bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Risk Factors of Delirium in the Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Cohort
Authors: Rahimi-Bashar Farshid , Abolhasani Ghazal , Manouchehrian Nahid , Jiryaee Nasrin , Vahedian-Azimi Amir , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: January 2021

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and impact of delirium on outcomes in ICU patients. In addition, the scoring systems were measured consecutively to characterize how these scores changed with time in patients with and without delirium. Material and Methods. A prospective cohort study enrolling 400 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU between 2018 and 2019 due to trauma or surgery. Patients were followed up for the development of delirium over ICU days using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) for the ICU and Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). Cox model logistic regression analysis was used to explore delirium risk factors. Results. Delirium occurred in 108 (27%) patients during their ICU stay, and the median onset of delirium was 4 (IQR 3–4) days after admission. According to multivariate cox regression, the expected hazard for delirium was 1.523 times higher in patients who used mechanical ventilator as compared to those who did not (HR: 1.523, 95% CI: 1.197‐2.388, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that an important opportunity for improving the care of critically ill patients may be the determination of modifiable risk factors for delirium in the ICU. In addition, the scoring systems (APACHE IV, SOFA, and RASS) are useful for the prediction of delirium in critically ill patients.
Research Progress for the Clinical Application of Circulating Tumor Cells in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Yang Mei , Zhang Xiaotian , Guo Lixia , Liu Xiumin , Wu Jing , Zhu Hongquan
Published: January 2021

Prostate cancer is a life‐threatening and highly heterogeneous malignancy. In the past decade, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been suggested to play a critical role in the occurrence and progression of prostate cancer. In particular, as the “seed” of the cancer metastasis cascade, CTCs determine numerous biological behaviors, such as tumor invasion into adjacent tissues and migration to distant organs. Many studies have shown that CTCs are necessary in the processes of tumor progression, including tumorigenesis, invasion, metastasis, and colonization. Furthermore, CTCs express various biomarkers relevant to prostate cancer and thus can be applied clinically in noninvasive tests. Moreover, CTCs can serve as potential prognostic targets in prostate cancer due to their roles in regulating many processes associated with cancer metastasis. In this review, we discuss the isolation and detection of CTCs as predictive markers of prostate cancer, and we discuss their clinical application in the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer and in monitoring the response to treatment and the prediction of metastasis.
Comprehensive Analysis of the Profiles of Differentially Expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in Phosgene‐Induced Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Shao Yiru , Jiang Zhifeng , He Daikun , Shen Jie
Published: January 2021

Phosgene exposure can cause acute lung injury (ALI), for which there is no currently available effective treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which have been proven to have therapeutic potential and be helpful in the treatment of various diseases, but the mechanisms underlying the function of MSCs against phosgene‐induced ALI are still poorly explored. In this study, we compared the expression profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in the lung tissues from rats of three groups—air control (group A), phosgene‐exposed (group B), and phosgene + MSCs (group C). The results showed that 389 mRNAs, 198 lncRNAs, and 56 circRNAs were differently expressed between groups A and B; 130 mRNAs, 107 lncRNAs, and 35 circRNAs between groups A and C; and 41 mRNAs, 88 lncRNAs, and 18 circRNAs between groups B and C. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the differentially expressed RNAs were mainly involved in signal transduction, immune system processes, and cancers. In addition, we used a database to predict target microRNAs (miRNAs) interacting with circRNAs and the R network software package to construct a circRNA‐targeted miRNA gene network map. Our study showed new insights into changes in the RNA expression in ALI, contributing to explore the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of MSCs in phosgene‐induced ALI.
Effects of KBr and KI on Photocatalytic Degradation of Dye W-7G with Nano-TiO2 as Catalyst
Authors: Zou Chao , Geng Qi-Jin , Zhu Jing-Tuo , Jing Chen , Zhong Wen , Hou Zhao-Sheng
Published: January 2021

To investigate the influence of inorganic salt on the photocatalytic degradation, the effects of KBr and KI at various concentrations and pH values on the photocatalytic degradation of dye W-7G using nanoscaled titanium dioxide as photocatalyst in a bubbling fluidized bed photocatalytic reactor (BFBPR) were studied. The results indicated that the degradation apparent rate constant (

K

app

) of the system with KI was clearly higher than that with KBr under acidic or alkaline conditions. And the maximum value of

K

app

(0.01127) appeared at the KI concentration of 0.075 g L-1 with a pH value of 9.37, meaning the highest degradation efficiency. Furthermore, the possible mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of W-7G in the presence of KBr and KI was proposed, which could provide a theoretical support for the further study of inorganic salt effects on the photocatalytic degradation of dyes.
Pediatric Case of Li–Fraumeni Syndrome in Honduras
Authors: Martínez-Beckerat R. , Alas-Pineda C. , Melgar-Gonzales M. , Mejía-Raudales B. , Andino-Paz N. , Bejarano-Cáceres S. , Chiang J.
Published: January 2021

Li–Fraumeni syndrome is an inherited, autosomal dominant disease. It is categorized as a rare disease caused by mutations of the TP53 gene, which causes increased susceptibility of the patients and their children to many types of cancer. Choroid plexus tumor is rare, which occurs in 0.3 cases per 1,000,000 people, of which 40% turn out to be carcinomas. We present a 12-year-old boy with a history of worsening headaches of more than one month, gait disturbance, projectile vomiting, and right hemiparesis. An intraventricular tumor was identified in the occipital of the left lateral ventricle, which turned out to be a TP53-mutant choroidal plexus carcinoma.
Single‐Leg Structural Design and Foot Trajectory Planning for a Novel Bioinspired Quadruped Robot
Authors: Chen Mingfang , Li Qi , Wang Sen , Zhang Kaixiang , Chen Hao , Zhang Yongxia
Published: January 2021

To meet the stability requirements for moving quadruped robots, it is important to design a rational structure for a single leg and plan the trajectory of the foot. First, a novel electrically driven leg mechanism for a quadruped robot is designed in this paper to reduce the inertia of the leg swing. Second, a modified foot trajectory based on a compound cycloid is proposed, which has swing‐back and retraction motion and continuous velocity in the x‐axis direction. Third, a Simulink platform is built to verify the correctness of the proposed foot trajectory. The simulation result shows that when the flight phase and the stand phase switch, the impact of torque is smaller than the foot trajectory before modification. Finally, an experimental platform is constructed, and a control algorithm is written into the controller to realize the foot proposed trajectory. The results of the experiment prove the feasibility of the leg mechanism and the rationality of the proposed foot trajectory.
Noncommutative Correction to the Entropy of BTZ Black Hole with GUP
Authors: Anacleto M. A. , Brito F. A. , Carvalho B. R. , Passos E.
Published: January 2021

We investigate the effect of noncommutativity and quantum corrections to the temperature and entropy of a BTZ black hole based on a Lorentzian distribution with the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). To determine the Hawking radiation in the tunneling formalism, we apply the Hamilton-Jacobi method by using the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approach. In the present study, we have obtained logarithmic corrections to entropy due to the effect of noncommutativity and GUP. We also address the issue concerning stability of the noncommutative BTZ black hole by investigating its modified specific heat capacity.
Adaptive Fuzzy Modified Fixed-Time Fault-Tolerant Control on SE(3) for Coupled Spacecraft
Authors: Mei Yafei , Liao Ying , Gong Kejie , Luo Da
Published: January 2021

This paper aims to solve the control problem of coupled spacecraft tracking maneuver in the case of actuator faults, inertia parametric uncertainties, and external disturbances. Firstly, the spacecraft attitude and position coupling kinematics and dynamics model are established on the Lie group SE(3), and the coupled relative motion tracking error model is derived by exponential coordinates. Then, considering the actuator faults, an adaptive fuzzy scheme is proposed to estimate the lumped disturbances in real time, and a novel modified fixed-time terminal sliding mode fault-tolerant control law is developed to deal with the actuator faults and compensate the lumped disturbances. Next, the Lyapunov method is used to prove the stability and convergence of the system. Finally, the proposed controller can achieve fast and high-precision fault-tolerant control goals, and its effectiveness and feasibility are verified by numerical simulation.
Analyzing Surgical Treatment of Intestinal Obstruction in Children with Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Qiu Wang-Ren , Chen Gang , Wu Jin , Lei Jun , Xu Lei , Zhang Shou-Hua
Published: January 2021

Intestinal obstruction is a common surgical emergency in children. However, it is challenging to seek appropriate treatment for childhood ileus since many diagnostic measures suitable for adults are not applicable to children. The rapid development of machine learning has spurred much interest in its application to medical imaging problems but little in medical text mining. In this paper, a two-layer model based on text data such as routine blood count and urine tests is proposed to provide guidance on the diagnosis and assist in clinical decision-making. The samples of this study were 526 children with intestinal obstruction. Firstly, the samples were divided into two groups according to whether they had intestinal obstruction surgery, and then, the surgery group was divided into two groups according to whether the intestinal tube was necrotic. Specifically, we combined 63 physiological indexes of each child with their corresponding label and fed them into a deep learning neural network which contains multiple fully connected layers. Subsequently, the corresponding value was obtained by activation function. The 5-fold cross-validation was performed in the first layer and demonstrated a mean accuracy (Acc) of 80.04%, and the corresponding sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and MCC were 67.48%, 87.46%, and 0.57, respectively. Additionally, the second layer can also reach an accuracy of 70.4%. This study shows that the proposed algorithm has direct meaning to processing of clinical text data of childhood ileus.
Geochemical Modeling of Water-Rock Interaction Processes in the Pollino National Park
Authors: Apollaro C. , Fuoco I. , Bloise L. , Calabrese E. , Marini L. , Vespasiano G. , Muto F.
Published: January 2021

This work is aimed at reconstructing the water-rock interaction processes controlling the geochemical characteristics of the shallow or relatively shallow groundwaters of the Pollino National Park, based on the data acquired for 105 water samples from local springs. Reaction path modeling of rock dissolution was carried out in a purely stoichiometric mode for the main lithotypes cropping out in the study area, that is, limestone, Mg-limestone, dolomite, serpentinite, Al-silicate fraction of calcschist, and carbonate fraction of calcschist. Reaction path modeling was carried out in a purely stoichiometric mode, considering the rocks of interest as materials of known stoichiometry and unknown thermodynamic properties. Calculations were carried out assuming a closed system for secondary solid phases whereas an open system was assumed for gases, O2(g) and CO2(g). Comparison of the results of geochemical modeling and the analytical data acquired for the groundwaters of the Pollino National Park shows that concentrations of major solutes, SiO2, Li, Al, and Fe of the different chemical types of waters, are explained by the dissolution of pertinent lithotypes. Moreover, the detected concentrations of Al, Cl, F, NO3, and SO4 are within the threshold values recommended by WHO.
Pneumothorax in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Akdogan Raziye Ecem , Mohammed Turab , Syeda Asma , Jiwa Nasheena , Ibrahim Omar , Mutneja Rahul
Published: January 2021

Data on patient-related factors associated with pneumothorax among critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia is limited. Reports of spontaneous pneumothorax in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suggest that the COVID-19 infection could itself cause pneumothorax in addition to the ventilator-induced trauma among mechanically ventilated patients. Here, we report a case series of five mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 infection who developed pneumothorax. Consecutive cases of intubated patients in the intensive care unit with the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia and pneumothorax were included. Data on their demographics, preexisting risk factors, laboratory workup, imaging findings, treatment, and survival were collected retrospectively between March and July 2020. Four out of five patients (4/5; 80%) had a bilateral pneumothorax, while one had a unilateral pneumothorax. Of the four patients with bilateral pneumothorax, three (3/4; 75%) had secondary bacterial pneumonia, two had pneumomediastinum and massive subcutaneous emphysema, and one of these two had an additional pneumoperitoneum. A surgical chest tube or pigtail catheter was placed for the management of pneumothorax. Three out of five patients with pneumothorax died (3/5; 60%), and all of them had bilateral involvement. The data from these cases suggest that pneumothorax is a potentially fatal complication of COVID-19 infection. Large prospective studies are needed to study the incidence of pneumothorax and its sequelae in patients with COVID-19 infection.
NCDN: A Node-Failure Resilient CDN Solution with Reinforcement Learning Optimization
Authors: Wang Zhihao , Du Shengyong , Ren Min
Published: January 2021

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) have enabled large-scale, reliable, and efficient content distribution over the Internet. Although CDNs have been very successful in serving a large portion of Internet traffic, they have several drawbacks. Despite their distributed nature, they rely on largely centralized management and replication. This can affect availability in case of node failure. Further, CDNs are complex infrastructures that span multiple layers of the networking stack. To address these issues, in this paper, we introduce NCDN, a novel highly distributed system for large-scale delivery of content and services. NCDN is designed to provide resilience against node failure through location-independent storage and replication of content. This is achieved through a two-layer architecture: the first layer (exposure layer) exposes services implemented by NCDN (e.g., Web, SFTP) to clients; the second layer (hidden layer) provides reliable distributed storage of content and application state. Content in NCDN’s hidden layer is stored and exchanged as Named Data Network (NDN) content packets. We employ the reinforcement learning (RL) to dynamically learn the optimal numbers of duplicates for different type of contents, because the RL agent has the advantage of not requiring expert labels or knowledge and instead the ability to learn directly from its own interaction with the world. The combination of NDN and RL brings NCDN fine-grained, fully decentralized content replication mechanisms. We compare the performance and resilience of NCDN to those of an idealized CDN via extensive simulations. Our results show that NCDN is able to provide higher availability than CDNs (between 8% and 100% higher under the same conditions), without substantially increasing content retrieval delay.
5D Nonlinear Dynamic Evolutionary System in Real Estate Market
Authors: Zhang Jingyuan
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we propose a new predator‐prey nonlinear dynamic evolutionary model of real estate enterprises considering the large, medium, and small real estate enterprises for three different prey teams. A 5D predator‐prey nonlinear dynamic evolutionary system in the real estate market is established, where the large, medium, and small real estate enterprises correspond to three differential equations, provincial and local officials, and the central government correspond to the other two differential equations. Nonlinear dynamic analysis on a 5D predator‐prey evolutionary system in the real estate market, containing the analysis of equilibrium points and stabilities, is made. The corresponding discrete system is simulated, and the simulation results about Lyapunov spectrum, bifurcation diagram, sequence diagram, and phase diagram are given. Compared with the work of Yang et al. in which all real estate enterprises corresponded to one differential equation, in our proposed model, the large, medium, and small real estate enterprises correspond to three differential equations which is more accordant with the specific circumstance of real estate companies.
Diverse Effect of Vitamin C and N-Acetylcysteine on Aluminum-Induced Eryptosis
Authors: Zangeneh Ali Reza , Takhshid Mohammad Ali , Ranjbaran Reza , Maleknia Mahsa , Meshkibaf Mohammad Hassan
Published: January 2021

Purpose. The role of oxidative stress in Aluminum (Al)-induced apoptotic effects has been investigated and suicidal death of erythrocytes, eryptosis, is characterized by cell shrinkage and phosphatidylserine externalization (PSE) at the surface of the erythrocyte cell membrane. Eryptosis is stimulated by an increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This ex vivo study was conducted to evaluate the effect of well-known antioxidants including vitamin C (vit C) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), against Al-induced hemolysis and eryptosis. Methods. Isolated erythrocytes from the healthy volunteers were partitioned into various groups (6 replicates/group) and treated by various concentrations of Al (3–100 µM) in the presence and absence of vit C (0.6 mM) and NAC (1 mM). After 24 hours of treatment, hemolysis was determined from hemoglobin levels in the supernatant. Flowcytometric methods were applied to measure PSE, cell shrinkage, Ca2+ content, and ROS abundance using annexin V-binding, forward scatter, Fluo3-fluorescence, and DCFDA dependent fluorescence, respectively. Reduced glutathione (GSH) was measured by the ELISA method. Results. The results showed that a 24 hours’ exposure of the erythrocytes to Al (10–100 µM) significantly increased hemolysis in a dose and Ca2+dependent manner. Al also dramatically decreased forward scatter. The percentage of PSE cells, Fluo3-fluorescence, and DCFDA fluorescence were increased by Al. Furthermore, cotreatment with NAC inhibited the effect of Al on hemolysis, eryptosis, and ROS production. Vit C decreased Al-induced ROS production. However, increased Al-induced eryptosis. There were no significant changes in glutathione after the ALCL3 treatment. Conclusions. Al-induced eryptosis and hemolysis through triggering oxidative stress, while NAC could diverse this effect. In contrast, vit C might intensify Al-induced eryptosis at particular doses through a less known mechanism.
Phenetic and Molecular Diversity of Nitrogen Fixating Plant Growth Promoting Azotobacter Isolated from Semiarid Regions of India
Authors: Jain Devendra , Sharma Jyoti , Kaur Gunnjeet , Bhojiya Ali Asger , Chauhan Surya , Sharma Vimal , Suman Archna , Mohanty Santosh Ranjan , Maharjan Elina
Published: January 2021

In the present study, 24 Azotobacter strains were isolated from soils of different areas of southern Rajasthan and characterized at biochemical, functional, and molecular levels. The isolated Azotobacter strains were gram negative and cyst forming when viewed under the microscope. These strains were also screened for their plant growth promoting activities and the ability of these isolates to survive under abiotic stress conditions viz. salt, pH, temperature, and drought stress. All the isolates showed IAA, siderophore, HCN, and ammonia production, whereas seven Azotobacter strains showed phosphate solubilization. Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) revealed significant diversity among Azotobacter strains and the dendrogram obtained differentiated twenty‐four of the strains into two major clusters at a similarity coefficient of 0.64. Qualitative and quantitative N2 fixation abilities of these strains were also detrained, and the amounts of acetylene reduced by Azotobacter strains were in the range of 1.31 to 846.56 nmol C2H4 mg protein−1 h−1. The strains showing high nitrogen fixation ability with multiple PGP activities were selected for further pot studies, and these Azotobacter strains significantly increased the various plant growth parameters of maize plantlets. Furthermore, the best Azotobacter isolates were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and confirmed their identities as Azotobacter sp. The indigenous Azotobacter strains with multiple PGP activities could be further used for commercial production.
Effectiveness of Focused Shockwave Therapy versus Radial Shockwave Therapy for Noncalcific Rotator Cuff Tendinopathies: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Li Chengxin , Li Zhizhuo , Shi Lijun , Wang Peixu , Gao Fuqiang , Sun Wei
Published: January 2021

Background. The superiority of focused shockwave therapy (F‐SWT) versus radial shockwave therapy (R‐SWT) for treating noncalcific rotator cuff tendinopathies remains controversial. This study is aimed at comparing the effectiveness of F‐SWT versus R‐SWT for the management of noncalcific rotator cuff tendinopathies. Methods. A total of 46 patients affected by noncalcific rotator cuff tendinopathies were randomly divided into 2 groups of 23 individuals. Patients in group A received 4 sessions of F‐SWT, while patients in group B were treated by 4 sessions of R‐SWT. In each session, mean energy flux density (EFD) for F‐SW 3000 shots was 0.09 ± 0.018 mJ/mm2 with 5.1 ± 0.5 Hz, while average pressure for R‐SW 3000 shots was 4.0 ± 0.35 bar with 3.2 ± 0.0 Hz. Pain level and shoulder function were assessed with the numerical rating scale (NRS) and Constant‐Murley Scale (CMS). The primary endpoint was the change in the mean NRS pain score from baseline to 24 weeks after the intervention. Secondary endpoints were changes in the mean NRS pain scores at all other follow‐up points, changes in the mean CMS scores, and radiographic findings. Results. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding NRS pain score and CMS score within 24 weeks after intervention (all p > 0.05). However, F‐SWT resulted in significantly lower NRS compared with R‐SWT at 24 weeks and 48 weeks after treatment (2.7 ± 1.0 vs. 4.5 ± 1.2 and 1.4 ± 1.0 vs. 3.0 ± 0.8, respectively, all p < 0.001). Similar results were found in CMS changes and radiographic findings. Conclusions. Both F‐SWT and R‐SWT are effective in patients with noncalcific rotator cuff tendinopathy. F‐SWT proved to be significantly superior to R‐SWT at long‐term follow‐up (more than 24 weeks). This trial is registered with ChiCTR1900022932.
Allanblackia floribunda Seed Extract Attenuates the Ethanol‐Induced Gastric Ulcer in Rats via the Inhibition of TNF‐α and INF‐γ Levels and Modulation in the Expression of Ki67 Protein
Authors: Armah Francis Ackah , Henneh Isaac Tabiri , Alake John , Ahlidja Wisdom , Amoani Benjamin , Ofori Eric Gyamerah , Asante-Kyei Baffour , Temitayo Gbadamosi Ismail , Adokoh Christian Kweku
Published: January 2021

Allanblackia floribunda has been used to treat an upset stomach in African traditional medicine, but its efficacy and safety have not been scientifically studied. The present research is aimed at assessing the antiulcer property of the seed extract of the plant to validate its traditional claim. Rats were pretreated with three doses of aqueous extract of A. floribunda (AFE) at 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg or omeprazole 10 mg/kg for 1 hr before the acute gastric ulcer was induced by oral administration of 5 mL/kg of 98% ethanol. The animals were sacrificed under anesthesia, and the stomach and blood were collected. The gross histology of the stomach, percentage protection conferred by the treatment, gastric pH, and serum TNF‐α and INF‐γ were assessed as well as the expression of Ki67 antigens. The antioxidant properties as well as the acute toxicity profile of the plant extract were also assessed. The results show that A. floribunda conferred significant protection on the rats against gastric ulceration with % protection of 46.15, 57.69, and 65.38 for AFE 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, respectively, as well as 69.23% for omeprazole 10 mg/kg. The plant extract caused marked reductions in gastric pH, TNF‐α, and INF‐γ with statistical significance (p < 0.001) for AFE 300 mg/kg and omeprazole 10 mg/kg. Also, the plant showed good antioxidant activity comparable to gallic acid. Furthermore, the plant extract modulated the expression of Ki67 antigens. All animals survived the 14‐day delayed toxicity test with no significant differences in physical, hematological, and biochemical parameters between rats orally administered with supratherapeutic doses of AFE (5000 mg/kg) or normal saline. The study established that the gastroprotective effect of the seed extract of A. floribunda is attributable to its antisecretory, antioxidant, and anti‐inflammatory properties. Additionally, the plant was found to promote ulcer healing via the modulation of the expression Ki67 and was safe at supratherapeutic doses.
The Novelty of Icosapent Ethyl in the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia and Alleviating Cardiovascular Risk
Authors: Khan Muhammad Shoaib , Ishaq Muhammad , Ayub Muhammad Talha , Rehman Ateeq U. , Hayes John J. , Mortada Mohammad , Biederman Robert W. W.
Published: January 2021

Hypertriglyceridemia is believed to be independently associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Lifestyle changes and dietary modifications are recommended for individuals with high serum triglyceride (TG) levels (150-499 mg/dl), and pharmacological therapy in addition to lifestyle modification is recommended when serum

TG
 
levels
≥
500
 
mg
/
dl

. A residual cardiovascular risk remains even in statin appropriate treated patients with CVD risk factors, and in this patient population, hypertriglyceridemia poses an independent and increased risk of ischemic events. In December 2019, the US FDA approved icosapent ethyl (IPE) as an adjunct to a maximally tolerated statin to reduce the risk of CVD events in adults with serum

triglycerides
>
150
 
mg
/
dl

and have either established cardiovascular disease or diabetes and two or more additional CVD risk factors. Since IPE significantly decreases total ischemic events in the aforementioned patient population, it would be intriguing to know whether IPE alone added an advantage to lifestyle modification in the low-risk population, who has serum triglyceride between 150 mg/dl and 499 mg/dl.
RBBP4 Enhances Platinum Chemo Resistance in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Nianwu , Wang Wei , Mao Wenli , Kuerbantayi Nazuke , Jia Nuan , Chen Yan , Zhou Fang , Yin Li , Wang Yukun
Published: January 2021

Background. The majority of lung cancers are adenocarcinomas, with the proportion being 40%. The patients are mostly diagnosed in the middle and late stages with metastasis and easy recurrence, which poses great challenge to the treatment and prognosis. Platinum‐based chemotherapy is a primary treatment for adenocarcinoma, which frequently causes drug resistance. As a result, it is important to uncover the mechanisms of the chemoresponse of adenocarcinoma to platinum‐based chemotherapy. Methods. The genes from the dataset GSE7880 were gathered into gene modules with the assistance of weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), the gene trait significance absolute value (|GS|), and gene module memberships (MM). The genes from hub gene modules were calculated with a protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network analysis in order to obtain a screening map of hub genes. The hub genes with both a high |GS| and MM and a high degree were selected. Furthermore, genes in the hub gene modules also went through a Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis. Results. 11 hub genes in four hub gene modules (LY86, ACTR2, CDK2, CKAP4, KPNB1, RBBP4, SMAD4, MYL6, RPS27, TSPAN2, and VAMP2) were chosen as the significant hub genes. Through the GO function enrichment analysis, it was indicated that four modules were abundant in immune system functions (floralwhite), amino acid biosynthetic process (lightpink4), cell chemotaxis (navajowhite2), and targeting protein (paleturquoise). Four hub genes with the highest |GS| were verified by prognostic analysis.
Decreased Expression of CPEB3 Predicts a Poor Prognosis in Patients with Melanoma: A Study Based on TCGA Data
Authors: Zhang Xiaomin , Liang Yanhua
Published: January 2021

Aim. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element‐binding protein 3 (CPEB3) has been acknowledged as a tumor‐suppressive gene in several cancers; however, there are few reports on the clinical significance of CPEB3 in melanoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of CPEB3 in predicting the prognosis of melanoma patients. Methods. The association of CPEB3 expression and clinical pathologic features was performed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data set. The role of CPEB3 expression in prognosis was also analyzed. In addition, CPEB3 expression‐related pathways were enriched by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Association analysis of CPEB3 gene expression and immune infiltration was performed by ssGSEA. Results. The mRNA was significantly less in melanoma than in normal tissues (p < 0.001). The decrease in CPEB3 expression in melanoma was significantly correlated with T staging (p < 0.001), clinical staging (p = 0.029), melanoma Clark level (p = 0.014), and melanoma ulceration (p = 0.003), while it was marginally significant in N staging (p = 0.089). Melanoma with low CPEB3 expression was associated with worse OS (overall survival), progression‐free survival (PFS), and disease‐specific survival (DSS) than in that with high expression. In the univariate analysis, expression of CPEB3, melanoma ulceration, Clark level of melanoma, age, clinical stage, T stage, and N stage were correlated with OS (p < 0.05). Further analysis by multivariate Cox regression showed that N stage (p = 0.029), melanoma ulceration (p = 0.004), and CPEB3 expression (p < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors of OS in melanoma. Moreover, GSEA showed that several pathways were enriched in CPEB3, such as PD1 signaling, CTLA4 pathway, CTCF pathway, CHEMOKIN signaling, VEGF signaling, and JAK‐STAT pathway. CPEB3 was significantly correlated with the infiltration level of B cells (p < 0.001), T cells (p < 0.001), T helper cells (p < 0.001), and central memory T (Tcm) cells (p < 0.001). Conclusion. CPEB3 may be a potential prognostic marker in melanoma with poor survival. Moreover, PD1 signaling, CTLA4 pathway, CTCF pathway, CHEMOKIN signaling, VEGF signaling, and JAK‐STAT pathway may be the key pathway regulated by CPEB3. Moreover, the expression of CPEB3 in melanoma is related to the level of immune infiltration.
Fish Tank Granuloma Presenting as a Nasal Cavity Mass
Authors: Sekine Motoki , Goto Fumiyuki , Saito Kosuke , Kaneda Shoji , Yamamoto Hikaru , Murakami Tomoaki , Hamano Takahide , Okami Kenji
Published: January 2021

Mycobacterium marinum is a free-living nontuberculous mycobacterium that is widely distributed in freshwater and seawater around the world. Granulomatous skin infection from M. marinum in people who are exposed to fish or aquatic environments is a rare condition known as fish tank granuloma. The granuloma mainly occurs on the skin of the upper limb, in a few cases on the face, and rarely in the nasal cavity. We describe a case of M. marinum infection that presented as a nasal cavity mass. A 57-year-old woman who was receiving infliximab for psoriatic arthritis visited our hospital with a complaint of right nasal obstruction. A granulomatous mass with an irregular surface was found in the anterior part of the right nasal cavity. Tissue biopsy revealed granulation tissue. Since the application of steroid ointment did not reduce the size of the mass, the tumor was resected under local anesthesia, and the base was cauterized. The pathological finding was an inflammatory granuloma with negative Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The granuloma recurred 3 months after resection. The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test was positive, and therefore, a mycobacterial tissue culture test was performed because of suspected nasal tuberculosis, which identified M. marinum. The nasal cavity mass disappeared 2 months after the administration of minocycline, followed by clarithromycin, and subsequent discontinuation of infliximab. M. marinum infection can cause an intranasal mass. IGRA and the mycobacterial tissue culture test are useful for diagnosis. As in this case, the nasal lesion may be excised as an inflammatory nasal granuloma, and therefore, there may be many more “hidden” cases of M. marinum infection. If nasal granulation is present, the possibility of M. marinum infection should be considered.
Secondary Metabolites, Antioxidant, and Antiproliferative Activities of Dioscorea bulbifera Leaf Collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia
Authors: Mainasara Muhammad Murtala , Abu Bakar Mohd Fadzelly , Md Akim Abdah , Linatoc Alona C , Abu Bakar Fazleen Izzany , Ranneh Yazan K. H.
Published: January 2021

Breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women globally. Malaysia is a country that is rich in medicinal plant species. Hence, this research aims to explore the secondary metabolites, antioxidant, and antiproliferative activities of Dioscorea bulbifera leaf collected from Endau Rompin, Johor, Malaysia. Antioxidant activity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays, while the cytotoxicity of D. bulbifera on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines was tested using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Phytochemical profiling was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that methanol extract had the highest antioxidant activity in DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, followed by ethyl acetate and hexane extracts. D. bulbifera tested against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect with IC50 values of 8.96 μg/mL, 6.88 μg/mL, and 3.27 μg/mL in MCF-7 and 14.29 μg/mL, 11.86 μg/mL, and 7.23 μg/mL in MDA-MB-231, respectively. Cell cycle analysis also indicated that D. bulbifera prompted apoptosis at various stages, and a significant decrease in viable cells was detected within 24 h and substantially improved after 48 h and 72 h of treatment. Phytochemical profiling of methanol extract revealed the presence of 39 metabolites such as acetic acid, n-hexadecanoic acid, acetin, hexadecanoate, 7-tetradecenal, phytol, octadecanoic acid, cholesterol, palmitic acid, and linolenate. Hence, these findings concluded that D. bulbifera extract has promising anticancer and natural antioxidant agents. However, further study is needed to isolate the bioactive compounds and validate the effectiveness of this extract in the In in vivo model.
Identification of Potential Gene and MicroRNA Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Wang Si-Yang , Gao Jie , Song Yu-huan , Cai Guang-Yan , Chen Xiang-Mei
Published: January 2021

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a disease that seriously endangers human health. At present, AKI lacks effective treatment methods, so it is particularly important to find effective treatment measures and targets. Bioinformatics analysis has become an important method to identify significant processes of disease occurrence and development. In this study, we analyzed the public expression profile with bioinformatics analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in two types of common AKI models (ischemia‐reperfusion injury and cisplatin). DEGs were predicted in four commonly used microRNA databases, and it was found that miR‐466 and miR‐709 may play important roles in AKI. Then, we found key nodes through protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network analysis and subnetwork analysis. Finally, by detecting the expression levels in the renal tissues of the two established AKI models, we found that Myc, Mcm5, E2f1, Oip5, Mdm2, E2f8, miR‐466, and miR‐709 may be important genes and miRNAs in the process of AKI damage repair. The findings of our study reveal some candidate genes, miRNAs, and pathways potentially involved in the molecular mechanisms of AKI. These data improve the current understanding of AKI and provide new insight for AKI research and treatment.
Biocontrol of Two Bacterial Inoculant Strains and Their Effects on the Rhizosphere Microbial Community of Field‐Grown Wheat
Authors: Wang Xiaohui , Ji Chao , Song Xin , Liu Zhaoyang , Liu Yue , Li Huying , Gao Qixiong , Li Chaohui , Zheng Rui , Han Xihong , Liu Xunli
Published: January 2021

Biocontrol by inoculation with beneficial microbes is a proven strategy for reducing the negative effect of soil‐borne pathogens. We evaluated the effects of microbial inoculants BIO‐1 and BIO‐2 in reducing soil‐borne wheat diseases and in influencing wheat rhizosphere microbial community composition in a plot test. The experimental design consisted of three treatments: (1) Fusarium graminearum F0609 (CK), (2) F. graminearum + BIO‐1 (T1), and (3) F. graminearum F0609 + BIO‐2 (T2). The results of the wheat disease investigation showed that the relative efficacies of BIO‐1 and BIO‐2 were up to 82.5% and 83.9%, respectively. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed that bacterial abundance and diversity were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the treatment groups (T1 and T2) than in the control, with significantly decreased fungal diversity in the T2 group. Principal coordinates and hierarchical clustering analyses revealed that the bacterial and fungal communities were distinctly separated between the treatment and control groups. Bacterial community composition analysis demonstrated that beneficial microbes, such as Sphingomonas, Bacillus, Nocardioides, Rhizobium, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas, and Microbacterium, were more abundant in the treatment groups than in the control group. Fungal community composition analysis revealed that the relative abundance of the phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium and Gibberella decreased and that the well‐known beneficial fungi Chaetomium, Penicillium, and Humicola were more abundant in the treatment groups than in the control group. Overall, these results confirm that beneficial microbes accumulate more easily in the wheat rhizosphere following application of BIO‐1 and BIO‐2 and that the relative abundance of phytopathogenic fungi decreased compared with that in the control group.
Association between Depression, Antidepression Medications, and the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide Population‐Based Retrospective Cohort Study in Taiwan
Authors: Fang Yi-Jen , Wu Tien-Yuan , Lai Jung-Nien , Lin Cheng-Li , Tien Ni , Lim Yun-Ping
Published: January 2021

The relationship between depression, antidepressant medications (ADMs), and the risk of subsequent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development remains controversial. Thus, we investigated this aspect by a population‐based retrospective cohort study using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 available in Taiwan. This large, observational study included 46,201 patients with depression and a 1 : 1 age‐ and sex‐matched nondepression cohort enrolled between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2013, and the newly diagnosed T2DM incidence rates were determined. We estimated the effects of depression on T2DM and the cumulative incidence curves by Cox proportional regression hazard models and Kaplan‐Meier methods, respectively. We found that 47.97% of the patients with depression did not receive ADM. Among patients with depression who received ADM, 29.71%, 6.29%, 0.05%, 9.65%, and 6.32% received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), heterocyclic antidepressants, and other medications, respectively. Patients without ADM treatment had a 39% higher risk of developing T2DM. However, those who received ADM treatment had a significantly lower risk of T2DM development in every treatment category. Depressive disorder treated with ADMs, especially with long‐term use, was associated with an 11–48% decrease in the risk of T2DM in all ADM groups; however, heterocyclic antidepressant treatment for shorter periods (<80 days) was not significantly associated with a decreased risk of T2DM. The incidence of T2DM in Taiwan was found to be associated with an a priori history of depression and was inversely correlated with ADM treatment.
Rapid Geographical Origin Identification and Quality Assessment of Angelicae Sinensis Radix by FT-NIR Spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang Zhen-yu , Wang Ying-jun , Yan Hui , Chang Xiang-wei , Zhou Gui-sheng , Zhu Lei , Liu Pei , Guo Sheng , Dong Tina T. X. , Duan Jin-ao
Published: January 2021

Angelicae Sinensis Radix is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine and spice in China. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for geographical classification of Angelicae Sinensis Radix and determine the contents of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide in the samples using near-infrared spectroscopy. A qualitative model was established to identify the geographical origin of Angelicae Sinensis Radix using Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy. Support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were used for the establishment of a qualitative model. The optimum SVM model had a recognition rate of 100% for the calibration set and 83.72% for the prediction set. In addition, a quantitative model was established to predict the content of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide using FT-NIR. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) algorithms were used for the establishment of a quantitative model. Synergy interval-PLS (Si-PLS) was used to screen the characteristic spectral interval to obtain the best PLSR model. The coefficient of determination for calibration (R2C) for the best PLSR models established with the optimal spectral preprocessing method and selected important spectral regions for the quantitative determination of ferulic acid and Z-ligustilide was 0.9659 and 0.9611, respectively, while the coefficient of determination for prediction (R2P) was 0.9118 and 0.9206, respectively. The values of the ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD) of the two final optimized PLSR models were greater than 2. The results suggested that NIR spectroscopy combined with SVM and PLSR algorithms could be exploited in the discrimination of Angelicae Sinensis Radix from different geographical locations for quality assurance and monitoring. This study might serve as a reference for quality evaluation of agricultural, pharmaceutical, and food products.
GLI3 Promotes Invasion and Predicts Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Shen Mingyang , Zhang Zhengyuan , Wang Ping
Published: January 2021

Purpose. The epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key hallmark of cancer which promotes malignant progression, especially during the process of cancer invasion. A better understanding of EMT will help elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis and may provide new insights into the identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods. A series of bioinformatic approaches were combined and identify GLI3 as a potential key regulator in EMT. In vitro experiments were performed to knockdown GLI3 expression in two CRC cell lines and to reveal the oncogenic role of GLI3 in CRC. qRT‐PCR and western blot were performed to show the influence of GLI3 in EMT and downstream pathways. The Kaplan‐Meier analysis and log‐rank test were used to evaluate the prognostic value of GLI3 in CRC patients. Results. GLI3 was identified as a key regulator in coexpression and protein‐protein interaction (PPI) networks involved in EMT. Bioinformatic analyses indicated that GLI3 had a high correlation with EMT markers in CRC. In vitro experiments showed that GLI3 knockdown attenuated the migratory and invasive capacities of CRC cells via influencing EMT property, especially by regulating phosphorylation of ERK signaling pathway. In addition, higher expression of GLI3 predicts worse prognosis in CRC patients. Conclusions. In summary, we presented the first evidence that GLI3 could promote the migratory and invasive capacities of CRC cells by regulating the EMT process. Our study might provide some useful clues to a better understanding of GLI3 in EMT during CRC progression.
Identification of a Nine Immune‐Related lncRNA Signature as a Novel Diagnostic Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Yuan Mengqin , Wang Yanqing , Sun Qinqian , Liu Shiyi , Xian Shu , Dai Fangfang , Zhang Li , Fan Yaqi , Wang Feiyan , Yang Dongyong , Zheng Yajing , Deng Zhimin , Tan Wei , Liu Yeqiang , Cheng Yanxiang
Published: January 2021

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks fifth among common cancers and is the second most common cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. This study is aimed at identifying an immune‐related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) signature as a potential biomarker with prognostic value to improve early diagnosis and provide potential therapeutic targets for HCC patients. The subjects of this study were HCC samples with complete transcriptome data and clinical information downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We then extracted the immune‐related mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles. Based on the expression profiles of immune‐related lncRNAs, we identified a nine‐lncRNA signature that was related to the progression of HCC. The risk score was calculated based on the expression level of the nine lncRNAs of each sample, which divided patients into high‐risk and low‐risk groups. We found that the increased risk score was associated with a poor prognosis of HCC patients. To assess the accuracy of the survival model, we calculated a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) for validation. The curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for the risk score was 0.792. Besides, both principal component analysis (PCA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were further used for functional annotation. We found that the distribution patterns were different between the low‐risk and high‐risk groups in PCA, and the underlying mechanism by which the nine lncRNAs promoted the progression of HCC involved an abnormal immune status. Finally, we analyzed the infiltration of twenty‐nine kinds of immune cells and the activation of immune function in HCC using the ssGSEA algorithm. The results showed that aDCs, iDCs, macrophages, Tfh, Th1, Treg, and NK cells were correlated with the progress of HCC patients. And the immune functions including APC costimulation, CCR, check point, HLA, MHC class I, and Type II IFN responses were also significantly different between the high‐risk and low‐risk groups. In conclusion, our study identified a nine‐lncRNA signature with potential prognostic value for patients with HCC, which could be used as a new biomarker for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of HCC.