bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of Control Eating During Pregnancy is Associated With Excessive Gestational Weight Gain Among Individuals With Overweight and Obesity
Authors: Levine Michele , Emery Rebecca L. , Conlon Rachel , Grace Jennifer , Sweeny Gina M. , Wang Bang , Cheng Yu
Published: February 2022

Purpose: Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) predicts negative health outcomes among individuals with overweight or obesity. Loss of control eating (LOC), the ingestion of food associated with being unable to control eating, is the core psychopathology of binge eating disorders. We evaluated the contribution of LOC to GWG among pregnant individuals with prepregnancy overweight/obesity. Methods: In a prospective longitudinal study, individuals with prepregnancy BMI≥ 25 (N=257) were interviewed monthly to assess LOC and reported demographic, parity and smoking information. GWG was abstracted from medical records. Results: Among individuals with prepregnancy overweight/obesity, 39% endorsed LOC prior to or during pregnancy. After adjusting for factors that have previously been linked to GWG, LOC during pregnancy, uniquely predicted higher GWG and greater likelihood of exceeding GWG recommendations. Participants with prenatal LOC gained 3.14kg (p=0.03) more than did those without LOC during pregnancy and 78.7% (n = 48/61) exceeded IOM guidelines for GWG. The frequency of LOC episodes was also associated with greater weight gain.Conclusions: Prenatal LOC is common among pregnant individuals with overweight/obesity and predicts greater GWG and increased likelihood of exceeding IOM GWG guidelines. LOC may represent a modifiable behavioral mechanism to prevent excessive GWG among individuals at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Forecasting GDP Growth using Financial Information
Authors: SENE Mamadou Ndiaye
Published: February 2022

The shocks that occur in periods of instability in financial markets affect the effective implementation that would be subject to appropriate macroeconomic policies. Researchers have developed several approaches to monitor macroeconomic policies concerned with the goal of stabilizing and strengthening the global financial system. The 2007 financial crisis revealed the limits of the proposed approaches, which designed to analyze and forecast the economic fluctuations. Other approaches, including the mixed frequency data models, have been put forward to address the limitations the existing forecasting models by taking into account the interactions between the real and financial sectors. The information on the equity and commodity markets increase the predictive capacities of models and thereby can be used to forecast the fluctuations of GDP growth. The present paper applies a modelindependent data assimilation (MIDAS), which is embedded in the mixed frequency data models, to forecast the fluctuations in the economic growth of five developed countries, namely the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan. The results show that, taking into account the volatility of financial market indicators enable to provide accurate projections of the economic growth. Furthermore, the integration of the autoregressive component in the MIDAS model strengthens its predictive capacity over the forecast period.
Implications of Additivity and Nonadditivity for Machine Learning and Deep Learning Models in Drug Design
Authors: Kwapien Karolina , Nittinger Eva , He Jiazhen , Margreitter Christian , Voronov Alexey , Tyrchan Christian
Published: February 2022

Matched molecular pairs (MMPs) is nowadays a commonly applied concept in drug design. It is used in many computational tools for structure activity relationship analysis, biological activity prediction or optimization of physicochemical properties. However, up to date it has not been shown in a rigorous way that MMPs, i.e. changing only one substituent between two molecules, can be predicted with high accuracy and precision in contrast to any other chemical compound pair. It is expected that any model should be able to predict such a defined change with high accuracy and reasonable precision. In this study, we examine the predictability of four classical properties relevant for drug design ranging from simple physicochemical parameters (logD and solubility) to more complex cell based ones (permeability and clearance), using different data sets and machine learning algorithms. Our study confirms that additive data is the easiest to predict which highlights the importance of recognition of nonadditivity events and the challenging complexity of predicting properties in case of scaffold hopping. Despite of deep learning being well suited to model non-linear events, these methods do not seem to be an exception of this observation. Though, they are in general performing better than classical machine learning methods, this leaves the field with a still standing challenge.
The Associations Between Lung Function And Rapid Eyes Movement Sleep In Healthy Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study In Southwest China
Authors: Peng Anjiao , Yang Danxuan , Li Wanling , Dong Bosi , Lai Wanlin , Wang Mingda , Zhu Yuanfeng , Chen Lei
Published: February 2022

Background: To explore and understand associations between lung function and sleep architectures in healthy adults. Methods: Seventy-two participants (mean age 55.9 years, 72.2% female) were recruited from the Southwest China cohort study conducted at the West China hospital. Forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) were measured using a spirometer for all participants. Participants’ objective sleep architectures, including sleep duration, rapid eye movement (REM) time, light and deep sleep were monitored using a Doppler radar sensor. Linear regression was used to analyze the associations between lung function measures and sleep architecture.Results: Results for FEV1/FVC were found to be positively correlated with REM sleep time (β = 0.29, p = 0.013). There was no positive correlation with sleep duration (p = 0.44 ), light sleep (p = 0.83) or deep sleep (p = 0.60) in regression model, including the use of lung function as the only predictor. Results for FEV1 demonstrated a tendency of positive correlation with REM sleep (β = 0.22, p = 0.07 ) and deep sleep (β = 0.21, p = 0.073), but it was not associated with sleep duration (p = 0.53) or light sleep (p = 0.54). After adjusting for all confounders, the results of FEV1/FVC remained positively correlated with REM sleep time (β = 0.28, p = 0.028). Conclusion: Our findings further confirmed that lung function is closely related to sleep architectures in healthy population, particularly, the result for FEV1/FVC is positively correlated with REM sleep.
Altemeier and Delorme procedures are efficacious and safe for treatment of Rectal Prolapse:A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Wang HouDong , Zhang Xiu-Feng , Shao Shu-Xian , Shen Zhong
Published: February 2022

Purpose To compare the safety and efficacy of Altemeier and Delorme procedures for treatment of mild full-thickness rectal prolapse. Methods A total of 34 patients, diagnosed with rectal prolapse and who underwent Altemeier and Delorme procedures between January 2011 to December 2019, were included in the study. We evaluated each patient’s clinical characteristics, operative outcomes and follow-up data then compared them between groups. Results Both procedures were successfully completed in all recruited patients, with no significant differences observed between the groups with regards to age, sex, disease course, body mass index (BMI) and American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) score (p > 0.05). However, squat maximal prolapse length was significantly lower in Delorme (5.4±1.6 cm) than in the Altemeier (9.3±2.3 cm) group (t=5.89, p＜0.01). Similarly, operative time was significantly shorter in the Delorme (85.8±13.7 min) than in the Altemeier (111.0±14.2 min; t=5.26, p＜0.01) group, while intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the Delorme (20.8±6.5 ml) than Altemeier (61.7±9.4 ml, t=14.98, p<0.01). However, we found no significant differences in the incidence of postoperative complications, including bleeding, anastomotic stricture, anastomotic leakage, urinary retention, urinary tract infection between the Delorme (16%) and Altemeier (20%) groups (P=0.10, p= 0.75). Notably, patients in the Delorme group had significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay (8.4±1.5 days) relative to those in the Altemeier group (11.0±2.2 days) (t=4.13, p ＜0.01). We found no significant differences in follow-up times between Delorme (16.3±2.3 months) and Altemeier (15.0±3.3 months) groups (t=1.38, p = 0.18), as well as overall success rates (Delorme =89.5%; Altemeier =86.7%,u=0.06, p= 0.80). A total of 5 and 4 patients from the Delorme and Altemeier groups, respectively, exhibited constipation symptoms. Compared with before operation, the Wexner constipation score decreased in both groups (Delorme=23.6±2.5 vs.11.0±2.0, t=24.71, p＜0.01; Altemeier=23.5±1.3 vs.9.3±1.7,t=13.83, p＜0.01). Moreover, fecal incontinent symptoms were described in 6 and 5 patients of Delorme group and Altemeier group, respectively. Postoperative Wexner fecal incontinence scale scores were significantly lower in the two groups than those before operation (Delorme=14.8±1.5 vs.6.2±0.8, t=14.10, p＜0.01; Altemeier=15.6±1.1 vs.6.8±2.3,t=10.23，p＜0.01).Conclusion Our results affirm the efficacy and safety of both Altemeier and Delorme procedures in treatment of rectal prolapse, for improved defecation status in patients with faecal incontinence and constipation. Delorme procedure is recommended for patients with mild prolapse, owing to quicker recovery, shorter hospital stay, and fewer anastomotic complications, relative to Altemeier.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Liu Kejun , Niu Yiming , Hao Ji , Cui Lei , Li Cunquan , Chen Bendong , Bu Yang
Published: February 2022

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) plays an important role in the metabolic and immunological aspects of tumors. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the alteration of tumor microenvironment influences recurrence and metastasis. We extract G6PD expression information from TCGA and GEO databases in liver cancer tissues and normal tissues, validated by immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between G6PD expression and clinical features is analyzed, and the clinical significance of G6PD in liver cancer is assessed by Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression and prognostic line graph models. Functional enrichment analysis is performed by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, GO/KEGG, GSEA and G6PD-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). TIMER and ssGSEA packages are used to assess the correlation between expression and the level of immune cell infiltration. Analysis of TCGA and GEO datasets revealed that G6PD expression is significantly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues (P < 0.001). G6PD expression is associated with histological grade, pathological stage, T-stage, vascular infiltration and AFP level (P < 0.05); HCC patients in the low G6PD expression group had longer overall survival and better prognosis compared with the high G6PD expression group (P < 0.05). The level of G6PD expression affects the levels of macrophages, unactivated dendritic cells, B cells, and follicular helper T cells in the tumor microenvironment. High expression of G6PD is a potential biomarker for poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and G6PD may be a target for immunotherapy of HCC.
Network Analysis for Directing Standardization Efforts in Genomics Using MEDLINE
Authors: Bae Eun Bit , Nam Se Jin , Lee Sungin , Ahn Sun-Ju
Published: February 2022

Background: Biotechnology in genomics, such as sequencing devices and gene quantification software, has proliferated and been applied to clinical settings. However, the lack of standards applicable to it poses practical problems in interoperability and reusability of the technology across various application domains. This study aims to visualize and identify the standard trends in clinical genomics and to suggest areas on which standardization efforts must focus. Methods: Of 16,538 articles retrieved from PubMed, published from 1975 to 2020, using search keywords “genomics and standard” and “clinical genomic sequence and standard”, terms were extracted from the abstracts and titles of 15,855 articles. Our analysis includes 1) keyword-based network analysis, considering the characteristics of keyword clusters; 2) period analysis with six phases; 3) statistical analysis; 4) content analysis.Results: Our research trend showed an increasing trend from 2003, years marked by the completion of the human genome project (2003). The content analysis showed that keywords related to such concepts as gene types for analysis, and analysis techniques were increased in phase 3 when US-FDA first approved the next-generation sequencer. During 2017-2019, oncology-relevant terms were clustered and contributed to the increasing trend in phase 4 of the content analysis. In the statistical analysis, all the categories showed high regression values (R2>.586) throughout the whole analysis period and phase-based statistical analysis showed significance only in Genetics terminology category (P=.039*) at phase 4.Conclusions: This study investigated, through the network and statistical analysis, trend shifts in relation to clinical genomics. The shifts offer a solid basis for standards development that shows where future standardization opportunities and gaps lie.
The effect of crossbreeding by the Montbeliard cattle on the transcriptome of the Sistani cattle
Authors: Esfedan Batol Asghari , Dashab Gholam Reza , Banabazi Mohammad Hossein , Rokouei Mohammad
Published: February 2022

Objective: Transcriptome study of the desired crossbreed and comparing it with the pure parental population is a method for evaluating and selecting cross with appropriate products, yet disease resistance, high tolerance to environmental stresses, and compatibility with the climate of the breeding tract. RNA-Sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was employed to investigate the effect of crossbreeding by the Montbeliard cattle on the “Sistani cattle” transcriptome. Blood samples were collected from 90 cows (45 pure and 45 crossbreeds). Total RNA was extracted in the Media Teb Gene Laboratory of Iran. The mRNA selection, library preparation, and sequencing were performed at BGI Shenzhen, China on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencer. After assembling the transcripts with the bovine reference genome, Cuffdiff was used to detect differential gene expression in purebred and its crossbred.Results: In total, 45 signiﬁcantly differentially expressed genes were identified (false discovery rate q< 0.05) between purebred Sistani and “Sistani×Montbeliard” crossbreed. These genes are reported to have a role in immune response, calving, fertility, and resistance to mastitis. Besides, they may have a role in different levels of heat tolerance and disease resistance. Therefore, Sistani×Montbeliard crossbred might be suitable for the climatic conditions of the Sistan region in Iran.
Method for engineering artificial bidirectional promoters
Authors: Fages-Lartaud Maxime , Prone Weiyan , Mueller Yasmin , Lale Rahmi
Published: February 2022

Bidirectional promoters (BDPs) are ubiquitous as they facilitate gene co-expression within functional groups of genes or metabolic pathways. They help to balance enzymatic expression to maintain a stoichiometric relationship and avoid cellular toxicity. While BDPs offer several benefits over single-gene expression cassettes, functionally defined BDPs are scarce and usually unsuited for multi-gene expression in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering efforts. In this paper, we describe the fabrication of BDPs in bacteria using DNA with a random nucleotide composition. We created 230 artificial BDPs using a direct selection method (antibiotic resistance) and 168 gene-specific BDPs using a double fusion protein device (fluorescent reporters along with antibiotic resistance). The method's simplicity, gene-specificity, and universality make it an unprecedented tool for creating artificial BDP libraries representing a wide range of expression levels. This technique addresses the challenges in obtaining balanced co-expression of heterologous genes or pathways in various hosts. Furthermore, it provides insights that help to understand the architecture and features of BDPs.
Last Interglacial subsurface warming on the Antarctic shelf triggered by reduced deep-ocean convection
Authors: Yeung Nicholas , Menviel Laurie , Meissner Katrin , Choudhury Dipayan , Ziehn Tilo , Chamberlain Matthew
Published: February 2022

The global mean sea-level was likely ∼3-6 m higher at the Last Interglacial (LIG) compared to pre-industrial (PI), with an Antarctic contribution estimated at 3 to 5 m sea-level equivalent. Antarctic ice-sheet modelling studies suggest that such an ice-mass loss from Antarctica requires a subsurface warming on the Antarctic shelf of ∼3◦C compared to PI. Here we show that such a subsurface warming is simulated in an equilibrium experiment of the LIG performed with a comprehensive Earth System Model. Reduced deep-ocean convection in the Weddell and Ross Seas, arising from reduced sea-ice cover, are the primary drivers of this subsurface warming, reaching +2.4◦C at 430 m depth. The associated changes in meridional density gradients and surface winds lead to a weakened Antarctic Circumpolar Current but strengthened Antarctic Slope Current, which further impact subsurface temperatures
around both East and West Antarctica, with a maximum warming of +3.1◦C at 125 m depth on the East Antarctic shelf. Higher SST and reduced sea-ice formation in the Southern Ocean thus increase ocean stratification and lead to a subsurface warming on the Antarctic shelf, with the potential to trigger ice-mass loss from the Antarctic ice-sheet.
Effect of the degree of displacement of single fracture fragment on healing of femoral shaft fracture treated by intramedullary nailing
Authors: Yang Shuo , Yang Yelin , Huo Yongfeng , Yu Jian , Sheng Luxin , Sun Xiao , Liu Xinhui , Yin Jian , Yin Zhaoyang
Published: February 2022

Objective: To investigate the effect of the degree of displacement of a femoral shaft fracture with a single fracture fragment on fracture healing after intramedullary nailing. Methods: 216 patients with closed comminuted femoral fracture admitted to Lianyungang Hospital affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from February 2010 to February 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Among these patients, 142 were males and 74 were females, the mean age was 38 (17–64) years, and 95 cases were on the right, while 121 cases were on the left. All patients were treated with a femoral interlocking intramedullary nail. Referring to the femoral shaft diameter, the degree of displacement of the fracture fragment was classified into four grades: grade Ⅰ (displacement was less than a third of the diameter of the shaft): 121 cases; grade Ⅱ (greater than a third of the diameter and less than two thirds): 52 cases; grade Ⅲ (greater than two thirds of the diameter): 28 cases; and grade Ⅳ (fracture fragment turnover): 15 cases. According to the radiographic union score of the femur, the fracture union rate and the mean union time of the fracture, the effect of the degree of displacement of the fracture fragment on fracture healing were evaluated. Results: All the indexes of the four graded groups were statistically significant. The best fracture healing was the grade Ⅰ displacement, with a fracture union rate of 89.2% and a mean union time of 7.7 months. The poorest fracture healing was for the grade Ⅲ and grade Ⅳ displacements, with a union rate of 25.0% and 20.0%, respectively, and a mean union time of 13.7 months and 17.0 months, respectively. The union rate was 65.4% and the mean union time was 8.7 months for grade Ⅱ displacement. Conclusions: A fracture fragment with grade Ⅰ displacement requires no intervention, whereas fractures with grade Ⅳ displacement should be reduced to as near as possible to the diaphyseal bone defect to avoid nonunion. Fracture fragments with the grade Ⅱ or Ⅲ displacement should be treated with closed reduction whenever possible to achieve a displacement within the range of grade Ⅰ to minimize the incidence of nonunion.
Atmospheric Moisture Sources Of Drought And Wet Events During 1979-2019 In The Three-River Source Region, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Liu Rong , Wang Xin , Wang Zuoliang
Published: February 2022

The soil moisture observation data from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost and alpine wetland (PAW) monitoring network and from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Final (NCEP-FNL) from 1989 to 2019 were adopted to drive the Lagrangian backward trajectory model to simulate the water vapour transportation paths and source regions to the three-river source region during dry and wet episodes. The results showed that the water vapour transport paths mainly came from the land and ocean in the west during the extreme drought episodes based on the standardized precipitation index (SPI), including the northern African continent, the eastern European plains, and the mid-latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean. The water vapour source regions were mainly concentrated in the Kashmir region, northeast India and southern Motuo on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. When the SPI indicated an extremely wet state, the transport mainly occurred to the east and south, including the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, where water vapour entered the mainland from East/South China, passed through the Yangtze River Basin, and finally reached the three-river source region from east or south of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, while the water vapour from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea passed through the Indian Peninsula and the Bay of Bengal and entered the three-river source region from the western and southern sides of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
CBCT Analysis Of Crestal Soft Tissue Thickness Before Implant Placement And Its Relationship With Cortical Bone Thickness
Authors: Cui Xiaoxi , Reason Tyler , Pardi Vanessa , Wu Qiang , Luna Acela A. Martinez
Published: February 2022

Background: The importance of crestal soft tissue thickness and its influence in peri-implant tissue health has been evaluated in few clinical studies. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging offers a unique opportunity to investigate variations in crestal soft tissue thickness. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the correlation between crestal soft tissue thickness and hard tissue measurements on CBCT images, and to compare crestal soft tissue thickness among different patient and edentulous site groups. Methods: CBCT images of partially edentulous adult patients treated at ECU School of Dental Medicine were evaluated. 160 patients with 189 edentulous sites were included. Demographic data were collected from electronic health records. Cross-sectional CBCT images at the center of each edentulous site were used to measure soft tissue and hard tissue parameters. Linear mixed models were used to compare crestal soft tissue thickness and hard tissue measurements by gender, age groups, and edentulous sites. Pearson correlation was applied to evaluate the correlation between crestal soft tissue thickness and different hard tissue measurements. Association between crestal soft tissue thickness and independent variables (gender, age groups, edentulous sites) was evaluated using repeated measure logistic regression, while the crestal soft tissue thickness was dichotomized by a threshold of 2mm.Results: Mean age of patients included was 60 (range 21 to 81 years). Female to male ratio was 0.96. Mean crestal soft tissue thickness of all patients was 2.09mm. Mean thickness of cortical bone at alveolar crest was 0.94mm. Thickness of buccal and lingual cortical plates 5mm apical to alveolar crest were 1.14mm and 1.56mm, respectively. Pearson’s correlation showed moderate positive correlation among hard tissue measurements, but weak correlation between soft tissue thickness and hard tissue measurements. Anterior sites [OR=3.277 (1.238-8.671)] had higher odds of presenting with more than 2mm of soft tissue at the alveolar crest. Conclusions: More than half of the patients had crestal soft tissues at edentulous sites thicker than 2mm. Thickness of crestal soft tissue was not significantly associated with hard tissue measurements. Edentulous anterior sites presented with thicker crestal soft tissue at alveolar crest as compared to posterior sites.
Vagus nerve stimulation recruits the central cholinergic system to enhance perceptual learning
Authors: Martin Kathleen , Papadoyannis Eleni , Schiavo Jennifer , Fadaei Saba , Temiz Nesibe , McGinley Matthew , McCormick David , Froemke Robert
Published: February 2022

Perception can be refined by experience up to certain limits. It is unclear if limitations are absolute or could be partially overcome via enhanced neuromodulation and/or plasticity. Recent studies highlight the utility of peripheral nerve stimulation - specifically vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) - for altering neural activity and augmenting experience-dependent plasticity, although little is known about central mechanisms recruited by VNS. Here we developed an auditory discrimination task for mice implanted with a VNS electrode. VNS occurring during behavior gradually improved discrimination abilities beyond the level achieved by training alone. Using two-photon imaging, we identified changes to auditory cortical responses and activation of cortically-projecting cholinergic axons with VNS. Anatomical and optogenetic experiments revealed that VNS seemed to enhance task performance via activation of the central cholinergic system. These results highlight the importance of cholinergic modulation for the efficacy of VNS, perhaps enabling further refinement of VNS methodology for clinical conditions.
A prompt based approach for apple disease classification
Authors: sheng xing , Zhang Yangyang , Lyu Chen
Published: February 2022

Background: Apples occupy a large part of agricultural production as a fruit with a high yield and also a high nutritional value. However, diseases of the fruit and leaves of apples seriously affect the quality and yield of apples. In the past, people had to rely on their own experience to control apple diseases, however, this approach was poorly accurate, inefficient and did not meet the requirements of fruit farmers. Many current methods are based on convolutional neural networks, but convolutional neural networks usually require a large amount of labelled data to train the network, and datasets in the agricultural eld can hardly meet this requirement.Results: To solve this problem, this paper introduces zero-times learning, which can achieve equally good results even if the test object is a dataset that has never been seen before. Specifically, we give a short description of an image as a prompt word according to its category in the public dataset, form a graphical pair of the image to be trained and the corresponding prompt word, feed them into a deep convolutional neural network, and then pre-train it on a large public dataset, and migrate it directly to our dataset after the training is completed, saving a lot of resources. In addition, we also propose a new attention module WPM (Weighted-Pooling Module) to deeply mine feature vectors by combining weighted pooling operations with fully connected operations and activation functions. Through extensive experiments, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach of combining zero-times learning with prompt words and achieve good results on our own collected eld dataset.Conclusions: Our work provides new ideas and resource savings for disease classification tasks in agriculture.
The GAMA Approach for the Analysis of Large Germplasm Collections: Genetic Diversity and Landscape Genomics of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris) Landraces in Brazil
Authors: Ariani Andrea , Burle Marilia Lobo , Noronha Sérgio Eustáquio , Gepts Paul
Published: February 2022

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an essential staple crop in the Brazilian diet, being the major source of dietary protein in this tropical country. In addition, Brazil is also one the biggest producer and consumer of this crop worldwide. Brazil covers a wide and diverse geographical area in South America, where common bean is cultivated both in tropical climates in the North and Central regions, or sub-tropical ones in the South. This climatic diversity in Brazil is reflected in the wide genetic diversity of Brazilian common bean landraces, which could represent an important resource for breeding improvement of this crop. In the current study, we characterized the genetic diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium in a collection of 274 georeferenced Brazilian landraces using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms obtained with Genotype-By-Sequencing. We integrated geographic information system, climatic conditions, agronomic (market class information), and molecular diversity analyses, labeled here GAMA (Geographic Agronomic Molecular Approach), to identify patterns of selection in this collection. This combined landscape genomic analysis allowed the identification of candidate genes or genomic regions related to abiotic stress response in this species, but also possible donor accessions for drought and heat tolerance in this collection. This information can facilitate the pre-selection of smaller samples of Brazilian landraces diversity and identify candidate markers and genes for in-depth evaluation in breeding programs aimed at the improvement of this crop.
The national, longitudinal NASCITA Cohort study: starting population profile
Authors: Pandolfini Chiara , Clavenna Antonio , Cartabia Massimo , Bonati Maurizio , Group NASCITA Work
Published: February 2022

Background We set up a national level, population-based, prospective cohort study, the NASCITA Study, to better understand the early health status of Italian children and how it is affected by social and health determinants. Physical, cognitive, and psychological development of children during the first six years of life, and potentially associated factors, will be evaluated.Methods Participating paediatricians enrolled, during their first well-child visit, all infants born April 2019 - July 2020. Multiple health outcomes will be studied, spanning child development and illness, as well as potentially related factors including parental characteristics and caregiving routines. We present the data on the entire enrolled population of 5054 newborns, at the time of their first out-of-hospital visit.ResultsMost mothers (86.6%) were born in Italy. Average age at delivery was 33.1 years. Folic acid supplementation was taken appropriately by 36.1% of mothers. One fourth (25.3%) of mothers was overweight or obese. In all, 31.7% were caesarean deliveries. Concerning the newborns, 6.2% were born prematurely and 7.9% were born with a neonatal disease. The exclusive breastfeeding rate at one month of age was 63.6%.North-South differences were found in all areas, including parental education, behaviours in pregnancy (e.g., folic acid supplementation) and afterwards (e.g., breast feeding), and hospital practices (e.g., caesarean section).When compared with national level data, the distribution of the cohort population, maternal socio-demographic characteristics, and newborn physical characteristics reflect those of the Italian population.ConclusionsThe large geographical differences in the attitudes of parents and healthcare professionals call for interventions to improve adherence to evidence based good practices associated with better neonatal growth and development. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03894566
Enhanced echo intensity of skeletal muscle is associated with poor physical function in hemodialysis patients：a cross-sectional study
Authors: Cheng Dongsheng , Wu Junzhen , Luo Haiqing , Ren Shunrong , Shen Longxiang , Wang Niansong
Published: February 2022

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between ultrasound echo intensity (EI) of skeletal muscle and physical function of patients on maintenance hemodialysis.Methods: Cross-sectional area (CSA) and mean EI of the right rectus femoris were measured by ultrasound to evaluate the quantity and quality of the muscle, respectively. Physical function was measured by handgrip strength (HGS), gait speed, sit-to-stand 60 s (STS-60) test, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale.Results: A total of 107 patients on hemodialysis were included, with women accounting for 37.3% (n = 40), and a mean age of 53.53 ± 12.52 years. Among the patients on hemodialysis, EI was moderately and negatively correlated with HGS (r = −0.467, P < 0.001), gait speed (r = −0.285, P = 0.003), and STS-60 (r = −0.313, P = 0.001). Multiple regression analyses adjusted for CSA showed that the enhanced EI of patients on hemodialysis remained associated with worse HGS (β = −0.207, P = 0.047), lower gait speed (β = −0.002, P = 0.001), less STS-60 (β = −0.136, P = 0.049), and a higher likelihood of dependency in IADL (Odds Ratio: 1.070, 95% CI: [1.033–1.111], P = 0.001).Conclusions: In patients on hemodialysis, enhanced EI in the skeletal muscle measured via ultrasound was correlated with poor physical performance. The combined muscle quality and muscle quantity evaluation provides more information for assessing the level of physical function of the patients.
Nocturnal enuresis in early adolescence and neurodevelopmental delay in infancy: a population-based study
Authors: Kanata Sho , Ando Shuntaro , Yamasaki Syudo , Fujikawa Shinya , Morimoto Yuko , Endo Kaori , Kiyono Tomoki , Morita Masaya , Hiraiwa-Hasegawa Mariko , Nishida Atsushi , Kasai Kiyoto
Published: February 2022

Objectives: The neurodevelopmental delay hypothesis may explain the mechanism of nocturnal enuresis (NE), but whether the hypothesis holds in early adolescence remains unknown, considering NE frequency. Therefore, we aimed to identify whether the neurodevelopmental delays in infancy were associated with the frequency of NE in early adolescence.Methods: Data were extracted from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, in which 4,478 children (10.2 years) and their parents participated. Developmental delays were extracted from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook. The NE frequency was obtained from a parent-answered questionnaire (frequent; ≥2 times a week). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether delayed developmental milestones in infancy were predictive of frequent/infrequent NE in early adolescence.Results: Developmental delays, particularly those related to motor development but not verbal, such as holding their head up (odds ratio; OR [95% confidence interval (CI)]=2.1[1.1–4.2]), crawling (2.1[1.0–4.4]), walking with support (4.0[1.9–8.4]), walking independently (5.8[2.2–15.4]), and drawing a circle (5.0[2.0–12.3]) were significantly associated with an increased risk of frequent NE in early adolescence (all ps<.05). However, an association with infrequent NE was not found.Conclusions: This population-based epidemiological study revealed that motor developmental delays increased the risk of frequent NE in early adolescents, except for infrequent NE; this finding reinforces the neurodevelopmental delay hypothesis, which provides a biological explanation for the involuntary nature of enuresis. All children in early adolescence with frequent NE should be evaluated and treated by a medical expert.
Machine Learning Impact Assessment Of Climate Factors On Daily Covid-19 Cases
Authors: Afrifa Stephen , Ato Essien Felix , Appiahene Peter , Wiafe Isaac , Gyening Rose-Mary Owusuaa Mensah , Opoku Michael
Published: February 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (also known as COVID-19) is a vastly infectious virus instigated by the coronavirus-2, which causes severe acute respiratory illness (SARS-Cov-2). Scientists and researchers are conducting a number of studies to better understand the COVID-19 pandemic's behavioral nature and spread, and machine learning provides useful tools. We used machine learning techniques to study the effect of climate conditions on daily instances of COVID-19 in this study. The study has three main objectives: first, to investigate the most climatic features that could affect the spread of novel COVID-19 cases; second, to assess the influence of government strategies on COVID-19 using our dataset; third, to do a comparative analysis of two different machine learning models, and develop a model to predict accurate response to the most features on COVID-19 spread. The goal of this research is to assist health-care facilities and governments with planning and decision-making. The study compared random forest and artificial neural network models for analysis. In addition, feature importance among the independent variables (climate variables) were identified with the random forest. The study used publicly available datasets of COVID-19 cases from the World Health Organization and climate variables from National Aeronautics and Space Administration websites respectively. Our results showed that relative humidity and solar had significant impact as a feature of weather variables on COVID-19 recorded cases; and that random forest predicted accurate response to the most climatic features on COVID-19 spread. Based on this, we propose the random forest model to predict COVID-19 cases using weather variables.
Sampled-Data Exponential Synchronization of Markovian Jump Chaotic Lur'e Systems with Multiple Time Delays
Authors: Yang Te , Wang Zhen , Huang Xia , Xia Jianwei
Published: February 2022

This paper studies the mean square exponential synchronization control of the Markovian jump chaotic Lur'e systems (MJCLSs) with multiple time delays via aperiodic sampling. Firstly, by introducing the mode-dependent single/double integral terms and considering the system state at the sampling instant, a new mode-dependent Lyapunov functional based on the looped-functional is constructed. On the basis of the constructed functional and by estimating the expectation of the solution of MJCLSs with multiple time delays, an exponential synchronization criterion in the mean square sense is presented. Then, based on the obtained stability conditions, a design method for aperiodic sampled-data controller (ASDC) to ensure the exponential synchronization is proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed method is demonstrated by the Chua’s circuit model and a neural network model. Compared with the existing literature, an admissible larger upper bound of sampling period can be obtained.
Long Non-coding RNA LINC02679 Regulates TRIML2 Expression to Promote the Proliferation and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells by Targeting miR-5004-3p
Authors: Tan  , Li Yong , Chen Zihao , Zhao Qun , Tan Ming , Zhao Yijie , Xia Yuxiang , Fan Liqiao , Liu Wenbo
Published: February 2022

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key role in regulating the development, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer. However, the specific clinical value and mechanism of LINC02679, a lncRNA family member, is not clear. This study explored the mechanism of action of LINC02679 by measuring LINC02679 expression in gastric tissues and cells and explored the role it played in gastric cancer in a series of experiments, including bioinformatics, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), cell activity, invasion and migration, protein expression and dual-luciferase reporter gene analyses. The bioinformatics and verification test results indicated that LINC02679 expression in gastric cancer tissue and cells was higher than that in normal tissue and cells and that LINC02679 overexpression was a marker of a poor prognosis for patients with gastric cancer. By regulating the expression of LINC02679 in cells, cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and related gene expression changed. The results of the in vivo experiments were consistent with those of the cell experiments. Further exploration revealed that LINC02679 carried out its functional role by regulating the miR-5004-3p/tripartite motif family-like 2 (TRIML2) pathway via sponge.This study demonstrated that LINC02679 targeted TRIML2 to promote the proliferation, invasion and migration of gastric cancer cells and that LINC02679 might serve as a target gene in the treatment of gastric cancer.
Marine nitrogen fixation as a possible source of atmospheric water-soluble organic nitrogen aerosols in the subtropical North Pacific
Authors: Dobashi Tsukasa , Miyazaki Yuzo , Tachibana Eri , Takahashi Kazutaka , Horii Sachiko , Iwamoto Yoko , Wong Shu-Kuan , Hamasaki Koji
Published: February 2022

Water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) in marine atmospheric aerosol affects water-solubility, acidity, and light-absorbing properties of aerosol particles, which are important parameters in assessing both the climate impact and the biogeochemical cycling of bioelements. Size-segregated aerosol and surface seawater (SSW) samples were simultaneously collected over the subtropical North Pacific to investigate the origin of WSON in the marine atmosphere. The submicrometer WSON concentration (7.5 ± 6.6 ngN m− 3) at 200–240ºE along 23ºN defined as the eastern North Pacific (ENP) was significantly higher than that (2.4 ± 1.9 ngN m− 3) at 135–200ºE, defined as the western North Pacific (WNP). Analysis of the stable carbon isotope ratio of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) (δ13CWSOC) indicated that most of the observed WSON in the fine particles in the ENP originated from the ocean surface. We found a significant positive correlation between the WSON concentrations and nitrogen fixation rate in SSW. The result indicates that reactive nitrogen (dissolved organic nitrogen and ammonium), produced and exuded by nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in SSW, significantly contributed to the formation of WSON aerosols. These results provide new insights into the role of ocean-derived reactive nitrogen aerosol associated with marine microbial activity.
Adsorption of 60Co and 154+152Eu using graft copolymer of starch-polyacrylic acid-polyvinylsulfonic acid
Authors: Ghamry Mohamed Abdelhamid , Abdelmonem Islam
Published: February 2022

Graft copolymer of starch-polyacrylic acid-polyvinylsulfonic acid (St-g-PAA-PVSA) was synthesized by gamma radiation as an initiator. The chemical structure, morphology, and thermal stability of the graft copolymer were investigated using FTIR, SEM, and TGA. St-g-PAA-PVSA graft copolymer was employed as an adsorbent for the removal of cobalt(II) and europium(III) radionuclides from their aqueous solutions by batch adsorption method. Several experimental factors such as pH, contact time, initial concentration of adsorbate, and temperature were used to find the best conditions for the removal of cobalt(II) and europium(III) radionuclides. The pseudo-second order kinetic model better fit the adsorption kinetic data of radionuclides. Langmuir models had the ability to well describe the equilibrium data of adsorption of radionuclides. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated and suggested the adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Among the examined desorbing agents, both AlCl3 and HCl were succeeded to desorb most of radionuclides.
Risk factors for nasal polyps, a case-control study
Authors: Shoaib Salwan , Yaghi Ameer , Kahal Fares , Kadri Saeed , Nahas Louei Darjazini
Published: February 2022

Background : Nasal polyposis is considered one of the most common diseases that cause obstruction of the respiratory tract and impede the patient's quality of life.Aims : The aim is to determine if smoking and body mass index are risk factors for hyperplastic nasal polyps in patients with chronic obstructive rhinitis and allergic rhinitis, and thus conducting early diagnostic investigations to detect the disease early and limit its development. Methods : A cross-sectional case control study was conducted that includes patients who came to Damascus Hospital with complaints of chronic obstruction of the nose and chronic allergies that doesn’t respond to conventional treatments and who met the entry criteria and patients from ENT Division without symptoms of obstructive respiratory tracts .Results : 120 patients were included in the study and were distributed as follows: 60 patients with nasal polyps and 60 patients without nasal polyps. The arithmetic mean of age in the group of cases was 31 ± 16.7 years, while in the controls 32.2 ± 18.3, the BMI value was expressed as the arithmetic mean and it was 30.5 ± 4.16 years, while in the controls 23.6 ± 4.30, and the sex ratio was equal between cases and controls with A statistically non-significant value p = 1.000, while the proportion of smokers in cases was 70%, while in controls 37%, with a statistically significant value p = 0.0003.Conclusion : Smoking and body mass index had a statistically significant relation with the development of nasal polyposis .
Dual Functional Alginate and Collagen-Based Injectable Hydrogel for Treatment of Cancer and Its Metastasis
Authors: Hwang Juyoung , An Eun-Koung , Zhang Wei , Jin Jun-O
Published: February 2022

Background
For prevention of recurrence and metastasis, immunotherapies against cancer has been gaining attention. Cancer immunotherapy can induce memory immunity against cancer antigens which selectively kills the cancer. However, there are difficulties for inducing cancer antigen-specific immune activity due to limited cancer antigen. In this study, we synthesized dual functional hydrogel for inducing antigen generation and immune activation.
Methods
To elicit cancer self-antigen specific immune activation, we synthesized an alginate-collagen-based injectable hydrogel, called thermal responsive hydrogel (pTRG), incorporated with indocyanine green and immune stimulator polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C). pTRG was evaluated for its anticancer and anti-metastatic effects against CT-26 carcinoma and 4T1 breast tumor in mice by combining photothermal therapy (PTT) and immunotherapy.
Results
Irradiation of near-infrared (NIR) promoted elevation of temperatures in the pTRG, consequently promoting the therapeutic effect of tumors in mice. The cured mice from the CT-26 tumor challenged by pTRG prevented the second challenge of metastatic cancer growth in the lung mediated by cancer antigen-specific T cell immunity. Moreover, in 4T1 tumors, one of the candidate tumor models for PTT, pTRG successfully treated 1st challenged tumor by PTT and inhibited the second challenge of 4T1 tumor growth in the lung. To further evaluate the carrier function of TRGs, different types of immunotherapeutic molecules were incorporated into TRGs and showed effective elimination against the first challenged CT-26 tumor and prevention of second challenge metastatic cancer growth in the lung.
Conclusions
These data demonstrate that TRG is a smart material not only for treating primary tumors, but also for preventing metastasis and recurrence.