bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osteo-fibrous Dysplasia like Adamantinoma: A Diagnostic Dilemma
Authors: Setia Mohamad Shahrunizam Awang , Ros Mohamad Izzat Arslan Che , Ismail Nik Azuan Nik , Fuad Nik Farhan Nik , Ibrahim Farhan
Published: November 2022

Osteofibrous dysplasia-like adamantinoma is a rare, intermediate grade primary bone tumour of unknown aetiology, which typically involve mid-tibia diaphyseal region. We present a case which was initially suspected as metastasis as patient had underlying colonic cancer. Biopsy was taken twice for confirmatory diagnosis. Patient had an atypical imaging presentation of OFD-like adamantinoma, as the age of the patient and radiographical presentation were more of a classic adamantinoma. The ability to recognize the pattern and distribution and keeping it as a differential is important. MRI findings would be non-specific, but useful in term of locoregional staging. Even though histopathological examination provides definite diagnosis, it may sometimes yield false negative. Bone scan can be useful in detecting primary and metastatic osteoblastic bone tumour. Imaging findings and its closest differentials were discussed.
Fluorofenidone alleviates liver fibrosis by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell autophagy via the TGF-β1/Smad pathway
Authors: Peng Xiongqun , Yang Huixiang , Tao Li-jian , Xiao Jingni , Zeng Ya , Shen Yueming , Yu Xueke , Qin Jiao
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Liver fibrosis is a key stage in the progression of various chronic liver diseases to cirrhosis, but at present, there is no effective treatment. This study examined the therapeutic effect of the new antifibrotic drug Fluorofenidone (AKF-PD) on liver fibrosis and its related mechanism.

Materials and methods

The effects of AKF-PD on hepatic stellate cell (HSC) autophagy and extracellular matrix (ECM) expression were assessed in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced rat liver fibrosis model. In vitro, HSC-T6 cells were transfected with Smad2 and Smad3 overexpression plasmids and treated with AKF-PD. The viability and number of autophagosomes in HSC-T6 cells were examined. Beclin-1, LC3 and P62 protein expression were analysed by Western blotting.

Results

AKF-PD attenuated liver injury and ECM production in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. In vitro, the viability and the number of autophagosomes in HSCs were decreased significantly by AKF-PD treatment. In addition, the protein expression of FN, α-SMA, collagen III, Beclin-1 and LC3 was increased, and P62 expression was decreased by the overexpression of Smad2 and Smad3; however, AKF-PD reversed these effects.

Conclusions

AKF-PD alleviates liver fibrosis by inhibiting HSC autophagy via the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad pathway.
Role of Oxidative Stress-Related Gene and Immune cell Infiltration in Chronic Heart Failure: Novel Insights from Bioinformatic Analyses
Authors: Yang Qian , Wang Jinda , Zhang Kan , Wang Yabin , Han Dong , Cao Feng
Published: November 2022

Background
Oxidative stress and immune cells infiltration have been shown to play a role in chronic heart failure (CHF). In this study, we aimed to explore oxidative stress status and immune cells infiltration associated with CHF and they may identify new candidates for biomarker.
Methods
CHF samples were collected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE5406, GSE9128, and GSE76701). Differentially expressed genes of oxidative stress (OSDEGs) were identified based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and oxidative stress gene set. Multiple machine learning methods were adopted to screen signature OSDEGs. Consensus clustering was used to divide samples into categories with different OSDEGs levels. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to evaluate the gene enrichment signaling pathways in OSDEGs. The correlation between OSDEGs and immune cells infiltration was performed by single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and CIBERSORT.
Results
Overall, 33 differentially expressed oxidative stress-related genes were identified. Among them, 10 were further regarded as independent predictors for CHF, and used to develop a nomogram that had shown good performance in predicting CHF with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.93(95%CI: 0.85-1.00) in the training sets and 0.81 (95%CI: 0.43-1.00) in the validation set. Furthermore, hub genes were mainly enriched in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species pathway, cell redox homeostasis and negative regulation of oxidative stress-induced cell death. The CHF and control samples showed significantly different distributions (P < 0.05) of monocytes and M0 macrophages. In addition, both AKT1 and NOS3 held a positive relationship with monocytes, but HSP90AA1 was negatively correlated with natural killer cells and type 1 T helper cells, respectively.
Conclusions
These results indicate that oxidative stress status is closely linked to CHF risk prediction and immune cell infiltration. Thus, the oxidative stress-based molecular signature may be target for CHF intervention.
The first case of Escherichia fergusonii with biofilm in China and literature review
Authors: Zang Yi-Ming , Liu Jun-Feng , Li Gang , Zhao Mei , Yin Guo-min , Zhang Zheng-ping , Jia Wei
Published: November 2022

Background: Escherichia fergusonii is a rare opportunistic pathogen in humans and animals, especially with biofilm. Methods: One case of E. fergusonii with biofilm was detected in the bile and silver staining method was used to prove its biofilm. The clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility of eight cases of E. fergusonii retrieved from the literature were also summarized.
Results: This is a case of E. fergusonii with biofilm, which has not been reported in China. The 8 cases retrieved from the literature did not specify whether they had a biofilm, but we analyzed their clinical characteristics and drug susceptibility. All patients were treated with antimicrobial drugs. 8 cases showed sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam and imipenem in 6 cases (75%), but poor sensitivity to levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin.
Conclusion: The silver staining method proved biofilm in this case, which is the first case of E. fergusonii with biofilm in China.
Bone Defect Reconstruction using Masquelet Technique for Calcaneal Chondroblastoma: a Case Report
Authors: Chen Xianwei , Chen Gong , Chen Zhifu , Zhang Jing
Published: November 2022

Background: Postoperative bone defect is difficult to reconstruct after resection or curettage of bone tumor, especially for some tumor located in ankle and foot. Induced membrane of Masquelet technique demonstrated superiority in reconstructing bone defect after injury, but its safety and validity in foot tumor were not clear.
Case presentation: A 24-year-old male patient complained pain in the right heel for more than twoyears. CT scan showed a low density lesion with cortical erosion of calcaneus body. The pathological results indicatedchondroblastoma by biopsy. The first step, tumor was totally removed by curettage. High speed grinding and 95% alcohol inactivation killed the residual tumor cells. Cortex defect of calcaneal was about 8cm in longest diameter. Bone cement (PMMA) spacer was packed into the defect and fixed with two crossedKirschner wires for six weeks. The second step, bone cement was removed. Crossed autologous fibular segments shoring with two screws and allogeneic cancellous graft were filled into the cavity to reconstruct the bone defect. For near one year follow up, the calcaneal bone fusion with graft was good, and foot function recovered satisfactorily.
Conclusions: we offered a new reconstructive choice for calcaneal defect after tumor curettage. The safety and validity of Masquelet technique is worth trying in future by more clinical cases.
Validation and Characterization of a Novel Blood-Brain Barrier Platform for Investigating Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Bolden Christopher , Skibber Max , Olson Scott , Rojas Miriam Zamorano , Milewicz Samantha , Gill Brijesh , Cox Charles
Published: November 2022

The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) is a highly-selective physiologic barrier responsible for maintaining cerebral homeostasis. Innovative in vitro models of the BBB are needed to provide useful insights into BBB function with CNS disorders like TBI. Current models either lack fluidic shear stress, or neglect hemodynamic parameters important in recapitulating the human in vivo BBB phenotype. To address these limitations in the field, we developed a fluid dynamic novel platform which closely mimics these parameters. To validate our platform, Matrigel-coated Transwells were seeded with brain microvascular endothelial cells, both with and without co-cultured primary human astrocytes and bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells. In this article we characterized BBB functional properties such as TEER and paracellular permeability. Our platform demonstrated physiologic relevant decreases in TEER in response to an ischemic environment, while directly measuring barrier fluid fluctuation. These recordings were followed with recovery, implying stability of the model. We also demonstrate that our dynamic platform is responsive to inflammatory and metabolic cues with resultant permeability coefficients. These results indicate that this novel dynamic platform will be a valuable tool for evaluating the recapitulating BBB function in vitro, screening potential novel therapeutics, and establishing a relevant paradigm to evaluate the pathophysiology of TBI.
A novel C19ORF12 mutation in two MPAN sisters treated with deferiprone
Authors: Chen Sihui , Lai Xiaohui , Fu Jiajia , Yang Jing , Zhao Bi , Shang Huifang , Chen xueping
Published: November 2022

Background: Mitochondrial membrane protein-associated neurodegeneration (MPAN) is a rare and devastating disease caused by pathogenic mutations in C19orf12 gene. MPAN is characterized by pathological iron accumulation in the brain and fewer than 100 cases of MPAN have been described. Although the diagnosis of MPAN has achieved a great breakthrough with the application of the whole exome gene sequencing technology, the therapeutic effect of iron chelation therapy in MPAN remains controversial.
Case presentation: We reported that two sisters from the same family diagnosed with MPAN had dramatically different responses to deferiprone (DFP) treatment. The diagnosis of MPAN were established based on typical clinical manifestations, physical examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid analysis (CSF) and gene sequencing results. The clinical presentations of the two sisters with MPAN due to novel gene locus mutations were similar to those previously reported. There is no other difference in basic information except that the proband had a later onset age and fertility history. Both the proband and his second sister were treated with deferiprone (DFP), but they had dramatically different responses to the treatment. The proband's condition deteriorated sharply after treatment with DFP including psychiatric symptoms and movement disorders. However, the second sister of the proband became relatively stable after receiving the DFP treatment. After four years of follow-up, the patient still denies any new symptoms of neurological deficits.
Conclusion: The findings of this study enriched the MPAN gene database and indicated that DFP might delay the progress of MPAN in patients without severe autonomic neuropsychiatric impairment at the early stage of the disease.
Who Marries Whom and Its Impact on Household Income Inequality
Authors: Li Yang , Ding Chuan
Published: November 2022

We build a marriage model, using educational level as a decision variable, and conclude that each agent tends to marry someone with the same or higher education. This paper indicates that “properly matched marriage” remains the absolute mainstream pattern of Chinese families through a random matching method based on the microcosmic household survey data of “CHFS.” In addition, it has a significant impact on household income inequality.
Atmospheric oxygen concentration: significant factor neglected in fire models
Authors: Li Yujie , Gao Xiaoqing , Li Zhenchao , Yang Liwei , Zhou Xiyin
Published: November 2022

Wildfires have great impact on the global ecosystem and human society, so the prediction and prevention of wildfires is necessary. This study used the MOD14A2 data, the NCEP/NCAR and ERA5 Reanalysis data, the GFEDv4 data and the Scripps O2 data to analyze the correlations between the area of wildfires and meteorological elements, and used the oxygen concentration to improve the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI). The following results were obtained: 1) During 2001 to 2015, the year of 2002 was the year with the most wildfires in the world, and August was the month with the most wildfires in a year. Northern Africa, Southern Africa and South America are the main wildfires-affected areas, accounting for nearly 80% of the global wildfires area in these 15 years. 2) Globally, the correlation coefficient between temperature and wildfires area is 0.47; for wind speed, it is 0.17; for precipitation, it is -0.41; for relative humidity, it is -0.19; and for oxygen concentration, it is more than 0.6. 3) The improved McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDInew) constructed by using the original FFDI and oxygen concentration can better reflect the fire risk in Australia. This study emphasized the important impact of changes in oxygen concentration on fires. It is of great significance for the management, prediction and prevention of wildfires.
Study on radiomics to predict the aggressiveness of multiple primary invasive lung adenocarcinomas
Authors: Sun Qinling , Huang Qiubo , OuYang Zhiqiang , Huang Yunchao , Zhao Guangqiang , Liao Chengde , Yang Yantao , Wang Biying , Yang Yichen , Ye Lianhua
Published: November 2022

Our aim is to establish a model for predicting the aggressiveness of pathological subtypes of multiple primary invasive lung adenocarcinomas based on CT radiomics to provide a reference for preoperative planning in affected patients. Clinical data and CT images of patients who were diagnosed as having multiple primary invasive lung adenocarcinomas through postoperative pathological analysis from January 2016 to December 2020 in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. 3D Slicer software were used to perform the focal segmentation and feature extraction of the CT images. Five classification learners were employed to establish models for predicting the aggressiveness of pathological subtypes of the lung adenocarcinomas, and evaluate the performance of the prediction model based on the area under the Area Under the subject operating characteristic Curve (AUC). 204 patients were enrolled, surgical intervention was applied to 408 nodules. Of them, 36.8% nodules were Acinar-type.The analysis of the CT radiomics-based aggressiveness prediction model demonstrated that the training group showed that the AUC values of logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), decision tree(DT), support vector machine(SVM), and adaptive boosting(AdaBoost) models were all within 0.7–1, and the testing group showed that the AUC values of the LR and RF models were all within 0.7–0.9. Our results indicate that acinar-type is the main pathological subtype of multiple primary invasive lung adenocarcinomas. LR and RF models presented a certain level of accuracy performance in predicting the aggressiveness of pathological subtypes of multiple primary invasive lung adenocarcinomas and thus facilitate preoperative planning in cancer patients.
Targeting IGF1R signaling enhances the sensitivity of cisplatin by inhibiting proline and arginine metabolism in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma under hypoxia condition
Authors: Xu Meidong , Fang Kang , Sun Mingchuang , Leng Zhuyun , Chu Yuan , Zhao Ziying , Li Zhaoxing , Zhang Yunwei , Xu Aiping , Zhang Zehua , Zhang Li , Chen Tao
Published: November 2022

Background & Aims:
Cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy is commonly adopted as the first-line treatment for patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but the high rate of drug resistance limits its clinical application, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The aims of this study is to elucidate the role of abnormal signal transmission and metabolism in chemoresistance of OSCC under oxygen-deprived microenvironment, and try to find targeted drugs that enhance the sensitivity of DDP chemotherapy.
Methods:
Upregulated genes in OSCCs were determined by RNA-seq, public database, IHC, rt-qPCR and Western blotting (WB). The clinicopathological significance of IGF1R, ASS1, PYCR1 in OSCC were analyzed using Tissue Micriarray (TMA). Metabolic abnormalities were determined by untargeted metabolomics analysis. The DDP resistance role of IGF1R, ASS1, PYCR1 in OSCC was investigated in vitro and in vivo.
Results:
Generally, tumor cells are in a hypoxic microenvironment. By genomic profiling, we
identified IGF1R as one of RTKs, were upregulated in OSCCs under low oxygen condition. Clinically, enhanced IGF1R expression was associated with higher stages and poor prognosis in OSCC patients, and it’s inhibitor linsitinib, showed synergistic effects on DDP therapy in vivo and in vitro.Since hypoxia conditions frequently lead to metabolic reprogramming, we further integrated metabolomic analysis to find that abnormal IGF1R pathways promoted the expression of metabolic enzymes argininosuccinate synthetase 1 (ASS1) and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1) via transcriptional activity of cMYC. Deeply, enhanced expression of ASS1 promoted arginine metabolism for biological anabolism, whereas PYCR1 activated proline metabolism for redox balance, which maintained the proliferation ability of OSCC cells during DDP treatment under hypoxia condition.
Conclusions:
Enhanced expression of ASS1 and PYCR1 via IGF1R pathways rewired arginine and proline metabolism, promoting DDP resistance in OSCC under low oxygen conditions. Linsitinib targeting IGF1R signaling may provides promising combination therapy options for OSCC patients with DDP resistance.
High expression level of BRD4 is associated with a poor prognosis and immune infiltration in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Li Li , Gao Lin , Zhou Hong , Shi Chao , Zhang Xiaojuan , Zhang Dongmei , Liu Hongbin
Published: November 2022

Purpose The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression level of Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), its prognostic value, and its relationship with immune infiltration in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
Methods The study included 80 ESCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 179 ESCC patients from Affiliated Hospital 2 of Nantong University. The expression levels of BRD4 and CD8 in tissue microarray were detected by immunohistochemistry. The prognostic factors affecting overall survival of ESCC were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve and univariate and multivariate cox regression. The ESTIMATE website was used to calculate the stromal, immune and ESTIMATE score. CIBERSORT and XCELL were used to calculate the abundance of immune infiltrates. Spearman and Phi coefficient were used for correlation analysis. The TIDE algorithm was used to predict treatment response to immune checkpoint blockade.
Results BRD4 is up-regulated in ESCC, and high BRD4 expression level is associated with poor prognosis and adverse clinicopathological features. In addition, the monocyte count, systemic inflammatory-immunologic index (SII), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) in the BRD4 high expression level group were higher than those in the low expression level group. Finally, we found that BRD4 expression level correlated with immune infiltration and that BRD4 expression level was inversely correlated with infiltration of CD8+T cells. In the TCGA esophageal cancer cohort, the BRD4 high expression level group had a higher TIDE score than the low expression level group. The same trend was observed in the TCGA ESCC cohort, but the P value was 0.058.
Conclusion BRD4 is associated with poor prognosis and immune infiltration in ESCC, and may be a potential biomarker for prognosis and immunotherapy application.
Molecular Insights into the Calanus species (Crustacea; Copepoda; Calanoida) in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Stupnikova Alexandra , Neretina Tatyana
Published: November 2022

The differentiation of marine species continues to pose a challenge despite the growing number of diagnostic metrics and approaches. This study examined the genetic relationship between two sibling species of the genus Calanus (Crustacea; Copepoda; Calanoida), C. simillimus and C. propinquus. In course of the study small and large nuclear ribosomal subunits (18S rDNA and D1 region of 28S rDNA, respectively), nuclear protein-coding gene (histone H3), internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region and the mitochondrial ribosomal gene (16S), mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome B (cytB) for the samples from the Southern Ocean have been defined by means of DNA sequences. Our data offers an interesting insight into mitonuclear discordance in marine copepods, and the failure of traditional mitochondrial markers in separating two similar, albeit morphologically distinct, species. It can be explained by mitochondrial introgression and the presence of pseudogenes (numts).
Analysis of the permafrost degradation under high embankments in cold regions
Authors: Wang Shuangjie , Zhao Runmin , Huang Xiaoming , Chen Jianbing
Published: November 2022

As one of the most significant environmental hazards, the degradation of permafrost will cause many harmful effects on environment, engineering and ecology, etc. To evaluate the impact of asphalt pavement road on permafrost degradation, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway (QTH) which passes through the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was studied in this paper. The results show that when the embankment is 3m high and the top of the embankment is not wider than 18m, the existence of the pavement structure could obviously protect permafrost from melting in cold permafrost region during the 20-year road service life. However, the results also indicate that whichever the embankment type is, this “protection” effect comes at the cost of making the permafrost more sensitive and fragile. This means that the existence of asphalt pavement will still pose a great threat to the cold region environments protection if no effective active cooling measures are applied.
Bioinformatics analysis of ferroptosis-related genes in the pathogenesis of diabetic ulcers
Authors: Wang Li , Tang Lulu , Xie Jinqi , Ye Haoxiang , Kuang Zaoyuan , Liu Aijun
Published: November 2022

Background: Diabetic ulcers are a major complication of diabetes which causing lower extremity amputation. Nonetheless, the progression in the development of diabetic ulcers therapeutics is slow. Ferroptosis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic wound in diabetic ulcers. The mechanism needs to be further clarified.
Methods: Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (FRDEGs) in diabetic ulcers were screened from the dataset GSE92724 and FerrDb online database based in silico. Then, functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were implemented to recognize the potential biological pathways and mechanisms. MCODE tool was used to cluster and predict hub genes. The miRNAs corresponding to hub genes were predicted by miRWalk 2.0. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was applied to verify the diagnostic value of five hub genes in the dataset GSE132187 and GSE134431. The immune infiltration between diabetic ulcers samples and normal samples were analyzed by using CIBERSORTx.
Results: 26 FRDEGs and 5 hub genes (EGFR, SLC2A1, CD44, CA9, and PTGS2) in diabetic ulcers were identified. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that hub genes were significantly enriched in response to oxidative stress, basolateral plasma membrane, and HIF-1 signaling pathway. ROC results suggested that hub genes have a high diagnostic accuracy for diabetic ulcers. In immune cell infiltration, T follicular helper cells and monocytes were significantly lower in diabetic ulcers.
Conclusion: This research firstly demonstrated that five hub genes may be potential therapeutic targets and possible diagnostic biomarkers in the pathogenesis of diabetic ulcers.
Community Based Cross-sectional Study of the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Resources Limited Setting: A Case of Mettu Town, South Western of Ethiopia
Authors: Jifar Wakuma Wakene , Teshome Bilise , Melkamu Gemachis , Debele Gebiso Roba
Published: November 2022

Objectives The goal of the study was to evaluate the community of Mettu Town, South West Ethiopia's knowledge, attitudes, and use of complementary and alternative medicine. Methods A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study including 285 individuals in Mettu town 03 kebele was conducted. To choose the households, a standardized random sampling method was utilized and house to house interviews were used to gather the data. Results 143 people (48.9%) of the participants were female and 94.9% of the respondents used complementary and alternative medicine, and 89% were aware of it. Medical herbalism was the most often used system (50.6%), and a higher percentage of study participants thought alternative medicine was less expensive than modern medicine (30.8%) and more accessible (42.5%). Conclusion The majority of the Mettu town Community practiced Complementary and Alternative Medicine theraphy and the study participants in Mettu town have good knowledge but poor attitude regarding utilization of CAM.
Why Panoptic Quality should be avoided as a metric for assessing cell nuclei segmentation and classification in digital pathology
Authors: Foucart Adrien , Debeir Olivier , Decaestecker Christine
Published: November 2022

Panoptic Quality, designed for the task of "Panoptic Segmentation" (PS), has been used in several digital pathology challenges and publications on cell nuclei instance segmentation and classification (ISC) since its introduction in 2019. Its purpose is to encompass the detection and the segmentation aspects of the task in a single measure, so that algorithms can be ranked according to their overall performance. A careful analysis of the properties of the metric, its application to ISC and the characteristics of nuclei ISC datasets, shows that is not suitable for this purpose and should be avoided. Through a theoretical analysis we demonstrate that PS and ISC, despite their similarities, have some fundamental differences that make PQ unsuitable. We also show that the use of the Intersection over Union as a matching rule and as a segmentation quality measure within the PQ is not adapted for such small objects as nuclei. We illustrate these findings with examples taken from the NuCLS and MoNuSAC datasets. The code for replicating our results is available on GitHub (https://github.com/adfoucart/panoptic-quality-suppl).
The use of surfactin in inhibiting Botrytis cinerea and in protecting winter jujube from the gray mold
Authors: Xiao Peng , Tian Xiaoyu , Zhu Peng , Xu Yangyang , Zhou Chengxu
Published: November 2022

Surfactin has the potential to be used as a food preservative. However, efficiency and action mechanism in various applications need more assessments and research. In this study, the antifungal effects and the mechanism of action of surfactin on the fungus Botrytis cinerea were investigated. The effects of applying surfactin for the removal of gray mold on the quality of winter jujube were investigated based on the changes in fruit fatty acids. The results showed that (1) surfactin significantly inhibited the growth of B. cinerea, the EC50 at 5 d was 46.42 mg/L. (2) Surfactin significantly reduced the disease incidence and diameter of gray mold-inoculated winter jujube in a concentration-dependent manner. For that treated with surfactin at the EC50, the incidence decreased by 38.89%. (3) For B. cinerea under surfactin treatment, the mycelial morphology changed, the levels of total lipids and ergosterol decreased, the reactive oxygen species levels increased, and the cell integrity was completely damaged. (4) For winter jujube inoculated by B. cinerea, the contents of saturated fatty acids decreased and unsaturated fatty acids increased. For those under the surfactin treatments, winter jujube maintained the fatty acid composition at the level of non-inoculated groups. Mechanical injury significantly changed the fatty acid composition of winter jujube; however, Surfactin not only was able to inhibit the growth of gray mold but also mitigated the adverse effects from mechanical injury. The present study demonstrated the potential applications of Surfactin in the preservation of postharvest fruit quality.
PM2.5 exposure increase dry eye disease risks through corneal epithelial inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunctions
Authors: Yu Donghui , Cai Wenting , Shen Tianyi , Wu Yan , Ren Chengda , Li Tingting , Hu Chengyu , Zhu Meijiang , Yu Jing
Published: November 2022

Dry eye disease (DED) is the most common disease affecting vision and quality of life. PM2.5 was a potential risk of DED. Herein, we conducted animal exposure and cell-based studies to evaluate the pathogenic effect of PM2.5 exposure on the ocular surface and DED etiological mechanisms. C57 mice were exposed to filtered air and PM2.5 aerosol. We assessed health conditions and inflammation of the ocular surface by corneal fluorescein staining and immunohistochemistry. In parallel, cultured human corneal epithelial cells (HCETs) were treated with PM2.5, followed by characterization of cell viability, intracellular ATP level, mitochondrial activities, and expression level of DED relevant mRNA and proteins. In mice, PM2.5 exposure induced severe superficial punctate keratopathy and inflammation in their cornea. In HCETs, cell proliferation and ROS generation followed dose-response and time-dependent manner, meanwhile mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) level increased and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level decreased. Inflammation cascade was triggered even after short-term exposure. The reduction of ATP production was alleviated with Nrf2 overexpression, NF-κB P65 knockdown or ROS clearance. Nrf2 overexpression and P65 knockdown reduced inflammatory reaction through decreasing expression of P65 and increasing of Nrf2, respectively. They partly alleviated changes of ROS/mtROS/MMP. This research proved that PM2.5 would cause DED-related inflammation reaction on corneal epithelial cells and further explored its mechanism: ROS from mitochondrial dysfunctions of corneal epithelial cells after PM2.5 exposure partly inhibited the expression of anti-inflammatory protein Nrf2 led the activation of inflammatory protein P65 and its downstream molecules, which finally caused inflammation reaction.
Sudden-onset Vertigo Associated with Persistent Spontaneous Torsional Nystagmus and Imbalance: A Unique Clinical Manifestation of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo but not Acute Unilateral Peripheral Vestibulopathy (Vestibular Neuritis)
Authors: Liu Xuesheng
Published: November 2022

Objective: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular disease. Acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy (AUPVP), previously termed vestibular neuritis (VN), is the 3rd most common peripheral vestibular neuropathy with unknown etiology and pathogenesis. This study aimed to explore the association between BPPV and AUPVP(VN) and identify the potential etiology and pathogenesis of AUPVP(VN).
Methods: The clinical characteristics of 11 patients with sudden-onset vertigo associated with persistent spontaneous torsional nystagmus (PSTN)and imbalance were retrospectively reviewed. The effectiveness of the CCRM treatment was evaluated. The diagnosis of these patients was analyzed.
Results: Balance dysfunction significantly improved after the first CCRM treatment and was completely alleviated after two CCRM treatments. PSTN was transformed to gaze-evoked persistent torsional nystagmus after the first CCRM treatment, and the degree of nystagmus was reduced. PSTN stopped in subsequent CCRM treatments. The severity of the vertigo gradually reduced after each treatment. The clinical manifestations of these patients after one or three CCRM treatments were the same as those of BPPV patients. Vertigo, PSTN, and imbalance were alleviated entirely in all patients after several CCRM treatments, suggesting that these patients had atypical BPPV.
Conclusions: Sudden-onset vertigo associated with PSTN and imbalance is a unique clinical manifestation of BPPV, caused by the canalith jam in the posterior semicircular canal or otolithiasis in multiple semicircular canals. The CCRM treatment is an effective therapeutic method for sudden-onset vertigo associated with PSTN and imbalance when central vestibular vertigo was excluded.
Auxin regulation on crop: from mechanisms to opportunities in soybean breeding
Authors: Li Linfang , Chen Xu
Published: November 2022

Breeding crop varieties with high-yield and ideal plant architecture is a desirable goal of agricultural science. The success of ‘Green Revolution’ in cereal crops provides opportunities to incorporate phytohormones in crop breeding. Auxin is a critical phytohormone to determinate nearly all the aspects of plant development. Despite the current knowledge regarding auxin biosynthesis, auxin transport and auxin signaling has been well characterized in model Arabidopsis plants, how auxin regulates crop architecture is far from being understood and the introduction of auxin biology in crop breeding stays in the theoretical stage. Here, we give an overview on molecular mechanisms of auxin biology in Arabidopsis, and mainly summarize auxin contributions for crop plant development. Furthermore, we propose potential opportunities to integrate auxin biology in soybean breeding.
Prescribed mass solutions to Schrödinger systems with critical Sobolev exponent
Authors: Luo Xiao , Yang Xiaolong , Zou Wenming
Published: November 2022

Note: Please see pdf for full abstract with equations.
We consider the existence and asymptotic behavior on mass of positive solutions to the following system
−Δu + λ1u = μ1u3 + α1|u|p−2u + βv2u in R4,
−Δv + λ2v = μ2v3 + α2|v|p−2v + βu2v in R4,
under the normalized mass constraints
∫R4u2 = a21 and ∫R4v2 = a22,
where a1, a2 are prescribed, μ1, μ2, β > 0, α1, α2 ∈ R, p ∈ (2, 4) and λ1, λ2 ∈ R appear as Lagrange multipliers. Firstly, we establish a non-existence result for the repulsive interaction case, i.e., αi < 0(i = 1, 2). Then turning to the case of αi > 0(i = 1, 2), if 2 < p < 3, we show that the problem admits a ground state and an excited state. Moreover, we give a precise asymptotic behavior of these two solutions as (a1, a2) → (0, 0) and a1 ~ a2. This seems to be the first contribution regarding the multiplicity as well as synchronized mass collapse behavior of normalized solutions to Schrödinger systems with Sobolev critical exponent. When 3 ≤ p < 4, we prove an existence as well as a non-existence (p = 3) results of ground states. Furthermore, precise asymptotic behaviors of the ground states are obtained when the masses of whose two components vanish and cluster to a upper bound (or infinity), respectively.
2010 Mathematics Subject Classification : 35J50, 35B33, 35B09, 35B40.
A Histogram-Based Algorithm for Concrete Infrastructures Destruction Detection
Authors: Esmaielzadeh Sajad
Published: November 2022

In this article, to detect dam destruction, statistical analysis of recorded observations was used. The efficiency of the introduced method is estimated by numerical simulations. The acceleration measurements in different nodes are obtained in both damaged and intact cases after implementing of three earthquake records with low, middle, and high frequencies, respectively. The statistical segmentation of measurements is performed based on a histogram framework. Consequently, a new automatic method is devised based on the zero-order and first-order cumulative momentums to determine the presence of structure destruction. The proposed histogram-based dam detector has been analyzed and simulated in the MATLAB simulator. To do so, the Peak-to-Sidelobe Ratio (PSLR) of the histogram curves is considered as a performance assessment criterion. According to the simulation results, the proposed method has an efficient performance to detect destruction and determine its position in the dam.
Identification of pyrocatechol, a coffee ingredient that exerts antineuroinflammatory effects by inhibiting NF-kappaB
Authors: Murata Taisuke , Tago Kenji , Miyata Kota , Moriwaki Yasuhiro , Misawa Hidemi , Kobata Kenji , Nakazawa Yosuke , Tamura Hiroomi , Funakoshi-Tago Megumi
Published: November 2022

Although epidemiological studies have suggested that the frequency of coffee consumption negatively correlates with the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, its causality based on molecular mechanisms remains unclear. Since neuroinflammation is closely associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, we hypothesized that the consumption of coffee prevents the onset of neurodegenerative diseases by suppressing neuroinflammation. Coffee and decaffeinated coffee decoctions significantly attenuated the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide by inhibiting the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the murine microglia cell line, BV-2. Both decoctions also attenuated the LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, CCL2, and CXCL1, in BV-2 cells. In addition, both decoctions inhibited the LPS-induced nuclear translocation and transcriptional activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a major transcription factor in inflammation, suggesting that coffee ingredients other than caffeine prevent neuroinflammation by inhibiting NF-κB. Pyrocatechol, a component of roasted coffee produced by the thermal decomposition of chlorogenic acid, exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the LPS-induced activation of NF-κB, similar to the coffee decoctions. The intake of pyrocatechol also significantly inhibited the accumulation of microglia and the expression of iNOS, IL-6, TNFα, CCL2, and CXCL1 in murine brains injected with LPS, similar to the coffee decoctions. These results indicate that the anti-inflammatory activity of pyrocatechol contributes to the suppressive effects of coffee on the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Electrodeposition of cadmium selenide based photoanodes from TOMAC/Formamide ionic liquid for photoelectrochemical applications
Authors: Litaiem Yousra , Dridi Donia , Slimi Bechir , Chtourou Radhouane
Published: November 2022

The electrodeposition from Room Temperature Ionic Liquids (RTILs) has recently come up as a low-cost technique for the growth of II-VI semiconductor compounds and thin films, some promising alternatives to classical organic or inorganic solvents. As a relatively new field of studies, only a few reports exist describing the growth mechanism of electrodeposition from RTILs, especially for CdSe films. In this paper, a new electrochemical method has been developed for the deposition of Cadmium Selenide thin layers onto indium doped tin oxide coated conducting glass (ITO) using a RTIL and an Organic solvent system (Tricaprylmethylammonium chloride /Formamide). Structural properties of prepared films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman analysis which reveal a pure cubic phase with the zinc-blende type structure and typical peaks of nanostructured CdSe respectively. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed homogenous and smooth surface of the deposited films. UV-vis measurements demonstrated the presence of direct transition with a band gap energy around 1.68 eV. The flat-band potential and carrier density values of CdSe thin film are − 0.667 V and 6.13 ×1016 cm− 3 respectively as deduced from Mott-Schottky studies. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) behavior of the CdSe thin film exhibited an enhanced photocurrent density at about 0.35 mA/cm2 vs. Ag/AgCl.
FLT3 inhibitors upregulate CXCR4 and E-selectin ligands through suppression of ERK in AML and combined inhibition of CXCR4/E-selectin enhances anti-leukemia efficacy of FLT3-targeted therapy
Authors: Jia Yannan , Zhang Weiguo , Basyal Mahesh , Chang Kyung Hee , Ostermann Lauren , Burks Jared , Ly Charlie , Mu-Mosley Hong , Zhang Qi , Xin Han , Fogler William , Magnani John , Lesegretain Arnaud , Zal Anna , Zal Tomasz , Andreeff Michael
Published: November 2022

CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)/CXC motif ligand 12 (CXCL12) and E-(endothelial)-selectin/E-selectin ligands (E-selectin-L) axes play critical roles in leukemia cell homing to the bone marrow niche and are closely associated with resistance to FLT3-targeted therapy in FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Hence, it is imperative to co-target CXCR4/E-selectin/FLT3 in FLT3 mutant AML. Herein, we determined whether FLT3 inhibition modulates CXCR4/E-selectin-L levels and whether co-targeting CXCR4/E-selectin enhances the anti-leukemia effects and reduces bone marrow niche-mediated resistance in FLT3-targeted therapy. Our results demonstrate that CXCR4/E-selectin-L are transcriptionally upregulated by FLT3 inhibition. Concomitant blockage of CXCR4/E-selectin with the dual inhibitor GMI-1359 disrupts leukemia cell homing and migration to bone marrow niches. Combination treatment with GMI-1359 and quizartinib significantly reduced leukemia cell burden and extended mouse survival in a patient derived xenograft AML mouse model. These findings provide pre-clinical rationale for combined CXCR4/E-selectin/FLT3 targeting in FLT3-mutant AML.
Reduction of toxic organic dyes in aqueous media using N-heterocyclic copper(II) complex immobilized on the beta-cyclodextrin-modified Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles as a magnetically recyclable catalyst
Authors: Lighvan Zohreh Mehri , Khonakdar Hossein Ali , Khodadadi Bahar , Rafie Mina , Ramezanpour Azar , Heydari Abolfazl , Pirani Sara , akbari ali
Published: November 2022

Water supplies have been jeopardized owing to increased population and industrial activity. Azo dyes are regarded as hazardous substances, e.g. p-nitrophenol, causing cancer in animals as well as redox-related toxicity in diverse tissues. In this regard, adsorption process alone is not sufficient to treat wastewaters including extra types of pollution merely in a single step. With the purpose of declining azo-based contaminations in nontoxic species of wastewater, this paper proposed a novel functionalized iron oxide nanoadsorbent (Fe3O4@CM-β-CDP@Tet-Cu(II)) ,synthesized by combining the benefits of magnetic nanoparticles, carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin, and N-heterocyclic cupper complex. Different techniques were employed to distinguish catalyst morphology and structure. Moreover, at room temperature, with moderate and safe reducing agents (NaBH4), the nanocatalyst was exploited with the purpose of diminishing organic dyes such as p-nitrophenol, Eosin Y, Rhodamine B, Congo red, and Methyl orange. A simple and readily available method was employed to record such reduction: UV-vis spectroscopy. Results revealed considerable catalytic activity of Fe3O4@CM-β-CDP@Tet-Cu (II) besides remarkable reduction rate in the course of limited reaction time, in particular for Methyl orange dye. It is noteworthy that the catalytic activity of the nanocomposite did not suffer any notable losses despite being recovered and re-used five times. Through the use of an external magnet, such nanocomposites can be simply isolated from water environments and thereafter be exploited for organic catalytic reduction and wastewater treatment on a large scale.
Unravelling the role of nickel doping on the physical properties of CuO thin films deposited by Spray Pyrolysis and theoretical analysis of nanostructured ZnO/Ni:CuO-based heterojunction solar cells
Authors: DAOUDI Othmane , JELLAL Ilyass , HADDOUT Assiya , ZIMOU Jamal , KHOUJA Outman EL , NOUNEH Khalid , LHARCH Mohammed , FAHOUME Mounir
Published: November 2022

Whereas solar photovoltaic cells are promising for proper power production,their wide deployment is hampered by production costs, material availability and toxicity. One of these materials is CuO, which has great chemical stability as well as interesting physical properties, including a direct band gap, a high absorption coef cient, and p-type conductivity. These properties indicate CuO as an exciting semiconducting material to use an absorber layer in thin lms solar cells. For this speci c reason, this paper focuses on the synthesis of undoped and Ni-doped CuO thin lms by spray pyroly- sis process. Several techniques such as; X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and UV-Visible spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the synthesized samples. The XRD analysis indicated the formation of polycrystalline CuO thin lms and the average crystallite size was decreased from 35 to 20 nm for the samples with x = 0 to 8 at%, respectively. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy also con rms the single-phase formation of CuO lms. The SEM images demonstrated that the incorporation of Ni in the CuO matrix improved the lms surface. The EDX analysis and the elemental mapping belay the homogeneous distribution of the elements. Moreover, UV-Visible spectroscopy has shown a signi cant expansion in optical energy band gap from 1.45 to 1.53 eV with an increase of Ni concentration. On the other hand, to investigate the impact of Ni-doped CuO on nanos- tructure Ni:CuO/ ZnO-NRs heterojunction solar cell performance, SCAPS-1D software is used. It has been found that, 8% Ni:CuO layer has been revealed as better for nanostructured solar cells. The results of this contribution will provide some vital guidelines for fabricating higher-ef ciency solar cells.
The effects of PD-1/PD-L1 expression on the prognosis of lymphoma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: mao qiyuan , Liu Lanchun , Zhang Chuchu , Chen Zehui , Li Xue , Liu Yi , Yin Bingyi , Cai Ruijuan , Yuan Surui , Li Daorui , Lin Hongsheng
Published: November 2022

Background: Lymphoma is a malignant tumor with a high incidence. Most radiotherapy and chemotherapy cannot prolong survival significantly. In recent years, with the discovery of immune checkpoint programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1) and the use of immunotherapy, the survival of lymphoma patients has been improved to some extent. However, there is no systematic review to elucidate the relationship between PD-1/PD-L1 expression and lymphoma prognosis.
Methods: A comprehensive search is conducted on MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library using a completed search strategy from database inception until 1 November 2022. Randomised controlled trials will be considered for inclusion. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) or the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias will be used to access the methodological quality of included studies, and GRADE will be used to assess the evidence quality of outcomes. All analyses are performed by Stata 16.0. The results will systematically summarize and display the currently collected evidence on the relationship between the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and the prognosis of lymphoma. It may play a certain role in the prognosis of lymphoma patients based on PD-1/PD-L1 expression levels, and prompt clinicians to formulate necessary treatment or prevention plans as soon as possible.
Discussion: Although immunotherapy has achieved acceptable efficacy in lymphoma, the level of PD-1/PD-L1 expression is controversial with the prognosis of lymphoma according to the results of current randomized controlled clinical trials. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and the prognosis of lymphoma, so as to balance the advantages and disadvantages of individualized treatment for lymphoma patients.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020163963.