bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring the Quality of Soils around Rivers Wouri and Meme of Cameroon Using Plasticity and XRF
Authors: Nkafu Fomenky Norbert , Tening Aaron Suh , Mbene Kenneth , Asongwe Godswill A. , Neculina Anyikeng
Published: March 2022

Mangroves play important roles in the environment such as sequestration, spawning of fishes and source of medicinal plants. Two rivers which feed the mangroves of Cameroon are Rivers Wouri and Meme. While River Wouri that feeds the Douala-Edea mangrove receives smaller water bodies that pass through an industrial environment, River Meme that feeds the Rio del Rey mangrove receives small water bodies that pass through an environment harbouring a lot of agricultural activities. The rural and urban communities use water from the rivers to grow vegetables (plant production). The quality of water that feeds the mangroves is of paramount importance. This in turn depends on the mineralogical content of the soils around the rivers and adjourning water sources. This is because soils act as sinks for pollutants. Different clay minerals have different capacities to retain and release chemical entities. Therefore, they contribute differently in the protection of catchment areas. This work was therefore aimed at investigating the role played by soils in controlling the movement of these chemical elements into the rivers. Clays extracted from soils around these water sources were analyzed for mineralogical composition. All analyses were carried out using standard plasticity and XRF methods. Clay content (2 to 7%) in Wouri was lower than in Meme (4 to 34%). The majority of the clay was dominated by SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, and TiO2 and was a mixture of non-expandable (2:1 and 1:1) and sesquioxide clays. The soils have low pollutant retention capacity and are therefore vulnerable to anthropogenic activities. Hence, stringent measures should be taken to monitor soil/water quality with respect to waste disposal and use of agrochemicals. The use of compost in place of fertilizers by farmers should also be encouraged.
Effect of Varying Levels of Fertilizers and Date of Sowing on Production and Economic Profitability of Kharif Maize (Zea mays L.)
Authors: Sharma Suman , Biswas Saikat , Jolly Gritta Elizabeth
Published: March 2022

Maize, being highly nutritious and multi-purpose C4 crop can be grown throughout the year. Judicious nutrient management and selection of optimum sowing dates play major roles in enhancing productivity and profitability of kharif maize to meet the food demand of nation under changing climate scenario. The field experiment was conducted during khraif season of 2021 at agricultural farm, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, in split plot design with four fertilizer levels (125, 100, 75, and 50% RDF – recommended dose of fertilizers) in main plots and four sowing dates (15th June, 30th June, 15th July, and 30th July) in sub plots, replicated thrice. Comparatively greater yield attributes as well as grain yield (8.22 t ha-1), stover yield (11.86 t ha-1) and harvest index (40.9%) were observed when maize was grown on 30th June under application of 125% RDF. Production economics indicated that maize grown on 30th June under application of 125% RDF recorded maximum gross return ($2221 ha-1), net return ($1446 ha-1), and B:C (2.87). Maize grown on 30th July under application of 50% RDF recorded lowest yield attributes, grain yield (2.70 t ha-1), stover yield (5.31 t ha-1), harvest index (33.7%), gross return ($739 ha-1), net return ($19 ha-1) and B:C (1.03).
Seroprevalence and Socio-demographic Risk Factors of Leptospirosis in Aligarh Region of North India
Authors: Ahmad Nadeem , Nirmal Kirti , Shukla Indu
Published: March 2022

Background: Leptospirosis, a zoonosis, is a worldwide public health problem. The incidences ranges from 0.1–10 per 100 000 per year globally and may reach over 50 per 100 000 during outbreaks. It’s reported in a number of countries of the South-East Asia Region from time to time. The magnitude of the leptospirosis problem differs from country to country and depends on awareness and attitude of public health care decision makers

Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out to study the seroprevalence, various demographical and socioeconomic factors associated with leptospirosis in Aligarh region during January 2013 to May 2014. Blood samples collected from 171 suspected cases of leptospirosis were subjected to IgM ELISA as per manufacturer’s instructions.

Statistical Analysis: The Socioeconomic status was determined by Kuppuswamy scale on the basis of education, occupation and per capita income and classified as lower (score below 10), middle (score between 11-25), upper (score >25).

Results: The study consisted of 171 suspected patients of leptospirosis, 14% (24 cases) were positive by ELISA. In case of 24 positive cases, 20 cases (p value 0.0125) had history of contact with wet & dirty environment.

Conclusion: The study highlights the disease burden in different age groups, gender, socioeconomic strata and in varied geographical locations.
Design, Synthesis and MAO Inhibitor Activity of Chroman-4-one Derivative
Authors: Saxena Somesh Kumar , Pathak Ashish , Agrawal Om Prakash
Published: March 2022

Two chalcones (4a, 4b) and nine Schiff bases (4c – 4k) of 7-hydroxy-3-formyl chromen-4-one have been synthesized. All the synthesized compounds 1–18 were screened for their hMAO (human Mono Amine Oxidase) inhibitory activity using recombinant human MAO isoforms. hMAO inhibitory activity was determined by measuring the production of H2O2 from p-tyramine, the common substrate for both hMAO-A and hMAO-B, using the Amplex1-RedMAO assay kit. The compounds and reference inhibitors did not react directly with the Amplex1-Red reagent indicating that they do not interfere with the measurements. The compounds were also confirmed, as they did not interact with resorufin by treating the maximum concentration of compounds with various concentrations of resorufin in order to detect if the fluorescence signal is the same with or without our compounds in the medium. No significant quenching of resorufin was observed.
Dipeptidyl Peptidase - 4 Inhibitors - An Overview of the Combination of These Molecules and Hypoglicemic Oral Drugs
Authors: Iancu Cristina , Cioancă Oana , Mocanu Madalina , Burlec Flavia , Corciovă Andreea , Filip Nina , Hăncianu Monica , Mircea Cornelia
Published: March 2022

The purpose of the current review is to bring up to date some studies and data about the effects of hypoglycemic oral drugs in combination with DPP-4 inhibitors. As the medicine and pharmaceutical industry are revolutionary in type 2 diabetes protocols, scientists made a close research on patients that have combined metformin plus sulfonyurea and metformin plus DPP-4 inhibitors. Statistics showed that sulfonylurea compared to DPP-4 inhibitors, in combination with metformin, increased the risk of severe hypoglycemia, fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular diseases, and mortality. Another important discovery showed that the insulin associated with metformin increased the risk of all-caused mortality, compared with the DPP-4 inhibitors plus metformin.
The Role of Alpha-1-acid Glycoprotein 2 Protein and the Underlying Orosomucoid 2 Gene in Different Diseases
Authors: Alotaibi Khulood , Mufawwaz Alaa , Alharbi Mona , Alrahimi Jehan , Basingab Fatemah , Alhazmi Safiah
Published: March 2022

Alpha-1-Acid glycoprotein 2 (AGP2) or orosomucoid 2 (ORM2) is a major plasma protein. AGP2 is a member of the immunocalin family, a lipocalin subfamily expressed mainly in hepatocytes and also in astrocytes and endothelial cells. The detailed physiological role of this protein has not yet been known, but some physiological activates have been related to this protein, including drug binding and immunomodulating effects. As it belongs to the positive acute phase proteins (APP), AGP2 increases during acute phase reactions and under certain pathological conditions such as unspecific inflammatory stimulation. AGP2 play a critical role in many diseases throughout its critical biological pathways. This literature review evaluates and discusses the contribution of AGP2 in different diseases, including several types of cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A Study on Prescribing Patterns and Assessing the Functional Outcomes in Cerebral Stroke Patients
Authors: Battula Pradeep , Pandey Nandini , Sarojini N. Yamini , Reddy C. Bhargav , Kumar K. Anil , Ugandar R. E.
Published: March 2022

Cardiovascular diseases and Cerebro-vascular diseases account for majority of the burden of NCDs. Stroke is one the major component of these, posing public health challenges. 1 in 6 people suffer with stroke in their life time. The impact of stroke can be short or long term, depending on which part of the brain is affected and how quick it is treated. This hospital based case                       study was undertaken with aim to study the prescribing pattern and the functional outcomes in cerebral stroke. Study was carried out in the Santhiram Medical hospital, Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Methodology: Patients visiting the neurology clinic were asked to answer the questionnaire covering functional outcomes by using functional assesment scales to determine the clinical status of the patient; Most of the patient’s data were collected from case sheets. A total of 150 patients were included in the observational study. Data from case sheets were analysed to assess the prescribing pattern and the questionnaires like mRS, SSQOLS, MMSE scales were used to interview the stroke patients to assess the functional outcomes.

Results: Our study presents that there is a minimal Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) score progress in patients. MRS, SSQOL, MMSE scales, which showed improvement in the quality of life and cognition in stroke patients after treatment.

Conclusion: In conclusion, that significant functional gains in rehabilitation process of                         stroke can be attained by combination therapy, lifestyle changes, and better management of risk factors said to possess the major effect on recovery of stroke with improved quality of life and symptoms.
Down Regulation in Glutathione S-Transferase Stimulate Oxidative Stress and Genetic Susceptibility of Human Breast Cancer
Authors: Adil Asia , Malik Mahrukh , Malik Javeria Arshad , Nazir Sara , Ali Irum Sabir
Published: March 2022

Glutathione S-Transferase is an enzyme that catalyzed the formation of thio-ether conjugates between the endogenous tripeptide glutathione and xenobiotic compounds. Imbalance of glutathione level is observed in a variety of disease including breast cancer. In the present study we observed the alteration in the glutathione level and variation in glutathione S-transferase enzyme supergene family to influence susceptibility to breast cancer disease. Our study include 50 breast cancer tissues sample along with 25 ANCT control. The experiments were performed through high performance liquid chromatography to determine the endogenous glutathione level and multiplex PCR was used to determine GSTM1 & GSTT1 genotypes. The relationship between breast cancer and disease progression and histological grade were estimated by one way ANOVA and descriptive statisctics followed by spearman correlation {S.D±SEM, 95% CI (P<0.05)}. The study show decreased level of glutathione (GSHt P<0.05, GSH, GSSG P>0.05) in breast cancer tissue sample when compared to control, while no significance difference was occurred in GST (P>0.05) concentration when compared to control. In addition significance difference was observed when correlated histological grades {(grade II P<0.05) gradeII & III P>0.05)} with control subjects. We therefore, also investigated the role of GST genotypes to associate the role of this genotype in breast cancer. Genotyping study of GST show that the GSTM1 (P>0.05) null genotype was significantly associated with breast cancer and we found no association with breast cancer and GSTT1 (P<0.05) null genotype. In conclusion our study suggest that the dysregulation of glutathione level were associated with breast cancer and GSTM1 null genotype could be a useful marker for breast cancer prognosis.
Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Handgrip Strength: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ibrahim Ahmed Abdelmoniem , Hakami Hamad Ali , Abdelbasset Walid Kamal
Published: March 2022

Background: in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, there is a loss of muscle mass due to chronic inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, and metabolic acidosis, these factors lead to decreased physical fitnessand poor clinical outcomes. Handgrip strength (HGS) is an index for physical function, the aim of our study   was to investigate the relationship between CKD and handgrip strength (HGS) in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of 251 CKD patients in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.132 males and 119 females, aged between 25 and 65 years. Renal function (creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen) and Hand grip strength (HGS) were recorded for all patients.

Results: 3.2 kg/BMI for males and 1.8 kg/BMI for women were the average relative HGS (kg/BMI). In both sexes, HGS was inversely correlated with age and height and positively correlated with body weight and BMI, whereas the opposite was true for relative HGS.

Conclusions: Relative HGS is an effective way to quantify muscle strength in chronic renal disease patients based on their body mass. As a result, relative HGS may be a valuable and cost-effective method for the detection of kidney disorders that are chronic in nature.
Clinical Health Complications Associated with Covid-19 Vaccination
Authors: Jamil Muhammad , Aslam Soniha , Ansari Muhammad Akram , Qambrani Muhammad Rafique , Soomro Javed Ali , Iqbal Muhammad Zafar , Khan Alamgir , Selamoglu Zeliha
Published: March 2022

This research aimed to investigate the health problems caused by Covid-19 vaccination. The study participants were comprised of vaccinated constables of Punjab Motorway police Lahore Pakistan. Among the participants of the study, 100 respondents were conveniently selected as sample of the study. For the collection of data, the researcher developed a self-made questionnaire according the various parameters of the study and thus personally distributed by the researcher among the respondents and collected back after getting it filled by the respondents. The collected data were tabulated and analyzed by using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS, Version-26). Based on analysis the researcher arrived at conclusion that various physiological and psychological health complication were reported by respondents associated with covod-19 vaccination.
Frequency of Celiac Disease in Type 1 Diabetic Children Presenting at Tertiary Care People Medical College Hospital Nawabshah Pakistan
Authors: Jamali Ameer Ali , Langah Azizullah , Memon Naseer Ahmed , Almani Badarudin , Jamali Safdar Ali , Ayaz Attiya , Devi Durga , Ahmer Arslan
Published: March 2022

Objective: The goal of this research has been to find out how common celiac disease is in type 1 children with type 1 diabetes who visit multispecialty hospitals.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional research. This study was directed at Pediatric Medicine Department, Mother and Child Healthcare (M&CH) ⁄ People Medical College (PMC) Hospital Nawabshah Shaheed Benazeerabad. The length of research was from 07/09/2020 to 06/03/2021, (6 months) next to the authorization of synopsis. Current research included 124 children of together sex aged between 1 to 12 years diagnosed of Type-I diabetes mellitus who were assessed for concomitant presence of celiac disease which was labeled on duodenal biopsy revealing crypt hyperplasia and villous atrophy. Frequency of celiac disease was noted and compared across various subgroups of diabetic children based on age, gender, duration of diabetes, BMI and glycemic control. Each kid's parents signed written consent form.

Results: The average ages of the children were 8.6±2.6 years. The majority of the children (n=68, 54.8 %) were aged 10 and over, preceded by kids aged 6-9 years (36.3 %), and children aged less than 5 years (08.9%). There were 56 (45.2%) boys and 68 (54.8%) girls with boys to girls ratio of 1.1.2. The average lengths of diabetes were 03.2±1.4 year. 51 (41.1%) children had poor glycemic control (HbA1c ≥8.0%). Celiac disease were established in 14 (11.3%) youngsters having Type-I diabetes. Statistically no substantial variance in the frequency of celiac disease across various subgroups of Type-I diabetic children based on age (p =0.966), sex (p =0.854), length of diabetes (p-value=0.985), BMI (p =0.835) & status of glycemic control (p =0.889).

Conclusion: A significant number of children with Type I diabetes had celiac disease in the current study, indicating that regular screening of diabetic children is necessary for prompt detection and management of celiac disease in upcoming clinical settings.
Wearable Devices and mHealth: The Significant Applications in COVID 19 Pandemic
Authors: Choudhari Ganesh , Wagh Prajakta , Choudhari Vishnu , Gawade Ashwini , Gadhave Ranjit , Bobade Chandrashekhar
Published: March 2022

Wearable devices (WDs) and mHealth (Mobile Health) give you the healthcare services, overcoming geographical, temporal or even organizational obstacles. Wearable technologies will have non-encroaching and sovereign devices that collect save and examine physiological information that will certainly help to improve patient health. It has been used so far for fitness purposes. But with increasing demand by patients and health care workers, wearable devices have also been developed to monitor patient health-related issues. It collects and analyses data. In some scenarios makes a sensible decision and provide a suitable response to the users. Now a day, mobile applications have also proven effective in the field of medicine with the motto of giving personalized treatment to disease control. Advanced technology in wearable gadgets has become a great aspect of our day-to day life in addition to the health care industry.

A global pandemic that the world is facing in the form of COVID19 has come up with the importance of clinical research and technologies which help to tackle COVID 19 infection worldwide in an exceptional manner. While expected results have been found on effective use of wearable devices and mHealth systems to study the structure of COVID 19 and upcoming infectious ailment. The objective of this review is to test permitting technologies and structures with diverse utility to deal with the COVID 19 disaster. This review acknowledges the researchers of the wearable devices and mHealth systems which proved their significance in the present pandemic. Also, this review explains the exceptional tracking devices, which include heart rate, temperature and oxygen monitoring that, are used to diagnose COVID 19 patients.
Basal Cell Carcinoma: In Tertiary Care Center, Demographic Details and Histological Subtypes at Pumhs-W Nawabshah, Pakistan
Authors: Bano Shazia , Parveen Kousar , Ahmed Hafiz Bashir , Chandio Sardar Khatoon , Sabeen Hina
Published: March 2022

Background: Skin malignancies are more common in fair-skinned persons, but their increasing incidence is alarming in our population.

Objective: To evaluate the Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) in a tertiary care center, in terms of frequency, age, sex, sites, and histological subtypes.

Methods: A retrospective work was conducted in the Dermatology and Pathology departments, Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences, Nawabshah, from November 2020 to November 2021, total 100 cases collected by nonprobability consecutive technique, all the patients included reported at the outpatient department during one year period. All the clinical demographic data was collected in the Dermatology department and the biopsy sample was processed in the Pathology department. The observations were recorded on a structured proforma, statistically analyzed on SPSS 20 and the results were tabulated.

Results: A total of 100 cases were assessed, the age of patients ranged from 22-86 years with a female preponderance. Most of the cases were detected in the 61-80 years age group. Cheek was the most common site. The nodular/solid variety was diagnosed in most cases (54%).

Conclusion: In all the histological subtypes about both genders the density of BCC was relatively higher over the face, followed by the trunk. The nodular/solid variety is more common.
Path planning of robotic arm based on deep reinforcement learning algorithm
Authors: Al‐Gabalawy Mostafa
Published: March 2022

Robotic Arms are used in many fields due to their high accuracy. A robotic arm has the advantage of solving the same tasks as a human arm because of its similar structure and working repetitively and independently of any human. Setting up a robotic arm's task requires the engineer to plan a path for solving the task. Using an approach with reinforcement learning to make the robotic arm learn the path independently has not been feasible due to robotic arm tasks' sparse rewards. A recently successful method of using Reinforcement Learning is the concept of Hindsight Experience Replay. This article extends the difficulty of existing tasks to two new tasks and examines Hindsight Experience Replay's performance on these tasks. In the first experiment, the robotic arm has to move a ball towards a point that is far outside of its reach, similar to golf. In the second experiment, the task is to toss a ball into a box outside its reach, similar to basketball. Results show that vanilla Hindsight Experience Replay performs poorly on these tasks. Further research on solving the tasks with improvements to Hindsight Experience Replay, like Hindsight Goal Generation and Energy‐Based Hindsight Experience Prioritization, is required to solve them further.
Toward Optimal False Data Injection Attack against Self‐Triggered Model Predictive Controllers
Authors: He Ning , Ma Kai , Li Ruoxia
Published: March 2022

This paper is aimed at exploring the optimal false data injection (FDI) attack against continuous time self‐triggered model predictive control (STMPC) systems with sample‐and‐hold input signals to address the potential security defects. First, the mathematical model of FDI attack against the considered STMPC system is established. Then, the difference between the states of the nominal system and the attacked system is explicitly calculated such that the impact of FDI attacks on the STMPC systems can be quantitatively analyzed. And finally, an efficient and effective algorithm to realize the desired FDI attack is proposed, and in order to maintain the flexibility of the attacker, the designed FDI attack algorithm is developed under different attacking scenarios, including attacking a single control node at each sampling time and attacking multiple control nodes each time. Finally, two simulation experiments are carried out based on a robot system and a cart–damper–spring system to verify the efficacy and optimality of the designed FDI attack strategy.
Structural Modifications and Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of CuI Nanoparticles Induced via Al‐Doping
Authors: Salah Numan , Alshahrie Ahmed , Aljaghtham Mutabe , Saeed Abdu , Baghdadi Neazar , Koumoto Kunihito
Published: March 2022

Thermoelectric (TE) materials are of great importance for harvesting thermal energy from waste or solar heat. One of the promising TE materials is copper iodide (CuI), which is nontoxic, earth‐abundant, and has a high Seebeck coefficient at room temperature (RT). The TE performance of CuI nanoparticles (NPs) is found to be further enhanced by appropriate Al‐doping through reducing the particle size and simultaneously enhancing the electrical conductivity by a factor of 10. Al‐doping manifests to enlarge the deviation from stoichiometric composition, namely δ in Cu1‐δI, and can further assist co‐doping of iodine to generate carrier holes. The thermal conductivity is also reduced by Al‐doping and overall, the figure of merit increases from 0.01 for the pure CuI nanocrystals to ≈0.12 at 300 K and ≈0.2 at 385 K, respectively, for the 0.23 mol% Al‐doped NPs. The power generation characteristics of a single leg TE module made up of the 0.23 mol% Al‐doped CuI measured under real‐time conditions firmly indicate its suitability as a TE generator operating near RT.
Peri‐operative management of an adult with POLG‐related mitochondrial disease
Authors: Valent A. , Delorme L. , Roland E. , Lambe C. , Sarnacki S. , Cattan P. , Plaud B.
Published: March 2022

POLG‐related mitochondrial disease is a rare mitochondrial disorder that is potentially associated with anaesthetic complications such as propofol‐related infusion syndrome. A 19‐year‐old man with mitochondrial DNA deletions and POLG‐related disorders presented for an elective robotic Heller‐Dor myotomy for the treatment of oesophageal pseudo‐achalasia associated with severe gastro‐oesophageal reflux. The fasting period was minimised to reduce the risk of metabolic stress. The anaesthetic technique included a rapid sequence induction with propofol and rocuronium, a remifentanil and sevoflurane‐based general anaesthesia with multimodal monitoring and peri‐operative lactate‐free intravenous fluids with added dextrose. The patient did not experience propofol‐related infusion syndrome but did have delayed tracheal extubation due to residual neuromuscular blockade requiring a second dose of sugammadex. This report demonstrates the safety of single‐use, low‐dose propofol in this patient group. Patients with POLG‐related mitochondrial disease may be at risk of prolonged neuromuscular blockade, and appropriate dosing of neuromuscular blocking agents with monitoring of neuromuscular blockade is strongly encouraged.
Biosynthesis of ZrO2for ZrO2@Ag‐S‐CH2COOH as the retrievable catalyst for the one‐pot green synthesis of pyrazoline derivatives and their anticancer evaluation
Authors: Gurav Rutikesh Pandit , Nalawade Rohit Dattatray , Sawant Shivaji Dnyandeo , Satyanarayan Nayak Devappa , Sankpal Sandeep Ashok , Hangirgekar Shankar Poshatti
Published: March 2022

In the present work,Ficus benghalensisleaf extract was used for the synthesis of ZrO2nanoparticles. Further, ZrO2@Ag‐S‐CH2‐COOH was synthesized using biosynthesized ZrO2, and its catalytic potential was examined in the synthesis of pyrazoline from reaction of chalcone and hydrazine hydrate at room temperature. The structural conformation of ZrO2@Ag‐S‐CH2‐COOH has been done using FT‐IR, SEM, EDX, XRD, TGA‐TDA, XPS, and DLS techniques, high turnover number (TON), and high turnover frequency. The ZrO2@Ag‐S‐CH2‐COOH demonstrated outstanding catalytic activity for the synthesis of pyrazolines. The structures of the pyrazoline derivatives were confirmed by FT‐IR,1H and13C NMR, and mass spectrometry techniques. Synthesized pyrazoline were tested for anticancer activity against human lung cancer cell line A549 study and confirmed by molecular docking investigations.
Mycobiome detection from a single subterranean gametophyte using metabarcoding techniques
Authors: Chen Ko‐Hsuan , Xie Qiao‐Yi , Chang Chiung‐Chih , Kuo Li‐Yaung
Published: March 2022

Premise

Several ferns and lycophytes produce subterranean gametophytes, including the Ophioglossaceae, Psilotaceae, and some members of the Schizaeaceae, Gleicheniaceae, and Lycopodiaceae. Despite the surge in plant‐microbiome research, which has been particularly boosted by high‐throughput sequencing techniques, the microbiomes of these inconspicuous fern gametophytes have rarely been examined. The subterranean gametophytes are peculiar due to their achlorophyllous nature, which makes them rely on fungi to obtain nutrients. Furthermore, the factors that shape the fungal communities (mycobiomes) of fern gametophytes have not been examined in depth.

Methods and Results

We present a workflow to study the mycobiome of the achlorophyllous gametophytes of Ophioderma pendulum using a high‐throughput metabarcoding approach. Simultaneously, each gametophyte was investigated microscopically to detect fungal structures. Two primer sets of the nuclear ITS sequence targeting general fungi were applied, in addition to a primer set that specifically targets the nuclear small subunit ribosomal rDNA region of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Both the microscopic and metabarcoding approaches revealed many diverse fungi inhabiting a single gametophyte of O. pendulum.

Discussion

This study provides methodological details and discusses precautions for the mycobiome investigation of achlorophyllous gametophytes. This research is also the first to uncover the mycobiome assembly of an achlorophyllous gametophyte of an epiphytic fern.
Bioactive constituents of Iris hybrida (Iridaceae): Processing effect
Authors: Мykhailenko Olha , Chetvernya Sergiy , Bezruk Ivan , Buydin Yrii , Dhurenko Nadija , Рalamarchuk Olena , Ivanauskas Liudas , Georgiyants Victoriya
Published: March 2022

Iris genus plants are a valuable source of bioactive compounds, which are an important component for pharmaceutical development. The present article shows the potential for mineral nutrition with application of magnesium sulfate, iron chelates and potassium oxide affecting the phenolic compound contents in Iris hybrida ‘Tsikavynka’, I. hybrida ‘Tambo’ and I. hybridа ‘Widecombe Fire’. The effect of mineral processing was specific to plant organs and varied in the component composition. The Iris rhizomes had an increased total phenolic compound content after treatment (up to 10% of the total isoflavonoid content, up to 8% of phenolic acids, up to 5% of γ‐pyrones and up to 13% of flavonoids), determined using UV–vis spectroscopy. A positive effect of nutrition on the biosynthesis and content of individual isoflavonoids (tectoridin, nigricin d‐glucoside, genistin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, irigenin and irisolidone) and xanthone mangiferin in Iris rhizomes by HPLC was established. In addition, an increase in the chlorogenic acid amount in Iris leaves was noted. The results demonstrate the sensitivity of Iris phenylpropanoid metabolism to mineral nutrition and can be used to predict medical plant cultivation with increased content of bioactive constituents.
A “conversion‐deterioration‐double mutation” theory for the evolution and progression of colorectal cancer
Authors: Wang Rui , Yan Zhaopeng
Published: March 2022

In this study, based on some clinical phenomena and recently published knowledge, we proposed our “conversion‐deterioration‐double mutation” theory, which provides a possible unifying explanation for the evolutionary process of colorectal cancer cells in the human body. In this theory, we proposed that there is a partial interconversion and a jump conversion relationship among normal colorectal epithelial cells, colorectal cancer cells, stem cells, and cancer stem cells (conversion). This conversion leads to tumor heterogeneity. We also proposed that well‐differentiated cancer cells converted from cancer stem cells have a more aggressive pattern than primary cancer cells (deterioration). The deterioration of primary cancer cells leads to differences in treatment responses and prognosis. Finally, we speculate a double mutation theory, indicating that for metastasis to occur, both mutations of cancer cells and mutations of target organs are needed and should match and meet. All these three points constitute the “conversion‐deterioration‐double mutation” theory.
Paracentral acute middle maculopathy and COVID‐19 vaccination: Causation versus coincidence finding
Authors: Dehghani Alireza , Ghanbari Heshmatollah , Houshang‐Jahromi Mohammad‐hossein , Pourazizi Mohsen
Published: March 2022

The current report is a rare case of paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) in a previously healthy man following COVID‐19 vaccination.
Genome‐wide analysis of mRNA and microRNA expression in colorectal cancer and adjacent normal mucosa
Authors: Ito Yuma , Osakabe Mitsumasa , Niinuma Takeshi , Uesugi Noriyuki , Sugimoto Ryo , Yanagawa Naoki , Otsuka Koki , Sasaki Akira , Matsumoto Takayuki , Suzuki Hiromu , Sugai Tamotsu
Published: March 2022

mRNA expression varies in human cancers. Such altered mRNA expression is negatively regulated by the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), which play an important role in human tumorigenesis. According to this theory, inverse mRNA/miRNA expression may be a direct driver of cancer development, and certain genetic events may occur prior to the development of any discernible histological abnormalities. We examined the inverse expression between mRNAs and their corresponding miRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and adjacent normal mucosa and performed pathway analysis to identify mRNA/miRNA networks. The cancer samples were divided into first (20 cases) and second (24 cases) cohorts, and 48 samples were obtained from two sections of the normal mucosa adjacent to the tumors from the second cohort. We investigated mRNAs with commonly altered expression in CRC and adjacent normal mucosa using isolated cancer glands and normal crypts from the first cohort, compared with that of distal normal crypts, using an array‐based method. As a result, significant inverse correlations between CEACAM1 and miRNA‐7114‐5p and between AK1 and miRNA‐6780‐5p were found in CRC and adjacent normal mucosa. We validated these correlations in the second cohort using RT‐PCR. To confirm these findings, transfection and immunohistochemical assays were also performed, which verified the inverse correlation between CEACAM1 and miRNA‐7114‐5p. Our findings suggest that the inverse correlations between the CEACAM1/miRNA‐7114‐5p and possibly AK1/miRNA‐6780‐5p pairs play an important role in early CRC development, and may help identify potential molecular targets for early detection of CRC.
On‐chip microfluidic buffer swap of biological samples in‐line with downstream dielectrophoresis
Authors: Huang Xuhai , Torres‐Castro Karina , Varhue Walter , Rane Aditya , Rasin Ahmed , Swami Nathan S.
Published: March 2022

Microfluidic cell enrichment by dielectrophoresis, based on biophysical and electrophysiology phenotypes, requires that cells be resuspended from their physiological media into a lower conductivity buffer for enhancing force fields and enabling the dielectric contrast needed for separation. To ensure that sensitive cells are not subject to centrifugation for resuspension and spend minimal time outside of their culture media, we present an on‐chip microfluidic strategy for swapping cells into media tailored for dielectrophoresis. This strategy transfers cells from physiological media into a 100‐fold lower conductivity media by using tangential flows of low media conductivity at 200‐fold higher flow rate versus sample flow to promote ion diffusion over the length of a straight channel architecture that maintains laminarity of the flow‐focused sample and minimizes cell dispersion across streamlines. Serpentine channels are used downstream from the flow‐focusing region to modulate hydrodynamic resistance of the central sample outlet versus flanking outlets that remove excess buffer, so that cell streamlines are collected in the exchanged buffer with minimal dilution in cell numbers and at flow rates that support dielectrophoresis. We envision integration of this on‐chip sample preparation platform prior to or post‐dielectrophoresis, in‐line with on‐chip monitoring of the outlet sample for metrics of media conductivity, cell velocity, cell viability, cell position, and collected cell numbers, so that the cell flow rate and streamlines can be tailored for enabling dielectrophoretic separations from heterogeneous samples.
Mechanochemical dechlorination of petrochemical sludge through a planetary ball mill and using industrial wastes as additives
Authors: Alavi Nadali , Adabi Shervin , Sadani Mohsen , Eslami Akbar , Amini Mostafa M.
Published: March 2022

Mechanochemical treatment causes the formation of mineral Cl compounds during the degradation of polychlorinated compounds by planetary ball mill. In the present study, the three types of industrial waste comprising of sludge from petrochemical wastewater treatment plants as source of pollutants, scrap iron and petrochemical water treatment plant sludge as co‐milling reagents were used. The raw samples and the milled products were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Further analyses such as ion chromatography and X‐ray fluorescence were performed. The analysis results confirmed that the milling process degraded persistent organic pollutants and showed that major changes occurred in the organic phases, carbon and chlorine bonds. The yield of chloride ions was investigated using Ion Chromatography. The highest percentage of de‐Cl products (95.6%) was achieved after 6 h in equal proportions of reagents. Furthermore, CaCl2 and FeCl2 were present in the final milling product.
Trust‐oriented peered customized mechanism for malicious nodes isolation for flying ad hoc networks
Authors: Buksh Waqas , Guo Ying , Iqbal Saleem , Qureshi Kashif Naseer , Lloret Jaime
Published: March 2022

Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETs) are gaining popularity due to its extra‐ordinary features in avionics and electronics domain. FANETs are also considered as most powerful weapon in military assets as well as in civil security applications. Due to its infrastructureless design and wireless nature network, some security challenges are overhead that should be overcome before the whole network performance degradation. Malicious nodes are capable of degrading the network throughput and credibility by including false and malicious data. Securing the dynamic network from malicious nodes is a critical issue in infrastructureless environment. In this paper we have purely focused on identification and isolation of malicious node in order to make enhancement in packet delivery rate and maintain the network reliability. To accomplish all these tasks, we have introduced Trust‐Oriented Peered Customized Mechanism (TOPCM) to estimate the trust value among flying ad hoc nodes. In this research, we have also eliminated the malicious nodes presence that causes misbehavior and interruption in the network. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach we have used Network Simulator NS2 to demonstrate the entire process into simulated environment. Simulated results showed that proposed TOPCM works more effectively and meets our desired expectation. The main contribution of this research is to establish trust among nodes that will be helpful to isolate the malicious nodes and make enhancement in packet delivery rate.
Mechanism of biogenic amine synthesis of Enterococcus faecium isolated from Sanchun ham
Authors: Zhang Yunhe , Shan Bo , Gong Jiashun , Hu Yongjin
Published: March 2022

Sanchuan ham, produced in Yunnan, China, is food with ethnic characteristics favored by consumers. However, it can contain biogenic amines such as tyramine that are harmful to health, and the synthesis mechanism of biogenic amines in Sanchuan ham is not clear. This study focuses on the regulation of biogenic amine synthesis by quorum sensing. We used high‐performance liquid chromatography to detect the content of biogenic amine in different kinds of ham and found that the content of biogenic amine in Sanchuan ham was higher than that in others. Tyramine‐producing strain isolated from Sanchuan ham was identified as Enterococcus faecium. By monitoring the growth and tyramine synthesis of Enterococcus faecium under cultured conditions, the results found that high temperature and low salt increased tyramine production by E. faecium. After seven exogenous amino acids were applied to E. faecium, only tyrosine could promote the production of tyramine in E. faecium, and tyramine could not be synthesized in E. faecium until a certain amount was reached, indicating the presence of microbial quorum sensing signal molecules in the synthesis of tyramine in E. faecium. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of the differential metabolites produced by E. faecium showed that the contents of some peptides, especially alanyl‐leucine, were significantly increased. Further experiments with synthetic alanyl‐leucine illustrated that alanyl‐leucine activated the expression of tyrosine decarboxylase (tyrDC), thereby regulating the synthesis of tyramine by E. faecium. Alanyl‐leucine acted as quorum sensing signal molecules for biogenic amine synthesis by E. faecium, which provided a theoretical basis for reducing biogenic amine accumulation in ham. It is beneficial to control the content of biogenic amines in ham in the future.
Hyponatremia in COVID‐19 patients: Experience from Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Khairul , Hasan Pratyay , Sharif Md. Mohiuddin , Khan Tazdin Delwar , Ratul Rifat Hossain , Hossain Fahima Sharmin , Molla Md. Maruf Ahmed
Published: March 2022

Background

The purpose of the study was to measure the prevalence of hyponatremia and its association with clinical and laboratory characteristics of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted in COVID‐19 dedicated wards at DMCH from June to August 2020. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from patient treatment sheets. Two groups of COVID‐19 patients were retrospectively screened on the basis of plasma sodium level at admission: hyponatremic (sodium < 135 mM, n = 84) or normonatremic (sodium ≥ 135 mM, n = 48) patients. Severity was assessed using World Health Organization classification for COVID‐19 disease severity. To compare the two groups, Pearson's χ2 (qualitative variables) and Student's T tests (quantitative variables) were applied. The link between patients' clinical data and outcomes was investigated using logistic regression model.

Results

A total of 132 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 51.41 (±14.13) years. Hyponatremia was found in 84 patients (63.6%) and the remaining 48 patients (36.4%) had normal plasma Na+ values. Among them, 74 (56.06%) presented with severe disease and 53 (40.15%) with moderate disease. At presentation, patients with moderate COVID‐19 disease had 2.15 (1.04–4.5) times higher odds of suffering from hyponatremia. Besides, hyponatremia was independently associated with on admission SpO2 (p = 0.038), hemoglobin (p = 0.004), and C‐reactive protein (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

The authors suggest that patients' serum electrolytes be measured during initial hospital admission and then monitored throughout the hospital stay to predict the probability for referral for invasive ventilation and for better management.
Long‐term SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific and cross‐reactive cellular immune responses correlate with humoral responses, disease severity, and symptomatology
Authors: Laurén Ida , Havervall Sebastian , Ng Henry , Lord Martin , Pettke Aleksandra , Greilert‐Norin Nina , Gabrielsson Lena , Chourlia Aikaterini , Amoêdo‐Leite Catarina , Josyula Vijay S. , Eltahir Mohamed , Kerzeli Iliana , Falk August J. , Hober Jonathan , Christ Wanda , Wiberg Anna , Hedhammar My , Tegel Hanna , Burman Joachim , Xu Feifei , Pin Elisa , Månberg Anna , Klingström Jonas , Christoffersson Gustaf , Hober Sophia , Nilsson Peter , Philipson Mia , Dönnes Pierre , Lindsay Robin , Thålin Charlotte , Mangsbo Sara
Published: March 2022

Background

Cellular immune memory responses post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) have been difficult to assess due to the risks of contaminating the immune response readout with memory responses stemming from previous exposure to endemic coronaviruses. The work herein presents a large‐scale long‐term follow‐up study investigating the correlation between symptomology and cellular immune responses four to five months post seroconversion based on a unique severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐specific peptide pool that contains no overlapping peptides with endemic human coronaviruses.

Methods

Peptide stimulated memory T cell responses were assessed with dual interferon‐gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin (IL)‐2 Fluorospot. Serological analyses were performed using a multiplex antigen bead array.

Results

Our work demonstrates that long‐term SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific memory T cell responses feature dual IFNγ and IL‐2 responses, whereas cross‐reactive memory T cell responses primarily generate IFNγ in response to SARS‐CoV‐2 peptide stimulation. T cell responses correlated to long‐term humoral immune responses. Disease severity as well as specific COVID‐19 symptoms correlated with the magnitude of the SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific memory T cell response four to five months post seroconversion.

Conclusion

Using a large cohort and a SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific peptide pool we were able to substantiate that initial disease severity and symptoms correlate with the magnitude of the SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific memory T cell responses.
Effects of rosmarinic acid on the inflammatory response in allergic rhinitis rat models after PM2.5 exposure
Authors: Zhou Lingling , Huang Yu , Han Zhijin , Wang Jinchao , Sun Na , Zhang Ruxin , Dong Weiyang , Deng Congrui , Zhuang Guoshun
Published: March 2022

Background

Studies have shown the promising prospects of rosmarinic acid (RosA) for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of RosA on inflammatory reaction in rat models of allergic rhinitis (AR) after PM2.5 exposure.

Methods

Allergic rhinitis rat models were established by ovalbumin sensitization, and PM2.5 was applied at a concentration of 1000 μg/m3, 3 h a day for 30 consecutive days. RosA was administered via intraperitoneal injection (20 mg/kg/d) for seven consecutive days. Allergic nasal symptoms were recorded. The expressions of interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐13, interferon (INF)‐γ, and OVA‐sIgE were determined by ELISA. Histopathological changes in nasal mucosa were observed by HE staining. mRNA expressions of T‐bet and GATA‐3 in nasal mucosa were detected by RT‐PCR. NF‐κBp65 in cell nuclei and IκBα in cytoplasm were analyzed by Western blot.

Results

PM2.5 exposure worsened allergic nasal symptoms in AR rats, while RosA ameliorated these symptoms. Histopathologically, AR rats exhibited disorganized nasal mucosal epithelium, cell exfoliation, eosinophilic infiltration of lamina propria, gland swelling, and submucosal vascular congestion, which were aggravated by PM2.5 exposure and alleviated by RosA. RosA decreased the expressions of IL‐4, IL‐13, and increased the level of IFN‐γ in PM2.5‐exposed AR rats. After RosA intervention, the expressions of GATA‐3 mRNA and NF‐κBp65 in PM2.5‐exposed AR rats were significantly reduced, while those of T‐bet mRNA and IκBα were markedly increased.

Conclusion

Rosmarinic acid may alleviate symptoms of AR rat models exposed to PM2.5 through the modulation of the NF‐κB pathway and Th1/Th2 balance.