bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NUF2 promotes tumorigenesis by interacting with HNRNPA2B1 via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in ovarian cancer
Authors: Ren Meng , Zhao Hongyu , Gao Yan , Chen Qi , Zhao Xiaoting , Yue Wentao
Published: January 2023

Background

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the commonest and deadliest diseases that threaten the health of women worldwide. It is essential to find out its pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets for OC patients. Although NUF2 (Ndc80 kinetochore complex component) has been suggested to play an important role in the development of many cancers, but little is known about its function and the roles of proteins that regulate NUF2 in OC. This study aimed to investigate the effect of NUF2 on the tumorigenicity of OC and the activities of proteins that interact with NUF2.

Methods

Oncomine database and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining were used to evaluate the expression of NUF2 in OC tissues and normal tissues respectively. Normal ovarian epithelial cell lines (HOSEpiC) and OC cell lines (OVCAR3、HEY、SKOV3) were cultured. Western blot was applied to analyze the expression of NUF2 in these cell lines. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to silence the expression of NUF2 in OC cell lines, SKOV3 and HEY. Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), the CCK-8 method, colony formation assay and flow cytometry were conducted to analyze the biological functions of NUF2 in vitro. OC subcutaneous xenograft tumor models were used for in vivo tests. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry (IP/MS) were performed to verify the molecular mechanisms of NUF2 in OC. IP, immunofluorescence, IHC staining, and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis platform (GEPIA) were used to analyze the relationship between HNRNPA2B1 and NUF2 in OC cells. SiRNA was used to silence the expression of HNRNPA2B1 in SKOV3 cells, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay and western blot were used to detect the effect of HNRNPA2B1 on NUF2. GEPIA, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, GSEA and western blot were used to detect the potential signaling pathways related to the roles of HNRNPA2B1 and NUF2 in OC cells.

Results

Our results showed high NUF2 expression in OC tissues and OC cell lines, which was associated with shorter overall survival and progression-free survival in patients. NUF2 depletion by siRNA suppressed the proliferation abilities and induced cell apoptosis of OC cells in vitro, and impeded OC growth in vivo. Mechanistically, NUF2 interacted with HNRNPA2B1 and activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in OC cells.

Conclusion

NUF2 could serve as a prognostic biomarker, and regulated the carcinogenesis and progression of OC. Moreover, NUF2 may interact with HNRNPA2B1 by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway to promote the development of OC cells. Our present study supported the key role of NUF2 in OC and suggested its potential as a novel therapeutic target.
Wavelet transforms based ARIMA-XGBoost hybrid method for layer actions response time prediction of cloud GIS services
Authors: Li Jiang , Cai Jing , Li Rui , Li Qiang , Zheng Lina
Published: January 2023

Layer actions response time is a critical indicator of cloud geographical information services (cloud GIS Services), which is of great significance to resource allocation and schedule optimization. However, since cloud GIS services are highly dynamic, uncertain, and uncontrollable, the response time of layer actions is influenced by spatiotemporal intensity and concurrent access intensity, posing significant challenges in predicting layer action response time.To predict the response time of layer actions more accurately, we analyzed the data association of cloud GIS services. Furthermore, based on the characteristics of long-term stable trends and short-term random fluctuations in layer actions response time series, a wavelet transforms-based ARIMA-XGBoost hybrid method for cloud GIS services is proposed to improve the one-step and multi-step prediction results of layer actions response time.We generate a multivariate time series feature matrix using the historical value of the layer actions response time, the predicted value of the linear component, and the historical value of the non-linear component. There is no need to meet the traditional assumption that the linear and nonlinear components of the time series are additive, which minimizes the model’s time series requirements and enhances its flexibility. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our approach over previous models in the prediction of layer actions response time of cloud GIS services.
Cloud trains associated with Martian Mountain Lee Waves on the eastern side of the Phlegra Montes
Authors: Ogohara Kazunori , Ro Maaya
Published: January 2023

Mountain lee waves have often been observed on the eastern side of the Phlegra Montes as wave trains visualized by water ice clouds in the Martian atmosphere. The seasonality and formation condition of these lee waves and associated cloud trains have not yet been investigated, whereas those of Martian dust storms have been studied observationally and numerically. We extract the cloud trains in this region from images observed by the Mars Orbiter Camera onboard the Mars Global Surveyor and measure the wavelengths of the lee waves. It is revealed that, on the eastern side of the Phlegra Montes, cloud trains tend to form in the northern winter season, except during the 2001 global dust storm. The results suggest that stationary mountain waves are excited in the thermally stable atmosphere, but are trapped below an altitude of approximately 10 km due to the zonal wind structure that increases rapidly with altitude. This is consistent with the previous studies on gravity waves in the Martian atmosphere and is the first study to constrain the typical altitude of the cloud trains from imager observations.

Graphical Abstract
Investigating strategies to improve AccesS to Kidney transplantation (the ASK trial): a protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial with parallel process evaluation
Authors: Bailey Pippa K. , Caskey Fergus J. , MacNeill Stephanie , Ashford Rachel , Pryce Lindsay , Kayler Liise , Ben-Shlomo Yoav
Published: January 2023

Background

The UK’s living-donor kidney transplant (LDKT) activity falls behind that of many other countries internationally, with less than 20% of those eligible receiving a LDKT each year. Certain individuals with kidney disease in the UK appear to be particularly disadvantaged in accessing a LDKT; the most socioeconomically deprived people with kidney disease are 60% less likely to receive a LDKT than the least deprived. Improving equity in living-donor kidney transplantation has been highlighted as an international research priority.

Methods

This feasibility trial was designed to determine the feasibility of delivery and acceptability of a multicomponent intervention designed to improve access to living-donor kidney transplantation. The intervention comprises three main components: (i) a meeting between a home educator and the transplant candidate for a dedicated discussion about living-donor kidney transplantation, living kidney donation and potential donors; (ii) a standardized letter from a healthcare professional to a candidate’s potential donors and (iii) a home-based education and family engagement session including two home educators, the transplant candidate and their family. The primary objectives are to establish the feasibility (i) of delivering the developed intervention in existing care pathways and (ii) of undertaking a randomised controlled trial of the intervention. A mixed-methods parallel process evaluation will investigate the acceptability, implementation and mechanisms of impact of the intervention. The trial is based at two UK hospitals: a transplanting hospital and a non-transplanting referral hospital. Individuals are eligible if they are ≥ 18 years old, are active on the kidney transplant waiting list or have been referred for transplant listing and do not have a potential living-donor undergoing surgical assessment. Randomisation will be undertaken with concealed allocation. Participants will be randomly allocated 1:1 to (i) the intervention or (ii) usual care, stratified by site to ensure a balance in terms of local differences. Minimisation will be used to ensure balance in sex, age group and socioeconomic strata, with probability weighting of 0.8 in order to reduce predictability. The primary outcomes are recruitment (% of those eligible and invited who consent to randomisation) and retention (% of participants completing follow-up).

Discussion

Findings will inform the design of a future fully powered, randomised controlled trial to formally evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention at improving equitable access to living-donor kidney transplantation.

Trial registration

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN10989132 Applied 30/10/20.
Building transformative city-university sustainability partnerships: the Audacious Partnerships Process
Authors: Keeler Lauren Withycombe , Beaudoin Fletcher , Cid Abril , Cowley Robert , Fahy Samantha , Lerner Amy , Moran Caroline , Torney Diarmuid
Published: January 2023

City governments and urban universities are well-positioned to play critical roles in advancing urban sustainability transformations. However, in partnering, cities and universities often focus efforts on discrete sustainability-related projects, neglecting the development of long-term relationships and deep, inter-organizational ties that can allow for collaboration on lasting and transformational change. Yet, at both cities and universities there are often individuals who are deeply interested in developing better partnerships that contribute to the sustainability and livability of their communities. This research develops and tests an evidence-based and facilitated process to guide sustainability researchers and municipal practitioners in the development of transformational City-university partnerships for sustainability. The Audacious Partnerships Process was tested by four City-university partnerships including Arizona State University and the City of Tempe, Dublin City University and the City of Dublin, King’s College London and the City of Westminster and the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Mexico City. The Audacious Partnerships Process as well as results from post-surveys and interviews following implementation are elaborated. We conclude with key lessons for modifying and implementing the process to contribute to transformative partnership development.
Self-disclosure, mindfulness, and their relationships with happiness and well-being
Authors: Aldahadha Basim
Published: January 2023

Background

This study aims to test how self-disclosure relates to mindfulness, whether self-disclosure or mindfulness best predicts happiness and well-being, and whether there are significant differences between happiness and well-being levels due to self-disclosure and mindfulness. Data from a public sample was collected using e-mails and social media platforms (N = 486).

Results

The findings demonstrated a weak relationship between mindfulness and self-disclosure (r = 0.16) and acting with awareness but a strong relationship between happiness, wellness, mindfulness, and its factors. The results revealed four values that predict the differentiation between happy and unhappy people, and these values are statistically significant, namely, mindfulness, description, acceptance without judgment, and self-disclosure, as well as four values that predict the distinction between being well and unwell, namely mindfulness, observation, description, and self-disclosure. Additionally, results showed significant differences in the means of each of the mindfulness predictor variables in favor of happiness, wellness, and females. For the self-disclosure variable, the results showed differences in its means favoring females, happiness, and wellness. Finally, when controlling for gender and age, regression analyses found mindfulness to be an important predictor for happiness and well-being at 59% and 48% of the variance, respectively, while self-disclosure was a weak predictor at 12% and 15%, respectively.

Conclusions

In general, the results indicate that mindfulness is more effective and beneficial for living a happy and healthy life than self-disclosure
Role of MR enterography versus ileo-colonoscopy in the assessment of inflammatory bowel diseases
Authors: Ali Rasha Mostafa Mohamed , El Salam Aya Fawzy Abd , Anwar Ismail , Shehab Hany , Awadallah Maryse Youssef
Published: January 2023

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is widespread and rapidly rising in developing countries. It remains a significant issue in Western culture with a prevalence of more than 0.3%. Symptom control has been the only focus of treatment before the discovery that many individuals with IBD continue to have disease activity even in the absence of clinical symptoms. Therefore, treatment goals now include establishing clinical remission, steroid-free remission, and mucosal healing, which may eventually be complemented by transmural healing in cross-sectional imaging modalities. Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE), computed tomography enterography, and small-bowel ultrasound are now reliable methods for staging intramural lesions and extramural consequences in CD and for determining disease activity and severity. Recently literature suggests the incorporation of (MRE) for periodic reevaluation of IBD patients, as it offers small-bowel, colonic, and extra-enteric assessment as well as monitors the response to the anti-inflammatory therapy. The purpose of the current study was to compare MRE with ileo-colonoscopy findings in the diagnosis of IBD features, specifically Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, as well as in the detection of disease exacerbation (Activity).

Results

This study used MRE and ileo-colonoscopy to assess chronic inflammatory bowel disease patients; the patient population (n = 30) was made up of (14/30, 46.7%) females and (16/30, 53.3%) males, with a mean age of 32 ± SD 13 years. MRE alone detected lymphadenopathy in 73.3% of patients, and mural thickening with a mean of 4.1 ± SD 5.1 mm. It has detected mucosal enhancement with 80% sensitivity and 60% specificity. However, it was unable to detect mucosal erosions or ulceration.

Conclusions

MRE is sensitive, inexpensive, noninvasive, and radiation-free for inflammatory bowel disease detection, with 86.7% diagnostic accuracy for affected areas. Unlike ileo-colonoscopy, it could examine the entire small intestine, precisely measure the affected loop, and detect activity signs such as mural thickening and lymphadenopathy. Only ileo-colonoscopy could detect mucosal degradation and superficial ulcers. IBD treatment protocols should incorporate MRE for small-bowel, colonic, and extra-enteric assessment, monitoring of disease activity, and anti-inflammatory therapy response.
Impact of bumpers position variation on heat exchanger performance: an experimental and predictive analysis using an artificial neural network
Authors: Abdul Hussein Sarmad A. , Shbailat Suhaib J.
Published: January 2023

Experimentally and numerically, the thermal performance enhancement of counterflow twin-pipe heat exchanger with bumpers position variation was explored. A set of semicircular bumpers were positioned at varying distances from the fluid flow entrance on the annulus gap of the concentric pipe heat exchanger (10–70, 70–130, and 130–190 cm). The hot water entered the inner pipe at a constant mass flow rate of 0.0167 kg/s, whereas the cold air entered the annulus gap of a concentric pipe heat exchanger at changing mass flow rates of 2 × 10−5 to 14 × 10−5 kg/s. The numerical portion comprised simulating the efficacy of the heat exchanger with a smooth pipe and varied bumper placements using an artificial neural network (ANN) model. The experimental portion of the present work consisted of a series of tests to determine the optimal position of the bumpers for maximizing heat exchanger efficiency. At a constant fluid inlet temperature and with varied mass flow rates of the cold air, the numerical model was compared to the experimental results. When the bumpers are put at a distance of 130–190 cm, the heat exchanger has the highest thermal efficiency compared to other bumper placements and a smooth pipe. In all cases of the investigation, there is a good correlation between numerical and experimental data.
Data From a One-Stop-Shop Comprehensive Cancer Screening Center
Authors: Bernstein Ezra , Lev-Ari Shahar , Shapira Shiran , Leshno Ari , Sommer Udi , Al-Shamsi Humaid , Shaked Meital , Segal Ori , Galazan Lior , Hay-Levy Mori , Sror Miri , Harlap-Gat Amira , Peer Michael , Moshkowitz Menachem , Wolf Ido , Liberman Eliezer , Shenberg Gil , Gur Eyal , Elran Hanoch , Melinger Gustavo , Mashiah Jacob , Isakov Ofer , Zrifin Elad , Gluck Nathan , Dekel Roy , Kleinman Shlomi , Aviram Galit , Blachar Arye , Kessler Ada , Golan Orit , Geva Ravit , Yossepowitch Ofer , Neugut Alfred I. , Arber Nadir
Published: January 2023

PURPOSE

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. However, by implementing evidence-based prevention strategies, 30%-50% of cancers can be detected early with improved outcomes. At the integrated cancer prevention center (ICPC), we aimed to increase early detection by screening for multiple cancers during one visit.

METHODS

Self-referred asymptomatic individuals, age 20-80 years, were included prospectively. Clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological data were obtained by multiple specialists, and further testing was obtained based on symptoms, family history, individual risk factors, and abnormalities identified during the visit. Follow-up recommendations and diagnoses were given as appropriate.

RESULTS

Between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2019, 8,618 men and 8,486 women, average age 47.11 ± 11.71 years, were screened. Of 259 cancers detected through the ICPC, 49 (19.8%) were stage 0, 113 (45.6%) stage I, 30 (12.1%) stage II, 25 (10.1%) stage III, and 31(12.5%) stage IV. Seventeen cancers were missed, six of which were within the scope of the ICPC. Compared with the Israeli registry, at the ICPC, less cancers were diagnosed at a metastatic stage for breast (none v 3.7%), lung (6.7% v 11.4%), colon (20.0% v 46.2%), prostate (5.6% v 10.5%), and cervical/uterine (none v 8.5%) cancers. When compared with the average stage of detection in the United States, detection was earlier for breast, lung, prostate, and female reproductive cancers. Patient satisfaction rate was 8.35 ± 1.85 (scale 1-10).

CONCLUSION

We present a proof of concept study for a one-stop-shop approach to cancer screening in a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic. We successfully detected cancers at an early stage, which has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality as well as offer substantial cost savings. [Media: see text]
Dexrazoxane and Long-Term Heart Function in Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Authors: Chow Eric J. , Aggarwal Sanjeev , Doody David R. , Aplenc Richard , Armenian Saro H. , Baker K. Scott , Bhatia Smita , Blythe Nancy , Colan Steven D. , Constine Louis S. , Freyer David R. , Kopp Lisa M. , Laverdière Caroline , Leisenring Wendy M. , Sasaki Nao , Vrooman Lynda M. , Asselin Barbara L. , Schwartz Cindy L. , Lipshultz Steven E.
Published: January 2023

PURPOSE

For survivors of childhood cancer treated with doxorubicin, dexrazoxane is cardioprotective for at least 5 years. However, longer-term data are lacking.

METHODS

Within the Children's Oncology Group and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Consortium, we evaluated four randomized trials of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or Hodgkin lymphoma, who received doxorubicin with or without dexrazoxane, and a nonrandomized trial of patients with osteosarcoma who all received doxorubicin with dexrazoxane. Cumulative doxorubicin doses ranged from 100 to 600 mg/m2 across these five trials, and dexrazoxane was administered uniformly (10:1 mg/m2 ratio) as an intravenous bolus before doxorubicin. Cardiac function was prospectively assessed in survivors from these trials, plus a matched group of survivors of osteosarcoma treated with doxorubicin without dexrazoxane. Two-dimensional echocardiograms and blood biomarkers were analyzed centrally in blinded fashion. Multivariate analyses adjusted for demographic characteristics, cumulative doxorubicin dose, and chest radiotherapy determined the differences and associations by dexrazoxane status.

RESULTS

From 49 participating institutions, 195 participants were assessed at 18.1 ± 2.7 years since cancer diagnosis (51% dexrazoxane-exposed; cumulative doxorubicin dose 297 ± 91 mg/m2). Dexrazoxane administration was associated with superior left ventricular fractional shortening (absolute difference, +1.4% [95% CI, 0.3 to 2.5]) and ejection fraction (absolute difference, +1.6% [95% CI, 0.0 to 3.2]), and lower myocardial stress per B-type natriuretic peptide (–6.7 pg/mL [95% CI, –10.6 to –2.8]). Dexrazoxane was associated with a reduced risk of having lower left ventricular function (fractional shortening < 30% or ejection fraction < 50%; odds ratio, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.81]). This protective association was primarily seen in those treated with cumulative doxorubicin doses ≥ 250 mg/m2.

CONCLUSION

Among young adult-aged survivors of childhood cancer, dexrazoxane was associated with a cardioprotective effect nearly 20 years after initial anthracycline exposure.
Domain wall melting across a defect
Authors: Capizzi Luca , Scopa Stefano , Rottoli Federico , Calabrese Pasquale
Published: January 2023

We study the melting of a domain wall in a free-fermionic chain with a localised impurity. We find that the defect enhances quantum correlations in such a way that even the smallest scatterer leads to a linear growth of the entanglement entropy contrasting the logarithmic behaviour in the clean system. Exploiting the hydrodynamic approach and the quasiparticle picture, we provide exact predictions for the evolution of the entanglement entropy for arbitrary bipartitions. In particular, the steady production of pairs at the defect gives rise to non-local correlations among distant points. We also characterise the subleading logarithmic corrections, highlighting some universal features.
Cross-sectionally Calculated Metabolic Aging Does Not Relate to Longitudinal Metabolic Changes—Support for Stratified Aging Models
Authors: Ala-Korpela Mika , Lehtimäki Terho , Kähönen Mika , Viikari Jorma , Perola Markus , Salomaa Veikko , Kettunen Johannes , Raitakari Olli T , Mäkinen Ville-Petteri
Published: January 2023

Context

Aging varies between individuals, with profound consequences for chronic diseases and longevity. One hypothesis to explain the diversity is a genetically regulated molecular clock that runs differently between individuals. Large human studies with long enough follow-up to test the hypothesis are rare due to practical challenges, but statistical models of aging are built as proxies for the molecular clock by comparing young and old individuals cross-sectionally. These models remain untested against longitudinal data.

Objective

We applied novel methodology to test if cross-sectional modeling can distinguish slow vs accelerated aging in a human population.

Methods

We trained a machine learning model to predict age from 153 clinical and cardiometabolic traits. The model was tested against longitudinal data from another cohort. The training data came from cross-sectional surveys of the Finnish population (n = 9708; ages 25-74 years). The validation data included 3 time points across 10 years in the Young Finns Study (YFS; n = 1009; ages 24-49 years). Predicted metabolic age in 2007 was compared against observed aging rate from the 2001 visit to the 2011 visit in the YFS dataset and correlation between predicted vs observed metabolic aging was determined.

Results

The cross-sectional proxy failed to predict longitudinal observations (R2 = 0.018%, P = 0.67).

Conclusion

The finding is unexpected under the clock hypothesis that would produce a positive correlation between predicted and observed aging. Our results are better explained by a stratified model where aging rates per se are similar in adulthood but differences in starting points explain diverging metabolic fates.
An Interesting Case of Hypogonadism: Workup in a Phenotypic Male Reveals XX Genotype
Authors: Sharma Tulsi , Mehta Akshat
Published: January 2023

We present a patient case referred for evaluation of male hypogonadism with gynecomastia. On examination, he was noted to have microtestis, shorter than expected height, and bilateral gynecomastia. Further investigation revealed XX genotype and on fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis confirmed the SRY gene was present on the short arm of 1 X chromosome. This case highlights the importance of detailed history and examination and the indication for genetic counseling in selected cases.
Weight Loss From Combination Anti-Obesity Medication Regimens Can Approach that Achieved From Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Patel Priya N , Fox Claudia K , Bensignor Megan O , Bomberg Eric M
Published: January 2023

Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease for which treatment remains challenging. While the cornerstone treatment is lifestyle modification, the addition of anti-obesity medications leads to greater weight reduction. In cases where monotherapy with a single anti-obesity medication results in either weight stabilization or only modest weight reduction, combination regimens can be highly effective, especially those including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists. We report the case of a 23-year-old male initially presenting with a body mass index of 84.3 kg/m2. In addition to lifestyle modification therapy, he was started on phentermine, topiramate, and metformin, which only resulted in weight stabilization after 1 year. Subsequently, semaglutide (a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) was added, along with a lower calorie diet, which resulted in a 32.5% total body weight reduction, approximating that which can be achieved following metabolic/bariatric surgery. This case highlights the potential benefit of combination anti-obesity medication regimens including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, as such regimens may provide a synergistic effect by targeting multiple eating behavior pathways simultaneously. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of combination anti-obesity medication regimens, especially among those achieving suboptimal response to monotherapies.
Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 1—Reactive Oxygen Species—Caspase 11 Pathway in Neuropathic Pain Mediated by HIV gp120 With Morphine in Rats
Authors: Hayashi Kentaro , Yi Hyun , Zhu Xun , Liu Shue , Gu Jun , Takahashi Keiya , Kashiwagi Yuta , Pardo Marta , Kanda Hirotsugu , Li Heng , Levitt Roy C. , Hao Shuanglin
Published: January 2023

BACKGROUND:

Recent clinical research suggests that repeated use of opioid pain medications can increase neuropathic pain in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH). Therefore, it is significant to elucidate the exact mechanisms of HIV-related chronic pain. HIV infection and chronic morphine induce proinflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α acting through tumor necrosis factor receptor I (TNFRI). HIV coat proteins and/or chronic morphine increase mitochondrial superoxide in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH). Recently, emerging cytoplasmic caspase-11 is defined as a noncanonical inflammasome and can be activated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we tested our hypothesis that HIV coat glycoprotein gp120 with chronic morphine activates a TNFRI-mtROS-caspase-11 pathway in rats, which increases neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain.

METHODS:

Neuropathic pain was induced by repeated administration of recombinant gp120 with morphine (gp120/M) in rats. Mechanical allodynia was assessed using von Frey filaments, and thermal latency using hotplate test. Protein expression of spinal TNFRI and cleaved caspase-11 was examined using western blots. The image of spinal mitochondrial superoxide was examined using MitoSox Red (mitochondrial superoxide indicator) image assay. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the location of TNFRI and caspase-11 in the SCDH. Intrathecal administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN) against TNFRI, caspase-11 siRNA, or a scavenger of mitochondrial superoxide was given for antinociceptive effects. Statistical tests were done using analysis of variance (1- or 2-way), or 2-tailed t test.

RESULTS:

Intrathecal gp120/M induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia lasting for 3 weeks (P < .001). Gp120/M increased the expression of spinal TNFRI, mitochondrial superoxide, and cleaved caspase-11. Immunohistochemistry showed that TNFRI and caspase-11 were mainly expressed in the neurons of the SCDH. Intrathecal administration of antisense oligonucleotides against TNFRI, Mito-Tempol (a scavenger of mitochondrial superoxide), or caspase-11 siRNA reduced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in the gp120/M neuropathic pain model. Spinal knockdown of TNFRI reduced MitoSox profile cell number in the SCDH; intrathecal Mito-T decreased spinal caspase-11 expression in gp120/M rats. In the cultured B35 neurons treated with TNFα, pretreatment with Mito-Tempol reduced active caspase-11 in the neurons.

CONCLUSIONS:

These results suggest that spinal TNFRI-mtROS-caspase 11 signal pathway plays a critical role in the HIV-associated neuropathic pain state, providing a novel approach to treating chronic pain in PLWH with opioids.
Pourquoi condamner « Les Bijoux » ?
Authors: Westerwelle Karin
Published: January 2023

Le poème « Les Bijoux » de Charles Baudelaire, condamné par la censure du Second Empire, invite le lecteur à assister à un défilé d’images concernant une femme de couleur brune, ornée de bijoux et fardée, qui offre au regard spectateur sa nudité en dansant. La fascination érotique s’exprime par une dynamique poétique qui crée un vaste espace de références littéraires et picturales évoquant des scènes érotiques (Les Bijoux indiscrets de Diderot, le Cantique des Cantiques, l’odalisque peinte par Delacroix, Antiope peinte par Le Corrège) tout en ayant pour but de créer un « nouveau dessin » poétique. Celui-ci consiste en premier lieu en un accouplement des formes corporelles masculines et féminines et, en second lieu, en une projection de reflets fluides en mouvement qui rappellent le procédé de la phantasmagorie. Au niveau textuel, cette fluidité de la forme correspond à un art des mots critique et subversif qui sous l’exposition superficielle du corps fait voir le voyeurisme, le principe économique, l’assujettissement de la femme nue et du moi lyrique essayant de se libérer des images de convention.
No Such Thing as Society? On Competition, Solidarity, and Social Bond
Authors: Tomšič Samo
Published: January 2023

This essay revisits Margaret Thatcher’s notorious claim: “There is no such thing as society.” Not only does this remark sum up the neoliberal political programmatic but it also, and more fundamentally, exposes an entire political ontology, which organizes the antisocial tendencies of the capitalist mode of production. After reflecting on the implications of Thatcher’s implicit stance in ontological matters, the text moves on to the critique of capitalist antisociality in Freud by reflecting specifically on the affective conditions of solidarity. In the end, the encounter of psychoanalysis and emancipatory politics, as well as their own solidarity, is exemplified in the concept of the symptom.
Tender Pessimism
Authors: Ashtor Gila
Published: January 2023

Taking Lauran Berlant’s “cruel optimism” as exemplary of recent attempts to integrate psychoanalysis and ideology critique, this essay focuses on the psychological paradigm underlying such an evocative phrase in order to demonstrate that even the most capacious interpretations of psychosocial experience are only ever as radical as their metapsychological foundations. As such, while Berlant’s defense of people’s bad attachments may seem compassionate compared to intellectuals who “shit” on dreams, a deeper analysis of cruel optimism’s metapsychology reveals that this compassion is obtained through the inadvertent dismissal of psychosexuality.
Inter-imperial, Ecological Interpretations of the “Five Coolies” Myth in Penang and Medan
Authors: Wong Nicholas Y. H.
Published: January 2023

This article proposes resource extraction politics as a lens to analyze the relationship between Malaysian Chinese (or Mahua) literature and the global literary economy. Rather than ascribe Mahua literature to its present national boundaries and diasporic communities, the article locates its formation in inter-imperial nodes of trafficked labor and art production, as well as a global system of colonial plantations. The article revisits Zeng Huading's 曾華丁 (1906–1942) short story (1928) and Ba Ren's 巴人 (1901–1972) historical drama (1949) about the myth of five Chinese coolies and their execution in 1871 for murdering a Dutch foreman in a Deli tobacco plantation in East Sumatra. The Anglo-Dutch migration corridor, or the cross-straits coolie trade between the two imperial jurisdictions of Penang (Straits Settlements) and Medan (East Sumatra), now part of Malaysia and Indonesia respectively, was one Nanyang connection, but these writers have been discussed separately within Mahua and Yinhua 印華 (Indonesian Chinese) contexts. Ba Ren, in particular, is studied as a leftist writer who contributed artistically to the Indonesian and Chinese revolutions in the 1940s and 1950s. Here, the article rethinks Ba Ren's legacy within a Mahua corpus, and Zeng Huading's fiction within a cross-straits history of labor. This ecological reading of their works also highlights their critique of Mahua's peripheralization within a world economy and global literature.
Urban Life in Two 1920s Sino-Malay Poems
Authors: Hoogervorst Tom G.
Published: January 2023

Batavia, the capital of the former Netherlands Indies, was home to a popular Chinese-run printing industry that published works in the Malay vernacular. Two 1920s Sino-Malay poems reveal firsthand accounts of the city's vibrant sociocultural landscape. Sair park (The Poem of the Park) narrates everyday life at the parks of the colonial metropole, including the opportunities these urban spaces provide for illicit encounters between men and women. Pantoen tjapgome (The Quatrain of the Lantern Festival) describes the festivities of an important holiday that increasingly drifted away from its religious origins and became a public spectacle attended by people from different ethnicities. Together, these poems provide intricate and otherwise unavailable details of everyday life in late-colonial Java. They also reveal some of the anxieties faced by its Chinese-descended population, including the specter of cultural loss and unwarranted interaction between young people from different genders and racial backgrounds. Yet despite this apparent rejection of an Indies-style hybrid modernity, an examination of the language of these poems—Batavia Malay with a substantial influence from Hokkien, the Sinitic variety historically spoken by many Chinese-Indonesian families—demonstrates that they are best approached as examples of Chinese-Indonesian acculturation.
Recreating the World in Twenty-First-Century Philippine Chinese Speculative Fiction
Authors: Lua Shirley O.
Published: January 2023

This article surveys contemporary Filipino Chinese authors' interest in speculative fiction. Many of the authors of this burgeoning movement were included in the anthology Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology (2012), edited by Charles A. Tan. These authors find speculative fiction a fruitful genre for combining Western literary techniques and material gleaned from Philippine myth and folklore.
Low HER2 expression in normal breast epithelium enables dedifferentiation and malignant transformation via chromatin opening
Authors: Hayat Ateequllah , Carter Edward P. , King Hamish W. , Ors Aysegul , Doe Aaron , Teijeiro Saul A. , Charrot Sarah , Godinho Susana , Cutillas Pedro , Mohammed Hisham , Grose Richard P. , Ficz Gabriella
Published: January 2023

Overexpression of the HER2 protein in breast cancer patients is a predictor of poor prognosis and resistance to therapies. We used an inducible breast cancer transformation system that allows investigation of early molecular changes. HER2 overexpression to similar levels as those observed in a subtype of HER2-positive breast cancer patients induced transformation of MCF10A cells and resulted in gross morphological changes, increased anchorage-independent growth of cells, and altered the transcriptional programme of genes associated with oncogenic transformation. Global phosphoproteomic analysis during HER2 induction predominantly detected an increase in protein phosphorylation. Intriguingly, this correlated with chromatin opening, as measured by ATAC-seq on acini isolated from 3D cell culture. HER2 overexpression resulted in opening of many distal regulatory regions and promoted reprogramming-associated heterogeneity. We found that a subset of cells acquired a dedifferentiated breast stem-like phenotype, making them likely candidates for malignant transformation. Our data show that this population of cells, which counterintuitively enriches for relatively low HER2 protein abundance and increased chromatin accessibility, possesses transformational drive, resulting in increased anchorage-independent growth in vitro compared to cells not displaying a stem-like phenotype.
First Planar Binuclear Phthalocyanines Sharing a Common Carbazole Linkage: Synthesis, Optical and Photochemical Properties
Authors: Belousov Mikhail S , Okada Yusuke , Kobayashi Nagao , Martynov Alexander G , Gradova Margaret A , Konev Dmitry V , Goncharova Olga A , Tafeenko Viktor A , Dubinina Tatiana V
Published: January 2023

The first examples of planar binuclear phthalocyanines sharing a common carbazole unit were obtained using indirect and direct mixed cyclization approaches. The synthetic route to the starting 9-benzylcarbazole-2,3,6,7-tetranitrile was reconsidered and literature conditions were successfully optimized. In addition to the binuclear complex, a low-symmetry A3B phthalocyanine with free cyano groups was isolated and identified. Accurate assignment of absorption bands in the UV-Vis spectra was performed using magnetic circular dichroism and simplified TD-DFT calculations. The target binuclear complexes demonstrate the ability of singlet oxygen generation, with ΦΔ values reaching 0.15 for the tert-butyl-substituted compound. The products of photodegradation were studied using mass spectrometry and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies showed a gradual oxidation of the macrocycle, accompanied by the interruption of an extended binuclear π-system.
Exploring the Process of Educational Visits to the Primary schools as an Educational and Cultural Experience. A study based on Empirically Grounded Theory, in parallel with the Perspective of Cultural Communication
Authors: Drakaki Maria
Published: January 2023

The educational visit, regardless of its multiple valuable functions and concepts, is a process of institutionalized education that takes place in places of cultural reference, according to the instructions given in the respective school curricula. It starts at school and ends at school, with an intermediate phase at the Museum. It is, therefore, typically an educational and cultural experience. However, it includes a series of activities that take place in different spaces of identity and philosophy, actions of people from two different scientific and professional fields, interactions of people who approach the process with different means and of course have different goals, needs and motivations. To the pluralism of this peculiar framework of the educational visit are added the qualitative parameters of the condition related to the person who participates and gives a special imprint to the process with his uniqueness, depending on his role. The comparative analysis of three studies on primary school students, teachers and museum professionals sought to provide an explanation from three different groups of subjects actively participating in an educational visit on the identity of the heritage-focused museum experience. The aim was to highlight the points of identification and differentiation in order to improve the effectiveness of the institution with an emphasis on the goals of cultural communication. In other words, how the educational visits as an institutionalized pillar of cultural heritage communication contribute to the formation of awareness attitudes, and the conscious participation of those involved in the whole process.
Old fabrics
Authors: Tzortzaki Delia
Published: January 2023

The proposed project positions itself within the field of museum, materialculture and heritage studies but at the same time it shifts the attention to the history offashion and fashion industry while drawing on local community and work force. Theinterdisciplinary nature of the idea links together the debate on sustainability andreuse of heritage with the social history of fabrics, retail shops and cloth makers andopens up possibilities for more transparency in the process of cloth making and themanagement of raw materials.First, I look at the discourse of sustainability and link it with heritage and the fashionindustry. Then, I turn to the particular and examine a) the repurposing of theEtmektzoglou silk deadstock produced at the Etmektzoglou silk mill in Volos duringthe 20th century b) the research idea revolving around the art of sewing and the reuseof fabrics and clothes from homes in urban Athens, during 1920-1980.
Smart cultural and political narratives in urban and periurban landscape
Authors: Chelidoni Aikaterini , Moraitis Konstantinos
Published: January 2023

Urban space constitutes in general the historical, cultural and politi-cal environment, the important ‘cultural landscape’, correlated not solely to ma-terial indices but, moreover, to immaterial, intangible mnemonic references. The possibility to present this multifaceted info-sense tissue to visitors is usual-ly assigned to guides personifying the description of the city, in a time and space restricted way, delimiting the volume of information and proposing a pre-confined number of guiding narratives only. Furthermore, these conventional guiding itineraries are usually directed to tourists, or to specialized didactic and presentational events; they are not offered to the immediate desire of knowledge or to the game-oriented tendency of the urban ‘flâneur’, of the urban stroller. Behind a conventional guiding tour, extended libraries, or galleries may be con-cealed, many hours of musical references; differentiated ‘ontologies’ of infor-mation, of semantic sequences which could be reorganized and reconnected again and again. Our effort presented in three different projects of urban landscape design, has to do with the correlation of this enormous quantity of interconnected in-formation with real space visiting itineraries, associated to virtual digital guid-ance as well. The scope of the projects presented is the same in all three pro-posals. It has to do with the importance of public urban and peri-urban space as a generator for social identity and cohesion. Considering that identities are basi-cally formed through socializing among members, as well as by exposing col-lective affiliations in public, the primary role of public space and the extended offer of cultural, historical and political information in such a process, is easily understood.
A stochastic approach for upgrading Cultural Heritage framed concrete buildings by cable-ties to prevent progressive collapse under seismic sequences
Authors: Liolios Angelos , Hatzigeorgiou George , Liolios Konstantinos , Peidis Dimitrios
Published: January 2023

Old industrial reinforced concrete (RC) structures included to built Cultural Heritage are subjected sometimes to obligatory removal of some structural element-members, e.g. columns. In such cases, a modification of the structural response and a redistribution of internal actions can result to a requirement for upgrading the remaining structure after the removal of the degraded elements in order to avoid a progressive collapse. The present study deals with such a case, which concerns the stochastic computational analysis of historic framed RC structures under the removal of some columns and the so-induced requirement of a strengthening by ties (tension only elements). The unilateral behaviour of these cable-ties, which can undertake only tension, is strictly considered. The response under seismic sequences of the remaining historic RC structure strengthened by ties is computed considering uncertain-but-bounded input parameters.
Learning from success cases: ecological analysis of potential pathways to universal access to family planning care in low- and middle-income countries.
Authors: Hellwig Franciele , Barros Aluisio JD
Published: January 2023

Background 

Universal access to family planning services is a well-recognized human right and several countries and organizations are committed to this goal. Our objective was to identify countries who improved family planning coverage in the last 40 years and investigate which contexts enabled those advances. 

Methods 

Analyses were based on data from publicly available national health surveys carried out since 1986 in Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Brazil, and Ecuador, selected based on previous evidence. We estimated demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS) for each country and explored inequalities in terms of wealth, women’s education, and women’s age. We also explored contextual differences in terms of women’s empowerment, percentage of population living in extreme poverty, and share of each type of contraceptive. To better understand political and sociocultural contexts, country case studies were included, based on literature review. 

Results 

Patterns of mDFPS increase were distinct in the selected countries. Current level of mDFPS coverage ranged between 94% in Brazil and 38% in Afghanistan. All countries experienced an important reduction in both gender inequality and extreme poverty. According to the share of each type of contraceptive, most countries presented higher use of short-acting reversible methods. Exceptions were Ecuador, where the most used method is sterilization, and Egypt, which presented higher use of long-acting reversible methods. In the first years analyzed, all countries presented huge gaps in coverage according to wealth, women’s education and women’s age. All countries managed to increase coverage over recent years, especially among women from the more disadvantaged groups. 

Conclusions 

Family planning coverage increased along with reductions in poverty and gender inequality, with substantial increases in coverage among the most disadvantaged in recent years. Policies involving primary health care services, provision of various methods, and high quality training of health providers are crucial to increase coverage.