bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Neonatal Mortality in Ethiopia: A Comprehensive Review of Follow-Up Studies
Authors: Girma Derara , Dejene Hiwot , Adugna Leta
Published: February 2022

Background. Neonatal mortality remains a prominent public health problem in developing countries. Particularly, Ethiopia has a higher neonatal mortality rate than the average sub-Saharan African countries. Hereafter, this review article was aimed at synthesizing existing predictors of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia. Methods. A systematic search and review of peer-reviewed articles were conducted on the predictors of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia. A search of key terms across different databases including Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Hinari, and Google Scholar was conducted, supplemented by reference screening. The SANRA tool was used to critically appraise studies included in the review. Results. After removing duplicates and applying the eligibility criteria, 14 of the 64 initially identified articles were included in the final review. These were original articles published between 2011 and 2021. The identified predictors were narrated and presented under different domains. Accordingly, sociodemographic predictors such as residence, distance from the health facility, and maternal age; service delivery-related predictors such as no ANC follow-up, not taking iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, and no PNC visit; neonate-related predictors such as low birth weight, extreme prematurity/preterm, and low APGAR score; pregnancy and childbirth-related predictors such as

birth
 
interval
<
18
 
months

, twin pregnancy, and

time
 
of
 
rupture
 
of
 
membrane
>
12
 
hours

; and maternal-related predictors such as maternal HIV infection, maternal childbirth-related complications, and maternal near-miss were stated to increase a likelihood of newborn death in Ethiopia. Conclusion. Public health interventions directed at decreasing neonatal mortality should address the rural residents, mothers not having ANC follow-up, low birth weight, twin pregnancy, and maternal HIV infection. The wealth of data gathered during primary research should not only lead to identification of predictors, but should also provide guidance for health system intervention strategies in a country aiming to reduce neonatal mortality.
sPmel17 Secreted by Ultraviolet B-Exposed Melanocytes Alters the Intercellular Adhesion of Keratinocytes
Authors: Hu Shuang-Hai , Jiang Shan , Miao Fang , Lei Tie-Chi
Published: February 2022

Repigmentation of the skin in patients with vitiligo represents an intricate process in which the depigmented epidermis is replenished by functional melanocytes (MCs) that migrate from undamaged hair follicles and/or surrounding areas. We characterized whether MCs release a secreted form of Pmel17 (sPmel17) protein after exposure to UVB, thereby weakening the cell-cell adhesions of keratinocytes (KCs), which provides MCs the opportunity to migrate to areas devoid of MCs. At first, we examined the interactions of sPmel17 and FHL2 (four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 2) in KCs treated with the conditioned media (CM) from MCs exposed to UVB. The results showed that both the protein and mRNA levels of FHL2 were significantly upregulated in KCs treated with sPmel17-enriched CM from UVB-exposed MCs. We also found that there are physical interactions between sPmel17 and FHL2 as analyzed by reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation assays and double immunofluorescence staining. The CM from UVB-exposed MCs signaled KCs to remodel the actin cytoskeleton and reduce E-cadherin expression. However, the CM from UVB-exposed and Pmel17-silenced or from UVB-unexposed MCs failed to do this. To further determine the in situ distributions of sPmel17, FHL2, and E-cadherin, we examined the expression profiles of those proteins in the skin from healthy subjects and from depigmented or repigmented vitiligo using immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that the expression of sPmel17 was positively correlated with FHL2 but not to E-cadherin. The colocalization of FHL2 and sPmel17 was also observed in UVB-exposed mouse tail skin. Together, the upregulation of FHL2 in KCs requires stimulation by sPmel17 secreted from MCs and activation of the sPmel17-FHL2-E-cadherin axis offers a potential therapeutic target to expedite the repigmentation process in patients with vitiligo.
KAT5 Inhibitor NU9056 Suppresses Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma Progression through c-Myc/miR-202 Pathway
Authors: Xu Wenjing , Xie Liwei , Yang Yingying , Xu Jiayu , Cai Shang , Tian Ye
Published: February 2022

Background. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is considered to be one of the most aggressive cancers. Our previous study proved that highly expressed lysine acetyltransferase 5 (KAT5) in ATC is associated with a poorer prognosis. Here, this study examined the effects of a KAT5 inhibitor (NU9056) in human ATC cells. Methods. First, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to detect the relationship between KAT5 expression and outcomes of thyroid carcinoma patients. Then, both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of NU9056 on normal and ATC human thyroid cells. Finally, microRNA sequencing, qPCR, and dual-luciferase reporter assay were performed to explore potential mechanisms by identifying downstream microRNA related to NU9056. Results. KAT5 dysregulation correlated with more advanced-stage and poorer outcomes of thyroid carcinoma patients. Endogenous KAT5 protein and mRNA levels were much higher in ATC cells than in normal thyroid cells. Suppression of KAT5 by NU9056 inhibited survival, growth, migration, invasion, and tube formation, and increased radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity in ATC cells but showed no impact on normal thyroid cells. Mechanistically, microRNA-202-5p (miR-202) was identified as the most significantly decreased miRNA after NU9056 treatment. Knockdown of miR-202 suppressed ATC cell progression, while forced expression of miR-202 partially blocked the inhibitory effect of NU9056 on ATC cells. Furthermore, c-Myc was validated as the transcription factor of miR-202, and NU9056 decreased the c-Myc protein level by shortening its half-life. Finally, we proved that NU9056 inhibited ATC proliferation in vivo. Conclusions. Our results indicated that NU9056 targets KAT5, shortens c-Myc half-life, subsequently downregulates miR-202 expression, and results in the suppression of ATC cells. Overall, KAT5 could be a potential target for clinical treatment for ATC.
Design of Pattern Reconfigurable Patch Antenna Array Based on Reflective Phase-Shifter
Authors: Shang Yuqiu , Zeng Qingsheng , Cui Wanzhao , Wang Xinwei , Zheng Gengqi
Published: February 2022

A circularly polarized (CP) broadside antenna array with a continuously adjustable beam is proposed and implemented. First, a reflection phase shifter with varactor diodes loaded on two output terminals of a branch directional coupler is realized. By controlling the voltage across both ends of the varactor diodes in the terminal load circuit, the reactance of the load is changed, allowing control of port phase shift. Following that, the microstrip patch antenna array is combined with the reflection phase shifter to achieve the pattern reconstruction for the array. For verification, a prototype of the designed pattern reconfigurable antenna (PRA) is fabricated and measured. The measurement results indicate that the beam direction of the antenna can be continuously adjusted with a change in the voltage across the varactor diodes. The maximum beam direction of the antenna reaches ±21° when the biggest DC bias voltage across the varactor diode is chosen as 15 V. Besides, the antenna shows good CP performance in different beam directions.
Triggering the Splitting Dynamics of Low-Viscous Fingers through Surface Wettability Inside Bifurcating Channel
Authors: Singh Akhileshwar , Pandey Krishna Murari , Singh Yogesh
Published: February 2022

This work presents the splitting dynamics of low-viscous fingers inside the single bifurcating channel through the surface wettability of daughter branches. The propagation of low-viscous fingers inside branching microchannels have importance in many applications, such as microfluidics, biofluid mechanics (pulmonary airway reopening), and biochemical testing. Several numerical simulations are performed where a water finger propagates inside the silicon oil-filled bifurcating channel, and at the bifurcating tip, it splits into two fingers and these fingers propagate into the separate daughter branches. It is noticed that the behaviour of finger splitting at the bifurcating tip depends upon numerous parameters such as surface wettability, capillary number, viscosity ratio, and surface tension. This study aims to trigger the behaviour of finger splitting through the surface wettability of daughter branches

θ

1

,

θ

2

. Therefore, a series of numerical simulations are performed by considering four different surface wettability configurations of daughter branches, i.e.,

θ

1

,

θ

2

∈

78

°

,

78

°

;

78

°

,

118

°

;

78

°

,

150

°

;

150

°

,

150

°

. According to the results obtained from numerical simulations, finger splitting may be categorized into three types based on splitting ratio

λ

, i.e., symmetrical splitting, nonsymmetrical splitting, and reversal (no) splitting. It is noticed that the surface wettability of both daughter branches is either hydrophilic

78

°

,

78

°

or superhydrophobic

150

°

,

150

°

, providing symmetrical splitting. The surface wettability of one of the daughter branches is hydrophilic and another is hydrophobic

78

°

,

118

°

, providing nonsymmetrical splitting. The surface wettability of one of the daughter branches is hydrophilic and another is superhydrophobic

78

°

,

150

°

, providing reversal splitting. The findings of this investigation may be incorporated in the fields of biochemical testing and occulted pulmonary airways reopening as well as respiratory diseases such as COVID-19.
Influence of Process Parameters on Tensile Strength of the Friction Welded AA6063-T6 Joints by Box–Behnken Design Approach
Authors: Bakkiyaraj M. , Gnanasekaran S. , Samuel Samson Jerold Chelladurai , Murugan K. , Selvamani S.T. , Waji Yosef Asrat
Published: February 2022

The present investigation demonstrates the friction welding of the AA6063-T6 joint to attain the maximum tensile strength by optimizing the parameters (friction load, friction time, and upset load) through response surface methodology. Box–Behnken design is a subset of the response surface methodology (RSM) which was employed to design the experiment numbers, and it was restricted to 15 sets. Furthermore, the inbuilt ANOVA technique was used to obtain the statistical data for the developed numerical model, and the relationship among the parameters against the output response (tensile strength) was interpreted by using the statistical data. Following this, the mechanical and metallurgical studies were done on the optimized conditions using appropriate testing and characterization equipment. The optimized conditions such as friction load (f) of 3 kN along with friction time (t) of 6 s and an upset load of 2.5 kN are given as input to attain the highest TS of 248 MPa. Moreover, the interface between the weld zone and the base metal of the joint was found to be broken during the tensile test when the friction load was given as 3 kN and 4 kN, while the fracture location of the joint was found in the weld zone at the lower friction load of 2 kN. Finally, the acquired results of the optimized friction welded conditions on the AA6063-T6 joint were discussed to justify the statistical data of the numerical model, and the same results were compared to the previous research studies.
Successful Vaginal Delivery after Induction of Labour in a Patient Treated for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the Cervix: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Quaresima Paola , Saccone Gabriele , Zuccalà Valeria , Guarascio Giuseppe , Leo Livio , Amendola Giuseppina , Zullo Fulvio , Morelli Michele , Venturella Roberta
Published: February 2022

Objective. Primary non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas of the cervix are rare; they represent about 1% of all cases. There are no available guidelines regarding the safest mode of delivery after treatment and resolution of a cervical lymphoma. Case Report. We report the first case of a successful vaginal delivery after induction of labour in a woman recovered from a primary large B-cell lymphoma of the cervix and a literature review. Conclusion. In carefully selected patients with fully treated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the cervix with no residual disease, induction of labour via prostaglandins pessary may be a safe option if indicated.
DSP, a Plug-and-Play Process-Based Distributed Algorithm Simulation Platform
Authors: Wang Yifan , Zhao Qianchuan , Yan Hu , Yang Wen
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we propose DSP (Distributed algorithm Simulation Platform), a novel process-based distributed algorithm simulation platform to simulate real distributed systems for the design and verification of distributed algorithms. DSP consists of computer processes, and each process simulates an individual distributed node. A DSP process is mainly composed of a communication module, a computation module, an internal storage module, and an external interaction module. DSP is a flexible, versatile, and scalable simulation platform. It supports the testing of applications in various fields. Small-scale experiments can be done with a single personal computer, while large-scale experiments can be carried out through cloud servers. The greatest highlight of DSP is that it is plug and play, where nodes can be freely added or deleted during the simulation process. DSP is now open-sourced on GitHub, https://github.com/Wales-Wyf/Distributed-Algorithm-Simulation-Platform-DSP--2.0.
Fault Diagnosis of Planetary Gear Based on FRWT and 2D-CNN
Authors: Ma Jie , Jiao Lei
Published: February 2022

The fault signals of planetary gears are nonstationary and nonlinear signals. It is difficult to extract weak fault features under strong background noise. This paper adopts a new filtering method, fractional Wavelet transform (FRWT). Compared with the traditional fractional Fourier transform (FRFT), it can improve the effect of noise reduction. This paper adopts a planetary gear fault diagnosis method combining fractional wavelet transform (FRWT) and two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D-CNN). Firstly, several intrinsic mode component functions (IMFs) are obtained from the original vibration signal by AFSA-VMD decomposition, and the two components with the largest correlation coefficient are selected for signal reconstruction. Then, the reconstructed signal is filtered in fractional wavelet domain. By analyzing the wavelet energy entropy of the filtered signal, a two-dimensional normalized energy characteristic matrix is constructed and the two-dimensional features are input into the two-dimensional convolution neural network model for training. The simulation results show that the training effect of this method is better than that of FRFT-2D-CNN. Through the verification of the test set, we can know that the fault diagnosis of planetary gears can be realized accurately based on FRWT and 2D-CNN.
miR-488-3p Protects Cardiomyocytes against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity by Inhibiting CyclinG1
Authors: Yan Mingjing , Cao Yuan , Wang Que , Xu Kun , Dou Lin , Huang Xiuqing , Chen Beidong , Tang Weiqing , Lan Ming , Liu Bing , Zhu Kaiyi , Yang Yao , Sun Shenghui , Zhang Xiyue , Man Yong , Hei Mingyan , Shen Tao , Li Jian
Published: February 2022

Objective. To investigate the protective effects and regulatory mechanism of miR-488-3p on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Methods. The C57BL/6 mice and primary cardiomyocytes were used to construct doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte injury models in vivo and in vitro. The levels of miR-488-3p and its downstream target genes were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. Mouse cardiac function, cell survival, cellular injury-related proteins, and the apoptosis level of cardiomyocytes were analyzed by echocardiography, MTT analysis, Western blotting, and DNA laddering separately. Results. Cardiomyocyte injury caused by a variety of stimuli can lead to the reduction of miR-488-3p level, especially when stimulated with doxorubicin. Doxorubicin led to significant decrease in cardiac function, cell autophagic flux blockage, and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. The expression of miR-488-3p’s target gene, CyclinG1, increased remarkably in the doxorubicin-treated neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. Overexpression of miR-488-3p inhibited CyclinG1 expression, increased cardiomyocyte viability, and attenuated doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte autophagic flux blockage and apoptosis. Conclusions. miR-488-3p is one of the important protective miRNAs in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting the expression of CyclinG1, which provides insight into the possible clinical application of miR-488-3p/CyclinG1 as therapeutic targets in doxorubicin-induced cardiovascular diseases.
Credit Evaluation of SMEs Based on GBDT-CNN-LR Hybrid Integrated Model
Authors: Zhang Lei , Song Qiankun
Published: February 2022

Under the background of the increasing demand for credit evaluation and risk prediction, the establishment of an effective credit evaluation model for small- and medium-sized enterprises has become a research hotspot. Based on previous studies, this paper proposes a two-layer feature extraction method based on Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). First, based on the original features, GBDT is used to combine and automatically screen them, the missing values in the feature are processed, and the transformed high-dimensional sparse features are obtained. Then, CNN is used to extract features further, and finally, the logistic regression (LR) model is used to predict. In the simulation experiment, this paper takes a dataset of 14,366 small- and medium-sized enterprise credit evaluations as the analysis samples to verify the results. The results show that the GBDT-CNN-LR model has the best performance. The model also shows good generalization ability and stability in the reliability test.
Food Quality Inspection and Grading Using Efficient Image Segmentation and Machine Learning-Based System
Authors: Hemamalini V. , Rajarajeswari S. , Nachiyappan S. , Sambath M. , Devi T. , Singh Bhupesh Kumar , Raghuvanshi Abhishek
Published: February 2022

One of the most critical aspects of quality assurance is inspecting products for defects before they are sold or shipped. A good product is more vital than having more of the same item for a customer’s enjoyment. The client has a significant role in determining the quality of a product. Another way to think about quality is as the total of all the characteristics that contribute to the creation of items that the client enjoys. Recently, the application of machine vision and image processing technology to improve the surface quality of fruits and other foods has increased significantly. This is primarily because these technologies make significant advancements in areas where the human eye falls short. This means that, by utilizing computer vision and image processing techniques, time-consuming and subjective industrial quality control processes can be eliminated. This article discusses how to check and assess food using picture segmentation and machine learning. It is capable of classifying fruits and determining whether a piece of fruit is rotten. To begin, Gaussian elimination is used to remove noise from images. Then, photos are subjected to histogram equalization in order to improve their quality. Segmentation of the image is carried out using the K-means clustering technique. Then, fruit photos are classified using machine learning methods such as KNN, SVM, and C4.5. These algorithms determine if a fruit is damaged or not.
Exploring the Study of miR-1301 Inhibiting the Proliferation and Migration of Squamous Cell Carcinoma YD-38 Cells through PI3K/AKT Pathway under Deep Learning Medical Images
Authors: Gong Chaofan , Bhargava Rohit , Bajaj Chandrajit
Published: February 2022

With the rapid development and application of deep learning medical image recognition, natural language processing, and other fields, at the same time, deep learning has become the most popular research direction in the field of image processing and recognition. Through deep learning medical image recognition technology, it is of great significance to explore the research of miR-1301. The purpose of this article is to use an improved CNN neural network model algorithm combined to contrast the experimental groups and use deep learning medical imaging technology to study the mechanism by which miR-1301 inhibits the proliferation of carcinoma YD-38 cells through the PI3K/AKT pathway. This paper studies the method of image recognition of squamous cell carcinoma YD-38 cells using a convolutional neural network (CNN). First, a CNN classification model for the characteristics of YD-38 cell images is constructed. Then, pretraining and dropout technology are used to improve and optimize the proposed CNN model to improve the robustness of the model. In this paper, the miR mimic group and the miR blank group and the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor Wortmannin were selected to jointly treat YD-38 cells. The expression of mRNA in miR-1301 in HGF-1 was determined using RT-PCR (real and real-time fluorescence and YD-38 cells). The blank plasmids and the miR-1301 mimic (miR-1301 mimic) were transfected into YD-38 cells. The experiments were divided into two groups in the miR-1301 blank group and the miR-1301 simulation groups, respectively. The proliferation capacity of YD-38 cells was prepared in 1.5 ml sterile EP tubes and then diluted with medium for the proliferation of the cells. The scratch test and Transwell test were used to detect the effect of miR-1-3p on the migration and invasion of liver cancer cells. In this paper, CCK-8 experiment, clone formation experiment, flow cytometry, scratch experiment, and Transwell chamber experiment are used to analyze the effects of target gene CAAP1 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells. This paper uses CCK-8 to detect five kinds of the effect of miRNA on the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells and the effect of miR-1-3p on the proliferation ability of liver cancer cells. Experimental studies have shown that, compared with the miR blank group, the expression of PI3K and p-AKT was significantly downregulated in the miR mimic group after 24, 48, and 72 hours and the phosphorylation level of AKT was also significantly reduced

P
<
0.05

.
PSE and ISE Based E-Commerce Model Design of Sharing Enterprises
Authors: Yang Suhong , Hassan Mohammed k. , kumar Vinay
Published: February 2022

Sharing economy is developing rapidly in the world, but most sharing enterprises have failed and brought a huge waste of resources. We analyzed the relationship between the entrepreneurial success and the failure of e-commerce companies engaged in sharing goods. We think that the sharing economy is divided into the procurement sharing economy (PSE) and idle sharing economy (ISE). By establishing two models (PSE and ISE) to explain the success or failure of enterprises in sharing economy, we found that PSE enterprises are traditional enterprises with a high bankruptcy risk. PSE enterprises can generate a significant amount of waste and are highly dependent on venture capital; they should be restricted by the government. ISE enterprises, however, have Internet “genes,” comport with sustainable development, and should be supported. Our research shows that entrepreneurs may fail if they do not pay attention to the relationship. A huge waste of resources and chaotic social order may occur if the government does not pay attention to it, and investment companies may lose a lot if they ignore it. The practical data show that our method is effective in judging whether the sharing enterprise fails.
Understanding Virtual Gifting in Live Streaming by the Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Xu Yi , Ye Yixin , Liu Yixuan
Published: February 2022

Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the current study developed a model to understand motivations and predictors of viewers’ virtual gifting behaviors in online live streaming. The model was tested with data from 392 live streaming viewers with previous virtual gifting experiences. The results showed that perceived pleasure, interaction with streamers, group interactions, and support for streamers can predict individual attitudes toward virtual gifting. Subjective norms learned from family and friends as well as streamers and viewers in live streaming could significantly affect virtual gifting intention. Quality of streams, the attractiveness of the streamers, and viewers’ monetary resources influenced perceived ease of virtual gifting. Overall, the proposed model predicted virtual gifting behavior well. Findings were discussed in terms of the links between online and offline subjective norms along with the relationship of perceived behavior control, virtual gifting intention, and virtual gifting behavior. We suggest that the adjusted TPB model with subjective norms both offline and online can fit the online interaction contexts well and explain online norms development. Furthermore, our model reflects how social incentive contributes to virtual gifting. These findings offer insights into the motivations of virtual gifting behavior and provide implications for virtual gifting experience design.
Sliding Mode Control of Underactuated Nonlinear Systems Based on Piecewise Double Power Reaching Law
Authors: Yue Congcong , Yu Haisheng , Meng Xiangxiang
Published: February 2022

A sliding mode control (SMC) strategy using novel piecewise double power reaching law (PDPRL) for a class of fourth-order nonlinear underactuated systems (USs) is proposed to realize simultaneous control of the unactuated and the actuated part. A novel PDPRL is designed in the form of a piecewise function to reduce the chattering produced by SMC. The fixed-time convergence characteristic and the existence of maximum convergence time independent of the initial value of the sliding mode surface for the PDPRL are analyzed. Considering the uncertainties of model parameters and external disturbance in the USs, a supertwisting disturbance observer (STDO) is provided to accurately estimate the disturbance in real time, and the estimated value is compensated to the controller. The underactuated inverted pendulum system is taken to verify the effectiveness of the devised strategy, and the simulation results show that the proposed strategy can reduce chattering, suppress the disturbance, and enhance the robustness of the system.
Oral Administration of Bacterial β Cell Expansion Factor A (BefA) Alleviates Diabetes in Mice with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Wang Huan , Wei Jing , Hu Hong , Le Fuyin , Wu Heng , Wei Hong , Luo Jie , Chen Tingtao
Published: February 2022

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases, and there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic DM oral drugs with fewer side effects and sound therapeutic efficacy. In this study, a β cell expansion factor A (BefA) production strain of Escherichia coli (BL21-pet 28C-BefA) was constructed, and the antidiabetes effect of BefA was evaluated using type 1 DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM) mice models. The T1DM mice results indicated that BefA significantly reduced blood glucose levels; exerted a protective effect on islet β cell morphology; downregulated the expressions of TLR-4, p-NFκB/NFκB, and Bax/Bcl-2, and the secretion levels of IL-1β and TNF-α; increased the expression of PDX-1 protein and insulin secretion in a concentration-dependent manner; and restored the disturbed microbial diversity to normal levels. Similarly with the T1DM mice, BefA obviously increased islet β cells and reduced the inflammatory reaction and apoptosis in T2DM mice, as well as improved liver lipid metabolism by downregulating the expressions of CEBP-α, ACC, and Fasn; inhibited the synthesis of triglycerides; and induced Cpt-1, Hmgcs2, and Pparα in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, BefA alleviates diabetes via increasing the number of islet β cells, reducing the inflammatory reaction and apoptosis, improving liver lipid metabolism, and restoring microbial diversity to normal levels, which provides a new strategy for a DM oral drug.
A Moderated Mediation Model of Factors Influencing Intention to Adopt Cryptocurrency among University Students
Authors: Hasan Saher Zeast , Ayub Huma , Ellahi Abida , Saleem Mahnoor
Published: February 2022

The goal of this study is to find out what people think about cryptocurrencies and how they feel about it. The study used a questionnaire to assess the factors that influence people’s willingness to accept cryptocurrency. The study used a pretest, posttest quantitative analysis to determine the level of awareness among users in the first phase. In the second step, information regarding the conceptual framework was gathered using a survey approach. For the study, 350 university students were chosen as the sample size. Hypotheses about the significant effects of perceived benefits, perceived risks, perceived value, and structural provisions on behavioral intention to adopt cryptocurrency were accepted, while hypotheses about social effects, moderating effect of self-efficacy and personal innovativeness as well as the mediator attitudes towards using cryptocurrency, were not statistically proven. The tested model and resultant findings have brought many managerial and theoretical implications for enhancing the intention to adopt cryptocurrency.
Determinants of Stroke Mortality through Survival Models: The Case of Mettu Karl Referral Hospital, Mettu, Ethiopia
Authors: Ababu Dereje Gebeyehu , Getahun Azmeraw Misganaw
Published: February 2022

Introduction. Every year worldwide, between five to six million deaths are associated with stroke; on average, one stroke-related death occurs every four minutes. In Ethiopia, stroke is a frequent cause of mortality and morbidity from noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining factors associated to stroke mortality through survival models in Mettu Karl Referral Hospital. Methods. This study was conducted from September 1, 2014, to April 1, 2017, and encompassed 202 stroke patients at Mettu Karl Referral Hospital. The Cox semiparametric regression was used for analyzing survival analysis of stroke patients using R software. Results. A total of 202 stroke patients were included in the study, and among those patients, 72.8% and 27.2% were censored and died, respectively. According to the result of Cox semiparametric regression model, sex of patients, hypertension, baseline complication, and stroke type had significant effect on survival of the stroke patient at 5% significance level. Conclusion. The results from Cox semiparametric regression model indicated that sex of patients, hypertension, baseline complication, and stroke type were major factors related to the survival time of stroke patients. The researcher recommends that the people should be aware on the burden of those risk factors and well informed about the disease.
Characterization of Associated Nonclassical Phenotypes in Patients with Deletion in the WAGR Region Identified by Chromosomal Microarray: New Insights and Literature Review
Authors: de Souza Vanessa Sodré , da Cunha Gabriela Corassa Rodrigues , Versiani Beatriz R. , de Oliveira Claudiner Pereira , Rosa Maria Teresa Alves Silva , de Oliveira Silviene F. , Moretti Patricia N. , Mazzeu Juliana F. , Pic-Taylor Aline
Published: February 2022

WAGR syndrome (Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genitourinary changes, and intellectual disability) is a contiguous gene deletion syndrome characterized by the joint deletion of PAX6 and WT1 genes, located in the short arm of chromosome 11. However, most deletions include other genes, leading to multiple associated phenotypes. Therefore, understanding how genes deleted together can contribute to other clinical phenotypes is still considered a challenge. In order to establish genotype-phenotype correlation in patients with interstitial deletions of the short arm of chromosome 11, we selected 17 patients with deletions identified by chromosomal microarray analysis: 4 new subjects and 13 subjects previously described in the literature with detailed clinical data. Through the analysis of deleted regions and the phenotypic changes, it was possible to suggest the contribution of specific genes to several nonclassical phenotypes, contributing to the accuracy of clinical characterization of the syndrome and emphasizing the broad phenotypic spectrum found in the patients. This study reports the first patient with a PAX6 partial deletion who does not present any eye anomaly thus opening a new set of questions about the functional activity of PAX6.
VEGF-Independent Angiogenic Factors: Beyond VEGF/VEGFR2 Signaling
Authors: Eguchi Ryoji , Kawabe Jun-ichi , Wakabayashi Ichiro
Published: February 2022

Tumors induce angiogenesis to acquire oxygen and nutrition from their adjacent microenvironment. Tumor angiogenesis has been believed to be induced primarily by the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) from various tumors. VEGF-A binds to VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), resulting in subsequent activation of cellular substances regulating cell proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. Antiangiogenic therapies targeting the VEGF-A/VEGFR2 axis, including bevacizumab and ramucirumab, humanized monoclonal antibodies against VEGF-A and VEGFR2, respectively, have been proposed as a promising strategy aimed at preventing tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. Phase III clinical trials using bevacizumab and ramucirumab have shown that not all tumor patients benefit from such antiangiogenic agents, and that some patients who initially benefit subsequently become less responsive to these antibodies, suggesting the possible existence of VEGF-independent angiogenic factors. In this review, we focus on VEGF-independent and VEGFR2-dependent tumor angiogenesis, as well as VEGFR2-independent tumor angiogenesis. Additionally, we discuss VEGF-independent angiogenic factors which have been reported in previous studies. Various molecular targeting drugs are currently being evaluated as potential antitumor therapies. We expect that precision medicine will permit the development of innovative antiangiogenic therapies targeting individual angiogenic factors selected on the basis of the genetic screening of tumors.
The Clinical Features of Incidentally Diagnosed Urothelial Bladder Cancer: A Retrospective Data Analysis
Authors: Kamecki Hubert , Dębowska Małgorzata , Nyk Łukasz , Przewor Artur , Demkow Tomasz , Sosnowski Roman
Published: February 2022

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical features of incidental bladder cancer (BC) diagnosis, with special emphasis on possible associations between incidental diagnosis and primary disease stage or grade. Methods: We retrospectively included 501 consecutive patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor and were diagnosed with primary urothelial carcinoma of the bladder between January 2013 and February 2021 in a university hospital. The type of diagnosis (incidental or nonincidental), patient baseline characteristics and primary stage and grade were studied for interdependencies. Results: 28.5% of all patients and 19.8% of high grade (HG) BC patients had been diagnosed incidentally, most commonly with ultrasound. Incidental diagnosis was associated with lower primary stage and grade of the disease. Most importantly, on multivariable analysis, which included baseline patient characteristics and type of diagnosis, in the subgroup of HG BC patients, muscle-invasive BC (MIBC) or metastatic disease was three times less likely to be diagnosed incidentally than non-MIBC (odds ratio: 0.31, 95% confidence interval: 0.14–0.71, p = 0.006). Conclusions: The study is first to demonstrate that incidental diagnosis of HG BC may be surprisingly prevalent and associated with lower rates of muscle invasion or metastatic disease.
Tuberculosis and/or HIV Infection and Associated Socio-Behavioural Factors in Immigrants, in Portugal: A Cross-Sectional, Community-Based Descriptive Study
Authors: Farias Rhaisa , Couto Isabel , Pingarilho Marta , Fronteira Inês
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Portugal is one of the countries in Western Europe with the highest prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The prevalence among migrants is estimated to be higher than among non-migrants, which suggests a greater vulnerability of this population. Aim: To describe the distribution of TB, HIV and HIV-TB co-infection and socio-behavioural factors associated with immigrants that lived in the metropolitan area of Lisbon and used the services of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive pilot study. An anonymous and structured questionnaire developed specifically for the study was applied by NGO employees duly trained for this purpose to a purposeful sample of 100 immigrants attending health services in an NGO in the metropolitan area of Lisbon, Portugal. Results: The prevalence of HIV-TB extrapulmonary coinfection and HIV infection was 1% (n = 1) and 17% (n = 17), respectively. Only 1 immigrant had 4 out of the 5 symptoms suggestive of TB. No cases of pulmonary TB were identified, although 3 of the immigrants reported having been treated for pulmonary TB in the past. The participants were young, mainly female and some were male-to-female transsexuals. Most were from the community of Portuguese-speaking countries, especially from Brazil, and almost half of them had not regularized their immigration status. Additionally, almost one-fifth of immigrants were unemployed (17%), and one-sixth performed sex work (14%). Most of the participants (71%) sometimes used or never used a condom during sexual intercourse. Additionally, 40% revealed using illicit drugs and 1% said that they had shared injection material in the last 12 months. Discussion: Being non-employed, with a low income and a lower level of education, consumption of illicit drugs and regular tobacco consumption were common characteristics in the immigrants studied, which points out social and economic disadvantages that could influence the risk of acquiring HIV and TB. Policies on latent TB infection and TB diagnosis are urgently needed, mainly aimed at vulnerable groups and culturally diverse populations.
Usefulness of Five-Parameter System Reconfirmed for Cytopathology of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma regardless of Differentiation Degree
Authors: Hara Hitoshi , Misawa Tsunemi , Ishii Eri , Nakagawa Miki , Amemiya Saki , Amemiya Kenji , Oyama Toshio , Saku Takashi
Published: February 2022

Background: We previously introduced the Five-Parameter System (FPS), which exclusively evaluates keratinized cellular findings, for use in cytology examinations of oral well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS) specimens, as they occasionally lack nuclear atypia and can be challenging for categorization by The Bethesda System (TBS). This study was conducted to determine whether FPS parameters are detectable even in oral SCC/CIS specimens with apparent nuclear atypia. Summary: Oral cytology specimens were obtained together with biopsy tissue samples. They were obtained from 59 malignant (HSIL and SCC) and 29 not-definitely malignant (NILM to ASC-H) specimens diagnosed using TBS. Following re-confirmation of the original TBS categorization, the specimens were re-evaluated using FPS. One or more of the FPS parameters were noted in 69 of 70 malignant specimens examined, of which 11 had been diagnosed by TBS as not-definitely malignant. The remaining one malignant specimen was diagnosed as SCC with only TBS. FPS parameters #1 (concentric arrangement), #2 (large cell number), #3 (bizarre-shaped cells), #4 (keratoglobules), and #5 (uneven filamentous cytoplasm) were observed only in malignant cases, while none were revealed in not-definitely malignant specimens. Finally, TBS supplemented with FPS achieved sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100%. Key Messages: FPS parameters are included in most examinations of oral cytology specimens. Thus, FPS is highly recommended for use in cytology examinations of oral SCC regardless of differentiation degree to confirm judgment based on TBS, a mandatory standard, as well as to cover its limitation of mainly evaluating nuclear atypia. FPS is considered to be an important diagnostic tool for oral cytology, especially in triage cases, which are challenging for TBS. Cytopathology should not be limited to only nuclear findings but be based on whole-cell morphology.
Discovery and Characterization of the Phospholemman/SIMP/Viroporin Superfamily
Authors: Tyler Daniel , Hendargo Kevin J. , Medrano-Soto Arturo , Saier Milton H.
Published: February 2022

Using bioinformatic approaches, we present evidence of distant relatedness among the Ephemerovirus Viroporin family, the Rhabdoviridae Putative Viroporin U5 family, the Phospholemman family, and the Small Integral Membrane Protein family. Our approach is based on the transitivity property of homology complemented with five validation criteria: (1) significant sequence similarity and alignment coverage, (2) compatibility of topology of transmembrane segments, (3) overlap of hydropathy profiles, (4) conservation of protein domains, and (5) conservation of sequence motifs. Our results indicate that Pfam protein domains PF02038 and PF15831 can be found in or projected onto members of all four families. In addition, we identified a 26-residue motif conserved across the superfamily. This motif is characterized by hydrophobic residues that help anchor the protein to the membrane and charged residues that constitute phosphorylation sites. In addition, all members of the four families with annotated function are either responsible for or affect the transport of ions into and/or out of the cell. Taken together, these results justify the creation of the novel Phospholemman/SIMP/Viroporin superfamily. Given that transport proteins can be found not just in cells, but also in viruses, the ability to relate viroporin protein families with their eukaryotic and bacterial counterparts is an important development in this superfamily.
Ergonomics workstation environment toward organisational competitiveness
Authors: Mohamed Makhbul Zafir Khan , Shukor Md Shafiin , Azly Muhamed Ariff
Published: February 2022

The lack of comfort due to workplace environment impact could trim down job performance and organizational productivity. Literature reviews indicate that ergonomic workplace environment that is strongly associated with the job performance. Employees’ perceptions to be examined by the organizations to ensure the excellent job performance. Thus, 295 officers were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling with two-section questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) and analysis of a moment structure (AMOS) software. The research findings show that acoustic is the most crucial factor (0.928) followed by lighting (0.898), workstation design (0.846), working hours (0.670), and chair (0.563). Ventilation is still significant to the whole environment although scored the lowest coefficient value (0.385). These findings provide valuable information to organizations in their attempts to sustain the human resources so that they are always competitive and productive in facing the challenges of the environmental change.
Organizational safety climate and workplace violence among primary healthcare workers in Malaysia
Authors: Rajakrishnan Sudeash , Abdullah Victor Hoe Chee Wai , Aghamohammadi Nasrin
Published: February 2022

Workplace violence (WPV) has become a global safety and health concern in recent times particularly in the healthcare sector. In addition, low levels of organisational safety climate (OSC) have been associated with higher occurrence of occupational related health outcomes. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the association between organisational safety climate and workplace violence among government primary healthcare workers. A cross-sectional study among a stratified random sample of 838 primary healthcare workers (HCW) from the nine district health offices under the Selangor state health department. Two standardized self-administered questionnaires were used to obtain data on WPV and OSC. Logistic regression models used to estimate the association between OSC and WPV. Prevalence of WPV was 68.5% whereby verbal abuse was the most common type (65%) followed by bullying (27%), physical violence (6%) and sexual harassment (2%). Nurses (29.7%) were the most affected by WPV. The main perpetrators were relatives of patients (38%). Low level of OSC was also associated with WPV (OR=3.04, 95% CI=1.45-6.41). The results of this study confirmed that safety climate is associated with WPV. Hence, interventions and efforts to prevent WPV among HCW should also include improving organizational safety factors.
Ownership of latrine in the household in Indonesia: a review
Authors: Suryani Dyah , Rudi Abil , Akbar Hairil , Hizriansyah Hizriansyah , Maretalinia Maretalinia , Suyitno Suyitno
Published: February 2022

Ownership of a household latrine has been proven to be associated with various diseases, including diarrhea. This study aimed to understand the factors related to ownership of latrine in the household, Indonesia. This study used a literature review design by collecting 15 articles screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria using the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) Model. It was found that attitude was significantly related to ownership of healthy latrines in the household. The level of knowledge, family income, the level of education, and the role of health practitioner were also the most significant variables in Indonesia during 2010 to 2020. The government needs to make the sanitation campaign and creative intervention to reach 100% open defecation free in Indonesia.
Using Health Belief Model for predicting COVID-19 prevention practices among university student and staff
Authors: Hidayati Hidayati , Musniati Nia , Hidayat Ahmad , Nurmansyah Mochamad Iqbal
Published: February 2022

Large-scale social restriction (PSBB-Pembatasan Sosial Berkala Besar) is a policy aimed at reducing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019
 (COVID-19). The purpose of this study was to determine the respondents' compliance behaviors towards the PSBB regulations according to the Health Belief Model. This cross-sectional study was conducted at a private university in Jakarta using quantitative methods. Data collection was carried out on July 2020, where 116 respondents were selected and recruited in the study using convenience non-probability sampling. Online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The independent variables were adopted from Health Belief Model theory. These included; perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, health motivation, perceived benefit, perceived barrier and cues to action. The dependent variable was COVID-19 prevention behavior. Results showed that variables of health motivation (p-value=0.001), perceived benefits (p-value=0.008), and perceived barriers (p-value=0.007), advertising (p-value=0.027), counseling (p-value=0.001), and media access (p-value=0.000) had significant effects on the respondents' compliance to COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Multivariate analysis showed significant association of health motivation and perceived benefits with COVID-19 prevention behavior. An intervention is required to improve the community’s perception and belief towards the benefits and effectiveness of COVID-19 prevention behavior in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic.