bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Micronutrient and Redox Homeostasis Contribute to Moringa Oleifera-regulated Drought Tolerance in Wheat
Authors: Basu Sahana , Prabhakar Amlan A. , Kumari Surbhi , Ranjan Aabha , Kumar Ravi Ranjan , Shekhar Shashi , Prakash Krishna , Singh Jitendra P. , Singh Gyanendra P. , Prasad Ram , Kumar Gautam
Published: September 2021

Global food security is being severely affected by rapid increase in population and drastic climate change. With the changing climate, drought stress has become the most important limiting factor for sustainable production of several important agricultural crops, including wheat. Gradual rise in temperature and reduced precipitations are likely to cause frequent onset of droughts around the world. Therefore, alleviation of drought stress in crop plants has become an essential requirement to meet the increasing food demand. The present study explored the role of foliar application of Moringa leaf extract (MLE) in conferring drought tolerance in wheat during the anthesis stage. The results showed that MLE treatment improved the concentration of the macro- (K, Ca) and micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Na, Mn, Zn, Si) in flag-leaves of wheat under non-stressed conditions and also maintained their concentrations under drought stress. The micro-nutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) being the co-factors of the enzymes also stimulated the antioxidant enzyme activities, eventually leading to significant reduction in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulations under drought stress. Furthermore, micronutrients played a crucial role in osmoregulation and sustainable plant growth under drought stress. Overall, the study provided insights into the functional role of micronutrients in improving drought tolerance and also indicated the potential to commercialize MLE as an effective bio-stimulant for sustainable agriculture in drought prone regions.
Investigating the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Eu(III) and Au(III) on β-cyclodextrin/polyethylenimine Functionalized Waste Paper
Authors: Liu Fenglei , Hua Shan , Hu Qingyuan , Wang Chao , hu baowei
Published: September 2021

A bio-adsorbent (DAWP-PEI-β-CD) was facilely prepared by introducing polyethylenimine (PEI) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) into dialdehyde waste paper (DAWP) via a facile two-step method. Various physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, XRD, SEM, NMR, XPS) were applied to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the as-prepared adsorbents. Investigation results showed that the pH values, reaction temperature and contact time played a vital role in uptake of Eu(III) and Au(III). Meanwhile, the adsorption behavior of Eu(III) and Au(III) could be fitted felicitously with the Langmuir and the Pseudo-second-order models, and the saturated adsorption amounts of Eu(III) (pH = 6.0) and Au(III) (pH = 2.0) onto DAWP-PEI-β-CD were 424.2 and 241.3 mg/g, respectively. Further advanced spectroscopy analysis revealed that the elimination of Eu(III) was attributed to host-guest inclusion and surface complexation interaction, while adsorption of Au(III) might stem from a combination of electrostatic attraction, chelation, host-guest inclusion and redox interaction. This study demonstrated that DAWP-PEI-β-CD was a promising environmental functional material to separation and enrichment of Eu(III) and Au(III) from contaminated water.
Transformations in Plasma Metabolic Profiles of Patients with Major Depression During Treatment: A Pilot Metabolomics Study
Authors: Li Xixuan , Zhang Shufang , Tan Jingxuan , Zhu Ying , Zhai Xuejia , Lu Yongning
Published: September 2021

Background Major depression disorder (MDD) is a mental disease that seriously endangers human physical and mental health. The purpose of present study is to detect the differences of plasma metabolic profiles between MDD patients and healthy controls. Moreover, the hospitalization process of MDD patients was followed to explore the reversal of metabolic abnormalities in MDD patients by conventional treatment in the form of self-control.Methods Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was used to detect the metabolic profiles in 47 plasma samples from 12 controls and 12 MDD patients. Multivariate statistical analysis and K-means clustering were operated to search for significantly different metabolites (SDMs) between pair-comparison groups and specific metabolites (SMs) with ideal variation trend in relative content. Finally, the metabolites were integrated into Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways to preliminarily explore the potential mechanism of MDD disrupting the metabolic process.Results There were significant differences in plasma metabolic profiles between healthy controls and MDD patients. A total of 14 SDMs between untreated MDD patients and healthy controls were classified into the top ten KEGG pathways enrichment, among which the relative contents of 4 SMs, 9-HPODE, imidazoleacetic acid, thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and arachidonic acid (AA) showed a regular variation trend after MDD patients’ treatment. A new metabolite-pathway network containing 4 SMs and 8 pathways was accessed after further integration analysis. The sample size calculation showed that a verification set of 84-135 subjects (containing healthy controls and MDD paients) was desired to confirm the results of this study.Conclusion The results indicate that the transition in metabolic pathways during the occurrence and treatment process of MDD is mainly dominated by transformations in lipid metabolism and its relevant signaling pathway system. Additionally, histidine metabolism is also engaged. Subsequent large-scale validation study is acquired to evaluate whether the selected metabolites have the potential to diagnose and access the therapeutic effect of MDD, and to explore the probable mechanism of MDD in combination with other technologies.
Influence of Lignin On Plastic Flow Deformation of Wood
Authors: Seki Masako , Abe Mitsuru , Miki Tsunehisa , Nishida Masakazu
Published: September 2021

In this study, we clarified the influence of lignin in wood on its plastic flow deformation due to shear sliding of wood cells. Wood samples were subjected to delignification, where the lignin structure gradually changed, and characterized for their chemical and physicochemical properties, and deformability by free compression testing. The delignified wood deformed by efficient stretching and maintained its cell structures at a lower pressure compared to the untreated wood. The deformability was evaluated from two viewpoints: the initial resistance to plastic flow and final stretchability. The deformability of the delignified and untreated wood increased with increasing compressive temperature, even though the changes in molecular motility associated with the glass transition of lignin contributed minimally to the improvement in deformability. In the early stages of delignification, the molecular mass of lignin in the compound middle lamella decreased, which reduced the initial resistance to plastic flow. However, during the early stages of delignification, the stretchability of delignified wood was scarcely affected by changes in lignin. As the amount of lignin was further reduced and delignification proceeded in the vicinity of the polysaccharides, the stretchability significantly improved. The correlation between chemical and physicochemical properties and plastic flow deformability presented in this paper will be helpful for low-energy and highly productive forming of solid-state wood.
Dynamic Scene Deblurring and Image De-Raining Based on Generative Adversarial Networks and Transfer Learning for Internet of Vehicle
Authors: Wei Bingcai , zhang liye , Wang Kangtao , Kong Qun , Wang Zhuang
Published: September 2021

Extracting traffic information from images plays an important role in Internet of Vehicle (IoV). However, due to the high-speed movement and bumpiness of the vehicle, motion blur will occur in image acquisition. In addition, in rainy days, because the rain is attached to the lens, the target will be blocked by rain, and the image will be distorted. These problems have caused great obstacles for extracting key information from transportation images, which will affect the real-time judgment of vehicle control system on road conditions, and further cause decision-making errors of the system and even cause traffic accidents. In this paper, we propose a motion blurred restoration and rain removal algorithm for IoV based on Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) and transfer learning. Dynamic scene deblurring and image de-raining are both among the challenging classical tasks in low-level vision tasks. For both tasks, firstly, instead of using ReLU in a conventional residual block, we designed a residual block containing three 256-channel convolutional layers, and we used the Leakly-ReLU activation function. Secondly, we used generative adversarial networks for the image deblurring task with our Resblock, as well as the image de-raining task. Thirdly, experimental results on the synthetic blur dataset GOPRO and the real blur dataset RealBlur confirm the effectiveness of our model for image deblurring. Finally, we can use the pre-trained model for the transfer learning-based image de-raining task and show good results on several datasets.
Rapamycin Alleviates Cancellous Bone Loss and Cortical Bone Porosity in Ovariectomized Mice but Not Overall Biomechanical Performance
Authors: Li Ruoyao , Liu Junhao , Huang Zhiping , Wu Xiuhua , Yang Zhou , Lin Junyu , Liu Qi , Huang Zucheng , Zhu Qingan
Published: September 2021

Background: Recent studies have shown that rapamycin (Rapa) rescues cancellous bone loss of osteoporosis models, but its effects on cortical bone and the biomechanical properties remain uncertain. This study was aimed to determine whether rapamycin improve the quality of long bones in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis.Methods: Thirty female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Sham, OVX and OVX+Rapa group. Mice in the OVX+Rapa group were injected intraperitoneally with 1.5 mg/kg rapamycin daily after ovariectomy. After 12 weeks, the microstructures of femurs and the vascular canal porosity tibiae were analyzed by micro-CT. The compressive stiffness of the distal femurs was calculated with the micro-finite element method, and the bending strength of the tibiae was evaluated with a three-point bending test. Western blot of LC3, P62 was used to assess autophagy activity of bone. The number of osteoclasts was quantified by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. ELISA detected the concentration of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) in serum.Results: OVX led to a decrease in cross-sectional areas of the mid-diaphyses and distal femoral cortical bones, increasing the cortical bone vascular canal porosity from 1.42% to 4.79%. The rapamycin reduced cancellous bone loss and decreased cortical bone vascular canal porosity by 3.9%, but further reduced the thickness of the distal femoral cortical bone by 16.7%, with no significant effect on the cortical bone in the mid-diaphyses. Compared to the Sham group, OVX mice showed a decrease in distal femoral stiffness to 6497 N/mm and a decrease in tibial maximum load to 6.08 N, while rapamycin intervention did not significantly improve the decreased biomechanical properties. Moreover, rapamycin remarkably reduced the TRAP-positive osteoclasts and the concentration of serum BALP by 80.6% and 30.8%, respectively. Autophagy was activated in the OVX group compared with the sham group.Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that rapamycin ameliorates cancellous bone loss and cortical bone porosity in ovariectomized mice but partly reduces the size of cortical bone, while has no effect on improving the biomechanical performance. Additionally, the present study also proved that OVX led to both cancellous and cortical bone loss, with attenuated biomechanical properties of long bones.
A Protocol for Rapid and Inexpensive Genotyping of Mutant Mice from Dried Blood Spots: An Update
Authors: Romano Antonella , Zuchegna Candida , Zannini Giuseppa , Grillo Roberta , Messina Samantha , de Candia Paola , Matarese Giuseppe , Porcellini Antonio
Published: September 2021

Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing is a well-known method of bio-sampling by which blood samples are blotted and dried on filter paper. The dried samples can then be analyzed by several techniques such as DNA amplification and HPLC. We have developed a homemade DBS method followed by an alternative protocol for genomic DNA extraction from a drop of blood adsorbed on paper support. This protocol consists of two separate steps: (1) organic DNA extraction from the DBS, followed by (2) DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) is an advantageous and simple approach to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results: We have evaluated the efficiency of our method for the extraction of genomic DNA from DBS by testing its performance in genotyping mouse models of obesity and herein discuss the sensitivity, specificity and feasibility of this novel procedure. Conclusions: Our protocol is easy to perform, fast and inexpensive and allows the isolation of pure DNA from a miniscule amount of sample.
A novel adipose hormone asprosin as a potential breast cancer marker
Authors: OZCAN Sibel , YILDIRIM Nilgun , YUR Mesut , OZDEDE Mehmet Ridvan , OZCAN Mete
Published: September 2021

PurposeAsprosin is a recently discovered hormone released by white adipose tissue (WAT) that is typically significantly elevated in obese adults. Consequently, the adverse effects of increasing WAT in obesity during breast cancer (BC) development and progression have attracted interest of researchers and clinical practitioners. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether the asprosin levels are associated with the probability of women having BC. MethodsThe study sample comprised of 45 female patients diagnosed with invasive BC and 42 healthy women that served as controls. Asprosin serum level was quantified in all subjects by ELISA, whereas serum levels of CEA and CA 15–3 were measured using an immunology analyzer. The potential association between asprosin and BC was examined through logistic regression analyses, while samples provided by BC patients were further subjected to ROC analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of asprosin. ResultsAsprosin levels were significantly higher in BC patients compared to healthy controls (2.38 ± 0.54 vs. 1.39 ± 0.53 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that the increased asprosin levels were associated with a significantly higher risk of breast cancer after adjustments for family history of breast and/or gynecological cancer, dyslipidemia, and BMI (odds ratio = 157.92; 95% confidence interval = 17.22−1447.96). When 1.78 ng/mL was adopted as the cut-off value, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of asprosin for BC were 0.943, 91.1%, and 88.1%, respectively. ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that asprosin is elevated in BC and can thus be an appropriate candidate for breast cancer diagnosis.
Synergistic Effect of Phloretin Combined With Radiotherapy on Lung Cancer
Authors: Tang Juan , Gong Youling
Published: September 2021

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the synergistic anti-tumor effects of phloretin (Ph) and radiotherapy (RT) on Lewis lung cancer (LLC), and the mechanisms involved. METHODS：The proliferative rate of Lewis cells treated with phloretin was detected by MTT assay; Clone formation experiments were used to demonstrate the synergistic effect of phloretin and radiotherapy; Mice engrafted with the LLC cells were given intraperitoneal injections of saline, phloretin with or without RT. Tumor models were established by laterally transplanting LLC cells in the right thigh of C57BL/J mice. They were randomly divided into four groups, namely saline group, phloretin group, radiotherapy group, phloretin combined with radiotherapy group. 10Gy radiotherapy was performed during the administration. PET-CT was used to detect 18F-FDG uptake in tumor tissue; immunohistochemistry was used to detect Ki67 expression in tumor tissue; cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Different concentrations of phloretin inhibited the proliferation of Lewis cells in a time and dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The radiotherapy sensitization ratio (SER) of 50μg Phloretin was 1.645 in the LLC cells. The combination of Phloretin and RT increased survival compared to free Phloretin and RT (p<0.05), and prolonged tumor growth delay (TGD). Furthermore, the RT + Phloretin combination therapy significantly reduced 18F-FDG uptake, increased apoptosis and decreased the proliferation index (Ki67) in tumor cells compared to either monotherapy. CONCLUSION: phloretin combined with radiotherapy has a synergistic anti-tumor effect, possibly by promoting apoptosis, as well as inhibiting proliferation rate and glucose transport.
Propensity Score Analysis of Outcomes Following Laparoscopic or Open Radical Resection for Gallbladder Cancer in T2 and T3 Stages
Authors: Dou Changwei , Zhang Chunxu , Liu Jie , Zhang Chengwu
Published: September 2021

Background Although laparoscopic radical resection (LLR) has long been contraindicated in gallbladder cancer (GBC), recent studies have demonstrated laparoscopic surgery did not adversely affect the perioperative and survival outcomes of GBC patients. However, these literatures are mainly focused on GBC of relatively early stages or incidental GBC. This study aimed to investigate the perioperative and long-term outcomes of LRR versus open radical resection (ORR) for GBCs in T2 and T3 stages.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 99 patients with GBC of T2 and T3 stages who underwent radical resection at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2010 to December 2020. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), which is the best option to overcome selection bias, was conducted to compare the surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis between LRR and ORR. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictive risk factors of postoperative overall survival.Results By using PSM, the two groups were well balanced with 30 patients in each group. In the LRR group, the length of operation was significantly longer than the ORR group, but the intraoperative bleeding and postoperative days of hospital stay were significantly decreased compared to ORR group. Two groups showed comparable outcomes regarding the incidence of biliary reconstruction, lymph node yield, the incidence of postoperative morbidities, the incidence of Clavien–Dindo (C–D) grade III-IV, the days of drainage tubes indwelling, mortality at 30 postoperative days and 90 postoperative days, and the incidence of port sites metastasis. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 61.2, 40.1, and 30.1%, respectively, in the LLR group, and 53.3, 40.1, and 40.1%, respectively, in the OLR group (p=0.644). On multivariate analysis, T stage, vascular invasion and tumor differentiation were found to be the independent risk factors for overall survival of GBC in T2 and T3 stages.Conclusions For GBC in T2 and T3 stages, LRR can achieve comparable perioperative outcomes and long term survival compared to ORR. LRR tend to show advantages over ORR regarding intraoperative bleeding and postoperative days of hospital stay.
Probiotics Improve Autoimmune Hepatitis via Gut Mycobiota-Mediated Follicular Helper T Cells
Authors: Ma Liang , Zhang Liwen , Zhuang Yun , Ding Yanbo , Chen Jianping
Published: September 2021

Background: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic, immune-mediated liver dysfunction. The follicular helper (TFH) T cells play critical roles in the immunopathogenesis and progression of AIH. But the underlying mechanism of the dysregulation of TFH cells in AIH remains to be determined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of gut mycobiota on TFH cell response in AIH. Methods: Samples from AIH patients and the EAH animal model were analyzed using Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, flow cytometry, and Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to determine the role of gut mycobiota on autoimmune hepatitis.Results: Lactobacillus capsule could significantly increased the levels of Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium, Clostridium leptum, Bifi, and Lacto in AIH patients and significantly decreased the levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, SMA, ANA, DAO, and ET in AIH patients. What’s more, the Lactobacillus capsule showed similar results in EAH mice. it decreased the levels of serum IL-21, the proportions of TFH cells in CD4+ T cells as well as TFH related cytokines and factors. Mechanistically, lactobacillus capsule regulated TFH response in EAH mice in DCs and MyD88/NF-κB pathway-dependent manner. Conclusion: Our results suggested a protective and therapeutic potential of probiotics in the treatment of AIH.
Colored Shade Nets can Relieve Abnormal Fruit Softening and Premature Leaf Senescence of “Jumeigui” Grapes during Ripening Under Greenhouse Conditions
Authors: Zha Qian , Xi Xiaojun , Yin Xiangjing , He Yani , Jiang Aili
Published: September 2021

When grapes reach maturity, they usually experience extremely high-temperature periods in southern China, causing premature leaf senescence, abnormal fruit softening, and fruiting period shortening. Their quality and production efficiency are also severely affected. ‘Jumeigui’ grapes were examined in terms of fruit quality and leaf senescence under shading treatments; green, blue, black, and gray aluminum foil nets were used for shading, and their spectra were measured. At the same density, shade net color significantly affected cooling and shading efficiencies, and gray net had the best light transmission and cooling effect. Shading treatment significantly alleviated abnormal grape softness during hot periods. Total soluble solids (TSS) content and grape coloration were affected under gray, blue, and green shade nets. TSS exceeded 18% under gray, blue, and green nets, meeting the requirements of first-class high-quality fruit. However, peel coloration was not notably affected under gray and blue shade nets, while the non-shading treatment produced clear heat-stress damage, especially on the edges of old leaves. The net photosynthetic rate of the bottom five old leaves under the non-shading treatment was significantly lower than that under the shading treatment, indicating that high light and heat caused premature leaf senescence. In summary, colored shade nets can reduce the temperature and light in the greenhouse, while alleviating premature senescence of perennial grape plants. However, the quality of the grapes treated using black shade nets was poor; superior quality was achieved using gray and blue shade nets. These results can be applied in future cultivation facilities during high-temperature periods.
Human Menstrual Blood-derived Stem Cell Transplantation Suppresses Liver Injury in DDC-induced Chronic Cholestasis
Authors: Yang Ya , Chen Yanfei , Zhao Yalei , Ji Feiyang , Zhang Lingjian , Tang Shima , Zhang Sainan , Hu Qingqing , Li Zuhong , Zhang Fen , Li Qian , li lanjuan
Published: September 2021

Background: Cholestasis liver injury can lead to serious symptoms and prognoses in the clinic. Currently, an effective medical treatment is not available for cholestasis liver injury. Human menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) have been considered an emerging treatment in various diseases. However, efficiency of MenSCs in cholestasis liver injury has been less investigated. Methods: C57/BL6 mice were fed with 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4- dihydroxychollidine (DDC) to induce chronic cholestasis liver injury model. DDC mice were injected with either phosphate buffer saline (PBS) or MenSCs at 2 and 4 weeks. Mice were sacrificed at 5 weeks. Serum and liver tissues were collected to test liver function and pathological changes. Proteomics and western blot were used to explore the related molecular mechanisms. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)9 infected mice were used for verifications of MenSC treatment target and related molecular mechanism. Results: We found that MenSCs could protect mice against DDC-induced cholestasis by improving impaired liver function and tissue damage. MenSCs markedly prolonged survival rate of mice, decreased the mice serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), direct bilirubin (DBIL) and total bilirubin (TBIL) levels as well as intrahepatic cholestasis, bile duct dilation and fibrosis. The results further indicated that MenSCs repaired DDC-induced tight junction (TJ) and bile transport function damage and inhibited COL1A1, α-SMA and TGF-β1 activation by upregulating liver β-catenin expression. MenSC transplantation could be an effective treatment method for cholestasis liver injury.
Fuel and Emission Efficiency test for locally produced charcoal stoves using charcoal sourced from selected tree species in Adola Woyu District, Ethiopia
Authors: Gebre Getachew Demie , Seboka Ararsa Derese
Published: September 2021

Background: Energy plays an indispensable role in social, and economic development. It is primarily obtained from biomass and converted to required energy using traditional stoves in most developing countries. Currently, the market is dominated by different shapes and sizes of locally produced cooking stoves. Their impact on fuel-saving, and emission reduction, however, has not been exhaustively investigated.
Objective and Method: Hence, the objective of this study is to test the fuel efficiency and emission reduction potential of locally produced charcoal stoves. Accordingly, four charcoal stoves and three plant species that are commonly used were collected for conducting laboratory tests following a controlled cooking test.
Results: The overall findings revealed that about 62.69% of the respondents use locally produced charcoal stoves compared to the traditional metal stoves (37.31%). However, individual stove-wise analysis indicates that traditional metal stoves are majorly used stove type followed by Lakech (29.36%) and Mirchaye (13.46%) stoves. Overall, a traditional metal stove consumes a huge amount of fuel (0.23ton/year) which is around 0.0046ha of forest and is responsible for the emission of 77.07ton of CO 2 e per year whereas the mean consumption of improved stoves is 0.16ton/year which is about 0.0032ha of forest and emits 13.69tons of CO 2 e per year. Furthermore, these differences were among improved stoves. Accordingly, the highest annual greenhouse gas emission was recorded by Mirchaye stove (14.64ton of CO 2 e) followed by lakech, and kib stoves 13.69, and 12.74ton CO 2 e respectively. The types of wood used for charcoal preparation, in addition to stoves types, also have an impact on the amount of fuel consumed and pollutants emitted.
Conclusions: Generally improved stoves significantly contribute to reducing emission and fuel consumption which in turn reduces the impact on forest resources, human health, and global warming of the energy sector. Hence, this finding discloses the distribution of these improved stoves for local communities by government and concerned stakeholders to assure affordable and clean energy for all and reducing pressure on forest and human health.
Microbial Growth in Shrimp Ponds as Influenced by Monosilicic and Polysilicic Acids
Authors: Zhang Ruiping , Bocharnikova Elena , Matichenkov Vladimir
Published: September 2021

In order to increase shrimp production and minimize detrimental environmental impacts of aquaculture, the maintenance and regulation of the growth and composition of phytoplankton communities and nutritional balance are critical. Silicon (Si) is an essential nutrient for diatoms and other types of microorganisms, but the information about the Si impact on their growth is extremely scarce. Monosilicic and polysilicic acids were tested in several shrimp cultivation systems in Jiangsu Province, China. In pond waters, the concentrations of monosilicic and polysilicic acids sharply reduced by 36–95% and 35–75%, accordingly, as compared with those in supply water sources. The microbial cell abundance was strongly dependent on monosilicic acid, while the correlation with polysilicic acid was absent. In laboratory experiments, monosilicic acid added to pond water or probiotic solution at 1 and 2 mM Si had a significant positive effect on cell abundance. Over three days, the concentrations of monosilicic acid decreased by 81 to 91% in pond water and by 11 to 24% in probiotic solution. In probiotic solutions, the degree of polymerization of silicic acid was more intensive than that in shrimp pond waters. The data obtained demonstrates the importance of systematic studies related to the functions of Si in shrimp aquaculture.
Trends and Outcomes of Early and Late Palliative Care Consultation for Adult Glioblastoma Patients: A SEER-Medicare Retrospective Study
Authors: Wu Adela , Ugiliweneza Beatrice , Wang Dengzhi , Hsin Gary , Boakye Maxwell , Skirboll Stephen
Published: September 2021

PurposeGlioblastoma (GBM) carries a poor prognosis despite standard of care. Early palliative care (PC) has been shown to enhance survival and quality of life while reducing healthcare costs for other cancers. No study has investigated differences in PC timing on GBM patient outcomes.MethodsThis study used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data from 1997-2016. Based on ICD codes, three groups were defined: (1) early PC within 10 weeks of diagnosis, (2) late PC, and (3) no PC. Outcomes were compared between the three groups.ResultsOut of 10,812 GBM patients, 1,648 (15.24%) patients had PC consultation with an overall positive trend over time. There were no significant differences in patient characteristics. There were significant differences in survival among the three groups (P<0.001), with early PC patients with the lowest mean time to death from diagnosis (3.99 ± 4.22 months). The early PC group had significantly lower overall cost of home health aid (1901 ± 3025, p<0.0001) and overall healthcare costs (82842 ± 52726, p<0.0001) compared to other groups. Conclusion We present the first investigation of PC consultation prevalence and outcomes, stratified by early versus late timing, for adult GBM patients. Despite an overall increase in PC consultations, only a minority of GBM patients receive PC. Patients with late PC had the longest survival times. Early PC was associated with lower healthcare costs and resource utilization when accounting for the patients’ entire disease course. Prospective studies can provide additional valuable information about this unique population of GBM patients.
CNS Endothelial Derived Extracellular Vesicles are Biomarkers of Active Disease in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Mazzucco Michael , Mannheim William , Shetty Samantha V , Linden Jennifer
Published: September 2021

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex, heterogenous disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Currently, active disease is determined by physician confirmed relapse or detection of contrast enhancing lesions via MRI indicative of BBB permeability. However, clinical confirmation of active disease can be cumbersome. As such, active disease monitoring in MS could benefit from identification of an easily accessible biomarker of active disease. We believe extracellular vesicles (EV) isolated from plasma are excellent candidates to fulfill this need. Because of the critical role BBB permeability plays in MS pathogenesis and identification of active disease, we sought to identify EV originating from CNS endothelial as biomarkers of active MS. Because endothelial cells secrete more EV when stimulated or injured, we hypothesized that circulating concentrations of CNS endothelial derived EV will be increased in MS patients with active disease. Methods: To test this, we developed a novel method to identify EV originating from CNS endothelial cells isolated from patient plasma using flow cytometry. Endothelial derived EV were identified by the absence of lymphocyte or platelet markers CD3 and CD41, respectively, and positive expression of pan-endothelial markers CD31, CD105, and CD144. To determine if endothelial derived EV originated from CNS endothelial cells, EV expressing CD31, CD105, or CD144 were evaluated for MAL expression, a protein specifically expressed by CNS endothelial cells. Results: Analysis of EV isolated from 20 healthy controls, 16 relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients with active disease not receiving disease modifying therapy, 14 RRMS patients with stable disease not receiving disease modifying therapy, 17 relapsing-RRMS patients with stable disease receiving natalizumab, and 14 RRMS patients with stable disease receiving ocrelizumab revealed a significant increase in the plasma concentration of CNS endothelial derived EV in patients with active disease compared to all other groups ( p = 0.001). Conclusions: For the first time, we have identified a method to identify CSN endothelial derived EV in circulation from human blood samples. Results from our pilot study indicate that increased levels of CNS endothelial derived EV may be a biomarker of BBB permeability and active disease in MS.
In-planta Agrobacterium-mediated Stable hva1 and EPSPS Integration into Potato var. Agria Genome
Authors: Choobineh Darush , nezhad nafiseh mahdi , Niazi Ali Niazi , Fakheri Baratali , Emamjomeh Abbasali
Published: September 2021

BackgroundAfter wheat, maize, and rice, potato is not only an important food crop but also a substantial source of income throughout the world. Developing a practical and effective transformation method for cultivars that are recalcitrant in tissue culture is vital. Hva1 encodes the protein of the LEA III superfamily that involves in reactions to abiotic stresses, which holds considerable potential for use as molecular tools for genetic crop improvement toward stress tolerance.ResultsHere, a protocol has been designed for an Agrobacterium-mediated transient transformation in tissue culture-independent conditions in-planta. The protocol establishes for hva1 and EPSPS transformations by direct injection of the bacterial suspension into the potato tuber sprout to encode resistance to cold and against glyphosate herbicide. A two-stage selection was involved using 1% and 2% Glyphosate to eliminate the chimeric and non-transformed plants. Ultimately, the protocol enabled confirmation of gene integration into the plant, transgene expression of the gene and transgene expression, which was made possible by competitive PCR reaction, RT-PCR, and ELISA, respectively. In this research, the transformation efficiencies acquired in potatoes (up to 46%) were higher than those reported using conventional Agrobacterium-mediated approaches in previous studies. ConclusionsThe constitutive expression of the integrated T-DNA neither slowed down the growth rate nor affected potato tuberization significantly. The hva1 gene was expressed successfully leading to the accumulation of the hva1 protein in transgene-generated tubers. This study is the first report on a successful transformation of potato in-planta whereby Agrobacterium can be directed at potato seed sprouts through injection.
Assessment of Staffing Needs for Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses at Primary Care Units in Brazil Using the Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) Method
Authors: Bonfim Daiana , Mafra Ana Carolina Cintra Nunes , Palacio Danielle da Costa , Rewa Talita
Published: September 2021

Background
The balance between supply and demand for primary health care (PHC) services is one of the main challenges to the health system in Brazil. In this context, the application of planning methods could benefit the decision-making process for human resources organizations. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the staffing needs for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) at PHC services using the WISN method.
Methods
The Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) methodology was applied at 13 Primary Care Units (PCU) located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It included 87 RNs and 174 LPNs, and used data from 2017 to 2019.
Results
The WISN results found that RNs were under high workload pressure at 10 PCUs (77%) in 2017 and 2018, with a decrease to 8 PCUs (61%) in 2019. For LPNs, high workload pressure increased from 2 PCUs (15%) in 2017 to 13 PCUs (100%) in 2018, with a decrease to 11 (85%) in 2019.
Conclusion
The assessment of staffing needs for RNs and LPNs at the PCUs included in the study identified a consistent deficit in the number of professionals, and high workload pressure in most services throughout the study period.
Characteristics of Intestinal Microbiota and Mother's Reproductive Tract Flora in Children With Down Syndrome
Authors: Liu Yannan , Hu Dongjie , Dai Chunfang , Wang Dan , Weihong Song
Published: September 2021

Background: Patients with Down’s syndrome (DS) often have an increased rate of infections, hypertension, objectivity and gastrointestinal disorders, which are the most common abnormalities and have a significant impact on their daily life. The gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining gut homeostasis and improving immunity and has been linked to the development of obesity, hypertension, and colon cancer. However, there are few studies on the intestinal flora and the mother's reproductive tract flora of children with DS in childhood. Therefore, 16S sequencing technology was used to analyze and explore the intestinal flora of children with DS and CHD patients in DS and the microbial abundance and diversity composition in the mother's reproductive tract. Results: We found that the gut microbiota in children with DS was mainly composed of Escherichia, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium and Bacteroides, which have significant differences in the abundance and diversity of intestinal flora compared with healthy children, and the abundance of Enterococcus and Erysipelatoclostridium in the intestine of children with CHD was significantly higher than that of children without CHD, and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus in the reproductive tract of mothers with DS was significantly higher than that of mothers with healthy children, which may suggest potential ways of using microbiome composition for prognosis and diagnosis. Through functional analysis, it was found that Down’s syndrome patients significantly downregulated immune system and their cell growth and nucleotide metabolism were lower than those of healthy children.Conclusion: We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on fecal samples from 60 children and vaginal swab samples from 63 mothers to identify a number of potentially important taxonomic, functional and microbiomes associated with congenital heart disease and Down’s syndrome. Structural changes and its correlation with the mother’s vaginal flora. Our analysis shows that the ecosystem associated with childhood congenital heart disease affects the selection of bacterial communities in the native microbiota, and we focus on specific bacteria and their relevance to disease.
Nonlinear time-series forecasts for decision support: short-term demand for ICU beds in Santiago, Chile during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Quiroga Bernardo F. , Vásquez Cristián , Vicuña María Ignacia
Published: September 2021

In Chile, due to the explosive increase of new COVID-19 cases during the first part of 2021, the ability of health services to accommodate new incoming cases was jeopardized. It has become necessary to be able to manage intensive care unit (ICU) capacity, and for this purpose, monitoring both the evolution of new cases and the demand of ICU beds, has become urgent. This paper presents short-term forecast models for the number of new cases and the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs in the Metropolitan Region in Chile.
Innovative Solutions for Disaster Early Warning and Alert Systems: A Literary Review
Authors: Cvetković Vladimir M.
Published: September 2021

In different parts of the world, decision-makers and risk managers use specific and particularly complex disaster early warning and alert systems to protect people and their material goods from the harmful effects of various disasters in a timely, efficient and appropriate manner. However, concerning the level of scientific-technological and economic development of certain countries, such systems can differ in the many characteristics that make them more efficient in specific situations. Guided by this, the subject of the paper is reflected in the systematic identification, analysis, and classification of the best innovative solutions of early warning systems regarding their usability and efficiency. To find appropriate innovative solutions, it was performed a search of different electronic databases. The findings of this review showed that there is a huge potential for innovative solutions in the field of disaster early warning and alert systems.
Determinants of saving in selected Woredas of Kaffa Zone
Authors: Alemu abiyot , J. Lidiya
Published: September 2021

Saving is one of the most important variables in the macro-economic theory. Different studies revealed that there is a significant relationship between income, saving, and investment, though they can determine the economic level of nations. This study was designed to capture the constituents of saving under different categories in Southern nations, nationalities, and peoples region with special reference to South west Ethiopia, Kaffa Zone. Three different models were adopted from a number of econometric and regression models adopted by different scholars depending on the country’s and regional economic and socio-cultural behavior. The panel approach (panel data) and cross-sectional data was adopted to measure the determinants of saving. The data utilized for this study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. The average monthly net deposit (AMND) was ‘the dependent variable and the independent variables can be taken in two forms. The first category includes the macro-economic variables as (per capita income, employment, rate of inflation, interest rate …etc) and the second category addresses the demographic variables as (age, gender, education, occupation…etc) which can be entertained at micro level. The reason behind using both panel approach and cross- sectional data is to make the study focus more on individual level variables those are not addressed by most of the studies conducted at macro-level. In addition to this cross-sectional data can support the panel data and helps for comparison of individual level variables with the variables at macro- level. According to the results obtained from the analysis income of the individuals is the most significant variable with cv (). Gender and age are another significant variables affecting saving behavior of individuals with cv (). Consumption pattern and preferences of the individuals are the most significant variable determining the level of saving with significant level of 0.672.
Assistência aos diabéticos na atenção básica: análise do 2° ciclo do PMAQ no município de João Pessoa-Paraíba, Brasil
Authors: Da Silva Neto Fernando Soares , Silva Jéssica Lima da , Morais Jairo Domingos de
Published: September 2021

Introdução: A Política Nacional de Atenção Básica (PNAB) é consequência da participação mútua direta de um conjunto de atores envolvidos com a história, desenvolvimento e normatização do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). O propósito fundamental do Programa Nacional da Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade de Atenção Básica (PMAQ) é efetivar a gestão pública com base na interferência, monitoramento e avaliação de processos, para assim garantir o acesso direto e qualidade da atenção em saúde a toda a população. Objetivo: O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar os resultados do 2° ciclo do Programa Nacional de Melhoria do Acesso e da Qualidade da Atenção Básica (PMAQ-AB) no município de João Pessoa (PB) referente ao cuidado integral a Diabetes Mellitus. Materiais e método: Foi realizado um estudo transversal com informações secundárias obtidas na base de dados da avaliação externa do PMAQ-AB. Resultados: No que diz respeito à caracterização dos usuários predominaram o sexo feminino, com idade superior a 40 anos e considerados pardos ou mestiços. Conclusão: Concluímos pois, que mesmo sendo diagnosticados, muitos dos usuários não buscam uma assistência para o controle de sua doença, deixando para procurar a sua unidade de saúde quando ocorre uma alteração, tornando dificultoso o seu controle, sendo preciso um maior olhar da gestão em saúde, visando uma atenção especializada a esta população.
Qualidade de vida de crianças pré-escolares e sua relação com a cárie dentária e fatores sociodemográficos
Authors: Queiroz Faldryene de Sousa , Braga Maria Luísa de Assis , Silvestre Tuanny Lopes Alves , Batista Édila Pablizia Cavalcante , Costa Luciana Ellen Dantas , Almeida Eliete Rodrigues de
Published: September 2021

Objetivo: Investigar a relação entre cárie dentária, fatores socioeconômicos e a qualidade de vida de pré-escolares. Metodologia: A amostra foi composta por 215 crianças da cidade de Patos-PB. A prevalência da cárie dentária foi avaliada pelo índice ceo-d e os questionários Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (B-ECOHIS) e o Autoquestionnaire Qualité de Vie Enfant Imagé (AUQEI) avaliaram o impacto da cárie na qualidade de vida das crianças. Os dados foram submetidos ao teste do Qui-quadrado, com nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: Observou-se prevalência de cárie em 65,1% da amostra com média de ceo-d = 3,53, com 92,6% do componente cariado. A cárie dentária apresentou relação significante com alguns fatores socioeconômico (p<0,05) e o impacto na qualidade de vida das crianças foi observado (p=0,001). Alguns quesitos específicos do AUQEI apresentaram relação com a cárie dentária: “à noite, ao dormir”(p=0,01), “quando pratica esporte”(p=0,047), “quando brinca sozinho”(p=0,049) e “quando os amigos falam de você”(p=0,044). Conclusão: Conclui-se que a cárie dentária influenciou negativamente na qualidade de vida das crianças e o conhecimento desses dados possibilita adequação e reorientação dos cuidados direcionados à melhoria das condições de saúde e, consequentemente, da qualidade de vida.
Reabilitação estética com facetas semidiretas: relato de caso
Authors: Pereira Tássia Monique doos Santos , Miranda Carolina Baptista , Carvalho Cristal Fernandez de , Lima Priscila Patrícia Vieira de
Published: September 2021

Introdução: É crescente a busca por tratamentos estéticos nas clínicas odontológicas, dentre esta demanda, encontra-se soluções reabilitadoras para casos de diastemas e incisivos laterais superiores com morfologia conoide, pois são tidos como fatores antiestéticos. Objetivo: Apresentar uma abordagem interdisciplinar no tratamento de diastemas e unidades dentárias com morfologia conoide. Relato de caso: O paciente procurou atendimento odontológico especializado para reabilitação provisória da estética e função das unidades anterossuperiores durante finalização do tratamento ortodôntico e posteriormente, após conclusão da ortodontia, a reabilitação final. Durante o exame clínico foram observados incisivos laterais superiores com morfologia conoides, ângulo incisal amplo entre os incisivos centrais, ausência de guia canina e diastemas. Após registro fotográfico, foram realizadas as restaurações provisórias. Finalizado o tratamento ortodôntico, o plano de tratamento consistiu na reabilitação através das facetas semidiretas em resina composta. Após moldagem anatômica, enceramento e clareamento dentário, foram realizados os preparos dentários e moldagem funcional, sendo a seguir realizado o ensaio restaurador. Sobre o modelo, foram confeccionadas as facetas em resina composta e realizado o acabamento inicial. Para a fase de cimentação priorizou-se a utilização de condicionamento ácido seletivo para esmalte, cimento fotopolimerizado e uso de polimerizador de alta potência. Após a cimentação foram realizados os ajustes oclusais e acabamento final, com texturização da superfície, seguido pelo polimento. Conclusão: O tratamento realizado evidenciou a importância do tratamento ortodôntico associado a Odontologia Restauradora para o restabelecimento da estética e função, obtendo resultados que melhoraram as relações entre dentes, posicionamento dos lábios, harmonia e equilíbrio dental e facial.