bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Avaliação da atividade antimicrobiana da planta hyptis pectinata: Uma revisão da literatura sistemática
Authors: Silva Hisolda Firmo da , Oliveira Stephanie Anine dos Santos , Souza Pâmella Grazielle Vital Dias de
Published: June 2021

A população apresenta conhecimentos sobre ervas medicinais, devido ao hábito de cultivo das plantas nas áreas residências e a transmissão de conhecimento etnobotânico entre indivíduos da comunidade, com finalidade de tratamento de doenças. A Hyptis Pectinata Possui características aromáticas, e pode ser cultivada no quintal das residências, apesar de seu crescimento acontecer de forma natural em volta as matas. Este estudo refere-se à uma revisão de literatura sistêmica sobre o potencial antimicrobiano a partir dos extratos da planta Sambacaité (Hyptis pectinata), com busca de materiais nas bases de dados SCIELO e PUBMED, utilizando as recomendações do Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Foi realizado a seleção de pesquisas em três etapas (leitura de título e resumo, leitura das publicações por completo e aproveitamento dos artigos selecionados para a formação e compilação dos dados). O resultado obtido neste estudo apresenta resultados eficazes de extrato da planta H. Pectinata para efeitos antimicrobianos antiinflamatórios, antioxidante, antinociceptivos e antiedematogênicos.
Reduced connexin-43 expression in the aorta of pre-hypertensive rats
Authors: Dlugošová K , Mitašíková M , Bernátová I , Weismann P , Okruhlicová Ľ
Published: June 2021

Genetic component represents an important factor in the
development of hypertension, which is known to be associated
with changes in expression of vascular gap junction protein
connexin 43 (Cx43). The aim of the study was to examine the
distribution and expression of Cx43 in the aortic endothelium of
adult normotensive Wistar rats (W), borderline hypertensive rats
(BHR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Rings of the
thoracic aorta were processed for immunofluorescence and
Western blot analysis of endothelial Cx43 and for electron
microscopy. Both, BHR and SHR exhibited significantly increased
blood pressure vs. W (132±2 mm Hg and 185±3 mm Hg vs.
110±2 mm Hg). Reduced Cx43 immunofluorescence was
observed in the endothelium of BHR and these alterations were
more pronounced in SHR. Western blot analysis showed
significant suppression of Cx43 expression in the aorta of both
BHR (p<0.05) and SHR (p<0.001) vs. W. Electron microscopy
revealed local subcellular alterations of interendothelial
connections in BHR including extended tight junctions. These
alterations were more frequent and marked in SHR. The results
indicate that connexin 43 expression is reduced in the aortic
endothelium already in prehypertensive period, which may affect
cell-to-cell communication and thus participate in acceleration of
hypertensive disease.
Thyroid hormones modulate occurrence and termination of ventricular fibrillation by both long-term and acute actions
Authors: Knezl V , Soukup T , Okruhlicová Ľ , Slezák J , Tribulová N
Published: June 2021

Thyroid hormones (TH) are powerful modulators of heart function, but their arrhythmogenic effects are less elucidated. We have examined both acute and long-term action of TH on the heart susceptibility to the ventricular fibrillation (VF) and on the heart ability to terminate VF and restore a sinus rhythm. Triiodothyronine (T3) was applied in the range of 10(-9)-10(-6) mol/l in acute experiments using isolated perfused aged (14-month-old) guinea pig hearts. L-thyroxine (T4) was applied in the dose of 50 microg/100g/day to young (3-month-old) and aged (20-month-old) rats for 2 weeks. The T4 treatment resulted in an increased susceptibility of young, but not adult rat hearts to a hypokalemia-induced VF and facilitated a spontaneous sinus rhythm (SSR) restoration in the latter group. The acute T3 administration in the range of 10(-9)-10(-7) mol/l significantly decreased the susceptibility of an isolated heart to an electrically induced VF and also facilitated the sinus rhythm restoration. The SSR restoration was, however, not affected by 10(-6) mol/l concentration of T3, which also led to an increased VF susceptibility. Results indicate that TH can affect the susceptibility of the heart to VF and its ability to restore the sinus rhythm via acute (non-genomic) and long-term (genomic) actions. Furthermore, an anti- and pro-arrhythmic potential of TH appears to be age- and dose-dependent.
Animal Elements on Japanese Kotowaza and the Implementation of Japanese Socio-Cultural Values: A Cognitive Linguistics Point of View
Authors: Mafrukha Siti , Firmansyah Dian Bayu , Stovia Anggita
Published: June 2021

This study aims to describe the relationship between the lexical meaning and the idiomatic meaning contained in the Japanese kotowaza and to analyze the level of relevance of each kotowaza to the application of socio-cultural values in Japanese society. This type of research is qualitative descriptive research to describe the meaning of kotowaza through cognitive linguistic studies and conceptual metaphor theory. The data source is a Japanese novel contained in Aozora Bunka. This study found that the animal elements contained in the kotowaza are a conceptualization of attitudes, actions, judgments, circumstances, and feelings. In addition, the city also reflects socio-cultural values that are very relevant to the culture of Japanese society, such as the culture of working hard, being responsible, and being focused and conscientious.
Marginalization of Women in Higuchi Ichiyou's Nigorie Short Story: A Feminism Studies
Authors: Nabila Salma , Noviana Fajria
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study is to describe the marginalization experienced by women in Higuchi Ichiyou's short story Nigorie, and the effects it causes. This research focused on marginalization because marginalization is the root of various unfair treatments experienced by women. As a literature study with the feminism approach, data in the form of dialogues, acts, and events related to women in this short story were analyzed based on Lorber’s and Fakih’s theory of gender inequalities, through the point of view of feminist literary criticism. As the result, it is known that the marginalization experienced by women who work in brothels has resulted in other unfair treatments, which in Fakih's opinion can be categorized as gender inequalities. Such unfair treatments are in the form of impoverishment, putting women in a lower position than men, negative labeling, violence, and double workload. Marginalization and various unfair treatments experienced by women in this short story, which gives the impression that the society in this short story doesn’t consider women as human beings in general, are the manifestations of hegemonic patriarchism that is deeply rooted in the life of the Japanese nation.
ANALISIS STRUKTURAL TIGA CERPEN BERTEMA VIRUS KORONA
Authors: Muhajir Muhajir
Published: June 2021

Setiap peristiwa besar menghasilkan sebuah karya besar. Virus korona (Covid) adalah sebuah peristiwa besar, karya sastra yang lahir pada waktu itu layak untuk diteliti. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melacak kekhasan tiga cerpen bertema covid. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode analisis teks dengan objek material tiga cerpen bertema korona dan objek formal adalah strukturalisme dan kritik sosial. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah strukturalisme dengan mengkaji fakta dan sarana cerita. Hasil analisis menunjukkan terdapat kekahasan dalam penciptaan tokoh, ada tokoh sebagai sebab datangnya virus, ada yang menjadi korban, dan ada yang menjadi penengah antara manusia dan virus. Tokoh di dua cerpen adalah bukan manusia dan tidak diberi nama, dan cerpen ketiga tokoh adalah manusia dan diberi nama. Dua cerpen menggunakan pilihan sudut pandang orang pertama utama, dan satu cerpen menggunakan sudut pandang orang ketiga terbatas. Suasana ketiga cerpen yang dikaji adalah muram dan gelap. Kritik sosial yang disampaikan pengarang melalui karya cerpennya adalah tentang keserakahan manusia, ego pribadi dan golongan, dan budaya patriarki dimana di situasi korona berdampak pada keluarga dan yang paling berdampak adalah istri atau perempuan.
TINDAK TUTUR EKSPRESIF DALAM TALKSHOW “SARAH SECHAN” DAN “THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW”: KAJIAN PRAGMATIK LINTAS BUDAYA
Authors: Wulandari Ayu
Published: June 2021

Language really helps human to express and share their life especially on media; language is becoming the tool to attract the listeners’ or audiences’ attention. This study focused on the use  of expressive speech acts used by the talk show hosts of “Sarah Sechan” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (two different hosts from Indonesia and from America). The research aimed to identify the similarity and the difference of expressive speech acts used by both hosts with the same topic through cross-cultural pragmatics point of view. The research used a qualitative descriptive method. The result showed that the host of Sarah Sechan talk show is considered friendlier due to the fact that the host used expressive speect acts and praised the guest more often than the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Individual’s Use of Leisure and Social Media: The Case of Northern Cyprus
Authors: OZTURK GUNGOR Bahar , OZEJDER Ibrahim , GUNGOR Savas
Published: June 2021

When we define human as a social being, we can say that one has to adapt to the society, and continue the life depending on that society. Individuals have formed some behavioral patterns in order to adapt to their environment. In Northern Cyprus, how the preferences of the individuals vary in their time, especially in terms of gender, age group, education level, the social media application preferred by the individual and how many hours they spend daily in this social media application, the individual’s social media, the positive or negative relationship between usage reasons and social media addiction and leisure time were analysed. In order to obtain how the preferences of individuals vary in their free time especially during the pancemic a qualitative method was used. The positive or negative relationship between usage reasons and social media addiction and leisure time was analsed by comparing frequencies. The data obtained from the participants included in the study were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 26.0 data analysis program. The distribution of the characteristics of the participants showed significant differences.
Effects of Online Social Interaction and Social Capital on Brand Relationship Quality in Medical Tourism Industry
Authors: TAI Yu-Nan , LIU Hong-Cheng
Published: June 2021

The emergence of Internet media allows brands breaking through the one-way communication model of mass media in the past and reinforces the circular dialogue mechanism through the interaction of Internet media to precede one-to-one communication through text dialogue, where the affective connection generates in the interaction process. Many enterprise brands start to utilize social media as the new interactive communication platform for consumers selecting the required message communication needs. The two-way communication with brands is enhanced through social interaction to build and maintain the relationship, sustain existing consumers’ loyalty to create the maximal profits of each consumer, and more efficiently contact new consumers in the constantly expanding relationship network to achieve relationship marketing. Aiming at the members of Internet fan pages of medical tourism industry, as the research objects, random sampling is applied to distribute 500 copies of questionnaire in this study. Total 392 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 78%. The research results show significant correlations between online social interaction and social capital, social capital and brand relationship quality, and online social interaction and brand relationship quality. According to the results to propose suggestions, it is expected to provide practical strategies and development reference for future medical tourism industry brands managing and sustaining the exclusive pages on social network site in the constantly emerging marketing channels.
Relieful lumii interbelice. „Marginal și experimental. Cooperativa Gusti: două decenii de cercetare în istoria sociologiei”, Editura Eikon, București, 2020. Coordonatori: Ionuț Butoi, Martin Ladislau Salamon
Authors: Maci Mihai
Published: June 2021

The advent of a new collection of studies dedicated to the „Gusti Cooperative” is an opportunity to recall the ways of referring to our rural world and its research. For a long time the predominance of these referrings have been represented by the ideational sublimination of the so-called visions/mythology, witch is nothing else but resuming romantic themes in today’s world. The investigations of the relief an the detail structure of a complex view, whose diversity and openness are revealed as the study progress, is much more discreet. This is what the team coordonated by Professor Zoltán Rostás does, which marks two decades of existence with this book.
In memoriam Cornel Constantinescu (12.07.1953-17.12.2020)
Authors: Chelcea Septimiu
Published: June 2021

Professor Cornel Constantinescu was the vice-president of the Romanian Sociological Association and Associated University Professor at Pitești University, Department of Socio-human Sciences. Professor Cornel Constantinescu initiated the publication of the Scientific Bulletin. The Socio-Human Sciences series and the ten volumes from the “Sociological Profiles” collection of the University of Pitești Publishing House, in which texts of eminent sociologists from the past, such as Dimitrie Gusti, Traian Herseni and Vasile V. Caramelea, were capitalized.
Sociologi români de azi: generații, instituții și personalități, Editura Academiei Române, București, 2016. Dumitru Otovescu
Authors: Prodanciuc Robert
Published: June 2021

In the first part of this review, I describe the concepts used in the book. Next, the paper follows the four periods of institutionalization and evolution of national sociological thinking from a historical and didactic perspective. Each period is characterized by the contributions of its representative authors. In another chapter, the author describes the teaching staff and the graduates from the Faculty of Philosophy, specialization Sociology at the University of Bucharest. Finally, a gallery of sociologists with their achievements is presented. This review captures the value and usefulness of the book for understanding the history of Romanian sociological thinking.
Culturalizare în uniformă. Articole și documente privind Legea Serviciului Social 1938-1939. Antologie de Zoltán Rostás și Dragoș Sdrobiș. Prefață de Zoltán Rostás, postfață de Dragoș Sdrobiș. Editura Paideia, București, 2017
Authors: Larionescu Maria
Published: June 2021

The volume includes an anthology of studies, laws, documents, investigations, and discourses concerning “social engineering” and the young student population, aiming to clarify multiple misunderstandings and myths concerning the Social Service Law, 1938, both from the respective historical period and from recent debates. To this purpose, authors employ a triple strategy of clarifying this piece of legislation: 1) an analysis of the Euro-Atlantic and national contexts of the interbellum period that frames the social service initiatives; 2) connecting the Law to the great public debates of the XIXth century, concerning the life of peasants in the context of village modernization; 3) integrating the experiences of cultural work in villages in the broader, comprehensive vision of the Sociological School of Bucharest, specifying them as a deepening of village modernization on four dimensions: culture of work, of health, of mind and of soul.
Social Policies in Romania after 30 Years. Expectations and Answers, Publishing House of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, 2020. Edited by Elena Zamfir, Mălina Voicu, Simona Maria Stănescu
Authors: Alexandrescu Filip
Published: June 2021

Excerpt from the book review: Social Policies in Romania after 30 Years: Expectations and Answers is the latest in a series of books dealing with this topic, which have been published successively by various researchers from the Research Institute for Quality of Life, Romanian Academy, in 1995, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005. The editors of the current volume are three experienced scholars with long publication records in the areas of social policy, the welfare state, and the post-socialist transition. Professor Elena Zamfir is well-known for her academic contributions and initiatives in organizing the social work curriculum at the University of Bucharest. MălinaVoicu has a rich publication portfolio around modernization theories applied to Romania, while Simona Stănescu has published extensively on the welfare state in Romania, before and after its EU integration.
Determinanți ai excluziunii sociale în rândul persoanelor vârstnice
Authors: Ghenţa Mihaela , Bobârnat Elen-Silvana
Published: June 2021

The paper presents the results of a qualitative research conducted among providers of social and socio-medical services for older persons. The research objectives were to collect opinions with regard to the societal transformations that constitute risk factors for the social inclusion of the elderly; to identify the dimensions of social inclusion of the elderly in Romania most impacted by the societal transformations, as well as measures and actions that could counter acting the negative effects of social exclusion of the elderly. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with experts from social and health care services providers. Technological transformations, the ageing phenomenon, the migration, the negative perceptions regarding the elderly population; the uneven development of urban areas compared to rural areas, are most likely to influence the social exclusion of older persons. Participation in cultural, sports, and voluntary activities, access to appropriate social and health care services and housing conditions may lead to a better social inclusion.
Amelioration of Saline Stress on Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seedlings Inoculated With Halotolerant Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria Isolated From Hypersaline Environments
Authors: Yañez-Yazlle María Florencia , Romano-Armada Neli , Rajal Verónica Beatriz , Irazusta Verónica Patricia
Published: June 2021

The rhizosphere and microbiome of halotolerant plants could be crucial for alleviating salinity stress during plant growth. The aims of this work were (1) to isolate bacteria from rhizosphere and bulk soil samples from the Salar del Hombre Muerto (Catamarca, Argentina), (2) to characterize different plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities produced by these bacterial isolates, and (3) to evaluate their effect on the initial growth of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) under saline stress. A total of 667 microorganisms were isolated, using different culture media with NaCl, and their abilities for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, siderophores production, and indole-3-acetic acid production were evaluated. Thirteen strains were selected for showing all the tested PGP activities; they belonged to the genera Kushneria, Halomonass, Pseudomonas, Planomicrobium, and Pseudarthrobacter. The strains Kushneria sp. and Halomonas sp. showed the highest salinity tolerance (from 50 to 2,000 mM NaCl) and biomass and biofilm production. Chia seeds were treated with six of the first 13 selected strains to evaluate their plant growth-promoting effect under saline stress (without and with 50 and 100 mM NaCl). Halomonas sp. 3R.12 and Kushneria sp. T3.7 produced heavier seedlings with a balanced shoot/root length ratio, while Pseudomonas sp. AN23 showed the best effect upon chia seedlings, with a morphological response similar to non-stressed seedlings. On the other hand, seedlings displayed no responses when inoculated with Planomicrobium sp. 3S.31 and Pseudarthrobacter sp. ER25. This study contributes to the knowledge on microorganisms from hypersaline environments as plant growth promoters for their use in the production of salt-sensitive crops, among other potential uses.
A Novel Ferroptosis-Related Gene Signature for Overall Survival Prediction in Patients With Breast Cancer
Authors: Zhu Lizhe , Tian Qi , Jiang Siyuan , Gao Huan , Yu Shibo , Zhou Yudong , Yan Yu , Ren Yu , He Jianjun , Wang Bin
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide. However, advanced multidisciplinary therapy cannot rescue the mortality of high-risk breast cancer metastasis. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of regulating cell death that related to cancer treatment, especially in eradicating aggressive malignancies that are resistant to traditional therapies. However, the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related gene in breast cancer remains unknown.

Materials and Methods

In this study, a total of 1,057 breast cancer RNA expression data with clinical and follow-up information were downloaded from the TCGA cohort, multivariate Cox regression was used to construct the 11-gene prognostic ferroptosis-related gene signature. The breast cancer patients from the GEO cohort were used for validation. The expression levels of core prognostic genes were also verified in erastin-treated breast cancer cell lines by real-time polymerase chain action (PCR).

Results and Discussion

Our results showed that 78% ferroptosis-related genes were differentially expressed between breast cancer tumor tissue and adjacent non-tumorous tissues, including 29 of them which were significantly correlated with OS in the univariate Cox regression analysis. Patients were divided into high-risk group and low-risk group by the 11-gene signature. Patients with high-risk scores had a higher probability of death earlier than the low-risk group both in the TCGA construction cohort and in the GEO validation cohort (all P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the risk score was proved to be an independent predictor for OS in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses (HR > 1, P < 0.01). The predictive efficacy of the prognostic signature for OS was further verified by the time-dependent ROC curves. Moreover, we also enriched many immune-related biological processes in later functional analysis; the immune status showed a statistical difference between the two risk groups. In addition, the differences in expression levels of 11 core prognostic genes were examined in ferroptosis inducer-treated breast cancer cell lines.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a novel ferroptosis-related gene model can be used for prognostic prediction in breast cancer. New ferroptosis-related genes may be used for breast cancer targeting therapy in the future.
Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein A1 Loads Batched Tumor-Promoting MicroRNAs Into Small Extracellular Vesicles With the Assist of Caveolin-1 in A549 Cells
Authors: Li Yangyang , Zhang Jian , Li Sha , Guo Chongye , Li Qian , Zhang Xin , Li Meng , Mi Shuangli
Published: June 2021

MicroRNAs in small extracellular vesicle (sEV-miRNAs) have been widely investigated as crucial regulated molecules secreted by tumor cells to communicate with surroundings. It is of great significance to explore the loading mechanism of sEV-miRNAs by tumor cells. Here, we comprehensively illustrated a reasoned loading pathway of batched tumor-promoting sEV-miRNAs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line A549 with the application of a multi-omics method. The protein heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) was strictly selected as a powerful sEV-miRNA loading protein from miRNA-binding proteome and further verified through small RNA sequencing after hnRNPA1 silence. In terms of the mechanism, SUMOylated hnRNPA1 in sEVs was verified to control sEV-miRNA loading. Subsequently, as a scaffolding component of caveolae, caveolin-1 (CAV1) was detailedly demonstrated to assist the loading of SUMOylated hnRNPA1 and its binding miRNAs into sEVs. Inhibition of CAV1 significantly prevented SUMOylated hnRNPA1 from encapsulating into sEVs, resulting in less enrichment of sEV-miRNAs it loaded. Finally, we confirmed that hnRNPA1-loaded sEV-miRNAs could facilitate tumor proliferation and migration based on database analysis and cytological experiments. Our findings reveal a loading mechanism of batched tumor-promoting sEV-miRNAs, which may contribute to the selection of therapeutic targets for lung cancer.
Sphingolipids as Modulators of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Törnquist Kid , Asghar Muhammad Yasir , Srinivasan Vignesh , Korhonen Laura , Lindholm Dan
Published: June 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic with severe consequences for afflicted individuals and the society as a whole. The biology and infectivity of the virus has been intensively studied in order to gain a better understanding of the molecular basis of virus-host cell interactions during infection. It is known that SARS-CoV-2 binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via its spike protein. Priming of the virus by specific proteases leads to viral entry via endocytosis and to the subsequent steps in the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Sphingosine and ceramide belong to the sphingolipid family and are abundantly present in cell membranes. These lipids were recently shown to interfere with the uptake of virus particles of SARS-CoV-2 into epithelial cell lines and primary human nasal cells in culture. The mechanisms of action were partly different, as sphingosine blocked, whilst ceramide facilitated viral entry. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) is vital for the generation of ceramide and functional inhibition of ASM by drugs like amitriptyline reduced SARS-CoV-2 entry into the epithelial cells. Recent data indicates that serum level of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a prognostic factor for COVID-2 severity. Further, stimulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) might also constrain the hyper-inflammatory conditions linked to SARS-CoV-2. Here, we review recent exciting findings regarding sphingolipids in the uptake of SARS-CoV-2 and in the course of COVID-19 disease. More studies are required on the mechanisms of action and the potential use of antidepressant drugs and sphingolipid modifiers in SARS-CoV-2 infections and in the treatment of the more serious and fatal consequences of the disease.
Toward Food Freshness Monitoring: Coordination Binding–Based Colorimetric Sensor Array for Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids
Authors: Lyu Xiaojun , Tang Wei , Sasaki Yui , Zhao Jie , Zheng Tingting , Tian Yang , Minami Tsuyoshi
Published: June 2021

Herein, a self-assembled colorimetric chemosensor array composed of off-the-shelf catechol dyes and a metal ion (i.e., Zn2+) has been used for the sulfur-containing amino acids (SCAAs; i.e., glutathione, glutathione disulfide,L–cysteine,DL–homocysteine, andL–cystine). The coordination binding–based chemosensor array (CBSA) fabricated by a competitive assay among SCAAs, Zn2+ions, and catechol dyes [i.e., pyrocatechol violet (PV), bromopyrogallol red (BPR), pyrogallol red (PR), and alizarin red S (ARS)] yielded fingerprint-like colorimetric changes. We succeeded in the qualification of SCAAs based on pattern recognition [i.e., a linear discrimination analysis (LDA)] with 100% correct classification accuracy. The semiquantification of reduced/oxidized forms of SCAAs was also performed based on LDA. Furthermore, we carried out a spike test of glutathione in food samples using the proposed chemosensor array with regression analysis. It is worth mentioning that we achieved a 91–110% recovery rate in real sample tests, which confirmed the accuracy of the constructed model. Thus, this study represents a step forward in assessing food freshness based on supramolecular analytical methods.
Structural Flexibility in Metal-Organic Cages
Authors: Martín Díaz Andrés E. , Lewis James E. M.
Published: June 2021

Metal-organic cages (MOCs) have emerged as a diverse class of molecular hosts with potential utility across a vast spectrum of applications. With advances in single-crystal X-ray diffraction and economic methods of computational structure optimisation, cavity sizes can be readily determined. In combination with a chemist’s intuition, educated guesses about the likelihood of particular guests being bound within these porous structures can be made. Whilst practically very useful, simple rules-of-thumb, such as Rebek’s 55% rule, fail to take into account structural flexibility inherent to MOCs that can allow hosts to significantly adapt their internal cavity. An often unappreciated facet of MOC structures is that, even though relatively rigid building blocks may be employed, conformational freedom can enable large structural changes. If it could be exploited, this flexibility might lead to behavior analogous to the induced-fit of substrates within the active sites of enzymes. To this end, in-roads have already been made to prepare MOCs incorporating ligands with large degrees of conformational freedom. Whilst this may make the constitution of MOCs harder to predict, it has the potential to lead to highly sophisticated and functional synthetic hosts.
The Predictive Value of Right Ventricular Longitudinal Strain in Pulmonary Hypertension, Heart Failure, and Valvular Diseases
Authors: Tadic Marijana , Nita Nicoleta , Schneider Leonhard , Kersten Johannes , Buckert Dominik , Gonska Birgid , Scharnbeck Dominik , Reichart Christine , Belyavskiy Evgeny , Cuspidi Cesare , Rottbauer Wolfang
Published: June 2021

Right ventricular (RV) systolic function has an important role in the prediction of adverse outcomes, including mortality, in a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) conditions. Because of complex RV geometry and load dependency of the RV functional parameters, conventional echocardiographic parameters such as RV fractional area change (FAC) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), have limited prognostic power in a large number of patients. RV longitudinal strain overcame the majority of these limitations, as it is angle-independent, less load-dependent, highly reproducible, and measure regional myocardial deformation. It has a high predictive value in patients with pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, congenital heart disease, ischemic heart disease, pulmonary embolism, cardiomyopathies, and valvular disease. It enables detection of subclinical RV damage even when conventional parameters of RV systolic function are in the normal range. Even though cardiac magnetic resonance-derived RV longitudinal strain showed excellent predictive value, echocardiography-derived RV strain remains the method of choice for evaluation of RV mechanics primarily due to high availability. Despite a constantly growing body of evidence that support RV longitudinal strain evaluation in the majority of CV patients, its assessment has not become the part of the routine echocardiographic examination in the majority of echocardiographic laboratories. The aim of this clinical review was to summarize the current data about the predictive value of RV longitudinal strain in patients with pulmonary hypertension, heart failure and valvular heart diseases.
COVID-19 in Brazil—Preliminary Analysis of Response Supported by Artificial Intelligence in Municipalities
Authors: Morales Hugo M. P. , Guedes Murilo , Silva Jennifer S. , Massuda Adriano
Published: June 2021

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) forced rapid adaptations in the way healthcare is delivered and coordinated by health systems. Brazil has a universal public health system (Sistema Unico de Saúde—SUS), being the main source of care for 75% of the population. Therefore, a saturation of the system was foreseen with the continuous increase of cases. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to empower telehealth could help to tackle this by increasing a coordinated patient access to the health system. In the present study we describe a descriptive case report analyzing the use of Laura Digital Emergency Room—an AI-powered telehealth platform—in three different cities. It was computed around 130,000 interactions made by the chatbot and 24,162 patients completed the digital triage. Almost half (44.8%) of the patients were classified as having mild symptoms, 33.6% were classified as moderate and only 14.2% were classified as severe. The implementation of an AI-powered telehealth to increase accessibility while maintaining safety and leveraging value amid the unprecedent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was feasible in Brazil and may reduce healthcare overload. New efforts to yield sustainability of affordable and scalable solutions are needed to truly leverage value in health care systems, particularly in the context of middle-low-income countries.
Representativeness of the Arosa/Davos Measurements for the Analysis of the Global Total Column Ozone Behavior
Authors: Rozanov Eugene , Egorova Tatiana , Egli Luca , Karagodin-Doyennel Arseniy , Sukhodolov Timofei , Schill Herbert , Stübi Rene , Gröbner Julian
Published: June 2021

The study investigates the representativeness of the total column ozone (TCO) measurements from the ground-based instruments located at the Arosa/Davos stations in Switzerland to analyze the global ozone layer behavior in the past and future. The statistical analysis of the satellite and model data showed a high correlation of the ground-based TCO data with the near-global and northern hemisphere annual mean TCO for the 1980–2018 period. Addition of the Arosa/Davos TCO data as a proxy to the set of standard explanatory variables for multiple linear regression analysis allows estimating the TCO behavior from 1926 up to the present day. We demonstrate that the real-time measurements and high homogeneity level of the Arosa/Davos TCO time series are also beneficial for quick estimates of the future ozone layer recovery.
Experimental Study on the Dynamic Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Mechanically Pumped Two-phase Cooling Loop
Authors: Li Lei , Tao Jianyun , Gao Wei
Published: June 2021

The present research designs a mechanically pumped cooling loop system and conducts an experimental investigation on the dynamic heat transfer characteristics of the system. The effects of the start-up heat load and heat load variation on the dynamic characteristics of the system are analyzed. The results indicate that during the start-up period, as the heat load rises, the temperature overshoot and duration time of adjustment decrease, while the pressure oscillation amplitude increases. During the regular operation period, as the heat load increases, the temperature at the evaporator outlet gradually increases until it approaches the saturation temperature and then remains constant. The pressure evolution at the evaporator outlet can be divided into four stages: steady state, drastic oscillation, damped oscillation, and slight oscillation.
Volumetric Body Mass Estimate and in vivo Reconstruction of the Russian Pareiasaur Scutosaurus karpinskii
Authors: Romano Marco , Manucci Fabio , Rubidge Bruce , Van den Brandt Marc J.
Published: June 2021

Pareiasaurs (Amniota, Parareptilia) were characterized by a global distribution during the Permian period, forming an important component of middle (Capitanian) and late Permian (Lopingian) terrestrial tetrapod biodiversity. This clade represents an early evolution of sizes over a ton, playing a fundamental role in the structure of middle and late Permian biodiversity and ecosystems. Despite their important ecological role and relative abundance around the world, our general knowledge of the biology of these extinct tetrapods is still quite limited. In this contribution we provide a possiblein vivoreconstruction of the largest individual of the speciesScutosaurus karpinskiiand a volumetric body mass estimate for the taxon, considering that body size is one of the most important biological aspects of organisms. The body mass ofScutosauruswas calculated using a 3D photogrammetric model of the complete mounted skeleton PIN 2005/1537 from the Sokolki locality, Arkhangelsk Region, Russia, on exhibit at the Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow). By applying three different densities for living tissues of 0.99, 1, and 1.15 kg/1,000 cm3to reconstructed “slim,” “average” and “fat” 3D models we obtain average body masses, respectively, of 1,060, 1,160, and 1,330 kg, with a total range varying from a minimum of one ton to a maximum of 1.46 tons. Choosing the average model as the most plausible reconstruction and close to the natural condition, we consider a body mass estimate of 1,160 kg as the most robust value forScutosaurus, a value compatible with that of a large terrestrial adult black rhino and domestic cow. This contribution demonstrates that barrel-shaped herbivores, subsisting on a high-fiber diet and with a body mass exceeding a ton, had already evolved in the upper Palaeozoic among parareptiles, shedding new light on the structure of the first modern terrestrial ecosystems.
Case Report: Review of CT Findings and Histopathological Characteristics of Primary Liver Carcinosarcoma
Authors: Huang Lu , Lu Lijian
Published: June 2021

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to describe the computed tomography (CT) characteristics of primary liver carcinosarcoma (PLCS) and to explore the pathological basis for the diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma sarcoma.

Methods: Three male patients with PLCS were included in the present retrospective research, and the age was ranged from 52 to 63 years. The plain CT scan and third-stage enhancement scan were performed on patients. The pathological characteristics were analyzed. Stomachache was the main clinical symptoms of the three patients. Cirrhosis background was confirmed in one patients, and chronic Hepatitis B background was confirmed in other two patients.

Results: According to the results of CT, the inner diameter of the tumors ranged from 8.6 to 27.0 cm. The fibrous pseudocapsule around the tumor tissues was observed in two patients. Tumor tissues from all three patients were composed of sarcomatous and carcinomatous components. For carcinomatous components, hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in one patient and cholangiocarcinoma was observed in the other two patients. For sarcomatous components, angiosarcoma was observed in two patients and malignant fibrous histiocytoma was observed in another one patient. The tumor tissues were visualized as heterogeneous low density with large sheets of necrotic cystic lesions or thick-walled areas of multilocular cystic lesions using the plain CT scan. Edge-to-center filling and strengthening lesions, mild to moderate enhanced parenchyma at the arterial phase, and isodensity between the tumor parenchyma and the surrounding liver parenchyma at the portal vein phase or delayed phase were observed using the third-stage enhancement scan.

Conclusions: CT characteristics observed in the present study were of great benefit for the diagnosis of PLCS.
The FAANG Data Portal: Global, Open-Access, “FAIR”, and Richly Validated Genotype to Phenotype Data for High-Quality Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes
Authors: Harrison Peter W. , Sokolov Alexey , Nayak Akshatha , Fan Jun , Zerbino Daniel , Cochrane Guy , Flicek Paul
Published: June 2021

The Functional Annotation of ANimal Genomes (FAANG) project is a worldwide coordinated action creating high-quality functional annotation of farmed and companion animal genomes. The generation of a rich genome-to-phenome resource and supporting informatic infrastructure advances the scope of comparative genomics and furthers the understanding of functional elements. The project also provides terrestrial and aquatic animal agriculture community powerful resources for supporting improvements to farmed animal production, disease resistance, and genetic diversity. The FAANG Data Portal (https://data.faang.org) ensures Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) open access to the wealth of sample, sequencing, and analysis data produced by an ever-growing number of FAANG consortia. It is developed and maintained by the FAANG Data Coordination Centre (DCC) at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). FAANG projects produce a standardised set of multi-omic assays with resulting data placed into a range of specialised open data archives. To ensure this data is easily findable and accessible by the community, the portal automatically identifies and collates all submitted FAANG data into a single easily searchable resource. The Data Portal supports direct download from the multiple underlying archives to enable seamless access to all FAANG data from within the portal itself. The portal provides a range of predefined filters, powerful predictive search, and a catalogue of sampling and analysis protocols and automatically identifies publications associated with any dataset. To ensure all FAANG data submissions are high-quality, the portal includes powerful contextual metadata validation and data submissions brokering to the underlying EMBL-EBI archives. The portal will incorporate extensive new technical infrastructure to effectively deliver and standardise FAANG's shift to single-cellomics, cell atlases, pangenomes, and novel phenotypic prediction models. The Data Portal plays a key role for FAANG by supporting high-quality functional annotation of animal genomes, through open FAIR sharing of data, complete with standardised rich metadata. Future Data Portal features developed by the DCC will support new technological developments for continued improvement for FAANG projects.
A Novel Approach Integrating Hierarchical Clustering and Weighted Combination for Association Study of Multiple Phenotypes and a Genetic Variant
Authors: Fu Liwan , Wang Yuquan , Li Tingting , Hu Yue-Qing
Published: June 2021

As a pivotal research tool, genome-wide association study has successfully identified numerous genetic variants underlying distinct diseases. However, these identified genetic variants only explain a small proportion of the phenotypic variation for certain diseases, suggesting that there are still more genetic signals to be detected. One of the reasons may be that one-phenotype one-variant association study is not so efficient in detecting variants of weak effects. Nowadays, it is increasingly worth noting that joint analysis of multiple phenotypes may boost the statistical power to detect pathogenic variants with weak genetic effects on complex diseases, providing more clues for their underlying biology mechanisms. So a Weighted Combination of multiple phenotypes following Hierarchical Clustering method (WCHC) is proposed for simultaneously analyzing multiple phenotypes in association studies. A series of simulations are conducted, and the results show that WCHC is either the most powerful method or comparable with the most powerful competitor in most of the simulation scenarios. Additionally, we evaluated the performance of WCHC in its application to the obesity-related phenotypes from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, and several associated variants are reported.
Missing Nurse Bees—Early Transcriptomic Switch From Nurse Bee to Forager Induced by Sublethal Imidacloprid
Authors: Chen Yun-Ru , Tzeng David T. W. , Ting Chieh , Hsu Pei-Shou , Wu Tzu-Hsien , Zhong Silin , Yang En-Cheng
Published: June 2021

The environmental residue/sublethal doses of neonicotinoid insecticides are believed to generate a negative impact on pollinators, including honey bees. Here we report our recent investigation on how imidacloprid, one of the major neonicotinoids, affects worker bees by profiling the transcriptomes of various ages of bees exposed to different doses of imidacloprid during the larval stage. The results show that imidacloprid treatments during the larval stage severely altered the gene expression profiles and may induce precocious foraging. Differential expression of foraging regulators was found in 14-day-old treated adults. A high transcriptome similarity between larvae-treated 14-day-old adults and 20-day-old controls was also observed, and the similarity was positively correlated with the dose of imidacloprid. One parts per billion (ppb) of imidacloprid was sufficient to generate a long-term impact on the bee’s gene expression as severe as with 50 ppb imidacloprid. The disappearance of nurse bees may be driven not only by the hive member constitution but also by the neonicotinoid-induced precocious foraging behavior.
Hints From the Cellular Functions to the Practical Outlook of Circular RNAs
Authors: Yesharim Liora , Mojbafan Marzieh , Abiri Maryam
Published: June 2021

Although it has been about 30 years since the discovery of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in mammalian cells, these subtypes of RNAs’ capabilities have come into focus in recent years. The unique structure and various functional roles of circRNAs in many cellular processes have aroused researchers’ interest and raised many questions about whether circRNAs can facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. To answer these questions, we will illustrate the main known functions and regulatory roles of circRNAs in the cell after presenting a brief history of the discovery of circRNAs and the main proposed theories of the biogenesis of circRNAs. Afterward, the practical application of circRNAs as biomarkers of different pathophysiological conditions will be discussed, mentioning some examples and challenges in this area. We also consider one of the main questions that human beings have always been faced, “the origin of life,” and its possible connection to circRNAs. Finally, focusing on the various capabilities of circRNAs, we discuss their potential therapeutic applications considering the immunity response toward exogenous circRNAs. However, there are still disputes about the exact immune system reaction, which we will discuss in detail.
Maternal GNAS Contributes to the Extra-Large G Protein α-Subunit (XLαs) Expression in a Cell Type-Specific Manner
Authors: Cui Qiuxia , Aksu Cagri , Ay Birol , Remillard Claire E. , Plagge Antonius , Gardezi Mina , Dunlap Margaret , Gerstenfeld Louis C. , He Qing , Bastepe Murat
Published: June 2021

GNAS encodes the stimulatory G protein alpha-subunit (Gsα) and its large variant XLαs. Studies have suggested that XLαs is expressed exclusively paternally. Thus, XLαs deficiency is considered to be responsible for certain findings in patients with paternal GNAS mutations, such as pseudo-pseudohypoparathyroidism, and the phenotypes associated with maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 20, which comprises GNAS. However, a study of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) suggested that XLαs could be biallelically expressed. Aberrant BMSC differentiation due to constitutively activating GNAS mutations affecting both Gsα and XLαs is the underlying pathology in fibrous dysplasia of bone. To investigate allelic XLαs expression, we employed next-generation sequencing and a polymorphism common to XLαs and Gsα, as well as A/B, another paternally expressed GNAS transcript. In mouse BMSCs, Gsα transcripts were 48.4 ± 0.3% paternal, while A/B was 99.8 ± 0.2% paternal. In contrast, XLαs expression varied among different samples, paternal contribution ranging from 43.0 to 99.9%. Sample-to-sample variation in paternal XLαs expression was also detected in bone (83.7–99.6%) and cerebellum (83.8 to 100%) but not in cultured calvarial osteoblasts (99.1 ± 0.1%). Osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs shifted the paternal XLαs expression from 83.9 ± 1.5% at baseline to 97.2 ± 1.1%. In two human BMSC samples grown under osteoinductive conditions, XLαs expression was also predominantly monoallelic (91.3 or 99.6%). Thus, the maternal GNAS contributes significantly to XLαs expression in BMSCs but not osteoblasts. Altered XLαs activity may thus occur in certain cell types irrespective of the parental origin of a GNAS defect.