bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differentiating benign and malignant neoplasms: A possible new role for coagulation and fibrinolysis indicators
Authors: Zeng Xuan Zhou，Na Tang，Lu , Liu Shuangfeng
Published: January 2024

Background: Abnormal coagulation and fibrinolysis are often observed in malignant tumors, which are closely related to the invasiveness of tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of coagulation and fibrinolysis markers for differentiating between benign and malignant tumors.
Methods: The levels of PT, APTT, TT, FIB, FDP, and D-dimer were analyzed in primary tumors (208 benign and 243 malignant) prior to biopsy or treatment. Additionally, a control group consisting of 400 healthy volunteers was included.
Results:Significantly higher levels of PT, FIB, FDP and D-dimer were found in the malignant tumor group compared with both the benign tumor group and control group (P＜0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that FIB was an important predictor of malignancy.The AUCs for FIB and D-dimer in differential diagnosing malignant tumors were 0.757（95% CI:0.692~0.821)and 0.790(95% CI:0.727~0.853), respectively. - both exceeding 0.75; their specificities for detecting malignancy were also high at 88.33% and 81.67%, respectively; while their positive predictive values reached up to 92.93% and 90.68%, respectively. The thresholds for the identification of malignant patients using the Youden index and were determined to be 3.185, and 0.335, respectively. The multivariate analysis indicated that FIB (≥3.185) (OR: 6.021, 95% CI: 2.290-15.828, P<0.001) and DD (≥0.335) (OR: 4.139, 95% CI: 1.420-12.060, P<0.01) demonstrated significant differences with the lower group.Furthermore, the combined detection of PT,FIB,D-dimer,and FDP could achieve an even higher diagnostic accuracy with AUCs was 0.834;specificities for detecting malignancy were 88.33%,while their positive predictive values were 93.58%. Finally, a combination factor involving these markers could provide valuable assistance in distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors.
Conclusion: FIB(≥3.185) and D-dimer (≥0.355) alone and PT, FIB, FDP and D-dimer in combination are more suitable for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant tumors.
Prenatal valproic acid on the basis of gestational diabetes also induces autistic behavior and disrupts myelination and oligodendroglial maturation slightly in offspring
Authors: Zhou Jiyin , Li Maolin , Qiao Zhifei , Li Jizheng , Zhou Hongli , Huang Dong , Cain Yan , Li Xiaolong , Zhang Zuo , Zhou Jianyun
Published: January 2024

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) are both constitute risk factors for autism in progeny. Notably, dysmyelination in the corpus callosum serves as a prominent element connecting GDM and autism in the white matter lesions.
Objective: the cumulative effects of GDM and prenatal VPA on both autistic behavior and dysmyelination in progeny have been researched in this study.
Methods: In vivo, female mice exhibiting leptin receptor deficiencies and maintained on a high-fat diet were utilized to create GDM models, to which prenatal VPA was administered. In vitro, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) was treated with VPA in the high-fat and high-glucose culture.
Results: the offspring subjected to both GDM and prenatal VPA demonstrated comparable declines in social interaction, myelination, and OPC maturation, akin to those exclusively exposed to VPA. Remarkably, the application of clemastine facilitated remyelination, ameliorated autistic behaviors, and promoted the OPCs progression. Furthermore, the compromised myelination and OPC maturation instigated by the combination of GDM and prenatal VPA were found to be less severe compared to those precipitated by VPA alone. This differential impact can be attributed to the opposing influences of GDM and VPA on gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor activation in OPCs, extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) phosphorylation in OPCs, and the modulation of histone deacetylase 3 and dual specificity phosphatase 5 expression.
Conclusions: we delineate the antagonistic effects of GDM and prenatal VPA on ERK phosphorylation in fetal OPCs, consequently altering its proliferation and differentiation, thereby culminating in milder dysmyelination and autistic behaviors.
MSCMN : Multi-scale convolutional modulation network for atrial fibrillation detection from a single-lead electrocardiogram
Authors: Qiu Rongjian , Lu Jun , Feng Yuxuan , Xie Shengli , Hu Changming
Published: January 2024

The development of wearable sensor technology has made the acquisition of continuous single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) data more convenient and accessible. Atrial fibrillation (AF) detection in a single-lead ECG wave is becoming a popular research topic. However, it is challenging due to the following issues: 1) the AF signal is weak and frequently disturbed by nonstationary noises; 2) both AF and non-AF rhythms have various morphologies; and 3) a single-lead ECG lacks spatial correlation information on the electrical movement of the heart. To solve these issues, we propose a multi-scale convolutional modulation network (MSCMN) composed of stacked modulators and converters. The modulator achieves an efficient self-attention mechanism that adaptively suppresses the noises by computing the Hadamard product between the multi-scale nonlinear convolutional features and the linear channel mixing features. The converter, which consists of two partial convolutional layers and one linear layer, is used to capture ECG temporal dependency and cross-channel correlation among the modulated features. Furthermore, because AF rhythms exhibit irregular R-R intervals, we employ an early fusion of R-peak position encoding and ECG waveforms to enhance feature extraction. We conducted extensive experiments on three public datasets. The results consistently validate the eﬀectiveness of the proposed MSCMN in detecting AF from a single-lead ECG.
Field Studies of Synthetic Food-Based Attractants for Detecting Invasive Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Shelly Todd , Fezza Thomas
Published: January 2024

A number of true fruit fly species (Diptera: Tephritidae) threaten the production and international trade of many commercially important fruit and vegetable crops. Many fruit fly-free regions operate continuous trapping programs for the detection of these invasive pests. Food baits are an important component of detection trapping as they are general attractants that are neither sex- nor species-specific. A torula yeast-borax solution has been widely used as a food bait, but it has a relatively short field longevity and is generally replaced every 1–2 weeks. Dry synthetic food-based attractants, consisting of ammonium acetate, putrescine, and trimethylamine, have been developed and appear effective for several months in the field. Initially, the three components were presented in individual sachets within a trap, but to ease handling ‘all-in-one’ dispensers have been developed that contain all three components. While a logistical improvement, there are few data that directly compare captures between the standard torula yeast-borax solution and these combination dispensers. The present paper presents the results of several field experiments assessing the relative effectiveness of three ‘all-in-one’ dispensers of synthetic food-based attractants in trapping three major pest species of tephritid fruit flies in Hawaii. Food cone and BioLure Unipak dispensers were significantly less attractive than the torula yeast-borax mixture for all target species, while captures of the Mediterranean fruit fly were similar in traps baited with TMA TRI Difusor sachets or the torula yeast-borax solution.
Variable time delay based Granger causality approach integrated with dynamic coupling analysis for root cause diagnosis in chemical processes
Authors: Li Yuting , Yang Xu , Huang Jian , Gao Jingjing
Published: January 2024

Due to the dynamic characteristics of chemical industry systems, the time delay tends to be variable, which leads to changes in coupling intensity. This is contrary to the assumptions in causal analysis, where the time delay and coupling are typically assumed to be fixed. In this article, a new causal analysis framework that integrates Granger causality with dynamic coupling analysis based on variable time delay is proposed, which not only fully considers the variable time delay in dynamic processes, but also studies the dynamic change of coupling intensity. Firstly, the moving window is used to explore real-time variations in average mutual information to obtain the variable time delay. Then by further analyzing the normal data, the dynamic coupling relationship caused by continuous changes in time delay is distinguished. On this basis, the extended Granger causality and convergent cross mapping are integrated to relax their assumptions of fixed time delay and coupling. Finally, the direction of fault propagation is guided by the results of causal analysis. The effectiveness of proposed mothed is demonstrated by chemical industry case studies.
Clinical outcomes of patients with bipolar disorder in the manic phase on valproate and olanzapine versus valproate and risperidone
Authors: P Anusree , Menon Bindu , Reghu Remya
Published: January 2024

Purpose
Previous studies have shown that combining mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics is more effective than either treatment alone in bipolar disorder. The comparison of the two combinations is limited. We aim to compare the efficacy and adverse drug reactions of valproate plus olanzapine or risperidone combination treatment in the bipolar disorder, manic phase.
Method
In this 4-week study, 60 patients with DSM-V bipolar disorder in the psychotic manic phase were included and divided into either valproate plus olanzapine (n = 30) or risperidone (n = 30). The primary outcome was measured by the difference in mean total scores on the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The secondary outcome for adverse effects was measured using the Naranjo ADR Probability Scale. The mean values obtained at weeks 0, 2, and 4 were compared.
Results
In our study, the mean difference in YMRS scores from baseline to week 4 in the olanzapine and risperidone groups was 13.9331.202 and 10.7671.164, respectively. These scores manifest significant changes within and between groups (p = < 0.001). A greater reduction was observed in the olanzapine group. There was no trend in the reduction of PANSS mean values between the groups, but a significant difference within the groups. However, a reduction was noted in the risperidone group. Adverse effects were observed more frequently during co-therapy with risperidone. Although, weight gain was notable in the olanzapine group.
Conclusion
All the results of our study showed that olanzapine in combination with valproate has slightly higher efficacy than risperidone.
Agreement between early-phase Amyloid-PET and pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling in a memory clinic cohort
Authors: Ribaldi Federica , Mendes Augusto J , Galazzo Ilaria Boscolo , Natale Valerio , Mathoux Gregory , Pievani Michela , Lövblad Karl-Olof , Scheffler Max , Frisoni Giovanni B , Garibotto Valentina , Pizzini Francesca B
Published: January 2024

Relative Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF) as assessed with pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling (pASL) MRI and the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr) in early-phase amyloid-PET (ePET) can be used as proxies of brain perfusion. Both techniques have shown good agreement with the gold-standard (F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET), however the comparison between them is less clear. This study aimed to compare perfusion-like data from pASL (rCBF) and ePET (SUVr) in a memory clinic cohort. We included 46 patients (69 ± 8 years; 37 women) from the Geneva Memory Center (Cognitively Impaired-CI n = 29; Cognitively Unimpaired-CU n = 17), with available pASL and ePET. We tested the association between rCBF and SUVr values in 18 cortical/subcortical regions using Pearson’s correlations (r). Regional differences between CU and CI were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney test. We observed weak correlations (0 < r < 0.39) between rCBF and SUVr in: frontal superior, posterior cingulate, precuneus, superior temporal pole, insula, amygdala, caudate, thalamus; moderate correlations (r > 0.40) in: precuneus, hippocampus, putamen. Additionally, significant differences in rCBF between CU and CI were also observed in the inferior temporal, precuneus, and calcarine (p < 0.05), while SUVr showed significantly differences in the hippocampus and caudate between the two clinical groups. The posterior cingulate was the only region consistently different in rCBF and SUVr between CU and CI subjects. Our findings indicate weak to moderate local correlations between the two analyzed techniques. Nevertheless, both techniques exhibited differing regional levels of perfusion in CU and CI groups. Notably, rCBF showed differences mainly in cortical regions, while SUVr differences were predominantly observed in subcortical areas.
Biocontrol potential of cell-free supernatant of Paenibacillus chitinolyticus against Plasmodiophora brassicae in two important Brassica species
Authors: Rudsari Maryam Khodashenas , Zouhar Miloslav , Manasova Marie , Li Tongda
Published: January 2024

Plasmodiophora brassicae is a serious threat to Brassica crops worldwide, resulting in substantial economic losses for growers, with the challenge of control persisting. Biocontrol with chitinolytic bacteria producing chitinase is gaining attention as a natural alternative to chemicals. This approach is favored due to the essential role chitinases play in protecting against chitin-containing pathogens. Given that chitin is a major component in the resting spores of P. brassicae and plays a crucial role during pathogenesis, it is probable that Paenibacillus chitinolyticus, producing a high level of chitinase, could suppress P. brassicae by targeting chitin in a critical stage of this pathogen’s life cycle. Our research aimed at evaluating the effect of various applications of P. chitinolyticus on clubroot suppression in two economically important Brassica species: Chinese cabbage and rapeseed. The effectiveness of the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of an endemic strain of P. chitinolyticus from the Czech Republic at five different time points was studied in the greenhouse by measuring the disease severity index. The results showed that early application of P. chitinolyticus decreased the disease index significantly within both plants. Additionally, in both plants, P. chitinolyticus increased shoot dry weight to a great extent. In conclusion, the CFS of P.chitinolyticus has significant antagonistic activity against clubroot in Chinese cabbage and rapeseed in the early developmental stages of clubroot occurrence and holds the potential as a biofertilizer as well as bioprotectant agent in clubroot management of P. brassicae.
Single-cell transcriptomics reveals markers of regulatory T cell dysfunction in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Shangaris Panicos , Mensah Nana , Efthimiou Athina , Mureanu Nicoleta , Vaikkinen Heli , Kannambath Shichina , Bowman Amanda , Menon Athul , Tree Timothy , Lombardi Giovanna , Dhami Pawan , Nicolaides Kypros , Scottá Cristiano
Published: January 2024

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication associated with hyperglycaemia, chronic inflammation and adverse health outcomes. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are thought to contribute to GDM due to their role in suppressing inflammation. However, it remains unclear whether specific Treg subsets are impaired in patients with GDM. To investigate transcriptional variation in GDM Tregs, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to Tregs isolated from the blood of 13 healthy pregnant women and 10 patients with GDM. We identified naive and effector Treg subsets, none of which significantly differ in the proportion of cells captured from GDM and controls. We report a naive Treg subset with reduced expression of AP-1 transcription factor subunits in GDM, including JUN, FOS, and EGR1, and an effector Treg subset with increased signalling of angiogenesis marker genes. Genes dysregulated in GDM Tregs independently predicted GDM status in pseudobulk and whole blood mRNA from independent cohorts. Remarkably, TXNIP, which regulates glucose levels, emerged as the most reliable standalone predictor in bulk mRNA (minimum AUC 0.7) equivalent to using body mass index (AUC 0.72) in our cohort. This study uncovers a disrupted molecular pathway in Treg cell subsets from GDM patients and proposes a panel of genes with translational potential as early disease biomarkers.
Network pharmacological analysis and experimental study of melatonin in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome
Authors: Wang Yanan , Lao Yonfeng , Li Rongxin , You Chengyu , Qing Liangliang , Xiao Xi , Liu Shuai , Wang Wenyun , Zhao Yu , Dong Zhilong
Published: January 2024

Objective: This study aims to explore the potential mechanisms of melatonin (MT) in treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) using network pharmacology and molecular docking.
Methods: The target genes of MT were acquired from the Swiss Target Prediction, Superpred, SEA, and PharmMapper databases and the CP/CPPS targets were collected based on OMIM, Disgenet, and Genecards databases. The intersection of MT and CP/CPPS target genes was analyzed. A PPI network was constructed using Cytoscape to identify core targets. The shared targets underwent GO and KEGG enrichment analyses by Using R software. Molecular docking of MT with core targets was performed using AutoDock and PyMol. And using cell experiments to verify the potential effect of MT in CP/CPPS.
Results: Network pharmacology analysis reveals 284 shared targets between MT and CP/CPPS, with AKT1, SRC, HSP90AA1, PTGS2, BCL2L1, ALB, CASP3, NFKB1, HIF1A, and ESR1 identified as key targets. Enrichment analysis indicates that MT affects CP/CPPS through various biological processes, and pathway analysis emphasizes the significance of PI3K-Akt, MAPK, Ras, FoxO, HIF-1, EGFR, and apoptosis pathways. Molecular docking confirms strong binding between MT and core targets. Cell experiments demonstrate that MT can inhibit the secretion of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS induced RWPE-1 cells, alleviate inflammation, and suppress cell apoptosis and oxidative stress.
Conclusion: Network pharmacology, molecular docking and cell experiments showed that MT could play a role in CP/CPPS by regulating multiple targets and pathways. This provides valuable insights for a more in-depth investigation into the molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of MT in CP/CPPS treatment.
Origins and significance of alteration textures in hydrovolcanic products from active volcanoes
Authors: Minami Yusuke , GESHI Nobuo
Published: January 2024

While mineralization processes in hydrothermal systems have been studied intensively from the viewpoint of economic geology, the composition, and textures of hydrothermally altered materials in hydrovolcanic ash have not been fully analyzedin active volcanic systems. In particular, criteria for describing and interpreting textural characteristics based on observed ash components have not been established. We used X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to examine ash grains from hydrovolcanic activities of the Meakandake, Ontaka, Aso, and Kuchinoerabujima volcanoes. The grains were then classified into 15 types based on their mineral assemblages and textural characteristics. The textural variations are indicative of the temperature and acidity of the hydrothermal fluid, and the reaction time between the hydrothermal fluid and host rocks. Grains featuring “acid” type alteration exhibit co-existing silica and sulfate minerals, suggesting precipitation from acidic hydrothermal fluid at a shallow depth beneath active volcanoes, with inflow of volcanic gas directly from the magma. Grains featuring “neutral” type alteration consist of muscovite, adularia, K-feldspar (orthoclase), and miner biotite, and were formed within a higher-pH hydrothermal fluid, which underwent a neutralization process from an acidic fluid through rock-water interaction. Acid-type grains were typically found in ash from the Ontake, Aso, Kuchinoerabujima, and Meakandake Volcanoes. Neutral-type alteration was recognized in products from the 2014 Ontake eruption and some tephra units of Meakandake. The temporal change in the proportion of alteration types, along the Meakandake tephra sequence, suggests the neutralization of a hydrothermal fluid from the timing of magmatic–phreatomagmatic eruptions to the following period of phreatic eruptions, indicating maturation of the hydrothermal fluid. This study demonstrates how specific alteration textures can be used as indicators of boiling, replacement, hydrothermal fluid conditions, and reaction times between volcanic rocks and hydrothermal fluids.
A Real-World Pharmacovigilance Study of Ceftazidime/avibactam: Data Mining of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database
Authors: Yao Haiping , Wang Yanyan , Peng Yan , Huang Zhixiong , Gan Guoping , Wang Zhu
Published: January 2024

Introduction
Ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ/AVI) is a combination of a well-known third-generation, broad-spectrum cephalosporin with a new beta-lactamase inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of various infectious diseases (especially MDR-GNB infections) by the FDA.
Aim
The present study extensively assessed real-world CAZ/AVI-related adverse events (AEs) through data mining of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database to better understand toxicities.
Methods
The signals of CAZ/AVI-related AEs were quantified using disproportionality analyses, including the reporting odds ratio (ROR), the proportional reporting ratio (PRR), the Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN) and the multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS) algorithms. System organ classifications (SOCs) and preferred terms (PTs) from the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) were used in the definition.
Results
A total of 628 instances of CAZ/AVI-related AEs were identified among 10,114,815 records gathered from the FAERS database. A total of 61 PTs with significant disproportionality that simultaneously met the criteria of all four algorithms were retained. Several unexpected safety signals may also occur, including melaena, hypernatraemia, depressed level of consciousness, brain oedema, petechiae, delirium, and shock haemorrhagic. The median onset time for AEs associated with CAZ/AVI was 4 days, with nearly half cases occurring within 3 days after CAZ/AVI initiation.
Conclusions
Some of our research findings were consistent with the information described in drug labels and monographs, and we also discovered potential novel and unexpected AE signals associated with CAZ/AVI. Future clinical investigations are needed to validate our findings and establish their relationship. Our findings might serve as important supporting data for future CAZ/AVI safety investigations.
The Presence, Abundance and Characteristics of Microplastics in some Crustaceans Species: Blue swimmer crab (Portunus armatus), Banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis) and in Molluscs: Bivalve mollusc oyster (Amiantis umbonella) and Razor shell (Solen roseomaculatus) on Bandar Abbas City Shores, Southern Iran
Authors: Parvaresh Hossein , Enayati Somayeh , Kerdgari Mahnaz , Ghasemi Saber , Ghanataghestani Mohsen Dehghani
Published: January 2024

Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems constitutes a serious threat to the life of aquatic organisms and human health. This study aimed to identify the presence, abundance and characteristics of microplastics in Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus armatus), Banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis), Bivalve mollusc oyster (Amiantis umbonella) as well as in Razor shell (Solen roseomaculatus) living in Bandar Abbas coastal city shores on the Persian Gulf banks, south of Iran. Five sites along Bandar Abbas city coasts with different industrialization and urbanization levels were selected. After the collection and biometrics of the biological samples, the preparation and digestion steps of the samples were carried out to separate the microplastic particles using the flotation method. Then the characteristics of microplastics such as shape, color, size and type of particles were investigated by using microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The identified forms included fiber, piece and film, from which the fiber and film microplastics comprised the most and least identified forms in the studied species, respectively The identified particles were classified into three categories: 0.45-25, 25–250 and 250–500 micrometers, where most of the particles (66%) belonged to the 0.45-25 micrometers size range with black and blue colors. The most common polymers identified were polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polyamide. The average abundance of microplastics in Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus armatus), Banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis), Bivalve mollusc oyster (Amiantis umbonella) and Razor shell (Solen roseomaculatus) species in this study were 2.57 ± 1.23, 4.9 ± 1.95, 3.27 ± 1.26 and 4.05 ± 1.90 particles per gram respectively. Results of the correlation analysis showed a positive correlation at 0.01 level between the abundance of microplastic particles in the living samples soft tissue and their body size (weight and length).
The combination of TLSs and the neutrophil-to-macrophage ratio predicts early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Chen Zhuangzhuang , Duan Binwei , Wang Xinxin , Zhang Gongming , Wu Feng , Sun Yibo , Ouyang Yabo , Li Guangming
Published: January 2024

Introduction:
Liver cancer, predominantly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ranks among the deadliest malignancies worldwide, and effective predictive models for early recurrence and poor prognosis are limited.
Methods
This study retrospectively analyzed 180 HCC patients and explored the prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), peripheral blood immune parameters, and clinical factors in HCC.
Results
The results showed that TLSs could significantly reduce early recurrence rates but that they were not related to late recurrence. The interaction of peripheral blood immune parameters, especially the neutrophil–monocyte ratio (NMR), plays a pivotal role in early recurrence prediction. A novel clinical prediction model was constructed by combining the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system (8th edition), TLS status, and NMR data, and the results demonstrated substantial predictive accuracy for early HCC recurrence.
Conclusions
These findings highlight the multifaceted impact of TLSs and peripheral blood immunity on HCC prognosis and provide a valuable tool for personalized patient management, particularly for identifying early recurrence risk.
Balanced Assignment of Patients to Healthcare Centers Using Dispatching Rules
Authors: Teymourifar Aydin , Trindade Maria A. M.
Published: January 2024

Background: In the realm of public health management, ensuring a balanced assignment of patients to healthcare centers is a critical concern. This study introduces a novel approach for this purpose, utilizing dispatching rules. Highlighting the need for an easily applicable approach to regulating patient flow efficiently, the study shows the benefit of utilizing dispatching rules in healthcare management.
Methods: Innovatively, this research departs from traditional approaches by introducing a multi-objective model grounded in the concept of sectorization. This model, unique in the public health literature, leverages dispatching rules to simplify complex, dynamic patient assignment scenarios. The model is simulated using Rockwell Arena software, incorporating various temporal factors. The optimization of these dispatching rules is performed through OptQuest software.
Results: The study's findings demonstrate that the optimized dispatching rule significantly enhances the model's efficacy in balancing patient assignments across healthcare centers. This improvement is pivotal in addressing the uneven distribution of healthcare resources.
Conclusions: This research makes a substantial contribution to the public health literature by offering a novel and practical solution for balancing patient load among healthcare centers. Its successful application in simulated environments suggests a promising pathway for real-world implementations, potentially leading to more efficient healthcare systems and improved patient care outcomes.
Bistatic radar cross section estimation by using DDM for better spatial resolution of ocean surface wind speed
Authors: Yeh Wen-Hao , Tsai Yung-Fu , Lin Chen-Tsung
Published: January 2024

The delay-Doppler map (DDM) is the signal power distribution of the Coarse/Acquisition code (C/A code) of the received Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal in different code phase delay and Doppler frequency. When the received signal is reflected from ocean surface, the DDM can be used to retrieve the ocean surface wind speed, which is the GNSS-reflectometry (GNSS-R) technique. Due to the signal power distribution in DDM is the correlation results of received and artificial C/A code from receiver in different code phase delay and Doppler frequency, the Woodward ambiguity function (WAF) occurs in the DDM. In the case of DDM, the WAF is the correlation results of two square waves in different code phase delay and Doppler frequency, and is approximated a triangular function and a sinc function in code phase delay and Doppler frequency axes, respectively. It means the correlation results not only show the code phase delay and Doppler frequency of the received signal but also influence the surrounding code phase delay and Doppler frequency values and cause the structure of DDM more complex. Using more bins in DDM in the wind speed retrieval process can reduce the influence of WAF but cause the spatial resolution to worsen. In order to use as less bins as possible in the retrieval process and not reduce the retrieval efficiency too much, a simple method to estimate bistatic radar cross section (BRCS) from DDM is developed in this study. Furthermore, a retrieval process is also developed for ocean surface wind speed retrieving by using less bins in the DDM from Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission.
Factors affecting implementation of integrated medical basic course “Molecules, Cells and Tissues” for international students
Authors: Regmi Aksara , Qian Cihang , Yang Jie , Yamaguchi Yoshifumi , Cheng Jinke , Zuo Yong , Sun Xueqing , Wang Li , Wang Ying
Published: January 2024

An integrated course system centered on organs and systems became a mainstream model among the medical schools in China and especially those in Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. International students in China attended the integrated courses independently. Here we will just put focus on the integrated medical basic course “Molecules, Cells and Tissues” for international students. This research mainly focused on the factors affecting the implementation of the integrated course, including the factors before enrollment and those after enrollment. The factors before enrollment included Chinese language level and subjects taken in high school. The factors after enrollment included online and offline courses; Case Based Learning (CBL) and Team Based Learning (TBL) and the learning attitude of undergraduate students. This research did studies to explore international students' academic engagement in China. Using data generated by a study involving 213 international undergraduate students from five different grades at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The international student research taken helps to understand and enhance international undergraduate students' learning experiences in Chinese Universities. Although located in China, this research holds implications for practitioners in broader contexts striving for the sustainable development of international student education.

*The authors would like to note that Aksara Regmi and Cihang Qian contributed equally to this work.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Overcomes Lipid Depletion by Utilizing Serine for Phospholipid Synthesis and Enhanced Survival
Authors: Andersen Jesper , Paul bichitra , Lewinska Monika , Lafuente-Barquero Juan , de Gauna Mikel Ruiz , Buqué Xabier , Mattanovich Matthias , Geng Dawei , Rodrigues Raissa , Kjær Martin , Nielsen Sebastian , Aldana Blanca , Zhuravleva Ekaterina , Marquardt Jens , Aspichueta Patricia , Moritz Thomas
Published: January 2024

Metabolic vulnerabilities of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unexplored, though deregulation in these processes is a hallmark of cancer. HCC cells exhibit a marked dependence on lipids and have distinct responses to lipid depletion. Challenging HCC cells phenotype by lipid depletion, we studied their reaction through functional assays, lipidomic, metabolic, transcriptomic profiles, and metabolic fluxes. HCC cell lines were grouped as lipid-depletion sensitive (LD-S), characterized by high triglycerides and cholesterol esters, or resistant (LD-R), marked by increased membrane lipids like phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. LD-R cells showed serine uptake and carbon-donor incorporation into lipid synthesis pathways during lipid depletion. A distinct 150-gene lipid-associated signature differentiated HCC patients into subtypes, correlating LD-R traits with lower survival, higher vascular invasion, and distinct immune compositions, including associating Kupffer cells to LD-S tumors. This sensitivity to lipid depletion underscores lipid metabolism as a therapeutic target, potentially offering new treatments for HCC patients.
Perspectives on locally weighted ensemble Kalman methods
Authors: Wacker Philipp
Published: January 2024

This manuscript derives locally weighted ensemble Kalman methods from the point of view of ensemble-based function approximation. This is done by using pointwise evaluations to build up a local linear or quadratic approximation of a function, tapering off the effect of distant particles via local weighting. This introduces a candidate method (the locally weighted Ensemble Kalman method) for combining the strengths of the particle filter (ability to cope with nonlinear maps and non-Gaussian distributions) and the Ensemble Kalman filter (no filter degeneracy), and can also be applied to optimisation and sampling tasks.
MSC class: 62F15, 65N75, 37N40, 90C56
Efficacy and safety of enavogliflozin vs. dapagliflozin as add-on therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on renal function: A pooled analysis of two randomized controlled trials
Authors: Lyu Young Sang , Hong Sangmo , Lee Si Eun , Cho Bo Young , Park Cheol-Young
Published: January 2024

Background
We assessed the efficacy and safety of enavogliflozin (0.3 mg), a newly developed SGLT-2 inhibitor, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus based on kidney function via pooled analysis of two 24-week, randomized, double-blind phase III trials.
Methods
Data from 470 patients were included (enavogliflozin: 0.3 mg/day, n = 235; dapagliflozin: 10 mg/day, n = 235). The subjects were classified by mildly reduced (60 ≤ eGFR < 90 mL/min/1.73 m², n = 247) or normal eGFR (≥ 90 mL/min/1.73 m², n = 223).
Results
In the mildly reduced eGFR group, enavogliflozin significantly reduced the adjusted mean change of HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels at week 24 compared to dapagliflozin (− 0.94% vs. −0.77%, P = 0.0196). Enavogliflozin exhibited a more pronounced glucose-lowering effect by HbA1c when combined with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors than that observed in their absence. Enavogliflozin showed potent blood glucose-lowering effects regardless of renal function. Conversely, dapagliflozin showed a significant decrease in the glucose-lowering efficacy as the renal function decreased. Enavogliflozin showed a higher urinary glucose excretion rate in both groups. The homeostatic model assessment showed that enavogliflozin markedly decreased the insulin resistance. The blood pressure, weight loss, or homeostasis model assessment of beta-cell function values did not differ significantly between enavogliflozin and dapagliflozin. Adverse events were similar between both drugs.
Conclusions
The glucose-lowering efficacy of enavogliflozin is superior to that of dapagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with mild renal function impairment; this is attributed to its potent urinary glucose excretion-promoting ability.
Trial registration
Not applicable (pooled analysis).
Cross Modal Adaptive Feature Fusion Network for RGB-D Salient Object Detection
Authors: Li Haitang , Shi Lijuan , Wang Yanjun , He Yuanfei , Zhou Weihua , Li Peiling
Published: January 2024

RGB-D salient object detection is a fundamental task in computer vision, garnering considerable attention in recent years as many visual tasks rely on salient object detection as a foundational step. However, in the context of RGB-D salient object detection, the effective fusion of RGB modality features with DEPTH modality features to enhance the performance of the salient object detection task remains a significant challenge. In this paper, addressing this issue, we propose an effective network architecture, CMAFF-Net: We design a novel attention mechanism called Normalized Coordinate Attention (NCA) to further extract features from the backbone network, resulting in more effective feature representation. We introduce the CMAFF module to adaptively fuse features extracted at different stages of the backbone network, ensuring the effectiveness of feature fusion at each stage. We propose a hybrid loss function to provide more effective supervision for model learning. Our model exhibits superior performance on the first four publicly available datasets compared to the latest methods. Particularly noteworthy is the approximately 4% improvement in the F-measure evaluation metric on the SSD dataset.
Prevalence of Nosocomial Pathogens Associated with Medical Devices at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences
Authors: Haroon Atif , Khan Reshma , orakash Om , Ali Naeem , Wei Dong-Qing
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Nosocomial infections (NIs), or healthcare-associated infections (HAI), are a significant health challenge in hospital settings, leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased morbidity, and mortality rates. These infections arise from nosocomial pathogens (NPs) colonizing indwelling medical devices, presenting a formidable challenge due to escalating microbial resistance.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of nosocomial bacterial and fungal pathogens on various indwelling medical devices utilized in the treatment of in-patients at PIMS hospital.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2019 to December 2019. Endotracheal tubes (ETTs), urinary catheters tubes (UCTs), central venous catheters (CVCs), suction tubes, drainage tubes, and pharmaceutical tubes were collected from 95 in-patients affected by NIs in the respiratory, cardiac, digestive, and urinary systems. All specimens were processed following standard safety protocols.
Results: Among the 95 collected indwelling medical devices, 74 were positive for various nosocomial bacterial and fungal pathogens, resulting in a prevalence rate of 78%. The prevalence of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was 58% and 20%, respectively, while fungal pathogens accounted for 22%. The distribution of pathogens varied among the specific devices, with ETTs, CVC, UCTs, and mixed tubes having prevalence rates of 38%, 18%, 30%, and 15%, respectively. Five NPs were identified: P. aeruginosa(24.3%), C. albicans (21.6%), E. coli (20.3%), S. aureus(20.3%), and K. pneumoniae (13.5%), with P. aeruginosa being the most prevalent.
Conclusion: The high prevalence of NPs associated with medical devices presents a growing health concern, particularly in our healthcare setup. Implementing appropriate disinfection measures can aid in preventing such pathogens. Therefore, these study findings underscore the significance of clinical observations and surveillance of NIs to provide effective healthcare for the public.
Potential Land Suitability Assessment for Surface Irrigation Using Geospatial Technology in Shinfa River Basin, Abbay Sub-Basin, Ethiopia
Authors: Bayehi Biniam A. , Fikadie Fitamilak T. , Belay Kibrewosen Z. , Beju Yibeltal Z. , Eshetie Daniel G.
Published: January 2024

Assessment of potential lands suitable for surface irrigation techniques is vital for a country like Ethiopia, where chronic food shortages occur on a recurrent basis while the country has abundant water resources and sufficient potentially suitable lands. This study aims to identify suitable land for surface irrigation in the Shinfa River basin, and Metema-Quara districts. The study used a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS), and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques to identify surface irrigation-suitability lands. Distance proximity (river, town, and road) and land features (LULC, major soils, soil characteristics, and slope) were the suitability factors used in this study. The results show that 1.64% (8,991.5 ha) of land is highly suitable and 69% (377,431.5 ha) of land is moderately suitable in the basin, which has 5,467.3 km2. In the middle downstream of the basin, an 85,480-ha large-scale irrigation project was designed by Amhara Design and Supervision Works Enterprise (ADSWE) by providing storage at Gubay Jejebit Kebele. Referencing the proposed dam site, the downstream Metema-Quara district had 105,042 ha of suitable irrigation potential within the basin. However, only 38% of suitable land was proposed and designed for surface irrigation development. Therefore, to increase the irrigable land in the district, design extensions and other water source alternatives (diversion, groundwater, and rainwater harvesting) should be considered, and having large-scale suitable irrigation potential requires the implementation of irrigation projects for the better development of the country.
Molecular cloning and functional analysis of ScHAK10 gene promoter from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.)
Authors: Luo Hai-Bin , Huang Cheng-Mei , Cao Hui-Qing , Xu Lin , Wu Kai-Chao , Deng Zhi-Nian , Wu Xing-Jian , Ye Li-Ping , Wei Yuan-Wen
Published: January 2024

Transcriptional regulation of the high-affinity K+ (HAK) transporter gene is an important mechanism of plant response to low potassium stress. Cloning and analysis of the promoter of potassium transporter gene is not only helpful to its expression pattern and regulation mechanism but also important to improve the potassium absorption efficiency in sugarcane. The potassium transporter gene ScHAK10 is highly expressed and induced by low potassium stress in sugarcane, but the functions of its promoter is still unclear. In the present article, the 1918 bp promoter region of the ScHAK10 gene (pScHAK10) was cloned by genomic walking technique. Computational analysis affirmed the existence of abiotic stress-responsive cis and core cis-elements, such as TATA box, CAAT box, phytohormone responsive, stress response and light response motifs. GUS histochemical staining of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings showed that the leaf, corolla, and root tip were deeply stained, and paraffin sections of root tip tissue showed GUS staining in ductal tissue of A. thaliana shallowly stained. The 5′-terminal deletion of the promoter was cloned, and the lengths of 1918 (full), 1623 (Q1), 1332 (Q2), 957 (Q3), 576 (Q4), and 357 bp (Q5) were cloned into the GUS reporter vector for A. thaliana transient transformation. The transgenic plants generated through a single event exhibited a promising expression of the GUS reporter protein, which was treated with salt, low potassium, IAA and cold stress conditions. The results showed that the promoter activity correlates with the promoter fragment's length, and the long promoter fragment exhibits higher training. The Q5 was the least active and could not drive GUS expression. Under abiotic stress, the expression of GUS enzyme activity varies among different promoter fragments. Under low potassium and high salt stress, Q3 and Q4 showed the highest promoter activity. The Q1 and Q4 led the highest promoter activity during IAA and cold stress. These findings help to understand the molecular mechanism of ScHAK10 expression regulation and provide a theoretical basis for improving potassium uptake efficiency and breeding potassium-efficient varieties in sugarcane.
Multi-expert ensemble ECG diagnostic algorithm using mutually exclusive-symbiotic correlation between 254 hierarchical multiple labels
Authors: Yang Wei , Lai Jiewei , Zhang Yue , Zhao Chenyu , Wang Jinliang , Yan Yong , Chen Mingyang , Ji Lei , Guo Jun , Han Baoshi , Shi Yajun , Zhang Jinxia , Chen Yundai , Feng Qianjin
Published: January 2024

Electrocardiograms (ECGs) are a cheap and convenient means of assessing heart health, and provide an important basis for diagnosis and treatment by cardiologists. However, existing intelligent ECG diagnostic approaches can only detect up to several tens of ECG terms, which barely cover the most common arrhythmias. Thus, further diagnosis is required by cardiologists in clinical settings. This paper describes the development of a multi-expert ensemble learning model that can recognize 254 ECG terms. Based on data from 191,804 wearable 12-lead ECGs, mutually exclusive-symbiotic correlations between hierarchical multiple labels are applied at the loss level to improve the diagnostic performance of the model and make its predictions more reasonable, while alleviating the difficulty of class imbalance. The model achieves an average area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.973 and 0.956 on offline and online test sets, respectively. We select 130 terms from the 254 available for clinical settings by considering the classification performance and clinical significance, providing real-time and comprehensive ancillary support for the public.