bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Silent Epidemic of Gross Congenital malformations in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: Hospital-Based Study
Authors: Mekonen Hayelom , Berhe Yibrah , Berihu Birhane Alem , Teka Hale , Hadgu Abera , Gebregziabher Letekirstos , Berhe Etenat Halefom , Magana Tony , Mulugeta Afework
Published: April 2021

Background: Congenital malformations are defects of the morphogenesis of organs or body during the pregnancy period and are identifiable at pre- or postnatal. It is identified as the major cause of child mortality worldwide. There is a need to understand the prevalence of congenital malformations in Tigray in particular and Ethiopia in general as surveillance data are lacking. Hence, this study was designed to investigate the burden of gross congenital malformations in the Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted of birth outcomes diagnosed with structural malformations in the labor ward admitted to Ayder comprehensive specialized university hospital and five general hospitals namely Alamata, Lemlem Karl, Adwa, St Mary and Shul Hospitals from Tigray region between January 2018 and January 2019. Data on demographic and clinical findings of the mothers and their pregnancy outcomes were collected using a standard data collection tool. Simple descriptive statistics were used to characterize the study subjects. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square analysis and P value<0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 12225 births were recorded in the six hospitals during the study period. Of these, 383 births had gross congenital malformations of different degrees of severity and 12 of them were stillbirths. The overall occurrence of congenital malformations was 3.1 % of the total births (live births and stillbirths) examined. Central nervous system anomaly mainly Neural tube defect were found the commonest anomalies observed in this study. The maternal factors (maternal age, gravidity, abortion history, parity) and fetal factors (birth weight and gestational ages were significantly associated with the occurrence of the gross congenital malformations (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study has shown a high prevalence of gross congenital anomalies exists in the study communities. High prevalence of central nervous system-related malformations was observed in the Tigray region, given the high prevalence of nutritional deficiency and lack of periconceptional care that can impact the formation of the nervous system in the current study population. Hence, there should be an immediate food fortification with folic acid and periconceptional folic acid supplementation for all reproductive-age women in the region and the country at large.
Wear Resistivity of Al7075/6wt.%Sic Composite by using Grey-Fuzzy Optimization Technique
Authors: BHOWMIK ABHIJIT , Biswas Ajay
Published: April 2021

Application of SiC particulate reinforcement impact greatly for making aluminium matrix composite because of its superb heat conductivity, oxidation stability and highly resistance to mechanical erosion. Present work based on dry sliding wear analysis of Al7075/6wt.%SiC composite fabricated by liquid state stir casting method. To acquire a productive wear rate, three major process parameters viz. load, sliding speed and covering sliding distance were compared four different levels. ANOVA analysis showed that the probability rate of load is less than 0.05 that revealed their significant factor. From the study, the highest GRG and GFG values are found 0.914 and 0.854 respectively for the optimal operating parameters of 10 Newton load, 2 metre/second sliding speed and 500 metre sliding distance. Finally, it is revealed that the grey-fuzzy technique effectively authenticate the decision making of wear performance characteristics rather than a plain grey relational grade.
Incorporating Contextual Information into Personalized Mobile Applications Recommendation
Authors: Zhu Ke , Xiao Yingyuan , Zheng Wenguang , Jiao Xu , Sun Chenchen , Hsu Ching-Hsien
Published: April 2021

With the rise of the mobile internet, the number of mobile applications (apps) has shown explosive growth, which directly leads to the apps data overload. Currently, the recommender system has become the most effective method to solve the app data overload. App has the functional exclusiveness feature, which means the target users will not reuse apps with the same function in a certain spatiotemporal information. Most of the existing recommended methods for apps ignore the functional exclusiveness feature which makes it difficult to further improve the recommendation performance of the app recommendation. To solve this problem, we aim to improve the app recommendation performance, and propose a Personalized Context-aware Mobile App Recommendation Approach, called PCMARA. PCMARA comprehensively considers the user and app contextual information, which can mine the users app usage preference effectively. Specifically, (1) PCMARA explores the contextual characteristic of app, and constructs the app contextual factors for app which represent the function of app. (2) For the app functional exclusiveness problem, PCMARA leverages the app contextual factor to design a novel app similarity model, which enable to effectively eliminate this problem. (3) PCMARA considers the contextual information of users and apps to generates a recommendation list for target users based on the target users' current time and location. We applied the PCMARA to a real-world dataset and conducted a large-scale recommendation effect experiment. The experimental results show that the recommendation effect of PCMARA is satisfactory.
Challenges to the Utilization of Community-based Health Planning and Services: the views of stakeholders in Yendi Municipality, Ghana
Authors: Bassoumah Bougangue , Andani Mohammed Adam , Adokiya Martin Nyaaba
Published: April 2021

Background The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) is a national health reform programme that provides healthcare at the doorsteps of rural community members, particularly, women and children. It seeks to reduce health inequalities and promote equity of health outcomes. The study explored challenges of the CHPS utilization following reports by the Ghana Statistical Service of poor clinic attendance and high maternal and child morbidities and mortalities in the Northern Region of Ghana. Methods This observational study employed qualitative methods to interview key informants covering relevant stakeholders. The study was guided by the systems theory. In all, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted involving 8 community health officers, 8 community volunteers, and 14 women receiving postnatal care in four (4) CHPS zones in the Yendi Municipality. The data were thematically analysed using Atlas.ti.v.7 software and manual coding system. 2 Results The study found poor clinical attendance in the form of delays in seeking health care, low antenatal and postnatal care visits, barriers affecting the utilization of the CHPS compounds to include lack of transportation and poor road network, cultural beliefs such as taboos of certain foods and proof for women's faithfulness to their husbands as challenges of health facility utilization. Besides, the absence of health workers at the CHPS compounds such as the CHOs, poor communication networks during emergencies when the ambulance service becomes inaccessible and lack of capacity by CHPS compound to sterilize some equipment. Furthermore, lack of incentives and adequate infrastructures like potable water and electricity, poor coordination of healthcare interventions and practices, lack of specialists and equipment as well as poor community engagement are major setbacks to the progress of the CHPS policy. Conclusions On clinical attendance, timing and number of antenatal and postnatal care visits, remain major concerns for the CHPS programme in the study setting. The barriers accounting for the low utilization of CHPS compounds are cost of referrals and cultural beliefs. There is an urgent need to address these challenges to improve the utilization of CHPS compounds and to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals.
Preclinical Evaluation of a Newcastle Disease Virus-Vectored Intranasal SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine
Authors: Díaz Manolo Fernandez , Calderón Katherine , Rojas-Neyra Aldo , Vakharia Vikram N. , Choque-Guevara Ricardo , Montalvan Angela , Poma-Acevedo Astrid , Rios-Matos Dora , Arteaga Andres Agurto- , Cauti-Mendoza Maria de Grecia , Perez-Martinez Norma , Isasi-Rivas Gisela , Tataje-Lavanda Luis , Sernaque-Aguilar Yacory , Ygnacio-Aguirre Freddy , Criollo-Orozco Manuel , Huaccachi-Gonzalez Edison , Delgado-Ccancce Elmer , Villanueva-Pérez Doris , Montesinos-Millan Ricardo , Gutiérrez-Manchay Kristel , Pauyac-Antezana Katherine , Ramirez-Ortiz Ingrid , Quiñones-Garcia Stefany , Cauna-Orocollo Yudith , Vallejos-Sánchez Katherine , Rios-Angulo Angela , Núñez-Fernández Dennis , Salguedo-Bohorquez Mario I. , Ticona Julio , Fernández-Sánchez Manolo , Icochea Eliana , Guevara-Sarmiento Luis , Zimic Mirko ,   COVID-19 Working Group in Perú.
Published: April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of millions of people. Vaccination is a critical tool for the control of transmission; however, the recent emergence of potentially vaccine-resistant variants renders it important to have a range of vaccines types. It is desirable that vaccines are safe, effective, easy to administer and store, and inexpensive to produce. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), responsible for respiratory disease in chickens, has no pathogenic homologue in humans. We developed two types of NDV-vectored candidate vaccines, and evaluated them in a SARS-CoV-2 challenge in hamsters. Vaccinations resulted in generation of neutralizing antibodies, prevented lung damage, and reduced viral load and viability. In conclusion, our NDV-based vaccine candidate performed well in a SARS-CoV-2 challenge and warrants evaluation in a Phase I human clinical trial. This candidate represents a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19.
Investigating the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on the Surfaces, Fomites, and in Indoor Air of a referral COVID-19 Hospital in a Middle Eastern Area
Authors: Gharehchahi Ehsan , Dehghani Fatemeh , Rafiee Ata , Jamalidoust Marzieh , Hoseini Mohammad
Published: April 2021

Coronavirus illness (COVID-19) is an immensely transmissible viral infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the indoor air, on the surfaces, and the fomites, and in the indoor air of a COVID-19 referral hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Indoor air sampling was conducted utilizing a standard midget impinger contained 15 ml of viral transfer medium (VTM) equipped with a sampling pump with a flow rate of 10 L min− 1 for 60 minutes. Surfaces and fomites were sampled using sterile polyester swabs. The RNA of SARS-CoV-2 was detected in about 41.2% of indoor air and 32% of swab samples. Four out of the six (66.7%) indoor air samples up to a distance of 2 meters from the patient’s bed in intensive care units (ICU-1, ICU-3), accident and emergency (A&E-2), and negative pressure room were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. All air samples within 2 to 5 meters from the patient’s bed were negative. This study’s results did not support the airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission; However, it showed contamination of surfaces and fomites in the studied hospital’s wards.
DL-PRS: a novel deep learning approach to polygenic risk scores
Authors: Huang Sijia , Ji Xiao , Cho Michael , Joo Jaehyun , Moore Jason
Published: April 2021

Background COPD is a complex heterogeneous disease influenced by both environmental and genetic risk factors. Traditional genome wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in identifying many reproducible risk variants of moderate to small effect. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) were developed as way to aggregate risk alleles weighted by their effect size to produce a score which could be used in clinical practice to identify individuals at high risk of disease. A limitation of both GWAS and PRS is that they make the important assumption that the effect of each allele is independent and not modified by other genetic or environmental factors. Machine learning methods such as deep learning (DL) neural networks complement the GWAS and PRS paradigm by making fewer assumptions about the nature of the genetic effects being modeled. For example, the hidden layers of a DL model have the potential to model gene-gene interactions with non-additive effects on disease risk. The goal of the present study was to develop a DL neural network approach to GWAS and PRS and to compare it to the prevailing paradigm based on modeling independent effects. We applied our DL-PRS method to genetic association data from several GWAS studies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Results We developed a DL learning algorithm for modeling the relationship between genetic variation from GWAS and risk of COPD in several population-based studies. We then developed a DL-PRS based on nodes and associated weights from the first and second layer of the DL neural network. Our DL-PRS framework has overall satisfactory performance in the prediction of COPD and provides significant contribution to prediction in addition to the current PRS methods. Moreover, regarding the clinical relevance of COPD, our DL-PRS has a consistent and closer relationship regarding individual deciles and lung functions such as FEV1/FVC and predicted FEV1%. Conclusions Not only does DL-PRS show favorable predictive performance with current benchmark PRS methods, but it also extends the ranges of PRS deciles in predicting different stages of COPD. Moreover, our DL-PRS results were replicated in an independent cohort. This study opens the door to the use of machine learning for developing risk scores from models developed using fewer assumptions about the nature of the genetic effects.
CDH1 germline mutations in a Chinese cohort with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
Authors: Pan Zhiwen , Fu Zhixuan , Luo Cong , Bao Yejiang , Wang Mingli , Cao Wenming , Xu Xiaohong
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Germline mutations in CDH1 are associated with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) and have been identified in multiple ethnicities. However, CDH1 germline mutations have seldom been documented in Chinese patients with HDGC, and their frequency remains unclear. Here, we aimed to examine the frequency of CDH1 germline mutations in Chinese patients with HDGC. In total, 285 patients who met the International Gastric Cancer Linkage Consortium 2015 testing criteria of HDGC for CDH1 germline mutations were recruited.
Methods

All 16 CDH1 exons, including neighboring intronic sequences, were amplified using polymerase chain reaction and screened using Sanger sequencing. Variants were analyzed using Mutation Surveyor V4.0, SIFT, and PolyPhen-2 software.
Results

Three nonsense and nine missense CDH1 germline mutations were identified in 21 of 285 index cases (7.4%). Two CDH1 germline mutations, N405Y (Asn405Tyr) and W409X (Trp409Ter) were identified as new variants. In addition, we found that up to 28.6% of CDH1 mutations in the 21 indicated patients identified as c.1775G > C (E551Q). The frequency of CDH1 mutations was 6.5% (7/108) in HDGC and 7.9% (14/177) in early onset diffuse gastric cancer (EODGC). The mutation detection rate of CDH1 in males and females was 6.7% (4/60) and 8.5% (10/117) in EODGC and 4.6% (3/65) and 9.3% (4/43) in HDGC, respectively.
Conclusion

These data reveal, for the first time, the type and frequency of CDH1 germline mutations in Chinese HDGC, and demonstrate that germline CDH1 mutations are a noteworthy contributor to the high frequency of HDGC in Chinese.
Investigation for Lesional Onset Site and Patellofemoral Joint Anatomy in Juvenile Femoral Trochlear Osteochondritis Dissecans : A Case Control Study
Authors: Kimura Mitsuhiro , Nakase Junsuke , Ohashi Yoshinori , Asai Kazuki , Yoshimizu Rikuto , Kitaoka Katsuhiko , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: April 2021

Background: Femoral trochlear osteochondritis dissecans is an uncommon disease, and its cause remains unknown. We investigated the site of osteochondritis dissecans lesions and the patellofemoral joint anatomy of femoral trochlear osteochondritis dissecans in 15 knees, and assessed the clinical outcomes of the surgical treatments. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 15 knees in 14 patients who underwent surgery. The mean age was 13.2 ± 1.0 years at the time of surgery. All patients played athletic sports and experienced no traumatic events. We determined the site of osteochondritis dissecans lesions using the modified Cahill and Berg classification on magnetic resonance imaging scans. We also evaluated the patellofemoral structures with sulcus angle, facet ratio, patellar tilt, patellar height, and tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance. Results: We performed osteochondral autograft transplantation surgery in nine knees, internal fixation in four knees, and drilling in two knees. The mean follow-up period was 34.5 ± 14.0 months, and the period of return to sports was 6.1 ± 1 months. At the final follow-up, the mean Tegner activity scale was 7.2 ± 1.4 (preoperative score was 7.7 ± 1.0), and the Lysholm knee score was 98.5 (range, 89-100). The area of most preponderance was in the medial portion of the lateral femoral condyle in the frontal view, and in the segment superior two-thirds of the anterior region in the lateral view. There were no anatomical abnormalities in the patellofemoral structures. Conclusions: Femoral trochlear osteochondritis dissecans lesions occurred in virtually identical sites, and there were no anatomical abnormalities. This disease seemed to be related to the repetitive and persistent loading from the patella at slight knee flexion. In almost all cases, satisfactory postoperative results were obtained for osteochondritis dissecans regardless of the stage or surgical method.
5G IoT-based Geohazard Monitoring and Early Warning System and its Application
Authors: Li Zhaohua , Liu Dawei , Sun Xiaokun , Peng Wang
Published: April 2021

With the expansion of human production activities, geological disasters caused by slope instability are occuring more frequently. Hence, the research on effective monitoring and forecasting of the geotechnical stability of slopes is of great significance for the prevention and mitigation of slope geological disasters. In this study, a landslide monitoring and early warning system based on 5G Internet of Things (IoT) technology is introduced. The system monitors important indicators such as three-dimensional surface displacement, rainfall, and ground cracks using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) equipment and various IoT sensors deployed on site. The key monitoring data are transmitted and displayed by 5G communication and advanced data visualization technologies. An early warning guideline is established by combining the surface deformation rate-time curve according to a four-level early warning method as well as embedded vector maps such as the topographic and geomorphological remote sensing map of the monitoring area, the geological section map, and the monitoring point distribution map. The system has the functions of accurate acquisition, rapid transmission, automatic search, and comprehensive analysis, and is applied to the study of creep slopes of the Lianhe terraces in Youxi County, Fujian Province, with remarkable results.
Presepsin Guidance Reduces the Duration of Antibiotic Treatment in Patients with Sepsis: A Multicenter, Prospective Cohort Trial
Authors: Xiao Hongli , Wang Guoxing , Wang Yan , Tan Zhimin , Sun Xuelian , Zhou Jie , Duan Meili , Zhi Deyuan , Tang Ziren , Hang Chenchen , Zhang Guoqiang , Li Yan , Wu Caijun , Li Fengjie , Zhang Haiyan , Wang Jing , Zhang Yun , Zhang Xinchao , Guo Wei , Qi Wenjie , Xie Miaorong , Li Chunsheng
Published: April 2021

Background: Long-term use of antibiotics for septic patients leads to antibiotic resistance. This study aimed at assessing the benefit and safety of an emerging biomarker presepsin on guiding antibiotic courses for patients with sepsis. Methods: In this multicenter prospective cohort trial, patients were assigned to the presepsin or control groups. In the presepsin group, antibiotics were ceased based on predefined cut-off ranges of presepsin concentrations. The control group stopped antibiotics according to international guidelines. The primary endpoints were the number of days without antibiotics within 28 days (superiority analysis) and mortality at 28 and 90 days (non-inferiority analysis). The margin of non-inferiority was 10%.Results: Overall, 656 out of an initial 708 patients were eligible and assigned to the presepsin group (n=327) or the control group (n=329). Patients in the presepsin group had significantly more days without antibiotics than those in the control group (14.54 days [SD 9.01] vs 11.01 days [SD 7.73]; absolute difference 3.64 days, p =0.000). Mortality in the presepsin group was non-inferior to that in the control group at days 28 (17.7% vs 18.2%; absolute difference -0∙5%, 90% CI -5.4 to 4.4) and 90 (19.9% vs 19.5%; 0.4%, -4.7 to 5.5). Patients in the presepsin group had a significantly shorter mean length of stay in the hospital and lower hospitalization costs than control subjects.Conclusions: Presepsin guidance reduces the duration of antibiotic treatment in patients with sepsis without increasing mortality. Trial registration: ChiCTR, ChiCTR1900024391. Registered 9 July 2019. Retrospectively registered.
Earthworm and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Improve Plant Hormones and Antioxidant Enzymes to Alleviate Simulated Acid Rain Stress
Authors: Wang Binglei , Wang Chong , Xue Rui , Liu Mengli , Xu Guangxia , Li Zhiyi
Published: April 2021

Aims Acid rain is considered one of the three most serious environmental disasters worldwide, disrupting the normal physiological metabolism of plants and inhibiting their growth. As important parts of soil biota community, both earthworms and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can promote the growth of plants under adverse conditions. However, whether them can improve the stress tolerance of plants under simulated acid rain stress remains to be explored.Methods Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to conduct a relevant redundancy analysis (RDA) of soil microbial community structure and plant growth factors, and a structural equation model (SEM) was constructed for maize biomass and a biological index to study the mechanisms by which earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi affect maize stress resistance under simulated acid rain stress. Results Earthworms promoted the absorption of soil organic matter by maize; promoted the growth of the root system; and increased the hormone levels of GA3, ABA and IAA; ultimately improving the stress resistance of maize. Mycorrhizal fungi increased the relative abundance of plant growth-promoting rhizosphere bacteria, increased the levels of plant hormones and antioxidant enzymes, and improved the stress resistance of maize. Earthworms promoted infection by mycorrhizal fungi, and the interaction between earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi increased the root IAA content and the Shannon index of rhizosphere bacteria.Conclusions Both earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi can improve the stress resistance of maize through underground regulation. They interacted in increasing the root IAA content and the Shannon index of rhizosphere bacteria and alleviated the simulated acid rain stress of the aboveground part of the maize.
Blood Pressure and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Youth With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Vargiami Efthymia , Stabouli Stella , Sidira Christina , Kyriazi Maria , Anastasiou Athanasia , Notopoulos Athanasios , Zafeiriou Dimitrios
Published: April 2021

Background
Renal involvement is very common in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and is characterised by the development of angiomyolipoma and cysts. The aims of the present study were to assess kidney function and clinical features of renal involvement in TSC, including kidney function, and blood pressure (BP) levels in children, adolescents and young adults.
Methods
Non-selected patients with a definite diagnosis of TSC attending the paediatric neurology outpatient department of a tertiary hospital were included in a cross-sectional study. All participants had a renal imaging study within 6 months of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessment. Data on demographics, history, genotype, kidney function at diagnosis and last imaging were collected.
Results
The median age of the patients was 15 years (IQR range 9 to18). 23.5% of the participants had ambulatory BP hypertension. Systolic BP levels correlated significantly with GFRDTPA values despite the absence of hyperfiltration. Greater increase in GFR from initial TSC diagnosis till the age of the assessment, resulted in higher GFR levels in childhood and adolescence in those that developed hypertension and possibly in those with angiomyolipoma or cysts. All patients with ambulatory BP hypertension had angiomyolipomas or cysts on renal imaging studies.
Conclusions
Hypertension may present with increased frequency in young patients with kidney disease associated with TSC. Routine ambulatory BP measurement could be part of the annual clinical assessment in patients with TSC.
Pilot Testing a Tracking Tool for High Need, High Cost Patients Enrolled in Complex Care Management in Safety-Net Settings
Authors: Yen Irene H. , Nápoles Tessa M. , Tan Sean , Shim Janet K. , Hellerstein Leah , Fleming Mark D. , Thompson-Lastad Ariana , Burke Nancy J.
Published: April 2021

Background: Complex Care Management (CCM) programs record patients’ progress toward health and healthcare utilization goals using a tracking tool in order to ascertain whether the patient is ready to transition to routine primary care. High-need, high-cost (HNHC) patients enrolled in CCM programs make progress, but existing tracking tools do not register the kinds of progress they make, suggesting that current tools may not be suitable in safety-net settings.Methods: We developed the Contextual Health Assessment of Social Stability (CHAOSS), which incorporates a patient’s social circumstances to capture patient experiences that affect their program participation. We used cognitive interviewing methods to test CHAOSS. We sought to understand if the CHAOSS tool could be used to track the kinds of progress CCM patients and providers find clinically relevant, would patients understand the questions and could the questions show meaningful distinctions in patient circumstances.Results: To set up the need for CHAOSS, we document the demographic and clinical characteristics of HNHC patients enrolled in CCM programs in safety-net settings. HNHC patients had extremely poor and volatile health, were economically vulnerable, and experienced challenges such as chronic homelessness. We found that CCM patients understood the CHAOSS questionnaire and generated an array of responses.Conclusion: CHAOSS appears to be a suitable tool for capturing HNHC patient experiences enrolled in CCM programs in safety-net settings.
Plant-derived Antimicrobials have Similar Cytotoxic Effects on Cancerous and Non-cancerous Cells
Authors: Ranjitkar Saurav , Zhang Delong , Sun Fei , Salman Saleh , He Wu , Venkitanarayanan Kumar , Tulman Edan R. , Tian Xiuchun
Published: April 2021

Essential oils and their active components, referred here as plant derived antimicrobials (PDAs), have been used for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Many reports also document PDAs’ cytotoxic effects on cancerous cells, raising the hope that they could be used for cancer treatments. Due to the lack of specificity, we hypothesize that PDAs are cytotoxic to both cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCA), carvacrol, and eugenol were assessed for their cytotoxicity on cancerous HeLa cells and normal skin fibroblasts (CCD-1123Sk, CCD) by MTT and LDH assays, flow cytometry, and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). After 24 hours of treatment, carvacrol and TCA significantly decreased cell viability (by more than 50%) at 100 µg/ml, whereas eugenol was ineffective up to 400 µg/ml. Cell detachment and significantly increased apoptosis were observed with 100 µg/ml of TCA on both cell types. RT-qPCR for apoptotic genes (Bcl2, Casp3 and Casp8) and necrosis genes (Mlkl, Ripk1 and Ripk3) did not show significant differences between control and treated cells of both types, with the exception of eugenol-treated HeLa cells in which expression of Bcl2, Mlkl and Ripk1 was significantly higher than controls. Taken together, we conclude that the three PDAs studied here exhibited similar cytotoxic effects on both cancerous and non-cancerous cells.
Identification of the High-Risk Area for Schistosomiasis Transmission in China Based on Information Value and Machine Learning—A Newly Data-Driven Modeling Try
Authors: Gong Yan-Feng , Zhu Ling-Qian , Li Yin-Long , Zhang Li-Juan , Xue Jing-Bo , Xia Shang , Lv Shan , Xu Jing , Li Shi-Zhu
Published: April 2021

Objective

Information value (IV) and machine learning models were used to analyze and predict the high-risk distribution of schistosomiasis, in order to provide scientific evidence for disease surveillance and control in China.
Methods

The local case distribution from schistosomiasis surveillance data in China between 2005 and 2019 was assessed based on 19 variables including climate, geography, and social economy. Seven models were built in three categories including IV, three machine learning models (logistic regression, LR; random forest, RF; generalized boosted model, GBM), and three coupled models (coupled model of information value and logistic regression, IV + LR; coupled model of information value and random forest, IV + RF; coupled model of information value and generalized boosted model, IV + GBM). Accuracy, AUC (area under the curve), and F1-score were used to evaluate the prediction performance of the models. The best model was selected to predict the risk distribution for schistosomiasis.
Results

IV + GBM had the highest prediction effect (accuracy = 0.878, AUC = 0.902, F1 = 0.920). The results of IV + GBM showed that the risk area for transmission comprised 4.66% of China, mainly distributed in the coastal regions of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the Poyang Lake region, and the Dongting Lake region. Risk areas can be divided into low-risk (2.47%), medium-risk (1.35%), and high-risk (0.84%). High-risk areas are primarily distributed in eastern Changde, western Yueyang, northeastern Yiyang, middle Changsha of the Hunan Province, southern Jiujiang, northern Nanchang, northeastern Shangrao, eastern Yichun in Jiangxi Province, southern Jingzhou, southern Xiantao, middle Wuhan in Hubei Province, southern Anqing, northwestern Guichi, eastern Wuhu in Anhui Province, middle Meishan, northern Leshan, and the middle of Liangshan in Sichuan Province.
Conclusions

The risk of schistosomiasis transmission in China still exists, with high-risk areas relatively concentrated within regions. Coupled models of IV and machine learning provide for effective analysis and prediction, forming a scientific basis for surveillance and control within key areas.
Structural, Vibrational, Quantum Chemical Calculations, Thermal and Antimicrobial Studies On Nitrate Salt Of 3-Nitroaniline
Authors: S Thangarasu , V Siva , S Asath Bahadur , S Athimoolam
Published: April 2021

In this work, 3-nitroanilinium nitrate (3NAN) has been synthesized and crystallized successfully by solution growth combined with solvent evaporation technique. 3NAN molecular structure has been optimized with Density Functional Theory (DFT) using B3LYP function and Hartree-Fock method with a 6-311 + + G(d,p) basis set. The geometrical parameters of the title molecules have been analyzed. The computed vibrational spectra were compared with experimental result which show appreciable agreement. Thermal stability of the crystal was analyzed with TGA/DTA and the melting points of the salt identified at 209 ºC. HOMO-LUMO energy calculations have shown the charge transfer within the molecu le. The possible pharmaceutical/biological activity of the salts confirmed by the Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) analysis have lower band gap value. The antimicrobial activity of grown crystals were tested against certain potentially threatening microbes.
The Social Representation of Coronavirus In the Polish Catholic Press
Authors: Zbróg Piotr
Published: April 2021

The article presents the components of the social representation of coronavirus discussed on the basis of headings from the most important religious periodicals in Poland. The object of research is currently one of the most frequently discussed and commented upon phenomena in the digital space. In addition to the cognitive image of SARS-CoV-2 which has been constructed in mainstream portals, the particular version produced by the Catholic media constitutes an interesting supplement. Basing on the analysis of the contexts for anchoring the coronavirus nomination, general elements of its social representation have been distinguished, e.g. “coronavirus is hindering participation in religious services”, “coronavirus is an opportunity for mankind”, “prayer fights the Covid pandemic”. This kind of perception of the coronavirus has prompted a large group of Catholics in Poland to form their own opinions about the pandemic, in digital and real space; this has subsequently determined the undertaking or abandoning of specific activities and provoked various polemical opinions.
Transcriptional Drug Repositioning Improves Development Of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos Via Inhibition Of CDK4/6 And Cyclin D1 During First Cleavage of Bovine Pseudo-Zygotes
Authors: Behdarvandiyan Paria , Hosseini Sayedeh Sahar , Jafarpour Farnoosh , Hajian Mehdi , Hosseini Morteza , Rahimi Mohsen , Moradi Reza , Motamedi Yasaman Kalantar , Bender Andreas , Nasr-Esfahani Mohammad Hossein
Published: April 2021

Since the birth of the first cloned sheep, ‘Dolly’, Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) has become a powerful method in the fields of agricultural and biomedical research. However, due to the accumulation of errors during nuclear reprogramming, the efficiency of this technique remained low. In this study, we applied a transcriptional drug repositioning approach for selecting small molecules to improve SCNT efficiency. This involved identifying a blueprint signature of differentially expressed genes in SCNT embryos compared to IVF embryos and finding compounds that target those genes effectively. As a result of the analysis, two highly ranked compounds, namely the breast cancer treatment Palbociclib and the retinoid derivative Fenretinide, were selected which are selective inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 (CDK4/6) and inhibitor of Cyclin D1, respectively. We hypothesized that treatment of SCNT reconstructed oocytes during the first cleavage with these two small molecules may prolong the first cleavage in SCNT embryos, which can have a favorable impact on reprogramming by prolonging the exposure of the fibroblast cell to reprogramming factors in the oocyte. We found that the optimal concentration and time of treatment with either Palbociclib (100 nM for 12 h) and Fenretinide (16 µM for 6 h) prolonged the time of first cleavage in treated SCNT embryos, increased the cleavage rate after 72h and improved developmental competence of SCNT derived embryos similar to IVF embryos in vitro. Hence, a transcriptional drug repositioning approach was in this work for the first time applied successfully for improving bovine SCNT efficiency.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Prevalence of Respiratory Viruses in Children With Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in China
Authors: Liu pengcheng , Xu Menghua , Cao Lingfeng , Su Liyun , Lu Lijuan , Dong Niuniu , Jia Ran , Zhu Xunhua , Xu Jin
Published: April 2021

Background: The multifaceted public health interventions taken during COVID-19 epidemic not only decrease the spreading of the SARS-CoV-2, but have impact on the prevalence of other viruses. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of common respiratory viruses among hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Respiratory specimens were obtained from children with LRTIs at children’s hospital of Fudan University for detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1 to 3, influenza virus A (FluA), influenza virus B (FluB), human metapneumovirus (MPV) and rhinovirus (RV). The data were analyzed and compared between the year of 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic) and 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic).Results: A total of 7107 patients were enrolled, including 4600 patients in 2019 and 2507 patients in 2020. Compared with 2019, we observed an unprecedented reduction of RSV, ADV, FluA, FluB, and MPV infections in 2020, despite of reopening of schools in June, 2020. However, The RV infection was significantly increased in 2020 and a sharp increase was observed especially after reopening of schools. Besides, the PIV infection showed resurgent characteristic after September of 2020. The mixed infections were significantly less frequent in 2020 compared with the year of 2019.Conclusions: The public health interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic have great impact on the prevalence of common respiratory viruses in China. Yet, we do need to be cautious for a possible resurgence and the resurgence may not follow the usual seasonal patterns such as RV and PIV, as COVID-19 restrictions are ongoing eased.
Slow Slip Events Following the 2002 Mw 7.1 Hualien Offshore Earthquake Afterslip
Authors: Chen Sean Kuanhsiang , Wu Yih-Min , Chan Yu-Chang
Published: April 2021

The recurrence intervals of slow slip events may increase gradually after a large earthquake during the afterslip. Stress perturbations during coseismic and postseismic periods may result in such an increase of intervals. However, the increasing recurrence intervals of slow slip events are rarely observed during an afterslip. The evolution process along with the afterslip remains unclear. We report an observation of slow slip events following the 2002 Mw 7.1 Hualien offshore earthquake afterslip in the southernmost Ryukyu subduction zone. Slow slip events in 2005, 2009, and 2015 are adjacent to the Mw 7.1 earthquake hypocenter. An increasing slow-slip interval of 3.1, 4.2, and 6.2 years has been observed after the earthquake. We calculated coseismic and postseismic slips from the Mw 7.1 earthquake and then estimated the Coulomb stress changes in the slow slip region. The Mw 7.1 earthquake has contributed positive Coulomb stresses to both the 2005 slow-slip region and 2009/2015 repeating slow-slip region. The coseismic and postseismic Coulomb stress change on the 2005 slow-slip region is approximately 0.05 MPa and 0.035 MPa, respectively. However, both Coulomb stress changes on the 2009/2015 repeating slow-slip region are not over 0.03 MPa. The ongoing afterslip following the Mw 7.1 earthquake last for at least five years, evolving with a decaying stress rate with time. The long-term stress perturbations may be able to trigger the 2005 slow slip event during the afterslip. The 2009 slow slip event seems to be influenced by the afterslip as well. Postseismic stress evolution and frictional and stressed conditions of the slow-slip region can be a reason to affect the evolution process of slow slip events intervals.
Activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 protects articular cartilage against IL-1β-induced inflammatory responses by regulating the CaMKK/AMPK/NF-κB signaling pathway
Authors: Hattori Kyosuke , Takahashi Nobunori , Terabe Kenya , Ohashi Yoshifumi , Kishimoto Kenji , Yokota Yutaka , Suzuki Mochihito , Kojima Toshihisa , Imagama Shiro
Published: April 2021

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) plays an important role in chondrocytes via Ca2+ signaling. However, its role in the progression of osteoarthritis is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of TRPV4 activation on articular cartilage and chondrocytes stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1β. Bovine and human articular chondrocytes were stimulated with various agents, including IL-1β, GSK1016790A (GSK101; a TRPV4 agonist), Compound C (an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor), and STO-609 (a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase (CaMKK) inhibitor), and were processed for Western blot analysis and real-time PCR. The dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB) assay and Safranin O staining were also performed. GSK101 reversed the IL-1β-induced increase in expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 and decrease in expression of aggrecan. GSK101 also decreased proteoglycan release in the DMMB assay and retained Safranin O staining of articular cartilage tissue. Furthermore, GSK101 increased AMPK phosphorylation and decreased IL-1β-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) phosphorylation. Compound C and STO-609 reversed the suppressive effects of GSK101 on NF-κB activation and MMP-13 expression. In conclusion, TRPV4 activation had chondroprotective effects on articular cartilage stimulated with IL-1β by activating CaMKK/AMPK and suppressing the NF-κB pathway. TRPV activators may offer a promising therapeutic option for preventing the progression of osteoarthritis.
An innovative method for rapid detection of urinary oxalate in goats with urolithiasis
Authors: Esfandiary Tina , Patel Suraj , Wanchoo Arun , Voigt Alexandria , Tao Samuel , Reuss Sarah , Nguyen Cuong
Published: April 2021

Background: Oxalate is a natural and abundant metabolic by-product; as a highly oxidized organic compound with powerful chelating activity, in high concentrations it can cause morbidity and mortality in both animals and humans. Elevated levels in urine (i.e., hyperoxaluria) have been found to correlate with several human diseases, especially urolithiasis or kidney stone disease (KSD)- a disease also prevalent in goats. Current methods for measuring oxalate are highly technical, cumbersome, and time-consuming, which often forces clinics to utilize expensive diagnostic laboratories. Therefore, in this study, we designed an innovative device, Oxalometer, to measure urinary oxalate in goats. Results: The results indicate that the Oxalometer performed as accurately as the standard commercially available test. The Oxalometer was able to measure higher levels of urinary oxalate in goats with urolithiasis compared to non-urolithiasis goats. The data demonstrate the accuracy and sensitivity of the Oxalometer. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study supports the future application of the device in determining on-the-spot oxalate levels in patients and brings kidney stone prevention to point-of-care practice for ruminants.
Developing and validating an individual-level risk calculator for COVID-19 in the United States
Authors: Hu Xindi , Starling Jennifer , Lipman Erin , Pendl-Robinson Emma
Published: April 2021

COVID-19 is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Certain subsets of the U.S. population account for a disproportionately large number of deaths, and risk varies widely across individuals. Evidence-based risk assessment tools customized to individuals can help users understand their risk level and risk management strategies. Here we present the 19andMe COVID-19 Risk Calculator that we developed and validated to assess COVID-19 risks based on geography, demographics, health condition and adherence to public health guidelines. The calculator, which is reviewed periodically to reflect the most recent evidence, is publicly available through both a web-based tool (167,276 visitors between April 1, 2020, and January 13, 2021) and an Application Programming Interface. To validate our methods, we compared risk scores for a set of users from Nexoid’s COVID-19 survival calculator (n = 51,799) using multiple publicly available calculators: 19andMe, Nexoid and the COVID-19 Estimated Risk (COVER). Mortality risk estimates were consistent between 19andMe and Nexoid, with 98.5% of users within 10% of each other (Spearman correlation rs = 0.91). We also correlated exposure risk estimates between 19andMe and Nexoid (rs = 0.48). The risk estimates for hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit and mortality were consistent between 19andMe and COVER (rs = 0.89, 0.87 and 0.93 respectively).
Adaptive Congestion Prediction in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANET) using Type-2 Fuzzy Model to Establish Reliable Routes
Authors: Giripunje Lokesh Manohar , Vidyarthi Abhay , Shandilya Shishir Kumar
Published: April 2021

In urban areas, a significant increase in vehicles day-by-day leads to challenges like accidents and pollution such as air and noise. The emission of Carbon dioxide (CO2) from vehicles leads to air pollution. The major cause of increased emission is traffic conditions in urban areas. Thus, Quality of Service (QoS) becomes a very challenging research problem by considering eco-friendly and reliable transportation. The appropriate congestion or traffic situation management techniques reduce the possibilities of accidents and pollution. The congestion control methods should take into account the properties such as fairness, decentralization, network characteristics, and application demands in VANET. The current methods failed to address all such properties and trade-offs for VANET communications. This paper proposed Adaptive Congestion Aware Routing Protocol (ACARP) for VANET using the dynamical artificial intelligence (AI) technique. In ACARP, the adaptive congestion detection algorithm is designed using the type-2 fuzzy logic AI technique. The fuzzy model builds to detect the congestion around each vehicle using three fuzzy-inputs such as bandwidth occupation, link quality, and moving speed. Using three parameters, the fuzzy rules are designed in the first phase. In the second phase, the inferences model introduced where the fuzzy decision has been made. In the last phase, defuzzifuzification is applied and the congestion probability estimated in the range of 0-1 for each vehicle. Then the status of congestion detection updated using the pre-defined threshold value for each vehicle. The status of congestion and its probability values have been utilized to establish safe and reliable routes for data transmission. It saves significant communication overhead and hence CO2 emissions in the network. The simulation results prove that the planned protocol improved the QoS presentation and significant CO2 emission compared to underlying fuzzy-based methods.