bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Simple Scoring Algorithm for Health Literacy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Hou Wen-Hsuan , Chang Yao-Mao , Chen Mu-Jean , Tsai Han-Wei , Su Chien-Tien , Han Der-Sheng , Chan Ding-Cheng , Kuo KEN N. , Li Chung-Yi
Published: August 2020

Background:

Health literacy (HL) is the capacity to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information to make appropriate health decisions. This study aimed to establish a predictive algorithm for identifying community-dwelling older adults at a high risk of low HL.
Methods:

A total of 648 older adults were included and 85% was used to generate the prediction model for scoring algorithm while 15% was used to test the fitness of the model. Pearson’s chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with the HL level. An optimal cutoff point was identified based on the maximum sensitivity and specificity.
Results:

350 patients (54.6%) was classified as the low HL level. Twenty-four variables were identified for significantly differentiating between high and low HL. Eight factors including socio-environmental determinant and health outcome related factors significantly predicted low HL. The scoring algorithm yielded an area under the curve of 0.71 and optimal cutoff of 5 represented mediocre sensitivity (62.0%) and good specificity (76.2%).
Conclusion:

This simple scoring algorithm efficiently and effectively identify community-dwelling older adults a low HL.
Fall Awareness Behaviour And Its Associated Factors Among Community Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: WEN GOH JING , Singh Devinder Kaur Ajit , MESBAH NORMALA , HANAFI ANIS AFIFA MOHD , AZWAN ADLYN FARHANA
Published: August 2020

Falls are one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in older adults. However, despite adoption of prevention strategies, the number of falls in older adults has not declined. The aim of this study was to examine fall awareness behaviour and its associated factors. A total of 140 community dwelling older adults (mean age of 70.69±4.3 years) participated in this study. Physical performance was assessed using timed up and go(TUG), gait speed(GS), chair stand and hand grip tests. Fall Awareness Behaviour (FaB) and Fall Risk Assessment Questionnaires (FRAQ) were administered to assess behaviours and fall prevention knowledge respectively. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the practice of fall awareness behaviours (R2=.256) was significantly associated with being male [95% C.I: 2.178 to 7.789, p<.001], having lower BMI [95% C.I: -0.692 to -0.135, p<.05], living with family [95% C.I: 0.022 to 5.953, p<.05] and those having higher functional mobility [95% C.I: -2.008 to -0.164, p<.05]. Fall awareness behaviours should be emphasized among older females, those with lower functional mobility, higher BMI and living alone.
Inhibition of Mitochondrial Fission Reverses the Immunoescape of Solid Tumors via IRE1α-XBP-1s-TPP2 axis
Authors: Li Jinsong , Lei Xinyuan , Ruan Yi , Lin Hsinyu , Chen Weixiong , Xie Shule , Li Qunxing , Wang Jue , Lin Huayue , Zhu Xiaofeng , Yuan Xiaoqing , Ou Zhanpeng , Tian Tian , Lv Xiaobin , Fu Sha , Zhu Xiaorui , Zhou Jian , Pan Guokai , Xia Xin , Tannous Bakhos , Ferrone Soldano , Fan Song
Published: August 2020

Hypoexpression of human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I is widely known to be an important strategy of immune evasion in most cases of malignancies that lead to poor prognosis. We demonstrated that mitochondrial dynamics can be exploited as an efficient target in regulating MHC-I expression and cancer immunogenicity. Clinically, MHC-I expression and fragmentation of mitochondria are both closely associated to patient survival but are negatively correlated to one another. Mechanistically, it was observed that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, an integrated signal transduction pathway activated in most rapidly proliferating tumor cells, played a crucial role in connecting mitochondrial fragmentation and cancer cell immunogenicity particularly via the IRE1α-XBP-1 s axis. XBP-1 s, which is activated by imbalanced mitochondrial fission and prolonged oxidative stress, served as a potent transcription factor, promoted the expression of aminopeptidase TPP2 and destructed the applicable antigenic peptide to impede MHC-I complex maturation and the activation of adaptive immune system upon cancer antigen. Our findings highlight the importance of mitochondrial dynamics in determining solid tumor immunogenicity and suggest that mediating mitochondrial fragmentation might provide a novel approach in anti-tumor immunotherapy.
Avoiding the unintended consequences of climate change mitigation for African river basins
Authors: Castelletti Andrea , Giuliani Matteo , Lamontagne Jonathan , Hejazi Mohamad , Reed Patrick
Published: August 2020

Emerging climate change mitigation policies focus on the implementation of global measures relying on carbon prices to attain rapid emissions reductions, with limited consideration for the impacts of global policies at local scales. Here, we use the Zambezi River Basin in Southern Africa to demonstrate how local multisector dynamics across interconnected Water-Energy-Food (WEF) systems are impacted by global climate change mitigation policies. Our analysis provides quantitative evidence of the unintended vulnerabilities that emerge for this basin across a broad array of potential climate and socio-economic futures. Our results indicate that climate change mitigation policies related to land use change emissions can have negative side effects on local water demands, generating increased risks for failures across all the components of the WEF systems in the Zambezi River Basin. Analogous vulnerabilities could impact many river basins in Southern and Western Africa. It is critical to connect global climate change mitigation policies to local regional dynamics to better navigate the full range of possible future scenarios while supporting policy makers in prioritizing sustainable mitigation and adaptation solutions.
Alimentary System is Directly Attacked by SARS-COV-2 and Further Prevent Immune Dysregulation Caused by COVID-19
Authors: Chen Sai , Zhou Jing , UG Xiaoqi Ou , Cheng Wei , Qin Yun , Guo Yingqiang , Jiang Yunhan
Published: August 2020

Background SARS-COV-2 has caused digestive system symptom, whereas the role of which remains equivocal.Methods Patients with COVID-19 were classified into 4 groups according to symptom. The study traced the onset and duration of symptoms, compared laboratory examinations among each group and conducted bioinformatic analysis. Immune indices were further analyzed.Results By March 16, 25 patients with COVID-19 (3 with digestive system symptom, 14 with respiratory system symptom, 4 with combined symptom and 4 asymptomatic) and 13 with suspect COVID-19 were admitted to West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Digestive system symptom group had the highest level of ESR (mm/h, P༜0.0001), serum ferritin (ng/ml, P༜0.0001), hepatic enzymes (P༜0.05), and retentive lymphocyte count/percentage (P༜0.05) and its subsets (P༜0.05). Combined group (respiratory combined with subsequent digestive system symptom) had the highest level of IL-6 (pg/ml, P = 0.0046), CRP (mg/L, P = 0.0004) and moderate lymphocyte depletion while respiratory system symptom group and asymptomatic group suffered the most from lymphocyte depletion (P༜0.05). Bioinformatic analysis indicated co-expression of binding related proteins of SARS-COV-2 (ACE2, TMPRSS2 and Furin) in small intestine. CD147 was extensively expressed in alimentary tract. CTSL, PIKfyve, TPC2 and CTSB could be detected with ≥ moderate expressions in a variety of organs including alimentary system.Conclusions Alimentary system is directly attacked by SARS-COV-2 other than hyperinflammation and immune dysregulation. Involvement of alimentary system might further protect mild and moderate cases from lymphocyte depletion caused by COVID-19.
β-lactamase-mediated Resistance in MDR-Pseudomonas Aeruginosa from Qatar
Authors: Ahmed Mazen A. Sid , Khan Faisal Ahmad , Sultan Ali A. , Soderquist Bo , Ibrahim Emad Bashir , Jass Jana , Omrani Ali S.
Published: August 2020

Background: Anti-pseudomonal b-lactam antibiotics are of paramount importance in the management of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The distribution of b-lactam resistance genes in P. aeruginosa is often closely related to the distribution of certain high-risk international clones. In the present study whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to identify the predominant sequence types (STs) and b-lactamase genes in clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR)-P. aeruginosa from QatarMethods: Microbiological identification and susceptibility tests were performed by automated BD PhoenixTM system and manual Liofilchem MIC Test Strips. Seventy-five MDR-P. aeruginosa isolates were subsequently processed for WGS. Results: Among 75 MDR-P. aeruginosa isolates; the largest proportions of susceptibility were to ceftazidime-avibactam (n=36, 48%), followed by ceftolozane-tazobactam (30, 40%), ceftazidime (n=21, 28%) and aztreonam (n=16, 21.33%). Almost all isolates possessed Class C and Class D b-lactamases (n=72, 96% each), while metallo-β-lactamases were detected in 20 (26.67%) isolates. Eight (40%) metallo-β-lactamases producers were susceptible to aztreonam and did not produce any concomitant extended-spectrum b-lactamases. The most frequent sequence types identified were ST235 (n=16, 21.33%), ST357 (n=8, 10.67%), ST389 and ST1284 (6, 8% each). Nearly all ST235 (15/16; 93.75%) were resistant to all tested b-lactams.Conclusion: MDR-P. aeruginosa isolates from Qatar are highly resistant to antipseudomonal b-lactams. Global high-risk STs are predominant in Qatar and their associated multi-resistant phenotypes are a cause for considerable concern. The molecular epidemiology trends of P. aeruginosa should be surveillance at national levels to track their trends and institute the appropriate control strategies.
Thermosuperrepellency of a hot substrate caused by vapour percolation
Authors: Schmidt J. Benedikt , Hofmann Julian , Tenzer Fabian , Breitenbach Jan , Tropea Cameron , Roisman Ilia
Published: August 2020

Drop rebound after collision with a very hot substrate is usually attributed to the Leidenfrost effect, [1-5] characterized by intensive film boiling in a thin vapour gap between the liquid and substrate.
Similarly, drop impact onto a cold superhydrophobic substrate [6-8] leads to a complete drop rebound, despite partial wetting of the substrate. We have studied the repellent properties of hot smooth hydrophilic substrates in the nucleate boiling, non-Leidenfrost regime and discovered that the thermally induced repellency is associated with vapour percolation on the substrate.
The wetting structure in the presence of the percolating vapour rivulets is analogous to the Cassie-Baxter wetting mode, [9] which is a necessary condition for the repellency in the isothermal case. The theoretical predictions for the threshold temperature for vapour percolation agree well with the experimental data for drop rebound and correspond to the minimum heat flux when spray cooling.
Overexpression of Annexin A2 Promotes Proliferation by Forming a Glypican 1 / c-Myc Positive Feedback Loop: Prognostic Significance in Human Glioma
Authors: Li Xin , Nie Shengdan , Lv Ziyang , Ma Lingran , Song Yuxi , Hu Zhongxu , Hu Xin , Liu Zhiqiang , Zhou Gaoya , Dai Zhijie , Liu Jiajia , Song Tao , Wang Shan
Published: August 2020

Background: Glioma, with varying malignancy grades, is the most common primary brain tumor. It is urgent to set up a reliable prediction system for the tumor grade and prognosis in glioma patients. We aimed to clarify the complicated crosstalk of Annexin A2 (ANXA2) with Glypican 1 (GPC1) and demonstrate whether combined indexes of ANXA2 and GPC1 could improve the prognostic evaluation for glioma patients.Methods: The role of ANXA2 and GPC1 in proliferation and their relationship were validated in glioma cells. 164 glioma samples were analyzed for association between co-expression of ANXA2 and GPC1 and patient clinicopathological features and prognosis. Results: We found that ANXA2 induced glioma cellular proliferation in a c-Myc-dependent manner. ANXA2 increased the expression of GPC1 via c-Myc and the upregulated GPC1 further promoted the c-Myc level forming a positive feedback loop, which eventually led to enhanced proliferation of glioma cells. Both quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-RCR) and immunohistochemistry revealed that ANXA2 was upregulated in glioma tissues and coincided with the overexpression of GPC1. Glioma patients with high both ANXA2 and GPC1 tended to have higher rate of tumor recurrence and shorter overall survival (OS). Multivariate analyses revealed that the combination of ANXA2 and GPC1 was an independent prognostic indicator for time to recurrence and OS. Conclusions: The overexpression of ANXA2 promotes proliferation by forming a GPC1/c-Myc positive feedback loop, and ANXA2 and its downstream target GPC1 could be a potential “combination biomarker” for predicting prognosis of glioma.
MiRNA-340-5p Mediates the Functional and Infiltrative Promotion of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Lymphocytes in Human Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Xu Yangyang , Liu Zhenchuan , Lv Lixin , Li Ping , Liang Aibin
Published: August 2020

Background: CD8+ tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (T-TILs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) play an important role in tumor development, and miRNAs regulate tumor cell interactions with the microenvironment. T-TIL-based tumor immunotherapy provides a promising treatment strategy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). MiRNAs tend to be attractive targets for novel antitumor interventions.Methods: Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), CIBERSORT analysis and Cox regression analysis were used to identify CD8+ T-TIL-related miRNAs. RT-PCR, western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), luciferase reporter assay, coimmunoprecipitation and ubiquitination analyses were used to detect miRNA, mRNA and protein expression and their combination. The viability and function of CD8+ T cells after stimulation were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), cytotoxicity assay, functional avidity assessment, flow cytometry and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. DLBCL cell lines, primary cells and a murine xenograft model established with A20 cell injection were used as in vitro and in vivo experimental models.Results: MiR-340-5p was positively correlated with CD8+ T-TILs in DLBCL patients, and KMT5A was a direct target gene of miR-340-5p. CD8+ T-cell function was significantly enhanced by miR-340-5p mimics both in vitro and in vivo, which was reversed by KMT5A overexpression. We demonstrated that COP1/CD73 was involved in the downstream mechanism of the miR-340-5p/KMT5A axis involving ubiquitination. In vivo, we validated an improved CD8+ T-TIL infiltration rate and tumor suppression with miR-340-5p treatment. Furthermore, miR-340-5p directly regulated the biological activity of DLBCL cells without CD8+ T-cell participation.Conclusions: MiR-340-5p promoted CD8+ T-TIL infiltration and antitumor function by regulating KMT5A and COP1 and further activating CD73 ubiquitination. MiR-340-5p is potentially a novel target for DLBCL immunotherapy.
Real-world Treatment and Associated Healthcare Resource Use Among Migraine Patients in Germany
Authors: Hardtstock Fraence , Katsarava Zaza , Wilke Thomas , Kocaata Zeki , Kirchmann Tim , Maywald Ulf , Eberhardt Alice
Published: August 2020

BackgroundMigraine is still an area of significant unmet therapeutic needs with a high degree of underdiagnosis and undertreatment of patients. This retrospective claims data analysis aimed to describe the acute and prophylactic treatment patterns of German migraine/headache patients as well as associated healthcare resource use (HCRU) and costs. MethodsThis retrospective, cohort analysis of German claims data from 2013-2017 included over three million publicly insured patients. Continuously insured adult patients were included if they received at least one inpatient or two confirmed outpatient claims for headache or migraine from 2013-2016. Patients were separated into four main cohorts based on their prophylactic/acute prescription (Rx) medication history in 2017. These four groups included patients receiving: neither acute nor prophylactic Rx (cohort N), only acute Rx (cohort A), only prophylactic Rx (cohort P), and both acute and prophylactic Rx (cohort AP). Baseline characteristics were observed from 2013-2016, while treatment and HCRU/costs were assessed in 2017. ResultsIn total, 199,283 patients were included in this analysis (mean age, 49.49 years; 73.04%, female), among which 9,005 prophylactic therapy starters could be identified during 2014-2015. Overall, 43.47% of the patients included in the study did not receive acute or prophylactic medication in 2017. Approximately 33.81% received only acute treatment, while 9.45% received only prophylactic medication; 13.28% received both. Only 28.90% of patients starting a therapy with prophylactic Rx continued this therapy for at least two years. Generally, HCRU and costs were high in the entire study population, with direct costs ranging from 2,288-7,246€ per year, and indirect costs due to sick-leave ranging from 868-1,859€. ConclusionsDespite experiencing migraine-related hospitalizations and sick-leave, a sizable proportion of patients included in this study only received substantial amounts of acute Rx treatment or no prescribed treatment for migraine whatsoever. Patients who began receiving prophylactic therapy were found to frequently discontinue their therapy early. Thus, there is a high unmet need for the safe, timely, and efficacious use of prophylactic therapies among migraine patients.
A Preliminary Study on Blood Lipid Profile in Patients with COVID-19
Authors: Zhu Zhe , Yang Yayun , Fan Lingyan , Ye Shuyuan , Lou Kehong , Hua Xin , Huang Zuoan , Shi Qiaoyun , Gao Guosheng
Published: August 2020

Background: Recently, dyslipidemia was observed in the patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the blood lipid profile in the patients with COVID-19, and explore their predictive value for COVID-19 severity.Methods: 142 consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to HwaMei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, from January 23 to April 20, 2020, and 77 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were included in this retrospective study. The blood lipid profile in the patients with COVID-19 were investigated, and their predictive values for COVID-19 severity were analysed.Results: There were 125 and 17 cases in the non-severe and severe group, respectively. Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1) gradually decreased across healthy controls, non-severe group, and severe group. ApoA1 was recognized as an independent risk factor for COVID-19 severity，and had the highest area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) among all the single markers (AUC: 0.896, 95% CI: 0.834-0.941). Moreover, the risk model established using ApoA1 and IL-6 enhanced the prediction efficiency (AUC: 0.977, 95% CI: 0.932-0.995). Conclusion: The blood lipid profile in the patients with COVID-19 is quite abnormal from healthy subjects, especially in the severe cases. Serum ApoA1 might serve as a good indictor to reflect the severity of COVID-19.
Detection of Choroidal Neovascularisation in Flat Irregular Pigment Epithelial Detachment in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography: en-face Image Combined With Cross-Sectional Image
Authors: Ryu So Jung , Lee Jong Sub , Lee Sang Hyup , Ahn Seong Joon , Lee Byung Ro
Published: August 2020

Background: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a disorder characterised by serous detachment of the retina and is associated with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) alteration. Flat irregular pigment epithelium detachment (FIPED) is one of the pigment epithelial detachment (PED) patterns of CSC and it is associated with chronic CSC.This study investigated choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in FIPED with en-face optical coherence topography angiography (OCTA) and cross-sectional OCTA, to evaluate the incidence of CNV and compare the efficacy of each method. Methods: We retrospectively studied OCT and OCTA images of 328 eyes with CSC. OCTA B-scans and macular cube were primarily reviewed for the detection of FIPED and CNV. En-face OCTA and cross-sectional OCTA with Angio-B view, which is an image that combines an OCT B-scan with a flow signal were analysed to evaluate the presence of CNV in FIPED.Results: CNV was observed in 23 eyes on en-face OCTA and 21 eyes on cross-sectional OCTA, among 93 eyes of 88 patients with FIPED. There were eight discrepant cases, in which result of en-face OCTA was not equal to that of cross-sectional OCTA. Conclusions: The CNV and FIPED lesions were well detected on cross-sectional and en-face OCTA. Integration of these two methods can potentially improve the utility and diagnostic accuracy of OCTA.
Broadband giant nonlinear response from electrically tunable polaritonic metasurfaces
Authors: Yu Jaeyeon , Park Seongjin , Hwang Inyong , Kim Daeik , Demmerle Frederic , Boehm Gerhard , Amann Markus-Christian , Belkin Mikhail , Lee Jongwon
Published: August 2020

Optically-thin nonlinear polaritonic metasurfaces created by coupling of intersubband nonlinearities in semiconductor heterostructures with optical modes in nanoresonators have recently demonstrated efficient three-wave-mixing at very low pumping intensities of the order of few tens of kW cm-2. In these subwavelength structures, the efficiency and the spectral bandwidth of the wave mixing depends solely on nonlinearity of the constituent meta-atoms. Here we exploit this property to demonstrate an electrically-tunable nonlinear metasurface that combines a plasmonic nanocavity and a quantum-engineered semiconductor heterostructure, in which the magnitude and the spectral characteristics of the nonlinear response are controlled by bias voltage through the quantum-confined Stark effect. We demonstrate tuning the peak second-harmonic-generation (SHG) efficiency in the range of 8.7 – 10.75 μm and modulation of SHG intensity at a fixed pump wavelength by applying bias voltage. An SHG power conversion efficiency of 0.082 % was achieved using a peak pump intensity of only 80 kW cm-2.
Diagnosis Prediction of Tumours of Unknown Origin Using Immunogenius, A Machine Learning-based Expert Support System for Immunohistochemistry Profile Interpretation
Authors: Chong Yosep , Lee Ji Young , Thakur Nishant , Hwang Gyoyeon , Choi Myungjin , Kim Yejin , Yu Hwanjo , Cho Mee Yon
Published: August 2020

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of pathological diseases. This technique has been supporting pathologists in making precise decisions regarding differential diagnosis and subtyping, and in creating personalized treatment plans. However, the interpretation of IHC results presents challenges in complicated cases. Furthermore, rapidly increasing amounts of IHC data are making it even harder for pathologists to reach to definitive conclusions. MethodsWe developed ImmunoGenius, a machine-learning-based expert support system for the pathologist, to support the diagnosis of tumors of unknown origin. Based on the Bayesian theorem, we developed the reactive native mobile application for iOS and Android platform. ImmunoGenius include the IHC profile of 584 antibodies in 2009 neoplasms. ResultsWe trained the software using 634 real case data, validated it with 382 case data, and compared the precision hit rate. Precision hit rate of the training dataset was 78.5 % and the hit rate of the validation dataset was 78.0%, which showed no significant difference. The main reason for discordant precision was lack of disease-specific IHC markers and overlapping IHC profiles observed in similar diseases.ConclusionThe results of this study showed a potential that the machine-learning algorithm based expert system can support the pathologic diagnosis by providing second opinion on IHC interpretation based on IHC database. Incorporation with contextual data including the clinical and histological findings might be required to elaborate the system in the future.
Observations on echocardiographic findings in patients with COVID-19
Authors: Khan Ahsan A , James Sunil , Yuan Mengshi , Woolery Latoya , Huppertz Nina , Rahman Mushidur , Varma Chetan , Apostolakis Stavros , Sharma Vinoda
Published: August 2020

Background The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has created global havoc by causing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cardiovascular involvement in COVID-19 varies from troponin rise or arrhythmia/myocarditis to fulminant cardiogenic shock. There is limited data on echocardiographic findings in such patients. We aimed to assess abnormal echocardiographic findings and contributory factors in patients with COVID-19.Methods We performed retrospective analysis of COVID-19 positive patients who underwent a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) at Sandwell and West Birmingham (SWBH) NHS Trust between March 2020 and May 2020. Patients were compared based on TTE changes and divided into two groups (abnormal TTE and normal TTE).Results 66 out of 463 patients with COVID-19 had a TTE. 46 patients (69.7%) had abnormal findings on their TTE. Tricuspid regurgitation was the most common abnormality observed (26 (56.5%) patients), followed by aortic regurgitation (13 (28.3%) patients) and mitral regurgitation (12 (26.1%) patients). Haemoglobin and LDH were predictors of abnormal TTE (Hb OR: 0.97, p = 0.049, LDH, OR: 1.00, p = 0.03). Significantly more patients in the abnormal TTE group died during their inpatient stay compared to normal TTE (p = 0.01). Having an abnormal TTE was an independent predictor of death on regression analysis (OR: 0.229, p = 0.034).Conclusions This is the first detailed observational study looking at echocardiographic changes in admitted COVID-19 patients irrespective of disease severity. The most common abnormality was valve regurgitation. Patients with abnormal TTE were more likely to die in hospital.
Comprehensive Analysis of Competitive Endogenous Rnas Network Associated With Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Wan jiahui , Wang Xiuli , Zhao Fusheng , Jiang Ying , Ma Wei , Jiang Shijun , He Zikang , Wang Xiaojin , Cui Rongjun
Published: August 2020

Background: Increasing evidences show that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays the role of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in the development and progression of cancers. The purpose of our study was to identify potential lncRNA biomarkers that serve as a therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in HCC.Methods: The differential expression of RNAs was examined using the edgeR package. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to predict potential functions. Survival analysis and ROC curve analysis were performed to predict ceRNA network had significant prognostic value. The biological functions of MYLK-AS1 on HCC cells were studied by RNA interference approaches in vitro. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) assay, wound healing and transwell assay relatively. The mechanism of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were predicted and verified by bioinformatic analysis, western blot analysis and luciferase assays.Results: The newly constructed ceRNA network comprised 76 HCC specific lncRNAs, 15 miRNAs, and 35 mRNAs from the database (Targetscan, miRTarBase, and miRDB). 10 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 10 differentially expressed mRNAs were significantly associated with overall survival in HCC (P value < 0.05). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathways enrichment analysis results showed the differentially expressed mRNAs were involved primarily in the most significant cancer-related signaling pathways. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that MYLK-AS1—has-mir-424—CCNE1 ceRNA network had significant prognostic value. The expression of MYLK-AS1 was up-regulated in HCC cells and tissues. Biological function analyses indicated that down-regulation of MYLK-AS1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion . MYLK-AS1 and miR-424-5p bound directly and reversibly to each other. MYLK-AS1 could positively regulate CCNE1 expression by competitively binding to miR-424-5p. Conclusion: The current study provides novel insights into the lncRNA-related ceRNA network in HCC and the MYLK-AS1 may be a candidate biomarker for molecular diagnosis and prognosis monitoring of HCC.
Analyses of displacement of the heart and its substructures caused by cardiac movement and identification of compensatory margins based on breath-hold electrocardiograph-gated 4-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging for oesophageal radiotherapy
Authors: Yang Guanghui , Fu Chengrui , Gong Guanzhong , Zhang Jing , Wang Qian , Liu Chengxin , Li Baosheng
Published: August 2020

Background: Cardiac movement can affect the accuracy of the evaluation of the location of heart and its substructures by planning computed tomography (CT). We aimed to measure the margin displacement and calculate compensatory margins through breath-hold electrocardiograph (ECG)-gated 4-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (4D-MRI) for oesophageal radiotherapy.Methods: The study enrolled 10 patients with oesophageal radiotherapy plans and pretreatment 4D-MRI data. The displacement of the heart and its substructures was measured between the end of the systolic and diastolic phases in one cardiac cycle. The compensatory margins were calculated by extending the planning CT to cover the internal target volume (ITV) of all structures. Differences between groups were tested with the Kruskal-Wallis H test.Results: The extent of movement of the heart and its substructures during one cardiac cycle were approximately 4.0-26.1 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP),left-right (LR), and cranial-caudal (CC) axes, and the compensatory margins should be applied to the planning CT by extending the margins by 1.7, 3.6, 1.8, 3.0, 2.1, and 2.9 mm for the pericardium, 1.2, 2.5, 1.0, 2.8, 1.8, and 3.3 mm for the heart, 3.8, 3.4, 3.1, 2.8, 0.9, and 2.0 mm for the interatrial septum, 3.3, 4.9, 2.0, 4.1, 1.1, and 2.9 mm for the interventricular septum, 2.2, 3.0, 1.1, 5.3, 1.8, and 2.4 mm for the left ventricular muscle (LVM), 5.9, 3.4, 2.1, 6.1, 5.4, and 3.6 mm for the antero-lateral papillary muscle (ALPM), and 6.6, 2.9, 2.6, 6.6, 3.9, and 4.8 mm for the postero-medial papillary muscle (PMPM) in the anterior, posterior, left, right, cranial, and caudal directions.Conclusions: The locations of the heart and its substructures determined by planning CT were not able to represent the true positions due to cardiac movement, and compensatory margins can be applied to decrease the influence of movement.
Associations between animal and herd management factors, serological response to three respiratory pathogens and pluck lesions in finisher pigs on farrow-to-finish farms
Authors: Fitzgerald Rose Mary , O'Shea Helen , Manzanilla Edgar García , Moriarty John , McGlynn Hugh , Díaz Julia Adriana Calderón
Published: August 2020

Background: Serological screening is a common method to monitor antibody response to pathogen exposure, but results could vary due to several factors. This study aimed to quantify animal and management related factors associated with variation in antibody levels in finisher pigs at slaughter, in an Irish farrow-to-finish farm endemically infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (App), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo) and swine influenza virus (SIV). A second objective was to estimate differences in antibody levels in pigs presenting pluck lesions. This was an observational study whereby pigs were managed as per routine farm practice. Data on sow parity, number of born alive (NBA) pigs per litter, cross-fostering status, birth and weaning body weight were recorded from 1,016 pigs born from one farrowing batch. At slaughter, blood samples were collected for serological analysis and pigs were inspected for presence of enzootic pneumonia (EP)-like lesions, pleurisy, pericarditis and heart condemnations. Pigs were retrospectively classified into three production flows, depending on time spent in each production stage: flow 1 (F1; pigs followed the normal production flow); flow 2 (F2; pigs which were delayed by 1 week from advancing forward); and flow 3 (F3; pigs delayed by >1 week from advancing forward). A nested case-control design was applied by matching pigs from each flow by sow parity, birth weight and NBA. Results: Pigs born from primiparous sows had higher antibody levels for App than those born to parity ≥5 sows ( P <0.05) and there was no association between any of the pathogens investigated and other early life indicators ( P >0.05). Pigs in F1 had lower antibody levels for App but higher antibody levels for SIV than F2 and F3 pigs ( P <0.05). There was no association between pluck lesions and respiratory pathogens ( P >0.05), except for increased antibody levels for Mhyo when EP-like lesions were present ( P =0.006). Conclusion: Results indicate that offspring from primiparous sows develop lower antibody levels for App when exposed to this disease and that enforcement of a strict all-in/all-out production system would reduce on-farm disease circulation. A high percentage of pigs were affected with EP-like lesions which were associated with higher antibody levels for Mhyo.
Chest X-ray scanning based detection of COVID-19 using deepconvolutional neural network
Authors: Yadav Samir , Sandhu Jasminder Kaur , Pathak Yadunath , Jadhav Shivajirao
Published: August 2020

Everyone’s life on earth influenced by a global coronavirus outbreak COVID- 19. Two regular practices, pathology tests, and Computer Tomography (CT) scan used to diagnose COVID-19. Pathology tests produce a considerable amount of false-positives & are time-consuming, whereas CT scans tests are costly and require expert advice. Hence, the main aim of this work is to develop a fast, accurate, and low-cost diagnostic system for detection of COVID-19 using inexpensive chest X-rays and the modern Deep Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) approach to assist medical professionals. In this study, two pre-trained CNN models (VGG16 and InceptionV3) are evaluated by several experiments using data augmentations. The analysis is based on 2905 images of chest X-rays with 219 confirmed positive COVID-19 and 1345 positive pneumonia cases taken from the open-source database consisting of patients suffering from the COVID-19 disease. Since a database consists of multiple types of diseases, multiclass classification for diagnosis of COVID-19 is used. The InceptionV3 model provides the highest classification accuracy (99.35% and 98.29%) for two binary classifications (normal vs. COVID-19 and COVID- 19 vs. Pneumonia) compare to VGG16 model’s accuracy (97.71% and 96.27%). Whereas, VGG16 provides highest accuracy (98.84%)for multiclass-classification(normal vs COVID- 19 vs pneumonia) as compared to VGG16 model’s accuracy(96.35%).
Some information on biology of three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758 in the Barents Sea coastal region (East Murman)
Authors: Garmash M. V. , Zhuravleva N. G.
Published: August 2020

Three-spined stickleback is one of the widespread fish species of East Murman. It is found in 13 catchment areas of the Barents Sea coast in the eastern part of the Murmansk region, including major rivers, shallow river basins and inter-basin spaces. Stickleback is found in such lakes as Enozero, Pervoe Titovskoe, Opasovskoe, Dolgoe, etc, and in the rivers Yokanga, Varzina, Kharlovka, Voronia, Teriberka, etc. There is no detailed biological description of stickleback in this area, and the information available only mentions its presence in water bodies and occurrence in the stomachs of predators. The present paper provides data on three-spined stickleback caught in the coastal region of the Barents Sea at a depth of 120-123 m. The marine form of stickleback spends entire life cycle in the sea. In the Barents Sea, stickleback has a pelagic way of life, going quite far from the shore. According to the published data, its habitat depth in the Barents Sea is 50-450 m, with an average of 270 m, where temperature varies from 0 to 4 °C, with salinity 33-35 ‰. It has been found out that stickleback is represented by two morphotypes - trachurus with a keel (98 %) and semiarmatus (2 %) with a keel. The study has revealed different number of lateral plates and the nature of their distribution on the body of stickleback. In the study area, individuals of different size groups could be found. On average their body length ranges from 51 to 60 mm with a maximum length of 81 mm; the weight changes from 0.79 to 1.39 g. The authors have observed positive allometry of the dependence of mass on body length. Proportion of empty stomachs is almost 100 % with the fat content 1-2 points. The gonads of males and females caught in August 2015 were in after spawning condition. Females comprise the majority of the population (65 %). Infestation of stickleback with helminths is insignificant. Larvae of Anisakis simplex nematode have been observed most frequently during the examination of internal organs and body cavity.
Soil fauna of cut and burnt forest areas in the Khibiny Mountains
Authors: Zenkova I. V. , Shtabrovskaya I. M. , Usova D. V.
Published: August 2020

In the framework of monitoring the restoration of anthropogenic disturbed soil cover and its invertebrates fauna in the polar mountains, a study of pine forest cut and burnt forest areas have been conducted in the inter-mountain valley of the Khibiny Mts. Changes of edaphic factors that determine the diversity and abundance of soil fauna were revealed five years after exposure the fire: decrease of soil pH (from 3.8 to 4.2), and content of total carbon and nitrogen, and a steady increase of humidity in the upper soil horizon in the felling and in the burned pine forest. In soil samples at four sites, representatives of 20 taxonomic groups of invertebrates have been taken into account, with greater diversity and minimal numbers in the burnt pine forest. A significant reduction of soil fauna number has been detected as a result of all types of anthropogenic impact, with insignificant differences in this parameter between disturbed sites (burnt pine forest, forest cutting, and burnt forest cutting). In a pair of control pine forest and a burnt pine forest an increasing differences in the structure of the soil fauna has been revealed in comparison with the study of these territories in 2015 or two years after a ground fire. The importance of a vegetation layer confirmed for preserving the soil fauna and maintaining the hydrothermal regime favorable for its recovery. The attraction of light- and thermophilic species of ground beetles and staphylinids, which are not typical for Khibiny Mts has been revealed on the burning felling and burning pine forest. Thus, burnt territories enrich the local fauna of this Polar Mountain Massif and the fauna of the Murmansk region as a whole.
Anti-inflammation Activity of Ageratum Conyzoides Leaf Ethanol Extract on Rattus Norvegicus
Authors: Saputri Maylani Permata , Utami Riani , Fadila Jasmine , Handayani Santi Nur
Published: August 2020

Bandotan  (Ageratum conyzoides L) merupakan tanaman yang mengandung senyawa metabolit sekunder berupa flavonoid dan alkaloid yang diduga mempunyai efek anti-inflamasi.  Tujuan penelitian adalah mengetahui aktivitas anti-inflamasi ekstrak etanol daun A. conyzoides pada tikus yang diinduksi karagenan. Tahapan penelitian adalah maserasi daun A. conyzoides dalam pelarut etanol, uji fitokimia, dan uji aktivitas anti-inflamasi. Uji aktivitas anti-inflamasi dilakukan terhadap 25 tikus putih (Rattus norvegicus L.) jantan yang terbagi menjadi lima kelompok perlakuan yaitu kontrol (-) larutan CMC 0,5%, kontrol (+) natrium diklofenak, dan pemberian ekstrak dengan dosis 30, 200 dan 448 mg/kgBB. Parameter yang diamati yaitu volume kaki tikus setelah diinduksi 0,1 mL karagenan 1% selama 300 menit diukur dengan pletismometer. Hasil uji anti-inflamasi menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak etanol daun A. conyzoides dengan dosis 30, 200 dan 448 mg/kgBB memiliki aktivitas anti-inflamasi dengan persen daya anti-inflamasi masing-masing sebesar 10,43; 21,67; dan 30,34 %. Dosis 448 mg/kgBB menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan signifikan dengan kontrol (+) pada uji ANOVA. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan ekstrak etanol daun A. conyzoides memiliki aktivitas anti-inflamasi.
Development of the ICT Teachers’ Perceptions of the Contribution of Scratch Program to Programming Instruction Scale
Authors: Yildiz Serife Nur , Ates Cobanoglu Alev , Kisla Tarik
Published: August 2020

Scratch which is one of the block-based software for facilitating programming teaching is commonly used for beginners of learning programming. However, there is a lack of studies about the perceptions of information and communication technologies (ICT) teachers regarding the contributions of this visual programming language. Therefore, this study deals with developing a scale for measuring ICT teachers’ perceptions based on unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) about Scratch’s contributions in teaching programming. The sample of the study includes 265 ICT teachers from Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) secondary schools who used Scratch software in their courses. According to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses results, final version for perceptions scale of ICT teachers regarding the contributions of block-based visual programming language (Scratch) includes 28 items. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient is 0.97. This scale can help the practitioners who aims at understanding the contributions of Scratch and the other block-based visual programming languages from ICT teachers’ perspective; the researchers who wish to investigate this contribution according to various variables and the decision-makers of using Scratch in programming instruction programs.
Seed Vigour Evaluation of Rocket (Eruca sativa Mill.) Seed Lots
Authors: ÖZDEN Eren , MEMİŞ Nurcan , GÖKDAŞ Zeynep , ÇATIKKAŞ Elif , DEMİR İbrahim
Published: August 2020

The work was carried out to test the seed vigour test to correlate seedling emergence potential of rocket seed lots in the field conditions. Standard laboratory germination percentages of the 12 seed lots were ranged between 87 and 93%. Radicle emergence (2 mm) percentages after 18 (RE18h), 24 (RE24h), 36 (RE36h) and 48 (RE48h) during standard germination test, accelerated ageing test (AA, 45 °C, 100% RH, 24h, 48h), electrical conductivity (20 °C, 40 ml, 50 seeds) of 8h, 16h and 24h readings were used as vigour tests. Seeds were sown in two occasions in the field and vigour test results were correlated with seedling emergence percentages. Even though all seed vigour tests were significantly correlated with emergence at various levels EC24h and RE24h showed the highest correlation (p<0.001) with seedling emergence percentages in both sowing times. Correlation values were 0.824 and 0.844 in EC24h, 0.860 and 0.874 in RE24h.The lowest correlations were seen in standard laboratory germination test as 0.640 and 0.654 (p<0.05). Results indicated that EC24h and RE24h are practical and fast vigour tests that can be related to seedling emergence potential in rocket seed lots.
Enhancement of the air gap membrane distillation system performance by using the water gap module
Authors: Abu-Zeid Mostafa Abd El-Rady , Lu Xiaolong , Zhang Shaozhe
Published: August 2020

The negative effect of an air gap layer presented between the membrane and cooling plate on air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) performance was diminished largely by inserting a water gap membrane distillation (WGMD) module in series. The new design of air-gap–water-gap membrane distillation (AG-WG)MD was evaluated experimentally by comparing with an AGMD system under different operating conditions. In theory, mass and heat transfer in the new (AG-WG)MD and imitative AGMD systems were analyzed. Experimental outcomes showed that a new (AG-WG)MD design profoundly enhanced flux (Pd) and gained output ratio (GOR), and greatly decreased energy consumption (STEC) and heat input (EH.I). At a concentration of 5,000 mg/L, coolant temperature of 20 °C, and flow rate of 18 L/h, Pd was promoted by 76.26%, 40.84%, 35.45%, 30.91%, and GOR by 46.38%, 33.46%, 31.27%, 26.65%, in addition to STEC being reduced about 55.63%, 46.81%, 43.66%, 38.30%, and EH.I around 31.31%, 25.84%, 23.53%, 20.55%, from the AGMD to (AG-WG)MD system at feed temperatures of 50 °C, 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C, respectively. The outcomes proved that the AGMD performance could be significantly promoted by integrating with WGMD in a combined MD system. This combination increased the temperature difference across the membrane and decreased thermal-concentration boundary layers for the AGMD system.
Spatial evaluation of land use variability on water quality of the Densu Basin, Ghana
Authors: Anima Gyimah Rita Akosua , Karikari Anthony Yaw , Gyamfi Charles , Asantewaa-Tannor Patricia , Anornu Geophrey Kwame
Published: August 2020

The effect of different land use types on the physicochemical water quality of a semi-arid coastal basin is examined. From nine sites, a comprehensive sampling campaign was executed during October 2018 to January 2019. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between water quality characteristics and land use types at the sub-basin and buffer-zone scales. The one-way ANOVA test indicated that most of the parameters are significantly different (p < 0.05) among the sampling sites with the exception of pH, total hardness (TH), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and iron (Fe). Agriculture and built-up/bare land had a positive relationship with turbidity, TSS, conductivity and Fe within 50 m and 150 m buffer zones. Built-up/bare land showed a positive relationship with turbidity, TSS and Cl at the sub-basin scale. Forest cover correlated negatively with water quality although not significantly. Grassland correlated significantly with temperature, Cl and total hardness. Results of the multiple regression analysis indicate that land use types within the riparian buffer zones had greater impact on water quality than at the sub-basin scale. This work provides essential information for land use planners and water managers towards sustainable water resources management.
ANÁLISE DA VULNERABILIDADE NATURAL À CONTAMINAÇÃO DA ÁGUA SUBTERRÂNEA: COMPARATIVO ENTRE A METODOLOGIA GOD E DRASTIC
Authors: Kemerich Pedro Daniel da Cunha , Martins Sérgio Roberto , Kobiyama Masato , Descovi Filho Leônidas Luiz Volcato , Borba Willian Fernando de , Souza Éricklis Edson Boito de , Fernandes Gabriel D'ávila
Published: August 2020

A água é um recurso natural imprescindível para todas as formas de vida, porém, atividades antrópicas, aumento populacional e urbanização estão alterando a qualidade dos mananciais superficiais, tornando indisponível para determinados usos. Surge como alternativa para complementar ou até mesmo substituir o uso da água superficial a água subterrânea, porém, e necessita-se de um controle para que atividades antrópicas não venham a contaminar o aquífero. Nesse sentido, esse estudo tem por objetivo comparar os métodos DRASTIC e GOD na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Vacacaí-Mirim, no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Ambos os métodos tiveram suas classes de vulnerabilidade entre insignificante e extrema, com maior predominâncias da vulnerabilidade média (DRASTIC) e alta (GOD). O método GOD concentrou 89,91 % da vulnerabilidade em 2 classes (Média e alta), já o DRASTIC apresentou 66,15 % nessas mesmas classes. Assim, o DRASTIC, na área de estudo apresentou, uma maior variabilidade das classes, indicando resultados mais consistentes, e com parâmetros obtidos a campo. Porém, o GOD é mais simplificado pelo número de variáveis necessárias para sua aplicação. Assim, destaca-se a importância da aplicação dessas metodologias para fornecer subsídios para tomadas de decisões para gestores dos recursos hídricos.