bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Red propolis extract in the diet of confined sheep: morphometric alterations of the digestive system
Authors: Garcia Pedro Henrique de Melo , Guerra Ricardo Romão , de Oliveira Juliana Silva , Júnior Dorgival Morais de Lima , de Almeida Vitor Visintin Silva , Silva Edijanio Galdino da , Ribeiro Neila Lidiany
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of red propolis extract (RPE) in the diet of confined sheep on performance and histomorphometric parameters of rumen and intestine and histopathological parameters of liver and kidney. Thirty-five male sheep (17.08 ± 2.36 kg) were used, distributed in a completely randomized design, with five treatments (0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 mL day− 1RPE) and seven replications, submitted to one 68-day trial period. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were slaughtered, and, rumen, intestine, liver, and kidney samples were collected (histomorphometry and histopathology). The dry matter intake (DMI), total weight gain (TWG), epithelial thickness ruminal (ETR), a keratinized portion of the epithelium ruminal (KER), a non-keratinized portion of the epithelium ruminal (NKP), papilla height (PH), papilla width (PW), mucosal thickness (MT) and submucosal thickness (ST) exhibited quadratic curve behavior (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of RPE. In addition, the highest level of 28 mL day− 1RPE resulted in a 20.24% increase in TWG compared to the control group. Therefore, the 28 mL day-1 RPE level is indicated as a natural additive more significant to provide greater absorptive areas of the rumen and intestine, and an increase in total weight gain.
Assessment of Groundwater Quality of Hadejia-Jamaare-Komadugu-Yobe Basin of Nigeria, Using Statistical Approach
Authors: A.G. Tahir , M.L. Garba , A. Mustapha , A.N. Ahmad
Published: September 2022

Assessment of the hydro geochemical processes that control groundwater quality is significant for sustainable development of water resource. This paper reports the results of groundwater samples collected from 81 locations of the intensively cultivated areas of the Hadejia-Jamaare-Komadugu-Yobe basin of Nigeria. The study approach employed the use of statistical tools; conventional descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis on the generated hydrochemical data in order to understand the groundwater condition of the area, with a view to define the concentration of different parameters in the water and other factors controlling the groundwater quality. High mean concentration is observed for Electrical conductivity having (322.1 mg/l), HCO3- (221.09mg/l) and TDS (154.32 mg/l). The low mean concentration is found to be (-3.03mg/l) and (0mg/l), for Mo and Ni respectively. The abundance of major cations in the study area shows the trend of Ca2+ > K+, while that of major anion in the descending order of, HCO3- >SO42- >Cl->NO3. Based on the Eigen value-one criterion, eleven (11) components were chosen after Varimax rotation. The 11 Varimax factors together explained 81.91% of the variance of the data. The first Varimax factor (VF1) contained strong factor loading on Pb, Mo, Cd and Ni which account for 15.404% of the total variability of the water quality data. The 2nd Varimax factor (VF2) has strong loading for EC, TDS, Cl and Temperature with variance of 14.068%. The strong loading for EC, TDS and Cl could be due to salinity built-up process in the area as a result of the intensive agricultural activities. The 3rd Varimax factor (VF3) has higher loadings for NO2, NO3, SO4 and HCO3 with variance of 10.075%. These results suggest the possibility of some anthropogenic activities like application of fertilizers and industrial effluents which may have contributed to the high concentration of some parameters. A natural hydro geochemical process like weathering of different igneous and metamorphic rocks at the upstream part of the study area is another possibility that have resulted in the elevated concentration of some parameters.
Performance Analysis of Multiple Strips to Reduce the Separation of Photonic Waveguides in Photonic Array
Authors: R Abinands , Mallick P. S.
Published: September 2022

In order to construct a dense Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) that comprises photonic waveguides, it is vital to consider the necessity of low crosstalk between surrounding waveguides. From past literature, higher coupling length can be obtained by utilizing a silicon – on -insulator (SOI) based photonic waveguide with an acceptable waveguide separation between them. The current research aims to reduce waveguide separation and hence increase photonic integration over PICs. Numerous strips were inserted between the photonic waveguides to achieve this. The impact of modifications in height and width of three, four, and five strips on coupling has been analyzed. This has led to the inference that larger coupling lengths can be achieved. The greatest coupling lengths of 485 µm, 620 µm, and 104110 µm were reached with end-to-end waveguide separations between the two adjacent waveguides of 175 nm for three strips, four strips and five strips inserted between two photonic waveguides. Achieving a coupling length of 104110 µm proves that the proposed design is better than previously proposed designs in terms of coupling length. In addition, we have compared the coupling lengths obtained when Ge strips and Si strips were inserted between the photonic waveguides. The method given in this paper can be used to design a variety of photonic applications.
Advanced Drug Delivery of Paclitaxel with Thermoresponsive Water-soluble Micelles for Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Shin Ueon sang , Kang Ji-Hye , Hwang Ji-Young , Cho Young-Jae , Park Sang-Yu , Choi Jung-Joo , Paik E-Sun , Lee Jeong-Won
Published: September 2022

As an anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel (PTX) is known to be effective for treating patients with ovarian cancer. Not only do dose density and side effects of PTX represent a certain difficulty in chemotherapy, but also cause problems related to its poor water solubility during the administration. From the dose-density concept, we hypothesized that continuous release of PTX could increase the duration of exposure to tumor cells and may be an effective ovarian cancer treatment for patients. Herein, we developed highly water-soluble and multi-temperature-responsive PTX delivery systems to treat ovarian cancer. This was accomplished by entrapping the hydrophobic PTX in poly(NIPAAm-co-BVIm) micelles engineered to deliver drugs (pNIB/PTX). Specifically, the pNIB/PTX-3 complex containing 74 μg PTX loaded at 25 °C showed a rapid release of PTX initially (5.9 %/day) during the first five days at 37 °C. The release rates decreased (1.1 %/day) over the following month, indicating a multi-step release. In orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse models, the pNIB/PTX complex resulted in a six-fold greater therapeutic effect with a single intraperitoneal injection than weekly PTX treatment alone in vitro using two human ovarian cancer cell lines, HeyA8 and SKOV3ip. Moreover, the tumor weights in HeyA8 and SKOV3ip1 models were remarkably decreased with the pNIB/PTX complex compared to the controls. The good water solubility and temperature-dependent release of PTX carriers are highly effective for short-term and long-term delivery. This multi-step drug delivery may be used as a potential candidate for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer.
Antibiotic Resistance in Respiratory Bacterial Isolates From Critical Care Patients Infected With Sars-CoV2
Authors: BENEDETTI PAOLO , PEGORARO MANUELA , NOVELLO ELENA , ROMUALDI CHIARA , MANFRIN VINICIO , LIVERMORE DAVID MARTIN
Published: September 2022

Purpose. Although secondary bacterial infections are uncommon in COVID-19, ventilator pneumonia is a hazard. We undertook a retrospective, observational study at an ICU in Vicenza, Italy, comparing pulmonary bacterial isolates between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.Methods. Respiratory bacteria were recovered from: (i) ICU patients admitted in Feb-May 2019, pre-pandemic; (ii) ICU patients admitted with COVID-19 during the first (Feb-May 2020) wave and (iii) non-COVID-19 ICU patients from Feb-May 2020. Results. We reviewed 120 patients, 61 in the control (2019) group and 59 (28 COVID-19 and 31 non-COVID-19) from 2020. Two hundred isolates were grown: 101 from the 2019 control patients, 42 from the 2020 COVID-19 patients and 57 from the 2020 non-COVID patients. Enterobacterales dominated throughout but Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly (p <0.01) more prevalent in COVID-19 than non-COVID patients and MDR P. aeruginosa (3/12; 25%) were exclusively found in COVID-19 patients. Other critical resistance types (MRSA, ESBL- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales) were rare, without significant differences in prevalence between groups. ICU and hospital mortality were greater among COVID-19 than non-COVID patients. Deaths occurred in 6/9 COVID patients (66.7%) who did not receive targeted antibiotic therapy despite microbiological diagnosis.Conclusion. These data underscore the importance of secondary bacterial pathogens in ICU COVID patients and the threat of antibiotic inadequacy favouring poor outcomes in VAP. The organisms found in COVID patients were typical of VAP, though P. aeruginosa was more prominent.
The addition of ROTEM parameter did not significantly improve the massive transfusion prediction in severe trauma patients
Authors: Baik Dongyup , Yeom Seok-Ran , Park Sung-Wook , Cho Youngmo , Yang Wook Tae , Kwon Hoon , Lee Jae Il , Ko Jun-Kyeung , Choi Hyuk Jin , Huh Up , Goh Tae Sik , Song Chan-Hee , Hwangbo Lee , Wang Il Jae
Published: September 2022

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess whether rotational thermoelectrometry (ROTEM) data could improve the massive transfusion (MT) prediction model.MethodThis was a single-center, retrospective study. Patients who presented to the trauma center and underwent ROTEM between 2016 and 2020 were included. The primary and secondary outcomes were massive transfusion and in-hospital mortality, respectively. We constructed two models using multivariate logistic regression with backward conditional stepwise elimination (Model 1: without ROTEM parameter and Model 2: with ROTEM parameters). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated to assess the predictive ability of the models.ResultIn total, 969 patients were included; 196 (20.2%) received MT. The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.1%. For MT, the AUROC was 0.854 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.825-0.883) and 0.860 (95% CI, 0.832-0.888) for Model 1 and 2, respectively. For in-hospital mortality, the AUROC was 0.886 (95% CI, 0.857-0.915) and 0.889 (95% CI, 0.861-0.918) for Model 1 and 2, respectively. The AUROC values for Models 1 and 2 were not statistically different for either MT or in-hospital mortality.ConclusionWe found that addition of the ROTEM parameter did not significantly improve the predictive power of MT and in-hospital mortality in trauma patients.
Activation of Arcuate nucleus Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor-expressing neurons suppresses food intake
Authors: Singh Ishnoor , Wang Le , Xia Baijuan , Liu Ji , Tahiri Azeddine , Ouaamari Abdelfattah El , Wheeler Michael B. , Pang Zhiping P.
Published: September 2022

BackgroundCentral nervous system (CNS) control of metabolism plays a pivotal role in maintaining energy balance. In the brain, Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), encoded by the proglucagon ‘Gcg’ gene, produced in a distinct population of neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), has been shown to regulate feeding behavior leading to the suppression of appetite. However, neuronal networks that mediate endogenous GLP-1 action in the CNS on feeding and energy balance are not well understood. This is mainly due to the presence of diverse neuronal subtypes and complex central neuronal connectivity. Results We systematically analyzed the distribution of GLP-1R-expressing neurons and axonal projections of NTSGcg proglucagon expressing neurons in the mouse brain. GLP-1R neurons were found to be broadly distributed in the brain and specific forebrain regions, particularly the hypothalamus, including the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC), received dense NTSGcg neuronal projections. For this reason, the impact of GLP-1 signaling in the ARC, a brain region known to regulate energy homeostasis and feeding behavior was examined. Application of GLP-1R specific agonist Exendin-4 (Exn-4) enhanced the ARC pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neuronal population’s action potential firing frequency and miniature excitatory postsynaptic spontaneous currents amplitude. Using a chemogenetic approach to activate the ARC GLP-1R neurons by using Cre-dependent hM3Dq AAV in the GLP-1R-ires-Cre mice, we established that acute activation of the ARC GLP-1R neurons significantly suppressed food intake but did not affect glucose homeostasis. ConclusionsThese results highlight the importance of central GLP-1 signaling and in particular neurons within the ARC that express GLP-1R that upon activation, regulate feeding behavior.
Unilateral Acute Lung Injury in Pig: A Promising Animal Model
Authors: Geilen Johannes , Kainz Matthias , Zapletal Bernhard , Geleff Silvana , Wisser Wilfried , Bohle Barbara , Schweiger Thomas , Schultz Marcus J. , Tschernko Edda
Published: September 2022

Background
Acute lung injury (ALI) occurs in 23% unilateral. Models of unilateral ALI were developed and used previously without clearly demonstrating the strictly unilateral nature and severity of lung injury by the key parameters characterizing ALI as defined by the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Thus, the use of unilateral ALI remained rare despite the innovative approach. Therefore, we developed a unilateral model of ALI and focused on the crucial parameters characterizing ALI. This model can serve for direct comparisons between the injured and intact lungs within single animals, thus, reducing the number of animals required for valid experimental conclusions.
Methods
We established the model in nine pigs, followed by an evaluation of key parameters in six pigs (main study). Pigs were ventilated using an adapted left double-lumen tube for lung separation and two ventilators. ALI was induced in the left lung with cyclic rinsing (NaCl 0.9%+Triton® X-100), after which pigs were ventilated for different time spans to test for the timing of ALI onset. Ventilatory and metabolic parameters were evaluated, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed for measurements of inflammatory mediators. Finally, histopathological specimens were collected and examined in respect of characteristics defining the lung injury score (LIS) as suggested by the ATS.
Results
After adjustments of the model (n = 9) we were able to induce strictly left unilateral ALI in all six pigs of the evaluation study. The median lung injury score was 0.72 (IQR 0.62–0.79) in the left lung vs 0.14 (IQR 0.14–0.16; p < 0.05) in the right lung, confirming unilateral ALI. A significant and sustained drop in pulmonary compliance (Cdyn) of the left lung occurred immediately, whereas Cdyn of the right lung remained unchanged (p < 0.05). BAL fluid concentrations of interleukin-6 and − 8 were increased in both lungs.
Conclusions
We established a model of unilateral ALI in pigs, confirmed by histopathology, and typical changes in respiratory mechanics and an inflammatory response. This thoroughly evaluated model could serve as a basis for future studies and for comparing pathophysiological and pharmacological changes in the uninjured and injured lung within the same animal.
Protective and risk factors of recurrent severe hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the PR-IAH study
Authors: Sakane Naoki , Kato Ken , Hata Sonyun , Nishimura Erika , Araki Rika , Kunichi kouyama , Hatao Masako , Matoba Yuka , Matsushita Yuichi , Domichi Masayuki , Suganuma Akiko , Sakane Seiko , Murata Takashi , Wu Fei Ling
Published: September 2022

Background
Severe hypoglycemia (SH) remains a central problem in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D); however, little is known about the protective and risk factors associated with recurrent SH (RSH). This study aimed to identify the protective and risk factors for RSH in adults with T1D.
Methods
This cross-sectional study enrolled 287 adults with T1D (mean age: 50.3 ± 14.5 years, male: 36.2%, diabetes duration: 17.6 ± 11.2 years, mean HbA1c: 7.7 ± 0.9%) and divided them into non-SH (n = 262), solitary SH (n = 17), and RSH (n = 8) groups. Impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH) assessed using the Gold’s method, diabetic complications, fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes distress, hypoglycemia problem solving abilities, and treatment data were collected.
Results
The overall SH rate was 16.7/100 person-years. The odds ratios of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and IAH were associated with an increased risk of RSH (odds ratio [OR]: 5.53 ,95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18–25.98 and OR: 4.82 [95% CI:1.09–21.23], respectively); hypoglycemia problem-solving perception score was associated with a decreased risk of RSH (OR: 0.35 [95% CI: 0.18–0.69]). The rate of rtCGM use decreased as the SH category increased, but no difference was found in the rate of isCGM use.
Conclusion
We identified the protective factors, such as hypoglycemia problem-solving perception, in addition to the risk factors for RSH in adults with T1D.
Trial registration:
University hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Center: UMIN000039475)、Approval date 13 February 2020
LncRNA NEAT-2 Regulate the Function of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Experimental Sepsis Model
Authors: Yin Xiao-Yi , Liu Yu , Lu Zheng-Mao , Pang Tao , Cui Hang-Tian , Xue Xu-Chao , Fang Guo-En , Luo Tian-Hang
Published: September 2022

Background
Sepsis is a life-threatening disease with a limited effectiveness and the potential mechanism remains unclear. LncRNA NEAT-2 plays an important role in tumor proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and also involved in the regulation of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the function of NEAT-2 in sepsis.
Methods
We built sepsis animal model with Male Balb/C mice induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). A total of 54 mice were randomly assigned into eight groups: sham operation group (n = 18), CLP group (n = 18), CLP plus si-control group (n = 3), CLP plus si-NEAT2 group (n = 3), CLP plus mimic control group (n = 3), CLP plus miR-320 group (n = 3), CLP plus normal saline group (n = 3), and normal control group (n = 3). The number of peripheral endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), the expression level of NEAT-2 and miR-320 were detected during progression of sepsis, as well as the number of peripheral EPCs and level of TNF-α, IL-6, VEGF, ALT, AST and Cr. In addition, the function of EPCs was evaluated after NEAT-2 knockdown and miR-320 overexpression in vitro.
Results
The number of circulating EPCs increased significantly in sepsis. NEAT-2 expression was significantly increased in the progress of sepsis, accompanied with miR-320 downregulated. NEAT-2 knockdown and miR-320 overexpression attenuated hepatorenal function and increased cytokines in sepsis. Moreover, NEAT-2 knockdown and miR-320 overexpression decreased the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells in vitro.
Conclusions
LncRNA-NEAT2 regulated the number and function of endothelial progenitor cells via miR-320 in sepsis.
BCRecommender System for Breast Cancer Diagnosis using Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Bhargava Harshita , Makeri Yakubu Ajiji , Gyamenah Pius , Gupta Snehal , Vyas Geetika , Sharma Amita , Chatterjee Sreemoyee
Published: September 2022

Background: Early detection of breast cancer is challenging and necessitates more thorough observation. Researchers and medical professionals are always looking for ways to detect breast cancer early, systematically, and affordably. Other studies on cancer have developed a range of recommendation systems, such as those for food and medicine, disease prediction based on text and image data, and prognosis. The only drawback to such systems is that they are highly specialized and only accept specific types of data. To be more precise in diagnosis, we need systems that consider all aspects of the disease and provide continuous support at all the stages of breast cancer.
Methods: A recommendation model called "BCRecommender" has been put forth to diagnose and comprehend breast cancer using clinical and histopathological slides while taking feature-based classification into consideration. It has a layered architecture that accepts different reports (structured and unstructured data), and it produces results differently with respect to each layer. It is effective for cancer in all stages, from early to advanced.Existing breast cancer repositories are used to design a system.
Results & Conclusions:The model performance varies at different layers.In layer1 the bagging classifier achieves the highest accuracy of 61.06% while in layer2 bagging has the highest accuracy of 97.52%. Layer 3 has an accuracy of 97.39% after augmentation. During the test phase, confidence ranges from 60%-100%.In Layer 4 confidence varies from 50%-100%.
Topological superconductivity in a topological insulator
Authors: Chen Xiao-Jia , Yu Hao , Yuan Noah , Li Wei-Jian , Chen Liu-Cheng , Cao Zi-Yu , Li Di , Qin Xiaoying , Gong Chang-De
Published: September 2022

Topological superconductivity as an exotic quantum phenomenon with coupled nontrivial topological order and superconductivity together in a single substance has drawn extensive attention because of its novelty as well as the potential for quantum computation1-6. A direct idea for producing topological superconductors is to create superconductivity based on the well recognized topological insulators7-14. The topological insulating states in highly efficient thermoelectric materials Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 and their alloy B2Te3-xSex have been established from angle-resolved photoemission15-17 and transport18 experiments. Superconductivity was also observed based on these popular topological insulators by the application of pressure19-21, chemical dopant22, and heterostructures23,24. However, the experiments mainly focusing on Bi$_{2}$Se$_3$ doped by metals such as Cu25-35, Sr36-39, and Nb40-46 have not provided the consistent evidence to support the topological superconductivity. Here we carry out a systematic high-pressure study on a topological insulator Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 to provide the convincing evidence for the expected topological superconductivity. Four phases with different structures are found upon compression by the X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and electrical transport measurements. The Hall resistivity and electronic structure calculations help to identify the topological surface state in the entire initial phase, while superconductivity is found to coexist with such a state of the compressed material after its passing the electronic topological transition, followed by three other superconducting phases without topological character. For these superconducting phases, we observe that the upper critical field follows with the temperature in the critical exponent 2/3 for the first one with the topological surface state and 1 for the left. These observations support the realization of the topological superconductivity in the initial phase according to the theoretically proposed critical field measure. Therefore, this work points out a big pool and new direction for finding topological superconductors from topological thermoelectric materials. The results also demonstrate that the critical field measure is an easy and powerful method for the identification of topological superconductivity in the system where topological surface states and superconductivity coexist.
Long loop technique with bifemoral access as salvage technique for repositioning of dislodged port catheters
Authors: Bosch Vincent Van den , De Beukelaer Frédéric , Isfort Peter , Keil Sebastian , Kuhl Christiane K. , Bruners Philipp , Pedersoli Federico
Published: September 2022

Background
Repositioning of dislocated port systems’ catheters is usually performed with a pigtail catheter and/or a goose snare. In case of an inaccessible port catheter tip due to thrombosis, this classic approach may be not successful. For these cases, we describe a long loop bailout technique with bifemoral access.
Technique
Via a right transfemoral access, a first attempt to reposition the dislodged port catheter using pigtail catheter and goose snare was performed. After an unsuccessful attempt and delineation of thrombosis of the catheter tip, the contralateral femoral vein was subsequently punctured and a sheath was placed. Through both vascular sheaths, pigtail catheter and goose wire were advanced distally to the catheter. The guidewire in the pigtail catheter was snared, thus creating a “Long loop” configuration. Pulling down both catheters simultaneously with improved stability allowed to detach the catheter tip from the vessel wall and replacement into the superior vena cava was possible. Refinement of catheter tip position was done using the goose snare . This technique was applied on 5 patients with dislodged port catheters in the jugular vein (2/5), the innominate vein (1/5), the subclavian vein (1/5) and the azygos vein (1/5) with a technical success of 100%. No complications were observed.
Conclusion
The Long loop technique can be used as salvage approach to reposition a dislodged catheter in case of failure with pigtail catheter and goose snare.
Prevalence of Intestinal and Soil Transmitted Helminths Among Primary School Children of Badessa District, West Hararghe Zone, Oromia Region, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Wolde Amsalu Mekonnen
Published: September 2022

Background: Helminthes are known as parasitic worms (1). Helminthes of medically important are belonging to two phyla: the Platy helminths as flat worms and Nematy helminths or round worms. Platy helminths are further subdivided into Cestodes and Trematodes (2). According to some literatures, parasitic worms are categorized into three groups: Cestodes, nematodes, and Trematodes (1). In this study, the prevalence of intestinal and soil transmitted helminths among primary school children were assessed by two stool examination methods namely: wet mount and Kato-Katz thick smear techniques. for the diagnosis of intestinal helminths were compared to detect human intestinal helminths.
Objective: To assess the prevalence of intestinal and soil transmitted helminths among primary school children in Badessa woreda, west Hararghe zone, Oromia region, eastern Ethiopia.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was conducted for the study then four primary schools were selected by lottery method from 11 primary schools. Finally, 200 primary school children had given a stool specimen for wet mount and Kato-Katz methods so that two types of stool specimens were collected from school children aged 6 to 16 from four primary schools randomly selected in Badessa woreda, West Hararghe Zone, Eastern Ethiopia. Each specimen was smeared on one slide for every technique with normal saline for wet mount and a cellophane cover for Kato-Katz technique. The overall prevalence of the parasites in each school of the woreda was determined.
Result: The prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides (19.5%), Eterobius vermicularis (13%) and Hookworm (49%) was high in schools 1, 2 and 4. The prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni (38%) high in school 3 (Table 3). Finally, Kato-Katz technique had played more role and was more effective and sensitive than the stool wet mount technique in order to find the result.
Conclusion: Intestinal and soil transmitted helminths were significantly detected especially from carriers and non-symptomatic children. Kato-Katz technique was more selective and sensitive than wet mount method.
Paradoxical effect of the antipsychotic drug sulpiride in the ventral pallidum: impairs learning and induces place preference.
Authors: Dusa Daniella , Ollmann Tamas , Kallai Veronika , Lenard Laszlo , Kertes Erika , Berta Beata , Szabo Adam , Laszlo Kristof , Galosi Rita , Zagoracz Olga , Karadi Zoltan , Peczely Laszlo
Published: September 2022

Sulpiride, as a D2-like dopamine (DA) receptor (D2R) antagonist, is an important antipsychotic drug in the treatment of schizophrenia. Recently, we have shown that the activation of D2Rs in the ventral pallidum (VP) modulates the activity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) DAergic neurons. According to our hypothesis, intra-VP sulpiride can influence the motivational and learning processes, pervasively modifying the behavior of examined animals. In the present study, sulpiride was microinjected into the VP of male Wistar rats in three different doses. Morris water maze (MWM) test was applied to investigate the effects of sulpiride on spatial learning, while conditioned place preference (CPP) test was used to examine the potential rewarding effect of the drug. In order to show, whether the animals can associate the rewarding effect with an area which can be recognized only on its spatial location, we introduced a modified version of the CPP paradigm, the spatial CPP test. Our results show that the intra-VP sulpiride dose-dependently impairs learning processes. However, the largest dose of sulpiride induces place preference. Results of the spatial CPP paradigm demonstrate that the animals cannot associate the rewarding effect of the drug with the conditioning area based on its spatial location. In the CPP paradigm, likely faster habituation with the conditioning environment could be observed in the sulpiride-treated rats. In summary, we can conclude that intra-VP sulpiride has a dual effect: it diminishes the hippocampus-dependent spatial learning processes, in addition, it has a dose-dependent rewarding effect.
Good-Bootstrap: Simultaneous Confidence Intervals for Large Alphabet Distributions
Authors: Marton Daniel , Painsky Amichai
Published: September 2022

Simultaneous confidence intervals (SCI) for multinomial proportions are a corner stone in count data analysis and a key component in many applications. A variety of schemes were introduced over the years, mostly focusing on an asymptotic regime (where the sample is large), or a small sample regime, where the alphabet size is relatively small. In this work we introduce a new SCI framework which considers a large alphabet setup. Our proposed framework utilizes bootstrap sampling with the Good-Turing probability estimator as a plug-in distribution. We demonstrate the favorable performance of our proposed method in synthetic and real-world experiments. Importantly, we provide an exact analytical expression for the bootstraped statistic, which replaces the computationally costly sampling routine. Our proposed framework is publicly available at the first author's webpage.
ABCB1 regulates myeloid-derived suppressor cells-related immune factors in breast cancer
Authors: Chen Han-Kun , Chen Yi-Ling , Wang Chih-Yang , Chung Wei-Pang , Fang Jung-Hua , Lai Ming-Derg , Hsu Hui-Ping
Published: September 2022

Purpose Resistance to standard chemotherapy is a critical problem for breast cancer patients. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily transporters actively pump out drugs and play an important role in chemoresistance. ABCB1 (ABC subfamily B, member 1, also named as multidrug resistance protein 1, MDR1) and suppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) potentially involve in chemoresistance of breast cancer. The relationship between ABCB1 and MDSC is less studied. Methods Microarray or RNA sequencing data was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Invasive Carcinoma in Genomic Data Commons Data Portal (GDC TCGA-BRCA) and GEO database. Expression of ABCB1 and MDSC-related genes was compared. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) from HER2-enriced breast cancer was established to investigate the association of ABCB1 and MDSC-related genes in breast cancer. Results Expression of ABCB1 was increased in doxorubicin-selected MCF-7/ADR cells. High expression of ABCB1 mRNA was correlated with lymph node metastasis and worse overall survival of breast cancer patients. ABCB1 was positively correlated with IL6, CSF1, CSF3, or PTGS2 and negatively correlated with VEGF. PDX model from HER2-enriched stage IIA breast cancer was established. Treatment with doxorubicin or paclitaxel suppressed growth of P2 tumors and expression of ABCB1. Expression of IL6, CSF1, CSF3, PTGS2 was suppressed by paclitaxel, but not by doxorubicin. Intrasplenic MDSCs, including CD11b+Ly6G+ and CD11b+Ly6C+ cells, were higher than intratumor MDSCs in PDX-carrying nude mice. Clinically, the patient developed cancer recurrence after adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin-based regimen and was well-controlled after paclitaxel-trastuzumab combined therapy.Conclusions ABCB1 is a poor predictor of breast cancer patients. Regulation of MDSC-related immune factors by ABCB1 and immune response to chemotherapeutic agents also contributes to cancer recurrence and treatment effect. PDX model is suitable to test expression of targeting genes and potential interaction with immune cells.
Histopathological Image Analysis Using Deep Learning Framework
Authors: RANI SUDHA , M JOGENDRA KUMAR
Published: September 2022

Breast cancer has the highest morbidity and fatality rates of all cancers. Early identification of this is critical step in histopathological image analysis (HIA). Manual methods are will take much time and also having of lot errors in pathologists' competence. Current HIA, ignoring on histopathology image segmentation of breast cancer (BC) because to its complicated features and unavailability of previous data with detailed annotations. Our approach uses only graph-based segmentation to classify breast cancer histopathology images. Graph based segmentation images extract efficient features. Then, using recursive feature elimination (RFE), images of breast cancer are categorized. The solution provided here tackles large-scale image processing in breast cancer histopathology images. The suggested technique accurately classifies breast histopathology pictures as abnormal or normal, supporting early breast cancer diagnosis.
Clinical features of metabolism-related fatty liver disease in the non-lean population
Authors: Li Minran , Li Jin-Zhong , Wang Cun-chuan , Yuan Rui-kun , Ye Li-hong , Liu Yun-yan , Liang Xu-jing , Zhang Hai-cong , Liu Zhi-quan , Zeng Dong-yu , Zhang Xue-dong , Wang De-hua , Li Jun-qing , Li Tao-yuan , Yang Liu , Li Jie-ying , Cao Yang , Pan Yun , Lin Xun-ge , Pan Calvin Q. , Dai Er-hei , Dong Zhi-yong
Published: September 2022

Objective
To assess the clinical and histological features of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in non-lean population.
Methods
Current study enrolled consecutive non-lean (Body Mass Index (BMI) > 23 kg/m2) patients with MAFLD and available liver biopsy results. Patients were stratified by BMI into two groups for the comparison of their clinical and histological variables, which included the overweight (BMI 23 ~ < 28 kg/m2) and the obese (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2). Risk factors for moderate to severe fibrosis (stage > 1) were also analysed through the logistic regression model.
Results
Among 184 non-lean patients with MALFD enrolled, 65 and 119 were overweight and obese, respectively. Patients in the obesity group had a significantly lower level of gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), higher levels of platelet (PLT), Glucose (Glu), prothrombin time (PT), and more common of moderate to severe inflammatory activity when compared to those in the overweight group. However, a significant low frequency of moderate to severe fibrosis was found in the obesity group vs the overweight group (19.33% vs 40.00%, P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis of fibrosis found that aspartate transaminase (AST), BMI, alanine transaminase (ALT) and cholesterol (CHOL) were independent predictors for moderate to severe fibrosis in non-lean patients with MAFLD. Compared with the traditional FIB-4 (AUC = 0.77) and APRI (AUC = 0.79) indexes, the combined index based on AST, BMI, ALT and CHOL was more accurated in predicting moderate to severe fibrosis in non-lean patients with MAFLD (AUC = 0.87).
Conclusions
Clinical and histological features differed between obesity and overweight patients with MAFLD. When compared to the traditional serum markers, the combination index including AST, BMI, ALT and CHOL provides a better model to predictor moderate to severe fibrosis in non-lean patients with MAFLD.
Clinical and pathological analysis of intestinal metaplasia and intraepithelial neoplasia of gastric mucosa: intestinal metaplasia inhibits the progression of intraepithelial neoplasia
Authors: Gao Rui , Zhang Xi , Chen Xiaoyan , Chen Xin , Pan Danling , Jin Long , Lin Ying , Zheng Huawei , Yu Xunbin , Chen Xin(F)
Published: September 2022

Background
At present, whether intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa is related to gastric cancer is still controversial. Many research results showed that intestinal metaplasia was a risk factor for gastric cancer, while some scholars believe that intestinal metaplasia is not related to precancerous lesions. Through clinicopathological analysis, we found that intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa inhibits the progression of intraepithelial neoplasia.
Methods
We collected the clinicopathological data of patients with gastric mucosa biopsy, and analyzed the relationship between intestinal metaplasia of gastric mucosa and neutrophil or intraepithelial neoplasia by histology, immunohistochemistry and immunohistochemistry.
Results
In patients with intestinal metaplasia of the gastric mucosa, the proportion of patients with intraepithelial neoplasia was 9.8%, while in patients with intraepithelial neoplasia, the proportion of patients with intestinal metaplasia was as high as 73.8%. The number of glands with intestinal metaplasia infiltrated by neutrophils was significantly less than that in non intestinal metaplasia glands infiltrated by neutrophils. In the glands with intestinal metaplasia and intraepithelial neoplasia, the expression index of Ki67 was significantly lower than that in intraepithelial neoplasia without intestinal metaplasia; and in the glands with intraepithelial neoplasia and intestinal metaplasia, the Ki67 expression index decreased with the increasing proportion of goblet cells. The expression of p53 in glands with intraepithelial neoplasia was high or lost, but was normal in glands with intestinal metaplasia.
Conclusions
Cells with intraepithelial neoplasia may originate from non goblet cells of intestinal metaplasia. Intestinal metaplasia plays a protective role to glands and inhibits intraepithelial neoplasia.
Development of a quadruple PCR-based gene microarray for detection of vaccine and wild-type classical swine fever virus, African swine fever virus and atypical porcine pestivirus.
Authors: Xia Ying-ju , Xu Lu , Zhao Jun-jie , Li Yuan-xi , Wu Rui-zhi , Song Xiang-peng , Zhao Qi-zu , Liu Ye-bing , Wang Qin , Zhang Qian-yi
Published: September 2022

Background: Classical swine fever (CSF), African swine fever (ASF) and atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) are acute, virulent and contagious viral diseases currently hampering pig industry in China, which result in mummification or stillbirths in piglets and mortality in pigs. Diagnostic assay for the differentiation of infection and vaccination of CSFV in addition to the detection of ASFV and APPV are urgently required for better prevention, control and elimination of these viral diseases in China. Methods: A quadruple PCR-based gene microarray assay was developed in this study to simultaneously detect wild type and vaccine CSFV strains, ASFV and APPV according to their conserved regions. 42 laboratory confirmed samples including positive samples of other 10 swine viral diseases were tested using this assay to confirm its high specificity.Results: The limit of detections (LODs) of this assay for the wild type and vaccine CSFV were 6.98 and 6.92 copies/µL. LODs for ASFV and APPV were 2.56 ×10 and 1.80×10 copies/µL, respectively. When compared with standard RT-PCR or qPCR for CSFV (GB/T 26875-2018), ASFV (MARR issue No.172) or APPV（CN108611442A）using 219 clinical samples, the coincidence was 100%. The results showed that this assay with high sensitivity can specifically distinguish ASFV, APPV and CSFV including CSFV infection and immunization.Conclusion: This assay provides a practical, simple, economical and reliable test for the rapid detection and accurate diagnosis of the three viruses, and may have good prospects for application in epidemiological investigation, prevention and control and elimination of these three diseases.
Changes in fish species diversity, size structure and distribution in the trawlable demersal zones of Lake Malawi, Malawi
Authors: M'balaka Mwamad S. , Kaunda Emmanuel , Kanyerere Geoffrey , Jamu Daniel , Msukwa Amulike
Published: September 2022

A study was conducted to assess temporal and spatial changes in the trawlable demersal zones of Lake Malawi. Data from surveys conducted in 1998 and 2020 targeting 120 stations covering a surface area of 9,647.97km2 was used. Trawling speed of Research Vessel Ndunduma was restricted to 4.6km/hr. Length frequency distribution was modelled with the probability density function for determining the likelihoods in the gamma distribution. Parameters for modal length and logistic modelling were guessed and Solver in Microsoft Excel 2021 was used to generate the best of fit values through iteration with GRG Nonlinear approach. The study determined fish diversity using the Shannon and Weiner relationship. The recent survey recorded fewer fish species (149) against 158 sampled in the previous survey. The overall catch rates in 2020 and 1998 ranged from 3.8kg/0.5hr to 2003.8kg/0.5hr and 28.7 kg/0.5 to 1,884.3 kg/0.5hr, respectively. Overall fish density in the 2020 and 1998 surveys was calculated at 11.7tons/km2 and 7.5tons/km2, respectively representing a 35.6% drop. The study has revealed temporal and spatial shifts in the fish stock composition, distribution and abundance which necessitates urgent management interventions to prevent further fisheries resource losses. Efforts to regulate mesh sizes of the cod-ends of trawlers are encouraged just like the initiative of introducing a closed season for the commercial operators.
Severe COVID-19 in the Basque Country, Spain: Risk Prediction Model with Genetic and Clinical Factors
Authors: Zulueta Mirella , Aurrekoetxea Josu , Mendizabal Leire , Gaztambide Sonia , Arregi Maddi , Hoz Ana Belén , Arana-Arri Eunate , Saso Laura , Gomez-Conde Sara , Martinez-Salazar Rosa , Urrutia Inés , Sanchez-Moran Mirian , Garcia-Castaño Alejandro , Pérez-Nanclares Gustavo , Velasco Olaia , Calvo Begoña , Simon Laureano , Castaño Luis
Published: September 2022

Risk stratification for adults infected with SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 continues to be essential to inform decisions about individual patients and allocation of resources and treatment options. Accurate knowledge of individual risk of severe COVID-19 can make an important contribution to healthcare both on a population and a personal level. There are currently few tools and solutions that help medical professionals to predict the evolution of SARS-COV-2 infected patients. So far, risk models for severe COVID-19 outcomes have included age and clinical comorbidities. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly in Spain, one of Europe’s most affected countries. In this retrospective study we analyzed genotypic and phenotypic data from 659 patients in the Basque region of Spain during the first wave of COVID-19, and compared mild with severe COVID-19 cases. Using genetic variants data as well as clinical variables of the participants we built a prediction model of severe COVID-19. We obtained robust results in the training data set with 85% sensitivity, 67% specificity and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.78. In the validation set the AUC was 0.75. The main advantage of our model is that because it includes genetic variants it could be used with medical records to identify the critical population in advance.
Supply Chain Management and Backorder Products Prediction Utilizing Neural Network and Naive Bayes Machine Learning Techniques in Big Data Area: A Real- life Case Study
Authors: Gao Hui , Ren Quanhui , Lv Chunfeng
Published: September 2022

Due to a lack of clarity and adaptability, the application of machine learning algorithms for prediction in many commercial decision-making processes is suboptimal. Inputs of erroneous data into the prediction process may result in inaccurate forecasts. In this respect, we intend to include machine learning models in business decision-making by forecasting product backorders while giving decision-makers greater flexibility, process clarity, and precision. This research predicts product backorders using neural network and naive bayes algorithms. This study demonstrates how our approach forecast backorder products before actual sales. The methodology described in this study can be applied to anticipate backorders in different supply chain scenarios. Nevertheless, the current work encompasses a real-life case study to test the proposed technique based on data acquired from a known e-commerce business in Tehran, Iran. Indeed, these two algorithms were executed once the data preparation stages were completed. Present research carried out different performance metrics on the dataset to evaluate the efficacy of our proposed neural network and naive bayes models. The experimental results attain a new level of state-of-the-art performance in terms of standard evaluation criteria.
Juvenile dermatomyositis treated with methylprednisolone repeated intermittent pulse combined with mycophenolate mofetil: A retrospective case series study
Authors: Wang Jinghua , Liu Jinxiang , Pan Lu , Wang Shuning , Punaro Marilynn , Yang Sirui
Published: September 2022

Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinical effectivity of intravenous methylprednisolone repeated intermittent pulse combined with mycophenolate mofetil in the treatment of newly diagnosed juvenile dermatomyositis and to review the literatures.
Methods: Reviewed the clinical data of 12 juvenile dermatomyositis patients, from January 2014 to January 2017, hospitalized and treated with intravenous methylprednisolone repeated intermittent pulse combined with mycophenolate mofetil.
Results: A total of 12 patients were enrolled, and their overall treatment response rate was 100%. After treatment, all patients showed significant improvement in cutaneous performance and children myositis assessment scores. The median recovery time of muscle enzyme and children myositis assessment scores were 1.8 months and 19.6 months, respectively. During the intravenous methylprednisolone repeated intermittent pulse treatment, the body weight percentile was higher than that before treatment, blood pressure and intraocular pressure were transiently increased, and the level of serum lipids, glucose and calcium showed no significant changes. During the maintenance treatment period, the height percentile was increased when compared to those before treatment, while the weight percentile, blood pressure and intraocular pressure of the patients showed no significant changes. Two patients with recurrence were followed up for more than 3 years after corticosteroid re-withdrawal, and no relapse was seen till now.
Conclusion: Intravenous methylprednisolone repeated intermittent pulse combined with mycophenolate mofetil showed positive outcomes and good safety index in juvenile dermatomyositis patients. It is likely considered to be a promising treatment strategy for juvenile dermatomyositis.
Trial registration: ClinicalTnals, ID：NCT05509140. Registered 18 August 2022 - Retrospectively registered, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/LogoutUser?uid=U00052MF&ts=12&cx=mcg5gj.