bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Graphene Oxide Nanofilm and Chicken Embryo Extract Decrease the Invasiveness of HepG2 Liver Cancer Cells.
Authors: Sosnowska Malwina , Kutwin Marta , Strojny Barbara , Koczoń Piotr , Szczepaniak Jarosław , Bałaban Jaśmina , Daniluk Karolina , Jaworski Sławomir , Chwalibog André , Bielawski Wiesław , Sawosz Ewa
Published: August 2020

Background: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a mosaic of various structural and functional proteins that cooperate with the cell, regulate adhesion, and consequently manage its further fate. Liver destruction is accompanied by a disruption of the physicochemical properties of the ECM which deregulates the cell-ECM interaction and can lead to uncontrolled proliferation and neoplastic transformation of cells. Therefore, it can be assumed that ECM modification and restoration of its characteristics for healthy tissue may counteract uncontrolled cell proliferation. The purpose of the presented research model was to optimise the physical characteristics of ECM by introducing a graphene oxide plane/nanofilm (nfGO) and enriching the cell environment with potentially missing proteins by adding a functional protein cocktail (chicken embryo liver extract) and determine the impact of these factors on cell-ECM cooperation and its consequences on adhesion, proliferation, and cell phase, which are factors of the invasiveness of cancer cells.Results: Experiments were performed with non-cancer HS-5 cells and liver cancer cells HepG2 and C3A. The cells were divided into four groups; (1) control, (2) cultured on GO nanofilm, (3) cultured with the addition of chicken embryo liver extract (CELE) to the medium and (4) cultured on the GO nanofilm with the addition of CELE. CELE contained 1735 proteins; the top 57 of these proteins have been presented. The use of GO nanofilm as well as CELE and nfGO + CELE reduced the proliferation of HepG2 cancer cells to the greatest extent; this is in contrast to non-cancer cells and also to C3A cancer cells. Furthermore, the combined use of the CELE protein cocktail and GO substrate effectively resulted in a decrease in the population of HepG2 cells in the G0/G1 phase and an increase of the population in G2/M. Molecular analysis of HepG2 cancer cells also showed an increase in the expression of genes responsible for adhesion such as fak (focal adhesion kinase), e-cadherin, and n-cadherin and a decrease in β-catenin, which is considered a proto-oncogen. Conclusions: Studies have shown that both the GO surface structure on which the cells are grown as well as the presence of a multi-component natural cocktail of regulatory proteins, can modify the expression of integrins, increase adhesion and, as a consequence, proliferation and the cell cycle - entering the resting phase. For the first time, it has been documented that hepatic cancer cells of the HepG2 line under the influence of stimuli derived from mimic ECM (graphene oxide) in interaction with a unique protein complex derived from chicken liver embryo decreased of the invasiveness of cancer cells.
Pain during a marathon run: Prevalence and correlates in a cross-sectional study of 1251 runners
Authors: O'Connor Patrick J.
Published: August 2020

Background Science-based information about pain during a marathon run is scant. Based on related research it was hypothesized that: (i) most marathon runners would report moderate intensity pain, (ii) pain during the marathon would be associated with pain experienced while training as well as overall perceived exercise intensity, and (iii) females would experience pain earlier during the marathon and rate the pain intensity as higher after adjusting for expected sex-related differences in effort.Methods 1,251 runners, 550 females, ran in 252 different marathons and completed an online survey. Mile at which pain first occurred indicated pain threshold. Pain intensity was measured with a widely used 0–10 numerical graphical scale. Pearson and partial correlations examined the strength of associations. Sex-related differences in pain were tested using independent t-tests and, for the pain location data, z-scores for tests of two proportions. Effort ratings were added as a covariate in an ANCOVA to test if effort accounted for possible sex-related differences in pain.Results Most runners (99.8%) reported pain during a marathon, and most frequently in the thigh (17.1%), hamstring (10%) and calf (9.3%) body locations. The mean pain threshold occurred at 15.7 ± 6.1 miles; the mean overall pain intensity was 5.26 ± 2.45. No sex-related pain differences were found. Overall pain intensity during a marathon was significantly associated with: pain intensity of training runs (r = .39), percentage of training days with run-induced pain (r = .23), highest intensity pain ever experienced (r = .23), number of prior marathons (r = − .18) and intensity of effort (r = .11) (all P < 0.001).Conclusions Most runners experience moderate to very strong intensity pain during a marathon; the pain is independent of biological sex, and the pain is associated with marathon race experience, pain during training, race effort and the highest intensity of pain ever experienced.
Chronic Pain After Breast Surgery: Incidence, Associated Factors and Impact on Quality of Life, an Observational Prospective Study
Authors: Villa Gianluca , Mandarano Raffaele , Calabrisotto Caterina Scirè , Rizzelli Valeria , Duca Martina Del , Montin Diego Pomarè , Paparella Laura , De Gaudio A. Raffaele , Romagnoli Stefano
Published: August 2020

Background. Chronic pain after breast surgery (CPBS) has a disabling impact on postoperative health conditions. Mainly because of the lack of a clear definition, inconsistency does exist in the literature concerning both the actual incidence of and the risk factors for CPBS. The aim of this prospective, observational study is to describe incidence of and risk factors for CPBS, defined in accordance with the IASP taskforce. The impact of CPBS on patients’ daily functions is also described. Methods. Adult female patients scheduled for oncological or reconstructive breast surgery at the Breast Unit of Careggi Hospital (Florence, Italy) were prospectively observed. Persistent postoperative pain was evaluated at 2 months (“pain becoming chronic”) and at 3 months (CPBS) after surgery. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors were compared in CPBS and No-CPBS groups through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. Among the 307 patients considered in this study, the incidence of “pain becoming chronic” was 25.4% [95%CI 20.6%-30.7%], while that of CPBS was 28% [95%CI 23.1%-33.4%]. The presence of persistent pain at 2 months concords with the presence of CPBS at 3 months (Cohen k coefficient 0.63, IC95% 0.54-0.73). Results from the logistic regression analysis suggest that axillary surgery (OR [95%CI], 2.99 [1.13-7.87], p=0.03), preoperative use of pain medications (OR [95%CI], 2.04 [1.20-3.46], p=0.01), and dynamic NRS values at 6 hours postoperatively (OR [95%CI], 1.28 [1.05-1.55], p=0.01) were all independent predictors for CPBS. Conclusions. Chronic pain after breast surgery is a frequent complication. The presence of an earlier form of persistent pain at 2 months after surgery concords with the occurrence of CPBS. The possibility to early detect persistent pain, particularly in those patients at high risk for CPBS, might help physicians to more effectively prevent pain chronicization. In our cohort, long-term use of analgesics for preexisting chronic pain, axillary surgery, and higher dynamic NRS values at 6 hours postoperatively were all factors associated with increased risk of developing CPBS. Trial registration: clinicalTrials.gov registration NCT04309929
The amino acid transporter OsAAP4 contributes to rice tillering and grain yield by regulating neutral amino acid transport through two splicing variants
Authors: Fang Zhongming , Wu Bowen , Ji Yuanyuan
Published: August 2020

Background
Amino acids, which are transported by amino acid transporters, are the major forms of organic nitrogen utilized by higher plants. Among the 19 Amino Acid Permease transporters (AAPs) in rice, only a small number of these genes have been reported to influence rice growth and development. However, whether other OsAAPs are responsible for rice growth and development is unclear.
Results
In this study, we demonstrate that OsAAP4 promoter sequences are divergent between Indica and Japonica, with higher expression in the former, which produces more tillers and higher grain yield than does Japonica. Overexpression of two different splicing variants of OsAAP4 in Japonica ZH11 significantly increased rice tillering and grain yield as result of enhancing the neutral amino acid concentrations of Val, Pro, Thr and Leu. OsAAP4 RNA interference (Ri) and mutant lines displayed opposite trends. In addition, exogenous Val or Pro at 0.5 mM significantly promoted the bud outgrowth of lines overexpressing an OsAAP4a splicing variant compared with ZH11, and exogenous Val or Pro at 2.0 mM significantly enhanced the bud outgrowth of lines overexpressing splicing variant OsAAP4b compared with ZH11. Of note, the results of a protoplast amino acid-uptake assay showed that Val or Pro at different concentrations was specifically transported and accumulated in these overexpressing lines. Transcriptome analysis further demonstrated that OsAAP4 may affect nitrogen transport and metabolism, and auxin, cytokinin signaling in regulating rice tillering.
Conclusion
Our results suggested that OsAAP4 contributes to rice tiller and grain yield by regulating neutral amino acid transport through two different splicing variants and that OsAAP4 might have potential applications in rice breeding.
Identify Superior Parental Lines for Biparental Crossing via Genomic Prediction: Rice as an Example
Authors: Chung Ping-Yuan , Liao Chen-Tuo
Published: August 2020

Background

A set of superior parental lines is the key to high-performing recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for biparental crossing in a rice breeding program. The number of possible crosses in such a breeding program is often far greater than the number that breeders can handle in the field. A practical parental selection method via genomic prediction (GP) is therefore developed to help breeders identify a set of superior parental lines from a candidate population before field trials.
Results

The parental selection via GP often involves truncation selection, selecting the top fraction of accessions based on their genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs). However, the truncation selection inevitably causes a loss of genomic diversity in the breeding population. To preserve genomic variation, the selection of closely related accessions should be avoided. We first proposed a new index to quantify the genomic diversity for a set of candidate accessions. Then, we compared the performance of three classes of strategy for the parental selection, including those consider (a) GEBV only, (b) genomic diversity only, and (c) both GEBV and genomic diversity. We analyzed two rice (Oryza sativa L.) genome datasets for the comparison. The results show that the strategies considering both GEBV and genomic diversity have the best or second-best performance for all the traits analyzed in this study.
Conclusion

Combining GP with Monte Carlo simulation can be a useful means of parental selection for rice pre-breeding programs. Different strategies can be implemented to identify a set of superior parental lines from a candidate population. In consequence, the strategies considering both GEBV and genomic diversity that can balance the starting GEBV average with maintenance of genomic diversity should be recommended for practical use.
Machine Learning to Forecast Medical Attentions of Pneumonia Cases in Colombian Cities: An implementation with Air Quality, Meteorological and Admission Data
Authors: Gutiérrez Juan David
Published: August 2020

Background: Previous authors have evidenced the relationship between air pollution-aerosols and meteorological variables with the occurrence of pneumonia. Forecasting the number of attentions of pneumonia cases may be useful to optimize the allocation of healthcare resources and support public health authorities to implement emergency plans to face an increase in patients. The purpose of this study is to implement four machine-learning methods to forecast the number of attentions of pneumonia cases in the five largest cities of Colombia by using air pollution-aerosols, and meteorological and admission data.Methods: The number of attentions of pneumonia cases in the five most populated Colombian cities was provided by public health authorities between January 2009 and December 2019. Air pollution-aerosols and meteorological data were obtained from remote sensors. Four machine-learning methods were implemented for each city. We selected the machine-learning methods with the best performance in each city and implemented two techniques to identify the most relevant variables in the forecasting developed by the best-performing machine-learning models. Results: According to R2 metric, random forest was the machine-learning method with the best performance for Bogotá, Medellín and Cali; whereas for Barranquilla, the best performance was obtained from the Bayesian adaptive regression trees, and for Cartagena, extreme gradient boosting had the best performance. The most important variables for the forecasting were related to the admission data.Conclusions: The results obtained from this study suggest that machine learning can be used to efficiently forecast the number of attentions of pneumonia cases, and therefore, it can be a useful decision-making tool for public health authorities.
Microbial Upgrading of Acetate into 2,3-Butanediol and Acetoin by E. coli W
Authors: Novak Katharina , Kutscha Regina , Pflügl Stefan
Published: August 2020

BackgroundAcetate is an abundant carbon source and its use as an alternative feedstock has great potential for the production of fuel and platform chemicals. Acetoin and 2,3-butanediol represent two of these potential platform chemicals. ResultsThe aim of this study was to produce 2,3-butanediol and acetoin from acetate in Escherichia coli W. The key strategies to achieve this goal were: strain engineering, in detail the deletion of mixed acid fermentation pathways E. coli W ΔldhA ΔadhE Δpta ΔfrdA 445_Ediss and the development of a new defined medium containing five amino acids and seven vitamins. Stepwise reduction of the media additives further revealed that diol production from acetate is mediated by the availability of aspartate. Other amino acids or TCA cycle intermediates did not enable growth on acetate. Cultivation under controlled conditions in batch and fed-batch experiments showed that aspartate was consumed before acetate, indicating that co-utilization is not a prerequisite for diol production. The addition of aspartate gave cultures a start-kick and was not required for feeding. Pulsed fed-batches resulted in the production of 1.43 g l-1 from aspartate and acetate and 1.16 g l-1 diols (2,3-butanediol and acetoin) from acetate alone. The yield reached 0.09 g diols per g acetate, which accounts for 26 % of the theoretical maximum.ConclusionThis study for the first time showed acetoin and 2,3-butanediol production from acetate as well as the use of chemically defined medium for product formation from acetate in E. coli. Hereby, we provide a solid base for process intensification and the investigation of other potential products.
Validity and Reliability of the Portuguese-Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (P-PASS) for Portuguese individuals with disabilities
Authors: Ferreira Pedro Lopes , Simões Ana Lúcia , Dourado Marília , Holm Margo B , Rogers Joan C
Published: August 2020

Background: Due to the increasing need to measure health outcomes and to ensure a more independent life, it is essential to validate instruments capable of assessing the functionality of activities of daily living. The Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS), based on three assessment parameters (independence, safety and adequacy), allows health professionals to delineate their interventions more effectively according to the needs of each client. The purpose of this study was to create a Portuguese version of the PASS (P-PASS) and to measure the performance of people with disabilities. Methods. Linguistic validation was performed through the translation/back-translation procedure. Next, the scale to be completed by health professionals was submitted to a clinical review by a panel of experts. Subsequently, it was applied to 98 people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. The data collected were then analyzed and the results evaluated in accordance with the three PASS parameters. The results were also analyzed in terms of age and gender. Results. To create the Portuguese version, one task was removed from the original PASS and seven tasks were combined or adapted. Task independence had the highest scores and adequacy the lowest. In terms of reliability, the P-PASS revealed almost perfect levels of agreement between observers, except for the adequacy parameter of the ‘bed mobility’ task that showed moderate agreement. In general, the original structure of the PASS was replicated in the Portuguese version. Men presented greater independence than women in the tasks of ‘bill paying by ATM’ and ‘changing TV command batteries.’ Participants under 60 years of age had the highest scores overall. Conclusions. The combination or adaptation of some items to be more culturally relevant is a valid procedure that has been used by other authors during the validation of PASS items. The results obtained by P-PASS showed comparable scores with the original PASS and with other translated/adapted versions. The P-PASS is a valid and reliable scale for the Portuguese population, enabling more effective measurement of health outcomes.
JaponiconeA Induces Apoptosis of Bortezomib-Sensitive and –Resistant Myeloma Cells In Vitro and In Vivo through Targeting IKKβ
Authors: Zhang Zilu , Ye Chenjing , Liu Jia , Xu Wenbin , Wu Chao , Yu Qing , Xu Xiaoguang , Zeng Xinyi , Wu Yingli , Yan Hua
Published: August 2020

Backgrounds: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal proliferative disease of abnormal plasma cells. Relapse and drug resistance still remain to be solved, so new therapeutic drugs are needed to be adopted to further improve the prognosis of MM. JaponiconeA (JA) is a natural product isolated from Inula japonica Thunb, the anti-tumor effect and mechanism in MM has not been studied.Methods: CCK8 and flow cytometry were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of MM cell lines with JA treatment. And the in vivo effects of JA were verified in the subcutaneous xenograft mice model of MM. In addition, we analyzed the possible targets and mechanism of JA through RNA-seq and c-Map databases, and we verified the specific target of JA in MM cell lines and bortezomib-resistant MM cell line through CETSA and rescue experiments. JA and bortezomib were used separately or together to treat MM cell lines to explore the synergetic effect. Results: In vitro experiments, JA inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest of MM cell lines, and JA selectively killed primary CD138+ MM cells but spared normal human mononuclear cells. In vivo experiments, JA also showed good anti-tumor effect with no observable toxicity. In addition, JA achieved good synergetic effect in combination with bortezomib, and enhanced the anti-tumor effect of bortezomib in bortezomib-resistant cells. According to RNA-seq and c-Map data, the target protein of JA might be IKKβ. CETSA experiment confirmed that JA can bind IKKβ directly in vitro, and overexpression of IKKβ could partly rescue the apoptosis induced by JA.Conclusion: JA exhibited strong anti-tumor effects in MM. It sensitized myeloma cells to bortezomib and overcame NF-κB induced drug resistance through inhibiting IKKβ, which providing a new treatment strategy for MM patients.
WITHDRAWN: The secret behind peripheral inflammation and depression: The hypothalamus
Authors: Petrozzi Bruno Pedraz , Blecker Carlo , Neumann Elena , Sammer Gebhard
Published: August 2020

In recent years there has been increasing evidence of an inflammatory component due to overstimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenals (HPA) in depression. The glutamate metabolites (glutamate and glutamine) are important metabolites that are involved in this stimulation. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of hypothalamic glutamate metabolites in depression and to investigate their relationship to peripheral inflammation. Participants with diagnosed depression (DE; n = 24) and control subjects without depression (HC; n = 25) were investigated. Hypothalamic glutamate metabolites were recorded using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Peripheral cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β) were assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. For statistical analysis, generalized mixed models were computed using Poisson distributions and a log link function. The results show overall higher hypothalamic glutamate metabolites in DE compared to HC. High TNF-a and IL-1ß concentrations are associated with high hypothalamic glutamate metabolites in DE. These results provide initial evidence that, in depression, increased HPA axis activity is associated with peripheral inflammation favored by hypothalamic glutamate metabolites.
Diversity Influences Tree Aboveground Carbon Stocks Through Functional Diversity and Functional Dominance in the Dry Evergreen Afromontane Forest of Hararghe Highland, Southeast Ethiopia
Authors: Teshome Mengistu , Asfaw Zebene , Mohammed Muktar
Published: August 2020

Background: The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function has increasingly been debated as the key ecological issues behind ecosystem service provision. Still, many experimental and theoritical based studies have reported inconsistent patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem function relationships, supporting either niche complementarity or selection effect hypothesis. In this study, aboveground carbon (AGC) stock used as a proxy for ecosystem function and examined its relationship with species diversity, through functional diversity and functional dominance. It is hypothesized that (i) diversity influences AGC through functional diversity and functional dominance effects; and (ii) effects of diversity on AGC would be parted for both functional dominance and functional diversity. Community weight mean (CWM) of functional traits (wood density, specific leaf area, and maximum plant height) was calculated to assess functional dominance (selection effects). As for functional diversity (complementarity effects), multi-trait functional diversity (selection effects) indices were computed. The first hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling. For the second hypothesis, the effects of environmental variables such as slope, aspect and elevation were tested first, and separate linear mixed effects models were fitted afterward for functional diversity, functional dominance, and both.Results: Results revealed that tree aboveground carbon varied significantly along the slope gradient. Species diversity (richness) had a positive relationship with aboveground carbon, even when elevation effects were considered. As predicted, diversity effects on aboveground carbon were mediated through functional diversity and functional dominance, suggesting that both the niche complementarity and the selection effects are not exclusively affecting carbon stock. However, the effects were greater for functional diversity than for functional dominance. Furthermore, functional dominance effects were strongly transmitted by CWM of maximum plant height, reflecting the importance of forest vertical stratification of diversity and carbon relationship. We therefore argue for stronger complementary effects that would be induced also by complementary light use efficiency of tree and species growing in the understory layer.Conclusions: Species diversity (richness) influences carbon stock through functional diversity and functional dominance. Both the niche complementarity and selection hypotheses are important predictors of carbon stock in the study forest.
rSodC is a Potential Antigen to Diagnose Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis by Enzyme-linked Immunoassay
Authors: de Farias Antonio Pedro Fróes , Filho José Tadeu Raynal Rocha , Marchioro Silvana Beutinger , Moreira Luan Santana , Marques Andressa Souza , de Sá Maria da Conceição Aquino , Oliveira Antonio Anderson dos Santos , Alcântara Maria Emília , Mariutti Ricardos Barros , Arni Raghuvir Krishnaswamy , Trindade Soraya Castro , Meyer Roberto
Published: August 2020

Caseous lymphadenitis (CL) is a chronic infectious disease that affects sheep and goats. Many serological tests have been developed to detect the disease; one of the most widely used is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), due to its advantages. ELISA formulations using recombinant proteins can exhibit significant sensitivity and specificity when using a single purified antigen. DTxR, Trx, TrxR, LexA, SodC, SpaC, NanH, and PknG recombinant proteins can be considered target proteins for ELISA development. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the antigenic reactivity of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis recombinant proteins in goat and sheep serum. Of eight proteins evaluated, rSodC was selected for validation assays with small ruminant serum samples from the semiarid region of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Validation assays with goat serum samples showed that rSodC presented sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 94%, respectively. Validation assays with sheep serum showed that recombinant SodC exhibited sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 98%, respectively. Analysis of 756 field serum samples showed that rSodC identified 95 positive samples (23%) in goats and 75 positive samples (21%) in sheep. The ELISA with recombinant SodC protein developed in this study discriminated positive and negative serum samples with high levels of sensitivity and specificity. This formulation is promising for epidemiological surveys and CL control programs.
Early Macrophage Infiltrates Impair Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth by TNF-a Secretion
Authors: Tekin Cansu , Aberson Hella L , Bijlsma Maarten F , Spek C. Arnold
Published: August 2020

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a disease with high mortality rates. Increased macrophage influx in PDAC is common and associated with poor prognosis. Macrophages are highly plastic cells that can exhibit both anti- and pro-tumorigenic properties. Here, we investigated how naïve (M0) macrophages differ from other macrophages in their anti-tumorigenic activities.Methods: In vitro BrdU proliferation and Annexin V cell death analyses were performed on PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 PDAC cell lines exposed to conditioned medium of known macrophage subsets. Macrophage secreted molecules were measured by transcript analysis and ELISA. Therapeutic antibodies were used to functionally establish the role of the identified cytokine in PDAC proliferation.Results: Proliferation and cell death assays revealed that only M0 macrophages exert anti-tumorigenic activities and that M1, M2, and TAMs do not. mRNA analysis and ELISA results suggested TNF-a as a potential candidate to mediate M0 macrophage induced cell death. To prove or refute the importance of TNF-a in M0 macrophage-induced cell death, PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cell-lines were exposed to M0 macrophage conditioned medium in the presence of the TNF-a inhibitor infliximab, which effectively diminished the anti-tumor activities of M0 macrophages.Conclusion: Freshly infiltrated naive M0 macrophages exert anti-tumorigenic activities via TNF-a secretion. Their subsequent differentiation into either M1, M2, or TAM subsets reduces TNF-a levels, thereby abolishing their cytotoxic activity on PDAC cells. These data suggest that the restoration of TNF-a secretion in differentiated macrophages might yield a therapeutic benefit.
A Caribbean perspective: Quality of Life in Major Lower Extremity Amputees
Authors: Pran Lemuel , Baijoo Shanta , Cave Christo , Slim Hani , Harnanan Dave , Maharaj Ravi , Naraynsingh Vijay
Published: August 2020

PURPOSE:Lower extremity amputations and diabetic foot-related complications in the Caribbean population have been previously reported [1-3]. However, there is a lack of evidence which assesses the Quality of life experienced in such amputees. The aim of this study was to determine the health-related Quality of life (HRQoL) in patients after a major lower limb amputation.METHODS:All major lower limb amputations undertaken at a tertiary care institution in Trinidad and Tobago, between January 2012 to December 2016 were analysed. The quality of life was assessed using the EURO QOL 5D-5L tool. Statistical analysis was performed using t-test, ANOVA across various subgroups and Kaplan-Meier for mortality. RESULTS:A total of 134 individuals were still alive and willing to participate in the study. The average of HRQoL index value for the cohort was (0.598), which was significantly lower compared to the population norm p < .05 [4]. Statistically significant differences were also seen between patients who ambulated with a prosthesis (.759) compared to those who used another device (0.562), p < 0.05 and to patients who did not ambulate. A comparable Quality of life was seen between the level of amputation (transtibial versus transfemoral) and gender (males versus females), p values were .96 and 1.0 respectively. The overall mortality rate was 14% at 30-days and 27% at one year.CONCLUSION:Overall Quality of life after major amputation, as well as independent mobilisation with a prosthesis, continues to be problematic in the Caribbean population. Factors adversely related to Quality of life post major amputation include increasing age, problems related to mobility and non-ambulatory patients.
Anti-inflammatory Effect of Ampelocissus Indica (L.) Planch (Chembravalli) in Wistar Rats
Authors: S Nithya V , C Indulekha V , Antony Helen
Published: August 2020

Background

Ampelocissus indica (L.)Planch, Vitaceae locally known as Chembravalli, is medicinal plant used for inflammatory skin ailments and documented in Hortus Malabaricus, and traditional Ayurveda books.
Objective

To conduct phyto-chemical and acute toxicity of root of A.indica and to evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity.
Materials and methods

Phyto-chemical profiling of root of A.indica was done as per standard ICMR methods and acute toxicity as per OECD-425. Decoction of A.indica (AI-8.64 ml/kg, AI-4.32 ml/kg) and ethanolic extract (AIE-500 mg/kg) were orally given to rats with Carrageenan induced rat paw edema and also in other rats with Cotton pellet induced granuloma; paw volume, weight of granuloma, histopathology, serum TNF α, IL1β were assessed.
Results

Oral administration of decoction AI-8.64 ml/kg, AI-4.32 ml/kg, and AIE-500 mg/kg significantly reduced inflammation by reducing paw volume, serum TNF α, IL1β. AI-8.64 ml/kg significantly reduced weight of granuloma and serum TNF α, IL1β. No acute toxicity was found upto 2000 mg/kg. Flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, and steroids found in A.indica extract.
Conclusion

The present finding suggested that A.indica has a protective effect on experimental inflammation in rats and phytochemical profile will be useful for further studies
Contribution of Autologous Omentum Transposition to the Regeneration of Renal Injuries in the Rat Model
Authors: Bilgic Tayfun , Ince Umit , Narter Fehmi
Published: August 2020

Aim

We aimed to evaluate the repair effect of transpositioned autologous omentum on the injured renal tissues in the rat model.
Methods

A total of 30 female Wistar Albino rats were included and they were randomly separated into control and four groups. In all groups, blood samples were taken at preoperatively and at the 7th day postoperatively, additionally they were taken at 18th day postoperatively for creatinine and urea analysis. All rats of control group were sacrificed at 18th day postoperatively and right kidneys were taken for histopathological evaluation. After the created renal injuries were repaired primarily kidney surgery or omentum added kidney surgery.
Results

According to the our results, granulation and inflammation in kidney specimens were moderately and highly positive correlated with granulation, inflammation, fibrosis and foreign body reaction in surrounding tissue ((r:0.478, p = 0.008), (r:0.591, p = 0.001), (r:0.394, p = 0.031), (r:0.635, p < 0.001)). Granulation in kidney specimen was highly possitive correlated with inflammation and foreign body reaction in kidney specimens ((r:0.824, p < 0.001), (r:0.872, p < 0.001)). We could not show any significant correlation between biochemical values (U, Cr) and histopathological findings.
Conclusion

According to our results, our biochemical results were not correlated with histopathological analysis. But we detected histopathogical significant differences between primary kidney repair and omentum added kidney repair groups. And we recommend that kidney injuries should be surgical repaired by stem cell sources as like omentum tissue.
NFKBIA has the Capacity to Serve as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Prostate Cancer Patient
Authors: Zi Hao , Tao Wen-Lin , Gao Lei , Yu Zhao-Hua , Bai Xiao-Dong , Li Xiao-Dong
Published: August 2020

Background: Prostate cancer is the the second leading cause of cancer-related death in male. NF-κB inhibitor alpha gene (NFKBIA), is found dys-expressed in the progression of tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of NFKBIA and its diagnostic value in prostate cancer patients.Methods: The mRNA expression of NFKBIA was detected with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay and the association of its expression with clinical characteristic was analyzed via Chi-square test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was built to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum NFKBIA.Results: The mRNA expression level of NFKBIA was significantly increased in prostate cancer patients compared with healthy controls (P<0.01). The high expression of NFKBIA was significantly associated with pathological T stage (P=0.010) and differentiation (P=0.019). ROC curve showed that serum NFKBIA had a high diagnostic value in differentiating prostate cancer patients from healthy individuals. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) value was 0.873 corresponding with a sensitivity of 85.6% and a specificity of 78.3%.Conclusions: The expression of NFKBIA was up-regulated in serum of prostate cancer patients and it may be a useful diagnostic bio-maker for the early detection of this cancer.
The DLK1/MEG3 Locus is Related to the Differentiation of Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Chen Yiyuan , Gao Hua , Liu Qian , Xie Weiyan , Li Bin , Cheng Sen , Guo Jing , Fang Qiuyue , Zhu Haibo , Wang Zhuang , Wang Jichao , Li Chuzhong , Zhang Yazhuo
Published: August 2020

Background: Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) represent the neoplastic proliferation of the anterior pituitary gland. Transcription factors play a key role in the differentiation of PitNETs according to the 2017 WHO classification of tumors of endocrine organs. However, for a substantial proportion of PitNETs, the etiology is poorly understood.Methods: To analyze the diversity genes and pathways based on transcriptomic data of 172 patients by transcriptome sequencing, difference, correlation, and enrichment analysis. The transcriptomic data and clinical characteristics are applied to find the clinical significance of key genes by correlation analysis and ROC curve. Series functional experiments demonstrated the role of DLK1/MEG3 locus through antibody blocking and RNA interference in GH3, MMQ and ATT20 cell line.Results: In this study, we found the imprinting disorders of the 14q32.2 region and DLK1/MEG3 locus associated with the differentiation of PitNETs. As being specific feature change in somatotroph adenomas compared with other subtype adenomas, DLK1/MEG3 locus promoted somatotroph differentiation and inhibited tumor proliferation in PIT1(+) PitNET patients, furthermore, the level of DLK1 played a critical role in the trend of somatotroph differentiation or lactotroph differentiation in PIT1(+) PitNET patients. Anti-DLK1 monoclonal antibody blockade or siMEG3 both indicated that the DLK1/MEG3 domain significantly induced the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) and inhibited cell growth and colony formation and that the loss of DLK1 activated the mTOR signaling pathway in high DLK1-expressing and PIT1(+) GH3 cell lines. There was a mild effect in the low DLK1-expressing and PIT1(+) MMQ cell lines and no effect in the PIT1(-) ATT20 cell line, regardless of whether anti-DLK1 monoclonal antibody blockade or siMEG3 was used. Conclusions: These findings emphasize that expression at the DLK1/MEG3 locus plays a key role in the differentiation of PitNETs in patients depending on the level of PIT1. In addition, these findings provide potential molecular target data for patient stratification and treatment in the future.
The Impact of COVID-19 on a Tertiary Care Pediatric Emergency Department
Authors: Liguoro Ilaria , Pilotto Chiara , Vergine Michela , Pusiol Anna , Vidal Enrico , Cogo Paola
Published: August 2020

Restricting measures required to face the recent outbreak of a novel Coronavirus (CoV-2) may also impact on patterns of healthcare utilization. Our aim was to provide an insight into the changing use of a pediatric Emergency Department (ED) during the CoV-2 pandemic.Medical records of children seen in our Pediatric ED during March and April 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Comparisons with the same time intervals in 2018 and 2019 and with other seasonal control periods (January-February 2019 and 2020, and July-August 2018-2019) were performed. The total number of ED visits declined of 73% from 2019 to 2020 (3051 vs 818). Significant variations were observed in the distribution of children among triage categories: the proportion of cases scored as green-code showed a 0.59-fold decrease in comparison to 2019 (95%CI 0.5-0.69), while a relative increase in the proportion of yellow codes was observed (OR 1.46, 95%CI 1.2-1.78). Conclusion: Quarantine measures significantly impacted on the total number and reasons for visits in our Pediatric ED. This substantial decrease in pediatric care access may be either due to lower rates of acute infections because of social distancing, and to reticence on the part of parents and caregivers to risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in a health-care setting.
Demographic & Clinical Correlates of Admission into a Specialized Psychiatric Inpatient Service for Children and Adolescents in Egypt: An Observational Retrospective Study
Authors: Seleem Mohammad , Amer Reham A.
Published: August 2020

Background: To our knowledge, this is the first study that aims to investigate the demographic and clinical correlates of admission into a specialized inpatient psychiatric unit for children and adolescents in Egypt and the Arab world. Methods: The files of all new cases who presented for care in the outpatient service for children and adolescents in Tanta University between July 2017 and December 2019 were reviewed. Of the 1195 files reviewed, 100 patients were admitted to the inpatient unit for 133 admission episodes with an average duration of 18.5 days per episode. Results: The most common diagnosis among admitted youth was disruptive behavior disorder but having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, eating disorder, or trauma related disorders predicted admission more powerfully than did the diagnosis of disruptive behavior disorder. Physical and sexual abuse were both associated with higher rates of admission, readmission and longer duration of admission.Conclusions: Except for having more percentage of youth with disruptive behavior disorders, and less percentage of those with eating disorders, the characteristics of youth in need for admission into psychiatric inpatient unit is comparable to those reported in other parts of the world.
Prognostic effect of increased left ventricular wall thickness in severe aortic stenosis
Authors: Park Kyungil , Park Tae-Ho , Jo Yoon-Seong , Cho Young-Rak , Park Jong-Sung , Kim Moo-Hyun , Kim Young-Dae
Published: August 2020

Background: It is unclear whether increased left ventricular (LV) thickness is associated with worse clinical outcomes in severe aortic stenosis (AS). The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increased LV wall thickness (LVWT) on major clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS.Methods and Results: This study included 290 severe AS patients (mean age 69.4 ± 11.0 years; 136 females) between January 2008 and December 2018. For outcome assessment, the endpoint was defined as death from all causes, cardiovascular death, and the aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery rate. During follow-up (48.7 ± 39.0 months), 157 patients had AVR, 43 patients died, and 28 patients died from cardiovascular causes. Patients with increased LVWT underwent AVR surgery much more than those without LVWT (60.0% vs. 39.0%, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with increased LVWT, the all-cause and cardiovascular death rates were significantly lower in the AVR group than in the non-AVR group (8.8% vs. 27.3%, p < 0.001, 4.8%, vs. 21.0%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that increased LVWT, age, dyspnea, and AVR surgery were significantly correlated with cardiovascular death.Conclusions: In patients with severe AS, increased LVWT was associated with a higher AVR surgery rate and an increased rate of cardiovascular death independent of other well-known prognostic variates. Thus, these findings suggest that increased LVWT might be used as a potential prognostic factor in severe AS patients.
hTERT Represents an Innovative Bio-marker in Cholangiocarcinoma Detection
Authors: Wang Ning , Li Yanni , Zheng Yanfang , Chen Huoming , Wen Xiaolong , Li Zhaoxia
Published: August 2020

Background: The study was aimed to examine the diagnostic value of serum human telomerase reverse transcriptiptase (hTERT) in patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CCA).Methods: Serum hTERT in CCA patients and healthy controls was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and compared by student’s t-test. Relationships of serum hTERT and clinical parameters were explained by Chi-square test. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was conducted to identify the diagnostic value of serum hTERT in CCA.Results: Serum hTERT was up-regulated in CCA patients compared with healthy controls (P<0.05). Furthermore, serum hTERT was closely related with differentiation (P=0.005), distant metastasis (P=0.015) and TNM stage (P=0.009). The AUC value of ROC curve was 0.901, demonstrating that serum hTERT could discriminate between CCA and healthy individuals, with the cutoff point of 1.88. Besides, the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of serum hTERT in CCA were 89.7% and 76.0%, respectively.Conclusions: hTERT may be a promising biomarker for diagnosis of CCA.
Convalescent Plasma as a Treatment for Severe Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Case Report
Authors: Yong Chaoying , Deng Xinyu , Song Yuyan , Tian Wenguang , Qi Di , Wang Daoxin
Published: August 2020

Background: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic, affecting the lives of millions of people around the world.Although research including hydroxychloroquine, antiviral drugs and vaccines is under way, there is still no effective therapy applied for COVID-19.Case presentation: Here, we reported five cases of severe COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure treatment with supportable care and ABO-compatible convalescent plasma(CP).All the patients’clinical conditions, laboratory results, viral nucleic acid results, and chest CT images, were improved. Meanwhile, all the patients recovered and no severe adverse reactions were found. We also followed up the antibody levels of some patients within 2 months after onset, but our study did not show the inherent relationship between CP treatment and changes in antibody levels due to small samples.Conclusions: Although short of evidence of randomized controlled trials, convalescent plasma therapy probably was a potentially safe and effective treatment for COVID-19.
Decreased resting-state alpha-band activation and functional connectivity after sleep deprivation
Authors: Wu Jintao , Zhou Qianxiang , Li Jiaxuan , Chen Yang , Shao Shuyu , Xiao Yi
Published: August 2020

BackgroundCognitive abilities are impaired by sleep deprivation and can be recovered when sufficient sleep is obtained. Changes in alpha-band oscillations are considered to be highly related to sleep deprivation. The effect of sleep deprivation on brain activation and functional connectivity in the resting-state alpha band remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate how sleep deprivation and recovery sleep could change resting-state alpha-band neural oscillations.MethodsIn this study, thirty young, healthy participants obtained approximately 8 h of normal sleep, followed by 36 h of sleep deprivation. On the following recovery night, subjects underwent recovery sleep. Resting-state EEG after normal sleep, sleep deprivation and recovery sleep was recorded. Power spectrum, source localization and functional connectivity analyses were used to investigate the changes in resting-state alpha-band activity after normal sleep, sleep deprivation and recovery sleep.ResultsThe results showed that the global alpha power spectrum decreased and source activation was notably reduced in the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, cingulate gyrus, and paracentral lobule after sleep deprivation. Functional connectivity analysis after sleep deprivation showed a weakened functional connectivity pattern in a widespread network with the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex as the key nodes. Furthermore, the changes caused by sleep deprivation were reversed to a certain extent but not significantly after one night of sleep recovery, which may be due to inadequate time for recovery sleep.ConclusionsIn conclusion, large-scale resting-state alpha-band activation and functional connectivity were weakened after sleep deprivation, and the inhibition of default mode network function with the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex as the pivotal nodes may be an important cause of cognitive impairment. These findings provide new insight into the physiological response of sleep deprivation and determine how sleep deprivation disrupts brain alpha-band oscillations.