bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the antibacterial, antidiabetic, and anticancer potential of Mentha arvensis extract through in-silico and in-vitro analysis
Authors: Faisal Shah , Tariq Muhammad Hamza , Ullah Riaz , Zafar Sania , Rizwan Muhammad , bibi Nadia , Khattak Aishma , Amir Noora , Abdullah
Published: July 2023

Background

Mentha arvensis has been utilized in diverse traditional medicines as an antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, antifungal, and antibacterial agent. In this work, we have explored the phytochemical analyses and pharmacological potential of Mentha arvensis using both in silico and in vitro approaches for drug discovery.

Methods

To determine the extract with the highest potential for powerful bioactivity, ethanol was used as the solvent. The phytochemical components of the extracts were quantified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The potential bioactivities of extracts and lead phytocompounds, including their antibacterial, cytotoxic, and anti-diabetic effects, were evaluated.

Results

The compounds oleanolic acid, rosmarinic acid, luteolin, isoorientin, and ursolic acid have been identified through liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Based on antimicrobial research, it has been found that the Mentha arvensis extract shows potential activity against K. pneumoniae which was 13.39 ± 0.16. Mentha arvensis has demonstrated a greater degree of efficacy in inhibiting α-glucosidase, with an inhibition rate of 58.36 ± 0.12, and in inhibiting α-amylase, with an inhibition rate of 42.18 ± 0.83. The growth of HepG2 cells was observed to be significantly suppressed upon treatment with extracts obtained from Mentha arvensis. Finally, In-silico methods demonstrated that the Luteolin and Rosmarinic acid exhibit acceptable drug-like characteristics. Furthermore, Molecular docking studies further demonstrated that both compounds have strong potential to inhibit the active sites of therapeutically relevant enzymes involved in Diabetes, Bacterial infections, and Cancer.

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that the Mentha arvensis extract possesses potent pharmacological potentials, particularly in terms of antibacterial, anti-diabetic, and cytotoxic effects. Particularly, Luteolin and Rosmarinic acid were identified as the top contenders for potential bioactivity with acceptable drug-like properties.
Mentoring & support practices for final year medical students during a pandemic – ‘The covid doctors’
Authors: Brar Gurjot , Harney Sarah , McGarr Oliver , McFarland John
Published: July 2023

Background

Transition from final-year medical student to newly graduated doctor is challenging with evidence of associated increased patient mortality and medical errors. Previous work suggests tackling preparedness alone does not ‘solve’ this transition. The current focus on mentoring and support provision during this period and is an under-researched area. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a unique disruptive critical incident in which to examine mentoring and support practices, exposing strengths and weaknesses. The perspectives of this cohort and their implications remains an under-researched area.

Methods

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine graduate-entry final-year medical students. An inductive latent phenomenological approach explored individual experiences of mentoring and support practices during final-year and transition to professional practice.

Results

Three major themes emerged: 1) Mentoring & Support; 2) Clinical Exposure; 3) Graduation & Transition. A journey metaphor was used to aid the description of participants’ lived experience of mentoring and support practices during their final year. Final year medical students (FYMs) felt under-supported and found practices inadequate. Reduced clinical exposure yielded unpreparedness and regression, potentially impacting future careers. Positive experiences were variable and unstructured. ‘The COVID Doctors’, subtheme provided rich insights into shared narratives and identities amongst participants.

Conclusions

This study provides qualitative evidence for perceived inadequate mentoring and support provision for final year medical students at transition during a critical incident (the COVID-19 pandemic). Several themes using the metaphor of a journey explore the lived experience of this unique cohort determining their perceptions on the delivery of their medical education and their identity as ‘covid doctors’. There are several implications for this study in a post-pandemic era and for pandemic-preparedness, both rapidly growing areas of research in medical education. Recommendations include updating contingency plans, balancing clinical exposure with patient safety issues, and providing support to ‘bottom-up’ mentoring practices.
Effects of Ilicis Chinensis folium extract supplementation on growth performance, serum parameters, intestinal morphology, and antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens
Authors: Zhong Yingjie , Li Liang , Chen Wujun , Xing Dongming , Wu Xiaolin
Published: July 2023

Background

Ilicis chinensis folium extract (ICFE) is a powder extracted and processed with Ilex chinensis Sims (ICS) which has numerous bioactivities and is conventionally used in traditional Chinese medicine. Nonetheless, there has been no definitive study evaluating ICFE’s application as a feed supplement for broilers. This research sought to determine the chemical composition and evaluate how dietary ICFE supplementation affects the growth performance, serum metrics, intestinal structure, and antioxidant capacity of broilers.

Methods

A total of 360 one-day-old broiler chicks were assigned to four treatments (with 9 replicates of 10 chicks, each) of dietary supplementation with ICFE at 0, 250, 500, and 1,000 mg /kg for 42 days.

Results

Ten polyphenolic compounds and two triterpenoid glycosides were detected by HPLC. In the grower stage and overall, broilers supplemented with 500 and 1,000 mg/kg ICFE exhibited a higher ADFI (P < 0.05) than the controls. Additionally, compared to the controls, broilers receiving low, medium, or high dosages of ICFE exhibited higher average daily gains (P < 0.05) throughout the starter stage and overall. Organ indices showed no significant variation, suggesting that ICFE was non-toxic. ICFE supplementation increased the height of villi in the duodenum and jejunum, reduced crypt depth, and increased the villus/crypt ratio in the duodenum (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of IL-4 and IgA were increased in ICFE-supplemented broilers. The serum malondialdehyde concentration was reduced, whereas superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant capacity increased through supplementation with ICFE.

Conclusion

ICFE supplementation can improve intestinal morphology, antioxidant capacity, and growth performance of broilers. Hence, ICFE is a promising and safe alternative to antibiotics in broilers, and 500 mg/kg appears to be the optimal dose.
Comparative cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients taking dapagliflozin versus empagliflozin: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Lim Jaehyun , Choi You-Jung , Kim Bong Sung , Rhee Tae-Min , Lee Hyun-Jung , Han Kyung-Do , Park Jun-Bean , Na Jin Oh , Kim Yong-Jin , Lee Heesun , Kim Hyung-Kwan
Published: July 2023

Background

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors displayed cardiovascular benefits in type 2 diabetes mellitus in previous studies; however, there were some heterogeneities regarding respective cardiovascular outcomes within the class. Furthermore, their efficacies in Asians, females, and those with low cardiovascular risks were under-represented. Thus, we compared the cardiovascular outcomes between new users of dapagliflozin and empagliflozin in a broad range of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using a nationwide population-based real-world cohort from Korea.

Methods

Korean National Health Insurance registry data between May 2016 and December 2018 were extracted, and an active-comparator new-user design was applied. The primary outcome was a composite of heart failure (HF)-related events (i.e., hospitalization for HF and HF-related death), myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular death. The secondary outcomes were individual components of the primary outcome.

Results

A total of 366,031 new users of dapagliflozin or empagliflozin were identified. After 1:1 nearest-neighbor propensity score matching, 72,752 individuals (mean age approximately 56 years, 42% women) from each group were included in the final analysis, with a follow-up of 150,000 ~ person-years. Approximately 40% of the patients included in the study had type 2 diabetes mellitus as their sole cardiovascular risk factor, with no other risk factors. The risk of the primary outcome was not different significantly between dapagliflozin and empagliflozin users (hazard ratio [HR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.855–1.006). The risks of secondary outcomes were also similar, with the exception of the risks of HF-related events (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.714–0.989) and cardiovascular death (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.618–0.921), which were significantly lower in the dapagliflozin users.

Conclusions

This large-scale nationwide population-based real-world cohort study revealed no significant difference in composite cardiovascular outcomes between new users of dapagliflozin and empagliflozin. However, dapagliflozin might be associated with lower risks of hospitalization or death due to HF and cardiovascular death than empagliflozin in Asian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Plasmodium falciparum infection and disease in infancy associated with increased risk of malaria and anaemia in childhood
Authors: Andronescu Liana R. , Buchwald Andrea G. , Sharma Ankur , Bauleni Andy , Mawindo Patricia , Liang Yuanyuan , Gutman Julie R. , Mathanga Don P. , Chinkhumba Jobiba , Laufer Miriam K.
Published: July 2023

Background

Infants under 6 months of age are often excluded from malaria surveillance and observational studies. The impact of malaria during early infancy on health later in childhood remains unknown.

Methods

Infants from two birth cohorts in Malawi were monitored at quarterly intervals and whenever they were ill from birth through 24 months for Plasmodium falciparum infections and clinical malaria. Poisson regression and linear mixed effects models measured the effect of exposure to malaria in infancy on subsequent malaria incidence, weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), and haemoglobin concentrations after 6 months.

Results

Infants with at least one P. falciparum infection during their first 6 months had increased incidence ratio (IRR) of P. falciparum infection (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.06–1.52) and clinical malaria (IRR = 2.37, 95% CI, 2.02–2.80) compared to infants without infection. Infants with clinical malaria had increased risk of P. falciparum infection incidence between 6 and 24 months (IRR = 1.64, 95% CI, 1.38–1.94) and clinical malaria (IRR = 1.85, 95% CI, 1.48–2.32). Exposure to malaria was associated with lower WAZ over time (p = 0.02) and lower haemoglobin levels than unexposed infants at every time interval (p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Infants experiencing malaria infection or clinical malaria are at increased risk of subsequent infection and disease, have poorer growth, and lower haemoglobin concentrations.
Recent advance in phytonanomedicine and mineral nanomedicine delivery system of the treatment for acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Jia Yimin , Sun Cun , Chen Ting , Zhu Hui , Wang Tianrui , Ye Yan , Luo Xing , Zeng Xiaoqiang , Yang Yun , Zeng Hao , Zou Quanming , Liu Enqiang , Li Jieping , Sun Hongwu
Published: July 2023

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an invasive hematopoietic malignancy caused by excessive proliferation of myeloblasts. Classical chemotherapies and cell transplantation therapies have remarkable efficacy in AML treatment; however, 30–40% of patients relapsed or had refractory disease. The resistance of AML is closely related to its inherent cytogenetics or various gene mutations. Recently, phytonanomedicine are found to be effective against resistant AML cells and have become a research focus for nanotechnology development to improve their properties, such as increasing solubility, improving absorption, enhancing bioavailability, and maintaining sustained release and targeting. These novel phytonanomedicine and mineral nanomedicine, including nanocrystals, nanoemulsion, nanoparticles, nanoliposome, and nanomicelles, offer many advantages, such as flexible dosages or forms, multiple routes of administration, and curative effects. Therefore, we reviewed the application and progress of phytomedicine in AML treatment and discussed the limitations and future prospects. This review may provide a solid reference to guide future research on AML treatment.
Vancouver’s Alcohol Knowledge Exchange: lessons learned from creating a peer-involved alcohol harm reduction strategy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
Authors: Bailey Aaron , Graham Brittany , Harps Myles , Sedore George
Published: July 2023

Despite high rates of harm attributable to alcohol use itself and the associated marginalization of illicit drinkers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES), alcohol-specific harm reduction services there are under-resourced and highly disconnected from one another. In response to these conditions and high rates of death amongst its membership, the Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education, an affiliate group of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, convened a regular meeting of stakeholders, termed a “community of practice” in 2019 to bring together peers who used beverage and non-beverage alcohol, shelter and harm reduction service providers, public health professionals, clinicians, and policymakers to improve system-level capacity to reduce alcohol-related harm. The discussions that followed from these meetings were transformed into the Vancouver Alcohol Strategy (VAS), a comprehensive, harm reduction-oriented policy framework for alcohol harm reduction in the DTES. This article highlights our experiences producing community-led alcohol policy through the VAS with specific attention to the ways in which people who use alcohol themselves were centred throughout the policy development process. We also provide summary overviews of each of the VAS document’s 6 thematic areas for action, highlighting a sampling of the 47 total unique recommendations. Historically, people who use non-beverage alcohol and whose use of alcohol in public spaces is criminalized due to housing precarity and visible poverty have been excluded from the development of population-level alcohol policies that can harm this specific population. The process of policy development undertaken by the VAS has attempted to resist this top-down approach to public health policy development related to alcohol control by intentionally creating space for people with lived experience to guide our recommendations. We conclude by suggesting that a grassroots enthusiasm for harm reduction focused policy development exists in Vancouver’s DTES, and requires resources from governmental public health institutions to meaningfully prevent and reduce alcohol-related and policy-induced harms.
Metformin increases pathological responses to rectal cancers with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lai I-Li , You Jeng-Fu , Tsai Wen-Sy , Hsu Yu-Jen , Chern Yih-Jong , Wu Ming-Ying
Published: July 2023

Background

To summarize the chemo-radio effect of metformin in rectal cancers with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy on pathological response, tumor regression grade (TRG), and T/N downstaging.

Methods

PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Database of collected reviews were searched up to June 30, 2022. This study conducted systematic review and meta-analysis based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) sheet. Odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs) which calculated by random-effects models were displayed in forest plots. Newcastle–Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias of the observational cohort studies.

Results

This systematic review and meta-analysis comprised eight cohorts out of seven studies, with 2294 patients in total. We performed two-way comparison for metformin in diabetic patients vs (1) non-metformin drugs in diabetic patients and (2) nondiabetic patients. In diabetes patient studies, the metformin group had a significantly increased pathological response on TRG (OR: 3.28, CI: 2.01–5.35, I2 = 0%, p < 0.001) and T downstaging (OR: 2.14, CI: 1.24–3.67, I2 = 14%, p = 0.006) in comparison with a non-metformin group. When compared with nondiabetic patients, the pathological response on TRG (OR: 2.67, CI: 1.65–4.32, I2 = 43%, p < 0.001) and T downstaging (OR: 1.96, CI: 1.04–3.71, I2 = 66%, p = 0.04) were also higher in metformin group. The limitation was that no randomized controlled trials were available based on current literature review. Small sample sizes for diabetic metformin or non-metformin users in rectal cancer patients reduced the power of the study.

Conclusions

For patients with rectal cancer and treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, metformin administration in diabetic patients increased the pathological response on tumor-regression grade and T downstaging. Further well-designed, high-quality randomized controlled trials are required to reveal the actual effect of metformin.
Short-term smoking cessation leads to a universal decrease in whole blood genomic DNA methylation in patients with a smoking history
Authors: Shang Junyi , Nie Xinran , Qi Yanan , Zhou Jing , Qi Yong
Published: July 2023

Background

Epigenetics is involved in various human diseases. Smoking is one of the most common environmental factors causing epigenetic changes. The DNA methylation changes and mechanisms after quitting smoking have yet to be defined. The present study examined the changes in DNA methylation levels before and after short-term smoking cessation and explored the potential mechanism.

Methods

Whole blood and clinical data were collected from 8 patients before and after short-term smoking cessation, DNA methylation was assessed, and differentially methylated sites were analyzed, followed by a comprehensive analysis of the differentially methylated sites with clinical data. GO/KEGG enrichment and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analyses identified the hub genes. The differentially methylated sites between former and current smokers in GSE50660 from the GEO database were detected by GEO2R. Then, a Venn analysis was carried out using the differentially methylated sites. GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was performed on the genes corresponding to the common DNA methylation sites, the PPI network was constructed, and hub genes were predicted. The enriched genes associated with the cell cycle were selected, and the pan-cancer gene expression and clinical significance in lung cancer were analyzed based on the TCGA database.

Results

Most genes showed decreased DNA methylation levels after short-term smoking cessation; 694 upregulated methylation CpG sites and 3184 downregulated methylation CpG sites were identified. The DNA methylation levels were altered according to the clinical data (body weight, expiratory, and tobacco dependence score). Enrichment analysis, construction of the PPI network, and pan-cancer analysis suggested that smoking cessation may affect various biological processes.

Conclusions

Smoking cessation leads to epigenetic changes, mainly decreased in the decline of most DNA methylation levels. Bioinformatics further identified the biologically relevant changes after short-term smoking cessation.
ECLAPTE: Effective Closure of LAParoTomy in Emergency—2023 World Society of Emergency Surgery guidelines for the closure of laparotomy in emergency settings
Authors: Frassini Simone , Cobianchi Lorenzo , Fugazzola Paola , Biffl Walter L. , Coccolini Federico , Damaskos Dimitrios , Moore Ernest E. , Kluger Yoram , Ceresoli Marco , Coimbra Raul , Davies Justin , Kirkpatrick Andrew , Di Carlo Isidoro , Hardcastle Timothy C. , Isik Arda , Chiarugi Massimo , Gurusamy Kurinchi , Maier Ronald V. , Segovia Lohse Helmut A. , Jeekel Hans , Boermeester Marja A. , Abu-Zidan Fikri , Inaba Kenji , Weber Dieter G. , Augustin Goran , Bonavina Luigi , Velmahos George , Sartelli Massimo , Di Saverio Salomone , Ten Broek Richard P. G. , Granieri Stefano , Dal Mas Francesca , Farè Camilla Nikita , Peverada Jacopo , Zanghì Simone , Viganò Jacopo , Tomasoni Matteo , Dominioni Tommaso , Cicuttin Enrico , Hecker Andreas , Tebala Giovanni D. , Galante Joseph M. , Wani Imtiaz , Khokha Vladimir , Sugrue Michael , Scalea Thomas M. , Tan Edward , Malangoni Mark A. , Pararas Nikolaos , Podda Mauro , De Simone Belinda , Ivatury Rao , Cui Yunfeng , Kashuk Jeffry , Peitzman Andrew , Kim Fernando , Pikoulis Emmanouil , Sganga Gabriele , Chiara Osvaldo , Kelly Michael D. , Marzi Ingo , Picetti Edoardo , Agnoletti Vanni , De’Angelis Nicola , Campanelli Giampiero , de Moya Marc , Litvin Andrey , Martínez-Pérez Aleix , Sall Ibrahima , Rizoli Sandro , Tomadze Gia , Sakakushev Boris , Stahel Philip F. , Civil Ian , Shelat Vishal , Costa David , Chichom-Mefire Alain , Latifi Rifat , Chirica Mircea , Amico Francesco , Pardhan Amyn , Seenarain Vidya , Boyapati Nikitha , Hatz Basil , Ackermann Travis , Abeyasundara Sandun , Fenton Linda , Plani Frank , Sarvepalli Rohit , Rouhbakhshfar Omid , Caleo Pamela , Ho-Ching Yau Victor , Clement Kristenne , Christou Erasmia , Castillo Ana María González , Gosal Preet K. S. , Balasubramaniam Sunder , Hsu Jeremy , Banphawatanarak Kamon , Pisano Michele , Adriana Toro , Michele Altomare , Cioffi Stefano P. B. , Spota Andrea , Catena Fausto , Ansaloni Luca
Published: July 2023

Laparotomy incisions provide easy and rapid access to the peritoneal cavity in case of emergency surgery. Incisional hernia (IH) is a late manifestation of the failure of abdominal wall closure and represents frequent complication of any abdominal incision: IHs can cause pain and discomfort to the patients but also clinical serious sequelae like bowel obstruction, incarceration, strangulation, and necessity of reoperation. Previous guidelines and indications in the literature consider elective settings and evidence about laparotomy closure in emergency settings is lacking. This paper aims to present the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) project called ECLAPTE (Effective Closure of LAParoTomy in Emergency): the final manuscript includes guidelines on the closure of emergency laparotomy.
Neutrophils in triple-negative breast cancer: an underestimated player with increasingly recognized importance
Authors: Zheng Chanjuan , Xu Xi , Wu Muyao , Xue Lian , Zhu Jianyu , Xia Hongzhuo , Ding Siyu , Fu Shujun , Wang Xinyu , Wang Yian , He Guangchun , Liu Xia , Deng Xiyun
Published: July 2023

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal subtype of breast cancer, with limited therapeutic options readily available. Immunotherapy such as immune checkpoint inhibition has been investigated in TNBC but still encounters low overall response. Neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes in the body, are increasingly recognized as an active cancer-modulating entity. In the bloodstream, neutrophils escort circulating tumor cells to promote their survival and stimulate their proliferation and metastasis. In the tumor microenvironment, neutrophils modulate the immune milieu through polarization between the anti-tumor and the pro-tumor phenotypes. Through a comprehensive review of recently published literature, it is evident that neutrophils are an important player in TNBC immunobiology and can be used as an important prognostic marker of TNBC. Particularly, in their pro-tumor form, neutrophils facilitate TNBC metastasis through formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and the pre-metastatic niche. These findings will help advance the potential utilization of neutrophils as a therapeutic target in TNBC.
Risk factors for gut colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci among Bulgarian critically ill patients
Authors: Hristova Preslava M. , Marinova-Bulgaranova Teodora V. , Strateva Tanya V. , Trifonov Stefan V. , Hitkova Hristina Y.
Published: July 2023

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRЕ) are recognized as important hospital pathogens which have become common in patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of and the risk factors for colonization with VRE among ICU patients. A total of 91 patients who had duration of hospitalization more than 48 h and without infection caused by VRE or/and other microorganisms in the ICU at University Hospital, Pleven were screened for colonization with VRE. The following data were collected: demographic characteristics, clinical information and antimicrobials use. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 27.0. Colonization with VRE was established in 22 patients and one was carrying two enterococcal species. A total of 23 VRE were isolated. The univariate analysis showed that the postoperative critical cares (p < 0.001), cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.009) and the presence of an endotracheal tube (p = 0.003) were risk factors for colonization with VRE. Also, the postoperative critical cares (p = 0.021) and cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.018) were confirmed as independent risk factor for VRE acquisition by multivariate analysis. The prevalence of VRE colonization among the ICU patients was relatively high (24.2%). Risk factors for acquisition of intestinal VRE were the postoperative cares, cardiovascular diseases and the presence of an endotracheal tube.
Radiomics predictive modeling from dual-time-point FDG PET Ki parametric maps: application to chemotherapy response in lymphoma
Authors: Samimi Rezvan , Shiri Isaac , Ahmadyar Yashar , van den Hoff Jörg , Kamali-Asl Alireza , Rezaee Alireza , Yousefirizi Fereshteh , Geramifar Parham , Rahmim Arman
Published: July 2023

Background

To investigate the use of dynamic radiomics features derived from dual-time-point (DTP-feature) [18F]FDG PET metabolic uptake rate Ki parametric maps to develop a predictive model for response to chemotherapy in lymphoma patients.

Methods

We analyzed 126 lesions from 45 lymphoma patients (responding n = 75 and non-responding n = 51) treated with chemotherapy from two different centers. Static and DTP radiomics features were extracted from baseline static PET images and DTP Ki parametric maps. Spearman’s rank correlations were calculated between static and DTP features to identify features with potential additional information. We first employed univariate analysis to determine correlations between individual features, and subsequently utilized multivariate analysis to derive predictive models utilizing DTP and static radiomics features before and after ComBat harmonization. For multivariate modeling, we utilized both the minimum redundancy maximum relevance feature selection technique and the XGBoost classifier. To evaluate our model, we partitioned the patient datasets into training/validation and testing sets using an 80/20% split. Different metrics for classification including area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), and accuracy (ACC) were reported in test sets.

Results

Via Spearman’s rank correlations, there was negligible to moderate correlation between 32 out of 65 DTP features and some static features (ρ < 0.7); all the other 33 features showed high correlations (ρ ≥ 0.7). In univariate modeling, no significant difference between AUC of DTP and static features was observed. GLRLM_RLNU from static features demonstrated a strong correlation (AUC = 0.75, p value = 0.0001, q value = 0.0007) with therapy response. The most predictive DTP features were GLCM_Energy, GLCM_Entropy, and Uniformity, each with AUC = 0.73, p value = 0.0001, and q value < 0.0005. In multivariate analysis, the mean ranges of AUCs increased following harmonization. Use of harmonization plus combining DTP and static features was shown to provide significantly improved predictions (AUC = 0.97 ± 0.02, accuracy = 0.89 ± 0.05, sensitivity = 0.92 ± 0.09, and specificity = 0.88 ± 0.05). All models depicted significant performance in terms of AUC, ACC, SEN, and SPE (p < 0.05, Mann–Whitney test).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate significant value in harmonization of radiomics features as well as combining DTP and static radiomics models for predicting response to chemotherapy in lymphoma patients.
Isolation of a bacteriophage targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and exhibits a promising in vivo efficacy
Authors: Abdelghafar Aliaa , El-Ganiny Amira , Shaker Ghada , Askoura Momen
Published: July 2023

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important pathogen that causes serious infections. Bacterial biofilms are highly resistant and render bacterial treatment very difficult, therefore necessitates alternative antibacterial strategies. Phage therapy has been recently regarded as a potential therapeutic option for treatment of bacterial infections. In the current study, a novel podovirus vB_PaeP_PS28 has been isolated from sewage with higher lytic activity against P. aeruginosa. Isolated phage exhibits a short latent period, large burst size and higher stability over a wide range of temperatures and pH. The genome of vB_PaeP_PS28 consists of 72,283 bp circular double-stranded DNA, with G + C content of 54.75%. The phage genome contains 94 open reading frames (ORFs); 32 for known functional proteins and 62 for hypothetical proteins and no tRNA genes. The phage vB_PaeP_PS28 effectively inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa planktonic cells and displayed a higher biofilm degrading capability. Moreover, therapeutic efficacy of isolated phage was evaluated in vivo using mice infection model. Interestingly, survival of mice infected with P. aeruginosa was significantly enhanced upon treatment with vB_PaeP_PS28. Furthermore, the bacterial load in liver and kidney isolated from mice infected with P. aeruginosa and treated with phage markedly decreased as compared with phage-untreated P. aeruginosa-infected mice. These findings support the efficacy of isolated phage vB_PaeP_PS28 in reducing P. aeruginosa colonization and pathogenesis in host. Importantly, the isolated phage vB_PaeP_PS28 could be applied alone or as combination therapy with other lytic phages as phage cocktail therapy or with antibiotics to limit infections caused by P. aeruginosa.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: An abnormal traffic detection method using GCN-BiLSTM-Attention in the internet of vehicles environment
Authors: Wang Xueli , Wang Qin
Published: July 2023

In-vehicle network intrusion detection tasks, it is usually necessary to simultaneously meet the requirements of low computational power consumption, real-time response, and high detection accuracy. In response to the class imbalance problem in existing vehicle network anomaly flow detection methods, which leads to longer training convergence time and low detection accuracy, an anomaly flow detection method using GCN-BiLSTM-Attention is proposed. Firstly, Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN) is used to obtain spatial correlations between data streams. Secondly, obtaining the time correlation to predict the next time slice flow matrix by capitalizing the variant Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) network. Last but not least, an attention mechanism is designed for extracting key information from the data stream. The results of experiment prove that the binary classification false positive rate, detection rate, and F1 value of the proposed GCN-BiLSTM-Attention-based anomaly flow detection method on the NSL-KDD dataset are 95.87%, 6.31%, and 94.25%, respectively; The false positive rate, detection rate, and F1 value on the CICID2017 dataset are 6.01%, 94.12%,and 94.36%, respectively. The proposed GCN-BiLSTM-Attention model has exceeded the compared methods in detecting abnormal traffic in the context of the Internet of Vehicles, and it can better preserve local features of traffic data.
Modeling to explore and challenge inherent assumptions when cultural norms have changed: a case study on left-handedness and life expectancy
Authors: Ferres Juan Lavista , Nasir Md , Bijral Avleen , Subramanian S V , Weeks William B
Published: July 2023

Background

In 1991, Halpern and Coren claimed that left-handed people die nine years younger than right-handed people. Most subsequent studies did not find support for the difference in age of death or its magnitude, primarily because of the realization that there have been historical changes in reported rates of left-handedness.

Methods

We created a model that allowed us to determine whether the historical change in left-handedness explains the original finding of a nine-year difference in life expectancy. We calculated all deaths in the United States by birth year, gender, and handedness for 1989 (the Halpern and Coren study was based on data from that year) and contrasted those findings with the modeled age of death by reported and counterfactual estimated handedness for each birth year, 1900–1989.

Results

In 1989, 2,019,512 individuals died, of which 6.4% were reportedly left-handed based on concurrent annual handedness reporting. However, it is widely believed that cultural pressures may have caused an underestimation of the true rate of left-handedness. Using a simulation that assumed no age of death difference between left-handed and right-handed individuals in this cohort and adjusting for the reported rates of left-handedness, we found that left-handed individuals were expected to die 9.3 years earlier than their right-handed counterparts due to changes in the rate of left-handedness over time. This difference of 9.3 years was not found to be statistically significant compared to the 8.97 years reported by Halpern and Coren. When we assumed no change in the rate of left-handedness over time, the survival advantage for right-handed individuals was reduced to 0.02 years, solely driven by not controlling for gender. When we considered the estimated age of death for each birth cohort, we found a mean difference of 0.43 years between left-handed and right-handed individuals, also driven by handedness difference by gender.

Conclusion

We found that the changing rate of left-handedness reporting over the years entirely explains the originally reported observation of nine-year difference in life expectancy. In epidemiology, new information on past reporting biases could warrant re-exploration of initial findings. The simulation modeling approach that we use here might facilitate such analyses.
Assessment of iridoid profiles in the growth period of aerial parts of Pseudolysimachion rotundum var. subintegrum and their antioxidant and MUC5AC inhibitory potential
Authors: Song Soobin , Kim Doo-Young , Oh Seon Min , Woo So-Yeun , Kim Il-joo , Kim Mun-Ock , Park Ji-Yoon , Kim Namho , Kim Hae-Young , Lee Juhee , Kim Sang Yoon , Hwang Bang Yeon , Ryu Hyung Won , Oh Sei-Ryang
Published: July 2023

YPL-001 is a drug substance of Pseudolysimachion rotundum var. subintegrum and has been reported to be a potent COPD inhibitor. For the first time, this study demonstrated a correlation among the iridoid constituents, antioxidants, and MUC5AC inhibition activities in P. rotundum during different growth stages (5 to 11 weeks). Single-factor extraction was used to optimize the plant extraction conditions to maximize the major iridoid constituents (70% ethanol, 40 °C, 1 h); isolated metabolites 1–6 were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS). The contents of each metabolite and antioxidant/MUC5AC inhibition effects were markedly changed according to the growth stages, especially for catalposide (2, 5.97 → 10.99 mg/g, 1.8-fold) and isovanillyl catapol (5, 4.42 → 20.00 mg/g, 4.5-fold), which were the predominant substances in August. Our results indicated that YPL-001 could potentially contribute to enhancing the P. rotundum value in accumulated iridoids at the growth stage and the biological effect aspects to develop industrial medicinal crops.
Clinical evidence of human pathogens implicated in Alzheimer’s disease pathology and the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobials: an overview
Authors: Catumbela Celso S. G. , Giridharan Vijayasree V. , Barichello Tatiana , Morales Rodrigo
Published: July 2023

A wealth of pre-clinical reports and data derived from human subjects and brain autopsies suggest that microbial infections are relevant to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This has inspired the hypothesis that microbial infections increase the risk or even trigger the onset of AD. Multiple models have been developed to explain the increase in pathogenic microbes in AD patients. Although this hypothesis is well accepted in the field, it is not yet clear whether microbial neuroinvasion is a cause of AD or a consequence of the pathological changes experienced by the demented brain. Along the same line, the gut microbiome has also been proposed as a modulator of AD. In this review, we focus on human-based evidence demonstrating the elevated abundance of microbes and microbe-derived molecules in AD hosts as well as their interactions with AD hallmarks. Further, the direct-purpose and potential off-target effects underpinning the efficacy of anti-microbial treatments in AD are also addressed.
Early-life prophylactic antibiotic treatment disturbs the stability of the gut microbiota and increases susceptibility to H9N2 AIV in chicks
Authors: Liang Xianghui , Zhang Zhipeng , Wang Hai , Lu Xingbang , Li Wen , Lu Haoran , Roy Ayan , Shen Xuejuan , Irwin David M. , Shen Yongyi
Published: July 2023

Background

Antibiotics are widely used for prophylactic therapy and for improving the growth performance of chicken. The problem of bacterial drug resistance caused by antibiotic abuse has previously attracted extensive attention; however, the influence of early-day use of prophylactic antibiotics on the gut microflora and on the disease resistance ability in chicks has not been explored. Here, we comprehensively evaluate the growth performance, gut microbial dynamics, level of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the gut microbial community, and resistance to H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) in chickens following long-term and short-term early-day prophylactic antibiotic treatment.

Results

Unexpectedly, long-term prophylactic enrofloxacin treatment slowed the growth rate of chickens, whereas short-term antibiotics treatments were found to increase the growth rate, but these changes were not statistically significant. Strikingly, expansions of Escherichia-Shigella populations were observed in early-life prophylactic antibiotics-treated groups of chickens, which is in contrast to the general perception that antibiotics should control their pathogenicity in chicks. The gut microbiota composition of chickens treated long term with antibiotics or received early-day antibiotics treatment tend to be more dramatically disturbed compared to the gut microbiome of chickens treated with antibiotics for a short term at a later date, especially after H9N2 AIV infection.

Conclusions

Our data provide evidence that early-day and long-term antibiotic treatments have a more adverse effect on the intestinal microbiome of chickens, compared to short-term late age antibiotic treatment. Furthermore, our metagenomic data reveal that both long-term and short-term antibiotic treatment increase the relative abundance of ARGs. Our findings highlight the adverse effects of prophylactic antibiotic treatment and provide a theoretical basis for the cautious administration of antibiotics in food-producing animal management.
Compatible interface wave–structure interaction model for combining mesh-free particle and finite element methods
Authors: Mitsume Naoto
Published: July 2023

This study presents a novel wave–structure interaction model, which is a compatible interface wave–structure interaction model that is based on mesh-free particle methods for free-surface flow analysis; the FEM for structural analysis. We adopt the explicitly represented polygon (ERP) wall boundary model, which is a polygon wall boundary model for mesh-free particle methods, to express the fluid–structure interfaces. The fluid–structure interfaces in the proposed model are geometrically compatible because the ERP model has advantages in dealing with complex-shaped and moving boundaries and it enables the direct use of surface meshes and shape functions given by finite element models of structures. This allows the automatic generation of polygons for free-surface flow analysis from finite elements, and therefore, it greatly increases the flexibility of the analysis. Based on the compatible interface between the polygons and finite elements, we propose a strong coupling algorithm based on an iterative partitioned scheme that defines the interacting models between the fluid and the structure. We model the force exerted by fluid particles on structures such that the kinetic boundary condition on the fluid–structure interface is satisfied. We perform the verification and validation tests of the proposed model by solving two benchmark problems.
Movement and behavioral states of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in response to a behavioral deterrent in a navigational lock
Authors: Raboin Maggie , Plumb John M. , Sholtis Matthew D. , Smith David L. , Jackson P. Ryan , Rivera Jose M. , Suski Cory D. , Cupp Aaron R.
Published: July 2023

Background

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most affected by biological invasions due, in part, to the introduction of invasive carp worldwide. Where carp have become established, management programs often seek to limit further range expansion into new areas by reducing their movement through interconnected rivers and waterways. Lock and dams are important locations for non-physical deterrents, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), to reduce unwanted fish passage without disrupting human use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the behavioral responses of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to non-physical deterrents within a navigation structure on the Fox River, Wisconsin. Acoustic telemetry combined with hidden Markov models (HMMs) was used to analyze variation in carp responses to treatments. Outcomes may inform CO2 effectiveness at preventing invasive carp movement through movement pinch-points.

Methods

Carbon dioxide (CO2) was recently registered as a pesticide in the United States for use as a deterrent to invasive carp movement. As a part of a multi-component study to test a large-scale CO2 delivery system within a navigation lock, we characterized the influence of elevated CO2 and forced water circulation in the lock chamber on carp movements and behavior. Through time-to-event analyses, we described the responses of acoustic-tagged carp to experimental treatments including (1) CO2 injection in water with forced water circulation, (2) forced water circulation without CO2 and (3) no forced water circulation or CO2. We then used hidden Markov models (HMMs) to define fine-scale carp movement and evaluate the relationships between carp behavioral states and CO2 concentration, forced water circulation, and temperature.

Results

Forced water circulation with and without CO2 injection were effective at expelling carp from the lock chamber relative to null treatments where no stimulus was applied. A portion of carp exposed to forced water circulation with CO2 transitioned from an exploratory to an encamped behavioral state with shorter step-lengths and a unimodal distribution in turning angles, resulting in some carp remaining in the lock chamber. Whereas carp exposed to forced water circulation only remained primarily in an exploratory behavioral state, resulting in all carp exiting the lock chamber.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate the potential of forced water circulation, alone, as a non-physical deterrent and the efficacy of CO2 injection with forced water circulation in expelling carp from a navigation lock. Results demonstrate how acoustic telemetry and HMMs in an experimental context can describe fish behavior and inform management strategies.
Advanced imaging techniques applied to the Knossos statuette inscription
Authors: Gleeson Len
Published: July 2023

The inscription of the statuette from Knossos, Heraklion Archaeological Museum Λ 95, has proven over the years to be exceedingly difficult for the correct identification of its hieroglyphic signs. The signs vary widely in their quality of engraving, with some being so small and shallow that they cannot be recognized at all by traditional techniques, and the stone’s surface shows evidence of ‘staining’ after many centuries of burial in the temperate soil. Furthermore, it appears that some signs were never actually completely engraved, with what appears to be remnants of the original marking paint, now bridging areas of disjoint engravings. Optical Profilometry equipment was employed to unambiguously resolve the engraved parts of the inscription, while Multi-Spectral Imaging was used to identify the areas of remnant marking paint.
Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of antioxidant phenolics from Corchorus olitorius leaves: a response surface optimization
Authors: Biswas Ashok , Dey Susmita , Xiao Aiping , Deng Yong , Birhanie Ziggiju Mesenbet , Roy Rana , Akhter Delara , Liu Liangliang , Li Defang
Published: July 2023

Background

Besides fibre production, Corchorusolitorius is considered a nutritional and medicinal plant in traditional medicine. Its leaves possess different antioxidant compounds and display various biological properties. This study optimized the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters like temperature, time, solvent concentration, and liquid–solid ratio for total flavonoids (TFC) and total polyphenols content (TPC) from leaves employing response surface methodology (RSM).

Results

Findings demonstrated that under the optimized conditions, the highest extraction yield of total flavonoids (7.17 mg QE/g DW) and total polyphenol content (13.92 mg GAE/g DW) were recorded with the ethanol concentration 70.92%, temperature 68.06 °C, liquid–solid ratio 48.80 mL/mg, and ultrasound irradiation time 37.20 min. The optimum value of TFC (6.96 mg QE/g DW) and TPC (13.38 mg GAE/g DW) from the experiment of verification of optimized conditions was close to the predicted value and significantly superior to the conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE). LC–MS and HPLC analysis of the optimized extract from UAE demonstrated the existence of six major phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid, isoquercetin, hyperoside, adhyperforin, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid. Furthermore, the antioxidant test of the UAE leaves extract revealed an excellent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+•) and hydroxyl radical scavenging with IC50 values of 226.29, 199.53 and 402.02 µg/mL, respectively, compared to HRE with 336.31 µg/mL, 253.86 µg/mL, 520.08 µg/mL.

Conclusions

The developed optimization method could contribute to the good recovery of natural antioxidants from C. olitorius in the pharmaceuticals and food industries.

Graphical Abstract
Continuous user identification in distance learning: a recent technology perspective
Authors: Portugal David , Faria José N. , Belk Marios , Martins Pedro , Constantinides Argyris , Pietron Anna , Pitsillides Andreas , Avouris Nikolaos , Fidas Christos A.
Published: July 2023

The worldwide shift to distance learning at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) during the COVID-19 global pandemic has raised several concerns about the credibility of online academic activities, especially regarding student identity management. Traditional online frameworks cannot guarantee the authenticity of the enrolled student, which requires instructors to manually verify their identities, a time-consuming task that compromises academic quality. This article presents a comprehensive review of existing efforts around continuous user identification, focusing on intelligent proctoring systems and automatic identification methods, as well as their applicability in this domain. We conclude that there is a clear need for continuous user identification technology by HEIs, but existing systems lack agile system integration models that combine many inputs, such as face, voice and behavioural data in a practical manner, and encounter numerous barriers related to data protection during implementation.