bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monoclonal Antibody Treatment of COVID-19 in a Pregnant Woman with Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Authors: Aberumand Babak , Betschel Stephen , Kamal Ramy , McKinney Brock
Published: June 2022

BackgroundSince the first reported case of COVID-19, infections due to the virus have ranged from mild to severe. Patients with primary immunodeficiency are thought to be at increased risk for infections such as COVID-19 due to the nature of their disease and being immunocompromised. Similarly, pregnant women by nature of physiological changes in immunity are susceptible to infections and consequently are felt to be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 with potential grave consequences for not only the mother but also the fetus. Early treatment with novel therapeutics against the sars-cov-2 virus to prevent progression and these complications is paramount.Case PresentationA 31-year-old woman with a 22-year history of common variable immunodeficiency on subcutaneous immunoglobulin replacement therapy and 24 weeks pregnant with her third child presented to the Emergency Department with two-day history of pharyngitis that progressed to include nasal and chest congestion, non-productive cough and shortness of breath. Her vitals indicated temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, heart rate of 109 beats per minute, blood pressure 142/92 mmHg, respiratory rate 22/min and an oxygen saturation of 99% on room air. A workup was done and she was found to be positive for sars-cov-2 virus confirmed by PCR. She had a close contact, her husband, who had tested positive a few days prior. She had been previously vaccinated with three doses of the Moderna COVID-19 (Spikevax ®) vaccine. As she met the criteria for monoclonal antibody treatment, she received Sotrovimab on the same day of testing positive and tolerated it well with no side-effects. Her symptoms resolved within two to three days.ConclusionOur case, is the first to our knowledge, of a pregnant patient with common variable immunodeficiency diagnosed with COVID-19 and symptomatic successfully receiving treatment with Sotrovimab. Her rapid resolution of symptoms makes the use of monoclonal antibodies such as Sotrovimab a safe and useful option in this unique population.
Molecular intrinsic subtypes, genomic and immune landscapes of BRCA-proficient but HRD-high ER-positive/HER2-negative early breast cancers
Authors: Ladoire sylvain , Ballot Elise , Galland Loïck , Mananet Hugo , Boidot Romain , Arnould Laurent , Desmoulins Isabelle , Mayer Didier , Kaderbhai Courèche , Ilie Sylvia , Hennequin Audrey , Bergeron Anthony , Derangère Valentin , Truntzer Caroline , Ghiringhelli Francois
Published: June 2022

Purpose: The vast majority of research studies that have described the links between DNA damage repair or homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score, and tumor biology, have concerned either triple negative breast cancers or cancers with mutation of BRCA1/2. We hypothesized that ER+/HER2- early breast tumors without BRCA1/2 mutation could have high HRD score, and aimed to describe their genomic, transcriptomic, and immune landscapes. Patients and methods: In this study, we reported BRCA1/2 mutational status, HRD score and mutational signature 3 (S3) expression, in all early breast cancer (eBC) subtypes from the TCGA database, with a particular focus in ER+/HER2-. In this subtype, bioinformatics analyses of tumor transcriptomic, immune profile, and mutational landscape, were performed, according to HRD status. Overall survival (OS), progression free-interval (PFI), and variables associated with outcome were also evaluated. Results: Among the 928 tumor samples analyzed, 46 harboured BRCA 1/2 mutations, 606 were ER+/HER2- (of which 24 were BRCA 1/2 mutated). We found a subset of BRCA-proficient ER+/HER2— eBC, with high HRD score. These tumors displayed significantly different immune, mutational, and tumor molecular signatures landscapes, compared to BRCA-mutated and BRCA-proficient HRD-low tumors. Outcome did not significantly differ between these 3 groups, but biological factors associated with survival are not the same across the 3 entities. Conclusion: This study highlights possible novel biological differences among ER+/HER2- breast cancer related to HRD status. Our results could have important implications for translational research and/or the design of future clinical trials, but require prospective clinical evaluation.
Succession and determinants of the early life nasopharyngeal bacteriome in a South African birth cohort
Authors: Claassen-Weitz Shantelle , Gardner-Lubbe Sugnet , Xia Yao , Mwaikono Kilaza S , Mounaud Stephanie Harris , Nierman William C. , Zar Heather J. , Nicol Mark Patrick , Workman Lesley
Published: June 2022

Background: Bacteria colonizing the nasopharynx play a key role as gatekeepers of respiratory health. Yet, dynamics of early life nasopharyngeal (NP) bacterial profiles remain understudied in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), where children have a high prevalence of risk factors for lower respiratory tract infection. We investigated longitudinal changes in NP bacterial profiles, and associated exposures, among healthy infants from low-income households in South Africa.Methods: We used short fragment (V4 region) 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterise NP bacterial profiles from 103 infants in a South African birth cohort, at monthly intervals from birth through the first 12 months of life and six-monthly thereafter until 30 months. Results:Corynebacterium and Staphylococcus were dominant colonizers at one month of life, however these were rapidly replaced by Moraxella- or Haemophilus-dominated profiles by four months. This succession was almost universal, and largely independent of a broad range of exposures Warm weather (summer), lower gestational age, maternal smoking, no day-care attendance, antibiotic exposure, or low height-for-age z score at 12 months were associated with higher alpha and beta diversity. Summer was also associated with higher relative abundances of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Neisseria or anaerobic gram-negative bacteria, whilst spring and winter were associated with higher relative abundances of Haemophilus or Corynebacterium, respectively. Maternal smoking was associated with higher relative abundances of Porphyromonas. Antibiotic therapy (or isoniazid prophylaxis for tuberculosis) was associated with higher relative abundance of anerobic taxa (Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium and Prevotella) and with lower relative abundances of health associated-taxa Corynebacterium and Dolosigranulum. HIV-exposure was associated with higher relative abundances of Klebsiella or Veillonella and lower relative abundances of an unclassified genus within the family Lachnospiraceae. Conclusions:In this intensively sampled cohort there was rapid and predictable replacement of early profiles dominated by health-associated Corynebacterium and Dolosigranulum with those dominated by Moraxella and Haemophilus, independent of exposures. Season and antibiotic exposure were key determinants of NP bacterial profiles. Understudied but highly prevalent exposures prevalent in LMICs, including maternal smoking and HIV-exposure, were associated with NP bacterial profiles.
The frequency and risk factors of major complications after thermal ablation of liver tumours in 2084 ablation sessions
Authors: Huang Qian-nan , Pang Meng-ya , Zeng Qing-jing , He Xu-Qi , Zheng Rong-qin , Ge Mian , Li Kai
Published: June 2022

Background: To assess the frequency of major complications after thermal ablation of liver tumours and to determine risk factors for adverse events.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between January 2015 and January 2021. A total of 2084 thermal ablation sessions in 1592 patients with primary and metastatic liver tumours were evaluated. The frequency of major complications was evaluated according to the Society of Interventional Radiology Standards, and putative predictors of adverse events were analysed using simple and multivariate logistic regression.Results: Thermal ablation-related mortality was 0.1% (2/2084), with an overall major complication rate of 5.6% (117/2084). The most frequent major complication was symptomatic pleural effusion (51.3%, 60/117). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a total maximum diameter of lesions >3 cm, microwave ablation (MWA) and MWA combined with radiofrequency ablation, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and postoperative systemic inflammatory response syndrome were independent prognostic factors for major complications. Conclusions: Thermal ablation of liver tumours is a safe procedure with an acceptable incidence of major complications. The risk factors identified in this study will help to stratify high-risk patients.
A Study on the Optimum Design of Fuzzy Logic Control using Differential Evolution Algorithms for Omnidirectional Mobile Robot Navigation
Authors: Abdelwahab Mohamed , Parque Victor , Bab Ahmed M. R. Fath El , Abouelsoud Ahmed
Published: June 2022

Goal-oriented mobile robot navigation is significant for exploration, transport, and telerobotics ubiquitously. Among the existing mobile robot configurations, the omnidirectional platforms offer enhanced maneuverability and flexibility in navigation. Also, Fuzzy Logic (FL) is favorable regarding intelligible control rules and robustness to uncertainties among the existing control schemes. However, there exists a gap in the control of omnidirectional robots using FL, especially tackling stagnation and local-minima in goal-oriented navigation. This study presents a methodological framework, first of its kind to the best of our knowledge, combining the benefits of a behavioral FL and Differential Evolution for stagnation-free and goal-oriented omnidirectional robot navigation. Whereas FL considers a behavioral modulation between goal-seeking and obstacle avoidance, relevant classes of Differential Evolution (DE), which comprise exploration, exploitation, and self-adaptation modalities, tackle FL membership functions' search space. Through rigorous computational experiments, we demonstrate that Rank-Based Differential Evolution (RBDE)'s exploitative features show favorable performance in learning and tackling stagnation in the context of a small number of function evaluations (up to 1000) and unknown/partially known environments, both of which are relevant for quick adaptation to dynamic environments. After explaining the reason for learning efficiency and navigation performance in training-testing scenarios, we discuss the potential of rank-based learning algorithms.
Premature Rupture Of Membrane and Its Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women Admitted in Dire Dawa Hospitals, in Mid COVID-19 Pandemic in Ethiopia
Authors: Tolera Shume , Ibrahim Neil Abdurashid , Sema Alekaw , Sedeta Bezabih Amsalu
Published: June 2022

Background: Premature rupture of membranes is the spontaneous leakage of amniotic fluid from the amniotic sac that occurs at least one hour before the onset of labor. It is a common complication of pregnancy that leads to neonatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. There is little evidence of the prevalence and associated factors among pregnant women admitted to the obstetrics ward in the study area..Objective: To assess the prevalence and associated factors among pregnant women admitted to Dire Dawa hospitals in eastern Ethiopia.Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 17 to June 17, 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 392 pregnant women admitted to an obstetric ward. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist to obtain data from the medical record. Data was collected with Kobo tool software and exported to SPSS version 24. The crude odds ratio and the AOR with 95% CI were calculated to assess the association among variables and control the confounding factors. The level of significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05. Result: All 392 (100%) pregnant women were included in the study. The prevalence of PROM was found to be 22.4%. Pregnant women who had a history of previous preterm labor (AOR = 2.449, 95% CI: 1.422, 4.217), history of PROM (AOR = 2.663, 95% CI: 1.567, 4.526), history of anemia (AOR = 2.497, 95% CI: 1.371, 4.550), history of UTI (AOR = 2.715, 95% CI: 1.575, 4.679) and history of chewing khat (AOR = 1.936, 95% CI: 1.055, 3.552) were significantly associated with pre-labor rupture of membrane.Conclusion: The prevalence of pre-labor rupture of membranes in the study was high when compared to previous studies. An intervention that focuses on strengthening the integration of messages on health promotion and disease prevention, routine early screening, diagnosis and quick treatments of UTI and anemia, nutritional counseling, iron supplementation, and giving information regarding substance use during pregnancy should be recommended.
Identification, purification, characterization and biopreservation potential of antimicrobial peptide of Pediococcus acidilactici NCDC 252
Authors: DHANDA SHWETA , Kumar Parveen , Bansal Poonam , Dhanda Suman
Published: June 2022

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are economically important because of their fermentative aptitude and also confer health and nutritional benefits. Pediococcus acidilactici NCDC 252 is potential probiotic with novel genome that exhibited all in-vitro probiotic attributes, colonization in intestine and survival in conditions that mimick gastric, intestinal and vaginal fluid. Genome was screened for its ability to produce antimicrobial peptide (AMP). AMP activity was screened by spot on lawn method and by measuring zone of inhibition (ZOI) against indicator strain (E.coli). AMP production was optimized with highest production in MRS broth at 32℃, pH 6 and after 36 h of incubation under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. AMP was purified 2.2 fold with yield of 7.2% and specific activity of 64.5 U mg/ml by ammonium sulphate precipitation (upto 70%) and gel filtration chromatography. Molecular weight of purified AMP was calculated to be 2.5 KDa. Tricine SDS-PAGE and LC/MS studies confirmed it to be a low molecular weight peptide. AMP was stable over pH range of 3 to 9 and temperature range of 40℃ to 100℃. Enzymatic treatment inactivated the AMP whereas, detergent treatment enhanced AMP’s activity. Biopreservation potential of purified AMP and whole NCDC 252 cells was studied by incubating them with some dairy products, apple juice, apricot pulp and pre-pasteurized wine over 72 h. Bacterial growth in AMP treated food products reduced significantly after 72 h. Viable cell count decreased to approximately half in all studied food items in both purified AMP treated and NCDC 252 treated food products.
Student Survey After Ten Years of Continuous Blended Teaching of Echocardiocraphy
Authors: Parra Víctor M. , Fita Guillermina , Azqueta Manel , González Mauricio , Aranda Fernando , Maestre MaLuz , Silva Jorge , Hortal Javier , Morales Daniel , Bórquez Emiliano , Adasme Fabián , Real María Isabel , Mercadal Jordi , Zelada Pamela , Riobó Gonzalo , Galdames Katia , Domenech Raúl J.
Published: June 2022

Aims: The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of 10 years of blended learning in echocardiography.Methods and results: A total of 140 of 210 medical doctors who graduated from our teaching program from 2011 to 2020 responded to the survey. Among them, 53,57% were anesthesiologists and 26,42% intensivists. More than 85% of respondents indicated that the online period met their expectations, and 70,2% that the hands on practice met the objectives. Posterior to the Diploma there was a significant increase in the frequency of use of echo compared to before the Diploma, both in transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, from 24,29% to 40,71% and from 13,57% to 27,86%, respectively. The echo was applied mainly in the perioperative period (56,7%) and in intensive care (32,3%), and only in 11% of cases it was used in emergency units. Additionally, 92,4% of respondents revealed that it was very useful in their subsequent professional practice and 92,47% that it helped them in the interpretation of echo reports.Among the strengths they highlighted ‘the theoretical content, clinical cases, hands on activity and the teaching staff’. Among the weaknesses, 50% requested a practice period lasting more than one week.Conclusion: The blended learning of echocardiography over a decade has been satisfactorily evaluated by the graduated specialists and has been related to a significant increase in its use in the perioperative period and in intensive care. The main challenges are to establish a longer period of practice and achieve greater scope in Emergency Medicine.
Simulation and evaluation of the effect of vitamin C on the proline amino acid and glycine collagen in athletes' muscles
Authors: Raouf Mahmoud , Mahdavian Leila
Published: June 2022

Vitamin C plays an important role in the amino acid metabolism of athletes, especially the formation of collagen. Collagen is the main constituent of connective tissue that holds bones and muscles together and It is the main and most abundant protein in the body that prevents the weakening of bones, muscles and skin wrinkles. The amino acids present in the structure of collagen include glycine, proline, arginine and hydroxyproline. In this study, the interaction of amino acids glycine and proline in the presence of vitamin C was simulated and evaluated by B3LYP/6-311++G (p, d). The results show that the amino acids sequence in the presence of vitamin C has more orientation and order and prevents the formation of other chains. The results of the mechanism of conversion of the proline amino acid to hydroxyproline are investigated and all its structural and thermodynamic parameters are obtained.
Effectivity of Hands-on Near-peer teaching in Scientific Writing for Indian Medical Students
Authors: Puri Oshin , Unnithan Vishnu , Kumar Pratyush , Reddy Asmitha P , Pahuja Vrinda , Ganla Aakruti , Paul Aritra , Vaghela Gladson , Bhatia Mannat Kaur , Khurana Navpreet , Rangan Rahul , Singh Ripudaman , Pathania Monika
Published: June 2022

Purpose: This study focuses on assessing the effectiveness of near-peer teaching, small group discussions, and hands-on assignments in enhancing the scientific writing knowledge & skill of a cohort of Indian medical students.Method: 175 medical students were randomly selected from a 516 membered FORLER (Fundamentals of Research Learning and Educational Reform) interest cohort for hands-on near-peer training in medical scientific writing. The participants attended weekly near-peer lectures and participated in biweekly in-group discussions over 5 weeks focused on Narrative Reviews, Original Articles, Case Reports, Short Communications, & Systematic Reviews. Participants were regularly evaluated following Kirkpatrick’s model of evaluating training.Results: N=135 medical students aged 20 ± 1.3 yrs (17-23 yrs); 56.29% females completed all the assignments in FORLER. Amotivation decreased & attitude towards research improved significantly (p<0.05) after the workshop. The theoretical understanding of the students of all 5 forms of scientific writing improved significantly. A significant (p=0.047) moderate direct (P=0.639) correlation was also observed between the increase in confidence and overall increase in test scores. Post-FORLER manuscripts were scored significantly (p<0.05) higher (by expert double-blind reviewers) than pre-FORLER manuscripts in all forms of scientific writing except Case reports.Conclusion: A combination of near-peer teaching, small group discussions, and manuscript writing exercises lead to a statistically significant increase in scientific writing knowledge and skills. Higher confidence levels were reported after the training initiative. A decrease in amotivation was also observed with participants favoring integration of similar initiatives into the undergraduate training framework.
Integrated Opposite Charge Grafting Induced Ionic-junction Fiber
Authors: Xing Yi , Zhou Mingjie , Si Yueguang , Yang Chi-Yuan , Feng Liang-Wen , Wu Qilin , Wang Fei , Wang Xiaomin , Huang Wei , Cheng Yuhua , Zhang Ruilin , Duan Xiaozheng , Sun Hengda , Zhang Jiayi , Jiang Su , Wang Gang , Zhu Meifang
Published: June 2022

The emergence of ionic-junction devices has attracted growing interests for the potential of serving as signal transmission and translation media between electronic devices and biological carrier systems with ions. Among them, fiber-shaped iontronics possesses great advantage in implantable applications owing to the unique one-dimensional geometry, but is restricted to the challenges in the fabrication of fixed cation-anion junction on curved surface. Here, we developed a polyelectrolyte heterojunction-based ionic-junction fiber via an integrated opposite charge grafting process capable of kilometer scale fabrication. The ionic-junction fibers can be integrated to functions such as ionic diodes and ionic bipolar junction transistors, where “0–1” rectification and “on-off” switch of input signals are implemented. Moreover, synaptic functionality has also been demonstrated by utilizing the fiber memory capacitance. Connection between our ionic-junction fiber and sciatic nerve of the mouse simulating end-to-side anastomosis is further performed to realize effective nerve signal conduction, verifying the capability for next-generation artificial neural pathway in implantable bioelectronics.
Preventing Group Privacy DisclosureThrough Synthetic Data: An Evaluation of Recommender System Methods
Authors: Yépez Carolina , Recalde Lorena , Loza-Aguirre Edison
Published: June 2022

Nowadays, both the privacy of the data that feeds information systems and the effects of its improper handling are a matter of concern. Thus, in recommender systems, mitigating the disclosure of user privacy has become an issue of attention given the challenges that this entails. While research on algorithmic strategies to synthesize user ratings has addressed the concealment of user profiles in traditional recommender systems, less work has been done regarding the exposure of preferences and sensitive data in group recommender systems. In this paper, we evaluate two methods used to generate synthetic ratings and how they perform when applied in group recommender systems. Specifically, we apply state-of-the-art privacy-based methods in a group recommender system to introduce synthetic data and to assess whether and to what extent their behavior changes in terms of rating prediction. We performed this by exploring several possible combinations of GRS implementation (strategies used in group creation, size of groups, individual ratings prediction algorithms, preferences on aggregation methods). Our results show that it was possible to hide the information of individual preferences without affecting group recommendation performance while preserving privacy. We also found that CART was the method that synthesized data with the less difference from the original data. We do not find significative influence of strategies for group creation, group size or individual ratings prediction methods. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first attempt to use partially synthetic group ratings in GRS.
In silico molecular docking evaluation reveals high potencies of some natural antifungal metabolites on melanin biosynthesis and appressoria formation enzymes in Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Khan Md. Arif , Khan Md. Abdullah Al Mamun , Sanjana Jannatul Maowa , Ahsan Asif , Gupta Dipali Rani , Hoque M. Nazmul , Islam Tofazzal
Published: June 2022

Magnaporthe oryzae is one of the most notorious fungal pathogens that causes blast disease in cereals and results in enormous loss of grain production. Many chemical fungicides are being used to control the pathogen but none of them are effective against blast disease. Thus, there is a demand to discover potential and safe natural biofungicides to manage blast disease successfully. To find out effective biofungicides, we performed in silico molecular docking analysis of some natural compounds targeting four enzymes namely, scytalone dehydratase, SDH1 (1STD), trihydroxynaphthalene reductase, 3HNR (YBV1), trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, Tps1 (6JBI) and isocitrate lyase, ICL1 (5E9G) of M. oryzae fungus that regulate melanin biosynthesis or appresorium formation. Thirty-nine natural compounds that previously reported to inhibit the growth of M. oryzae were subjected to rigid and flexible molecular docking against aforementioned enzymes followed by molecular dynamics simulation and free energy analysis of protein-ligand complexes. The results of virtual screening showed that out of 39, 12 compounds showed good binding energy with any one of the target enzymes as compared to reference molecule azoxystrobin and strobilurin. Among the compounds, camptothecin GKK1032A2 and arohynapene-B bind more than one target enzymes of M. oryzae. All the compounds except tricyclazole showed good bioactivity score. Taken together, our results suggest that all of the 12 compounds have the potential to develop new fungicides but camptothecin, GKK1032A2 and arohynapene could act as multi-site mode of action fungicides against M. oryzae.
In vivo emergence of ceftazidime-avibactam resistance and loss of hypermucoviscosity in carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae during antibiotics treatment
Authors: Xu Mengxin , Qian Changrui , Jia Huaiyu , Feng Luozhu , Shi Shiyi , Zhang Ying , Wang Lingbo , Cao Jianming , Zhou Tieli , Zhou Cui
Published: June 2022

Background
Ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) is currently one of the few effective antibiotics for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). We characterized in vivo evolution of carbapenem and CZA resistance and decreased hypermucoviscosity (Hmv) by analyzing two longitudinal carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKp) clinical isolates (FK8578, FK8695) from an ICU patient during antimicrobial treatment.
Methods
Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed to investigate the change of antibiotics resistance. String test, quantification of capsule, biofilm inhibition test and Galleria mellonella (G. mellonella) infection model were used to investigate the change of Hmv and virulence. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and comparative genomic analysis were conducted to illustrate the underlying mechanisms.
Results
Compared with FK8578, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were increased for CZA while decreased for carbapenems antibacterial drugs in FK8695. Virulence results showed that compared with FK8578, FK8695 was negative in the string test, with decreased capsular production, smaller amounts of biofilm formation and higher survival rate of G. mellonella. The results of WGS showed that mutation of blaKPC−2 to blaKPC−33 was responsible for the change of drug resistance phenotype between FK8578 and FK8695. pLVPK-like virulence plasmid without siderophore synthesis operon was identified in the two strains. The single nucleotide deletion in rmpA gene of FK8695 strain may be responsible for the loss of its Hmv phenotype.
Conclusions
This is the first report to describe the in vivo emergence of CZA resistance and the loss of Hmv in CR-hvKp strains during CZA treatment and illuminate the mechanism of its resistance and virulence changes. There is an urgent need for CZA resistance monitoring and timely adjustment of anti-infective treatment strategies in clinical settings.
Comparison of Pain Scores, Vitreous Reflux and Intraocular Pressure in Patients Who Received Intravitreal Injection with Different Size Needle.
Authors: Boz Ali Altan Ertan , Kocamış Sücattin İlker , Boncukçu Kadriye Demir , Sönmezoğlu Halil İbrahim , Çelik Erkan
Published: June 2022

Purpose
Intravitreal injection (IVI) is a common vitreoretinal procedure, and most of the patients, over the course of their disease, have to multiple IVI. Pain sensations during IVI may reduce the desire to continue the repeated IVI and cause sudden movements of the eye that to occur complications. The aim of this study to compare the effect of needle size on immediate intraocular pressure (IOP), vitreous reflux and patients’ pain experienced after the IVI.
Methods
A hundreds and ten eyes of 110 patients who were firstly administered intravitreal ranibizumab or aflibercept were randomized according to the use of needle size, 30-gauge (Group 1) or 26-gauge (Group 2). The reflux was graded post-IVI procedure. Immediately after the IVI, patients were administered to visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess the pain degree. The IOP measurements were taken 30 minutes after the operation. The average of these scores was used as the primary outcome.
Results
Both groups consisted of 55 patients were included the study. The mean VAS score was 2.18 in group 1 and 4 in the group 2. The reflux grade of the group 1 was also lesser than that of the group 2. IOP was comparable between the groups (26.3 ± 5.66 / 25.4 ± 4.02 mmHg). Groups were divided into subgroups according to the intravitreal agent use, there was not a statistically significant difference in the VAS scores.
Conclusions
Thirty-gauge needle is more comfortable and safer than 26-gauge needle for the IVI.
Metadichol® a nano lipid emulsion that expresses all 48 nuclear receptors in stem and somatic cells
Authors: Raghavan Palayakotai R
Published: June 2022

The conversion of somatic cells back into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or embryonic-like stem cells involves the introduction of four genes commonly called Yamanaka factors, i.e., Sox2, Oct4, Klf4, and c-Myc, into the cells. Because these genes and the viral vectors used to introduce them into cells have the potential to cause cancer, iPSC lines are not clinically useful. Most instances of direct reprogramming have been achieved by the forced expression of defined factors using viral vectors. Here, we show that Metadichol® has the potential to generate iPSCs nonvirally and may be helpful in clinical applications. Metadichol is a nanoformulation of long-chain alcohols derived from food. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting showed that OCT4, SOX2, and Nanog are expressed when fibroblasts were treated with Metadichol at one picogram to 100 nanograms. Reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) also revealed that OCT4, KLF4, Nanog, and Sox2 levels increased compared to controls by 4.01-, 3.51- and 1.26-, and 2.5-fold, respectively, in A549 cancer cells. In Colo-205 cells, OCT4, KLF4, and Sox2 were increased by 1.79-, 13.17-, and 2.25-fold, respectively. Metadichol treatment with triple-negative primary breast cancer (HCAF-TNPBC) primary cancer cells led to multifold increases in OKSM factors by 19-, 6-, 8.07-, 2.45-, and 6.91-fold in concentration ranges of 1 picogram to 100 nanograms. Metadichol is a natural product that induces the expression of Yamanaka factors needed for reprogramming and Klotho, an antiaging gene, and curbs the expression of the TP53 gene, which is critical for reprogramming somatic cells into IPSCs. Metadichol increases endogenous vitamin C levels, leading to the efficient reprogramming of somatic cells into iPSCs. Metadichol is nontoxic and commercially available as a nutritional supplement. Thus, it can be directly tested in vivo in human subjects to confirm that cells can indeed be programmed into a state of induced pluripotency and cause the mitigation of disease conditions.
Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression patterns of the PHD-Finger Family Genes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Molecular evolution and expression profiles during different stresses
Authors: Hao Xiangyang , Pang Fei , Fu Yihan , Liu Zhaoliang , Niu Junqi , Huang Wei , Wang Zhen
Published: June 2022

The Plant homeodomain (PHD) transcription factors (TFs) are a class of proteins with conserved Cys4-His-Cys3 domains that play important roles in plant growth and development and in response to abiotic stresses. Although characterization of PHDs have been performed in plants, little is known about their function in wheat (Triticum aestivum), especially under stress conditions. This study, 244 TaPHDs were identified in wheat using the comparative genomics method. we renamed them TaPHD1-244 on their chromosomal distribution and almost all PHD proteins are located in the nucleus. According to the un-rooted neighbor joining phylogenetic tree, gene structure and motif analyses, the PHD genes were divided into 4 clades. A total of 149 TaPHD gene pairs were assigned to arise from duplicate events. Furthermore, 230 gene pairs come from itself, 119, 186, 168, 7, 2 and 6 gene pairs from T. aestivum and six other species (H. vulgareto, Z. mays, O. sativa, A. thaliana, B.rapa and G. raimondii). 548 interacting protein branches were identified as involve in the protein interaction network. Tissue-specific expression pattern analysis showed that we found that TaPHDs were highly expressed in the stigma and ovary during flowering, suggesting that the TaPHD gene plays an active role in the reproductive growth of wheat. In addition, qRT-PCR results further confirmed that these TaPHD genes were involved in wheat abiotic stress response. In conclusion, our study provides a theoretical basis for deciphering the molecular functions of TaPHDs, especially in response to abiotic stress.
Comprehensive Mastocytosis Data Analysis From A Single Center
Authors: Tiryaki Tarık Onur , Özkan Sıdıka Gülkan , Erdem Simge , Aday Aynur Dağlar , Hindilerden İpek Yönal , Gelincik Aslı , Baykal Can , Yegen Gülçin , Doğan İbrahim Öner , Büyükbabani Nesimi , Nalçacı Meliha , Yavuz Akif Selim
Published: June 2022

Mastocytosis is a rare hematologic neoplasm that can present with involvement of different organs and variable complaints. The World Health Organization classification divides the disease into three prognostically distinct variants: Cutaneous mastocytosis (CM), systemic mastocytosis (SM) and mast cell sarcoma or localized mast cell (MC) tumors. SM is divided into subtypes according to the differences in organ involvement and signs of organ damage. The wide range of complaints may cause patients to consult various clinics, with resulting mis- or underdiagnosis. Therefore, the cooperation between different subspecialties is of paramount importance. In this article, we have compiled 104 adult mastocytosis cases diagnosed and followed in our Hematology clinic. The clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients, therapies, complications and survival analysis is presented.
A climate-smart spatial planning framework
Authors: Buenafe Kristine Camille V. , Dunn Daniel C. , Everett Jason D. , Brito-Morales Isaac , Schoeman David S. , Hanson Jeffrey O. , Dabalà Alvise , Neubert Sandra , Cannicci Stefano , Kaschner Kristin , Richardson Anthony J.
Published: June 2022

1. Climate change is already having profound effects on biodiversity, but climate change adaptation has yet to be fully incorporated into area-based management tools used to conserve biodiversity, such as protected areas. One main obstacle to its inclusion is the lack of consensus regarding how impacts of climate change can be included in spatial conservation plans.2. We propose a climate-smart framework that prioritizes the protection of climate refugia—areas of low climate exposure and high biodiversity retention—identified using climate metrics. We explore four aspects of climate-smart spatial planning in the proposed framework: i) climate model ensembles; ii) multiple emission scenarios; iii) climate metrics; and iv) approaches to identifying climate refugia. We illustrate this framework in the Western Pacific Ocean, but it is equally applicable to terrestrial systems.3. All aspects of climate-smart spatial planning considered affected the configuration of spatial plans. The choice of climate metrics and approaches to identifying refugia result in large differences in climate-smart spatial plans, whereas the choice of climate models and emission scenarios have smaller effects. As configuration of spatial plans depended on climate metrics used, a spatial plan based on a single measure of climate change (e.g., warming) will not necessarily be robust against other measures of climate change (e.g., ocean acidification). We recommend including climate metrics most relevant for the biodiversity considered. To include the uncertainty associated with different climate futures, we recommend using multiple climate models (i.e., an ensemble) and emission scenarios. Finally, we show that the approaches we used to identify climate refugia come with trade-offs between the degree to which they are climate-smart and their efficiency in meeting conservation targets. Hence, the choice of approach will depend on the relative value stakeholders place on climate change adaptation.4. By using this framework, protected areas can be designed with improved longevity and thus safeguard biodiversity against current and future climate change. We hope that the proposed climate-smart framework helps transition conservation planning towards climate-smart approaches.
Comparing Eurocode 8-5 and AASHTO methods for earth pressure analysis against centrifuge tests, finite elements, and the Generalized Coefficients of Earth Pressure
Authors: Pantelidis Lysandros , Christodoulou Panagiotis
Published: June 2022

This paper presents an exhaustive comparison of the earth pressure methods included in EN1998-5:2004 (use of Mononobe-Okabe method, M-O), prEN1998-5:2021 and AASHTO (M-O with half peak ground acceleration) standards, against contemporary centrifuge tests, finite elements, and the method proposed by the first author in 2019. The latter is a continuum mechanics approach for deriving earth pressure coefficients for any soil state between the “at-rest” state and the active or passive state, applicable to cohesive-frictional soils and both horizontal and vertical pseudo-static conditions. The same method also provides analytical expressions for the calculation of the required wall movement for the mobilization of the active (or passive) failure state, as well as for the mobilized shear strength values of soil. The comparison includes among others, centrifuge test results from two different studies, and results from 157 finite element models from two different programs. All experimental, numerical, and analytical results show that the EN19985-5:2004 method gives conservative to excessively conservative active earth pressure values, AASHTO’s approach fairly good behavior, while prEN1998-5:2021 excessively conservative values. For the passive state, all methods included in the above-mentioned standards, return unreliable and unconservative results. In contrast, the results obtained by the proposed method show a remarkable agreement with the respective ones obtained both by the finite element method and the various centrifuge tests. Also, it is shown that a pseudo-static earth retention analysis, can be replaced by a respective static analysis, just substituting the (c', φ') values of soil of the original problem with the mobilized ones.
WITHDRAWN: Decellularized lung extracellular matrix scaffold promotes human embryonic stem cell differentiation towards alveolar progenitors
Authors: Noori Afshin , Dezfouli Mohammad Reza Mokhber , Rajabi Sarah , Ganji Fatemeh , Ghezelayagh Zahra , Agha Elie El , Baharvand Hossein , Chaleshtori Sirous Sadeghian , Tahamtani Yaser
Published: June 2022

Background: Efficient production of alveolar epithelial cells and achieving optimal functionality and maturity has presented a serious challenge in recent years. The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a dynamic environment and mediates cellular responses during both development and tissue repair. Decellularized ECM (dECM) which retains its native-like structure and biochemical composition provides the signals needed to induce differentiation into tissue-specific lineages in vitro. Results: Here, we repopulated lung ECM-derived scaffold (scaffold) with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived lung progenitor cells and compared with the cells grown on either lung ECM-derived hydrogel (hydrogel) or fibronectin-coated plates in 2D cultures. We found that scaffold preserved its composition and native structures. All groups displayed progenitor cell differentiation as revealed by the expression of NKX2.1, P63, and CK5. Although no significant differences in cell viability between groups, cells differentiated on scaffold and hydrogel showed significant upregulation of SOX9 (a marker of the distal airway epithelium), cells differentiated on scaffold showed enhanced expression of SFTPC (AT2 marker), FOXJ1 (ciliated cell marker) and MUC5A (secretory cell marker). Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest that scaffold improves differentiation of progenitors into alveolar type 2 cells in comparison with hydrogel and fibronectin as well as efficient retention and homing to the alveolar region.
Linguocultural Adaptation of Migrants in the Context of Educational Migration to Russia
Authors:   Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, Dumnova Elʼnara M. , Mukha Victoria N. ,   Kuban State Technological University
Published: June 2022

International educational migration is an integral element of the modern world, which actualizes the problem of adaptation of educational migrants. Linguocultural adaptation is especially interesting, because it determines the strategy of adaptation and the result of the further integration of the migrant in the new society. The purpose of the article is to study the linguistic and cultural adaptation of the subjects of international academic migration in the context of the new space of everyday life. The empirical basis of the research was the results of an interregional study within the framework of a qualitative approach using the methods of in-depth and semi-structured interviews, conducted in March-April 2021. 20 informants were interviewed. The case study method became the tactic of the qualitative approach, the Krasnodar Territory and the Novosibirsk Region acted as local cases. In the Krasnodar Territory, people from Arab-Muslim countries were interviewed, students from China were interviewed in the Novosibirsk Region. The analysis of the interviews allowed us to identify the factors that determine the success of linguocultural adaptation of educational migrants, as well as the main difficulties in the process of formation of language competence and, consequently, linguocultural adaptation of both students from Arab-Muslim countries and Chinese students. The research showed that attention to the ethno-national characteristics of foreign students, to their system of motivation in organizing the learning process, inclusion in the culture of the host community, contribute to faster and more successful linguocultural adaptation. It was concluded that new types of identity are determined in the process of linguocultural adaptation by the degree of empathy of the migrants’ native culture. The research results can be used in the formation of adaptation programs for educational migrants in Russian universities.
Homo Informaticus: Biological and Socioanthropotechnical Evolution
Authors:   Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petrova Ekaterina V.
Published: June 2022

The article is devoted to the philosophical analysis of the problem of the ways of evolution of modern man and the man of the future, who is often called digital, information man or e-homo (electronic man). The purpose of the article is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the digital person, as well as to understand which directions of his evolution are promising, and which are dangerous and lead to dehumanization. The author’s hypothesis is that, although the main directions of evolution of Homo sapiens in Homo informaticus lie in the socio-anthropotechnical plane, that is, they are carried out using artificial methods, yet the possibilities of biological evolution are not completely exhausted. The methodological basis of the research is a systematic review and analysis of literature in two main areas: biological (evolutionary biology, neurophysiology) and socio-philosophical (literature on the problems of building an information society and human existence in it). Interdisciplinary analysis shows that the brain of the becoming Homo informaticus undergoes significant physiological changes, entailing changes in thinking, memory, human behavior, and, therefore, indirectly – and changes in society and culture. From the “book culture” of perception of a voluminous coherent printed text, we move on to the “clip culture”. Stress has proven evolutionary significance, accordingly, in the impact of information stress, to which the inhabitants of a digital society are very much exposed, one can look for evolutionary potential. This problem is acutely relevant for modern research in the field of philosophy of biology and human ecology, as it opens up new perspectives in understanding the problem of human evolution. Never before in the history of mankind have technologies reached a level that allows them to directly interfere with the foundations of human existence. The result of the research is a philosophically grounded answer to the question in which direction the further evolution of man is possible, which, in turn, will allow us to find new and take a fresh look at the already known philosophical meanings of the concept of “man”.
Natural Reasons for Differences in the Character of Man and Woman
Authors:   Transbaikal State University, Subbotina Nadezhda D.
Published: June 2022

The relevance of this study is due to the fact that men and women often do not understand the views and behavior of each other. The article examines the problem of different character traits and behavior of men and women, analyzes the reasons for these differences. As a methodology, the author’s theory of the relationship between the natural and the social in society and man, as well as analysis, comparison and dialectics are used. The author finds out which traits have natural causes and which ones have social causes. The paper provides a critical analysis of the views of Ch. Darwin, Z. Freud, V. A. Geodakyan, R. L. Trivers, R. Dawkins and others. The use of the “five-factor model” by psychologists in the study of differences in the characters of men and women is analyzed. The special role of Geodakyan’s theory about the causes of sexual dimorphism is shown, which states that in all living organisms with dimorphism, including humans, the male sex will perform the development function at the genetic level, and the female sex will perform the preservation function. The function of conservation in a woman at the biological level is manifested in the fact that she passes on to her offspring all the valuable, stable genes that the species has acquired at the moment, thereby preserving them. The male sex, through the paternal effect, passes on to the heirs new genes that contribute to the development of the species. The author concludes that not only at the genetic, but also at the social level, a man contributes to the development of society to a greater extent, and a woman contributes to its preservation. At the same time, these functions are harmonized, as a result of which men begin to participate more in conservation, and women in development. It also shows the dialectic of the internal natural prerequisites for the predominant character traits of a man and a woman and social control over them.