bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of LongdanXiegan Decoction on the Treatment of chronic prostatitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhang Fenghua , Chui Hinsan , Sun XiangJuan , Wang Ying
Published: October 2022

Background:
Chronic prostatitis (CP) is one of the most common diseases in urology. Longdanxiegan decoction (LDXGD), a classical formula of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used for chronic prostatitis patients with the damp invasion of lower energizer syndrome in China, and the effects were satisfactory. However, there is still no clear understanding of its clinical effects.
Purpose:
This study aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of LDXGD for chronic prostatitis.
Methods:
Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc), China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP database were searched from their inceptions to August 11, 2022 to identify RCTs that inspected the efficacy of LDXGD on chronic prostatitis.
Results:
12 trials totaling 1314 patients were identified for analysis. Meta-analysis showed that LDXGD treatment was more effective (RR=1.31, 95%CI (1.18, 1.45), P<0.00001) and cure rate (RR=1.79, 95%CI (1.52,2.12), P<0.00001) than western medicine. Meanwhile, LDXGD had reduced NIH-CPS score, such as the total score, pain domain score, urinary domain score, and QoL domain score. Besides, LDXGD was more effective in improving EPS - WBC count. LDXGD safety remained unknown.
Conclusions:
According to preclinical evidence, LDXGD could be an effective and promising treatment for chronic prostatitis. In addition, more well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.
Trial registration: PROSPERO 2022 CRD42022347076.
Differentiating paramphistome species in cattle using DNA barcoding coupled with high-resolution melting analysis (Bar-HRM)
Authors: Buddhachat Kittisak , Sri Sirikhwan , Nak-on Sirapat , Chontananarth Thapana
Published: October 2022

Paramphistomosis is caused by paramphistome or amphistome parasites, including Fischoederius elongatus, Gastrothylax crumenifer, Orthocoelium parvipapillatum, and Paramphistomum epiclitum. The control and prevention of these parasite outbreaks are difficult because of the wide occurrence of these species. Besides, the clinical manifestations and their egg characteristics are similar to those of other intestinal flukes in the paramphistome group, leading to misdiagnosis. Here, we employed DNA barcoding using NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone, alpha 1) (ND1) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), coupled with high-resolution melting analysis (Bar-HRM), for species differentiation. As a result, ParND1_3 and ParCOI4 resulted in positive amplification in the paramphistomes and Fasciola gigantica, with significantly different melting curves for each species. The melting temperatures of each species obtained clearly differed. Regarding sensitivity, the limit of detection (LoD) for all species of paramphistomes was 1 pg/µl. Our findings suggest that Bar-HRM using ParND1_3 is highly suitable for the differentiation of paramphistome species. This approach can be used in parasite detection and epidemiological studies in cattle.
Colloidal, Room Temperature Growth of Metal Oxide Shells on InP Quantum Dots
Authors: Park Nayon , Beck Ryan , Hoang Kevin , Ladd Dylan , Abramson Jared , Rivera Ricardo , Nguyen Hao , Monahan Madison , Seidler Gerald T. , Toney Michael , Li Xiaosong , Cossairt Brandi
Published: October 2022

We demonstrate colloidal, layer-by-layer growth of metal oxide shells on InP quantum dots (QDs) at room temperature. First, computational modeling demonstrates that native InP surface oxides give rise to increased nonradiative pathways due to the presence of surface-localized dark states near the band edges. Replacing surface indium with zinc to form a ZnO shell results in reduced nonradiative decay and a density of states at the valence band maximum that resembles defect-free, stoichiometric InP. Motivated by these findings, we developed a synthetic strategy using stoichiometric amounts of common ALD precursors in alternating cycles. Metal oxide-shelled InP QDs show bulk and local structural perturbations as determined by X-ray diffraction extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Upon growing ZnSe shells of varying thickness on the oxide-shelled QDs, we observe increased photoluminescence quantum yields and narrowing of the emission linewidths, which we hypothesize to be attributable to decreased ion diffusion to the shell, as supported by P X-ray emission spectroscopy. These results present a generalizable and versatile strategy to control QD interfaces for novel heterostructure design by leveraging surface oxides. This work also contributes to our understanding of how to use structural complexity for improved PL properties of technologically relevant colloidal optoelectronic materials.
Estrous Cycle and Egg Release Resets with Light Entrainment Inspired by Neurodynamics in the Circadian Pacemaker
Authors: Gradinaru Viviana , Kahan Anat , Coughlin Gerard , Borsos Mate , Brunton Bingni
Published: October 2022

Jet lag, shift work, and the extended light hours of modern life disrupt the regular light-dark cycle, affecting the menstrual cycle and decreasing fertility. The circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is known to modulate ovulation, but the exact mechanism is not understood. Here we explore this connection by imaging neuronal activity in freely-behaving mice following extrinsic (jet lag) and intrinsic circadian circuit perturbations. We show that retina-connected vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing neurons in the SCN directly relay light information to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-expressing neurons to gate ovulation, as measured by recording calcium-sensitive activity of SCNVIP neurons over days in freely behaving mice. We show with machine-learning-based discriminations that the neuronal light-synchronized activity is primarily sex-dependent, and estrous-dependent in the late afternoon. Consistent with such a light-driven switch, we find that a pulse of light in this critical period could rescue estrous cycle regularity and the number of eggs released by animals kept in limited-light conditions. Our in vivo approach thus reveals the dynamic mechanism by which SCNVIP neurons trigger ovulation and demonstrates light-induced rescue of fertility, a finding with potential therapeutic implications for humans struggling with infertility due to shift work or jet lag.
KCC2 downregulation after sciatic nerve injury enhances motor function recovery
Authors: Cheung Dennis Lawrence , Toda Takuya , Narushima Madoka , Eto Kei , Takayama Chitoshi , Ooba Tatsuko , Wake Hiroaki , Moorhouse Andrew John , Nabekura Junichi
Published: October 2022

Injury to mature neurons induces downregulated KCC2 expression and activity, resulting in elevated intracellular [Cl−] and depolarized GABAergic signaling. This phenotype mirrors immature neurons wherein GABA-evoked depolarizations facilitate neuronal circuit maturation. Thus, injury-induced KCC2 downregulation is broadly speculated to similarly facilitate neuronal circuit repair. We test this hypothesis in spinal cord motoneurons injured by sciatic nerve crush, using transgenic (CaMKII-KCC2) mice wherein conditional CaMKIIα promoter-KCC2 expression coupling selectively prevents injury-induced KCC2 downregulation. We demonstrate, via an accelerating rotarod assay, impaired motor function recovery in CaMKII-KCC2 mice relative to wild-type mice. Across both cohorts, we observe similar motoneuron survival and re-innervation rates, but differing post-injury reorganization patterns of synaptic input to motoneuron somas – for wild-type, both VGLUT1-positive (excitatory) and GAD67-positive (inhibitory) terminal counts decrease; for CaMKII-KCC2, only VGLUT1-positive terminal counts decrease. Finally, we recapitulate the impaired motor function recovery of CaMKII-KCC2 mice in wild-type mice via local spinal cord injections of bicuculline (GABAA receptor blockade) or bumetanide (lowers intracellular [Cl−] by NKCC1 blockade) during the early post-injury period. Thus, our results provide direct evidence that injury-induced KCC2 downregulation enhances motor function recovery and suggest an underlying mechanism of depolarizing GABAergic signaling driving adaptive neuronal circuit reconfiguration that preserves appropriate excitation-inhibition balance.
Molecular dynamics simulations of dihydroxylammonium 5,5’- bistetrazole-1,1’-diolate (TKX-50) and TKX-50-based PBXs with four energetic binders
Authors: Niu Hu , Xing Yan , Gao Hong , Chen Shusen , Jin Shaohua , Li Lijie
Published: October 2022

Four energetic binders, polyglycidyl nitrate (PGN), poly (3-nitratomethyl-3-methyloxetane) (PNIMMO), poly(bis(azidomethyl)oxetane) (PBAMO) and glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) were respectively mixed with dihydroxylammonium 5,5’-bistetrazole-1,1’-diolate (TKX-50), forming TKX-50 based polymer bonded explosives (PBXs). Interfacial forces (binding energies) under different temperatures, mechanical properties (tensile modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio) and moldability of TKX-50-based PBXs were investigated by employing molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the energy characteristics of TKX-50 based PBXs were calculated by C-J (Chapman-Jouguet) detonated theory. Results show that temperature has little effect on the binding energies, but the binding energies between every energetic binder and each surface of TKX-50 are different and the order of combined ability between four energetic binders and TKX-50 decrease as follows: PNIMMO > PBAMO > PGN > GAP. Compared with TKX-50, the addition of four energetic binders all make the rigidity of TKX-50 based PBXs decrease and the plasticity improve, the plastic ability rank in order of PNIMMO > PGN > GAP > PBAMO. What’s more, the moldability of TKX-50 based PBXs is obviously improved, the increasing order is PGN > PNIMMO > PBAMO > GAP. Finally, the detonation performances indicate that compared with common binder, the addition of the energetic binder makes TKX-50-based PBXs have higher energy under the same condition.
The role of community healthcare professionals in discussing sexual assault experiences during obstetrics and gynecological healthcare appointments
Authors: DeMaria Andrea L. , Meier Stephanie , King Hannah , Sidorowicz Haley , Seigfried-Spellar Kathryn C , Reese Laura Schwab
Published: October 2022

Background
Nearly half of adult women in the US report experiencing sexual assault, with almost one-fifth reporting rape. For many victims of sexual assault, healthcare professionals are the first point of contact and disclosure. The purpose of this study was to understand how healthcare professionals working in community settings perceived their role in discussing sexual violence experiences with women during obstetrics and gynecological healthcare appointments. The secondary purpose was to compare healthcare professionals’ perspectives with those of the patient to determine how sexual violence conversations should occur in these environments.
Methods
Data were collected in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of 6 focus groups (Sept-Dec, 2019) with women aged 18–45 (n = 22) living in Indiana who sought community-based or private healthcare for women’s reproductive healthcare needs. Phase 2 included 20 key-informant interviews with non-physician healthcare professionals (i.e., NP, RN, CNM, doula, pharmacist, chiropractor) living in Indiana (September 2019-May 2020) who provided community-based women’s reproductive healthcare. Focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analyses. HyperRESEARCH assisted in data management and organization.
Results
There were three resulting themes: (1) healthcare professionals’ approaches to screening for a history of sexual violence varied depending on how they ask, what setting they work in, and type of professional is doing the asking; (2) healthcare experiences can compound traumatic experiences and create distrust with survivors; and (3) sexual violence impacts patient healthcare experiences through what services they seek, how professionals may interact with them, and what professionals they are willing to utilize.
Conclusions
Findings offered insight into actionable and practical strategies for enhancing sexual violence screening and discussions in community-based women’s reproductive health settings. The findings offer strategies to improve by addressing barriers and facilitators among community healthcare professionals and the people they serve. Incorporating healthcare professionals’ and patient experiences and preferences for violence-related discussions during obstetrics and gynecological healthcare appointments can assist in violence prevention efforts, improve patient-professional rapport, and yield better health outcomes.
Students’ Perception of Asynchronous versus Synchronous Distance Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Medical College, Southwestern Region of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alzahrani Hassan A. , Shati Ayed A. , Bawahab Mohammed A. , Alamri Abdulaziz A. , Hassan Bahaeldin , Patel Ayyub A. , Ahmad Muhammad T. , Maksoud Walid Abd El , Alsaleem Mohammed A.
Published: October 2022

Background:The Covid-19 pandemic has forced educational institutes to shift from conventional in-campus learning to online learning. Two common modes adopted are giving real-time online lectures (synchronous) or providing recorded lectures and reading material to the students (asynchronous). This study was done to determine medical students’ satisfaction with the online learning experiences both synchronous and asynchronous during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Methodology:This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on 122 final-year medical students studying at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia. An online 5-point Likert scale-based questionnaire was used to collect data regarding experience and perception towards synchronous and asynchronous learning. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Result:All the students found both synchronous and asynchronous learning to be equally satisfying, enjoying and comfortable. No statistical significance was found when both the methods were analyzed for enhancement of knowledge. The students opined that asynchronous learning helped them manage their time better whereas synchronous learning encouraged more interaction during the live lectures.
Conclusion: Overall, the student's response to both synchronous and asynchronous learning was positive. As both methods have their advantages, an integrated approach of both synchronous and asynchronous methods may be adopted depending upon the content of the topic and the learning outcomes.
A Sparsity Reconstruction Algorithm of Electromagnetic Tomography Technique for High Conductivity Medium Imaging
Authors: Liu Xianglong , Li Danyang , Wang Ying , Ren Hangli
Published: October 2022

Electromagnetic tomography (EMT) is a versatile tomographic imaging technique for reconstruction of conductivity and/or permeability distribution due to the advantages of non-contact, non-intrusive, low-cost, simple structure and fast imaging. However, the ill-posed and ill-conditioned features of EMT make it difficult to obtain high quality reconstructed images. To improve the spatial resolution of the high conductivity medium imaging, the L1-L1 framework objective function is presented, which uses L1 norm as both data fidelity term and regularization term to weaken the influence of the data outliers and impose the sparsity feature of the measured objects. An improved Split Bregman method is proposed to solve the complicated optimization problem efficiently, which splits it into several simple sub-tasks. Each subtask can be solved by adopting the proper method. Besides, an acceleration strategy is introduced to improve the convergence rate. Numerical simulations are used to verify the effectiveness and competitive performance of the proposed improved method. The experiments are carried out by the designed modularized EMT system to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The reconstructed images can precisely show the number and positions of the measured objects.
A Small Fishing Vessel Recognition Method using Transfer Learning based on Laser Sensors
Authors: Zheng Jianli , Yuan Kun , Liu Yang
Published: October 2022

The management of small vessels has always been key to maritime administration. This paper presents a novel method for recognizing small fishing vessels based on laser sensors. Using four types of small fishing vessels as targets, a recognition method for small fishing vessels based on Markov transition field (MTF) time-series images and VGG-16 transfer learning is proposed. In contrast to conventional methods, this study uses polynomial fitting to obtain the contours of a fishing vessel and transforms one-dimensional vessel contours into two-dimensional time-series images using the MTF coding method. The VGG-16 model is used for the recognition process, and migration learning is applied to improve the results. The UCR time-series public dataset is used as a transfer learning dataset for the MTF time-series image encoding. The experiment demonstrates that the proposed method exhibits higher accuracy and performance than 1D-CNN and other general neural network models, and the highest accuracy rate is 98.92%.
Swin Unet3D: A three-dimensional medicalimage segmentation network combiningVision Transformer and Convolution
Authors: Cai Yimin , Long Yuqing , Han Zhenggong , Liu Mingkun , Zheng Yuchen , Yang Wei , Chen Limin
Published: October 2022

Semantic segmentation of brain tumors plays a critical role in clinical treatment, especially for three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI), which is often used in clinical practice. Automatic segmentation of the 3D structure of brain tumors can quickly help physiciansunderstand the properties of tumors, such as the shape and size, thusimproving the efficiency of preoperative planning and the odds of successful surgery. In past decades, 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs)have dominated automatic segmentation methods for 3D medical images,and these network structures have achieved good results. However, toreduce the number of neural network parameters, practitioners ensurethat the size of convolutional kernels in 3D convolutional operations generally does not exceed 7×7×7, which also leads to the inability of CNNsto learn long-distance dependency information. Vision Transformer(ViT) is very good at learning long-distance dependent information inimages, but it suffers from the problems of many parameters and a lackof inductive bias to recover short-distance dependence information. This paper proposes the Swin Unet3D model, which represents voxel segmentation on medical images as a sequence-to-sequence prediction. Thefeature extraction sub-module in the model is designed as a parallel structure of Convolution and Vision Transformer (ViT) so that the modelcan learn both long-distance dependency and short-distance dependencyinformation in images comprehensively. On the Brats2021 challengedataset, we conducted comparison experiments with other existing models using the same hyperparameters; the experimental results showthat our proposed model achieves better segmentation results. Thecode can be found at https://github.com/1152545264/SwinUnet3D.
In silico and in vitro Studies Confirm Ondansetron as a Novel Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitor
Authors: Gholami Asma , Minai-Tehrani Dariush , Eriksson Leif A.
Published: October 2022

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is growing rapidly among the elderly population around the world. Studies show that a lack of acetylcholine and butyrylcholine due to the overexpression of enzymes Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) may lead to reduced communication between neuron cells. As a result, seeking novel inhibitors targeting these enzymes might be vital for future treatment of AD. Ondansetron is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or radiation treatments, and is herein shown to be a potent inhibitor of cholinesterase. Comparison is made between Ondansetron and FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors Rivastigmine and Tacrine. Molecular docking demonstrates that interactions between the studied ligand and aromatic residues in the peripheral region of the active site are important in binding. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding pose metadynamics show that Ondansetron is highly potent against both enzymes, and far better than Rivastigmine. Inhibitor activities evaluated by in vitro studies confirm that the drug inhibits AChE and BChE by non-competitive and mixed inhibition, respectively, with IC50 values 33 µM (AChE) and 2.5 µM (BChE). Based on the findings, we propose that Ondansetron may have therapeutic applications in inhibiting cholinesterase, especially for BChE.
Tumor-infiltrating T cells as a risk factor for lymph node metastasis in patients with submucosal colorectal cancer
Authors: Kitakaze Masatoshi , Fujino Shiki , Miyoshi Norikatsu , Sekido Yuki , Hata Tsuyoshi , Ogino Takayuki , Takahashi Hidekazu , Uemura Mamoru , Mizushima Tsunekazu , Doki Yuichiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi
Published: October 2022

Approximately 10% of patients with colorectal cancer with submucosal invasion have lymph node metastasis. Pathological risk factors for lymph node metastasis have varying sensitivities and specificities. To predict the risk of lymph node metastasis, the identification of new risk factors is vital. Tumor-infiltrating T cells have been reported to improve the prognosis of many solid tumors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lymph node metastasis and tumor-infiltrating T cells in patients with colorectal cancer with submucosal invasion. We examined CD8+ tumor-infiltrating T cells level as a risk factor for lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer with submucosal invasion and showed that low CD8+ tumor-infiltrating T cells levels are positively correlated with lymph node metastasis. Furthermore, by combining the number of CD8+ and CD103+ tumor-infiltrating T cells, the results showed a high positive predictive value for lymph node metastasis in cases with low numbers of both types of tumor-infiltrating T cells and a high negative predictive value in cases with high numbers of both types of tumor-infiltrating T cells, indicating that we were likely able to validate an effective subset of CD8 T cells.
Growth kinetics of Lactobacillus acidophilus CDBB-B-1893 during the anaerobic biotransformation process of agro-sugarcane waste
Authors: Romero-Mota Diana Ibeth , Estrada-García Joaquín , Alvarado-Lassman Alejandro , Méndez-Contreras Juan Manuel
Published: October 2022

Agro-sugarcane Waste (ASW) is generated during manual harvest of sugarcane and burning, this represents an environmental issue due greenhouses gases are generated, and they are not treated correctly but represent a rich source of nutrients to obtain valuable biological products with an economic and environmental interest. However, there are few works that have reported information on the growth kinetics of the process to obtain subproducts and their advantages. The aim of this study was to develop growth kinetics of Lactobacillus acidophilus CDBB-B-1893 during the anaerobic bioconversion process of ASW, which was carried out in a laboratory-scale stainless steel reactor with a capacity of 5 L at different agitation speeds 100, 150, and 200 rpm at 37°C by 72 h, and kinetics parameters were obtained by Gompertz, Gompertz Generalized, and Logistic models. Considering an initial carbohydrate concentration of 58.46 g L− 1, at 100 rpm a µmax of 0.2164 h− 1 was calculated, and 54.16 g LA L− 1 (0.8740 g LA g carbohydrates− 1), and 154.65 g biomass L− 1 were produced. The kinetics parameters values for anaerobic biotransformation process of sugarcane residues let propose operation conditions to maximizer LA and biomass production and represent an attractive strategy to obtain high value-added products in both phases of the final product, which is obtained without greenhouses gases production.
The combined application of Hordeum vulgare and gut microbiota against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via network pharmacology approach
Authors: Lee Su-Been , Gupta Haripriya , Min Byeong-Hyun , Ganesan Raja , Sharma Satya Priya , Won Sung-Min , Jeong Jin-Ju , Cha Min-Gi , Kwon Goo-Hyun , Jeong Min-Kyo , Hyun Ji-Ye , Eom Jung-A , Park Hee-Jin , Yoon Sang-Jun , Choi Mi-Ran , Kim Dong Joon , Oh Ki-Kwang , Suk Ki-Tae
Published: October 2022

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an initial etiology to be developed steatosis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the noticeable therapeutics were not elucidated completely to dampen the progressive rate involved in NAFLD. In the incomplete project, we combined secondary metabolites (SMs) from gut microbiota (GM) and Hordeum vulgare (HV) as a representative grain with potent NAFLD to exert combinatorial effects via network pharmacology. Hence, we retrieved the SMs of HV from NPASS (Natural product Activity & Species Source Database) and SMs of GM from gutMGene database. Then, targets associated with SMs were identified from both SEA (Similarity Ensemble Approach) and STP (SwissTargetPrediction). The crucial overlapping targets were identified on NAFLD-related targets through Ven diagram plotter. We constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network from the crucial targets and built a bubble plot to identify a key mechanism on NAFLD. Also, we analyzed microbiota or barley – signaling pathways – targets – metabolites (MBSTM) in aspects of combinatorial approach (HV, and GM). To be confirmed a significant SM against NAFLD, we performed Molecular Docking (MD) with Autodock 1.5.6 to verify the affinity between SMs and targets. Finally, drug-likeness and toxicity properties of key SMs were validated via SwissADME and ADMETlab platform. The number of 31 core targets was analyzed by PPI network, the result of which represented JUN as a key target on NAFLD. The key SM bound stably to JUN were Tryptanthrin from HV. On a bubble plot, we identified that Apelin signaling pathway might be an inhibitive mechanism to relieve NAFLD in the combinatorial approach. On the holistic viewpoints, we analyzed MBSTM to obtain components associated with Apelin signaling pathway. As a result, we found the primary GM to fight NAFLD: Microbiota (Eubacterium limosum; Eggerthella sp. SDG-2; Alistipes indistinctus YIT 12060; Odoribacter laneus YIT 12061; Paraprevotella clara YIT 11840; Paraprevotella xylaniphila YIT 11841). The MD provided what the key SM (Dihydroglycitein, 1,3-Diphenylpropan-2-ol, and Acetic) is on each target (HDAC5, NOS1, and NOS2) related directly to Apelin signaling pathway. Overall, these results suggest that combinatorial application could be an effective tactic for ameliorating NAFLD.
Kinetic study on oxidative bromination of 2,6-dichlorotoluene to 2,6-dichlorobenzyl bromide in a microchannel reactor under light irradiation
Authors: Xiao Minghui , Liu Lin , Wang Lei , Zhang Hong-Yu , Han Yaping , Zhang Yuecheng , Zhao Jiquan
Published: October 2022

2,6-dichlorobenzyl bromide (DCBB) is an important drug intermediate for the preparation of antibacterial and antitumor agents. DCBB was prepared by the photocatalytic benzylic bromination of 2,6-dichlorotoluene (DCT) with hydrogen peroxide and hydrobromic acid as bromine source in a microchannel reactor, which belongs to a green and safe, economical and environmentally friendly process. Herein, the work focused on the investigation of kinetics of oxidative bromination of DCT to DCBB, and a kinetic model for this process was proposed. A series of kinetic data were obtained under kinetically controlled conditions by eliminating the mass transfer effects of liquid-liquid phases, and the experimental data were fitted nonlinearly using Matlab software. The results showed that the calculated values based on the kinetic model were in good agreement with the empirical values, and the preexponential factor and activation energy were 635.3 and 24.0 KJ/mol, respectively, and high concentration of DCT inhibit the response.
Evaluation of Current Clinical Research Spectrum of Sickle Cell Anemia to Approach New Innovative Developmental Techniques for Enhancing Sudanese Health Systems
Authors: Salih Karimeldin Mohamed Ali , Saad Atif Ahmed , Eldouch Widad Mohamed , Mohamed Hiba Karimeldin , Alfaifi Jaber , Andarawi Mohamed O , Elshayeb Ayman A.
Published: October 2022

Background Sickle cell Anemia and/or Disease (SCA/SCD) is an autosomal recessive disease leading to abnormal hemoglobin with global prevalence in general and tribal burden in sub-Saharan Africa particularly. Methods Recent patients’ assessments were done using routine diagnostic protocols for SCA monitoring and manifestations. Insight of the physicians towards innovative techniques at the molecular level were done to enhance medical performance of the disease investigations. The online questionnaire showed the response and acceptance levels of the physicians to introduced innovative techniques in integration with current clinical and laboratory’s spectrums. Data interpretation and statistical analysis were done using IBM-SPSS ver 25 and MS. Excel 2019. Results Clinical manifestation showed painful crises, (Hand and food syndrome) and enuresis were observed in more than half of the patients, while stroke observed only in 5.5%. A strong association was observed in males regarding Hb vs RBC and MCV vs HbA2.However. females show an association between MCV vs HbA2 only. SCA current spectrum include CBC, BF and Solubility Sickling Test showed significant results in Hemoglobin P < 0.05 and Strong association was observed between Hb vs RBC, MCV vs HbA2 for males and MCV vs HbA2 for female only. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was introduced to detect inherited polymorphic traits in infants and parents beside the flow cytometry gave a detailed informatic image for the up normal blood cells shape and amounts comparing with normal ones. The high response of the online questionnaire (100%) showed the attitude of doctors and related staff accepting innovative techniques for enhancing current health system. Conclusions Although the current clinical and laboratory diagnostic protocols are effective for diagnosing SCA, the follow-up and treatment but the approach of innovative techniques is highly demanded for detecting un-seen symptoms and hidden polymorphic traits, beside monitoring all patients with including other family members.
Stigma Experienced by Patients Who Recovered from COVID-19 in the Post- Vaccination Period: Prevalence, Severity and Associated Factors
Authors: Techapoonpon Kamolvisa , Kerdchareon Nitchawan , Polruamngern Nongnuch , Chalermrungroj Teeraphan , Srikhamdokk Orranee , Matangkarat Premyuda
Published: October 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and severity level of stigma experienced by patients who recovered from COVID-19 in the post-vaccination period and to explore associated factors.
Methods: This study consisted of two phases. The first phase involved the translation and validation of the COVID-19-related stigma questionnaire (15 items). The second phase was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey conducted between January and February 2022. Questionnaires regarding stigma, negative emotions (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21), and personal and admission information were given to patients who recovered from COVID-19 in Thailand (N = 354).
Results: The prevalence of stigma among patients who recovered from COVID-19 was 50.8%. Slight, moderate, and high stigma levels were reported by 40.7%, 9.3%, and 0.8% of the total participants, respectively. Our study found that admission duration and recovery duration were inversely related to stigma. Whereas depression, anxiety and stress were directly correlated with stigma. Other associated factors included age, income and education level.
Conclusion: Social stigma related to COVID-19 existed even after vaccination and still took a toll on mental health. Stigma might decrease through time in patients who recovered from COVID-19, but not completely disappear. Our findings suggested providing appropriate assessment and help to patients who recovered from COVID-19, especially during the initial stage of their return to the community.
Study on Pillar Design for Longwall Mining under Weak Immediate Roof and Floor Strata in Indonesia
Authors: Hashikawa Hiroto , Pisith Mao , Sasaoka Takashi , Hamanaka Akihiro , Shimada Hideki , Batsaikhan Ulaankhuu , Oya Jiro
Published: October 2022

More than 99% of coal mining in Indonesia is open-pit mining. Nowadays, the adoption of the underground coal mining method is discussed to extend coal production due to the increasing demand for coal. However, the geological conditions in Indonesia are very weak compared to the U.S., Europe, and Australia where the longwall mining method is often applied. Especially, the mechanical properties of immediate roof/floor in shallow depth are weaker than those of coal. Therefore, the control measures to maintain the stability around the developing area should be discussed for the safe longwall mining operation. This study discusses the design of safety pillar width in longwall mining under weak geological conditions by using FLAC3D. It is found that the conventional equations for the determination of the pillar width, Obert-Duvall, Holland-Gaddy, and Bieniawski equations, can be adopted to maintain the stability of the pillar itself, but are not suitable for the stability of the longwall face because of the influence on the neighboring panel extraction. Additionally, the increase of the pillar width can significantly reduce the fracture zone around the longwall face while increasing the setting load of the shield support can slightly improve the stability. The pillar design needs to be considered not only the pillar strength but also the stability of the longwall face under the weak geological conditions in Indonesia.
Uncertainty Driven Dynamics for Active Learning of Interatomic Potentials
Authors: Kulichenko Maksim , Barros Kipton , Lubbers Nicholas , Li Ying Wai , Messerly Richard , Tretiak Sergei , Smith Justin , Nebgen Benjamin
Published: October 2022

Machine learning (ML) models, if trained to datasets of high-fidelity quantum simulations, produce accurate and efficient interatomic potentials. Active learning (AL) is a powerful tool to iteratively generate diverse datasets. In this approach, the ML model provides an uncertainty estimate along with its prediction for each new atomic configuration. If the uncertainty estimate passes a certain threshold, then the configuration is included in the dataset. A key challenge in this process is locating structures for which the model lacks underlying training data. Here, we develop a strategy to more rapidly discover configurations that meaningfully augment the training dataset. The approach, uncertainty driven dynamics for active learning (UDD-AL), modifies the potential energy surface used in molecular dynamics simulations to favor regions of configuration space for which there is large model uncertainty. Performance of UDD-AL is demonstrated for two challenging AL tasks: sampling the conformational space of glycine and sampling the promotion of proton transfer in acetylacetone. The method is shown to efficiently explore chemically relevant configuration space, which may be inaccessible using regular dynamical sampling at target temperature conditions.
IL-6 up-regulates the expression of IL-6R through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway to promote HCC progression
Authors: Song Li , Xu Ruyue , Cai Wenpeng , Liang Jiaojiao , Cao Niandie , Gao Jiafeng , Tang Xiaolong
Published: October 2022

Background

The progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) involves multi-factor, multi-step interactions. It has been reported that the high expression of interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors, but the regulation mechamismof IL-6R expression and its function in HCC have not been adequately reported.

Methods

Western Blot was used to evaluate the phosphorylation of key kinases in JAK2/STAT3 pathway and the protein expression levels of related proliferative molecules, migration molecules and apoptotic molecules. The anti-apoptosis, migration and proliferation abilities of cells of each group were analyzed using JC-1 measures cell apoptosis, EdU method to detect cell apoptosis, clone formation experiment and Transwell.

Result

In the study, we found that the high expression of IL-6R enhance the proliferation and migration of the cells and inhibited cell apoptosis. IL-6R expression was upregulated after the activation of the Janus kinase (JAK) signaling pathway by interleukin-6 (IL-6).

Conclusions

IL-6 regulates IL-6R expression through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby promoting the progression of HCC. The result are expected to provide experimental basis for IL-6R as a potential therapeutic target for HCC.
Blood RNA-Seq profiling reveals a set of circular RNAs differentially expressed in frail individuals
Authors: Iparraguirre Leire , Alberro Ainhoa , Iñiguez Saioa GS , Muñoz-Culla Maider , Vergara Itziar , Matheu Ander , Otaegui David
Published: October 2022

Background:
Frailty is an intermediate and reversible geriatric syndrome that often precedes dependence. Therefore, its identification is essential to prevent dependence. Several molecules have been proposed as biomarkers of frailty, but none of them have reached clinical practice. Recently, circular RNAs have emerged as new non-coding RNAs. Their regulatory role together with their high stability in biofluids makes them good candidates as biomarkers for various processes, but, to date, no study has characterized the expression of circRNA in frailty.
Results:
We studied RNA from leukocytes of 35 frails and 35 robust individuals. After RNA-Sequencing, circRNA detection was performed by CIRI2 and Circexplorer2 and differential expression analysis by DESeq2. Validation was performed by Quantitative-PCR. Linear Discriminant Analysis was performed to determine the best circRNA combination to discriminate frail from robust. In addition, CircRNA candidates were studied in 13 additional elder donors before and after a 3-month physical intervention. We found 89 differentially expressed circRNAs (p-value<0.05, FC>|1.5|) with frailty. Upregulation of hsa_circ_0007817, hsa_circ_0101802 and hsa_circ_0060527 in frail individuals was validated. The combination of hsa_circ_0079284, hsa_circ_0007817 and hsa_circ_0075737 levels showed a great biomarker value with a 95.9% probability of correctly classifying frail and robust individuals. Moreover, hsa_circ_0079284 levels decreased after physical intervention in concordance with an improvement in frailty scores.
Conclusions:
This work describes for the first time a different expression pattern of circular RNA (circRNAs) between frail and robust individuals. Moreover, the level of some circRNAs is modulated after a physical intervention. These results suggest that they could be used as minimally invasive biomarkers of frailty.
LncTUG1 contributes to the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via the miR-144-3p/RRAGD axis and mTOR/S6K pathway
Authors: Chen Weixi , Bai Zekun , Bai Wen , Wang Wei , Guo Jiapei , Guo Mengnan , Sai Yingying , Shi Jun , Wu Jinghua
Published: October 2022

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a symptomatic disease involed multi-stage program. Here, we elucidated the molecular mechanism of LncTUG1 in the regulation of HCC evolvement. And that may in all likelyhood supply a innovative latent target for HCC’s diagnoses and prognosis.

Methods

LncRNA TUG1, miR-144-3p, RRAGD and mTOR signaling pathway were screened as target genes in the database, and their expression levels at the cytological level were verified utilized qRT-PCR, Western Blot and immunohistochemistry. Then, we adopted CCK-8, Transwell and flow cytometry assays to estimate cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis. By use of luciferase reporter assay, the relationships of LncRNA TUG1, miR-144-3p and RRAGD was confirmed. In addition, the LncRNA TUG1-miR-144-3p-RRAGD-mTOR signaling pathway in HCC cells was verified adopted rescue experiment and confirmed by xenotransplantation animal experiment

Results

LncTUG1 in HCC tissues from three databases were identified and further verified through qRT-PCR in HCC cells (Huh7, Hep3B). Knockdown the LncTUG1 could increase apoptosis and inhibite invasion and proliferation in HCC cells. Using inhibitors and activators of the mTOR/S6K pathway, LncTUG1 was confirmed to regulate HCC progression by the mTOR/S6K pathway. Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that TUG1 negatively regulates miR-144-3p. Furthermore, miR-144-3p negativly regulates RRAGD by way of interacting with the 3’UTR of the RRAGD mRNA in HCC utilized luciferase reporter assay. In vivo, we also discovered that neoplasm weight and tumor volume reduced significantly in subcutaneous xenograft nude mouse models derived from sh-LncTUG1-expressing Huh7 cells. And the expressions of p-mTOR, p-S6K and RRAGD were decreased obviously while the miR144-3p increased in subcutaneous xenograft nude mouse models.

Conclusions

In a word, the research suggests that LncTUG1 targets miR-144-3p while miR-144-3p binds to RRAGD mRNA, which induces mTOR/S6K pathway activation and promotes the progression of HCC.
Development of a necroptosis-related gene signature and the immune landscape in ovarian cancer
Authors: Nie Sipei , Ni Na , Chen Ningxin , Gong Min , Feng Ercui , Liu Jinhui , Liu Qiaoling
Published: October 2022

Background: Necroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis. However, the role of necroptosis in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear. The present study tried to investigate the prognostic value of necroptosis‐related genes (NRGs) and the immune landscape in OC.
Methods: The gene expression profiling and clinical information were downloaded from the TCGA and GTEx databases. Differentially expressed NRGs (DE-NRGs)were identified. The regression analyses were conducted to screen the prognostic NRGs and construct the predictive risk model. Patients were then divided into high- and low-risk groups, and the GO and KEGG analyses were performed to explore bioinformatics functions between the two groups. Subsequently, the risk level and immune status correlations were assessed through the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. The tumor mutation burden (TMB)and the drug sensitivity were also analyzed based on the two-NRG signature in OC.
Results: Totally 42 DE-NRGs were identified in OC. The regression analyses screened out two NRGs (MAPK10 and STAT4) with prognostic values for overall survival. The ROC curve showed a better predictive ability in five-year OS using the risk score. Immune-related functions were significantly enriched in the high- and low-risk group. Macrophages M1, T cells CD4 memory activated, T cells CD8 and T cells regulatory infiltration immune cells were associated with the low-risk score. The lower tumor microenvironment score was demonstrated in the high-risk group. Patients with lower TMB in the low-risk group showed a better prognosis, and a lower TIDE score suggested a better immune checkpoint inhibitor response in the high-risk group. Besides, cisplatin and paclitaxel were found more sensitive in the low-risk group.
Conclusions: MAPK10 and STAT4 can be important prognosis factors in OC, and the two-gene signature performs well in predicting survival outcomes. Our study provided novel ways of OC prognosis estimation and potential treatment strategy.
Isolation, identification, and growth-promotion function of Streptomyces sp. in wetland rhizosphere
Authors: Zhang Hong , Bai Xue , Han Yujie , Han Lizhen
Published: October 2022

Wetlands are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. The isolation of Streptomyces strains from wetlands is helpful to study their diversity and functions in such habitats. In this study, six strains of Streptomyces were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of three plant species in Huaxi Wetland of Guiyang and were identified as Streptomyces galilaeus, S. avidinii, S. albogriseolus, S. hydrogenans, S. spororaveus, and S. cellulosae, respectively. The six strains all solubilized phosphate, fixed nitrogen, and produced ACC deaminase and siderophores, and four strains also secreted indole-3-acetic acid. The six strains grew well in the ranges of 0%–3% NaCl, 0%–25% PEG, and pH 5.0–10.0, which showed that the screened strains were tolerant to certain degrees of salinity, drought, and acidic/alkaline pH stress. In addition, the S. avidinii WL3 and S. cellulosae WL9 strains (especially the former) significantly promoted seed germination of mung bean, pepper, and cucumber. A pot experiment further showed that WL3 significantly promoted the growth of cucumber seedlings compared with that of the control, with plant height, root length, lateral root number, and fresh weight increased by 104.99%, 49.99%, 94.12%, and 82.86%, respectively. Thus, strains of six species of Streptomyces with multiple plant growth-promoting characteristics were isolated from the wetland. These results lay a foundation for their potential use as microbial agents and seed-coating treatments.
Status of Deforestation of Madagascar
Authors: Suzzi-Simmons Amanda
Published: October 2022

Several studies have reported tree cover loss at an unprecedented rate in Madagascar because of human population expansion which affects biodiversity, ecosystems, and weather patterns. Here we examine deforestation in Madagascar over the past 20 years. Results from time-series analysis of Landsat images empirically show that Madagascar lost 4.36 million hectares of tree cover, equivalent to a 25% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 2.14 gigatonnes of CO2e – carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation will continue to impact Madagascar's flora and fauna, increasing rates of extinction.
Power Analysis for Causal Discovery
Authors: Kummerfeld Erich , Williams Leland , Ma Sisi
Published: October 2022

Causal discovery algorithms have the potential to impact many fields of science. However, substantial foundational work on the statistical properties of causal discovery algorithms is still needed. This paper presents what is to our knowledge the first method for conducting power analysis for causal discovery algorithms. The power sample characteristics of causal discovery algorithms typically cannot be described by a closed formula, but we resolve this problem by developing a new power sample analysis method based on standardized in silico simulation experiments. Our procedure generates data with carefully controlled statistical effect sizes in order to enable an accurate numerical power sample analysis. We present that method, apply it to generate an initial power analysis table, provide a web interface for searching this table, and show how the table or web interface can be used to solve several types of real world power analysis problems, such as sample size planning, interpretation of results, and sensitivity analysis.