bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustained Inhibition of CC-chemokine Receptor-2 via intra-articular deposition of polymeric microPlates in Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
Authors: Ozkan Huseyin , Francesco Martina Di , Willcockson Helen , Valdés-Fernández José , Francesco Valentina Di , Granero-Moltó Froilán , Prósper Felipe , Decuzzi Paolo , Longobardi Lara
Published: May 2022

Post traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is mostly treated via corticosteroids administration and total joint arthroplasty continues to be the sole effective intervention in severe conditions. To assess the therapeutic potential of CCR2 targeting in PTOA, we used biodegradable microPlates (µPL) to achieve a slow and sustained intra-articular release of the CCR2 inhibitor RS504393 into injured knees and followed joint damage during disease progression. RS504393-loaded µPL (RS-µPL) were fabricated via a template-replica molding technique. A mixture of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and RS504393 was deposited into 20´10 μm (length´height) wells realized in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) square-patterned template. After physicochemical and toxicological characterizations, the RS504393 release profile from µPL was assessed in PBS buffer. C57BL/6J male mice were subjected to destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM)/sham surgery and RS-µPL (1 mg/kg) were administered intra-articularly 1-week post-surgery. Administrations were repeated at 4- and 7-weeks post-DMM. Drug free-µPL (DF-µPL) and saline injections were performed as controls. Mice were euthanized at 4- and 10-weeks post-DMM (early and severe PTOA, respectively. Knees were evaluated for cartilage structure score (ACS, H&E), matrix loss (Safranin-O score), osteophyte formation and maturation from cartilage to bone, (cartilage quantification) and subchondral plate thickness. The RS-µPL architecture ensured the sustained release of CCR2 inhibitors over several weeks, with ~20% of RS504393 being still available at 21-days. This prolonged release improved cartilage structure, reduced bone damage and synovial hyperplasia at both PTOA stages. Extracellular matrix loss was also attenuated, although with less efficacy. Results indicate that local delivery is needed to optimize CCR2-targeting therapies.
An Overview of the Tropical Cyclone Database at the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan
Authors: Jian Guo-Ji , Teng Jen-Hsin , Wang Shih-Ting , Cheng Ming-Dean , Cheng Chia-Ping , Chen Jen-Her , Chu Yen-Ju
Published: May 2022

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has established a new version of tropical cyclone (TC) database to provide users with comprehensive TC data services. As of May 2022, the database includes 1,672 TCs originating in the western North Pacific and South China Sea regions since the CWB began TC forecasting operations in 1958. It collects not only the track dataset, satellite imagery, and synoptic weather charts, but also more detailed data and products of TCs that have impacted Taiwan, such as radar reflectivity imagery, high-density surface observations, dropwindsonde data from aircraft observations, and mesoscale analysis maps of rainfall, wind, pressure, and temperature. Such detailed data realistically preserves the TC’s journey across Taiwan and is a feature of the CWB TC database. In addition, the TC database website (https://rdc28.cwb.gov.tw/TDB/) provides tools that allow users to search for TCs of interest based on track, rainfall, and wind. Also included are technical reports summarizing extensive historical observational research focusing on the mesoscale variations during a TC’s passage over Taiwan. The TC database is widely used in academic research, disaster prevention, crop revenue insurance, offshore wind power, and other fields. It will continue to develop useful products and integrate more diverse observations to meet the needs of different users.
Development of an endoplasmic reticulum-targeting fluorescent probe for the imaging of superoxide anion in living cells
Authors: Wei Hua , Wang Yan , Chen Qingxian , Sun Yaru , Dong Baoli
Published: May 2022

Superoxide anion (O2•−) is an important reactive oxygen species (ROS), and plays critical roles in biological systems. ER stress has close relation with many metabolic diseases, and could lead to the abnormal production of ROS including O2•−. Herein, we present an ER-targeting probe (ER-Tf) for the detection of O2•− in living cells. The probe ER-Tf used triflate as the response site for O2•−, and employed p-methylbenzenesulfonamide as ER-targeting moiety. In response to O2•−, the triflate of the probe ER-Tf converted to hydroxyl group, providing strong blue emission under the excitation of ultraviolet light. The probe ER-Tf exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to O2•−. Bioimaging experiments showed that the probe ER-Tf can be applied to detect O2•− at ER, and also demonstrated that rotenone could increase the generation of O2•− in living cells, while the O2•− level at ER showed no remarkable change during ferroptosis.
Electrochemical behavior of 2205 duplex stainless steel in simulated solution containing high concentration Cl- and saturated CO2 at different temperatures
Authors: Li Yanpeng , Zhu Shidong , Xian Jun , Li Xuanpeng , Wang Shushen
Published: May 2022

2205 stainless steel has good corrosion resistance due to its typical duplex organization, but the increasingly harsh CO2-containing oil and gas environment leads to different degrees of corrosion, especially pitting corrosion, which seriously threatens the safety and reliability of oil and gas development. In this paper, the effect of temperature on the corrosion behavior of 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) in simulated solution containing 100 g/L Cl- and saturated CO2 was investigated immersion test and electrochemical test, and combined with characterization techniques such as laser confocal microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy etc. The results showed that the average critical pitting temperature of 2205 DSS was 66.9 °C. When the temperature was higher than 66.9 °C, the pitting breakdown potential, the passivation interval, and the self-corrosion potential, while the dimensional passivation current density increased, and the pitting sensitivity was enhanced. With the further increase of temperature, capacitive arc radius of 2205 DSS became smaller, film resistance and charge transfer resistance gradually decreased, the carrier density of donor and acceptor the product film layer with n+p type bipolar characteristics also increased, the inner layer of the film of Cr oxide content decreased, while the outer layer of Fe oxide content increased, the dissolution of the film layer sped up, the stability reduced, and the number and pore size of pits increased.
Neural similarity across task load relates to cognitive reserve and brain maintenance measures on the Letter Sternberg task: A longitudinal study.
Authors: Argiris Georgette , Stern Yaakov , Habeck Christian
Published: May 2022

The aging process is characterized by change across several measures that index cognitive status and brain integrity. In the present study, 54 cognitively-healthy younger and older adults, were analyzed, longitudinally, on a verbal working memory task to investigate the effect of brain maintenance (i.e., cortical thickness) and cognitive reserve (i.e., NART IQ as proxy) factors on a derived measure of neural efficiency. Participants were scanned using fMRI while presented with the Letter Sternberg task at different levels of cognitive load. Via correlation analysis, we looked at region-level and whole-brain relationships between load levels within each phase and then computed a global task measure, what we term phase specificity, to analyze how similar neural responses were across load levels within each phase compared to between each phase. We found that longitudinal change in phase specificity was positively related to longitudinal change in cortical thickness, at both the whole-brain and regional level, with baseline NART IQ being positively related to change in phase specificity over time. Furthermore, we found a longitudinal effect of sex on change in phase specificity, such that females displayed higher phase specificity over time. Cross-sectional findings aligned with longitudinal findings, with the notable addition of behavioral performance being positively linked to phase specificity cross-sectionally at baseline. Taken together, our findings suggest that phase specificity positively relates to maintenance and reserve factors and should be better investigated as a measure of neural efficiency.
Conservation of orbital angular momentum and polarization through biological waveguides
Authors: Bezryadina Anna , Perez Nicolas , Wilson Robert , Preece Daryl
Published: May 2022

A major roadblock to the development of photonic sensors is the scattering associated with many biological systems. We show the conservation of photonic states through optically self-arranged biological waveguides, for the first time, which can be implemented to transmit light through scattering media. The conservation of optical properties of light through biological waveguides allows for the transmission of high bandwidth information with low loss through scattering media. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the conservation of polarization state and orbital angular momentum of light through a self-arranged biological waveguide, several centimeters long, in a sheep red blood cell suspension. We utilize nonlinear optical effects to self-trap cells, which form waveguides at 532 nm and 780 nm wavelengths. Moreover, we use the formed waveguide channels to couple and guide probe beams without altering the information. The formed biological waveguides are in a sub-diffusive scattering regime, so the photons’ information degrades insignificantly over several centimeters of propagation through the scattering media. Our results show the potential of biological waveguides as a methodology for the development of novel photonic biosensors, biomedical devices that require optical wireless communication, and the development of new approaches to noninvasive biomedical imaging.
Dexamethasone increases the anesthetic success in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis: A meta- analysis
Authors: Isiordia-Espinoza Mario Alberto , Serafín-Higuera Nicolás Addiel , Alonso-Castro Álonso Josabad , López-Verdín Sandra , Molina-Frechero Nelly
Published: May 2022

Inferior dental nerve block (IANB) has a high failure index in subjects with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP). It has been suggested that drugs with anti-inflammatory activity could improve the efficacy of the anesthetic used for IANB. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of dexamethasone on the success of dental anesthesia in patients with SIP. An information search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar. The risk of bias of the included studies was evaluated with the Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias tool. The anesthetic success rate, pain intensity (VAS) and adverse effects, were extracted. Data were analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel test and odds ratio or the inverse variance and standardized mean difference. Dexamethasone increased the anesthetic success in comparison with placebo (n=502; P<0.001; OR=2.59; 95% IC: 1.46 to 4.59). Moreover, patients who were given dexamethasone had lower pain scores at 6 h (n=302; P<0.001; MD= -1.43; 95% IC: -2.28 to -0.58), 12 h (n=302; P<0.0001; MD=-1.65; 95% IC: -2.39 to -0.92), and 24 h (n=302; P<0.0008; MD=-1.27; 95% IC: -2.01 to -0.53) when compared to placebo. In conclusion, dexamethasone increases the anesthetic success index and improves pain management in patients with SIP.
Mood changes in bipolar disorder: An interpretive phenomenological analysis of the space-time experience
Authors: Khadem Hossein , Shahidi Shahriar , Zarani Fariba , Panaghi Leili
Published: May 2022

Background
Bipolar disorder is generally studied under the biological paradigm and hence the experiential structure in patients is less investigated. Currents study aims to explore mood changes in patients with bipolar disorder through the building blocks of their experiential structure: the lived space and the lived time.
Methods
This study was conducted using qualitative research methods. Data were collected and analyzed under the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) framework. 13 Iranian individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder I and II were selected in 2020 through purposive sampling. We conducted an online semi-structural interview via WhatsApp and Skype.
Results
Two superordinate themes were identified: (1) Dance of the light and changes in circumscription; and (2) Waves of eternity and lack of the time. Themes related to each of them were identified and reported in the phases of depression and mania. The first super-ordinate theme included these themes: Compactness and denseness: reduced perception of space and freedom, deliberate reduction of light and space, effect of lived space on perceived mental safety and coping strategies against the lived space in depression (in depression) and Increased space and a desire for more, unity with space: pleasure and appreciation and increased and finer perception of light in space (in mania). Slowness of time, anxiety, reduced activity and freedom, dissociation of time and becoming unreal and discontinuity of time: focus on the past (in depression) and time paradox and increased activity and pleasure and discontinuity of time: focus on present and future (in mania) were the themes identified in the second super-ordinate theme.
Conclusions
The lived space and time in patients change through different phases of the bipolar disorder. These changes which reflect shifts in their experiential structures can represent a different viewpoint on mood changes in bipolar disorder. Future studies can benefit from this phenomenological approach in developing novel psychological interventions.
HipoMap: Slide Representation Map for Whole Slide-based Histopathological Image Analysis
Authors: Kosaraju Sai , Park Jeongyeon , Lee Hyun , Yang Jung Wook , Kang Mingon
Published: May 2022

Digital pathology coupled with advanced machine learning (e.g., deep learning) has been changing the paradigm of whole-slide histopathological images (WSIs) analysis. Major applications in digital pathology using machine learning include automatic cancer classification, survival analysis, and subtyping from pathological images. While most pathological image analyses are based on patch-wise processing due to the extremely large size of histopathology images, there are several applications that predict a single clinical outcome or perform pathological diagnosis per slide (e.g., cancer classification, survival analysis). However, current slide-based analyses are task-dependent, and a general framework of slide-based analysis in WSI has been seldom investigated. We propose a novel slide-based histopathology analysis framework that creates a WSI representation map, called HipoMap, that can be applied to any slide-based problems, coupled with convolutional neural networks. HipoMap converts a WSI of various shapes and sizes to structured image-type representation. Our proposed HipoMap outperformed existing methods in intensive experiments with various settings and datasets. HipoMap showed the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.96±0.026 (5% improved) in the experiments for lung cancer classification, and c-index of 0.787±0.013 (3.5% improved) and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.978±0.032 (24% improved) in survival analysis and survival prediction with TCGA lung cancer data respectively, as a general framework of slide-based analysis with a flexible capability. The results showed significant improvement comparing to the current state-of-the-art methods on each task. We further discussed experimental results of HipoMap as pathological viewpoints and verified the performance using publicly available TCGA datasets. A Python package is available at https://pypi.org/project/hipomap, and the package can be easily installed using Python PIP. The open-source codes in Python are available at: https://github.com/datax-lab/HipoMap.
Recapping and mite removal behaviour in Cuba: home to the world’s largest population of Varroa-resistant European honeybees
Authors: Luis Anais Rodríguez , Grindrod Isobel , Webb Georgiana , Piñeiro Adolfo Pérez , Martin Stephen John
Published: May 2022

The Varroa destructor ectoparasitic mite spread globally and in conjunction with Deformed Wing Virus killed millions of honeybees (Apis mellifera) colonies. Forcing Northern hemisphere beekeepers into using miticides to avoid mass colony losses. However, in many Southern hemisphere countries widespread treatment did not occur since miticides where prohibitively expensive or a centralised choice was made not to treat, both allowing natural selection to act. This Varroa caused initial high losses before mite-resistant appeared in the honeybee populations. Initially, mite-resistance was only associated with African and Africanised honeybees. Although recently, several isolated mite-resistant European honeybee populations have appeared. Here we studied the mite-resistance in Cuba and found high rates (77%) of recapping of infested worker cells, high removal of mites (80%) and corresponding low mite fertility (r=.77). These are all traits found in all naturally evolved Varroa-resistant populations. We can confirm Cuba has the world’s largest European mite-resistant population with 220,000 colonies that have been treatment-free for over two decades. Cuban honeybees are also highly productive, 40-70 kg of honey produced annually, and are mild mannered. Cuba has many queen rearing stations and is excellently positioned to export Varroa resistant European queens throughout the region and beyond.
The Safety and Feasibility of Intra Surgical Cavity or intra Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Injection of Haploidentical Activated NK Cells in Patients with Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme and Brain Tumors
Authors: Asl Niloufar Shayan , Behfar Maryam , Amiri Rouzbeh Shams , Mohseni Rashin , Azimi Masoumeh , Jafari Yalda , Faranoush Mohammad , Izadpanah Amirhossein , Mohammad Monireh , Hamidieh Amir Ali , Habibi Zohreh , Ebrahimi Marzieh
Published: May 2022

Despite multi-modal therapies for patients with malignant brain tumors, their median survival is < 2 year. Recently, NK cells provided to cancer immune surveillance through their direct natural cytotoxicity, by modulating dendritic cells to enhance the presentation of tumor antigens and regulating T-cell mediated antitumor responses. However, the success of this treatment modality in brain tumors is unclear. The main reasons are the brain tumor microenvironment, approach of NK cell preparation and administration and the donor selection. Our, previous study showed that intracranial injection of activated haploidentical NK cells resulted in the eradication of glioblastoma tumor masses in the animal model. The animals had no evidence of tumor recurrence after treatment, and all tumor-related complications resolved after treatment. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the safety of intra surgical cavity or intra cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Injection of ex vivo activated haploidentical NK cells in six patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiform (GBM) and malignant brain tumors resistance to chemo/radio therapy. The results showed that local administration of the haploidentical NK cells in malignant brain tumors is safe, feasible, tolerated at higher dose and also is cost effective.
Effect of the addition ratio of rice flour and molasses on the biomass of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) stocked by biofloc technology
Authors: Phuong Ta Van , Hoa Nguyen Van , Vo Van-Thanh , Diep Doan Xuan
Published: May 2022

The 63-days experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different rice flour and molasses ratio on Pacific white shrimp, which were reared by the biofloc technology. The six treatments (control, R10-M90, R30-M70, R50-M50, R30-M70, and R10-M90) were randomly arranged with three repetitions in 18 plastic tanks. The content of adding two carbohydrate sources was calculated and added to water to gain the C:N ratio of 15:1. The experimental shrimps (mean initial weight of 0.095 g) were stocked at a density of 150 m− 3 and fed Lotus pellets (40% protein) for 63 days. The results showed that the temperature, pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen (DO) are suitable for shrimp and slightly fluctuate. The carbohydrate-supplemented treatments increased chemical oxygen demand (COD), biofloc volume (BFV), biofloc size, total suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), reduced total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrite, P-PO4 as compared to control, in which R70-M30 treatment exhibited the most pronounced effects. Shrimp culture applying biofloc process stimulated the density of total bacteria and zooplankton to thrive and limited phytoplankton. Maintaining the C:N as 15 by adding carbohydrates showed a more effective impact. There was no significant difference in the mean weight of shrimp growth parameters, but biomass and yield tended to be highest in treatment R70-M30 (results were only significantly different from R90-M10). In conclusion, combining two carbohydrate sources positively improved water quality and provided shrimp feed. The ratio of 70% rice flour and 30% molasses was suggested following the conditions of this study.
Improved Imperialist Competitive Algorithm with Binary-encoding for selection problems in Combinatorial optimization
Authors: Sharma Laxmikant , Chellapilla Vasantha Lakshmi , Chellapilla Patvardhan
Published: May 2022

The utilization of metaheuristics for solving combinatorial optimization problems has increased considerably in the last few decades. Metaheuristics inspired by various natural phenomena have been proposed due to their optimization characteristics. Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) is one such metaheuristic inspired by the socio-political process of imperialism. ICA has become popular due to its extensive applications in various engineering domains. Originally, ICA was designed to solve continuous optimization problems. This paper presents a binary version of ICA, dubbed ICA with Binary-encoding (ICAwB), to solve selection problems. ICAwB works with binary encoding and utilizes new socio-politically inspired operators. Additional features are incorporated within ICAwB to develop an improved version of it dubbed IICAwB. ICAwB and IICAwB with other binary versions of ICA are compared. IICAwB shows much better performance than existing binary ICAs and ICAwB. The proposed IICAwB is quite generic, and its applicability to other combinatorial optimization problems can be attempted with advantage.
Evaluation on production trend, compositions, and impact of plastic waste in Chengdu, southwestern China
Authors: ZHAO Xue , YONG Yi , DU Cheng-song , GUO Wei-guang , LUO Da-peng
Published: May 2022

In order to get well understanding of the production trend of plastic waste in Chengdu, as well as its compositions and environmental impacts, based on the statistical data from 2005 to 2019, the back propagation (BP) neural network model was used to predict the production amount of plastic waste in Chengdu. Compositions of plastic waste were analyzed by sampling. In addition, inhale particles and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from plastic waste incineration, bisphenol A (BPA) from plastic waste landfill were evaluated. Results indicated that, (1) economic development, urban construction level, residents' consumption ability and plastic waste production were positively correlated to different degrees. (2) The production of plastic waste in Chengdu in 2025 and 2030 will reach 865.3 and 931Kilo-tons (Kt) respectively. (3) High density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) are the two main components of plastic waste in Chengdu, accounted for 40.17% and 24.96%, respectively. (4) Different degrees of environmental impacts occurred during plastic waste incineration and landfill, taking the year of 2019 as an example, the incineration of plastic waste in Chengdu produced 2874.82-4711.73 tons of inhalable particulate matter (PM) and emitted 725.4-867.4 Kt of CO2, about 65.02-910.27 kg of bisphenol A (BPA) leached from sanitary landfill.
Efficacy and impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on cancer treatment for breast cancer patients: A multi-center prospective observational study
Authors: Terada Mitsuo , Kondo Naoto , Wanifuchi-Endo Yumi , Fujita Takashi , Asano Tomoko , Hisada Tomoka , Uemoto Yasuaki , Kato Akiko , Yamanaka Natsumi , Sugiura Hiroshi , Mita Keiko , Wada Asaka , Takahashi Eriko , Saito Kanako , Yoshioka Ryo , Toyama Tatsuya
Published: May 2022

PurposeVaccination is an essential strategy to prevent infection in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, there are concerns about vaccine efficacy and the impact of vaccination on cancer treatment. Additionally, the emergence of novel variants may affect vaccination efficacy. This multi-center, prospective, observational study investigated the efficacy and impact of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 variants on treatment among breast cancer patients in Japan. MethodsPatients with breast cancer scheduled to be vaccinated with the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine from May to November 2021 were prospectively enrolled (UMIN000045527). They were stratified into five groups according to their cancer treatment: no treatment, hormone therapy, anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2 therapy, chemotherapy, and cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor. Serum samples for assessing serological responses were collected before the first vaccination and after the second vaccination. ResultsEighty-five breast cancer patients were included. The overall seroconversion rate after second vaccination was 95.3% and the lowest seroconversion rate was 81.8% in the patients under chemotherapy. The overall positivity rate of neutralizing antibodies against the wild-type, alpha, delta, kappa, and omicron variants were 90.2%, 81.7%, 96.3%, 84.1%, and 8.5%, respectively. Among the patients under chemotherapy or CDK4/6 inhibitors, various degrees of decreased neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 variants were observed. Withdrawal or reduction of systemic therapy because of vaccination was observed in only one patient. ConclusionOur data support SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for breast cancer patients. However, a reduction in neutralizing antibody titers was suggested during chemotherapy and CDK4/6 inhibitors, raising concerns about the impact on long-term infection prevention.
Neuroprotective effect of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen on p-chlorophenylalanine induced insomnia rats by activating GABA A receptor
Authors: Xiao Fengqin , Shao Shuai , Zhang Hongyin , Li Guangfu , Piao Songlan , Zhao Daqing , Li Guangzhe , Yan Mingming
Published: May 2022

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (ZSS), as the first choice of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of insomnia, has attracted extensive attention. However, the current studies on improving sleep mechanism of ZSS are mainly focused on the role of single component, to further reveal the potential mechanism of ZSS in multi-constituents is necessary. In this study, ZSS extract (ZSSE) was extracted from ZSS via detailed modern extraction, separation and purification technologies. The chemical constituents of ZSSE were analyzed by HPLC-MS. In vivo experiments, rat’s model induced by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) has been established to investigate the potential effect and corresponding mechanism of ZSSE on improving sleep. HE stains experimental results indicated that the drug group showed fascinating advantages over model group in improving sleep. Moreover, the levels of GABA, Glu, 5-HT and DA factors of insomnia rats in brain were also monitored via ELISA method to further study the improving sleep mechanism of ZSSE. The results indicate that sleep could be improved effectively via up-regulation of GABA and 5-HT, and down-regulation of Glu and DA, respectively. In addition, molecular mechanisms of ZSSE in improving sleep were also studied by immunohistochemical analysis. The results indicate sleep could be improved by regulating the expression levels of GABAARα1 and GABAARγ2 receptors in hypothalamus and hippocampus tissue sections. Therefore, this work not only identifies the active ingredients of ZSSE, but also reveals the potential pharmacological mechanism of ZSSE for the improving sleep, which may greatly stimulate the prospective development and application of ZSSE.
Effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique on Oral Motor and Feeding Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy : A Case study
Authors: Min Kyoung-chul , Seo Sang-min , Woo Hee-soon
Published: May 2022

Background : Deficiencies in oral motor and feeding skills are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Oral motor therapy is a useful method to improve oral motor skills and feeding skills. The oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) is a newly designed oral motor therapy that includes postural control, sensory adaptation, breathing control, sensorimotor facilitation, and direct feeding. Methods : This study was performed to determine the effect of OMFT on oral motor and feeding skills in children with CP. A total of 21 children with CP (3–10 years, GMFCS III–V) participated in 16 sessions of OMFT for 30 min, once a week for 16 weeks. The effects on oral motor and feeding skills were assessed using the Oral Motor Assessment Scale (OMAS) before as well as 8 and 16 weeks after treatment. Data were analyzed using the Friedman test and post-hoc analysis. Results : The results showed a significant improvement in oral motor skills and feeding skills, including mouth closure, lip closure on the utensil, lip closure during deglutition, control of the food during swallowing, mastication, straw suction, and control of liquid during deglutition after OMFT. Mouth closure was the most effective and mastication was the least effective item. Both the post-training periods of 8 and 16 weeks were effective, with the latter being more effective than the former. Conclusions : The results suggest that OMFT is an extremely effective and useful oral motor therapy protocol to improve oral motor function in children with CP.
Decreased Sirt3 contributes to cyclic production of ROS and islet β-cell apoptosis in high glucose conditions
Authors: Cai Zhichen , Liu Shuqing , Nie Yaxing , Dong Bingzheng , Li Chenglin , Zhang Jinyuan , Xia Chunya , Du Lei , Yin Xiaoxing , Wang Jianyun
Published: May 2022

Background Reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a vital role in the apoptosis of islet β-cells in T2DM. Sirt3 and FoxO1 might be involved in ROS production. This study was to investigate mechanism of ROS production and β-cell apoptosis.Methods Oxidative stress and apoptosis in islet of db/db mice and high glucose cultured β-cells were observed by TUNEL assay and western blotting. Then, H2O2 was used to ascertain the effect of ROS on the expression of Sirt3. Meanwhile, FoxO1, antioxidant enzymes (MnSOD and CAT) and β-cell apoptosis were also determined by western blotting. Finally, Sirt3 was knocked down to evaluate the effect on oxidative stress and apoptosis of β-cells.Results Under high glucose environment, enhanced ROS made a decrease of Sirt3 expression, which increased acetylation of FoxO1, thus reduced the expression of its target proteins --MnSOD and CAT, and further significantly increased ROS levels. Increased ROS further led to the apoptosis of β-cells. Conclusion Down-regulation of Sirt3 played an important role in the cyclic production of ROS. Targeting Sirt3 may be favorable for the treatment of T2DM.
Prediction of Coastal Hydrodynamics Quarantined in the Sediments With Utility of Textural Characteristics and Magnetic Susceptibility of Jagatsinghpur Coast, Odhisa District, India
Authors: Sivaprakasam Vasudevan , G SATHIYAMOORTHY , R Selvaganapathi , Palani Balamurugan , S Baranidharan
Published: May 2022

This current research aims to perceive depositional energy environment of jagatsinghpur coastal area sediments with outcome of Textural aspects of particle size dissemination and Magnetic susceptibility (MS). In study, 36 sediment samples recovered from 12 locations with 3 points such as Low Tide (LT), High Tide (HT), and Berm (BM) along with every 5 km interval. To observe outcome from different parameters such as Mean (MQ), Standard deviation (SD), Skewness (SK) & Kurtosis (KU), bivariate plots, and MS methods were adopted. From the outcome, the MQ and SD of LT, HT and BM infer medium sand to fine sand with a moderately sorted to well-sorted nature as well as SK and KU of LT, HT and BM infer extreme coarser skewed to fine skewed with platykurtic to extreme leptokurtic nature. Textural parameters shows the Southern Part of the study area experienced the low energy condition. Mainly, the energy process plot indicates sediments fall in the inner shelf and river environment. CM plot expressed the sediment samples reacted as graded suspension and rolling mechanism. The MS of low frequency, the higher quantity of magnetic contents of 3 zones low tide (LT), high tide (HT), and berm (BM) has been 62.57 x10− 8 m3 kg− 3, 72.83 x10− 8 m3 kg− 3 and 454.63 x10− 8 m3 kg− 3. The Pearson’s Correlation signifies the + ve relationship between Berm low frequency vs Berm Mean, low tide means (r2 = 0.57, (r2 = 0.40) signifies the multi-source of sediment deposition. From the output, the northern part of study infers high energy environment.
Plasmonically induced transparency peaks fluctuation within multi-rectangle resonators
Authors: Pei Ruoyu , Liu Dongdong , Zhang Qun , Shi Zhe , Sun Yan , Liu Xi , Wang Jicheng
Published: May 2022

Plasmonically induced transparency (PIT) effect in a metal–insulator–metal waveguide coupled to asymmetric three rectangle resonators and an appearance that one PIT peak fall while the other PIT peak rise are investigated numerically. PIT is widely studied duo to the performance on sensing, slow slight and nonlinear effects, which has great potential to be applied on optical communication system. To get a better insight of PIT effect in multi-rectangle resonators, herein, PIT peaks fluctuation is employed to numerically investigate its corresponding properties, effects and performance. By modify geometric parameters and filling dielectric, not only the off-to-on PIT optical response within single or double peaks can be realized, but also the fluctuation of peaks can be achieved as well. Additionally, our findings are well consistent with finite element simulation outcomes. These proposed structures also possess great potential in both communication and sensing applications.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children: tools for a timely diagnosis in the Emergency Department from an Italian Multicenter Survey
Authors: Mauro Angela , Maglione Marco , Savoia Fabio , Calvi Matteo , Amoroso Angela , Sangerardi Maria , Tubino Barbara , Piccotti Emanuela , Fabi Marianna , Salvadeei Serena , Gadda Dario , Marchetti Federico , Midulla Fabio , Buonsenso Danilo , Magrassi Silvia , Salvini Filippo Maria , Pignataro Rossana , Florio Francesca Di , Giudice Emanuela Del , Lubrano Riccardo , Tipo Vincenzo , Rosa Mrgherita , Gagliardi Thaililja , Picciano Ludovica , Stanco Michela , Gagliardi Stefania , Orlando Francesca , Ballani Iacopo , Canzaniga Viola , Medici Francesco , Torre Francesco La , Cardinale Fabio , Tibaldi Jessica , Schiappapietra Benedetta , D'Alessandro Matteo , Bitelli Maria , Gallotta Giulia , Masi Stefano , Nucci Alessia , Agosti Massimo , Plebani Annamaria , Iacono Alessandra , Cairello Francesca , Ghizzi Chiara , Rossi Nadia , Schiavone Iolanda , Gentile Antonia
Published: May 2022

Objective To assess the most frequent clinical features of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) at presentation to the Emergency Department (ED) in a large multicenter cohort of patients, in order to define useful tools for a timely diagnosis.MethodsClinical and laboratory characteristics were retrospectively reviewed for 210 MIS-C patients from 18 Italian pediatric EDs. We assessed correlations between clinical and laboratory parameters and compared features of patients of different age (≤5 years and >5 years). ResultsFever was the main presenting symptom (100%), followed by conjunctivitis (46%), abdominal pain (44%), vomit (41%) and diarrhea (39%). Forty-nine percent of children presented to the ED in critical or nearly critical conditions. A higher prevalence of mucocutaneous involvement was found in younger children (69% versus 47%, p<0.05), whereas gastrointestinal symptoms were more common in children >5 years (62% versus 85%, p<0.05). Higher values of inflammatory markers (C-Reactive Protein, Ferritin, and Fibrinogen), Troponin T and Brain Natriuretic Peptide were related to abnormal echocardiography (p<0.05). No significant differences were detected in laboratory parameters between the two age groups, apart from ferritin, fibrinogen and troponin T, which resulted significantly lower in children ≤5 years.ConclusionsApart from fever, most common MIS-C manifestations at presentation to the ED are conjunctivitis, abdominal pain, vomit and diarrhea. Younger children more frequently present with mucocutaneous involvement, while gastrointestinal manifestations are more common in older patients. These findings should be considered when MIS-C is suspected in the ED, in order to achieve a timely recognition of the condition.
Development of an insilico model of eccrine sweat using molecular modelling techniques
Authors: Deshpande Parijat , Ravikumar Bharath , Tallur Siddharth , Paul Debjani , Rai Beena
Published: May 2022

Exploring eccrine sweat as an ideal surrogate diagnostic biofluid for physiological and metabolic biomarkers, which are indicators of human health and performance, is an area of significant research interest. These biomarkers correlate well with blood plasma and candidate analytes such as glucose which require periodic monitoring are of particular interest. An insilico model of eccrine sweat can assist in the development these biosensors. In this regard, molecular modelling can be employed to observe the most fundamental interactions. Here, we determine a suitable molecular model for building eccrine sweat. The basic components of sweat are water and sodium chloride, in which glucose and other analytes are present in trace quantities. Given the wide range of water models available in the molecular dynamics space, in this study, we first validate the water models. We use three compounds to represent the base to build bulk sweat fluid and validate the force fields. We compare the self-diffusivity of water, glucose, sodium, and chloride ions as well as bulk viscosity values with the existing literature. This validated model is made available and can serve as an aid for de novo development of biosensors by further addition of other analytes via simulations to expedite their development.
A New Gene Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer: STAT6-CYBB Decoy Oligodeoxynucleotides Focusing on Inhibiting M2 Macrophages
Authors: Chen Chang-Jung , Wang Hao-Chen , Hou Ya-Chin , Wu Yi-Ying , Shieh Chi-Chang , Shan Yan-Shen
Published: May 2022

Background: M2 tumor-associated macrophages can promote pancreatic cancer progression. Under ROS, cancer cells derived IL-4 can skew M2 with uncertain mechanism. In this study, we tried to elucidate the mechanism and design gene therapy to treat pancreatic cancer by inhibiting M2 macrophages. Methods: We used CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out CYBB that encodes NOX2 in macrophages and adopted CYBB-/- B6 mice. Co-culture assay and syngeneic orthotopic pancreatic cancer mice models were used to study the mechanism in skewing M2 and tumor growth. The decoy oligodeoxynucleotides were designed to inhibit M2 formation and control the tumor growth. Results: Co-culture with pancreatic cancer cells induced M2 polarization at 72 h, while CYBB knockout prevented it. In the syngeneic orthotopic model, M2 macrophages count was decreased and tumor formation was inhibited in Cybb-/- mice. Under secretion of ROS in activated macrophages, cancer cell derived IL-4 can increase CD204 expression on macrophages. Chromatin immunoprecipitation study showed a binding site of STAT6 and HDAC2 in the promotor region of Cybb gene. Using epigenetic inhibitors or knocking down STAT6 and HDAC2 could block the M2 skewing with reducing the IL-10 expression and keep on M1 macrophages with increasing the IL-12 expression. Gene therapy using STAT6-CYBB decoy oligodeoxynucleotides to interrupt STAT6/HDAC2 binding to CYBB promoter could inhibit M2 formation and reduce tumor growth significantly.Conclusion: Gene therapy using STAT6-CYBB decoy ODN can inhibit M2 formation to treat pancreatic cancer.
Waterborne diseases as an indicator of health disparities: A nationwide study of WaSH related morbidity and mortality in Ecuador from 2011-2020
Authors: Ortiz-Prado Esteban , Simbaña-Rivera Katherine , Cevallos Gabriel , Gómez-Barreno Lenin , Guerrero Jhon , Ayala Lesly , Cevallos Domenica , Lister Alex , Fernandez-Naranjo Raul , Ríos-Touma Blanca , Vasconez Jorge , Izquierdo-Condoy Juan S.
Published: May 2022

BackgroundDespite worldwide progress in terms of clean water supply, sanitation, and hygiene knowledge, some middle and most of low-income countries are still experiencing many diseases transmitted using unsafe water and the lack of sanitationMethodsTo understand the impact of all waterborne diseases (WBD) registered in Ecuador, we performed an analysis of all cases and deaths related to WBD to compute incidence and mortality rates.ResultsWe found that in Ecuador, mestizo people had the greatest morbidity rate (141/100,000) patient followed by indigenous (63/100,000) and self-determined white patients (21/100,000). However, in terms of mortality, indigenous population have a 790% increase in mortality rate (2.6 /100,000) when compared to self-determined white populations (0.29/100,000) or 176% more when compared to mestizos (0.94/100,000). This trend remains the same among children and the elderly who have higher mortality rates when compared to other ethnic groups.ConclusionsIn Ecuador, water borne diseases (WBD) are still a major public health problem. We found that younger children and elderly are more likely to be get sick and die due to water borne diseases. In terms of morbidity, mestizos reported the highest rate, while in terms of mortality, indigenous populations are the most affected, having the highest mortality among different ethnic groups. We hypostatize that reduced health care access is linked to fewer reporting incidence rates among indigenous populations but higher mortality rates.
The serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio predicts the risk of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Lei Ling , Li Yan , Gou Xijun , He Liang
Published: May 2022

Background: The aims of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) treatment are to minimize the negative impact of the current exacerbation and to prevent the development of subsequent events. Hence, it is important to identify serological indicators that are readily available at the time of hospital admission to assess the prognosis of patients with AECOPD. Methods: All patients hospitalized in a Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of tertiary care hospital between January 2021 and December 2021 for AECOPD were analyzed using univariable correlations and binary logistic regression analysis with two models for associations between demographic, clinical and laboratory features and AECOPD risk.Results: The Cre/Cys C ratio was significantly associated with age (r = –0.206, P = 0.000), weight (r = 0.331, P = 0.000), BMI (r = 0.133, P = 0.007), and FVC% predicted (r = 0.130, P = 0.009). Multiple regression was run to predict the Cre/Cys C ratio from age, weight, BMI, FEV1/FVC ratio and FVC% predicted FABP-4, with F (5, 405) = 24.571, P=0.000, R2 = 0.233. The results showed that the most significant predictors of the Cre/Cys C ratio were age (P=0.007), weight (P=0.000), BMI (P=0.000), and predicted FEV1 (P=0.000). Multivariate analysis was performed to determine whether the Cre/Cys C ratio was a predictor of AECOPD risk. Model 1 showed that a low Cre/Cys C ratio was associated with an increased hospital LOS (odds ratio (OR): -0.114, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.061- -0.005) and admission to the ICU (OR: 0.951, 95% CI: 0.907-0.996). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, model 2 showed that a low Cre/Cys C ratio was not independently associated with AECOPD risk.Conclusion: The present study indicated that the Cre/Cys C ratio is an easy, cheap, repeatable and promising tool that allows us to evaluate the risk of AECOPD using serum markers. A low Cre/Cys C ratio was associated with a prolonged LOS and admission to the ICU in AECOPD patients. However, the associations were not independent.
PI3K/AKT and SHH singling pathway contribute to metastasis relapsed during gene evolution in human Oligodendroglioma
Authors: Liu Guanzheng , Bu Chaojie , Guo Guangzhong , Zhang Zhiyue , Sheng Zhiyuan , Deng Kaiyuan , Wu Shuang , Xu Sensen , Bu Yage , Gao Yushuai , Wang Meiyun , Liu Gang , Kong Lingfei , Li Tianxiao , Li Ming , Bu Xingyao
Published: May 2022

Background: Oligodendroglioma shows a relatively better prognosis, responds well to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and rarely progress to a very aggressive tumor. Little is known about the evolution of genetic and epigenetic changes that occur in the progression of oligodendroglioma. Methods: We evaluated gene evolution changes in progressive relapsed oligodendroglioma based on deep whole-genome-sequencing data(ctDNA). We analyzed longitudinal genomic and molecular data from 6 patients under therapy. Multiple metastasis recurrence occurred in 5 cases.Results: Whole-exome sequencing demonstrated that the rate of shared mutation between the primary tumors and recurrent tumors or TISF was relatively low. In two cases, even well-known presumptive major driver mutations of CIC and FUBP1 that were detected in primary tumors were not detected at relapsed TISF. Among them, 2 cases converted into IDH1 wild state in the process of gene evolution under stress treatment, indicating that the cell phenotype and genetic characteristics of oligodendroglioma will change in the process of tumor evolution, and metastasis relapsed is a later event. Two patients underwent long-term chemotherapy before operation, we find that recurrence tumors harbor mutations in PI3K/AKT and sonic hedgehog(SHH) singling pathways. One case showed hypermutation when it recurred, with a clear mutational signature, lead to the rapid progress of the tumor. Conclusions: Oligodendroglioma has great spatial and temporal heterogeneity during gene evolution, lead to the rapid progress of the tumor. Metastasis relapsed is a later event during oligodendroglioma progression. PI3K/AKT and SHH signaling pathway plays an important role in promoting tumor metastasis and drug resistance during the relapsed of oligodendrocytes. Cell phenotype and genetic characteristics of oligodendroglioma will also change in the process of tumor evolution, tendency to increase the malignant degree of the tumor. Trial registration: The report was retrospectively registered in Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital, and the registration number is 2122432055 and date of registration should be in March, 2021.