generalization of social threat sharpens visuocortical tuning of social threat cues, whereas ratings of fearfulness showed generalization, linearly decreasing with decreasing similarity to the threat-associated face. Moreover, individuals who reported greater anxiety in social situations also showed heightened sharpened tuning of visuocortical neurons to facial identity cues, indicating the behavioral relevance of visuocortical tuning during generalization learning.
Delineating the early transcriptional specification of the mammalian trachea and esophagus
Authors: Kuwahara Akela , Lewis Ace E , Coombes Coohleen , Leung Fang-Shiuan , Percharde Michelle , Bush Jeffrey O
Published: June 2020

The genome-scale transcriptional programs that specify the mammalian trachea and esophagus are unknown. Though NKX2-1 and SOX2 are hypothesized to be co-repressive master regulators of tracheoesophageal fates, this is untested at a whole transcriptomic scale and their downstream networks remain unidentified. By combining single-cell RNA-sequencing with bulk RNA-sequencing of Nkx2-1 mutants and NKX2-1 ChIP-sequencing in mouse embryos, we delineate the NKX2-1 transcriptional program in tracheoesophageal specification, and discover that the majority of the tracheal and esophageal transcriptome is NKX2-1 independent. To decouple the NKX2-1 transcriptional program from regulation by SOX2, we interrogate the expression of newly-identified tracheal and esophageal markers in Sox2/Nkx2-1 compound mutants. Finally, we discover that NKX2-1 binds directly to Shh and Wnt7b and regulates their expression to control mesenchymal specification to cartilage and smooth muscle, coupling epithelial identity with mesenchymal specification. These findings create a new framework for understanding early tracheoesophageal fate specification at the genome-wide level.
Muscle activation varies between high-bar and low-bar back squat
Authors: Murawa Michal , Fryzowicz Anna , Kabacinski Jaroslaw , Jurga Jakub , Gorwa Joanna , Galli Manuela , Zago Matteo
Published: June 2020

Background

Differences in the muscular activity between the high-bar back squat (HBBS) and the low-bar back squat (LBBS) on the same representative group of experienced powerlifters are still scarcely investigated. The main purpose of the study was to compare the normalized bioelectrical activity and maximal angles within single homogeneous group between the HBBS and LBBS for 60% one repetition maximum (1RM), 65% 1RM and 70% 1RM.

Methods

Twelve healthy men (age 24.3  ± 2.8 years, height 178.8  ± 5.6 cm, body mass 88.3  ± 11.5 kg), experienced in powerlifting performed HBBS and LBBS with comparable external loads equal 60% 1RM, 65% 1RM, and 70% 1RM. Electromyography (EMG) signals of muscle groups were synchronously recorded alongside kinematic data (joints angle) by means of a motion capture system.

Results

EMG activity during eccentric phase of squat motion were significantly higher during LBBS than in HBBS for all selected muscles (60% 1RM and 65% 1RM) (p < 0.05). All examined muscles were more activated during concentric phase of the squat cycle (p < 0.05). In the concentric phase, significant differences between the loads were generally not observed between just 5% 1RM change in load level for LBBS.

Conclusions

Our results confirmed significant differences in muscles activation between both squat techniques. Muscle activity during eccentric phase of squat motion were significantly higher during LBBS than HBBS. The differences are crucial for posterior muscle chain during eccentric phase of squat cycle.
Falta de Adherencia al Tratamiento Farmacológico en Pacientes con Esquizofrenia en Latinoamérica
Authors:   Universidad de Tarapacá (Chile), Caqueo Urizar Alejandra , Urzúa Morales Alfonso ,   Universidad Católica del Norte (Chile)
Published: June 2020

El objetivo de esta investigación fue cuantificar la no-adherencia a la medicación antipsicótica y explorar los determinantes de la no-adherencia en pacientes diagnosticados con esquizofrenia en 3 países de América Latina (Bolivia, Perú y Chile).
Relative Abundance and Foraging Behaviour of Pollinator Fauna on Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) and its Influence on Yield
Authors: Manisha . , Zameeroddin . , Khan H. Khader , Reddy Srinivas
Published: June 2020

Niger (Guizotia abyssinica Cass.) is one of the important oilseed crop of Southern and Central India. Niger is a completely cross pollinated crop brought about by insects, referring to the importance of pollination, the study was undertaken to know the role of pollinators in Niger ecosystem and its influence on yield parameters. The present investigation was carried out during 2016-2017 at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India. In this study, fourteen species of flower visitors were observed during the flowering period belonged to orders Hymenoptera (9 species), Lepidoptera (4 species) and Diptera (1 species). The overall diversity of pollinators was more during morning hours (8.00 AM to 11.00 AM) and gradually decreased after 12.00 PM to 5.00 PM. Among different pollinator species Apis florea was more abundant with 41.46% followed by Apis dorsata and Apis cerana. The peak activity of A. florea was observed at 11.00 AM followed by A. cerana at 10.00-11.00 AM and A. dorsata was at 11.00 AM. The highest number of probing was observed in A. florea (7.52) followed by A cerena and A. dorsata. The time (sec) taken for one probing was highest in A. florea followed by A cerena and A. dorsata. The number of filled seeds observed 37.66% less in caged condition when compare with open pollination and there was significant decrease in the yield in caged condition when compare with open pollination indicating importance of pollinators specifically honey bees for successful production of Niger.
Thematic Areas for Training Needs of Cherry Growers- A Study in Baramulla District of Kashmir Valley
Authors: Yousuf Dawood , Dar M. A. , Wani Noor Ul Islam , Habibullah . , Rashid Uzma , Bhat Shijaatt Hussain , Dar Khalid Rasool , Maqbool Showkat , Sahaf K. A.
Published: June 2020

The study was conducted in horticulture zone Tangmarg of district Baramulla of Jammu and Kashmir. Horticulture Zone Tangmarg comprises of 65 villages out of which 35 villages were under cherry cultivation, from 35 villages 06 villages were selected purposively on the basis of maximum area under cherry cultivation. From the selected 06 villages 120 cherry growers were selected through proportionate allocation method. It has been observed that the skills of cherry growers regarding expert guidance planning, layout planning, soil testing pest and disease management, nutritional management training and pruning etc. were low and as such majority (46.67%) of the cherry growers have high training needs. Integrated disease management receiving highest score was the most prioritized thematic area for training need followed by Soil testing, training and pruning techniques, integrated pest management etc. The training need for marketing technique, processing and value addition packing and grading was given lowest priority by the cherry growers. It was concluded that need based cost effective training programmes and strategies need to be tailored, so that human resource be put to effective use for achieving sustainable cherry production.
In-vitro and In-vivo Antioxidant Activity of Ethanol Leaf Extract of Justicia carnea
Authors: Chidi Udedi Stanley , Nnenna Ani Onuabuchi , Kelechi Asogwa Kingsley , Chijindu Maduji Fitzcharles , Nebolisa Okafor Clinton
Published: June 2020

This study investigated the in-vitro antioxidant activity of ethanol leaf extract of Justicia carnea and its effect on antioxidant status of alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats. The in-vitro antioxidant activity was assayed by determining the total phenol, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and lycopene contents and by using 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, reducing antioxidant power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation antioxidant systems. Oxidative stress was produced in rats by single intraperitoneal injection of 150 mg/kg alloxan and serum concentration of malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were determined. Five experimental groups of rats (n=6) were used for the study. Two groups of diabetic rats received oral daily doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg Justicia carnea leaf extract respectively while gilbenclamide (5 mg/ml); a standard diabetic drug was also given to a specific group for 14 days. From the result, the leaf extract contained a higher concentration of flavonoids followed byphenols, ascorbic acid, lycopene and β-carotene. The extract displayed more potent reducing power ability with EC50 of 40 µg/ml compared to BHA (EC50 of 400µg/ml). The percentage DPPH radical scavenging activity of the extract was also higher with EC50 of 200µg/ml and increased with increase in concentration while BHA had EC50of 320µg/ml. The inhibition of lipid peroxidation also increased with increase in concentration with EC50 of 58µg/ml and comparable with BHA (EC50=60µg/ml). The effect of the plant extract on antioxidant enzyme activities was concentration-dependent. Administration of 100mg/kg of the plant extract resulted in a significant decrease (p<0.05) in serum MDA concentration, while 200 mg/kg of the extract caused a significant (p˂0.05) increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities with a non-significant increase (p>0.05) in the serum level of MDA when compared with the diabetic untreated group. These findings suggest that ethanol leaf extract of Justicia carnea have antioxidant properties and could handle diabetes-induced oxidative stress.
Extraction and Characterization of Oil from Sorrel (Yakuwa Seed) Hibiscus sabdariffa
Authors: Idoko John , Charles Gift , Nyia Mary , Charles Victor
Published: June 2020

Hibiscus sabdariffa (yakwua seed) is one of economic value in tropical and subtropical regions around the world due to diverse industrial, medical and food uses. In this work, oil was extracted from the seed of Hibiscus sabdariffa using normal hexane as extracting solvent. The extraction was carried out at temperature of 70°C at 3-4 hours to ensure optimum oil yield. At a range of 3-4 hours extraction time and at a temperature of 70°C, the average oil yield obtained was 17.8%. The physical state of oil extracted is liquid/yellow greenish in colour with characteristic pleasant smell, relative density of (0.92 g/m3) , refractive index of (1.46),specific gravity of (0.91), and viscosity of (43.67mm2/sec) and the chemical parameters were also determine, the saponification value of (166.20 mgKOH/kg), acid value of (1.40 mgKOH/g), free fatty acid is (0.55 mgKOH/g), peroxide value of (6.90 mg/kg), iodine value of (80.03 g I2/100 g), and ester value of (164.79 mgKOH/g),are comparable with other oils extracted from other sources suitable for consumption. This reveals that the oil extracted from Hibiscus sabdariffa can be used both domestically and industrially, as the seed is already used by michika community for production of traditional maggi called dadawa in Hausa.
Evaluation of Assessment Strategies Used by Basic School Teachers in Ghana: The Case of Assessment for Learning
Authors: Eunice Osei-Asibey , Prince Kusi , Vivian Nimoh , Senyefia Bosson-Amedenu
Published: June 2020

Ghana’s new curriculum for the basic school emphasizes collecting and evaluating information about learners and using the information to make decisions to improve their learning. This study employed the survey research design aimed at evaluating the use of Assessment for learning strategy by basic school teachers in Ghana. The features, strategies and principles underpinning Assessment for learning strategy formed the basis of the construction of 16 item Likert scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.979. A sample size of 100 was computed at 95% confidence interval and randomly selected from the population. The study found significant difference between demographic variables (such as teaching division, teaching experience and gender) and the use of assessment for learning strategy. Female teachers demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing interactive assessment that gives immediate feedback and direction to students than their male teacher counterparts .Class teachers demonstrated greater skills with respect to providing assessment that is inclusive of all learners than their subject teacher counterparts .Again, teachers with at least four years of experience in teaching demonstrated greater skills with respect to use of variety of feedback from students as a basis for deciding on groupings, instructional strategies and resources than their counterparts with less than four years of teaching experience . The study recommended for continuous professional development (PD) session to be introduced for basic school teachers by Ghana Education service on effective use of formative assessment.
European Research Council: bottom‐up principles of the Scientific Council and top‐down proposal of the resigned President
Authors: Porta Raffaele
Published: June 2020

The recent resignation of the President of the European Research Council (ERC) Mauro Ferrari has opened a wide discussion both on the method of designation of the President of the ERC and on the validity of the different funding mechanisms for scientific research. From this point of view, Sars‐CoV‐2 was not only responsible for the pandemic, but also triggered a debate on an alleged primacy of applied research over the fundamental research.
Characterization and in vitro assembly of tick‐borne encephalitis virus C protein
Authors: Kaufman Filip , Dostálková Alžběta , Pekárek Lukáš , Thanh Tung Dinh , Kapisheva Marina , Hadravová Romana , Bednárová Lucie , Novotný Radim , Křížová Ivana , Černý Jiří , Grubhoffer Libor , Ruml Tomáš , Hrabal Richard , Rumlová Michaela
Published: June 2020

Tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a member of flaviviruses, represents a serious health threat by causing human encephalitis mainly in central and eastern Europe, Russia, and northeastern Asia. As no specific therapy is available, there is an urgent need to understand all steps of the TBEV replication cycle at the molecular level. One of the critical events is the packaging of flaviviral genomic RNA by TBEV C protein to form a nucleocapsid. We purified recombinant TBEV C protein and used a combination of physical–chemical approaches, such as size‐exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism, NMR spectroscopies, and transmission electron microscopy, to analyze its structural stability and its ability to dimerize/oligomerize. We compared the ability of TBEV C protein to assemble in vitro into a nucleocapsid‐like structure with that of dengue C protein.
Promotion of Proangiogenic Secretome from Mesenchymal Stromal Cells via Hierarchically Structured Biodegradable Microcarriers
Authors: Simitzi Chara , Hendow Eseelle , Li Zhuangnan , Day Richard M.
Published: June 2020

Adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AdMSC) release numerous soluble factors capable of stimulating angiogenesis. Improved methods for delivering these cells to maximize their potency are now sought that ideally they retain viable cells in the target tissue while promoting the secretion of angiogenic factors. Substrate surface topography is a parameter that can be used to manipulate the behavior of AdMSC but challenges exist with translating this parameter into materials compatible with minimally invasive delivery into tissues for in situ delivery of the angiogenic secretome. The current study investigates three compositions of hierarchically structured, porous biodegradable microcarriers for the culture of AdMSC and the influence of their surface topographies on the angiogenic secretome. All three compositions perform well as cell microcarriers in xeno‐free conditions. The attached AdMSC retain their capacity for subsequent trilineage differentiation. The secretome of AdMSC attached to the microcarriers consists of multiple proangiogenic factors, including significantly elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor, which stimulates angiogenesis in vitro. The unique properties of hierarchically structured, porous biodegradable microcarriers investigated in this study offer a radically transformative approach for achieving targeted in vivo delivery of AdMSC and enhancing the potency of their proangiogenic activity to induce neovascularization in ischemic tissue.
Wettability‐Guided Screen Printing of Perovskite Microlaser Arrays for Current‐Driven Displays
Authors: Wang Kang , Du Yuxiang , Liang Jie , Zhao Jinyang , Xu Fa Feng , Liu Xiaolong , Zhang Chuang , Yan Yongli , Zhao Yong Sheng
Published: June 2020

Halide perovskites have shown tremendous potential for next‐generation flat‐panel laser displays due to their remarkable optoelectronic properties and outstanding material processability; however, the lack of a general approach for the fast growth of perovskite laser arrays capable of electrical operations impedes actualization of their display applications. Herein, a universal and robust wettability‐guided screen‐printing technique is reported for the rapid growth of large‐scale multicolor perovskite microdisk laser arrays, which can serve as laser display panels and further be used to realize current‐driven displays. The perovskite microlasers are precisely defined with controlled physical dimensions and spatial locations by such a printing strategy, and each perovskite microlaser serves as a pixel of a display panel. Moreover, the screen‐printing procedure is highly compatible with light‐emitting diode (LED) device architectures, which is favorable for the mass production of micro‐LED arrays. On this basis, a prototype of a current‐driven display is demonstrated with desired functionalities. The outstanding performance and feasible fabrication of screen‐printed perovskite microlaser arrays embedded in LEDs provide deep insights into the concepts and device architectures of electrically driven laser display technology.
Superior Microwave Absorption Based on ZnO Capped MnO2 Nanostructures
Authors: He Gaihua , Duan Yuping , Pang Huifang , Hu Jianjun
Published: June 2020

Dielectric composites based on polybasic components with hierarchical structures have promising potentials for electromagnetic absorber. However, strategy to strengthen coupling of transition metal oxides still demands to be optimized to enhance electromagnetic loss. Herein, inspired by the hierarchical structure of balsam pear, ultrafine ZnO is uniformly distributed and tightly capped in MnO2 by self‐assembly hydrothermal method. The unique hierarchical structure provides abundant polarization centers with large specific surface area. The compositions promote attenuation performance of electromagnetic waves, enhance relative permittivity and satisfy impedance matching as compared with that of pure ZnO or MnO2. The effective bandwidth (RL< −10 dB) reaches 5.93 GHz obtained with thin thickness of 1.8 mm. The effective bandwidth reaches 15 GHz via regulating their thickness. The fabricated MnO2/ZnO composites can achieve great adaptability in microwave. MnO2/ZnO composites keep stability even heated 700 °C in air. The phase and weight remain unchanged. The proposed interfacial modulation strategy can provide new opportunities for the design of efficient electromagnetic absorber with thermal stability.
Reducing Friction by Control of Isoelectric Point: A Potential Method to Design Artificial Cartilage
Authors: Yuan Shihua , Chen Xinchun , Zhang Chenhui
Published: June 2020

Relative motion between artificial cartilages is too slow to form a sufficient lubricating film for hydrodynamic lubrication, and this can result in large friction and wear. Hydration lubrication is effective in reducing friction at low speeds, and the lubricity is mostly determined by surface charges, which can be assessed by isoelectric point (IEP). Therefore, by controlling the IEP of friction pairs, ultralow friction can be achieved even with weak hydrodynamic lubrication. Here, a negatively charged material is synthesized by grafting carboxylate anions into an epoxy resin matrix. Compared with pristine epoxy resin (IEP = 6.0), the modified epoxy resins (IEP = 3.8, IEP = 3.0) show better tribological properties. In particular, at low speeds (4.7 and 1.2 mm s−1), the friction coefficients are as low as 0.02–0.04, and the average contact pressures are ≈10 MPa, when a NaCl solutions are used as the lubricants. Furthermore, the addition of hydroxyapatite to the modified epoxy resin not only increases its bioactivity, but also reduces friction. Superlubricity can be achieved for the speeds higher than 23.5 mm s−1. These results provide a method to design artificial cartilage with good tribological and bearing capacity.
Compositional Phase Change of Early Transition Metal Diselenide (VSe2 and TiSe2) Ultrathin Films by Postgrowth Annealing
Authors: Bonilla Manuel , Kolekar Sadhu , Li Jiangfeng , Xin Yan , Coelho Paula Mariel , Lasek Kinga , Zberecki Krzysztof , Lizzit Daniel , Tosi Ezequiel , Lacovig Paolo , Lizzit Silvano , Batzill Matthias
Published: June 2020

The transition metal selenides M1+ySe2 (M = V, Ti) have intriguing quantum properties, which make them target materials for controlling properties by thinning them to the ultrathin limit. An appropriate approach for the synthesis of such ultrathin films is by molecular beam epitaxy. Here, it is shown that such synthesized V‐ and Ti‐Se2 films can undergo a compositional change by vacuum annealing. Combined scanning tunneling and photoemission spectroscopy is used to determine compositional and structural changes of ultrathin films as a function of annealing temperature. Loss of selenium from the film is accompanied by a morphology change of monolayer height islands to predominantly bilayer height. In addition, crystal periodicity and atomic structure changes are observed. These changes are consistent with a transition from a layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) to ordered intercalation compounds with V or Ti intercalated in between two layers of their respective TMDCs. These observations may clear up misconception of the nature of previously reported high‐temperature grown transition metal selenides. More significantly, the demonstrated control of the formation of intercalation compounds is a key step toward modifying properties in van der Waals systems and toward expanding material systems for van der Waals heterostructures.
Epigenetic Therapies in the Precision Medicine Era
Authors: Leite Michel Lopes , de Oliveira Kamila Botelho Sampaio , Cunha Victor Albuquerque , Dias Simoni Campos , da Cunha Nicolau Brito , Costa Fabricio F.
Published: June 2020

The elucidation of the 3D structure of DNA revolutionized modern science and created the basis for the field of molecular biology. The advent of DNA sequencing, and further refinement with Next‐Generation Sequencing (NGS) techniques, has made possible the enormous accumulation of data, which are useful for understanding the molecular mechanisms associated to various complex and rare diseases. Thanks to these advances, today it is known that several mechanisms regulate gene expression without the occurrence of mutations in the genome, a phenomenom known as Epigenetics and Epigenomics. The main mechanisms involved are DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non‐coding RNA transcription. The knowledge of these mechanisms applied to biomedicine has enabled the emergence of several fields, especially precision medicine, which is based on the genetic and epigenetic profiles of patients applied to personalized diagnostics and treatments. In this review, the history of the scientific advances that have enabled the development of precision medicine will be discussed, with a focus in epigenetics. Moreover, several molecules that have been approved for use or have the potential in epigenetic therapies (epidrugs) will also be discussed here, those of which act on targets responsible for maintaining the correct epigenetic pattern or correcting wrong patterns in diseases.
Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Insight into Ternary Blends from a Characterization of the Intermolecular Packing and Electronic Properties in the Corresponding Binary Blends
Authors: Ashokan Ajith , Wang Tonghui , Coropceanu Veaceslav , Brédas Jean‐Luc
Published: June 2020

While adding a third component to a binary blend in the active layer of an organic solar cell is a promising approach to improve device performance, the control of active‐layer morphology also becomes more complex. Here, a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and long‐range corrected density functional theory calculations is used to examine the intermolecular packing and electronic properties in two polymer donor/small‐molecule acceptor binary blends, D/A1 (donor/acceptor1) and D/A2 (donor/acceptor2), in order to gain insight into the D/A1/A2 ternary blend. The focus is on the blends of the 4‐(3‐(2‐decyltetradecyl)‐5′‐(2,3‐difluoro‐4‐(5‐methylthiophen‐2‐yl)phenyl)‐[2,2′‐bithiophen]‐5‐yl)‐7‐(4‐(2‐decyltetradecyl)‐5‐methylthiophen‐2‐yl)‐5,6‐difluoro‐2‐propyl‐2H‐benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole (PTFB‐O) polymer donor with the 3,9‐bis(2‐methylene‐(3‐(1,1‐dicyanomethylene)‐indanone))‐5,5,11,11‐tetrakis(5‐hexylthienyl)‐dithieno[2,3‐d:2′,3′‐d′]‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene (ITIC‐Th) and 2,2′‐((2Z,2′Z)‐(((4,4,9,9‐tetrakis(5‐hexylthiophen‐2‐yl)‐4,9‐dihydro‐s‐indaceno[1,2‐b:5,6‐b′]dithiophene‐2,7‐diyl)bis(4‐octylthiophene‐5,2‐diyl))‐bis(methanylylidene))bis(3‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐indene‐2,1‐diylidene))‐dimalononitrile (IEIC‐Th) acceptors. The intermolecular packings and extent of mixing between the polymer donor and the acceptor in both binary blends are found to be similar, which is consistent with the well‐mixed nature of the ITIC‐Th:IEIC‐Th phase and the quasi‐linear evolution of open‐circuit voltage as a function of ITIC‐Th concentration in the PTFB‐O:ITIC‐Th:IEIC‐Th ternary blend. The intermolecular packing patterns and electron‐transfer rates among the acceptors are explored to rationalize the higher electron mobility found in the PTFB‐O:ITIC‐Th blend. The energetic distribution of the charge‐transfer electronic states and non‐radiative recombination rates are also evaluated to understand the difference in voltage losses between the binary blends.