bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Retinal Microvascular Abnormalities with All-Cause and Specific-Cause Mortality Among U.S. Adults
Authors: Chen Xiaoyun , Si Hongyu , Fu Yihang , Yang Weimin , Luo Yan , Xiao Wei
Published: February 2024

Background: Retinal microvascular abnormalities (RMA) reflect cumulative microvascular damage from systemic diseases and aging. However, little is known about the association between RMA and long-term survival outcomes. This study aimed to examine the relationships between RMA and the risk of all-cause and specific-cause mortality among U.S. adults.
Methods: Individuals aged >40 years were included from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2008. RMA and its subtypes, including retinopathy, arteriovenous nicking (AVN), focal arteriolar narrowing (FAN) and Hollenhorst plaque (HP), were manually graded from retinal photographs. Associations between RMA and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality were examined with Cox regression analysis.
Results: This cohort study of 5775 adults included 2881 women (weighted proportion, 52.6%) and 2894 men (weighted, 47.4%), with a weighted mean (SE) age of 56.6 (0.4) years. RMA were present in 1251 participants (weighted, 17.9%), of whom 710 (weighted, 9.8%) had retinopathy, 635 (weighted, 9.3%) had AVN, 64 (weighted, 1.0%) had FAN, and 21 (weighted, 0.3%) had HP. During a median of 12.2 years (range, 0.1-15.0 years) of follow-up, 1488 deaths occurred, including 452 associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), 341 associated with cancer, and 695 associated with other causes. After adjusting confounding factors, the presence of any RMA and retinopathy at baseline was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.26; 95%CI, 1.07-1.47; HR, 1.36; 95%CI, 1.09-1.71, respectively), CVD mortality (HR, 1.36; 95%CI, 1.06-1.73; HR, 1.53; 95%CI, 1.04-2.26, respectively) and other-cause mortality (HR, 1.33; 95%CI, 1.06-1.67; HR, 1.55; 95%CI, 1.20-2.01, respectively). Additionally, FAN was significantly associated with an increased risk of other-cause mortality (HR, 2.06; 95%CI, 1.16-3.65). Although AVN was not associated with mortality in the whole population, it was significantly related to higher risks of all-cause and CVD death in those with obesity (HR, 1.68; 95%CI, 1.12-2.52; HR, 1.96; 95%CI, 1.23-3.13, respectively).
Conclusions: This study revealed that the presence of RMA is independently associated with greater risks of all-cause, CVD and other-cause mortality in adults aged 40 years or older.
miR-450a-2-3p targets ERK(1/2) to ameliorate ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis in mice
Authors: Liu Langsha , Luo Fanyan
Published: February 2024

Objective: Cardiac fibrosis is a significant contributor to atrial fibrillation (AF). Our aim is to identify biomarkers for AF using bioinformatic methods and explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-450a-2-3p in cardiac fibrosis in mice.
Methods: Two datasets, GSE115574 and GSE79768, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and subsequently merged for further analysis. Differential gene expression analysis was performed to identify genes that were differentially expressed (DEGs) and genes that were differentially expressed in relation to miR-450a-2-3p (MRDEGs). To investigate the underlying mechanism of cardiac fibrosis, a mouse model was established by treating mice with isoproterenol (ISO) and miR-450a-2-3p agomir.
Results: A total of 127 DEGs and 31 MRDEGs were identified and subjected to functional enrichment analysis using Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway analysis using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to determine the functions and pathways involved in atrial fibrillation (AF). In animal experiments, histological staining using H&E and Masson's trichrome, as well as quantification of collagen volume fraction (CVF), were performed. The increased expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen type I (col1), collagen type III (col3), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 at both the mRNA and protein levels indicated the presence of significant myocardial fibrosis in mice induced with isoproterenol (ISO). However, after the overexpression of miR-450a-2-3p agomir through caudal vein injection, there was a notable improvement in the cardiac morphology of the treated group. The expression levels of α-SMA, col1, col3, and ERK1/2 also significantly decreased, as confirmed by Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.
Conclusion: Our study elucidates the mechanistic connection between ISO-induced myocardial fibrosis and the miR-450a-2-3p/ERK (1/2) signaling pathway, highlighting their role in the development of cardiac fibrosis. Modulating miR-450a-2-3p expression and inhibiting ERK (1/2) activation represent promising approaches for therapeutic intervention in atrial fibrillation.
Spintronics for image recognition: performance benchmarking via ultrafast data-driven simulations
Authors: Moureaux Anatole , Chopin Chloé , de Wergifosse Simon , Jacques Laurent , Araujo Flavio Abreu
Published: February 2024

We present a demonstration of image classification using an echo-state network (ESN) relying on a single simulated spintronic nanostructure known as the vortex-based spin-torque oscillator (STVO) delayed in time. We employ an ultrafast data-driven simulation framework called the data-driven Thiele equation approach (DD-TEA) to simulate the STVO dynamics. This allows us to avoid the challenges associated with repeated experimental manipulation of such a nanostructured system. We showcase the versatility of our solution by successfully applying it to solve classification challenges with the MNIST, EMNIST-letters and Fashion MNIST datasets. Through our simulations, we determine that within an ESN with numerous learnable parameters the results obtained using the STVO dynamics as an activation function are comparable to the ones obtained with other conventional nonlinear activation functions like the reLU and the sigmoid. While achieving state-of-the-art accuracy levels on the MNIST dataset, our model’s performance on
EMNIST-letters and Fashion MNIST is lower due to the relative simplicity of the system architecture and the increased
complexity of the tasks. We expect that the DD-TEA framework will enable the exploration of deeper architectures, ultimately leading to improved classification accuracy.
Natural soils analysis for future land use
Authors: Siewert Christian , Krahl Ina , Schwitzky Elisabeth , Kucerik Jiri , Tokarski David
Published: February 2024

Sealing and degradation still characterise risky land management today. Despite intensive research, even the assessment of key components such as soil organic matter has been unsatisfactory, limiting the sustainable development of foundations of civilisation. A comparison was made between natural and cultivated soils to identify the changes caused by land use. This resulted in a more precise quantification of known relationships and the discovery of new relationships between soil components that have evolved over thousands of years without human influence and that show specific changes with land use. This opens up unexpected possibilities for indirect soil analysis. It seems possible to distinguish between natural soils and soil-like carbon-containing mineral mixtures (e.g., compost and horticultural substrates). Carbon added to soils with fresh organic residues or from anthropogenic (soot, slag) or geological (coal) sources can be distinguished from soil organic matter regardless of chemical heterogeneity. The degree of carbon sequestration in soils appears to be easy to quantify. To contribute to the preservation of soil functions and the development of sustainable land use technologies, elucidation of the causal processes involved in these relationships is desirable.
Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals That Ccr2+ Macrophages Can Promote Myocardial Fibrosis After Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Recruiting Fibroblasts
Authors: Lou Ze-Kun , Liao Ge-Ge , Liu Wan-Lu , Li Gao-Yang , Liu Fang , Wu Pei , Liu Yang , Li Dong-Ye , Xu Tong-Da
Published: February 2024

Coronary reperfusion following myocardial ischemia can lead to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI).Ccr2 + macrophages play a pivotal role in MIRI, engaging not only in acute inflammatory responses but also in the formation of cardiac fibrosis. The mechanisms underlying the latter are not yet fully elucidated.This study aims to explore the mechanism by which this macrophage subgroup promotes myocardial fibrosis after MIRI through bioinformatics analysis of Ccr2 + macrophages in MIRI, and to identify more molecular markers for this subgroup in MIRI. We sourced scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data corresponding to mice models of MIRI from the GEO database and executed detailed bioinformatics analyses.The results revealed that after MIRI, Ccr2 + macrophages underwent M2 phenotype polarization and engaged in extensive signal interactions with fibroblasts and immune cells via the Spp1 signaling pathway. Spp1, likely by binding to the integrin receptors of fibroblasts, activates the PI3K-Akt pathway, whose activation can promote the adhesion and migration of fibroblasts, thereby facilitating myocardial fibrosis. Furthermore, we identified Spp1 as a molecular marker for Ccr2 + macrophages in MIRI and externally validated the tissue-level differences of Spp1 through additional bulk RNAseq. This study provides potential therapeutic targets for acute inflammation and chronic myocardial fibrosis occurring after MIRI.
Optimization of Ultrasonic Pretreatment and Structure Analysis of Chlorogenic Acid in Potato Leaves
Authors: Wang Xin , Gong Xianyun , Lin Binbin
Published: February 2024

Chlorogenic Acid was extracted from potato leaves by ultrasonic pretreatment technology were optimized through orthogonal design experiment. The extraction conditions had been controlled according to the results of Gauss calculation, which consisted of acidity, coordination and hydrolysis in molecules. The results showed that the optimization extraction temperature was 60 ℃, the extraction time was 60 minutes, the ratio of material to liquid was 1:20, the concentration of ethanol was 40%, and the yield of chlorogenic acid was 6.35%. The purified chlorogenic acid was analyzed by HPLC, TLC, UV-Vis and molecular fluorescence.
Association between C-reactive protein to lymphocyte ratio and rheumatoid arthritis risk among adults in NHANES, 2017–2020
Authors: Zhai Jiali , Cao Shuai , Mo Linfei , Lu Moyao , Li Yue , Yuan Bo , Lu Shemin
Published: February 2024

Background and Objectives:There is a limited number of studies that have investigated the association between C-reactive protein to lymphocyte ratio (CLR) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential relationship between CLR and RA.Methods:A cross-sectional analysis was performed on data collected from adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2017 to 2020, with a total of 9475 participants included in this study. The primary exposure variable in this study was CLR, while the outcome of interest was the prevalence of RA. Four different models were constructed to investigate the potential association between CLR and RA prevalence. Additionally, restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were utilized to assess potential non-linear relationships between the risk of RA prevalence and CLR. Sensitivity analyses, including stratified analyses and interaction tests, were conducted to further explore the relationship between CLR and RA within different subgroups.Results:The regression analyses revealed a significant correlation between CLR and RA prevalence.The RCS analysis demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between CLR and the prevalence of RA. The subgroup analyses indicated a positive and significant association between evaluated CLR levels and RA prevalence across most subgroups. The interaction tests suggested that multiple covariates did not have a significant impact on this association.Conclusions:Our study identified a positive and nonlinear correlation between CLR and the prevalence of RA, offering potential new indicators for the disease. However, further validation of our findings is necessary through prospective and experimental studies.
Hu8F4-CAR T cells with mutated Fc spacer segment improve target-specificity and mediate anti-leukemia activity in vivo
Authors: Molldrem Jeffrey , He Hong , Vedia Rolando , Lu Sijie , Li Qiaochuan , Cox Kathryn , John Lisa St. , Sergeeva Anna , Clise-Dwyer Karen , Alatrash Gheath , Shpall Elizabeth , Ma Qing
Published: February 2024

Hu8F4 is a T cell receptor (TCR)-like antibody with high affinity for leukemia-associated antigen PR1/HLA-A2 epitope. Adapted into a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) format, Hu8F4-CAR is comprised of the Hu8F4 scFv, the human IgG1 CH2CH3 extracellular spacer domain, a human CD28 costimulatory domain, and the human CD3ζ signaling domain. We have demonstrated high efficacy of Hu8F4-CAR-T cells against PR1/HLA-A2-expressing cell lines and leukemic blasts from AML patients in vitro. Previous studies have shown that modification of the Fc domains of IgG4 CH2CH3 spacer regions can eliminate activation-induced cell death and off-target killing mediated by mouse Fc gamma receptor (FcgR)-expressing cells. We generated Hu8F4-CAR(PQ) with mutated Fc receptor binding sites on the CH2 domain of Hu8F4-CAR to prevent unwanted interactions with FcgR-expressing cells in vivo. The primary human T cells transduced with Hu8F4-CAR(PQ) can specifically lyse HLA-A2+ PR1-expressing leukemia cell lines in vitro. Furthermore, both adult donor-derived and cord blood-derived Hu8F4-CAR(PQ)-T cells are active and can eliminate U937 leukemia cells in NSG mice. Herein, we demonstrate that modification of the IgG1-based spacer can eliminate Fc receptor-binding-induced adverse effects and Hu8F4-CAR(PQ)-T cells can kill leukemia in vivo.
Liquid-liquid phase separation -related gene can predict prognosis and influence immune microenvironment in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Zhang Lijie , Jiang Shanshan , Zhao Qiaojiajie , Zhao Yuan , Zhao Shuqi
Published: February 2024

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a hematopoietic malignant tumour, whose growth and metastasis have been found to be closely correlated with liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), however, the molecular mechanisms and immunological value of LLPS in AML has not been reported. Consequently, this study aims to develop a precise prognostic risk model predicated on LLPS-associated key genes in AML. We analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from AML vs. control samples (GSE9746), intersected these with LLPS-related genes (LLPSRGs) to identify differentially expressed LLPS-related genes (DE-LLPSRGs) and used univariate Cox regression to find those linked to prognosis. AML subtypes were created through consensus clustering, and DEGs between them were determined. Overlapping prognostic DE-LLPSRGs with inter-subtype DEGs identified candidate genes. We employed Least absolute selection and shrinkage operator (LASSO) to pinpoint three key genes—SLC4A1, SCRN1, and HOPX—for the risk model, which proved effective in assessing AML prognosis. Incorporating risk score, age, and category, a nomogram was developed showing promising potential for clinical utility. Immune analysis revealed variations in certain immune cells across risk groups. Drug sensitivity tests highlighted significant differences in the efficacy of several drugs among these groups. This model integrating the three key geness offers a novel insight into AML prognosis prediction.
Assessing the relationship between teaching quality and satisfaction with clinical teachers among medical students: A correlational cross-sectional study
Authors: Amini Keyvan , Salehzadeh Meisam , Noktehsanj Reza
Published: February 2024

Background: Clinical education is crucial to developing medical students' knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes. The attributes of clinical teachers play a significant role in students' advancement and transition to their future professional roles. The study aimed to determine the relationship between teaching quality and satisfaction with clinical teachers among medical students of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This correlational cross-sectional study was conducted on 255 medical students in Ardabil (northwest of Iran). The participants were selected through the simple random sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic information form, a Persian version of the System for Evaluation of Teaching Qualities (SETQ) questionnaire, and the Medical Students' Satisfaction with Clinical Education questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22.0).
Results: The study found that the overall mean teaching quality and satisfaction with clinical teachers among medical students were 3.37 ± 0.56 and 3.22 ± 0.72, respectively. The highest and lowest mean scores between dimensions of teaching quality were related to professional attitude toward students (3.46 ± 0.83) and teaching and learning environment (3.28 ± 0.68), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that subscales of teaching quality (student assessment and feedback) and residence status were predictors of satisfaction with clinical teachers among medical students. The selected predictors accounted for 31.4% of the total variance in satisfaction with clinical teachers (F = 9.908, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Our study has found that delivering regular and positive feedback plays a pivotal role in promoting the development of students in clinical education. Furthermore, assessing learners' performance is equally significant in enabling educators to identify the areas where they require additional assistance and guidance. Feedback and evaluation are potent instruments in clinical education that augment learning and equip students with the necessary skills to tackle real-world situations.
Augmented reality to visualize a finite element analysis for assessing clamping concepts
Authors: Maier Walther , Möhring Hans-Christian , Feng Qi , Wunderle Richard
Published: February 2024

This paper presents the development of an innovative augmented reality application for evaluating clamping concepts through visualizing the finite element analysis. The focus is on transforming the traditional simulation results into immersive, holographic displays, enabling users to experience and assess finite element analysis in three dimensions. The development process involves visualization in the software Unity, data processing by MATLAB, and the use of Microsoft's Hololens2 for displaying the holograms. The most important advancements include the ability to visualize complex clamping situations, enhancing understanding and engagement in engineering education. The application was tested in a real machining environment, revealing significant performance improvements with help of an external PC and offering an immersive learning experience. This work not only demonstrates the technical feasibility of such applications but also opens new avenues for interactive and engaging learning in engineering education.
From water molecules mobility to water-resistance of swollen oriented and non-oriented cellulose nanofibrils cryogels
Authors: Charlie Rouillon , Loïc Foucat , Laurent Chaunier , Jean-Eudes Maigret , Sanae El Maana , Benoit Duchemin , Bernard Cathala , Ana Villares , Celine Moreau
Published: February 2024

The development of porous, water-resistant cellulose-based materials with shape-recovery performance requires control of the swelling behaviour of these materials. In this context, TEMPO-oxidized CNF (CNFt) cryogels, were prepared by non-directional (ND) and unidirectional (UD) freezing step followed by freeze-drying to obtain lightweight porous materials (22.6 kg m-3 and 98% air content), CNFt-ND ou CNFt-UD, with different pore morphologies. Indeed, honeycomb-like or lamellar structures were obtained as evidenced by microscopy and X-ray tomography analysis. Determination of cryogels absorption capacities in water (pH 6) or HCl (pH 2) solution showed different swelling behaviours depending on the charge state of carboxyl groups, but also on pore morphology NFCt cryogels. Measurements of 1H T2 relaxation times using Low-Field (LF) NMR demonstrated the appearance of different population of water molecules characterized by different mobilities due to the structuration of NFCt gel during the freeze-casting procedure. Finally, tests of compression cycles on H2O- or HCl-swollen NFCt-ND and NFCt-UD cryogels demonstrated the higher compressive resistance of swollen-cryogels after protonation and a recovery shape performance of about 87% was obtained after 50 compression cycles.
Analysis of Changes in agro-climatic indices in Northwest and West of Iran
Authors: Heydari Hassan , Movaghari Alireza
Published: February 2024

Temperature is one of the important climatic factors in agriculture, any change of which can affect the process of growth and production of agricultural products. Today, due to the occurrence of climate change, the importance of examining this issue, especially in agriculture, in terms of the impact on the food security of the people of the world, has become particularly important. Based on this, in this research, using the variables of minimum temperature, maximum temperature and average temperature in 17 meteorological stations in the northwest and west of Iran in the time period of 1985–2019, 5 cooling indices and 6 heating indices (at different temperature thresholds) were calculated and then trend analysis was done using two methods, Mann-Kendall (along with Sen’s slope estimator) and Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA). Based on the analysis, it was found that the cooling indices in most of the stations have undergone a time shift while reducing the duration of the period. From the point of view of heating indices, in most stations, along with increasing the length of the growing season at different thresholds, thermal stress has also occurred, which has a negative effect on the growth of crops. Investigations showed that the two stations of Maragheh (in the north of the region) and Khorram Abad (in the south) had the most changes. It was also found that the ITA and the Mann-Kendall methods have little difference in showing the type of trend and the ITA shows the changes in a more reasonable way.
Timely Integration of Palliative Care. Don’t dream it, make it happen!
Authors: Adamidis Feroniki , Baumgartner Noemi Sonja , Kitta Anna , Kum Lea , Ecker Franziska , Bär Joachim , Marosi Christine , Kreye Gudrun , Fischer Claudia , Zeilinger Elisabeth L. , Paschen Christopher , Wenzel Claudia , Masel Eva Katharina
Published: February 2024

Purpose
Considerable literature suggests that timely integration of Palliative Care (PC) improves the wellbeing, quality of life and satisfaction of patients and their families, and may have a positive impact on clinical outcomes and healthcare costs within the disease trajectory. A review of clinical practice to reflect real-life situations regarding timely PC integration seems essential.
Methods
This study, conducted at the Vienna General Hospital, between March 2016 and August 2022, retrospectively examined PC consultation requests. It aimed to assess the timeliness of PC integration by analyzing the duration between diagnosis and the first PC consultation request, as well as the interval between the first PC consultation request and death.
Results
This study encompassed 895 PC consultations. The median time from diagnosis to the first PC consultation was 16.6 (IQR: 3.9–48.4) months, while the median time from the first PC consultation until death was 17.2 (IQR: 6.1–50.7) days. Median time from diagnosis to first PC consultation was 10.4 months in females (CI: 6.0-14.8) vs. 10.6 months in males (CI: 8.1–13.1; p = 0.118). There were no gender disparities in the time from first PC consultation to death, with a median of 23.3 days (CI: 15.6–31.0) for females and 22.3 days (CI: 16.2–28.4) for males (p = 0.80). Fifty percent of patients died between 5 and 47 days after the first PC consultation.
Conclusion
These findings highlight the discrepancy between the clinical perception of PC as end-of-life care and the existing literature, which emphasises the importance of timely integration of PC.
Health indices for disease incidence risk and duration in the Semi-Markov setting
Authors: Soetewey Antoine , Legrand Catherine , Denuit Michel , Silversmit Geert
Published: February 2024

Over the last decade, the number of years of life lost (YLL) became a popular tool in biostatistics and epidemiology to measure discrepancies in life expectancy or mortality between a cohort of patients and the general population. Its prominence in the literature is primarily due to its ease of interpretation and because information on the cause of death is not required. Moreover, multi-state models are a powerful statistical approach to study the evolution of individuals between several "states". Derived from data collected by the Belgian Cancer Registry, encompassing 161,007 cases of melanoma, thyroid, and female breast cancer, a three-state (healthy-cancer-death) illness-death model is used to illustrate how it can be applied to cancer registry data to estimate the incidence risk, and the number of years of life lost due to cancer at different ages at diagnosis and given that the patient survived some years after diagnosis. Results suggest that the probabilities of being diagnosed with cancer over the next 20 years for a healthy individual remain rather low for melanoma and thyroid cancers for both sexes, but considerably increases with age for female breast cancer. Results also suggest that, for female breast cancer, the number of years of life lost before the age of 70 years due to cancer is highest when diagnosed at young ages and then decreases with age at diagnosis, whereas for melanoma and thyroid cancers, it peaks when diagnosed at later ages (between 35 and 55 years depending on the cancer and sex). It also turns out that the number of years of life lost before the age of 70 due to cancer is larger for men than for women for both melanoma and thyroid cancers. Last, it is found that, for melanoma and thyroid cancer patients diagnosed between the age of 20 and 70 years, once they have survived their cancer for 10 years, the number of years of life lost before the age of 70 due to cancer remains below one year. This indicates that, up to the age of 70 years, these patients lose a limited number of years of life due to cancer compared to the general population.
Landslide susceptibility analysis along the coasts of Liguria region (northern Italy)
Authors: Orefice Simone , Innocenti Carlo
Published: February 2024

Coastal landslides pose significant hazards to populated areas and infrastructure, necessitating accurate assessment and mitigation strategies. In this study, landslide susceptibility maps for rockfalls/topples, rotational/translational slides, complex phenomena and rapid flows were developed in the Liguria region (Italy) from the coast to 2 km inland using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) and the inventory of Italian landslides, IFFI (Inventario dei Fenomeni Franosi Italiani - https://idrogeo.isprambiente.it/app/iffi). 16 environmental variabilities derived from the DTM, geological map, CORINE land cover and topographic map of the region were used in the models. After an initial general screening to eliminate variables with high collinearity, only the variables found to be most significant for each model were used for each landslide type. The landslide occurrence points were divided randomly into training (80%) and test set (20%). The accuracy of the processed models was evaluated by ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curves and AUC (area under the curve). The results showed good performance for all models, although this was dependent on the type of landslide considered. Specifically, the AUC values obtained from testing data were 0.927 for the rockfall/topple model, 0.797 for the rotational/translational slides model, and 0.819 for the complex landslides model. Finally, the AUC value of the rapid flow model is 0.903, but only for the training data, as the number of landslides available for analysis was not sufficient for a split into test and training data. The variables contributing most significantly to the models are the slope, lithology, and land cover, followed by distance from the shoreline and elevation. Susceptibility maps were created for each type of landslide and combined into a final map providing a comprehensive overview of the landslide hazard at the regional level.
Association of low concentration of vitamin C and low fresh fruits and vegetables consumption with cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes. Running title: vitaminC and cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Toffalini Anna , Vigolo Nicolò , Paviati Elisa , Gelati Matteo , Danese Elisa , Zoppini Giacomo
Published: February 2024

Purpose
Vitamin C is a fundamental antioxidant that plays roles in important metabolic processes. Patients with type 2 diabetes are exposed to oxidative stress as a consequence of an increase in ROS production. The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes, to study the relationship of vitamin C levels and cardiovascular diseases and to correlate the fresh fruits and vegetables consumption with vitamin C levels and the presence of cardiovascular diseases.
Methods
In 200 ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes, vitamin C levels, with HPLC, and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, with a dedicated questionnaire, were measured. All other laboratory variables were measured with standard methods. Association between vitamin C and cardiovascular diseases was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results
Vitamin C deficiency was found in 12.2 % of subjects. Vitamin C levels and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables were lower in subjects with cardiovascular diseases. Fresh fruits and vegetables intake were associated with higher levels of vitamin C. In multivariable analysis, vitamin C was independently associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our study seems to suggest that vitamin C might have an inverse relation with cardiovascular diseases. The intake of vitamin C from fresh fruits and vegetables may have a protective role.
Evaluation of the urogenital microbiota of healthy cyclic bitches
Authors: Gronsfeld Virginie , Brutinel Flore , Egyptien Sophie , Porsmoguer Charles , Hamaide Annick , Taminiau Bernard , Daube Georges , Weerdt Marie-Lys , Deleuze Stefan , Noel Stéphanie
Published: February 2024

Background: Understanding the urogenital microbiota would allow us to compare the bacterial populations in healthy and pathological conditions and assess their impact on various urogenital diseases. The aim of our research was to characterize and compare the urogenital microbiota during different phases of the estrous cycle in healthy female dogs. DNA extraction, 16S rDNA library preparation, sequencing, and informatics analysis were employed to determine the vaginal and urinary microbiota in 10 healthy beagle dogs at each phase of the cycle.
Results: Alpha diversity, richness, and evenness of bacterial populations in the vagina were not significantly different across the various cycle phases. However, there was a significant difference in vaginal beta diversity between the different cycle phases, except for anestrus and diestrus. Conversely, no differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed in the urinary microbiota across the different cycle phases.
Conclusions: This study demonstrate estrogenic influence on the abundance of vaginal microbiota in healthy female dogs, with no discernible influence on urinary microbiota. Additionally, it provides a comparative basis for understanding the urinary and vaginal microbiota in healthy female dogs.
ALA/LA Inhibited Renal Tubulointerstitial Fibrosis of DKD db/db Mice Induced by Oxidative Stress
Authors: Jiang Mingxia , Sun Hong , Zhang Haifen , cheng Yin , Zhai Chengkai
Published: February 2024

Background
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Its progression is caused by various pathological mechanisms, including oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, and fibrosis. This study aimed to explore the effects of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)/ linoleic acid (LA) on preventing and delaying the progression of interstitial fibrosis and improving OS in DKD mice.
Methods
Male eight-week-old db/db mice were randomly allocated to either the DKD model group, the low-dose ALA/LA group (250 mg/kg·d), the high-dose ALA/LA group (500 mg/kg·d), or the control group, consisting of db/m mice. After 12 weeks of ALA/LA intervention, blood urea nitrogen, blood glucose, and urine protein levels were signifi-cantly lower in db/db mice than in the control group;
Results
ALA/LA enhanced SOD and CAT levels and reduced reactive oxygen species and MDA production. Furthermore, db/db mice in the intervention group had lower mRNA and protein expression levels of p38, p-p38, ERK, p-ERK, /transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and type IV collagen (ColIV) than did the model group (P < 0.05);
Conclusions
ALA/LA improved recovery from injury in db/db mice by reducing OS and alleviating kidney fibrosis, especially in the tubules. The potential mechanism was that ALA/LA inhibited renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and OS via the P-P38, P-ERK/ TGF-β1/ColIV signaling pathway.
Impregnation of mesenchymal stem cell secretome with Wortmannin inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer cells via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway
Authors: Ismail Doha F. , Keey Mai M. El- , Elgendy Saad M. , Hessien Mohamed
Published: February 2024

The utilization of Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived secretome was suggested as a promising alternative in cell-based regenerative therapy. Herein, the MSCs cells were impregnated with a pan-PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitor and their secretome was utilized to explore the anticancer and antimetastasis effects against breast cancer. To establish this aim Bone marrow-derived MSCs was treated with 50, 100, or 250 nM Wortmannin (Wort), where the cytotoxic, apoptotic, and autophagic potential of their secretome were investigated in luminal-A breast cancer cells (MCF-7). We found that exposure of MCF-7 to Wort-containing secretome induced both apoptosis and autophagy, whereas prolonged exposure led to massive cell death. Also, Wort-loaded secretome induced nuclear DNA fragmentation and reduced cell metastasis in vitro. These findings were associated with Wort-dependent decrease in the formation of the phosphorylated Akt and mTOR proteins, reduced the expression of their mRNAs, and downregulate of the expression of the catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K-CA). Taken together, these findings suggested the promising antiproliferative and antimetastasis effects of combining pan-PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors with MSCs-derived secretome in breast cancer.
EUS Guided antegrade treatment vs Balloon Enteroscopy ERCP for Choledocholithiasis in patients with Roux en Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) – A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Ahmed Zohaib , Iqbal Amna , Aziz Muhammad , Iqbal Fatima , Gangwani Manesh Kumar , Sohail Abdullah , Chaudhary Ammad , Smith Wade-Lee , Hayat Umar , Singh Shailendra , Mohan Babu P. , Javaid Toseef
Published: February 2024

Background and Study Aims:
The safety and technical success of Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided antegrade treatment (EUS-AG) compared to Balloon enteroscopy assisted endoscopic cholangiopancreatography (BE-ERCP) for choledocholithiasis in Roux en Y gastrectomy has not been well documented. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of available studies to assess the safety and efficacy of the two procedures.
Methods:
A systematic search of multiple databases was undertaken through January 25, 2024 to identify relevant studies comparing the two procedures. Standard meta-analysis methods were employed using the random effects model. For each outcome, risk-ratio (RR), 95 % confidence interval (CI), and P values were generated. P  < 0.05 was considered significant. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2% statistics.
Results:
Three studies with 795 patients (95 in the EUS-AG group and 700 in the BE-ERCP group) were included. The technical success rate was similar between EUS-AG and BE-ERCP (RR: 1.08, CI: 0.84-1.38, P  = 0.57, I 2  = 56%). The overall side effects rate was higher in BE-ERCP group compared to EUS-AG (RR: 1.95, CI: 1.21-3.15, P  = 0.006, I 2  = 0 %).
Other outcomes like rates of clinical success (RR:0.95, CI: 0.75-1.18, P=0.62, I ²= 33%), pancreatitis (RR: 0.34, CI: 0.04-2.55, P= 0.29, I ²= 0%), perforation (RR: 0.38, CI: 0.05-2.80, P= 0.34, I²= 0%), and bile peritonitis (RR: 7.66, CI: 0.54-108.94, P= 0.13, I²= 37%) were similar between the two procedure techniques.
Conclusion:
Our analysis showed no distinct advantage in using one technique over the other for patients with Roux en Y anatomy in achieving technical and clinical success. However, the incidence of adverse effects was greater in the BE-ERCP group than in the EUS-AG group.
Joint Mode Selection and Resource Allocation for Underlaying D2D Communications: Matching Theory
Authors: ATTAR IBRAHIM SAMI , MAHYUDDIN NOR MUZLIFAH , Hindia MHD Nour
Published: February 2024

Device-to-Device (D2D) communications, regarded as a crucial technology for the Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G) wireless networks, provide substantial benefits including elevated spectrum effectiveness, improved coverage, and traffic offloading. The mode selection and channel allocation play an Important role in ensuring the Quality of Service (QoS) and enhancing user experience in D2D communications. The dynamic switching of communication modes by D2D User Equipments (UEs) depends on the extent of shared resources among D2D pairs. In this paper, we examine the issue of joint mode selection and resource allocation for D2D communication within a cellular network in an uplink scenario. The main objective of this study is to optimize the overall sum rates of the network, while simultaneously guaranteeing the QoS requirements. Three communication modes are considered which are Direct Mode (MD), Relay-assisted Mode (RM), and Local route Mode (LM). In addition, each D2D pair has the option to be allocated either a dedicated channel or a reused channel. We present an innovative approach for the simultaneous determination of mode selection and channel allocation in D2D communication. The proposed approach is based on greedy strategy and a modified many-to-many matching technique that effectively selects the best communication mode and assigns the optimal channel for each D2D pair, respectively. The simulation results illustrate that the presented approach exhibits a significant improvement in the network performance when compared to the benchmark algorithms.
Childhood abuse and disordered eating behaviors in female college students: how does depression and anxiety come from?
Authors: Li Huizi , Han Wenyue , Zhuang Shaoshan , Xu Jialong , Sun YueYi , Zheng Zheng
Published: February 2024

Purpose
This study examines the relationship among childhood abuse, disordered eating behaviors, depression, and anxiety in female college students. It also investigates the mediating role of disordered eating in the relationship between childhood abuse and depression, as well as anxiety.
Methods
832 female college students were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and Personal Report of Childhood Abuse (PRCA).
Results
Depression and anxiety was significantly positively correlated with childhood abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect, and was significantly positively correlated with disordered eating. Disordered eating was significantly positively correlated with childhood maltreatment, physical maltreatment, emotional maltreatment and neglect. Disordered eating mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and depression, as well as between childhood abuse and anxiety.
Conclusion
Childhood abuse can predict depression and anxiety, both directly and indirectly through the mediating effect of disordered eating. This provides a new perspective for interventions aimed at alleviating the symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with a history of childhood abuse.
D-GAN: An Automatic Acne Detection, Severity, and Assessment Framework using Generative Adversarial Network with Deep Neural Network
Authors: Khalid Umara , Chen Li , Khan Abdullah Ayub , Mehmood Faisal
Published: February 2024

With the robust development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially image processing has made information technology more efficient and effective in the sense to evaluate facial features, even though there has been masked on the face. However, the accuracy of acne detection and related severity analysis is becoming a significant prospect for the precise treatment of patients. Due to this, close severity is one of the features that need to be added first, while it is considered a highly challenging aspect for dermatologists because the similar appearance of acne in the face reduces the rate of accuracy when examining. It poses a serious problem in the domain of biomedical processing and controls. In this paper, we contribute to four different folds. Initially, this paper presents a novel framework that provides a platform in order to measure localization and segmentation. In this process, consultants receive better accuracy and efficiency during the process of acne detection and severity analysis. Second, this paper utilizes deep neural networks (DNNs) as a backend process to lightning the extraction of multi-scale features through a multi-hierarchy neural net for regionalized facial features to investigate distinction and localization. Third, a class-based segmentation approach customizes and integrates with the proposed framework to examine the background and facial skin separation to distinguish different classes to obtain severity marking. Fourth, the facial skin segmentation classes are built as a cluster segment using Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). It provides a high-resolution network that enhances severity masking awareness and related attentions, including shuffle and conditional channels like an update in weight block. Although, the simulation illustrates that the technological collaboration achieves promising results and elaborates on the accuracy and efficiency while the detection of acne as compared to other state-of-the-art baseline methods. In addition, the proposed framework illustrates good results in severity analysis for acne detection comparably far better than the previously published articles with a performance rate of 3.112% (accuracy), 1.131% (segmentation), 2.317% (localization), and 1.573% (GAN-based high-resolution network management), respectively.
Unsupervised Salient Object Detection with Momentum Expansion: A Case Study on the Xiongse Monastery in Xizang
Authors: Luo Qian , Yang Xiaobo , Li Jianbang , Xu Yincheng
Published: February 2024

A distinctive and intricate color palette is often used for interior decorations in Xizang temples. Traditional methods of detection can be challenging, as they are prone to being limited by similar background colors, making it difficult to identify all the essential elements. In this case, a momentum-based pseudo-labeling strategy is proposed to address this issue. This strategy utilizes momentum expansion to categorize the pseudo-labels generated by the first-stage pre-trained model into active areas, expansion areas, and background areas, they facilitating the supervision of fine-label generation in the second stage. Additionally, a real-time label correction strategy is employed. An Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) module is introduced to enhance the model's feature learning capabilities. An unsupervised deep learning-based object detection method is utilized, eliminating the need for extensive manual annotation of labels for diverse objects. Experimental results have demonstrated the significant effectiveness of this approach in comprehensive detection of salient region targets.
Development of quality indicators for hypertension, extractable from the electronic health record of the general practitioner. A rand-modified Delphi method.
Authors: Danhieux Katrien , Hollevoet Marieke , Lismont Sien , Taveirne Pieter , Vaerenbergh Lotte Van , Vaes Bert , Bulck Steve Van den
Published: February 2024

Background: Hypertension, a chronic medical condition affecting millions of people worldwide, is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to reduce the burden of the disease, with general practitioners playing a vital role. Therefore, it is crucial that GPs provide high-quality care that is standardized and based on the most recent (inter)national guidelines. Quality indicators (QIs) can be used to assess the performance, outcomes, or processes of healthcare delivery and are critical in helping healthcare professionals identify areas of improvement and measure progress towards achieving desired health outcomes. However, QIs to evaluate the care of patients with hypertension in general practice have been studied to a limited extent. The aim of our study is to define quality indicators for hypertension in general practice that are extractable from the electronic health record (EHR) and can be used to evaluate and improve the quality of care for hypertensive patients in the general practice setting.
Methods: We used a Rand-modified Delphi procedure. We extracted recommendations from (inter)national guidelines and assembled them into an online questionnaire. An initial scoring based on the SMART principle and extractability from the EHR was performed by panel members, these results were analyzed using a Median Likert score, prioritization and degree of consensus. A consensus meeting was set up in which all the recommendations were discussed, followed by a final validation round.
Results: Our study extracted 115 recommendations from (inter)national guidelines on hypertension and was converted into an online questionnaire. After analysis of the questionnaire round and a consensus meeting round, 37 recommendations were accepted and 75 were excluded. Of these 37 recommendations, 9 were slightly modified and 4 were combined into 2 recommendations, resulting in a list of 35 recommendations. All recommendations of the final set were translated to QIs, made up of 7 QIs on screening, 6 QIs on diagnosis, 11 QIs on treatment, 5 QIs on outcome and 6 QIs on follow-up.
Conclusions: Our study resulted in a set of 35 QIs for hypertension in general practice. The QIs are extractable from the EHR making them suitable for automated quality assessment.