bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of aging-related profiles in esophageal cancer reveals a signature predicting favorable outcome and immunogenicity
Authors: Deng Weijun , Fan Wei , Qi Jinyou , Chi Hao , Ji Guoxian , Yao Juan , Zhao Jun
Published: April 2022

Background
It has been revealed that aging plays crucial roles in tumorigenesis, prognosis, and therapy response of tumors including esophageal carcinoma (ESCA). In this work, we aim to establish an aging-relevant risk signature to assess the survival outcome and immunogenicity status of ESCA patients.
Methods
A total of 351 ESCA patients with both gene expression data and clinical information from 3 independent datasets were curated. The Lasso-Cox regression model was applied to identify the aging genes that contributed most to the survival outcome. The risk signature was constructed by combining the specific gene expression level with the corresponding regression coefficients. Microenvironment-based immunologic factors, mutational burden, and significantly mutated genes were evaluated based on the identified risk groups. One cohort under the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment was used to investigate the immunotherapy predictive roles of the determined aging signature.
Results
Based on the 22 aging-relevant genes, a risk signature was constructed. ESCA patients with low-risk scores had improved survival outcomes in both discovery and validation datasets. Subsequent immunologic exploration demonstrated that the enhanced infiltration abundance of immune-response cells, decreased abundance of immune-suppressive cells, immune response-related signals, and the preferable ICI indicator enrichment were found in the low-risk group. Genomic mutation analysis showed the elevated mutational burden and increased mutation rates of significantly mutated genes of TP53, NAV3, and FAT1 were observed in patients with low-risk scores. In the ICI-treated cohort, we noticed that low-risk aging scores were significantly linked to favorable treatment outcomes and elevated response rates.
Conclusions
In summary, our identified aging risk signature showed the associations with survival, immune microenvironment, immunogenicity, and especially, the immunotherapy efficacy, which offers the clues for guiding prognosis evaluation and immune treatment strategies, and promotes precision therapy of ESCA patients.
The Network Relative Model Accuracy (Nerma) Score Can Quantify the Relative Accuracy of Prediction Models in Concurrent External Validations
Authors: Walraven Carl , Tuna Meltem
Published: April 2022

Background: Network meta-analysis (NMA) quantifies the relative efficacy of 3 or more interventions from trials evaluating some, but usually not all, treatments. This study applied the analytical approach of NMA to quantify the relative accuracy of prediction models with distinct applicability that are evaluated on the same population (‘concurrent external validation’). Methods: We simulated binary events in 5000 patients using a known risk function. We biased the risk function and modified its precision by pre-specified amounts to create 15 prediction models with varying accuracy and distinct patient applicability. Prediction model accuracy was measured using the Scaled Brier Score (SBS). Overall prediction model accuracy was measured using fixed-effects methods accounting for model applicability patterns. Prediction model accuracy was summarized as the Network Relative Model Accuracy (NeRMA) Score which increases as models become more accurate and ranges from <0 (model less accurate than random guessing) through 0 (accuracy of random guessing) to 1 (most accurate model in concurrent external validation).Results: The unbiased prediction model had the highest SBS. The NeRMA score correctly ranked all simulated prediction models by the extent of bias from the known risk function. A SAS macro and R-function was created and available to implement the NeRMA Score. Conclusions: The NeRMA Score makes it possible to quantify the relative accuracy of binomial prediction models with distinct applicability in a concurrent external validation.
Comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed profiles of mRNA, lncRNA, and miRNA of Yili goose ovary at different egg-laying stages
Authors: Zhao Xiaoyu , Wu Yingping , Li Haiying , Li Jiahui , Yao Yingying , Cao Yan , Mei Zhiyong
Published: April 2022

Background: The expression of ovarian tissue at the transcriptional level of goose at different egg laying stages could provide an important basis for screening and identifying key genes regulating ovarian development.Results: In this study, 4 ovary tissues at each breeding period of prelaying period (KL), laying period (CL), and ceased period (XL), respectively, with significant morphology difference, were used for RNA extraction and mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs comparison in Yili geese. CeRNA regulatory network was constructed for key genes screening. A total of 337, 1136, and 525 differentially expressed DE mRNAs, 466, 925, and 742 DE lncRNAs and 258, 1131 and 909 DE miRNAs were identified between KL and CL, between XL and CL, and between XL and KL groups, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed mRNAs and non-coding RNA target genes were mainly involved in the cell process, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, phagosome, calcium signaling pathway, steroid biosynthesis and ECM-receptor interaction. Differential genes and non-coding RNAs, PDGFRB, ERBB4, LHCGR, MSTRG.129094.34, MSTRG.3524.1 and gga-miR-145-5p, related to reproduction and ovarian development were highly enriched. Furthermore, lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks related to ovary development were constructed.Conclusions: Our study found dramatic transcriptomic differences in ovaries of Yili geese at different egg-laying stages, and a differential lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network related to cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis and involved in stromal follicle development were established and preliminarily validated, which could be regarded as a key regulatory pathway of ovarian development in Yili goose.
Validation of the French version of COHIP-SF-19 among 12-years children in New Caledonia
Authors: Skandrani Amal , Osta Nada El , Pichot Hélène , Eschevins Caroline , Pereira Bruno , Tubert-Jeannin. Stéphanie
Published: April 2022

BackgroundAssessment of Oral Health Quality of Life (OHRQoL) is now associated to clinical indicators in epidemiological studies. This study aimed to validate the French Short Form of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP-SF-19) and to assess the impacts of oral diseases among schoolchildren in New Caledonia (NC).MethodsA sample of 12-years-old children was selected in 2019 in NC. Dental status was recorded at school by calibrated examiners and children filled the French COHIP-SF-19 questionnaire. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene habits, perception of oral health problems were also collected through self-administered questionnaires or from the schools’ database. ResultsOral diseases were frequent in the study population (n= 693) with high social health inequalities. The COHIP scores ranged from 7 to 76 (57.9±9.96) with 96.4 % of the children having experienced oral health problems, 81.7 % functional impacts and 90.5 % socio-emotional impacts. Overall, the French COHIP-SF-19 showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.80) and reproducibility excellent (ICC=0.9). Discriminant and concurrent validity were adequate. Indeed, children with less optimal social situation, impaired dental status, declaring severe dental problems or difficulties in accessing oral health care showed lower COHIP-SF-19 scores. Factor analyses suggested a four-component structure with identification of a new domain (self -image) and changes in the repartition of the items within the original domains. Sensitivity analyses showed similar results for children with partial or complete answers in the COHIP questionnaire. ConclusionsThe French COHIP-SF-19 showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics and allowed to identify the high impacts of oral diseases in New Caledonian children, namely for socially deprived children.
A key to the treasure chest of time-domain astronomy
Authors: Yan Shuping , Ji Li , Liu Siming , Zhang Ping , Long Min , Lu Lei
Published: April 2022

Time-domain astronomy has emerged as one of the most promising fields in astronomy. Time-frequency analysis methods like Fourier and wavelet transforms are widely used in astronomy but have profound limitations in analysing nonlinear or non-stationary data, which are dominant in natural systems. Hilbert--Huang transform (HHT) has been proven to be an adaptive method without such limitations, but has not been fully applied in astronomy. The major hurdle might be from that HHT is an empirical approach requiring tuneable parameters to be optimised using experimental results or known facts, which are practically more challenging to obtain in astronomy than in other fields. In this work, we propose a parameter-optimised HHT method that can solve this problem by adjusting the orthogonal indices among decomposed components, and successfully apply it to quasi-periodic phenomena from microquasar and solar flare. The HHT results not only match the results from Fourier and wavelet analyses but also provide critical new information with unprecedented frequency and temporal resolutions by HHT's virtues of superior adaptivity and sensitivity to signals. We demonstrate for the first time that some X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations detected using Fourier method are spurious ones, and the X-ray variability can be decomposed into model-independent components. We also obtain the finest evolution of solar quasi-periodic pulsation. These results provide new probes to study the physical processes of accretion flows and solar eruptive events. More importantly, our method is a powerful tool for unveiling the mysteries of the fascinating transient and time-variable phenomena throughout the universe. It is also a leap in application method of HHT and will be beneficial to many other fields.
Atomic-Scale Observation of Room and Low-Temperature Ultrasonic Properties of Advanced Materials ‘Tellurite Glasses’
Authors: El-Mallawany R. , Moniem Amin Abdel , Gafaar M S.
Published: April 2022

Theoretical analysis of room temperature bulk modulus and low-temperature ultrasonic attenuation coefficient in the glass system (1-x)TeO2-xV2O5, x = 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 mole% was achieved. The bond compression (BC) and Makashima-Makenzie (M.M) models were used to interpret room-temperature bulk modulus K. The main parameters used were: average cross-link density, the number of network bonds per unit volume, and average atomic ring size (λ). Analyses of low-temperature (300 − 150 k) ultrasonic attenuation α at 2, 4, 5, 6 MHz were achieved by calculating: potential energy, centers of energy loss, elongation, and contraction of the two-well potential. Also, the deformation potential is found to be sensitive to the variations of the modifier content. The analysis revealed a sensitive effect of variation of modifier contents for elongation or contraction of the dual-well potential. The number of centers of energy loss is related to the elastic moduli as a function of the modifier content. Correlation between room temperature bulk modulus K and ultrasonic attenuation α has been achieved by achieving the relations, α= Χ1/F (F / K)m/4 α=Χ2 [O]/F λm, and α= Χ1/ F (F / 10GtVt2)m/4.
Automatic Deep Learning-Based Consolidation/Collapse Classification in Lung Ultrasound Images for COVID-19 Induced Pneumonia
Authors: Durrani Nabeel , Vukovic Damjan , Burgt Jeroen van der , Antico Maria , Sloun Ruud JG van , Canty David , Steffens Marian , Wang Andrew , Royse Alistair , Royse Colin , Haji Kavi , Dowling Jason , Chetty Girija , Fontanarosa Davide
Published: April 2022

Our automated deep learning-based approach identifies consolidation/collapse in LUS images to aid in the diagnosisof late stages of COVID-19 induced pneumonia, where consolidation/collapse is one of the possible associated pathologies. A common challenge in training such models is that annotating each frame of an ultrasound video requires high labelling effort. This effort in practice becomes prohibitive for large ultrasound datasets. To understand the impact of various degrees of labelling precision, we compare labelling strategies to train fully supervised models (frame-based method, higher labelling effort) and inaccurately supervised models (video-based methods, lower labelling effort), both of which yield binary predictions for LUS videos ona frame-by-frame level. We moreover introduce a novel sampled quaternary method which randomly samples only 10% of the LUS video frames and subsequently assigns (ordinal) categorical labels to all frames in the video based on the fraction of positively annotated samples. This method outperformed the inaccurately supervised video-based method of our previous work on pleural effusions. More surprisingly, this method outperformed the supervised frame-based approach with respect to metrics such as precision-recall area under curve (PR-AUC) and F1 score that are suitable for the class imbalance scenario of our dataset despite being a form of inaccurate learning. This may be due to the combination of a significantly smaller data set size compared to ourprevious work and the higher complexity of consolidation/collapse compared to pleural effusion, two factors which contribute to label noise and overfitting; specifically, we argue that our video-based method is more robust with respect to label noise and mitigates overfitting in a manner similar to label smoothing. Using clinical expert feedback, separate criteria were developed to exclude data from the training and test sets respectively for our ten-fold cross validation results, which resulted in a PR-AUC score of 73% and an accuracy of 89%. While the efficacy of our classifier using the sampled quaternary method must be verified on a larger consolidation/collapse dataset, when considering the complexity of the pathology, our proposed classifier using the sampled quaternary video-based method is clinically comparable with trained expertsand improves over the video-based method of our previous work on pleural effusions.
Satellites in Emergency Management: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Li Dengyuhui , Jiao Jianbin , Wang Shouyang , Zhou Guanghui
Published: April 2022

Spatial data have proven to be crucial for supporting decision-making in emergency management. In this study, we conduct a bibliometric analysis of 2,833 papers about the application of satellites in emergency management from Web of Science Core Collection between 1991 and 2021. In the descriptive statistics analysis, overall growth trend and geographical distribution are provided, and top-10 influential journals, institutions, and highly cited articles are identified. Co-citation network of authors, keywords and articles are presented based on a data-driven bibliometric analysis, as well as a burst analysis, and the trends and hotspots in different 5-year periods are captured. According to the papers in 13 highlighted research clusters, popular problems and methods in this field are analyzed. Owing to the research topic belongs to an interdisciplinary subject, the clustering results contain a degree of dispersion. Satellites support different phases of emergency management, and future directions are concluded from the perspectives of disaster monitor, vulnerability and risk assessment, damage evaluation, emergency rescue and scheduling. The bibliometric analysis can provide meaningful insights of influential studies, emerging trends, and new developments of satellites applications in emergency management.
Effect of Acute PM2.5 Exposure on Lung Function in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yueming zhang , Guo Ziyao , Li Qinyuan , Zhao Yan , Wang Zhili , Luo Zhengxiu
Published: April 2022

Background: Long-term exposures to particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) impairing lung function in children, but the effect of acute exposure has not been clarified. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the adverse effect of acute PM2.5 exposure on lung function in children. Methods: Studies analyzing PM2.5 level and lung function in children were eligible. Effect estimates were quantified for peak expiratory flow (PEF) by using random effects models, for forced vital capacity (FVC)and forced expiratory volume in 1 s(FEV1) by using fixed effects models. Heterogeneity was investigated with Q-test and I2 statistics. Subgroup analyses were conducted to determine the effects of acute PM2.5 exposure on children of different asthmatic status and different countries.Results: A total of 11 studies with 4314 participants from Brazil, China and Japan were included finally. A 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was associated with a 1.74L/min (95% CI: -2.68, -0.90) decrease in PEF. Children with severe asthma were more susceptible to PM2.5 exposure (-3.11 L/min per 10 μg/m3 increase, 95 % CI -4.54, -1.67) than healthy children (-1.61 L/min per 10 μg/m3 increase, 95 % CI -2.34, -0.91). The change of PEF in children of Brazil was -0.38 L/min(95 % CI -0.91, 0.15) per 10 μg/m3 increase of PM2.5, which was slighter than that in China (-1.54 L/min, 95 % CI -2.33，-0.75) and Japan (-1.72 L/min, 95 % CI -3.82 , 0.36). Elevated PM2.5 exposure was also associated slight alteration of FVC and FEV1, with no significant difference presented. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that the acute PM2.5 exposure has an adverse impact on children’s lung function, and children with severe asthma were more susceptible when PM2.5 concentration increases. The impact of PM2.5 varies among the three countries. More measures should be taken to protect lung function of children from PM2.5 exposure.
Photoreduction of copper ions using silica–surfactant hybrid and titanium (IV) oxide under sulfuric acid conditions
Authors: Machida Shingo , Kato Reo , Hasegawa Kaishi , Gotoh Takahiro , Katsumata Ken-ichi , Yasumori Atsuo
Published: April 2022

Photoreduction of Cu2+ ions to Cu metal by titanium (IV) oxide (TiO2) was conducted in the presence of silica-surfactant hybrid under a sulfuric acid condition. After irradiation, the dark-red color, reflections due to Cu metal in the X-ray diffraction pattern, and peaks due to Cu 2p1/2 and 2p3/2 in the X-ray photoelectron spectrum revealed the precipitation of Cu metal in the product. In addition, an increase in the BET surface area of 591 m2/g for the product from those of 36 and 45 m2/g for the silica-surfactant and TiO2 as well as a decrease in the intensities of C-H stretching band in the Fourier-transform infra-red spectra implied the removal of surfactants during the reaction. These characteristics were never obtained using TiO2 solely. Therefore, this study indicated that photoreduction of Cu2+ ions to Cu metal by TiO2 was facilitated under sulfuric acid conditions, where the surfactants extracted from silica–surfactant hybrids by protons in the acidic condition were successfully photo-oxidized by TiO2. Thus, this study presented a new usage of the conversion of silica-surfactant hybrid into mesoporous silicas.
On the continuing and structural evolution of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus
Authors: Xiao Yan , Zhao Wenying , Xie Limin , Gu Guoqian , Yan Yiwen , Zhang Yunjing , Zhao Qin , Huang Baicheng , Tian Kegong
Published: April 2022

The coronavirus porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is still widespread in pigs rapidly due to its highly contagious, resulting in huge economic losses to the pig industry. Herein, we investigated the molecular divergence between PEDV and other related coronaviruses, the results showed that the spike (S) gene exhibited larger dS (synonymous substitutions per synonymous site) values than other genes. In the assay of the extent of positive selection, eight amino acid (aa) sites of S protein showed strong signals of positive selection, and seven aa sites of them were located in the surface of S protein (S1 domain), suggesting the high selection pressure of S protein during receptor binding. We analyzed the complete genomes of 647 strains retrieved from the GenBank database. Topologically, the high similarity between the complete genome and S gene indicated that the S gene is more representative of the evolutionary relationship at the genome-wide level than other genes. Structurally, the dominant of the highly mutated residues of S protein indicated that the evolutionary pattern is highly S1 domain related. We constructed the haplotype networks using the PEDV S gene, the results showed that the strains are obviously clustered geographically in the lineages corresponding to genotype GI and GII. The alignment analysis on representative strains in the main haplotypes revealed 3 distinguishable nucleic acid sites among those strains, suggesting a putative evolutionary mechanism of PEDV. These findings provide several new fundamental insights into the evolution of PEDV and the guidance for developing effective prevention countermeasures against PEDV.
Electro-catalytic performance of nickel hydroxide decorated microporous nanozeolite Beta modified carbon paste electrode for formaldehyde oxidation
Authors: Eshagh-Nimvari Samira , Hassaninejad-Darzi Seyed Karim
Published: April 2022

In this paper, aluminosilicate nanozeolite beta has been prepared and completely described using X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption isotherm, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron micrograph (TEM) and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM) techniques. TEM image of synthesized nanozeolite demonstrates semispherical particles with a uniform morphology and dimensions under 50 nm. The BET surface area, total pore volume and pore diameter of it were attained to be 321 m2 g− 1, 0.053 cm3 g− 1 and 1.22 nm, respectively. The modified carbon paste electrode by aluminosilicate nanozeolite beta and nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2-Beta/CPE) was applied for formaldehyde (HCHO) electro-catalytic oxidation in the alkaline media. The obtained results specify that Ni(OH)2-Beta/CPE demonstrates worthy electro-catalytic activity for oxidation of HCHO due to mesoporous construction and the great surface area of nanozeolite beta. The electron-transfer coefficient, catalytic rate constant and diffusion coefficient are found to be 0.69, 2.08×106 cm3 mol− 1 s− 1 and 4.4×10− 7 cm2 s− 1, respectively. The Ni(OH)2-Beta/CPE exhibited good reproducibility and stability and it has low price, low background current, simplicity of surface renewal. This modified electrode has better poisoning tolerance capability than bare CPE for HCHO electro-catalytic oxidation and is a higher device for the long term accomplishment.
Simvastatin, but not Atorvastatin, is associated with higher peak Rivaroxaban serum levels and bleeding
Authors: Soh Xin Qin , Tan Doreen Su-Yin , Chan Eric Chun Yong
Published: April 2022

Aims In a previous study, Singaporean Asians were found to have lower rivaroxaban plasma concentrations than Caucasians. This expanded study attempts to identify predictors associated with bleeding and stroke and systemic embolism (SSE) in Singaporean Asians taking rivaroxaban and apixaban. Methods A total of 134 Singaporean patients on either rivaroxaban or apixaban for non-valvular atrial fibrillation were included for this study. Baseline characteristics were recorded at recruitment while bleeding and SSE events were recorded during a 1-year follow-up. Characteristics of patients with or without bleeds were compared using relevant statistical tests. Multivariable regression that included covariates with p < 0.1 from an initial univariable regression was performed to analyze predictors that resulted in higher risk of bleeding in patients.Results Median creatinine clearance (CrCl) was significantly lower in patients on rivaroxaban who experienced bleeds as compared to patients who did not experience bleeds (61.5 vs 70.8 mL/min, p = 0.047), while concomitant simvastatin use was found to be independently associated with a six-fold increased risk of bleeding [Adjusted OR = 6.14 (95% CI: 1.18 – 31.97), p = 0.031] for rivaroxaban after controlling for body mass index, CrCl and having experienced a previous SSE.Conclusion Our findings suggest that concomitant use of simvastatin with rivaroxaban may be associated with bleeding events in an Asian cohort. Further studies using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling are required to investigate the drug-drug interactions between these drugs.
Impact of low-level cardiomyocyte injury on prognosis in patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Ning , Zhao Chaoqun , Zhang Rongzhen , Sun Bochen , Wang Biyu , Song Yuwei , Qi Shuhan , Liu Jianan , Sun Yujia , Liu Hui , An HuanHuan , Zhang Xingyue , Xiang Fei , Han Wei
Published: April 2022

Background: Mild elevation of serum cardiac troponin (Tn) reflects myocardial injury and is associated with cardiovascular events, even without overt cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism of mild elevation of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and its impact on prognosis in patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).Methods: 474 consecutive patients with suspected CAD and without significant coronary artery stenosis (<50%) who underwent adenosine triphosphate disodium (ATP) stress MCE were followed up (median, 41months) for endpoint events. Hs-cTnI was tested before MCE. Replenishment velocity (β), relative myocardial blood flow (rBV) and myocardial blood flow reserve (MBFR) were measured by stress MCE.Results: A total of 214 (45.1%) patients had hs-cTnI concentrations exceeding the limitation of detection (LOD) (0.001 ng/ml). Compared to patients with hs-cTnI below LOD, patients with higher hs-cTnI were older (p<0.05), had higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (p<0.001) and lower MBFR (p<0.001). After adjustment, the association was still significant between detectable hs-cTnI and MBFR (odds ratio = 0.200; 95% CI: 0.043,0.923, P = .039). Detectable hs-cTnI was associated with endpoint events independent of MBFR (adjusted hazard ratio 8.927,95%CI 1.341-149.48, P=0.028). Hs-cTnI higher than LOD had greater cumulative event rate (log-rank P=0.004). The risk of incident endpoint events was greater for higher hs-cTnI (≥0.001 versus <LOD; adjusted hazard ratio, 13.398; 95% CI, 1.243, 144.371) (P<0.001).Conclusions: In patients with non-obstructive CAD, mild myocardial injury was associated with impaired myocardial perfusion as measured by quantitative MCE; both of them independently affect prognosis; low-level hs-cTnI elevation predicts adverse events independent of myocardial ischemia due to microvascular dilation dysfunction.
Correlation between wrist bone mineral density measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and Hounsfield Units value measured by CT in lumbar spine
Authors: Pu HongYU , Chen Qian , Huang Kun , Wei Peng , Jiang Ping , Zhang Chao
Published: April 2022

Background With the aging of society, the incidence of osteoporosis increases significantly. Wrist dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry enables assessment of whole-body bone mineral density as a diagnostic method for osteoporosis. Our purpose was to use DXA-measured wrist bone mineral density to evaluate bone contion of lumbar spine in patients with degenerative diseases.Methods A retrospective analysis of 164 patients with degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine was performed. DXA was used to measure the bone mineral density(BMD) and T- scores of each patient's wrist; lumbar CT was used to measure the CT HU values in three axial images of the L1-L4 vertebral bodies, and the average was calculated. According to the preoperative DXA T-score, they were divided into normal group, osteopenia group and osteoporosis group. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlations of CT HU values in L1-L4 with BMD and T-scores in corresponding vertebral body.Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to determine the CT HU thresholds between osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis groups.Results CT values in L1-L4 were moderately correlated with BMD (0.4＜R²＜0.6), and the correlation coefficients (R²) were 0.552, 0.578, 0.582 and 0.577, respectively (all p<0.001). The thresholds of L1-L4 between the osteoporosis group (t≤-2.5) and the non-osteoporosis group (t>-2.5) respectively were 110.0HU (sensitivity 74% and specificity 76%) , 112.5HU (sensitivity 67% and 83% specificity), 92.4HU (81% sensitivity and 70% specificity), and 98.7HU (74% sensitivity and 78% specificity).Conclusions Wrist BMD is an effective tool for evaluating lumbar BMD. Preoperative wrist DXA can accurately reflect the lumbar vertebral bone condition.
The effect of sex and physical frailty on incident disability after 2 years among community-dwelling older adults: KFACS study
Authors: Lee Seoyoon , Kim Miji , Lee Yunhwan , Kim Jinhee , Jang Hak Chul , Cho Belong , Choi Kyung Mook , Roh Eun , Son Sang Joon , Lee Jin-Hee , Park Yong Soon , Lee Sam-Gyu , Kim Bong Jo , Kim Hyeon ju , Won Chang Won
Published: April 2022

Background: This study investigated the impact of physical frailty on the development of disabilities in mobility, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) according to sex among community-dwelling Korean older adults. Methods: We used data of 2,905 older adults aged 70-84 years from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS) at baseline (2016-2017) and Wave 2 (2018-2019). Fried’s physical frailty phenotype was used to identify frailty.Results: After adjustment, frailty showed a higher impact for women than men on developing mobility disability (odds ratio [OR]=14.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]=4.8–40.78 vs. OR=9.89, 95% CI=4.28–22.86) and IADL disability after two years (OR=7.22, 95% CI=2.67–19.56 vs. OR=3.19, 95% CI=1.17–8.70). Pre-frailty led to mobility disability for women and men (OR=2.77, 95% CI=1.93–3.98 vs. OR=2.49, 95% CI=1.66–3.72, respectively), and IADL disability only for women (OR=3.01, 95% CI=1.28–7.09). Among the IADL components, both men and women who were prefrail or frail showed increased disability in ‘using transportation’. Among men, pre-frailty was significantly associated with disability in “going out” and “shopping”. In women, frailty was significantly associated with disability in “doing laundry,” “performing household chores,” “shopping,” and “managing money”.Conclusions: Physical frailty increased disability over 2 years for women more than men. Physical frailty increased disability in outdoor activity-related IADL components in men and household work-related IADL components in women. This study highlights the need for gender-specific policies and preventative programs for frailty, particularly restorative interventions that focus on women who are physically frail.
Novel drug discovery against breast and lung cancer using pharmacophore based 2H-1-benzopyran-2-one derivative
Authors: Mishra Nidhi , Maurya Akhilesh Kumar
Published: April 2022

With the rising number of cancer patients and the associated cancer resistance pathway, the demand for design of innovative novel drugs has never been greater. Coumarins (2H-1-benzopyran-2-one) are an antibiotic that is effective against a variety of diseases. Breast cancer and lung cancer were the focus of this research. To create a pharmacophore hypothesis, biologically active coumarin derivatives were tested against MCF-7, a breast cancer cell line, and A-549, a lung cancer cell line, using IC50 values. The AAARR 1 theory had the highest score. Both types of cancer were studied using a 3D QSAR model. To determine R2 and Q2 values; the pIC50 of the intended compound were used to generate the 3D-QSAR model which showed excellent predictive and descriptive capacity. The QSAR approach was used to develop 17 new compounds against breast cancer and 23 new compounds for lung cancer. VEGFR-2 (PDB ID: 4ASD) breast cancer protein and Protein kinase C iota (PKCι) lung cancer causing proteins were used to dock with newly designed compounds. The docking data were compared to FDA-approved breast cancer medications Abemaciclib and lung cancer treatments Vinorelbine. Molecular dynamic simulation was used to verify the docking results. The protein's stability was demonstrated using the designed ligand. The research presents a computationally-driven approach in building and finding novel coumarin scaffolds for cancer inhibition.
Measurements and computational fluid dynamics investigation of the indoor radon distribution in a typical naturally ventilated room
Authors: Adelikhah Mohammademad , Imani Morteza , Kovács Tibor
Published: April 2022

Background: Based on the European Union Basic Safety Standards to protect people against exposure to ionizing radiation, establishing and addressing the reference levels for indoor radon concentrations is necessary. Therefore, the indoor radon concentration should monitor and control in dwelling and workplaces. However, proper ventilation and sustainability are the major factors that influence how healthy the environment in a building is for its occupants. In this paper, the indoor radon distribution in a typical naturally ventilated room under two scenarios (when the door is closed and open) using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was studied. The CFD code ANSYS Fluent 2020 R1 based on the finite volume method was employed before the simulation results were compared with analytical calculations as well as passive and active measurements.Results: The average radon concentration from the CFD simulation was found to be between 70.21 and 66.25 Bq m-3 under closed and open-door conditions, respectively, at the desired ventilation rate of 1 ACH (Air Changes per Hour). Moreover, the highest concentrations of radon were measured close to the floor and the lowest values were recorded near to the inlet, resulting in the airflow velocity profile.Conclusion: The simulation results were in good agreement with the maxima of 19% and 7% compared to analytical calculations at different indoor air velocities in the open- and closed-door scenarios, respectively. The measured radon concentrations obtained by the active measurements also fitted well with the CFD results, for example, with a relative standard deviation of around 7% and 2% when measured by AlphaGUARD and RAD7 monitors at a height of 1.0 m above the ground in the open-door scenario. From the simulation results, the effective dose received by an individual from the indoor air of the workplace was also calculated.
Preliminary study of contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography scanning for the differentiation of perigastric tumor deposits from metastatic lymph nodes in gastric cancer
Authors: Chen Wei-zhi , Gao Han , Xu Na , Wang Yu-bin , Li Cheng , Yang Jing , Li Xin-yue
Published: April 2022

Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scanning for the differentiation of perigastric tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes in gastric cancer.Methods: In this prospective study, 36 patients with gastric cancer confirmed by surgical pathology between December 2020 and December 2021 underwent preoperative noncontrast and three-phase contrast-enhanced MDCT scans. According to the postoperative pathological results, the nodules were divided into a TD group and a metastatic lymph node (MLN) group. The observed CT imaging characteristics included lesion morphology, necrosis, long-axis diameter, short-axis diameter, aspect ratio, and corrected CT attenuation value (cCAV) in each phase. The lesion parameters of the two groups were compared, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate and analyze the diagnostic efficacy of MDCT.Results: A total of 30 TDs and 55 MLNs were detected in 36 patients. Among the 30 TDs, 21 had irregular morphology, and 15 had liquefactive necrosis. In addition to necrosis and the aspect ratio, the lesion morphology, long-axis diameter, short-axis diameter, and cCAV in each phase were significantly different between the TD group and the MLN group (P<0.05). Irregular lesion morphology, long-axis diameter, short-axis diameter, and cCAV in each phase all had areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) greater than 0.685 for TD diagnosis. Among these measurements, the cCAV in the delayed phase (AUC=0.766) had the highest diagnostic efficacy. The optimal diagnostic threshold was 32.94%, the corresponding diagnostic sensitivity was 80.00%, and the specificity was 67.27%.Conclusions: In gastric cancer, contrast-enhanced MDCT scanning is a potential technique to predict TDs and MLNs.
A closer look into a medieval moat – the temporal and spatial chironomid-based reconstruction of habitat mosaic and ecosystem functioning
Authors: Antczak-Orlewska Olga , Okupny Daniel , Kruk Andrzej , Bailey Richard Ian , Płóciennik Mateusz , Sikora Jerzy , Krąpiec Marek , Kittel Piotr
Published: April 2022

Moats and other historical water features had great importance for past societies. The functioning of these ecosystems can now only be retrieved through palaeoecological studies, which often focus on a single sampling sediment core location. While a variety of human-environment interactions have already been examined, the spatio-temporal habitat changes within a medieval moat are presented here for the first time. Using data from four cores of organic deposits taken from different areas within the moat system, we describe ecological states of the moat based on subfossil Chironomidae assemblages and accompanying sedimentological and geochemical data, using Kohonen’s artificial neural network, the canonical correspondence analysis, and generalised linear modelling. We found that chironomid assemblages differed in the spatio-temporal distribution of their habitats, depending mostly on depth differences and fresh water supply from an artificial channel. Paludification and terrestrialization also did not happen simultaneously across the moat system, being greatly influenced by human activity. The results presented here demonstrate the importance of a multi-aspect approach in environmental archaeology, focusing not only the human environment, but also on the complex ecology of the past ecosystems.
ETST: EEG Transformer for Person Identification
Authors: Du Yang , Xu Yongling , Wang Xiaoan , Liu Li , Ma Pengcheng
Published: April 2022

An increasing number of studies have been devoted to the use of electroencephalogram(EEG) for identity recognition due to the properties of EEG signals that are not easily stolen. Most of the existing studies on EEG person identification have only studied brain signals in a single state, requiring specific and repetitive sensory stimuli. However, the reality of human states is diverse and rapidly changing, which limits the use of their methods in realistic conditions. This demonstrates the excellent ability of the attention mechanism to model temporal signals. In this paper, we propose a transformer-based approach that extracts features in the temporal and spatial domains using a self-attention mechanism for the EEG person identification task. We conduct an extensive study to evaluate the generalization ability of the proposed method among different states. Our method is compared with the most advanced EEG biometrics techniques and the results show that our method reaches state-of-the-art results. Notably, we do not need to extract any features manually.
Construction of SHP-GLOX Straw Lignin Degulation System and Its Application Effect in Rice
Authors: Wang Qingdong , Zhang Jiayuan , Li Yan , Wang Ran
Published: April 2022

Backgroud:
Rice straw is the crucial biomass for raw materials in China. Rice straw usage is limited due to its high lignin content, and the reduction of its lignin content could have economic and environmental benefits. Soybean hull peroxidase (SHP), a class III plant peroxidase, is derived from multiple sources. It has several advantages, such as high resistance to heat, high stability under acidic and alkaline conditions, and broad substrates range. SHP is speculated to be useful for lignin degradation. Glyoxal oxidase (GLOX) is an extracellular oxidase that can oxidize glyoxal and methylglyoxal in the extracellular medium to generate H2O2.
Results
In the present study, the SHP gene and the GLOX gene in the pCAMBIA3301-glycine-rich protein (GRP)-SHP-GLOX, designated as the K167 vector, was optimized and introduced into rice embryos using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Positive transgenic rice embryos were examined using molecular, physiological, biochemical tests and fermentation tests. The outcomes suggested that SHP degraded lignin effectively.
Conclusions
This research has created a breeding material that does not basically affect the normal growth and yield of rice, but the rice stalks are more likely to be degraded in the later stage, and used to breed rice varieties whose stalks are easy to use for energy. Our results will improve the industrial and commercial applications of rice straw.
Fermented seeds of P. macrophylla seeds mitigate against memory deficit and restored altered enzymatic in the brain of streptozotocin-diabetic rats
Authors: Agunloye Michael Odunayo , Oboh Ganiyu
Published: April 2022

Memory deficit has been known as one of the complications of diabetes. Fermented P. macrophylla seeds have been used in folklore for various metabolic diseases. The research aims to evaluate the impact of diets with the inclusion of the fermented seed of P. macrophylla on memory deficit in diabetes and its underlying mechanisms. Before the induction, the rats were subjected to training sessions. Thereafter, administration of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight) to the trained rats via intraperitoneal (i.p). 72 hours after, the rats blood glucose level was checked, and rats with a blood glucose level greater than 250 mg/dl were selected for the memory index evaluation study. The induced rats were randomly distributed into groups: Normal rats (group 1), untreated diabetic rat (Group 2), acarbose treated diabetic rats (group 3); All were fed with basal diet and those placed on diet supplemented with fermented seed of P. macrophylla (10 & 20% inclusion) were allotted to group 4 & 6. Then, evaluation of memory retention capacity on day 14 of the experiment. Thereafter, experimental rats were sacrificed, tissue of interest (brain) was excised, homogenized and homogenates were used for biochemical analysis. The cholinergic, angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE), arginase activity and biomarkers for oxidative stress were significantly altered in untreated diabetic rats when compared with non-diabetes rats. Conversely, the memory capacity of the diabetic rats was observed less in comparison to the non-diabetes rats. Meanwhile, diabetic rats placed on diet with fermented seeds of P. macrophylla (10 & 20% inclusion) exhibited significantly higher memory capacity, lower activity of cholinergic, ACE, arginase activity in relation to untreated diabetic rats while the antioxidant status of the brain was enhanced. Nevertheless, fermented seeds of P. macrophylla ameliorated memory deficit in STZ induced diabetes rats. This gave credence to its nutraceutical potential as claimed in folk medicine.
Malaria among children under 10 years in 4 endemic health areas in Kisantu Health Zone: epidemiology and transmission
Authors: Ilombe Gillon , Matangila JR , Lulebo Mampasi , Mutombo Paulin , Linsuke Sylvie , Maketa Vivi , Mabanzila Baby , Watsenga Francis , Bortel Wim Van , Agossa Fiacre , Seth Irish , Lutumba Pascal , geertruyden Jean-Pierre Van
Published: April 2022

IntroductionThe Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the second most malaria-affected country globally with 21,608,681 cases reported in 2019. The Kongo Central (KC) Province has a malaria annual incidence of 163 cases/per 1000 inhabitants which are close to the national average of 153.4/1000. However, the malaria prevalence varies both between and within health zones in this province. The main objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology and transmission of malaria among children aged 0 to 10 years in the 4 highest endemic health areas in Kisantu Health Zone (HZ) of KC in DRC,MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2017 using multi-stage sampling. A total of 30 villages in 4 health areas in Kisantu HZ were randomly selected. The prevalence of malaria was measured using a thick blood smear (TBS) and known predictors and associated outcomes were assessed. Data are described and associations determinants of malaria infection were analysed. ResultsA total of 1790 children between 0 and 10 years were included in 30 villages in 4 health areas of Kisantu HZ. The overall prevalence in the study area according to the TBS was 14.8% (95%CI:13.8-16.6; range:0-53). Mean sporozoite index in the study area was 4.3% (95%CI:2.6-6.6). The determination of Kdr-west resistance alleles showed the presence of both L1014S and L1014F with 14.6% heterozygous L1014S/L1014F, 84.4% homozygous 1014F, and 1% homozygous 1014S. The risk factors associated with malaria infection were sandy or wooden floors aOR: 15.8% (95%CI: 8.6-29.2) and a moderate or low income: 1.6 (95%CI:1.1-2.3). ConclusionMalaria prevalence differed between villages and health areas within the same health zone. The control strategy activities must be oriented by the variety in the prevalence and transmission of malaria in different areas.
Effects of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine on DNA Methylation within Female Mouse Reproductive Tissues
Authors: Colwell Mathia , Wanner Nicole , Medida Ramya Lekha , Drown Chelsea , Faulk Christopher , Mauro Laura
Published: April 2022

5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine), is a chemotherapeutic DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor widely used to treat myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemias. Decitabine’s anti-neoplastic activity is thought to result from inhibition of DNMTs leading to passive demethylation of 5’methylcytosines (5mC) in rapidly dividing tissues, resulting in cell death. However, we previously reported paradoxical effects on DNA methylation by decitabine in somatic tissues. Given the potential for lasting damage to DNA methylation in reproductive tissues from even short courses of decitabine in reproductive age humans, we chose to characterize its long-term effects here. Mice were treated with two clinically relevant doses of decitabine (0.15 mg/kg, 0.35 mg/kg) for 7 weeks and DNA methylation was assessed within female reproductive tract tissues. We found methylated cytosines within the ovary to be the least sensitive to decitabine exposure at both doses, whereas the uterus and the oviduct exhibited higher 5mC dysregulation, surprisingly biased towards hypermethylation at the 0.35 mg/kg dose. We identified the sites of differential methylation; revealing specific genes and pathways involved in cell differentiation, development, communication, and cell signaling that were universally altered in all tissues. In addition to our differential methylation data, we identified dysregulated transcription and pathways using RNAseq analyses. Overall, our findings show decitabine exposure causes an epigenetic insult to DNA methylation within female reproductive tissues. Our data provides evidence that further evaluation is needed to fully establish the long-term phenotypic effects post-decitabine exposure.