bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DPP-4/GLP-1 Axis as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Chronic Stress-related Vascular Aging and Atherosclerosis
Authors: Wan Ying , Piao Limei , Nan Yongshan , Cehng Xian-Wu
Published: January 2020

Exposure to psychosocial stress is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including vascular aging, angiogenesis, and atherosclerosis-based cardiovascular disease (ACVD). Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) is a complex enzyme (also called CD26) that acts as a membrane-anchored cell surface exopeptidase. DPP4 is upregulated in metabolic and inflammatory cardiovascular disorders. The widespread expression of DPP4 macrophages and immune cells and the noncatalytic function of DPP4 (also called CD26) as a signaling and binding protein across a wide range of species suggest a teleological role for DPP4 in inflammation and immune response. DPP-4 exhibits many physiological and pharmacological functions by regulating its extremely abundant substrates [e.g., stromal cell-derived factor-1α/ C-X-C chemokine receptor type-4, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), etc.]. Over last ten year, emerging data demonstrated unexpected roles for GLP-1 and DPP-4 in extracellular and intracellular signaling, immune activation, inflammation, oxidative stress production, cell apoptosis, insulin resistance, and lipid metabolism,. This mini review has focuses on recent novel findings in this field, highlighting an imbalance between GLP-1 and DPP4 as a potential therapeutic molecular target in treatments of chronic psychological stress-related atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in humans and animals.
The Functional Resonance Analysis Approach to Assess Performance Variability During Emergency Conditions
Authors: Petrillo Antonella , Ranieri Luigi , Petrillo Laura , De Felice Fabio
Published: January 2020

Technological innovation has led to the development of increasingly efficient and complex industrial plants. To manage this complexity, it is necessary to define an integrated vision of the socio-technological system that includes: technological, human and organizational component. Petrochemicals can be considered one of the most complex socio-technical systems that deserve special attention to high risk management, especially during the emergency conditions. Traditional safety management models only consider static systems, while new resilience engineering models evaluate the performance variability developed between different actions. One of the recent development methods is the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) that identifies the pairs between the functions. FRAM unfortunately is a qualitative model, this research integrates this model with the Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) and with the Bayesian approach to identify the performance variability of the system. The analysis aims to develop a system that improves safety analysis. The proposed model is applied in a case study of an emergency in a petrochemical company.
Ecotypes of Aquatic Plant Vallisneria americana Tolerate Different Salinity Concentrations
Authors: Tootoonchi Mohsen , Gettys Lyn , Thayer Kyle , Markovich Ian , Sigmon Joseph , Sadeghibaniani Shabnam
Published: January 2020

Increased salinity caused by saltwater intrusion or runoff from de-icing salts can severely affect freshwater vegetation and deteriorate aquatic ecosystems. These habitats can be restored with freshwater ecotypes (locally adapted populations) that tolerate above-normal salinity. Vallisneria americana is a prominent species in many freshwater ecosystems that responds differently to abiotic conditions such as substrate composition and fertility, so in this study we evaluated the effects of salt stress on 24 ecotypes of V. americana. Instant Ocean aquarium salt was used to create saline solutions [0.2 to 20.0 parts per thousand (ppt)], then plants were abruptly exposed to these solutions and maintained in these concentrations for 5 weeks before being visually assessed for quality and destructively harvested. Analysis of variance and non-linear regression were used to calculate LC50 values – the lethal concentration of salt that reduced plant biomass and quality by 50% compared to control treatment. Growth rate and visual quality varied significantly among ecotypes, and ecotypes that were most and least sensitive to salt had 50% biomass reductions at 0.47 and 9.10 ppt, respectively. All ecotypes survived 10.0 ppt salinity concentration but none survived at 20.0 ppt, which suggests the maximum salinity concentration tolerated by these ecotypes is between 15.0 and 20.0 ppt.
An Inline Reticulorumen pH as Biomarker of Cow’s Reproduction and Health Status
Authors: Antanaitis Ramūnas , Juozaitiene Vida , Malašauskienė Dovilė , Televičius Mindaugas
Published: January 2020

We hypothesized possibility that inline registered reticulorumen pH can be as biomarker of cows reproduction and health status. Aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of reticulorumen pH with biomarkers from automatic milking system (AMS) and some blood parameters and determinate reticulorumen pH as biomarker of cows reproduction and health status. According to cows reproductive status the cows were classified as belonging to the following four groups: 15-30 d. postpartum; 1-34 d. after insemination; 35 d. after insemination (non-pregnant); 35 d. after insemination (pregnant). According reticulorumen pH assay experimental animals were divided into four classes: 1) pH<6.22 (5.3% of cows), 2) pH - 6.22-6.42 (42.1% of cows), 3) pH - 6.42-6.62 (21.1% of cows), 4) pH >6.62 (10.5% of cows). Rumination time, body weight, milk yield, milk fat – protein ratio, milk lactose, milk somatic cell count (SCC), milk electrical conductivity of all quarters of udder were registered with the help of Lely Astronaut® A3 milking robots. The pH, temperature of the contents of cow reticulorumens and cow activity were measured using specific smaX-tec boluses. Blood gas parameters were analyzed using a blood gas analyzer (EPOC, Canada). We found that pregnant cows has higher reticulorumen pH during insemination time, comparing with non-pregnant. Cows with lower reticulorumen pH has lowest milk fat – protein ratio, and lactose concentration, and highest SCC. Cows with lowest reticulorumen pH has lowest blood pH. With increase reticulorumen pH, increases blood potasium and hematocrit, decreases CO2, saturation and sodium.
Ten Recommendations for Supporting Open Pathogen Genomic Analysis in Public Health Settings
Authors: Black Allison , MacCannell Duncan R. , Sibley Thomas R. , Bedford Trevor
Published: January 2020

Public health agencies are increasingly using pathogen whole genome sequencing (WGS) to support surveillance and epidemiologic investigations. As access to WGS has grown, greater amounts of molecular data have helped improve our ability to detect outbreaks, investigate transmission chains, and explore large-scale population dynamics, such as the spread of antibiotic resistance. However, the wide adoption of WGS also poses challenges due to the amount of data generated and the need to transform raw data prior to analysis. This complexity means that public health agencies may need more advanced computational infrastructure, a broader technical workforce, and new approaches to data management and stewardship. As both a guide for how this development could occur, and a place to initiate discussion, we describe ten proposals for developing and supporting an informatics infrastructure for public health.
On the Alternate Use and Complementation of Grammar: Translation Method and Communicative Language Teaching Method
Authors: Hua Yin
Published: January 2020

Grammar-translation method and communicative language teaching method are the two most important methods of foreign language teaching at home and abroad, each of which holds its own advantages and disadvantages, and complements each other. The organic combination and alternate use of the grammar-translation method and communicative teaching method will help to improve the efficiency of foreign language teaching.
The Relationship of Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans Houtt.) Tidore, Ternate and Bogor Based on Morphological Marker
Authors: Arlianti Tias , Wirnas Desta , Sobir NFN , Rostiana Otih
Published: January 2020

Banda Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans), is one of Indonesia's main spices commodities. Maluku Island, North Maluku, Siau, and Papua are the center of origins and center of nutmeg diversity; whereas, Bogor is the largest nutmeg cultivation area in West Java. The diversity and relationship between Bogor nutmeg with Maluku nutmeg have not been studied, even though it is crucial for local varieties selection and seeds provision. The study aimed to determine the diversity and relationship of nutmegs from Tidore, Ternate, and Bogor. The experiment was conducted in eight locations: Tidore (Gurabunga and Jaya), Ternate (Marikurubu), and Bogor (Cigombong, Ciawi, Leuwisadeng, Sukajadi, and Tamansari) from November 2017 - December 2018. Materials used were 46 nutmeg accessions of 8 – 30 year old plants with good growth and known of their origin. The experiments were performed using direct observation methods on habitus, leaf, fruit, seed, mace,  and flower followed IPGRI descriptor.  The results showed that qualitative diversity was observed in the fruit shape, shape of fruit-based and fruit-tip, fruit color, and tree shape. Mace thickness was the most substantial diversity for the quantitative character (50.38 %). The difference within intra-population in all aspects observed was low, except for the fruit character and mace weight. The genetic relatedness of the Bogor population was closer to Ternate (60 %) than Tidore (46 %). The genetic relationship amongst five Bogor populations found to be very close. Further, Leuwisadeng, Tamansari, and Sukajadi populations were found to have the highest genetic relationship and similarity (80 %).
Looking Ahead of the Bit Using Surface Drilling and Petrophysical Data: Machine-Learning-Based Real-Time Geosteering in Volve Field
Authors: Gupta Ishank , Tran Ngoc , Devegowda Deepak , Jayaram Vikram , Rai Chandra , Sondergeld Carl , Karami Hamidreza
Published: January 2020

Petroleum reservoirs are often associated with multiple target zones or a single zone adjacent to nonproductive intervals. Real-time geosteering therefore becomes important to remain in zone or to dynamically steer toward a target. This requires knowledge of the petrophysical/rock mechanical properties of the rock surrounding the bit. Although logging while drilling can provide this information, a cost-effective and almost-real-time solution is lacking. In general, there is a depth lag, and therefore, a time delay, between what the logging-while-drilling sub relays to the surface and the bit performance. This study focuses on relating drill-bit- and drillstring-performance data in a machine-learning (ML) workflow to predict the lithology at the bit while drilling. The method we are proposing offers several advantages in terms of cost and time savings for real-time geosteering applications, where going out of zone requires costly intervention.

In this study, we have used a public data set from Volve Field on the Norwegian continental shelf. Within our proposed workflow, as a first step, logs sensitive to lithology [such as density, gamma ray (GR), and sonic] are grouped into three electrofacies. We also had access to core data, which helped us interpret the electrofacies in terms of mineralogy. The three electrofacies corresponded to quartz-rich (sandstone/siltstone), clay-rich (shale), and carbonate-rich (limestone) lithologies.

The next step is to predict the electrofacies using various measurement-while-drilling (MWD) variables, such as rate of penetration (ROP), weight on bit (WOB), and several others that are monitored in real time. Supervised classification algorithms were used to relate real-time surface measurements to lithology. The algorithms were able to predict lithology in test wells with more than 80% accuracy. These results, although encouraging, constitute a small step toward drilling-automation/advisory systems. The development of such systems can prevent costly out-of-zone drilling and minimize rig time and equipment use, thereby potentially reducing capital expenditures. This study was specifically performed in Volve Field in the North Sea using petrophysical and surface drilling data from vertical wells. However, the workflow has a potential to be extended to other formations in other fields in different well types.
Experimental Correlations for the Performance and Aperture Selection of Wire-Wrapped Screens in Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage Production Wells
Authors: Montero Pallares Jesus David , Wang Chenxi , Haftani Mohammad , Nouri Alireza
Published: January 2020

Wire-wrapped screens (WWSs) are one of the most-commonly used devices by steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operators because of the capacity to control plugging and improve flow performance. WWSs offer high open-to-flow area (OFA) (6 to 18%) that allow a high release of fines, hence, less pore plugging and accumulation at the near-screen zone. Over the years, several criteria have been proposed for the selection of aperture sizes on the basis of different industrial contexts and laboratory experiments. Generally, existing aperture-sizing recommendations include only a single point of the particle-size distribution (PSD). Operators and academics rely on sand-control testing to evaluate the performance of sand-control devices (SCDs). Scaled laboratory testing provides a straightforward tool to understand the role of flow rate, flowing phases, fluid properties, stresses, and screen specifications on sand retention and flow impairment.

This study employs large-scale prepacked sand-retention tests (SRTs) to experimentally assess the performance of WWSs under variable single-phase and multiphase conditions. The experimental results and parametric trends are used to formulate a set of empirical equations that describe the response of the WWS. Several PSD classes with various fines content and particle size are tested to evaluate a broad range of PSDs. Operational procedures include the coinjection of gas, brine, and oil to emulate aggressive conditions during steam-breakthrough events.

The experimental investigation leads to the formulation of predictive correlations. Additional PSDs were prepared to verify the adequacy of the proposed equations. The results show that sanding modes are both flow-rate and flowing-phase dependent. Moreover, the severity or intensity of producing sand is greatly influenced by the ratio of grain size to aperture size and the ability to form stable bridges. During gas and multiphase flow, a dramatic amount of sanding was observed for wider apertures caused by high multiphase flow velocities. However, liquid stages displayed less-intense transient behaviors. Remarkably, WWSs rendered an excellent flow performance even for low-quality sands and narrow apertures. Although further and more complete testing is required, empirical correlations showed good agreement with experimental results.
Emergency Department and Inpatient Utilization among U.S. Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Post-Reform Update
Authors: Ahn SangNam , Hussein Mustafa , Mahmood Asos , Smith Matthew Lee
Published: January 2020

Background. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted to enhance access to care primarily among nonelderly and low-income populations; however, several provisions addressed key determinants of emergency department (ED) and inpatient visits among Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 years. We take stock of the overall changes in these visits among older Medicare beneficiaries, focusing on those with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), and provide a nationally representative post-reform update.
Methods. We analyzed a sample of 32,919 older adults (65+) on Medicare from the 2006-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Using a survey-weighted two-part model, we examined changes in ED visits, inpatient visits, and length of stay (LOS) by MCC status, before (2006-2010), during (2011-2013), and after the ACA (2014-2015).
Results. Prior to the ACA, 18.1% of Medicare older adults had ≥1 ED visit, whereas 17.1% had ≥1 inpatient visits, with an average of 5.1 nights/visit. Following ACA reforms, among those with 2+ chronic conditions, the rate of ever having an ED visit increased by 4.3 percentage points [95% confidence intervals [CI]: 2.5, 6.1, p < 0.01], whereas the rate of inpatient visits decreased by 1.4 percentage points [95%CI: -2.9, 0.2, p < 0.1], after multivariable adjustment.
Conclusions. We found sizable increases in ED visits and nontrivial decreases in inpatient visits among older Medicare beneficiaries with MCCs, underscoring the continuing need for improving access to and quality of care among older adults with MCCs to decrease reliance on the ED and reduce preventable hospitalizations.
Retrospective analysis of cases of intraoperative awareness in a large multi-hospital health system reported in the early postoperative period
Authors: Deis Amanda S. , Schnetz Michael P. , Ibinson James W. , Vogt Keith M
Published: January 2020

Background : Awareness with recall under general anesthesia remains a rare but important issue that warrants further study.
Methods : We present a series of seven cases of awareness that were identified from provider-reported adverse event data from the electronic anesthesia records of 647,000 general anesthetics.
Results : The low number of identified cases suggests an under-reporting bias. Themes that emerge from this small series can serve as important reminders to anesthesia providers to ensure delivery of an adequate anesthetic for each patient. Commonalities between a majority of our identified anesthetic awareness cases include: obesity, use of total intravenous anesthesia, use of neuromuscular blockade, and either a lack of processed electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring or documented high depth of consciousness index values. An interesting phenomenon was observed in one case, where adequately-dosed anesthesia was delivered without technical issue, processed EEG monitoring was employed, and the index value suggested an adequate depth of consciousness throughout the case.
Conclusions : Provider-reported adverse event data in the immediate post-operative period are likely insensitive for detecting cases of intraoperative awareness. Though causation cannot firmly be established from our data, themes identified in this series of cases of awareness with recall under general anesthesia provide important reminders for anesthesia providers to maintain vigilance in monitoring depth and dose of anesthesia, particularly with total intravenous anesthesia.
Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale for use in Sri Lankan Adolescents: a cross sectional modification and validation study
Authors: Amilani Uttara , Jayasekara Prasanna , Perera Irosha R , Carter Hannah E , Senanayake Sameera , Kularatna Sanjeewa
Published: January 2020

Background
Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) measures play an important role in understanding subjective patient experiences in oral health care. The Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) scale is a validated OHRQoL tool that measures the impact and extent to which an individual’s daily activities may be compromised by their oral health. The aim of this study was to modify and validate a Sinhalese version of the OIDP for use in Sri Lankan adolescents.

Methods
Stage I involved cultural adaptation of the tool through translation and modification. Stage II involved the exploring factor structure and validity assessment. After translation and cultural adaptation, stage II was conducted among 220 students aged 15-19 in the Gampaha district, Sri Lanka. Participants completed the modified OIDP scale along with questions on self-reported perceived oral health problems and treatment need which were used to assesses the concurrent validity of the modified OIDP scale. Factorability was assessed by inspection of correlation matrix, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity as a measure of sampling adequacy. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method and factors were rotated using the oblimin method.

Results
The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.87 and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity was significant (p<0.001) Cronbach’s alpha was calculated as 0.88, indicating a high level of internal consistency of the modified OIDP scale. The PCA is produced two factors with Eigen values ranging from 1.12 to 4.40, explaining 70.0% of total variance. Concurrent validity was satisfactory as the OIDP score increased when the adolescents’ perceived oral health decreased. The final modified OIDP consists of eight self-reported items which assesses the impact severity of eight daily performances over past three months. Participant scores ranged from 0 to 24 out of a worst possible score of 40, and nearly 48% of the responders reported at least one impact during past three months. The most prevalent oral health impact related to chewing and enjoying foods, reported by 36.8% of respondents.

Conclusion
This study suggests that the modified OIDP scale has promising psychometric properties and is appropriate for use among adolescents in Sri Lanka.
Women’s knowledge of and attitudes toward cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Weng Qiao , Jiang Jie , Haji Fatma Mrisho , Nondo Lamlet Hassan , Zhou Huaijun
Published: January 2020

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women in Tanzania. Knowledge of and willingness to receive a cervical cancer screening are important determinants of prevention. This study aimed to describe women's awareness of cervical cancer and to explore the attitudes toward, acceptability of and barriers to cervical cancer screening (CCS) in Zanzibar.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2018 involving 1483 women from 10 districts in Zanzibar who responded to questionnaires concerning their general demo-graphic characteristics, screening willingness and awareness of cervical cancer. Chi-square tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and stepwise multiple regression were conducted using STATA 15.1 software.
Results: The average total knowledge score (TKS) was 7.84±5.32 on a 23-point scale. Educational level and family income were positively correlated with the TKS. Previous schistosomiasis history and family genetic disease history were strong predictors of screening willingness. Women were less likely to be screened freely if they had 7 or more deliveries and were unaware of any previous family tumor history. Age and educational level were negatively associated non-free screening willingness, while family income was positively associated; being divorced/widowed or single and being unaware of any previous family tumor history were predictors of screening reluctance, while previous disease history was a strong predictor of non-free screening willingness. Fear of screening and inconvenience were the primary concerns among the Zanzibari interviewees. Compared to the 20-49 age group, more women in the less than 20 and 50 or more age groups thought cervical cancer screening was not necessary. The highest rate of cognitive accuracy in regard to cervical cancer warning signs and risk factors was only 37.76%.
Conclusions: The findings revealed that knowledge of cervical cancer was poor. Educational level, family income and awareness of previous disease history were significant influencing factors of screening uptake. Specific awareness programs to increase knowledge of cervical cancer and screening willingness should be designed and implemented in the public without delay, especially for younger and elderly women.
Keywords: Knowledge, Cervical cancer, Screening, Zanzibar
Individual and healthcare system factors influencing antenatal care attendance in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alanazy Wdad , Brown Amy
Published: January 2020

Background: The World Health Organisation recommends women have at least four antenatal care visits (ANC) during a low risk pregnancy. However, in Saudi Arabia, many mothers miss these appointments, placing their health and that of their baby at risk. Limited research which has explored why this is happening has focused on low maternal education or personal barriers such as lack of transport . The aim of the current research was therefore to understand what factors at the individual and healthcare systems level were associated with missing antenatal care in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Two hundred and forty-two pregnant women in their third trimester completed a questionnaire examining their care attendance (appointments missed, planned future attendance, timing of first appointment) alongside barriers to attending care. These included maternal demographic background, health literacy, personal barriers, health care system factors and staff communication).

Results: Over half of women surveyed had missed at least one appointment and a third had delayed their care. Mothers who had missed or delayed appointments blamed health care system factors such as poor clinic facilities and waiting times. Attending care was not associated with maternal education or literacy, although mothers with a lower level of literacy were more likely to delay care. However, perceptions of staff communication, consistency and care were lower amongst mothers who had missed at least one appointment.

Conclusions: Although in previous research health professionals believe it is maternal education that leads to poor attendance, in our sample at least, perceptions of staff communication and clinic facilities were instead associated with attendance. Making changes at the health care level e.g. through adapting clinic times and investing in staff training may increase antenatal care attendance in Saudi Arabia.
Effects of non-surgical periodontal therapy on systemic inflammation and metabolic markers in patients undergoing haemodialysis and/or peritoneal dialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yue Hui , Xu Xinxin , Liu Qin , Li Xiaozhi , Xiao Yiting , Hu Bo
Published: January 2020

Background: This systematic review aimed to investigate whether non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) can reduce systemic inflammatory levels and improve metabolism in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) and/or peritoneal dialysis (PD).
Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CNKI, and WFPD) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed through July 2019. The risk of bias within studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk assessment tool. The systemic inflammatory and metabolic outcomes included the highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), the albumin (Alb), and lipid metabolite levels Meta-analyses (MAs) were performed to calculate the overall effect size where appropriate.
Results: Five RCTs were included in this study. Compared with untreated periodontitis groups, the dialysis patients after NSPT significantly showed decreased hs-CRP levels at less than or equal to 2 months (standardized mean difference: -1.53, 95% confidence interval -2.95 to -0.11). No significant difference was found in IL-6 and Alb levels following NSPT at either the 3- or 6- month follow-ups. No MAs could be performed on the TNF-a level and the lipid metabolic markers.
Conclusions: NSPT can moderately reduce serum hs-CRP levels in HD and/or PD patients, but did not significantly change IL-6 or Alb levels. For TNF-a and lipid metabolism markers, no sufficient evidence supports that these levels are changed after NSPT. Additional scientific research is necessary to assess the effects of NSPT on systemic inflammation and metabolic parameters in dialysis patients.
Effect of gga-miR-155 on Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis and invasion of Marek’s disease Virus (MDV) transformed cell line MSB1 by targeting RORA
Authors: Ding Ke , Yu Zuhua , Yu Chuan , Jia Yanyan , He Lei , Liao Chengshui , Li Jing , Zhang Chunjie , Li Yingju , Wu Tingcai , Cheng Xiangchao , Zhou Zhiyu , Yu Zuling
Published: January 2020

Background Marek's disease (MD) is an avian lymphoproliferative neoplasm caused by the oncogenic Marek's disease virus (MDV). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in most cancers. The gga-miR-155 is downregulated in the MDV-infected chicken tissues or lymphocyte lines, although its exact role in tumorigenesis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of gga-miR-155 on the proliferation, apoptosis and invasiveness of an MDV-transformed lymphocyte line MSB1 and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.Results The expression level of gga-miR-155 was manipulated in MSB1 cells using specific mimics and inhibitors. While overexpression of gga-miR-155 increased proliferation, decreased the proportion of G1 phase cells relative to that in S and G2 phases, reduced apoptosis rates and increased invasiveness. However, its downregulation had the opposite effects. Furthermore, gga-miR-155 directly targeted the RORA gene and downregulated its expression in the MSB1 cells.Conclusion The gga-miR-155 promotes the proliferation and invasiveness of the MDV-transformed lymphocyte line MSB1 and inhibits apoptosis by targeting the RORA gene.
The relationship between metabolic syndrome and increased risk of Barrett's esophagus: An Updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Karimian Mohammad , Salamati Majid , Azami Milad
Published: January 2020

Background: The relationship between metabolic syndrome ( MetS) and Barrett's esophagus (BE) is still a challenging issue, and inconsistent results have been reported in different studies. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between MetS and BE. Methods : In this study, we followed the MOOSE protocol and the PRISMA guidelines for reporting the results. All study steps were performed independently by two authors. If necessary, the dispute was resolved by consultation with a third author. The search strategy is designed to find published studies. Comprehensive search was done in the following biomedical databases until July 2019: Cochrane Library, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Science Direct, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, EBSCO, and Google Scholar search engine. All analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software Ver.2, while p-value lower than 0.05 was considered significant. Results : In 14 studies with a sample size of 108416, MetS significantly increased the risk of BE (OR=1.315; 95% CI: 1.110-1.558; P<0.001; Heterogeneity: I 2 = 81.55; P<0.001). Sensitivity analysis by omitting one study showed that overall estimates are still robust. Subgroup analysis was significant for continent (P<0.001) and MetS diagnostic criteria (P=0.043), but was not significant for variables of study type (P=0.899), study setting (P=0.115), control groups (P=0.671) and quality of studies (P=0.603). The Begg (P=0.912) and Egger's (P=0.094) tests were not significant; therefore, the publication bias did not play a role in the results. Conclusion: MetS increases the risk of BE compared to control groups. Future studies should examine whether treatment for metabolic syndrome reduces the risk of BE.
The Importance of Stroke as a Risk Factor of Cognitive Decline in Community Dwelling Older and Oldest peoples : The SONIC Study
Authors: Srithum Werayuth , Kabayama Mai , Gondo Yasuyuki , Masui Yukie , Akagi Yuya , Klinpudtan Nonglak , Kiyoshige Eri , Godai Kayo , Sugimoto Ken , Akasaka Hiroshi , Takami Yoichi , Takeya Yasushi , Yamamoto Koichi , Ikebe Kazunori , Ogawa Madoka , Inagaki Hiroki , Ishizaki Tatsuro , Arai Yasumichi , Rakugi Hiromi , Kamide Kei
Published: January 2020

Background: Cognitive impairment is a major health concern among older and oldest people.Moreover, stroke is a relevant contributor for cognitive decline and development of dementia. The study of cognitive decline focused on stroke as the important risk factor by recruiting older and oldest is still lagging behind. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the importance of stroke as a risk factor of cognitive decline during three years in community dwelling older and oldest people.
Methods: This study was longitudinal study with a 3-year follow-up in Japan. The participants were 1,333community dwelling older and oldest people (70 years old = 675, 80 years old = 589, and 90 years old = 69). Data collected included basic data (age, sex, and history of stroke), vascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, and current smoking), and social factors (educational level, frequency of going outdoors, long-term care (LTC) service used, and residential area). The Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J) was decline of ≥ 2 points was defined as cognitive decline. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between stroke and other risk factors with cognitive decline during a 3-year follow-up.
Results: The fit of the hypothesized model by multiple logistic regression showed that a history of stroke, advanced age, and greater MoCA-J score at the baseline were important risk factors, while the presence of dyslipidemia and a higher educational level were protective factors that were significantly correlated with cognitive decline during the 3-year follow-up.
Conclusions: The cognitive decline after the 3-year follow-up was influenced by the history of stroke and advanced age, while greater MoCA-J score at the baseline was positively associated with subsequent 3 years cognitive decline. The protective factors were the presence of dyslipidemia and a higher educational level. Therefore, these factors are considered important and should be taken into consideration when searching for creative solutions to prevent cognitive decline after stroke in community dwelling older and oldest people.
neoANT-HILL: an integrated tool for identification of potential neoantigens
Authors: Coelho Ana Carolina , Fonseca Andre , Martins Danilo , Lins Paulo , Cunha Lucas da , de Souza Sandro
Published: January 2020

Background Cancer neoantigens have attracted great interest in immunotherapy due to their capacity to elicit antitumoral responses. These molecules arise from somatic mutations in cancer cells, resulting in alterations on the original protein. Neoantigens identification remains a challenging task due largely to a high rate of false-positives.Results We have developed an efficient and automated pipeline for the identification of potential neoantigens. neoANT-HILL integrates several immunogenomic analyses to improve neoantigen detection from Next Generation Sequence (NGS) data. The pipeline has been compiled in a pre-built Docker image such that minimal computational background is required for download and setup. NeoANT-HILL was applied in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) melanoma dataset and found several putative neoantigens including ones derived from the recurrent RAC1:P29S and SERPINB3:E250K mutations. neoANT-HILL was also used to identify potential neoantigens in RNA-Seq data with a high sensitivity and specificity.Conclusion neoANT-HILL is a user-friendly tool with a graphical interface that performs neoantigens prediction efficiently. neoANT-HILL is able to process multiple samples, provides several binding predictors, enables quantification of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and considers RNA-Seq data for identifying potential neoantigens. The software is available on github at https://github.com/neoanthill/neoANT-HILL .
Internal ammonium excess induces ROS-mediated reaction and causes carbon scarcity in rice
Authors: Yang Shunying , Hao Dongli , Jin Man , Li Yi , Liu Zengtai , Huang Yanan , Chen Tianxiang , Su Yanhua
Published: January 2020

Background: Overuse of nitrogen fertilizers is often applied to satisfy strong nitrogen demand of high–yielding rice, leading to persistent NH4+ excess in the plant. However, the mechanisms constraining the effectiveness of elevated plant NH4+ in plant growth and grain yield of rice are not sufficiently addressed. The current study analyses the early performance of such internal NH4+ excess in rice, aiming at finding out constraints against compromised nitrogen use efficiency Results: By mimicking a rapid accumulation of plant NH4+ and an RNA-Seq analysis, the present work reveals that internal NH4+ excess in rice plant initiates a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and triggers probably specifically the activation of glutathione transferase (GST)–mediated glutathione cycling for ROS cleavage. Meanwhile, the suppression of the expression of genes involved in photon caption and the activity of primary CO2 fixation enzymes (Rubisco), provides implications of a reduction in photosynthetic carbon income.Along the progress of NH4+/ROS stresses, enhanced energy–producing processes (carbon breakdown) take place as indicated by strong induction of glycolysis related genes to meet the demand of energy consuming activation of ROS–cleavaging systems. The development of these defensive reactions causes a sugar scarcity in the plant that accumulatively leads to growth inhibition. To the opposite direction, a sucrose feeding treatment to the roots renders the accumulation of free NH4+ and ROS, partly restores the activities of photosynthetic CO2 fixation and thus alleviates the scarcity in active carbon source. Conclusion: Our results indicate that carbon scarcity is probably a major constraint in rice plant that limits the performance of nitrogen under overuse of N fertilizers. Keywords: rice, NH4+ excess, ROS, GSH cycle, carbon scarcity, sucrose feeding.
Oleic acid-based nanosystems for mitigating acute respiratory distress syndrome in mice through neutrophil suppression: how the particulate size affects therapeutic efficiency
Authors: Yu Huang-Ping , Liu Fu-Chao , Umoro Ani , Lin Zih-Chan , Elzoghby Ahmed O. , Hwang Tsong-Long , Fang Jia-You
Published: January 2020

Background: Oleic acid (OA) is reported to show anti-inflammatory activity toward activated neutrophils. It is also an important material in nanoparticles for increased stability and cellular internalization. We aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of injectable OA-based nanoparticles for treating lung injury. Different sizes of nanocarriers were prepared to explore the effect of nanoparticulate size on inflammation inhibition.
Results: The nanoparticles were fabricated with the mean diameters of 105, 153, and 225 nm. The nanocarriers were ingested by isolated human neutrophils during a 5-min period, with the smaller sizes exhibiting greater uptake. The size reduction led to the decrease of cell viability and the intracellular calcium level. The OA-loaded nanosystems dose-dependently suppressed the superoxide anion and elastase produced by the stimulated neutrophils. The inhibition level was comparable for the nanoparticles of different sizes. In the ex vivo biodistribution study, the pulmonary accumulation of nanoparticles increased following the increase of particle size. The nanocarriers were mainly excreted by the liver and bile clearance. Mice were exposed to intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), like lung damage. The lipid-based nanocarriers mitigated myeloperoxidase (MPO) and cytokines more effectively as compared to OA solution. The larger nanoparticles displayed greater reduction on MPO, TNF-α, and IL-6 than the smaller ones. The histology confirmed the decreased pulmonary neutrophil recruitment and lung-architecture damage after intravenous administration of larger nanoparticles.
Conclusions: Nanoparticulate size, an essential property governing the anti-inflammatory effect and lung-injury therapy, had different effects on activated neutrophil inhibition and in vivo therapeutic efficacy.
Increased PD-1-positive macrophages in the tissue of gastric cancer are closely associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients.
Authors: Kono Yusuke , Saito Hiroaki , Miyauchi Wataru , Shimizu Shota , Murakami Yuki , Shishido Yuji , Miyatani Kozo , Matsunaga Tomoyuki , Fukumoto Yoji , Nakayama Yuji , Sakurai Chiye , Hatsuzawa Kiyotaka , Fujiwara Yoshiyuki
Published: January 2020

Background: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) is one of the immune checkpoint molecules that negatively regulate the function of T cells. Although recent studies indicate that PD-1 is also expressed on other immune cells besides T cells, its role remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate PD-1 expression on macrophages and examine its effect on anti-tumor immunity in gastric cancer (GC) patients.
Methods : The frequency of PD-1 + macrophages obtained from GC tissue was determined by multicolor flow cytometry (n = 15). Double immunohistochemistry staining of PD-1 and CD68 was also performed to evaluate the correlations among the frequency of PD-1 + macrophages, clinicopathological characteristicus, and prognosis in GC patients (n = 102).
Results: The frequency of PD-1 + macrophages was significantly higher in GC tissue than in non-tumor gastric tissue. The phagocytotic activity of PD-1 + macrophages was severely impaired compared with that of PD-1 - macrophages. The 5-year disease specific survival rates in patients with PD-1 + macrophage Low (the frequency of PD-1 + macrophages; < 0.85%) and those with PD-1 + macrophage High (the frequency of PD-1 + macrophages; ≥ 0.85%) were 85.9% and 65.8%, respectively ( P = 0.008). Finally, multivariate analysis showed the frequency of PD-1 + macrophage to be an independent prognostic factor.
Conclusions: The function of PD-1 + macrophage was severely impaired and increased frequency of PD-1 + macrophage worsened the prognosis of GC patients. PD-1–PD-L1 therapies may function through a direct effect on macrophages in GC.
Identification of stable reference genes for qPCR studies in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings under short-term drought stress
Authors: Dudziak Karolina , Sozoniuk Magdalena , Szczerba Hubert , Kuzdraliński Adam , Kowalczyk Krzysztof , Börner Andreas , Nowak Michał
Published: January 2020

Background
Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is one of the most common and accurate methods of gene expression analysis. However, the biggest challenge for this kind of examinations is normalization of the results, which requires the application of dependable internal controls. The selection of appropriate reference genes (RGs) is one of the most crucial points in qPCR data analysis and for correct assessment of gene expression. Because of the fact that many reports indicate that the expression profiles of typically used RGs can be unstable in certain experimental conditions, species or tissues, reference genes with stable expression levels should be selected individually for each experiment. In this study, we analysed a set of ten candidate RGs for wheat seedlings under short-term drought stress. Our tests included five ‘traditional’ RGs (GAPDH, ACT, UBI, TUB, and TEF1) and five novel genes developed by the RefGenes tool from the Genevestigator database.
Results
Expression stability was assessed using five different algorithms: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, RefFinder and the delta Ct method. In the final ranking, we identified three genes: CJ705892, ACT, and UBI, as the best candidates for housekeeping genes. However, our data indicated a slight variation between the different algorithms that were used. We revealed that the novel gene CJ705892, obtained by means of in silico analysis, showed the most stable expression in the experimental tissue and condition.
Conclusions
Our results support the statement, that novel genes selected for certain experimental conditions have a more stable level of expression in comparison to routinely applied RGs, like genes encoding actin, tubulin or GAPDH. Selected CJ705892 gene can be used as a housekeeping gene in the expression analysis in wheat seedlings under short-term drought. The results of our study will be useful for subsequent analyses of gene expression in wheat tissues subjected to drought.
Cobalamin C deficiency presenting with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage and pulmonary microangiopathy: a case series of four patients
Authors: Liu Jinrong , Tang Xiaolei , Zhou Chunju , Xu Hui , Yang Haiming , Li Huimin , Zhao Shunying
Published: January 2020

The authors have withdrawn this preprint from Research Square
DeepciRGO: functional prediction of circular RNAs through hierarchical deep neural networks using heterogeneous network features
Authors: Deng Lei , Lin Wei , Wang Jiacheng , Zhang Jingpu
Published: January 2020

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are special noncoding RNA molecules with closed loop structures. Compared with the traditional linear RNA, circRNA is more stable and not easily degraded. Many studies have shown that circRNAs are involved in the regulation of various diseases and cancers. Determining the functions of circRNAs in mammalian cells is of great significance for revealing their mechanism of action in physiological and pathological processes, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. However, determining the functions of circRNAs on a large scale is a challenging task because of the high experimental costs.

In this paper, we present a hierarchical deep learning model, DeepciRGO, which can effectively predict gene ontology functions of circRNAs. We build a heterogeneous network containing circRNA co-expressions, protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and protein-circRNA interactions. The topology features of proteins and circRNAs are calculated using a novel representation learning approach Hin2vec across the heterogeneous network. Then, a deep multi-label hierarchical classification model is trained with the topology features to predict the biological process (BP) function in the Gene Ontology (GO) for each circRNA. In particular, we manually curated a benchmark dataset containing 185 GO annotations for 62 circRNAs, namely, circRNA2GO-62. The DeepciRGO achieves promising performance on the circRNA2GO-62 dataset with a maximum F-measure of 0.412, a recall score of 0.4, and an accuracy of 0.4, which are significantly better than other state-of-the-art RNA function prediction methods. In addition, we demonstrate the considerable potential of integrating multiple interactions and association networks.