bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of D and V cryo-plate methods for plum pox virus eradication from two plum cultivars
Authors: Jevremović Darko , Vasilijevic Bojana , Anđelić Tatjana , Vujović Tatjana
Published: September 2022

Conservation of plant species, particularly of those important for agriculture, has now reached a very high importance in order to ensure sustainable utilization of biological resources by preventing further losses of plant diversity. The most advanced method for plant conservation is cryopreservation. Cryotherapy that relies on cryopreservation procedure, alone or in combination with other techniques, can be used for pathogen elimination from infected plants. Viral diseases pose a significant threat to the agriculture, decreasing yields and crop quality. In this work, two cryotherapy methods (D and V cryo-plate) were evaluated for plum pox virus (PPV) eradication from autochthonous plums ‘Crvena Ranka’ and ‘Belošljiva’, widely present under different local names on the Balkan peninsula. Nine different cryo-plate treatments were performed per each genotype. Cryotherapy was efficient in PPV eradication from plum ‘Crvena Ranka’ in three V cryo-plate treatments, but failed to eliminate PPV from genotype ‘Belošljiva’.
Risk factors and clinical outcomes of extubation failure in very early preterm infants: a single-center cohort study
Authors: Park Su Jeong , Bae Mi Hye , Jeong Mun Hui , Jeong Seong Hee , Lee Na Rae , Byun Shin Yun , Park Kyung Hee
Published: September 2022

Background
Early extubation success (ES) in preterm infants may reduce various mechanical ventilation-associated complications; however, extubation failure (EF) can cause adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the differences in risk factors and clinical outcomes between ES and EF in very early preterm infants.
Methods
This retrospective study was conducted between January 2017 and December 2021. We enrolled premature infants born under the gestational age of 32 weeks who failed extubation even once in the EF group, and patients with similar gestational age and birth weight to the EF group and successful extubation at once were assigned to the ES group. EF was defined as the need for reintubation within 120 hours after extubation. Various variables were analyzed between the two groups.
Results
EF rate in this study was 18.6% (24/129), and approximately 80% of EF patients required re-intubation within 90.17 h. In the ES group, there was less use of inotropes within 7 days of life (12(63.2%) vs. 22(91.7%), p=0.022), a lower respiratory severity score (RSS) at 1 and 4 weeks of age (1.72 vs. 2.5, p=0.026, 1.73 vs. 2.92, p=0.010), and a faster time to reach full feeding (18.7 vs. 29.7, p=0.020). There was a higher severity of BPD (3(15.8%) vs. 14(58.3%), p=0.018), a longer duration of oxygen supply (66.5 vs. 92.9, p=0.042), and higher corrected age at discharge (39.6 vs. 42.5, p=0.043) in the EF group. The cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of the RSS at 1 week of age were 1.98, 0.71, and 0.42, respectively, and the cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of RSS at 4 weeks of age were 2.22, 0.67, and 0.47, respectively
Conclusions
EF can cause adverse short-term outcomes, such as a higher severity of BPD and a longer duration of hospital days. Therefore, extubation in very early preterm infants should be attempted carefully. The use of inotropes and proceeding feeding and RSS at 1 week of age can be helpful to predict successful extubation.
Study on stability and bearing characteristics of macroscopic pressure arch of surrounding rock in Western deep buried stope of China
Authors: 杨 玉亮 , Zhao Yixin , Zhang Cun , Ma Jianqi , Han Penghua
Published: September 2022

In view of the obvious loose and weak occurrence characteristics of the deeply buried thick weakly cemented stratum in the western mining area of China, the bearing characteristics and stability mechanism of the macrography surrounding rock pressure arch (SRPA) are studied. Firstly, considering the engineering characteristics of deep mining, a SRPA model with trapezoidal load was constructed based on the three-hinged arch theory, the shape characteristic, rise-span ratio and arch thickness equations were derived, the arch thickness under different stress paths is analyzed to characterize the bearing performance of pressure arch. Secondly, the internal force distribution law and destabilization damage type were studied by establishing a two-dimensional bearing SRPA model through arch without articulation theory. The instability type and location can be accurately judged and verified by simulation of similar materials. The results show that, the rational arch axis of SRPA is a cubic parabola with opening downward, its rise-span ratio is between 0.3–0.5. Increasing the rise-span ratio and lateral pressure coefficient can promote the stable bearing capacity of arch. Axial force distribution on the SRPA section is basically consistent with the arch axis, and the arch has the best bearing characteristics. The positive bending moment occurs in the ranges of [0°, 30°] and [81°, 90°] on both sides of the symmetry axis, where is prone to tensile failure. The maximum shear force is concentrated on the arch waist and skewback, and these sections are prone to shear failure. The instability modes of SRPA can be divided into “skewback - vault (arch waist)” and “vault (arch waist) - skewback”. The research results have theoretical guiding significance for mining roof management.
Cytomegalovirus coinfection among people living with HIV in China before and on cART: A retrospective study
Authors: Li Xiaodi , Lu Lianfeng , Liu Xiaosheng , Han Yang , Zhu Ting , Qiu Zhifeng , Li Xiaoxia , Li Yanling , Song Xiaojing , Cao Wei , Li Taisheng
Published: September 2022

Background
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was the common opportunistic pathogen among people living with HIV(PLWH), even in the combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) era. This study aimed to report the epidemiology and characteristics of CMV coinfection among Chinese PLWH.
Methods
Data were collected from two prospective longitudinal multicenter cohorts of PLWH initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) from 2010 to 2015. This study extracted laboratory parameters, clinical symptoms, and serology of CMV baseline to 192 weeks of cART.
Results
1552 patients were included in this analysis; the prevalence of CMV coinfection was 3.53% before cART. Logistics analysis showed that patients with lower CD4 T cell counts, RPR-seropositive, infected through homosexual contact, and from southern China had a higher risk of CMV/HIV coinfection at baseline. Patients with CMV coinfection at baseline had lower CD4/CD8 ratios at baseline (0.29 vs 0.22, p = 0.006), 96 weeks (0.63 vs 0.51, p = 0.015). After initiation of cART, the incidence of CMV recent infection was 10 cases/1000 PY. Cases coinfected with CMV during cART were mostly asymptomatic and had a comparable CD4, CD8 T cell counts, and CD4/CD8 ratio to non-coinfected patients.
Conclusion
This multicenter study reported a national prevalence and incidence of CMV recent infection among the Chinese PLWH before or on cART. CMV coinfection before cART initiation was associated with a slower recovery of CD4/CD8 ratio. However, CMV coinfection during successful treatment cART seems not to affect immunity parameters.
Association between the Triglyceride to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio and Mortality in Maintenance Haemodialysis Patients
Authors: Qi LeMuge , Zhang Aihong , Zhang Yanping , Ren Zhuo , Zhao Chen , Wang Qian , Ren Kaiming , Bai Jiuxu , Cao Ning
Published: September 2022

Background
In the general population, TG/HDL-C is as a marker of cardiovascular (CV) events and death. However, studies on TG/HDL-C in haemodialysis (HD) patients are limited, and the results are controversial. This study investigated the TG/HDL-C ratio and all-cause and CV mortality in HD patients.
Methods
In this retrospective cohort study, 582 HD patients were enrolled from June 2015 to September 2016 and followed through September 2021. The outcomes were all-cause death and CV mortality. The optimal threshold for the TG/HDL-C ratio was determined by Youden's index in receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses, and the Kaplan–Meier method and log rank test were applied to assess groups. The association between TG/HDL-C and mortality was analysed by adjusted multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models.
Results
During the median follow-up of 68 months, 159 patients died, with 82 (51.6%) classified as CV death. The optimal threshold of the TG/HDL-C ratio was determined to be 1.71. Kaplan–Meier curves confirmed that patients with TG/HDL-C ≥1.71 had significantly lower all-cause mortality (log rank test, p = 0.007) and cardiovascular mortality (log rank test, p = 0.006). After adjusting for confounders, multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that TG/HDL-C ≥1.71 was associated with decreased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-0.95, P=0.026) and cardiovascular mortality (adjusted HR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.36-0.99; P=0.045) in HD patients.
Conclusion
TG/HDL-C is an independent protective factor for mortality in HD patients. High TG/HDL-C was associated with decreased all-cause and CV mortality in HD patients.
Genomic prediction in Brazilian Guzerá cattle: application of a single-step approach to productive and reproductive traits
Authors: Carrara Eula Regina , Peixoto Maria Gabriela Campolina Diniz , Silva Alessandra Alves da , Bruneli Frank Angelo Tomita , Ventura Henrique Torres , Zadra Lenira El Faro , Josahkian Luiz Antônio , Veroneze Renata , Lopes Paulo Sávio
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of genomic prediction for productive and reproductive traits in Guzerá cattle using the single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP). Evaluations included the 305-day cumulative yields (first lactation, in kg) of milk, lactose, protein, fat, and total solids; adjusted body weight (kg) at the ages of 450 days, 365 and 210 days; and age at first calving (in days), from a database containing 197,283 measurements from Guzerá males and females born between 1954 and 2018. The pedigree included 433,823 animals spanning up to 14 overlapping generations. A total of 1,618 animals were genotyped. The analyses were performed using ssGBLUP and traditional BLUP methods. Prediction ability and bias were accessed using cross-validation. The predictive abilities were similar between the methods and ranged from 0.27 to 0.47 for the genomic-based model and from 0.30 to 0.45 for the pedigree-based model. The bias also was similar between the methods, ranging from 0.88 to 1.35 in genomic-based model and from 0.96 to 1.41 in pedigree-based model. The individual accuracy of breeding values had an evident increase in genomic evaluation, with values ranging from 0.41 to 0.56 in the genomic-based model and from 0.26 to 0.54 in the pedigree-based model. Even based on a small number of genotyped animals and a small database for some traits, the results suggest that the ssGBLUP is feasible and may be applied to national genetic evaluations of the breed to increase the accuracy of breeding values, but still without great impact on predictive ability and bias.
YouTube™ as a source of information on prostatitis: A quality and reliability analysis
Authors: Aktas Binhan , Demirel Doruk , Celikkaleli Ferhat , Bulut Suleyman , Ozgur Emrah , Kizilkan Yalcin , Ozden Cuneyt
Published: September 2022

It was aimed to analyze the YouTube™ videos on prostatitis regarding their source, content, and information included. The term “prostatitis” was searched by relevance and the first 200 video links and features were recorded. Using the 5- point modified DISCERN tool, Global Quality Score (GQS), and the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) score, quality and reliability of the information were assessed by two urologists. The most common source of upload was doctors/medical institutions (33%), and majority of the content was about general information (27%). The mean modified DISCERN, GQS and JAMA scores were 3.24, 3.25 and 2.17, respectively. These scores were correlated with each other and significantly higher in videos uploaded by doctors/medical institutions. Of the videos, 25.5% were poor, 30.5% were moderate, and 44% were high-quality. High-quality videos were significantly shorter than poor qualities. Poor-quality videos had the highest view ratio. The most of YouTube™ videos on prostatitis are short and high-quality videos uploaded by doctors/medical institutions. However, these videos did not reach the view ratios they deserved.
Self-healing, Solvent-free Anti-corrosion Coating based on Skin-like polyurethane/carbon nanotubes Composite with Real-time Damage Monitoring
Authors: Kong Hui , Luo Xiaomin , Zhang Peng , Feng Jianyan , Li Pengni , Hu Wenjie , Wang Xuechuan , Liu Xinhua
Published: September 2022

Self-healing anti-corrosion coatings are widely regarded as a promising long-term corrosion protection strategy, and it is even more significant if the coating damage can be monitored in real-time and thus repaired. Inspired by the hierarchical structure of human skin, a self-healing solvent-free polyurethane/carbon nanotubes coating (SFPUHE-HTF-CNTs) with a skin-like bilayer structure was constructed by scraping and spraying techniques. The SFPUHE-HTF-CNTs is composed of a self-healing functional layer and a corrosion protection layer. In detail, the hydrophobic solvent-free polyurethane (SFPUHE-HTF) containing disulfide bonds and fluorinated polysiloxane chain segments consists of the self-healing functional layer, and the CNTs with good electrical conductivity consist of the corrosion protection layer, which also allows real-time monitoring of coating damage. SFPUHE-HTF-CNTs can self-repair cracks when heated at 60 ℃ for 16 min or irradiated with UV light at the energy of 200 for 48 h. The results of corrosion protection experiments indicate that the coating has a low corrosion current density (8.94×10− 9 A·cm− 2), a positive corrosion potential (-0.38 V) and a high impedance modulus (|Z|=4.79×105 Ω·cm2). The impedance modulus could still reach 4.54×104 Ω·cm2 after self-healing, showing excellent self-healing properties for anti-corrosion protection. Synchronously, SFPUHE-HTF-CNTs exhibits satisfying damage sensing performance, enabling real-time monitoring of fractures at different sizes. This work realized the effective combination of self-healing performance and corrosion protection and real-time damage monitoring function through bionic design, and completed the simple, green, low-cost and rapid preparation of multi-functional self-healing coating, which has the advantage of scale production.
Adoption and scaling-up of an effective mHealth intervention to increase adherence to triage of HPV-positive women (ATICA study): Perceptions of health decision-makers and health-care providers
Authors: Straw Cecilia , Sanchez-Antelo Victoria , Kohler Racquel , Paolino Melisa , Viswanath Kasisomayajula , Arrossi Silvina
Published: September 2022

Background: The ATICA study was a Hybrid I type randomized effectiveness-implementation trial that demonstrated effectiveness of a multicomponent mHealth intervention (Up to four SMS messages sent to HPV-positive women, and one SMS message to CHWs to prompt a visit of women with no triage Pap 60 days after a positive-test), to increase adherence to triage of HPV positive women (ATICA Study). We report data on perceptions of health decision-makers and healthcare providers regarding the intervention adoption and scaling-up.
Methods: A qualitative study was carried out based on individual, semi-structured interviews with health decision-makers (n=10) and health care providers (n= 10). The themes explored were selected and analyzed using domains and constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the maintenance dimension of the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.
Results: Both health care providers and decision-makers had a positive assessment of the intervention through most included constructs: knowledge of the intervention, intervention source, design quality, adaptability, compatibility, access to knowledge and information, relative advantage, women’s needs, and relative priority. However, some potential barriers were also identified including complexity, leadership engagement, external policies, economic cost, women needs and maintenance. Stakeholders conditioned the strategy’s sustainability to the political commitment of national and provincial health authorities to prioritize cervical cancer prevention, and to the establishment of the ATICA strategy as a programmatic line of work by health authorities. They also highlighted the need to ensure, above all, that there is staff to take the Pap tests and carry out the HPV-lab work, and to guarantee a constant provision of HPV-test.
Conclusions: Health decision-makers and healthcare providers had a positive perception regarding implementation of the multicomponent mHealth intervention designed to increase adherence to triage among women with HPV self-collected tests. This increases the potential for a successful scaling-up of the intervention, with great implications for not only to Argentina but also for middle and low-income countries considering using mHealth interventions to enhance the cervical screening/follow-up/treatment process.
Effect of additional tasks on the reaction time of braking responses in simulated car driving: beyond the PRP effect
Authors: Stojan Robert , Bock Otmar , Mack Melanie , Voelcker-Rehage Claudia
Published: September 2022

It well established that the presentation of one task increases the reaction time on a subsequent task, if the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between tasks is less than about 400 ms. This psychological refractory period (PRP) effect has been observed both in classical laboratory paradigms and in simulated car driving. Here we report about an effect that persists substantially longer than the PRP effect. In a driving simulator, 120 healthy older participants followed a lead car that mostly drove at a constant speed, and they had to brake when the lead car braked. Concurrently, they engaged in several additional tasks. SOA between the braking task and the last preceding additional task was about 11.5 s. In a control condition, the braking task was administered without additional tasks. We found that the reaction time of braking responses averaged 0.77 s without additional tasks, but averaged 1.45 s with additional tasks. This increase was less pronounced at smaller inter-vehicle distances, and was not compensated by faster foot movements from the gas pedal to the brake pedal. We conclude that detrimental effects of additional tasks on subsequent braking responses can be much more persistent than the PRP effect, possibly because of the need to maintain multiple task sets. We further conclude that the detrimental effects can be ameliorated at small inter-vehicle distances, possibly by mobilizing extra cognitive resources when response urgency is high. As a practical implication of our study, distracting stimuli can have persisting detrimental effects on traffic safety.
Assessment of the Specificity of Corvis Biomechanical Index-Laser Vision Correction (CBI-LVC) in Stable Corneas After Phototherapeutic Keratectomy
Authors: Vinciguerra Riccardo , Cancian Giuseppe , Ambrósio Renato , Elsheikh Ahmed , Eliasy Ashkan , Lopes Bernardo , Vinciguerra Paolo
Published: September 2022

Purpose: The CBI-LVC is a biomechanical index to detect ectasia in post-refractive surgery patients (PRK, LASIK, SMILE). This study aims to evaluate the distribution of the CBI-LVC in stable patients who underwent Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) compared to PRK patients.
Methods: Patients who underwent PRK and PTK performed between 2000 and 2018in Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy and remained stable for at least four years post-surgery were included. All eyes were examined with the Corvis ST (Oculus, Germany), whose output allows the calculation of the CBI-LVC. The distribution and specificity of the CBI-LVC in the two populations were estimated using a Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney test and compared.
Results: 175 eyes of 148 patients were included (85 eyes of 50 PTK patients and 90 eyes of 90 PRK patients). The distribution of CBI-LVC in the two groups showed a minor difference, with a median value in PRK patients of 0.000 (95% CI 0.000; 0.002) and 0.008 (95% CI 0.000; 0.037) in PTK patients (Mann-Whitney U test p = 0.023). The statistical analysis showed that the CBI-LVC provided a specificity of 92.22% in the PRK group, while in the PTK group it was 82.35%. Nevertheless, this difference was not statistically significant (Chi-squared test with Yates, p = 0.080).
Conclusion: CBI-LVC provided similar specificity in stable PTK patients compared to those who underwent PRK. These results suggest that the CBI-LVC could be a useful tool to aid corneal surgeons in managing PTK patients.
Virulence of Mycobacterium intracellulare clinical strains in a mouse model of lung infection – Role of neutrophilic inflammation in disease severity
Authors: Tateishi Yoshitaka , Ozeki Yuriko , Nishiyama Akihito , Miki Mari , Maekura Ryoji , Kida Hiroshi , Matsumoto Sohkichi
Published: September 2022

Mycobacterium intracellulare is a major etiological agent of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). However, the characteristics of the virulence of M. intracellulare and the in vivo chemotherapeutic efficacy remain unclear. In this study, we examined the virulence of nine M. intracellulare strains with different clinical phenotypes and genotypes in C57BL/6 mice. We classified three types of virulence phenotypes (high, intermediate, and low) based on the kinetics of the bacterial load, histological lung inflammation, and neutrophilic infiltration. High virulence strains showed more severe neutrophilic infiltration in the lungs than intermediate and low virulence strains. In particular, the high virulence strain M.i.198 showed the highest mortality in mice, which corresponded to the rapid progression of clinical disease. In mice infected with the drug-sensitive high virulence strain M019, clarithromycin-containing chemotherapy showed the highest efficacy. While monotherapy with rifampicin rather exacerbated lung inflammation with increased lymphocytic and neutrophilic infiltration into the lungs. In conclusion, the virulence phenotypes of clinical strains of M. intracellulare were diverse, with high virulence strains being associated with neutrophilic infiltration and disease progression in infected mice. These high virulence strains were proposed as a useful subject for in vivo chemotherapeutic experiments.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase is dispensable for T cell function in vivo
Authors: Tarasenko Tatiana , Gomez-Rodriguez Julio , McGuire Peter
Published: September 2022

Interrupting a major pathway in intermediary metabolism leads to an accumulation of substrates and upstream metabolites, downstream product deficiency, changes in feedback inhibition or activation, and diversion to alternative pathways. All of which may compromise cellular function. T cells are highly dependent upon metabolic reprogramming for activation and differentiation, suggesting that complete disruption of a major metabolic node like pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) will affect immunity. Here we show that genetic ablation of PDC activity in T cells leads to significant disruptions of glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Despite perturbations in these major metabolic pathways, antiviral adaptive immunity is preserved in vivo. This preservation of function is likely due to the provision of necessary metabolites by the immune environment in vivo. Overall, our data indicate that PDC is dispensable for T cell function in vivo.
The stereochemistry study of N,N-dinitrosopiperazine using 1H NMR technique
Authors: Yaghmaeiyan Nahid , Bamoniri Abdolhamid , Mirzaei Mahdi
Published: September 2022

N-nitrosamines exist as two zowitter ions which are more stable than their neutral form. In the case of symmetric cyclo N-nitrosamines with two nitroso groups, various studies were done on products which derived from piperazine. In order to nitrosation of only one of the NH groups the reaction was proceeded with 1mmol of NaNO2. It is observed that nitrosation on the both of the NH groups are done, unexpectedly and half of the piperazine are remained intact. In the presence of 2 mmol of NaNO2 per 1mmol piperazine, the whole of piperazine convert to N,N-dinitrosopiperazine which exist in two cis- and trans- chair conformations. In the presence of 4 mmol of NaNO2 per 1mmol piperazine, the whole of piperazine convert to N,N-dinitrosopiperazine which exist in four conformers of cis- and trans- forms of chair and boat conformations.
RNAinsecta: A tool for prediction of pre-microRNA in insects using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Nath Adhiraj , Bora Utpal
Published: September 2022

Pre-MicroRNAs are the hairpin loops which produces microRNAs that negatively regulate gene expression in several organisms. In insects, microRNAs participate in several biological processes including metamorphosis, reproduction, immune response, etc. Numerous tools have been designed in recent years to predict pre-microRNA using binary machine learning classifiers where predictive models are trained with true and pseudo pre-microRNA hairpin loops. Currently, there is no tool that is exclusively designed for insect pre-microRNA detection. In this experiment we trained machine learning classifiers such as Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression and k-Nearest Neighbours to predict pre-microRNA hairpin loops in insects while using Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique and Near-Miss to handle the class imbalance. The trained model on Support Vector Machine achieved accuracy of 92.19% while the Random Forest attained an accuracy of 80.28% on our validation dataset. These models are hosted online as web application called RNAinsecta. Further, searching target for the predicted pre-microRNA in insect model organism Drosophila melanogaster has been provided in RNAinsecta using miRanda at the backend where experimentally validated genes regulated by microRNA are collected from miRTarBase as target sites. RNAinsecta is freely available at https://rnainsecta.in. GitHub: https://github.com/adhiraj141092/RNAinsecta
Teriflunomide as a Therapeutic Means for Myelin Repair
Authors: Göttle Peter , Groh Janos , Reiche Laura , Gruchot Joel , Rychlik Nicole , Werner Luisa , Agrelo Iria Samper , Akkermann Rainer , Zink Annika , Prigione Alessandro , Hartung Hans-Peter , Martini Rudolf , Küry Patrick
Published: September 2022

Background: Promotion of myelin repair in the context of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) still represents a clinical unmet need, given that this disease is not only characterized by autoimmune activities but also by impaired regeneration processes. Hence, this relates to replacement of lost oligodendrocytes and myelin sheaths - the primary targets of autoimmune attacks. Endogenous remyelination is mainly mediated via activation and differentiation of resident oligodendroglial precursor cells (OPCs) whereas its efficiency remains limited and declines with disease progression and aging. Teriflunomide has been approved as a first-line treatment for relapsing remitting MS. Beyond its role in acting via inhibition of de novo pyrimidine synthesis leading to a cytostatic effect on proliferating lymphocyte subsets, this study aims to uncover its potential to foster myelin repair.
Methods: Within the cuprizone mediated de-/remyelination model teriflunomide dependent effects on oligodendroglial homeostasis and maturation, related to cellular processes important for myelin repair were analyzed in vivo. Teriflunomide administration was performed either as pulse or continuously and markers specific for oligodendroglial maturation and mitochondrial integrity were examined by means of gene expression and immunohistochemical analyses. In addition, axon myelination was determined using electron microscopy.
Results: Both pulse and constant teriflunomide treatment efficiently boosted myelin repair activities in this model, leading to accelerated generation of oligodendrocytes and restoration of myelin sheaths. Moreover, teriflunomide restored mitochondrial integrity within oligodendroglial cells.
Conclusion: The link between de novo pyrimidine synthesis inhibition, oligodendroglial rescue, and maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis appears as a key for successful myelin repair and hence for protection of axons from degeneration.
Association of vitamin D deficiency with metabolic factors in a cohort of Saudi women with polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Hussein Khulood
Published: September 2022

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) ranks among the most prevalent endocrine disorders in premenopausal women and refers to a spectrum that includes hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance (IR), and obesity. This study explored the association between vitamin D deficiency and metabolic and endocrine disorders in Saudi women with PCOS.
Methods: A total of 163 women (80 cases with PCOS and 83 controls) were recruited, and their serum 25(OH)D and metabolic parameters were assessed. A serum 25(OH)D level under 12 ng/ml was used to classify a participant as vitamin D deficient. The variation in vitamin D levels of the PCOS and control groups was the primary outcome measure. Additional outcomes analyzed were associations between serum 25(OH)D values and metabolic abnormalities in cases of PCOS.
Results: The PCOS group had serum 25(OH)D values that were significantly less than those of healthy women in the control group (P<0.01). Vitamin D deficiency was seen in a significantly higher proportion of patients with PCOS than those without (P<0.01); however, this difference was not seen for vitamin D insufficiency status. A significant negative correlation was recorded between serum 25(OH)D values and the metabolic parameters assessed, namely, body mass index (BMI), fasting insulin, fasting glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone (P<0.05). Elevated BMI and HOMA-IR were regarded as risk factors of vitamin D deficiency in Saudi women with PCOS.
Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Saudi women with PCOS in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with an even higher prevalence in women who are obese and insulin resistant. Low serum 25(OH)D was linked to metabolic disturbances in women with PCOS. Randomized control trials involving large sample sizes held in various locations are warranted to understand how vitamin D supplementation could affect metabolic health in women with PCOS.
Total neoadjuvant treatment (consolidation chemotherapy) provides highest rate of clinical complete response for rectal cancer: Median 5-year long-term oncological outcomes in patients with treated WW protocol
Authors: Asoglu Oktar , Bulut Alisina , Aliyev Vusal , Piozzi Guglielmo Niccolò , Guven Koray , Bakır Barıs , Goksel Suha
Published: September 2022

Aim: To reveal whether chemoradiotherapy-consolidation chemotherapy (CRT-CNCT) treatment provides more organ preservation in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and its effect on oncological outcomes.
Method: Retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained database was performed. Oncological outcomes of mid-low LARC patients (n=60) were analyzed after a follow-up of 63 (50-83) months. Patients with clinical complete response (cCR) were treated with the watch-and-wait (WW) protocol. Patients who could not achieve cCR were treated with total mesorectal excision (TME) or local excision (LE).
Results: Thirty-nine (65%) patients who achieved cCR were treated with the WW protocol. TME was performed in 15 (25%) patients and LE was performed in 6 (10%) patients. During the follow-up period, 10 (25.6%) patients in the WW group had regrowth (RG) and 3 (7.6%) had distant metastasis (DM). 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 90.1% and 71.6%, respectively, in WW group. 5-y OS and DFS were 94.9% (95% CI: 88-100%) and 80% (95% CI: 55.2-100%), respectively, in the RG group. 5-y OS and DFS were 90.1% (95% CI: 78.9-100%) and 96.6% (95% CI: 89.9-100%) in the non-RG group. 5-y OS and DFS were 78% (95% CI: 55.8-100%) and 60% (95% CI: 35.2-84.8%) in TME group.
Conclusion: CRT-CNCT ​​provides cCR as high as 2/3 of LARC patients. While the WW protocol provides organ preservation, RGs developed during follow-up can be successfully salvaged without causing oncological disadvantage.
Transformer-based Convolutional Forgetting Knowledge Tracking
Authors: Liu Tieyuan , Zhang Meng , Chang Liang
Published: September 2022

Knowledge tracking is essential for online education. It can analyze a user's learning history to obtain their current knowledge mastery level and provide suggestions for their subsequent learning. When compared with the current field of knowledge tracking, some scholars found that the Transformer model is useful in time series prediction. However, through our research, we discovered that due to the context-awareness insensitivity of the Transformer dot product operation, as well as real data concentration, a lot of learning methods have the problem of training a large number of repeated knowledge points in continuous time, which leads to the ignorance of the correlation between different knowledge points. Therefore, we added a convolutional attention mechanism so that the model can better perceive contextual information. In comparison with the brain, memory is actively forgetting, passive, and people will unconsciously forget previous knowledge whilst they are learning. But as far as we know, most of the current research does not use forgetting as a factor to analyze students' status, so we will further analyze students' forgetting behavior and fuse it with the weight matrix generated by the model to further improve the accuracy of the model. Therefore, we propose a Transformer-based convolutional forgetting knowledge tracking (TCFKT). We verify the model’s effect on several real learning record data sets. The experimental results show that our model performs better than other knowledge tracking models.
Additive prognostic value of serum calcium to the ESC risk stratification in patients with acute pulmonary embolism
Authors: Zhang Jiarui , Ali Adila , Liu Yu , Peng Lige , Pu Jiaqi , Yi Qun , Zhou Haixia
Published: September 2022

Background
Hypocalcemia has been shown to be involved in the adverse outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). We aimed to determine the incremental value of adding hypocalcemia, defined as serum calcium level ≤ 2.12 mmol/L, on top of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) prognostic algorithm, for the prediction of in-hospital mortality in APE patients, which in turn could lead to the optimization of APE management.
Methods
This study was conducted at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2016 to December 2019. Patients with APE were retrospectively analyzed and divided into 2 groups based on serum calcium levels. Associations between hypocalcemia and adverse outcomes were assessed by Cox analysis. The accuracy of risk stratification for in-hospital mortality was assessed with the addition of serum calcium to the current ESC prognostic algorithm.
Results
Among 803 patients diagnosed with APE, 338 (42.1%) patients had serum calcium levels ≤ 2.12 mmol/L. Hypocalcemia was significantly associated with higher in-hospital and 2-year all-cause mortality compared to the control group. A serum calcium level ≤ 2.12 mmol/L in patients with ESC-defined low risk identified a group with a mortality of 2.5%, improving the negative predictive value up to 100%, while in high-risk patients, it indicated a group of high early mortality of 25%.
Conclusion
Our study identified serum calcium as a novel predictor of mortality in patients with APE. In the future, serum calcium may be added to the commonly used ESC prognostic algorithm for better risk stratification of patients suffering from APE.
The Approximate Greedy Algorithm for Robot Coin Collection Problem
Authors: Chen Shuhuan , Xie Jianguo , Chen Xiaoming
Published: September 2022

Similar to the relationship between marginal and joint distribution in form, we put forward a novel approximate greedy algorithm for Robot Coin Collection Problem. By reducing the coin distribution in the matrix to the marginal distribution, we can perform the greedy selection on the marginal distribution and locate the sub-matrix most likely to pick up the most coins. Moreover, we can obtain the approximate solution by recursion. The space complexity can be reduced to O(m+n) under the condition that the time complexity is guaranteed to be O(mn) without increasing the original problem conditions. Meanwhile, in the worse case, twice the maximum number of coins picked up by our method is more than that of the optimal solution. If we extend the dimension of the matrix to x-dimension, x ≥ 2, the space complexity can be reduced to O(mx-1) while the time complexity is still O(mx).
Variant in a gene encoding a serotonin receptor increases the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: a case control study
Authors: Penno Juliana Regina Chamlian Zucare , Santos-Bezerra Daniele Pereira , Cavaleiro Ana Mercedes , Sousa Ana Maria Silva , Zaccara Tatiana Assunção , Costa Rafaela Alkmin , Francisco Rossana Pulcineli Vieira , Correa-Giannella Maria Lucia
Published: September 2022

Background
Given the importance of the serotoninergic system for the adaptation of beta cells to the increased insulin demand during pregnancy, we hypothesized that genetic variations (single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) in the HTR2B gene could influence the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Methods
This was a case-control study. Five SNPs (rs4973377, rs765458, rs10187149, rs10194776, and s17619600) in HTR2B were genotyped by real-time polymerase chain reaction in 453 women with GDM and in 443 pregnant women without GDM.
Results
Only the minor allele C of SNP rs17619600 conferred an increased risk for GDM in the codominant model (odds ratio [OR] 2.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53–3.09; P < 0.0001) and in the rare dominant model (OR 2.32; CI 1.61–3.37; P < 0.0001). No associations were found between the SNPs and insulin use, maternal weight gain, newborn weight, or the result of postpartum oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). In the overall population, carriers of the XC genotype (rare dominant model) presented a higher area under the curve (AUC) of plasma glucose during the OGTT, performed for diagnostic purposes, compared with carriers of the TT genotype of rs17619600.
Conclusions
The presence of the rare allele C in the SNP rs17619600 in HTR2B gene increased the risk of GDM.
Exploring the Common Genetic Signature and Molecular Mechanisms Between Gastritis and Gastric Cancer: A bioinformatics-coupled Network Pharmacology Analysis
Authors: Song Xiaotong , Qin Xiaoyan , Wang Heping , Xu Manman , Wang Xinmiao , Ni Baoyi , Zhu Guanghui , Li Jie
Published: September 2022

Gastric cancer is a highly prevalent type of cancer among digestive system tumors. Early screening and intervention of gastric cancer can significantly improve the prognosis of patients. This paper aims to explore the driver genes associated with gastritis-gastric cancer progression and the therapeutic role of Chinese medicine based on bioinformatics analysis of microarray data. First, the microarray dataset GSE55696 of gastritis and gastric cancer was downloaded from the GEO database. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to identify the gene modules associated with gastritis and gastric cancer. And the microarray dataset GSE130823 of gastritis and gastric cancer was downloaded for validation by differential gene analysis, and a total of 15 crossover genes were obtained. Second, the Kaplan-Meier plotter was used for survival analysis to determine the relationship between crossover genes and gastric cancer survival, resulting in CA1, CARNS1, CHAD, CLIC5, CXCL5, KRT6B, OSM, PEBP4, and RGL3 as biomarkers for the progression of chronic gastritis to early gastric cancer. Finally, the HERB database was used to search for compounds and herbs related to gastritis and gastric cancer progression, and to build a “target-compound-herb” network. And operating AutoDockTools 1.5.7 software for molecular docking of core components and core targets. Scopolamine alcohol, fraxetin, 6-aminopurine, citrulline and coumarin showed good docking activity with CA1, CARNS1, CXCL5, CHAD, and KRT6B. In conclusion, CA1, CARNS1, CHAD, CLIC5, CXCL5, KRT6B, OSM, PEBP4, and RGL3 may be used as biomarkers for the progression of chronic gastritis to early gastric cancer. Scopolamine, fraxetin, 6-aminopurine, citicoline, and coumarin may be novel agents against gastritis-gastric cancer progression.
Screening and establishing metastasis-related diagnosis and prognosis model for lung adenocarcinoma through CRISPR library and TCGA database
Authors: Shao Fanggui , Ling Liqun , Li Changhong , Huang Xiaolu , Ye Yincai , Zhang Meijuan , Huang Kate , Pan Jingye , Chen Jie , Wang Yumin
Published: September 2022

Purpose: Existing biomarkers for diagnosing and predicting the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) may not meet the demands of clinical practice. Risk prediction models based on multiple markers may provide better prognostic factors for accurate diagnosis and prediction of metastatic LUAD.
Methods: An animal model of LUAD metastasis was constructed using CRISPR library technology, and genes related to LUAD metastasis were screened by mRNA sequencing of normal and metastatic tissues. The immune characteristics of different subtypes were analyzed, and the differential genes were subjected to survival and Cox regression analysis to identify the specific genes for metastasis. The biological function of RFLNA was first verified by analyzing cck-8, migration, invasion and apoptosis in LUAD cell lines.
Results: We identified 108 differential genes related to metastasis, and classified LUAD samples into two subtypes according to their expression levels. Subsequently, a prediction model composed of 8 metastasis-related genes (RHOBTB2, KIAA1524, CENPW, DEPDC1, RFLNA, COL7A1, MMP12 and HOXB9) was constructed. The AUC values of the logistic regression and neural network were 0.946 and 0.856, respectively. Moreover, the model can effectively classify patients into low- and high-risk groups. We found a better prognosis in the low-risk group both in the training cohort and test cohort, indicating that the prediction model has good diagnosis and predictive power. Up-regulation of RFLNA expression successfully promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and attenuated apoptosis, suggesting that RFLNA plays a role in promoting LUAD development and metastasis.
Conclusion: The model has important diagnostic and prognostic value for metastatic LUAD, and may serve as a novel biomarker for LUAD patients in clinic.
Updated Seismic Hazard Curves, Maps, and Spectra for the Northern Dominican Republic using a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis
Authors: Cruz Kalil Erazo
Published: September 2022

This article presents updated seismic hazard curves, maps, and spectra of ground motion intensity parameters for the northern region of the Dominican Republic (DR) obtained using a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). The analysis uses as input data an earthquake recurrence model based on fault slip rates derived from GPS measurements published in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. The seismicity rates data is used to calibrate a composite characteristic earthquake model, which is combined with a Poisson process to provide a temporal characterization of earthquakes occurrence. The PSHA accounts for uncertainties in the analysis by modeling magnitude and site-to-rupture distance as random variables, considering the aleatory uncertainty associated to the ground motion prediction equations (GMPE) used for spatial characterization of earthquake-induced ground motions. The seismic hazard curves and maps include (horizontal) peak ground acceleration and pseudo-spectral response accelerations at 0.2s and 1.0s periods for 5% damping and firm rock sites. The results show that the ground motion parameters with a 2% probability of exceedance (PE) in 50 years determined in this study are up to 46% larger than the corresponding parameters specified in the current DR building code for the northern DR. Moreover, the design response spectra for a site in the city of Santiago specified in the code is significantly lower than the 2% PE in 50 years uniform hazard spectra determined in this study for periods smaller than 0.5s, a range that includes the majority of the structures that define the built environment of the DR.
Degussa P-25 TiO2 induced Photocatalytic Oxidation of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol
Authors: Yadav Shivani , Kumar Sunil , Haritash Anil Kumar
Published: September 2022

Chlorophenols have significant environmental concern owing to their toxicity, carcinogenicity and bioaccumulation potential, especially in the aquatic environment. Inefficient treatment of industrial effluents and discharge of partially treated wastewater further aggravates the environmental and health issues. Degradation of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol using photochemical oxidation (TiO2) has come up as a potential treatment option. The present study used Degussa P-25 nano-TiO2 at varying doses for the optimisation of treatment. An optimised dose of 250mg/l TiO2could remove 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol completely wi thin 210 minutes of reaction period. Addition of H2O2 to further increase the rates of treatment did not yield any benefit. It was observed that UV365exposure may be replaced by solar light but the reaction rate was lower compared to UV. Finally, the comparison of operational cost of UV photocatalysis, photo catalysis with H2O2, and solar photocatalysis revealed the cost of US $ 0.27 per litre, 0.30 per litre, and 0.16 per litre, respectively, thus making solar photocatalysis the best option, but for lower volumes of wastewater. It was concluded that photocatalytic oxidation can be a sustainable treatment option for degradation of 2,4,6-TCP considering its benefits to environment and health.
Local support of climate change policies is driven by spatial diffusion
Authors: Levi Sebastian , Wolf Ingo , Sommer Stephan , Howe Peter
Published: September 2022

Political conflicts about energy and climate change policies have often local implications, yet little is known about local public opinion towards these policies. Here, we estimate support towards 26 climate change mitigation policies for 402 German counties and for up to four periods of time. We find that local support for climate policies varies by up to 60 percentage points across German counties. While support for the expansion of wind power plants and solar power plants have converged over the last years, attitudes on the phase out of coal power have polarized across regions. Using a spatial panel analysis, we detect that support for the expansion of wind and solar plants correlate with the actual development of solar and wind capacities in these regions. Moreover, the spread of climate policy opinion is strongly determined by spatial diffusion as change in one region positively influences the trajectory of policy opinion among its neighbors.