bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automated Generation of an Energy Simulation Model for an Existing Building from UAV Imagery
Authors: Gorzalka Philip , Estevam Schmiedt Jacob , Schorn Christian , Hoffschmidt Bernhard
Published: August 2021

An approach to automatically generate a dynamic energy simulation model in Modelica for a single existing building is presented. It aims at collecting data about the status quo in the preparation of energy retrofits with low effort and costs. The proposed method starts from a polygon model of the outer building envelope obtained from photogrammetrically generated point clouds. The open-source tools TEASER and AixLib are used for data enrichment and model generation. A case study was conducted on a single-family house. The resulting model can accurately reproduce the internal air temperatures during synthetical heating up and cooling down. Modelled and measured whole building heat transfer coefficients (HTC) agree within a 12% range. A sensitivity analysis emphasises the importance of accurate window characterisations and justifies the use of a very simplified interior geometry. Uncertainties arising from the use of archetype U-values are estimated by comparing different typologies, with best- and worst-case estimates showing differences in pre-retrofit heat demand of about ±20% to the average; however, as the assumptions made are permitted by some national standards, the method is already close to practical applicability and opens up a path to quickly estimate possible financial and energy savings after refurbishment.
Health-Related Quality of Life and Survival in Metastasized Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with and without a Targetable Driver Mutation
Authors: Billingy Nicole E. , Tromp Vashti N. M. F. , van den Hurk Corina J. G. , Becker-Commissaris Annemarie , Walraven Iris
Published: August 2021

Background: The aim of this study is to compare long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and survival in metastatic NSCLC patients with (M+) and without (M−) a targetable driver mutation. Methods: An observational study was performed within the prospective SYMPRO-lung study (NL7897). HRQOL questionnaires were completed at baseline, 15 weeks, and 6 months. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess clinically significant declines in HRQOL (>10 points) over time. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were plotted for both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: 81 metastatic NSCLC patients were included (M+ patients; 16 (20%)). M+ patients had a significantly better global HRQOL (mean difference 12.8, ES 0.61), physical functioning (mean difference 13.4, ES 0.63), and less appetite loss (mean difference 23.1, ES 0.73) at 15 weeks of follow-up compared to M− patients. Patients with a clinically relevant decline in HRQOL at 6 months of follow-up had a significantly shorter PFS (5 months vs. 12 months, p-value < 0.001) and OS (11 months vs. 16 months, p-value 0.002). Conclusions: M− NSCLC patients have less favorable HRQOL over time compared to M+ patients. Furthermore, clinically relevant HRQOL declines over time were significantly associated with worse survival. HRQOL can therefore play an important role in in shaping patients’ expectations of their prognosis.
A Retrospective Cohort Study of Myosteatosis and Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Authors: Shaver Amy L. , Noyes Katia , Ochs-Balcom Heather M. , Wilding Gregory , Ray Andrew D. , Ma Sung Jun , Farrugia Mark , Singh Anurag K. , Platek Mary E.
Published: August 2021

Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment-related morbidity can be detrimental to quality of life (QOL). Myosteatosis is associated with poor QOL in multiple cancers. If predictive of poor QOL trajectories, myosteatosis would be a tool for clinicians to determine which patients may require additional support during treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine if pretreatment myosteatosis is associated with a poor QOL trajectory following treatment completion. Methods: In a retrospective cohort design, myosteatosis was determined from pretreatment CT scans. Both physical and global QOL score was assessed through patient interview on follow-up appointment. Demographic, cancer-specific, and social covariates were collected, reported, and considered as potential confounders. Results: The population of 163 patients was mostly male (82.2%) and white (91.4%) with oropharyngeal cancer (55.8%). Males with myosteatosis had a physical QOL score 46.84 points lower at one-year following treatment completion (p = 0.01) than those with normal muscle density (p = 0.01). Males with myosteatosis averaged 57.57 points lower at one-year post-treatment (p = 0.01) in global QOL scores. Conclusions: Over one year following completion of treatment, patients with myosteatosis reported worse physical and global QOL scores than patients with normal muscle density.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Liquid Biopsy-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Toraih Eman A. , Elshazli Rami M. , Trinh Lily N. , Hussein Mohammad H. , Attia Abdallah A. , Ruiz Emmanuelle M. L. , Zerfaoui Mourad , Fawzy Manal S. , Kandil Emad
Published: August 2021

Circulatory tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development/progression. We aimed to assess the diagnostic/prognostic value of circulating exosomal miRNA in thyroid cancer (TC). A search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct up to 22 May 2021 was performed. The true/false positive (TP/FP) and true/false negative (TN/FN) rates were extracted from each eligible study to obtain the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratios (PLR/NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). The meta-analysis included 12 articles consisting of 1164 Asian patients and 540 controls. All miRNAs were quantified using qRT-PCR assays. The pooled sensitivity was 82% (95%CI = 77–86%), pooled specificity was 76% (95%CI = 71–80%), and pooled DOR was 13.6 (95%CI = 8.8–21.8). The best biomarkers with high sensitivity were miR-16-2-3p (94%), miR-223-5p (91%), miR-130a-3p (90%), and miR182-5p (94%). Similarly, they showed high specificity, in addition to miR-34c-5p. Six panels of two to four exosomal miRNAs showed higher diagnostic values with an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.906 to 0.981. The best discriminative ability to differentiate between cancer and non-cancer individuals was observed for miR-146b-5p + miR-223-5p + miR-182-5p (AUC = 0.981, sensitivity = 93.8% (84.9–98.3), specificity = 92.9% (76.5–99.1)). In conclusion, the expression levels of exosomal miRNAs could predict TC.
Relevant and Non-Redundant Feature Selection for Cancer Classification and Subtype Detection
Authors: Rana Pratip , Thai Phuc , Dinh Thang , Ghosh Preetam
Published: August 2021

Biologists seek to identify a small number of significant features that are important, non-redundant, and relevant from diverse omics data. For example, statistical methods such as LIMMA and DEseq distinguish differentially expressed genes between a case and control group from the transcript profile. Researchers also apply various column subset selection algorithms on genomics datasets for a similar purpose. Unfortunately, genes selected by such statistical or machine learning methods are often highly co-regulated, making their performance inconsistent. Here, we introduce a novel feature selection algorithm that selects highly disease-related and non-redundant features from a diverse set of omics datasets. We successfully applied this algorithm to three different biological problems: (a) disease-to-normal sample classification; (b) multiclass classification of different disease samples; and (c) disease subtypes detection. Considering the classification of ROC-AUC, false-positive, and false-negative rates, our algorithm outperformed other gene selection and differential expression (DE) methods for all six types of cancer datasets from TCGA considered here for binary and multiclass classification problems. Moreover, genes picked by our algorithm improved the disease subtyping accuracy for four different cancer types over state-of-the-art methods. Hence, we posit that our proposed feature reduction method can support the community to solve various problems, including the selection of disease-specific biomarkers, precision medicine design, and disease sub-type detection.
Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine-Needle Biopsy versus Fine-Needle Aspiration for Tissue Sampling of Abdominal Lymph Nodes: A Propensity Score Matched Multicenter Comparative Study
Authors: Facciorusso Antonio , Crinò Stefano Francesco , Muscatiello Nicola , Gkolfakis Paraskevas , Samanta Jayanta , Londoño Castillo Juliana , Cotsoglou Christian , Ramai Daryl
Published: August 2021

There is a paucity of evidence on the comparison between endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine-needle biopsy (FNB) and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) for lymph node (LNs) sampling. The aim of this study was to compare these two approaches in a multicenter series of patients with abdominal tumors. Out of 502 patients undergoing EUS sampling, two groups following propensity score matching were compared: 105 undergoing EUS-FNB and 105 undergoing EUS-FNA. The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy. Secondary outcomes were diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, sample adequacy, optimal histological core procurement, number of passes, and adverse events. Median age was 64.6 years, and most patients were male in both groups. Final diagnosis was LN metastasis (mainly from colorectal cancer) in 70.4% of patients in the EUS-FNB group and 66.6% in the EUS-FNA group (p = 0.22). Diagnostic accuracy was significantly higher in the EUS-FNB group as compared to the EUS-FNA group (87.62% versus 75.24%, p = 0.02). EUS-FNB outperformed EUS-FNA also in terms of diagnostic sensitivity (84.71% vs. 70.11%; p = 0.01), whereas specificity was 100% in both groups (p = 0.6). Sample adequacy analysis showed a non-significant trend in favor of EUS-FNB (96.1% versus 89.5%, p = 0.06) whereas the histological core procurement rate was significantly higher with EUS-FNB (94.2% versus 51.4%; p < 0.001). No procedure-related adverse events were observed. These findings show that EUS-FNB is superior to EUS-FNA in tissue sampling of abdominal LNs.
A Genome-Wide Profiling of Glioma Patients with an IDH1 Mutation Using the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer Database
Authors: Pappula Amrit L. , Rasheed Shayaan , Mirzaei Golrokh , Petreaca Ruben C. , Bouley Renee A.
Published: August 2021

Gliomas are differentiated into two major disease subtypes, astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma, which are then characterized as either IDH (isocitrate dehydrogenase)-wild type or IDH-mutant due to the dramatic differences in prognosis and overall survival. Here, we investigated the genetic background of IDH1-mutant gliomas using the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database. In astrocytoma patients, we found that IDH1 is often co-mutated with TP53, ATRX, AMBRA1, PREX1, and NOTCH1, but not CHEK2, EGFR, PTEN, or the zinc finger transcription factor ZNF429. The majority of the mutations observed in these genes were further confirmed to be either drivers or pathogenic by the Cancer-Related Analysis of Variants Toolkit (CRAVAT). Gene expression analysis showed down-regulation of DRG2 and MSN expression, both of which promote cell proliferation and invasion. There was also significant over-expression of genes such as NDRG3 and KCNB1 in IDH1-mutant astrocytoma patients. We conclude that IDH1-mutant glioma is characterized by significant genetic changes that could contribute to a better prognosis in glioma patients.
Genomic and Transcriptomic Characteristics of Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Hoppe Sascha , Jonas Christoph , Wenzel Marten Christian , Velazquez Camacho Oscar , Arolt Christoph , Zhao Yue , Büttner Reinhard , Quaas Alexander , Plum Patrick Sven , Hillmer Axel Maximilian
Published: August 2021

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a deadly disease with limited options for targeted therapy. With the help of next-generation sequencing studies over the last decade, we gained an understanding of the genomic architecture of EAC. The tumor suppressor gene TP53 is mutated in 70 to 80% of tumors followed by genomic alterations in CDKN2A, KRAS, ERBB2, ARID1A, SMAD4 and a long tail of less frequently mutated genes. EAC is characterized by a high burden of point mutations and genomic rearrangements, resulting in amplifications and deletions of genomic regions. The genomic complexity is likely hampering the efficacy of targeted therapies. Barrett’s esophagus (BE), a metaplastic response of the esophagus to gastro-esophageal reflux disease, is the main risk factor for the development of EAC. Almost all EACs are derived from BE. The sequence from BE to EAC provides an opportunity to study the genomic evolution towards EAC. While the overlap of point mutations between BE and EAC within the same patient is, at times, surprisingly low, there is a correlation between the complexity of the genomic copy number profile and the development of EAC. Transcriptomic analyses separated EAC into a basal and a classical subtype, with the basal subtype showing a higher level of resistance to chemotherapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge of the genomic and transcriptomic characteristics of EAC and their relevance for the development of the disease and patient care.
Cytolytic Activity of CAR T Cells and Maintenance of Their CD4+ Subset Is Critical for Optimal Antitumor Activity in Preclinical Solid Tumor Models
Authors: Csaplár Marianna , Szöllősi János , Gottschalk Stephen , Vereb György , Szöőr Árpád
Published: August 2021

Correlative studies of clinical studies for hematological malignancies have implicated that less differentiated, CD8+-dominant CAR T cell products have greater antitumor activity. Here, we have investigated whether the differentiation status of CAR T cell products affects their antitumor activity in preclinical models of solid tumors. We explored if different activation/expansion protocols, as well as different co-stimulatory domains in the CAR construct, influence the short- and long-term efficacy of CAR T cells against HER2-positive tumors. We generated T cell products that range from the most differentiated (CD28.z; OKT3-antiCD28/RPMI expansion) to the least differentiated (41BB.z; OKT3-RetroNectin/LymphoONE expansion), as judged by cell surface expression of the differentiation markers CCR7 and CD45RA. While the effect of differentiation status was variable with regard to antigen-specific cytokine production, the most differentiated CD28.z CAR T cell products, which were enriched in effector memory T cells, had the greatest target-specific cytolytic activity in vitro. These products also had a greater proliferative capacity and maintained CD4+ T cells upon repeated stimulation in vitro. In vivo, differentiated CD28.z CAR T cells also had the greatest antitumor activity, resulting in complete response. Our results highlight that it is critical to optimize CAR T cell production and that optimal product characteristics might depend on the targeted antigen and/or cancer.
PIM Kinases in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Wu Jian , Chu Emily , Kang Yubin
Published: August 2021

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease and novel therapeutic agents/approaches are urgently needed. The PIM (Proviral insertion in murine malignancies) serine/threonine kinases have 3 isoforms: PIM1, PIM2, and PIM3. PIM kinases are engaged with an expansive scope of biological activities including cell growth, apoptosis, drug resistance, and immune response. An assortment of molecules and pathways that are critical to myeloma tumorigenesis has been recognized as the downstream targets of PIM kinases. The inhibition of PIM kinases has become an emerging scientific interest for the treatment of multiple myeloma and several PIM kinase inhibitors, such as SGI-1776, AZD1208, and PIM447 (formerly LGH447), have been developed and are under different phases of clinical trials. Current research has been focused on the development of a new generation of potent PIM kinase inhibitors with appropriate pharmacological profiles reasonable for human malignancy treatment. Combination therapy of PIM kinase inhibitors with chemotherapeutic appears to create an additive cytotoxic impact in cancer cells. Notwithstanding, the mechanisms by which PIM kinases modulate the immune microenvironment and synergize with the immunomodulatory agents such as lenalidomide have not been deliberately depicted. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the PIM kinase pathways and the current research status of the development of PIM kinase inhibitors for the treatment of MM. Additionally, the combinatorial effects of the PIM kinase inhibitors with other targeted agents and the promising strategies to exploit PIM as a therapeutic target in malignancy are highlighted.
IMP3 Protein Overexpression Is Linked to Unfavorable Outcome in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Maržić Diana , Marijić Blažen , Braut Tamara , Janik Stefan , Avirović Manuela , Hadžisejdić Ita , Tudor Filip , Radobuljac Katarina , Čoklo Miran , Erovic Boban M.
Published: August 2021

Background: The aim of this study was to (i) determine IMP3 protein expression in benign and malignant laryngeal lesions, (ii) compare its expression to Ki-67, p53, cyclin D1, and (iii) finally, to examine the prognostic power of IMP3 in squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx (LSSC). Methods: IMP3 protein expression was evaluated in 145 patients, including 62 LSCC, 45 dysplasia (25 with low and 20 with high-grade dysplasia), and 38 benign lesions (vocal cord polyps and nodules). Results: IMP3 was significantly higher expressed in LSCC compared to dysplasia and benign lesions (p < 0.001; p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, higher expression patterns were observed for Ki-67 and p53, whereas cyclin D1 was equally distributed in all three lesions. IMP3 (p = 0.04) and Ki-67 (p = 0.02) expressions were significantly linked to neck node positivity, and IMP3 overexpression to worse disease-specific survival (p = 0.027). Conclusion: Since IMP3 showed significantly higher expression in laryngeal carcinomas, but not in high- or low-grade dysplasia, it serves as a useful marker to differentiate between invasive and noninvasive lesions. Higher IMP3 expression represented a significantly worse prognosticator for clinical outcomes of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.
Impact of Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Patients with Central Neurocytoma: A Multicentric International Analysis
Authors: Samhouri Laith , Meheissen Mohamed A. M. , Ibrahimi Ahmad K. H. , Al-Mousa Abdelatif , Zeineddin Momen , Elkerm Yasser , Hassanein Zeyad M. A. , Ismail Abdelsalam Attia , Elmansy Hazem , Al-Hanaqta Motasem M. , AL-Azzam Omar A. , Elsaid Amr Abdelaziz , Kittel Christopher , Micke Oliver , Stummer Walter , Elsayad Khaled , Eich Hans Theodor
Published: August 2021

Background: Central neurocytoma (CN) is a rare tumor accounting for <0.5% of all intracranial tumors. Surgery ± radiotherapy is the mainstay treatment. This international multicentric study aims to evaluate the outcomes of CNs patients after multimodal therapies and identify predictive factors. Patients and methods: We retrospectively identified 33 patients with CN treated between 2005 and 2019. Treatment characteristics and outcomes were assessed. Results: All patients with CN underwent surgical resection. Radiotherapy was delivered in 19 patients. The median radiation dose was 54 Gy (range, 50–60 Gy). The median follow-up time was 56 months. The 5-year OS and 5-year PFS were 90% and 76%, respectively. Patients who received radiotherapy had a significantly longer PFS than patients without RT (p = 0.004) and a trend towards longer OS. In addition, complete response after treatments was associated with longer PFS (p = 0.07). Conclusions: Using RT seems to be associated with longer survival rates with an acceptable toxicity profile.
KCNJ5 Somatic Mutations in Aldosterone-Producing Adenoma Are Associated with a Greater Recovery of Arterial Stiffness
Authors: Chang Yi-Yao , Pan Chien-Ting , Chen Zheng-Wei , Tsai Cheng-Hsuan , Peng Shih-Yuan , Chang Chin-Chen , Lee Bo-Ching , Liao Che-Wei , Peng Kang-Yung , Chiu Yu-Wei , Chou Chia-Hung , Wu Vin-Cent , Liu Li-Yu Daisy , Hung Chi-Sheng , Lin Yen-Hung
Published: August 2021

Primary aldosteronism is the most common form of secondary hypertension and induces various cardiovascular injuries. In aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), the impact of KCNJ5 somatic mutations on arterial stiffness excluding the influence of confounding factors is uncertain. We enrolled 213 APA patients who were scheduled to undergo adrenalectomy. KCNJ5 gene sequencing of APA was performed. After propensity score matching (PSM) for age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, number of hypertensive medications, and hypertension duration, there were 66 patients in each group with and without KCNJ5 mutations. The mutation carriers had a higher aldosterone level and lower log transformed brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) than the non-carriers before PSM, but no difference in log baPWV after PSM. One year after adrenalectomy, the mutation carriers had greater decreases in log plasma aldosterone concentration, log aldosterone–renin activity ratio, and log baPWV than the non-carriers after PSM. Only the mutation carriers had a significant decrease in log baPWV after surgery both before and after PSM. KCNJ5 mutations were not correlated with baseline baPWV after PSM but were significantly correlated with ∆baPWV after surgery both before and after PSM. Conclusively, APA patients with KCNJ5 mutations had a greater regression in arterial stiffness after adrenalectomy than those without mutations.
Focus on Materials for Sulfur-Resistant Catalysts in the Reforming of Biofuels
Authors: Frontera Patrizia , Antonucci Pier Luigi , Macario Anastasia
Published: August 2021

The reforming of biofuels represents a promising technology for low carbon and renewable hydrogen production today. The core of the process is an active and stable catalyst, which can help to improve this technology and its efficiency. With this review, we aim to survey the more relevant literature on heterogeneous catalysts for the reforming of biofuels with improved sulfur tolerance. The review is structured into four main sections. Following the introduction, the fundamental aspects of sulfur poisoning are discussed. In the third section, the basic principles of the reforming of biofuels are reported, and finally, in the fourth section—the core of the review—recent progresses in the development of sulfur resistant catalysts are discussed, distinguishing the role of the metal (noble and non-noble) from that of the support.
Dynamic Pyrolysis Characteristics, Kinetics and Products Analysis of Waste Tire Catalytic Pyrolysis with Ni/Fe-ZSM-5 Catalysts Using TG-IR-GC/MS
Authors: Qu Boyu , Zhang Yulin , Wang Tian , Li Aimin , Wu Zhiqiang , Ji Guozhao
Published: August 2021

Catalysts are usually used in the thermal conversion of waste tires to enhance the efficiency of the process and the quality of pyrolytic products. Recently, it has already been proved that Ni/Fe bimetallic catalysts had an effective catalytic effect on the thermal decomposition of organic solid wastes. Herein, we employed a TG-IR-GC/MS system to investigate the kinetics and product analysis of waste tire catalytic pyrolysis using Ni/Fe bimetallic ZSM-5 as catalysts. Iso-conversional methods and master-plot methods were employed to estimate the activation energies and reaction model of waste tire catalytic pyrolysis. The results illustrated that the ZSM-5 loading with 7 wt.% Ni and 3 wt.% Fe had the best catalytic effect on decreasing the activation energies with a reduction of 13%. The determination of kinetic models showed that both non-catalyzed and catalyzed pyrolysis were fitted to a Fn model while the addition of a catalyst reduced the reaction order to varying degrees. Both FTIR and GC/MS results suggested that the metallic Ni-based catalyst had strong ability to transform alkenes into aromatic hydrocarbons. Ni/Fe bimetallic catalysts showed almost the same catalytic performance as the Ni metallic catalyst, which could reduce the cost of the catalyst. Thus, this study could deepen the understanding and provide a basic guideline of Ni/Fe bimetallic catalysts on the catalytic pyrolysis process of waste tires.
Helicobacter pylori Infection and Extragastric Diseases—A Focus on the Central Nervous System
Authors: Baj Jacek , Forma Alicja , Flieger Wojciech , Morawska Izabela , Michalski Adam , Buszewicz Grzegorz , Sitarz Elżbieta , Portincasa Piero , Garruti Gabriella , Flieger Michał , Teresiński Grzegorz
Published: August 2021

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is most known to cause a wide spectrum of gastrointestinal impairments; however, an increasing number of studies indicates that H. pylori infection might be involved in numerous extragastric diseases such as neurological, dermatological, hematologic, ocular, cardiovascular, metabolic, hepatobiliary, or even allergic diseases. In this review, we focused on the nervous system and aimed to summarize the findings regarding H. pylori infection and its involvement in the induction/progression of neurological disorders. Neurological impairments induced by H. pylori infection are primarily due to impairments in the gut–brain axis (GBA) and to an altered gut microbiota facilitated by H. pylori colonization. Currently, regarding a potential relationship between Helicobacter infection and neurological disorders, most of the studies are mainly focused on H. pylori.
The Cytoskeleton and Its Roles in Self-Organization Phenomena: Insights from Xenopus Egg Extracts
Authors: Geisterfer Zachary M. , Guilloux Gabriel , Gatlin Jesse C. , Gibeaux Romain
Published: August 2021

Self-organization of and by the cytoskeleton is central to the biology of the cell. Since their introduction in the early 1980s, cytoplasmic extracts derived from the eggs of the African clawed-frog, Xenopus laevis, have flourished as a major experimental system to study the various facets of cytoskeleton-dependent self-organization. Over the years, the many investigations that have used these extracts uniquely benefited from their simplified cell cycle, large experimental volumes, biochemical tractability and cell-free nature. Here, we review the contributions of egg extracts to our understanding of the cytoplasmic aspects of self-organization by the microtubule and the actomyosin cytoskeletons as well as the importance of cytoskeletal filaments in organizing nuclear structure and function.
PAX7 Balances the Cell Cycle Progression via Regulating Expression of Dnmt3b and Apobec2 in Differentiating PSCs
Authors: Florkowska Anita , Meszka Igor , Nowacka Joanna , Granica Monika , Jablonska Zuzanna , Zawada Magdalena , Truszkowski Lukasz , Ciemerych Maria A. , Grabowska Iwona
Published: August 2021

PAX7 transcription factor plays a crucial role in embryonic myogenesis and in adult muscles in which it secures proper function of satellite cells, including regulation of their self renewal. PAX7 downregulation is necessary for the myogenic differentiation of satellite cells induced after muscle damage, what is prerequisite step for regeneration. Using differentiating pluripotent stem cells we documented that the absence of functional PAX7 facilitates proliferation. Such action is executed by the modulation of the expression of two proteins involved in the DNA methylation, i.e., Dnmt3b and Apobec2. Increase in Dnmt3b expression led to the downregulation of the CDK inhibitors and facilitated cell cycle progression. Changes in Apobec2 expression, on the other hand, differently impacted proliferation/differentiation balance, depending on the experimental model used.
Evaluation of the Bonding Strength between Various Dental Zirconia Models and Human Teeth for Dental Posts through In Vitro Aging Tests
Authors: Lin Shih-Chieh , Lin Wei-Chun , Hu Tai-Chia , Yan Min , Tang Cheng-Ming
Published: August 2021

In dentistry, root canal treatment reduces support of the tooth, making it necessary to insert a cylindrical body into the treated tooth to strengthen the crown. In the past, metal or fiberglass was often used. However, metal is too different in color from teeth, so the esthetics are poor, and fiberglass is not as strong as metal. Therefore, an alternative is zirconia, which has the characteristics of high light transmittance, esthetics, good biocompatibility, and high breaking strength. The surface morphology and composition of zirconia ceramics are the key to their bond strength with teeth. Therefore, in this study, the surface characteristics of different brands of zirconia commonly used in clinical practice were evaluated in terms of their surface morphology and surface elements. The surface was modified by sandblasting, and its effect on the bonding strength was discussed. Finally, the stability of the material was evaluated through artificial aging. The results showed that the surface roughness of the zirconia specimens increased after sandblasting, whereas the surface microhardness decreased. The shear test results showed that the 3D shape of the zirconia surface could help improve the bonding strength. The bonding strength of DeguDent increased the most after sandblasting. After 20,000 cycles of aging treatment, the shear strength of each specimen decreased. Field emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that the adhesive remained intact on the surface of zirconia, indicating that adhesion failure occurred between the adhesive and the teeth. This confirms that sandblasting can improve the bonding strength of zirconia. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the surface roughness of zirconia is the main factor affecting the bond strength.
Kinetics Investigation of the Formation of a Gas-Resistant Glass-Forming Layer during the Oxidation of ZrB2-MoSi2-Y2O3-Al Coatings in the Air Atmosphere
Authors: Kovaleva Marina , Sirota Viacheslav , Goncharov Igor , Novikov Vseslav , Yapryntsev Maxim , Vagina Olga , Pavlenko Ivan , Tyurin Yuri , Mogucheva Anna
Published: August 2021

In this article, the coatings of ZrB2-xMoSi2-Y2O3-yAl (x = 24, 35, 45 wt %; y = 10, 15, 20 wt %) were applied to the surface of a carbon/carbon composite to protect against high-temperature oxidation using a multi-chamber detonation accelerator. The kinetic analysis of the formation processes of a glass-forming layer during the oxidation of the initial components of the system ZrB2-MoSi2-Y2O3-Al in an air atmosphere at a temperature of 1400 °C was carried out and the kinetically significant stages of the heterogeneous reaction were determined. It is shown that the speed and density of the formation of a glassy matrix can be adjusted by fine-tuning the ratio of components in the initial powder.
Effect of Intermediate Principal Stress on the Bearing Capacity of Footings in Soft Rock
Authors: Ma Zongyuan , Dang Faning , Liao Hongjian
Published: August 2021

The bearing capacity for footings is a fundamental scientific problem in civil engineering. The evaluation of the bearing capacity of footings usually does not take into account the effect of the intermediate principal stress. In practice, the intermediate principal stress has certain influences on the strength of geomaterials (e.g., rock and soil) or concrete. In this paper, a series of numerical solutions are presented to evaluate the bearing capacity of footings in a soft rock foundation via a two-dimensional finite difference code (FLAC) with a strain hardening/softening constitutive model based on the unified strength theory (UST). The values of the bearing capacity factor Nc and Nγ for strip, circular and square footings in a soft rock foundation were evaluated using the strain hardening/softening constitutive model. The effect of the intermediate principal stress on the bearing capacity of strip, circular and square footings in a soft rock foundation was analyzed. The results of the numerical computation show that the intermediate principal stress has a significant influence on the bearing capacity and failure mechanisms of a soft rock medium. The influence of the intermediate principal stress on the peak and residual values of the bearing capacity for a strip footing is much greater than for circular and square footings. Research works for the reasonable estimation of the bearing capacity of footings in soft rock are facilitated by this study.
Numerical Investigation on the Evaporation Performance of Desulfurization Wastewater in a Spray Drying Tower without Deflectors
Authors: Li Debo , Zhao Ning , Feng Yongxin , Xie Zhiwen
Published: August 2021

The desulfurization wastewater evaporation technology with flue gas has been widely applied to dispose of desulfurization wastewater. This paper investigates the effect of flue gas flow rate and temperature, wastewater flow rate and initial temperature, and droplet size on the evaporation performance of the desulfurization wastewater in a spray drying tower without deflectors. The results show that the flue gas flow rate and temperature affect the evaporation performance of desulfurization wastewater. The larger flow rate and higher temperature of flue gas correspond to the faster evaporation speed and the shorter complete evaporation distance of the wastewater droplet. Decreasing the flow rate and increasing the initial temperature of the desulfurization wastewater is advantageous to enhance the evaporation speed and shorten the complete evaporation distance of the wastewater droplet. Reducing the droplet size is beneficial to improve the evaporation performance of the desulfurization wastewater. The orthogonal test results show that the factors affecting droplet evaporation performance are ranked as follows: flue gas flow rate > wastewater flow rate > flue gas temperature > wastewater initial temperature > droplet size. Considering the evaporation ratio and the complete evaporation distance, the optimal setting is 14.470 kg/s for flue gas flow rate, 385 °C for flue gas temperature, 0.582 kg/s for wastewater flow rate, 25 °C for wastewater initial temperature, and 60 μm for droplet size. These studied results can provide valuable information to improve the operational performance of the desulfurization wastewater evaporation technology with flue gas.
18F-DCFPyL (PSMA) PET in the Management of Men with Biochemical Failure after Primary Therapy: Initial Clinical Experience of an Academic Cancer Center
Authors: Metser Ur , Ortega Claudia , Hussey Douglas , Chan Rosanna , Berlin Alejandro , Finelli Antonio , Veit-Haibach Patrick
Published: August 2021

Purpose: To describe the initial experience of an academic center using 18F-DCFPyL PET in managing men with recurrent prostate cancer. Materials & Methods: This prospective, single-arm IRB-approved study included men with biochemical failure after primary therapy for prostate cancer and negative/equivocal CT and bone scintigraphy who were candidates for salvage therapy, as determined by a multidisciplinary panel of experts. 18F-DCFPyL PET was assessed for the presence and extent of recurrence: local, oligometastatic (≤4), or extensive. Post-PET management and clinical outcome, including PSA response, was documented. For patients who received PET-directed ablative therapies, response was categorized as “complete” if PSA became undetectable or “favorable” if PSA decreased ≥50%. Results: Forty-seven men with biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy (n = 29), primary radiotherapy (n = 15) or focal tumor ablation (n = 3) were included. PET was positive in (43/47) 91.5%, including local recurrence in (9/47) 19.2%; oligometastatic disease in (16/47) 34%; and extensive metastatic disease in (18/47) 38.3%. PET-directed focal ablative therapies without systemic therapy were given to (13/29) 44.8% of patients without extensive metastases on PET with a mean PSA response of 69% (median, 74.5%; range: 35–100). Favorable biochemical response was observed in (10/13) 76.9% of patients with limited recurrence on PET, and in 23.1% (3/13), there was complete response. Conclusion: 18F-DCFPyL PET was positive in >90% of patients with biochemical failure. For those with limited recurrence, PSMA PET-directed local ablative therapies resulted in favorable outcome in more than 3 in 4 patients, and in nearly a quarter of them, there was complete biochemical response.
Flora and Vegetation Characteristics of the Natural Habitat of the Endangered Plant Pterygopleurum neurophyllum
Authors: Park Hwan Joon , Kim Seongjun , Lee Chang Woo , Kim Nam Young , Hwang Jung Eun , An Jiae , Park Hyeong Bin , Kim Pyoung Beom , Lee Byoung-Doo
Published: August 2021

This study analyzed the flora, life form, and vegetation of the Nakdong River wetland. Vegetation analysis was performed on 37 plots using the phytosociological method of the Zürich-Montpellier School. PCA analysis was conducted by using the vegetation data (ground cover of class; 1~9) of 37 plots surveyed by phytosociological method. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) was used to statistically analyze the objectivity of the community classification and the character species. The traditional classification and mathematical statistic methods were used. A total of 82 taxa belonging to 28 families, 65 genera, 72 species, 2 subspecies, and 8 varieties were present in the vegetation of the survey area. The life form was analyzed to be the Th-R5-D4-e type. The communities were classified into seven communities: Miscanthus sacchariflorus community, Phragmites communis community, Phragmites communis–Carex dispalata community, Ulmus parvifolia community, Zizania latifolia community, Setaria viridis community, and Salix koriyanagi–Salix chaenomeloides community. As a result of PCA analysis, it was classified into seven communities. Seven communities were analyzed, where the most dominant species (M. sacchariflorus, P. communis, C. dispalata, U. parvifolia, Z. latifolia, S. viridis, S. koriyanagi, S. chaenomeloides) of each community were examined as character species. Another species is analyzed as Salix koreensis. Of the sixteen M. sacchariflorus communities, Pterygopleurum neurophyllum was present in six plots (A-2 group) but not in ten plots (A-1 group). These two groups showed differences in coverage and the number of occurring species. As for the relative net contribution degree (r-NCD) in the A-2 group, most species showed low r-NCD except for M. sacchariflorus, which showed an r-NCD of 100. The r-NCDs in the A-1 group were as follows: Miscanthus sacchariflorus (100), P. neurophyllum (21.74), and Persicaria perfoliata (10.14). Therefore, P. neurophyllum is difficult to grow in the A-1 group. As a result, it is thought that the high density of M. sacchariflorus affects the growth and distribution of P. neurophyllum. In order to expand and maintain P. neurophyllum, the habitat environment needs to be altered by adjusting the density of M. sacchariflorus.
Comparative Chloroplast Genomics in Phyllanthaceae Species
Authors: Rehman Umar , Sultana Nighat , Abdullah  , Jamal Abbas , Muzaffar Maryam , Poczai Peter
Published: August 2021

Family Phyllanthaceae belongs to the eudicot order Malpighiales, and its species are herbs, shrubs, and trees that are mostly distributed in tropical regions. Here, we elucidate the molecular evolution of the chloroplast genome in Phyllanthaceae and identify the polymorphic loci for phylogenetic inference. We de novo assembled the chloroplast genomes of three Phyllanthaceae species, i.e., Phyllanthus emblica, Flueggea virosa, and Leptopus cordifolius, and compared them with six other previously reported genomes. All species comprised two inverted repeat regions (size range 23,921–27,128 bp) that separated large single-copy (83,627–89,932 bp) and small single-copy (17,424–19,441 bp) regions. Chloroplast genomes contained 111–112 unique genes, including 77–78 protein-coding, 30 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs. The deletion/pseudogenization of rps16 genes was found in only two species. High variability was seen in the number of oligonucleotide repeats, while guanine-cytosine contents, codon usage, amino acid frequency, simple sequence repeats, synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, and transition and transversion substitutions were similar. The transition substitutions were higher in coding sequences than in non-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the polyphyletic nature of the genus Phyllanthus. The polymorphic protein-coding genes, including rpl22, ycf1, matK, ndhF, and rps15, were also determined, which may be helpful for reconstructing the high-resolution phylogenetic tree of the family Phyllanthaceae. Overall, the study provides insight into the chloroplast genome evolution in Phyllanthaceae.
Efficacy of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for H. pylori Detection as Point-of-Care Testing by Noninvasive Sampling
Authors: Sohrabi Amir , Franzen Joar , Tertipis Nikolaos , Zagai Ulrika , Li Wanxin , Zheng Zongli , Ye Weimin
Published: August 2021

For targeted eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) to reduce gastric cancer burden, a convenient approach is definitely needed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the LAMP assay for H. pylori detection using samples collected by noninvasive and self-sampling methods. The available LAMP assay for H. pylori detection was appraised and verified using reference and clinically isolated H. pylori strains. In addition, a clinical study was conducted to assess the LAMP assay on 51 patients, from whom saliva, oral brushing samples, feces, corpus, and antrum specimens were available. Clarithromycin resistance was also analysed through detection of A2143G mutation using the LAMP-RFLP method. The validation and verification analysis demonstrated that the LAMP assay had an acceptable result in terms of specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and accuracy for clinical settings. The LAMP assay showed a detection limit for H. pylori down to 0.25 fg/µL of genomic DNA. An acceptable consensus was observed using saliva samples (sensitivity 58.1%, specificity 84.2%, PPV 85.7%, NPV 55.2%, accuracy 68%) in comparison to biopsy sampling as the gold standard. The performance testing of different combinations of noninvasive sampling methods demonstrated that a combination of saliva and oral brushing could achieve a sensitivity of 74.2% and a specificity of 57.9%. A2143G mutation detection by LAMP-RFLP showed perfect consensus with Sanger sequencing results. It appears that the LAMP assay in combination with noninvasive and self-sampling as a point-of-care testing (POCT) approach has potential usefulness to detect H. pylori infection in clinic settings and screening programs.
Incarcerated Gravid Uterus: Spontaneous Resolution Is Not Rare
Authors: Tachibana Daisuke , Misugi Takuya , Kitada Kohei , Kurihara Yasushi , Tahara Mie , Hamuro Akihiro , Nakano Akemi , Yamamoto Akira , Koyama Masayasu
Published: August 2021

Aim: Incarcerated gravid uterus is a rare obstetrical complication that leads to adverse outcomes, especially if the uterus remains incarcerated and the condition goes undiagnosed until delivery. However, there is no consensus regarding the optimal management of this complication because of its rarity. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the incidence of incarcerated gravid uterus, as well as its natural courses and perinatal outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients who had incarcerated gravid uterus and managed at Osaka City University Hospital between April 2011 and March 2021. Incarcerated gravid uterus was defined as a retroverted or retroflexed uterus after 16 weeks of gestation. Results: There were 14 incarcerated cases among 6958 pregnant women, and 13 of them had some kind of gynecological complication and/or history. Spontaneous resolution of incarcerated gravid uterus after 16 gestational weeks was observed in six cases before the late second trimester and five cases at the late second trimester to early third trimester. Three cases remained incarcerated at term or near-term. One case with adenomyosis had severe abdominal pain, although it was difficult to ascertain whether the cause of pain was triggered by adenomyosis and/or incarceration. One case was misdiagnosed as placenta previa, and the uterine cervix was subsequently injured during cesarean delivery, resulting in massive hemorrhaging. Conclusions: Approximately 1 in 2300 pregnancies continued to be in an incarcerated condition at term or near-term, and 78.5% of cases showed a spontaneous resolution after 16 weeks of gestation. Expectant management with careful attention to the incarcerated gravid uterus may be one option in situations where there are no severe symptoms related to the incarceration itself.
ICU-Admission Hyperphosphataemia Is Related to Shock and Tissue Damage, Indicating Injury Severity and Mortality in Polytrauma Patients
Authors: Rugg Christopher , Bachler Mirjam , Kammerlander Robert , Niederbrunner Daniel , Bösch Johannes , Schmid Stefan , Kreutziger Janett , Ströhle Mathias
Published: August 2021

Hyperphosphataemia can originate from tissue ischaemia and damage and may be associated with injury severity in polytrauma patients. In this retrospective, single-centre study, 166 polytrauma patients (injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 16) primarily requiring intensive care unit (ICU) treatment were analysed within a five-year timeframe. ICU-admission phosphate levels defined a hyperphosphataemic (>1.45 mmol/L; n = 56) opposed to a non-hyperphosphataemic group (n = 110). In the hyperphosphataemic group, injury severity was increased (ISS median and IQR: 38 (30–44) vs. 26 (22–34); p < 0.001), as were signs of shock (lactate, resuscitation requirements), tissue damage (ASAT, ALAT, creatinine) and lastly in-hospital mortality (35.7% vs. 5.5%; p < 0.001). Hyperphosphataemia at ICU admission was shown to be a risk factor for mortality (1.46–2.10 mmol/L: odds ratio (OR) 3.96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–15.16); p = 0.045; >2.10 mmol/L: OR 12.81 (CI 3.45–47.48); p < 0.001) and admission phosphate levels alone performed as good as injury severity score (ISS) in predicting in-hospital mortality (area under the ROC curve: 0.811 vs. 0.770; p = 0.389). Hyperphosphataemia at ICU admission is related to tissue damage and shock and indicates injury severity and subsequent mortality in polytrauma patients. Admission phosphate levels represent an easily feasible yet strong predictor for in-hospital mortality.
Interfacial Area Transport Equation for Bubble Coalescence and Breakup: Developments and Comparisons
Authors: Chen Huiting , Wei Shiyu , Ding Weitian , Wei Han , Li Liang , Saxén Henrik , Long Hongming , Yu Yaowei
Published: August 2021

Bubble coalescence and breakup play important roles in physical-chemical processes and bubbles are treated in two groups in the interfacial area transport equation (IATE). This paper presents a review of IATE for bubble coalescence and breakup to model five bubble interaction mechanisms: bubble coalescence due to random collision, bubble coalescence due to wake entrainment, bubble breakup due to turbulent impact, bubble breakup due to shearing-off, and bubble breakup due to surface instability. In bubble coalescence, bubble size, velocity and collision frequency are dominant. In bubble breakup, the influence of viscous shear, shearing-off, and surface instability are neglected, and their corresponding theory and modelling are rare in the literature. Furthermore, combining turbulent kinetic energy and inertial force together is the best choice for the bubble breakup criterion. The reviewed one-group constitutive models include the one developed by Wu et al., Ishii and Kim, Hibiki and Ishii, Yao and Morel, and Nguyen et al. To extend the IATE prediction capability beyond bubbly flow, two-group IATE is needed and its performance is strongly dependent on the channel size and geometry. Therefore, constitutive models for two-group IATE in a three-type channel (i.e., narrow confined channel, round pipe and relatively larger pipe) are summarized. Although great progress in extending the IATE beyond churn-turbulent flow to churn-annual flow was made, there are still some issues in their modelling and experiments due to the highly distorted interface measurement. Regarded as the challenges to be addressed in the further study, some limitations of IATE general applicability and the directions for future development are highlighted.